b'Mortars and groutsState-of-the-art technology, innovations highlight product characteristicsMortarshaveevolvedgreatlyoverrecentyears,inbut much about its delivery and selection of color has order to keep pace with harder-to-bond porcelain tiles,becomedifferentovertheyears,fromready-to-use larger-format tiles, as well as to support slim tiles,productsthatcanberesealedandstoredforfuture As Arthur Mintie, Senior Technical Advisor for LATICRETE,use,tostainproofgrout,tonewerdispersible-pigment noted, saving time and money on the jobsite have becomeproducts that can reduce inventory space needed in the increasinglyimportantastheindustrypushestoofferwarehouse, to grouts that incorporate metallic pigments more advanced products to meet construction needs foror glass beads to enhance glass or decorative tiles. Color fast-trackprojectswhileincorporatinglightweightandchoices continue to grow, some coordinating with other dust-freefeatures.Newmortarsbeingdevelopedarefinishingorpaintsuppliersorgroupedintofamiliesto creating ways to shorten the entire lead time of residentialmake color selection easier.and commercial tile installations, he said. Advances in grout technology continue to emerge and Other mortar product developments focus on design- understandingtheperformance ing new products that meet or exceed regulatory require- characteristicsandlimitationsof ments, he continued, and are equipped with support- eachtypeofgroutisimportant, ingHealthProductDeclarations(HPDs),EnvironmentalnotedMerkretesCarroll.Most ProductDeclarations(EPDs)andULGREENGUARD grouts are produced to meet the Certifications. requirements of a particular ANSI Oneofthemostsignificantadvancementsforlarge- standard, but there are additional format tile and stone is the development of large-and- Tom Carroll requirements demanded by install-heavy-tile (LHT) mortars (formerly known as medium-beders or end-users. Contractors typi-mortars). When tile mortars cure, they are inclined tocally want grout products that have enough working time, shrinkbecausethedisplacementofwatercausesthespreads easily, completely fills joints, dry quickly, and are mortar to retract and either pull away from the tile caus- easy to clean. They do not want call-backs to clean grout ing uneven coverage and hollow spots or physically pullhaze and seal joints.the tile down while it hardens, causing lippage, said Tom Carroll,SeniorProductManagerforMerkrete.Newly formulatedLHTmortarsaredesignedtocontrolthe amount of shrinking that occurs during the curing pro-cess, allowing the tile to stay in position.TheseLHTmortarsareformulatedwithnon-slump to withstand movement of larger and heavier weighted tileduringinstallation,headded.Theyalsocontain increased grab and non-sag/slip for vertical installations. The continued education and awareness of LHT mortars areassistinginstallerstomaketheseamorecommon part of the installation.The evolution of groutAs the foundation or framing of your tile product, grout utilizes the element of design with color, style, shine and pizzazz, depending, of course, on what grout you choose to work with.Grout continues to feature an extensive color palette, 562019|TECH'