TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H.B. Fuller Construction Products introduces TEC® Ultimate 6 Plus Polymer Modified Mortar, specifi- cally designed for installing gauged porcelain tile pan- els/slabs and large heavy tiles (LHT). TEC has developed Ultimate 6 Plus Mortar to meet the particular chal- lenges of install- ing exceptionally large, thin, tile pan- els and LHT on floors or walls. The new mortar offers extreme ver- satility. TEC Ultimate 6 Plus Mortar has a unique set of features that allow grouting in six hours – even when installed over the most imper- vious substrates such as uncoupling membranes. Easy-to-use Ultimate 6 Plus Mortar has an extended pot life of two to three hours and open time of 50-60 minutes, allowing installers much-needed time to get full cover- age and make adjustments. While this TEC mortar is formulated for gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs and LHT, it also works well on traditional tile for both floor and wall applications. TEC® Ultimate 6 Plus Mortar exceeds ANSI A118.4TE and A118.11. www.tecspecialty.com. details that sometimes fall through the cracks. Whatever the reason, the edge profile moldings are sometimes not included in the job. And yet, as mentioned above, these profiles play two key roles: • To provide a pleasing transition to the adjacent floor finish • To protect the edge of the tile, which may be a factory edge or a cut Lack of edge protection means chipped tile As seen in the photo below, which was taken from a hotel breakfast area, the edge of the wood-look ceramic tile is significantly chipped after only a few years of service. Without the metal profile to pro- tect the edge of the tile, unsightly chipping can (and does) occur. In this case, the combination of the housekeeper’s sweeper and the metal legged chairs has taken its toll on the tile. Consider exacerbating conditions As you may have noticed in the photo above, the low-pile com- 46 TileLetter | December 2017