–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– THIN TILE and smoothing a self-leveler. Gerald Sloan provided an excellent dem- onstration of the traditional method of “mudding” a wall smooth per the request of the class partici- pants. Thixotropic (large-and-heavy tile) mortars were demonstrated and everyone was able to use the new ready-to-use Flexcolor CQ grout and hybrid sanded/unsanded Ultracolor Plus FA cement grout. There were also demonstrations of ECO Prim Grip, a bond-promoting primer for tile over tile installations and AquaDefense waterproofing. Of particular interest to the group was a demonstration of MAPEI’s new Mapeguard UM Underlayment Membrane with uncoupling and waterproofing properties. After the training, the group had time with Brian Pistulka, MAPEI’s Product Line manager for Tile and Stone Installation Systems. This allowed them to talk directly to the person responsible for existing and future MAPEI products. Day Three: Fishing! Day Three started with some grumbles and an early-morning bus ride to Key Largo but the grumbles quickly turned to appre- ciation as a sunny, beautiful day proved perfect for catching fish in the tropical waters of the Keys. Many of the group agreed that this was a bucket-list outing for them. The activities provided many social media posts to the Tile Geeks page to entice those that had not made this trip to sign up for future events. MAPEI also conducted several Facebook Live “Look-ins” at the training as it progressed. In all, it was an eventful and educational training session that was enjoyed by both the attendees and the pre- senters, proving that we are all Tile Geeks at heart. Gerald Sloan demonstrates directional troweling. Boat cruise TileLetter | July 2017 95