Fast-set large tile mortar
Product to watch
By Masonry
Large-format tile has become a popular choice for commercial floor and wall installations. Because it requires fewer grout lines than smaller tile, large-format tile visually expands rooms and produces a neater, more modern appearance. TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar helps installers meet requirements to fully realize the advantages of this product type.
For successful large-format tile installations, setting materials must have not only good bond strength, but also non-sag capabilities for walls and non-slump traits for floors. It also is important to use materials with high resistance to shock and impact, and compressive strength to support the heavy tile. TEC developed Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar specifically to meet the numerous unique requirements of large-format tile.
TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar is a polymer-modified, full-contact mortar that is ideal for installing ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tile. It is ideal for use as a medium-bed mortar for heavy and large-format tile in both interior and exterior applications. It also can be used in standard thin-set applications. It has non-sag and non-slump characteristics, making it appropriate for wall and floor applications. This product can be used over a wide variety of substrates, including cured concrete, cured mortar beds, brick and masonry, plywood, and uncoupling membranes.
This product is designed for efficiency. As with any tile installation, full and complete coverage of large-format tile provides a strong bond and minimizes the likelihood of damage from impact or heavy loads. TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar offers superior transfer, helping installers achieve full coverage with minimum effort. When used as a medium-bed mortar, it significantly reduces the need for time-consuming back buttering. Part of the TEC Same-Day Installation System, this product cures quickly. After installing tile with TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar, installers can grout in just three to four hours.
When troweling mortar onto a substrate for a large-format tile installation, it is important to keep the mortar surface in a wet, tacky state and not to skin it over before the tile is set. Despite its rapid cure time, TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar provides an extended open time of about 30 to 40 minutes for ease of use. It mixes a smooth, creamy consistency for superior handling.
TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar passed rigorous ASTM C627 Robinson floor testing, which means it can be specified for heavy commercial environments. During testing, the tile assembly withstood 450 rotations of three steel wheels bearing a load of 250 pounds each without any damage. With these test results, installers know that TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar can withstand the rigor of demanding enviornments.
TEC Fast Set Ultimate Large Tile Mortar contains 5 percent pre-consumer recycled material in the gray formula and 5 percent post-consumer recycled material in the white formula. It is a zero-VOC product and exceeds ANSI A118.4 and A118.11 shear bond specifications.
TEC is offered by H.B. Fuller Construction Products Inc. For more information, visit www.hbfuller-cp.com.
Originally published in Masonry magazine.
About the Author
Masonry, the official publication of the Mason Contractors Association of America, covers every aspect of the mason contractor profession - equipment and techniques, building codes and standards, business planning, promoting your business, legal issues and more. Read or subscribe to Masonry magazine at www.masonrymagazine.com.
