b'ASK THE EXPERTSSomecontractorshavefounditlenges. Many will require an acidic helpful to use grout release (some- typeofcleanerand/orpressure timesmultiplecoatsareneces- washing.Andthesacrificialwax sary), penetrating sealers, or evencoatingwillneedtoberemoved applying a sacrificial wax coatingaftergroutingandcuringiscom-prior to installing the thin brick topletebyusingahot-water,high-reduce the absorption of the brickpressure washer.prior to grouting.In view of these many challenges, However,eachofthesemeth- itisalwaystoyouradvantageto ods still has its own costs and chal- do a mock up prior to starting the job,aswellasworkingwitha settingmaterialmanufacturerand using its complete system (usually membrane, thinset, and grout), and consulting the thin brick manufac-turerforitsrecommendationsas well. Also ask your grout supplier if using one of their liquid admix productswillgiveyouthefluffy texture youre looking for, since in certain grouts theyve helped.Some specifications for jobs that Ihavedonerequirethegrouting tobeinstalledusingagroutbag and others dont. Therefore, some tile contractors qualify their bid to include their proposed method for installing the grout, joint treatment/toolingandcleaningmethodincluding that while the face of the brickwillbecleaned,thepitsin the face of the brick may still con-tainsomeresidualgroutinthem after final cleaning.Hopefullythisissomehelp,if you have any additional questions please feel free to email or call.Thank you for your support of the NTCA. Randy Fleming,NTCA Technical Trainer26TileLetter | June 2020'