b'TECHNICAL TECHNICAL around decorative elements.is sponsored byWhen the size and confi guration of the room and the size of the tile make it impossible to center the layout in all aspects.Layoutsthatarecontinuously fl owing to several spaces. Theeffectthetilelayoutwill H.B.FullerConstructionProductshave on waste.introducesTECUltimate6PlusMinimum grout joint sizePolymer Modi ed Mortar speci callyAnotherimportantsection designed for installing gauged por-celaintilepanels/slabsandlargeconcerninglayoutintheTCNA heavytiles(LHT).TEChasdevel- Handbookaddressesminimum opedUltimategroutjointwidth.Thetrendin 6PlusMortartoourindustryisforlargertilesto meettheparticu- beinstalledwithsmallergrout larchallengesofjoints. The guidelines in the TCNA installingexcep- Handbookcanhelpinstallersto tionallylargethindefendagainstcustomerswho tile panels and LHTwant smaller than acceptable groutoorsjoints or no grout joints at all.onor walls. Thenewmortar offers extreme ver- A 1/16 grout joint is the small-satility. TEC Ultimate 6 Plus Mortarestgroutjointeverrecommend-hasauniquesetoffeaturesthated. The minimum allowable grout allows grouting in six hoursevenjoint size varies depending on the when installed over the most imper- tileinuseandhowmuchone vious substrates such as uncouplingtilediffersfromanotherinsize. membranes.Easy-to-useUltimate6TheTCNAHandbookstates,To PlusMortarhasanextendedpotaccommodatetherangeinfacial life of two to three hours and opendimensions of the tile supplied for timeof50-60minutes,allowinga specifi c project, the actual grout installersmuch-neededtimetoget full coverage and make adjustments.jointsizemay,ofnecessity,vary While this TEC mortar is formulatedfrom the grout joint size specifi ed. forgaugedporcelaintilepanels/ The actual grout joint size shall be slabs and LHT, it also works well onat least three times the actual varia-traditional tile for bothoor and walltion of facial dimensions of the tile applications.supplied. Example: for tiles having TECUltimate6PlusMortara total variation of 1/16 in facial exceedsANSIA118.4TEanddimensions,aminimumof3/16 A118.11. www.tecspecialty.com. grout joint shall be used.86 TileLetter | June 2020'