FEATURE: Marble tile at Hearst Castle pool renovated with CUSTOM products reached its current size in 1936. It now holds 345,000 gallons of water, measures 104 feet long by 58 feet to 95 feet across and reaches a depth of 10 feet. The pool is an engineering marvel, being suspend- ed rather than sunken; this factor added an extra layer of complexity to shell and plumbing repair efforts at the site. By 2014, the aging pool was leak- ing up to 5,000 gallons of water daily during a devastating drought. After draining the pool to prevent further leaks and assess damage, all original tile had to be removed to allow extensive repairs to the shell. A complete renovation was commissioned by California State Parks, which owns and maintains this expansive property. Following repairs to fill cracks and other imperfections, the application of a crystalline waterproofing solution and a successful 14-day fill test, tile installation began in earnest. Stellar products and technical support: a winning combination The natural stone tile work on this project was awarded to the third-generation marble craftsmen at Carnevale & Lohr, Inc., of Bell Gardens, Calif. Their union stone masons and tile setters are trained in time-tested and traditional hand- fitting methods, but also incorporate modern tile installation technology, standards and techniques. This way, the installers brought together the best of the old and new worlds of tile craftsmanship. “Custom’s products are excel- lent,” said David Carnevale, presi- dent of Carnevale & Lohr, “but this project also needed to be about the technical support, best warranty, and partnership of the installation products manufacturer. Custom offered their testing labs and all of their resources to us. That was something different, and it counted for so much!” RedGard® Waterproofing and Crack Prevention Membrane was specified to help isolate cracks in the substrate and waterproof the surface preparation and mortar bed. 40 TileLetter | June 2019