Specifications for the self-leveler product need not be excessive. A good quality self-leveler will pro- duce a 28-day compressive strength of 4,000 psi. Depth per application ranges from 1” to 2” per pour. A primer is always recommended by each manufacturer. I suggest that collaboration between the TCAA, the ASCC, and the NTCA will be needed to draft new language and get it distributed to the architectural community in order to get these impor- tant changes made. In my opinion this will be the total solution to the problem of how to get paid for performing floor- prep work. In the meantime the answer to that question is, “It can be difficult.” –––––––––– Tom Lynch is a 55-year veteran of the tile industry and one of the NTCA’s initial inductees to the “Recognized Industry Consultants” group. He can be reached at (336) 877-6951 or tommydlynch@gmsil.com or www. tomlynchconsultant.com. TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The issue of concrete flatness and levelness as it affects tile installations, especially with the increasing amount of large-format tile being sold in the United States, has been at the forefront of the NTCA Technical Committee and Methods and Standards Committee for many years. In fact, the NTCA moved quickly to contact ASCC and NWFA shortly after Position Statement #6 was drafted; and with the full support of the NTCA Technical Committee, signed the document and made it available to NTCA members through the NTCA Reference Manual. You can also find this document on the Position Statements Library page under Education & Certification on the NTCA website (tile-assn.com) or http://bit.ly/2HXZIVB. NTCA has worked with the ASCC to express concerns and challenges with concrete contractors, and have invited their experts to share experiences with our industry at many events. These efforts resulted in language addressing the rising disparity between the two industry standards in the TCNA Handbook. Many contractors use this information to add specific addenda or language in their bids to be paid for surface preparation. In other instances, a discussion takes place and the general contractor may opt to select another company to come in and bring the concrete into tolerance. Often, self leveling cementi- tious underlayment is the preferred choice. At other times, a floor is recessed and a mud set application is specified. The committees that develop and maintain our industry standards will con- tinue to explore this issue to determine what is the most effective way to move forward and pledge to maintain an open dialogue with the ASCC to work closely with them through this process. Bart A. Bettiga, NTCA executive director bart@tile-assn.com A NTCA perspective 66 TileLetter | March 2018