New publication draws on wisdom in the NTCA Reference Manual
New publication draws on wisdom in the NTCA Reference ManualBy Dale Kempster, Director of the International Technical Network, North America | Schluter Systems
This year is the 75th anniversary of the Terrazzo, Tile, and Marble Association of Canada, more commonly known as the TTMAC. This association is made up of both union and non-union tile contractors and there are currently 291 contractor members, 139 supplier members and 17 professional members. The
TTMAC provides online education, testing (ASTM C627, DCOF), on-site inspections, regional conferences, and an annual national convention. This year, the convention is being held in beautiful downtown Toronto, ON. The TTMAC also produces several technical publications and for the first time this year it is proud to announce its newest addition, the new Tile Installer Technical Handbook.
The Handbook, launched in July, was created to address specifically the challenges and predicaments that tile installers face on job sites almost daily. A large part of the content of this Handbook was reprinted under the permission of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) located in Jackson, Miss., from the NTCA Reference Manual. All content was reviewed, modified, converted, and Canadianized, for the Great White North. This means that all the measurements are in metric, which was no small task, but for those of you who are still not that comfortable or familiar with metric, there’s a pretty comprehensive conversion chart in the back. Certain words had to be converted from American to Canadian such as vapor to vapour, color to colour, recognise to recognize, and uh huh to eh!!!
All references to details in the TCNA Handbook have been converted to the appropriate details from the Canadian 09 30 00 Tile Installation Manual, as well as any relevant Canadian standards such as the Canadian National Building Code, CSA, CGSB, etc. This Handbook has a wealth of information drawn from years of experience from tile contractors from coast to coast who have shared their lifetime of knowledge and expertise.
Following a similar NTCA Reference Manual format, The Problem, the Cause, the Cure and Prevention in the Future is how the Handbook has been organized. In addition, when appropriate, a template with an informative letter is included after each topic. These letters can be used to inform customers what the issue is and what the appropriate solution may or may not be or what standard or code may or may not be met.
Key topics
Some of the key topics that are discussed are:
- General Statement on Moisture Emissions,
- Curing Compounds and Release Agents,
- Movement Joints,
- Engineered Wood,
- Division 3 vs Division 9 Floor Flatness Tolerances,
- Questionable Substrates,
- Poured Gypsum Underlayments,
- Waterproof Underlayments,
- Crack Isolation Underlayments,
- Uncoupling Underlayments,
- Critical Lighting Effects on Tile Installations,
- Gauged Porcelain and Porcelain Slabs,
- Exterior Application Guidelines,
- Radiant Heat Issues, Efflorescence,
- Steam Rooms,
- Natural Stone Problems and Maintenance,
- Glass Tile Installation Challenges,
- Grout Problem Solving Guide,
- Coefficient of Friction and DCOF,
- General Care and Maintenance, and an extensive Glossary.
Canadian-specific challenges and construction methods
In Canada there are of course some different challenges and construction methods, and as such this is where there are some major differences between the NTCA Reference Manual and the TTMAC Tile Installation Handbook. One such difference is with the recognition of the installation of Gauged Porcelain Tiles and Tile Panel/Slabs on wood substrates as identified in ANSI A108.19. In Canada, the minimum thickness by code for the subfloor is 15 mm (5/8”) thickness on 400 mm o.c. (16”) (not 20 mm (3/4”) as in the U.S.) so the use of these panels on wood substrates is not recommended, and will have to be researched and tested extensively by the TTMAC before it can be affirmed for the use over wood substrates. Other areas where there are some measurable differences between the US and Canada are: movement joint requirements, the use of partial coverage in crack-isolation membranes, back-buttering requirements, just to name a few.
Unlike the TTMAC 09 03 00 Tile Installation Manual, which is designed and targeted for the architectural and specification community, the Tile Installer Technical Handbook was designed specifically for the end user, the grass roots of our industry: the “tile installer.” A large portion of the photos are from the TTMAC library and many are past recipients of the Hard Surface Awards.
This new publication has 11 chapters and 306 pages of content. Since this is a relatively thick publication to print and to be environmentally responsible the TTMAC is also having this Tile Installer Technical Handbook available electronically. Lastly, the Tile Installer Technical Handbook is dated 2018-2019 and the goal of the TTMAC is to have it revised and reprinted approximately every two years, similar to the TTMAC 09 30 00 Tile Installation Manual.
Canadian tile setters and other industry members can obtain a copy of the TTMAC Tile Installer Technical Handbook, by visiting https://ttmac.com/en/technical/specifications. The Handbook is available for both members and non-members at a nominal charge.
Dale Kempster
Dale Kempster, CSC, CTC, TTMAC, is the Technical Director of Schluter-Systems (Canada), and has been with the company for 30 years. He is currently vice president of the Materials, Methods, and Standards Association (MMSA) in the U.S. Kempster co-chairs the Specifications and Technical Research Committee and is chair of the Terrazzo, Tile, and Marble Association of Canada’s (TTMAC) 09 30 00 Tile Installation Manual. He is the current chair of the Canadian Advisory Committee for the International Standards Organization (ISO [TC189]), as well as the Convenor of ISO TC 189 WG 11, which is creating a Standard for Uncoupling membranes for Tile Installations.
