November 20, 2017
Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Grout and Mortar Subcommittee members met last Wednesday and Thursday at TCNA Headquarters in Anderson, SC to assess shear strength testing of tile mortar products. Dubbed the TCNA Mortar Summit, this get-together provided an invaluable opportunity for TCNA members to observe varying interpretations of methodology, compare results, and discuss potential improvements to standards.
Participants included R&D, QA, and standards development leaders throughout the industry with representation from the vast majority of mortar manufacturers in North America. Day one was spent in TCNA’s state-of-the-art Product Performance Testing Laboratory where participants took turns conducting tests and preparing samples. On day two, test results were compared and observations presented regarding various practices throughout the industry. The group agreed on several new ideas for enhancing procedural clarity and facilitating increased repeatability and reproducibility.
“Each of the participants obtained a better understanding of how others throughout the industry are testing products on a day to day basis,” reported Ryan Marino, TCNA Standards Development Engineer. “We anticipate continued dialogue regarding the many positive takeaways from last week’s Mortar Summit.”
