ber mallets to beat in the bedded tile for a flat tiled surface. Suction cups were used to periodically check mortar coverage and trans- fer to ensure that it met the 95% requirement for natural stone, exte- riors or wet areas. With the pool combining all of these elements, proper ridge collapse and coverage were especially important to pro- tect the tile per ANSI A108.5.2.5. The Neptune Pool’s marble and serpentine tiles were grout- ed with PolyBlend® Non-Sanded Grout. After testing with samples of the stone and historic small joints between tiles, the sand- free formula proved ideal for the project. This durable, non-shrinking, polymer- modified grout can be used to fill joints up to 1/8”. Bright White was the shade used to repli- cate the original grout, which long pre-dated colored grouts. “As Californians, we take tremendous pride in this project,” said Jim Christenson, field super- intendant at Carnevale & Lohr. “Everyone was very excited to watch the pool come back to life.” Each stone tile was back-buttered prior to being placed. An installer checks the back of a Olympian White Danby® marble tile to ensure 95% coverage. FEATURE: Marble tile at Hearst Castle pool renovated with CUSTOM products 46 TileLetter | June 2019