7.1 Quality Assurance
The success of a tile installation in an animal health and wellness installation depends entirely on a good quality assurance program implemented at all levels of the project. Unfortunately, comprehensive quality assurance programs remain the most overlooked and ignored process in the design and construction of both the facility and the tile installation.
There is an important distinction between the terms “quality assurance” and “quality control”. The distinction is that quality assurance is preventative in nature and encompasses all of the procedures necessary to ensure a quality job. Quality control is typically corrective in nature, implemented during or after a procedure, and is only one component of a more comprehensive and planned quality assurance program.
A quality assurance program should include quality checks during the design, specification and bidding phases as well as during and after construction. One factor of tile used in animal health and wellness facilities is that the quality of the installation is only as good as each component, and its installation, within the system. So choosing the proper products and installing them correctly is critical to the long term performance of the installation.
A comprehensive quality program for the design and construction of tile installations in animal health and wellness facilities should involve, but not be limited to the following:
Owner
Define Scope of Work
Organizational Requirements
Quality Objectives
Design Professional
Tile Installation System Product Component Design, Specification, Installation, and Inspection Procedure Training
Pre-Installation Conference on Materials and Methods
Identification of Construction Progress and Post Installation Inspection, Testing and Evaluation Requirements; Identify Resolution Methods for Non-Compliant Conditions
Develop and Specify Post Installation Preventative Maintenance Programs
Construction Professional
Substrate Preparation
Control of Materials (Evaluation of Contract Document Performance Requirements, Material Suppliers, Delivery, Handling, and Records)
Product Use Monitoring and Documentation (Pot Life, Curing, Protection and Batch Mixing)
Setting or Fixing all Tile-Adhesion Monitoring (Spreading, Thickness, Open Time, Tackiness, Beat-In, and Coverage)
7.2 Preventative and Corrective Maintenance
A systematic maintenance plan is a critical required final step in an animal health and wellness facility which is often overlooked. An animal health and wellness facility tile installation can be subjected to animal urine, feces, vomit, harsh chemical cleaners, sanitizers, heavy foot traffic, and much more and without regular maintenance any normal deterioration or degradation of a standard grout would be accelerated. The end result would be a loss of performance and shortening of the expected service life.
Maintenance of animal health and wellness facilities is categorized according to how and when maintenance actions are taken. Preventative maintenance is planned and proactive action, which maintains specified performance, and prevents potential defects or failures. Preventative maintenance includes both anticipated routine actions and repairs, such as application of protective sealers or deteriorated sealant replacement, as well as unexpected repairs such as replacement of cracked tile or fixing water leaks that may manifest into structural problems later.
The benefits of preventative maintenance are well documented; prevention has been proven; prevention has been proven to increase expected service life, and cost a fraction of more extensive remedial action typically required once a problem occurs.
Corrective maintenance is remedial action which repairs a defect after occurrence. Corrective maintenance is necessary to prevent further deterioration or total failure of a tile installation in an animal health and wellness facility. Corrective action typically involves evaluation with either a non-destructive or destructive test procedure.
The use of LATAPOXY® 2000 Industrial Grout aids in the performance and maintenance of the installation. LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout reduces the amount of time to clean and provide general upkeep of the system and eliminates the requirement for sealing the grout. Make sure that the LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout is protected from traffic, exposure to animals (i.e. urine, feces, claws, hair, vomit, etc…), chemicals, cleaners, other trades, and anything else that may affect the grout until it has hardened sufficiently to support exposure. For more information please refer to the product data sheet for LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout (634.0) at www.laticrete.com.
LATICRETE® SpectraLOCK® PRO Grout† and LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout are extremely low in absorption (<.5%). Liquids will not penetrate the surface of these grouts due to the low absorption rate. Dirty grout can always be cleaned down to the original color - not so with cement based grouts, latex modified cement grouts or modified epoxy grouts. Stains become part of cement-based grouts.
Protect grouted areas from traffic and other trades for at least 24 hours after installation or until the grout is hard and no longer tacky. For areas that must have traffic during curing time, cover installation with plastic sheeting and plywood or other temporary load bearing course. Protect grout from dirt and dust for 72 hours at 70°F (21°C). Please note that temperatures lower than 70°F (21°C) will require protection from traffic for a longer period of time.
LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout reaches maximum hardness in 14 days and maximum stain resistance in 7 days at 70°F (21°C).
LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout and LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout are both stain resistant when properly installed and allowed to cure fully. It is, unfortunately, not self-cleaning. Routine maintenance can be done with detergents and a sponge or mop. For tough or difficult to remove soil, a bleaching cleaner (e.g. Soft Scrub®, Comet®, Ajax®, etc. or electric dish washing detergent) on a nylon scrubbing pad or a long handled stiff bristle brush can be used.
Please note: Prior to using any cleaning material on a tile, etc. installation, test a discrete area or scrap piece of tile to insure desired results.
LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout can be steam cleaned when allowed to reach full cure. Mechanical cleaning can also be done with a floor cleaning machine such as a “Tennant” floor machine or power buffing machine with nylon pads and a commercial tile cleaner. A “Grout Hog” which is basically a motorized brush for fast aggressive cleaning may also be used.
Tennant Company Grout Hog Floor Cleaner Windsor Industries
701 North Lilac Drive
1351 West Stanford Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55440 Englewood, CO 80110
+1.612.540.1200
+1.303.762.1800
LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout exposed to grease, oil, and areas of potential bacteria accumulation (floor drains, equipment supports, etc.) should be cleaned daily using degreasing materials, disinfecting cleaning agents, and a commercial floor washing machine, and then thoroughly rinsed. LATAPOXY® 2000 Industrial Grout is recommended for high abuse areas such as these.
7.3 Protection and Sealing – Water Repellent Sealers and Coatings
The purpose and performance of these materials is widely misunderstood by design and construction professionals. Generally, clear water repellent coatings can aid in retarding surface water absorption of porous materials, and reduce adhesion of staining materials. However, these sealing materials often give a false sense of security due to the lack of understanding of their suitability, compatibility and performance. Water repellents can reduce water leakage and deterioration in normally porous tile, stone and grouting materials, but they are not a cure to abnormal leakage caused by fundamental defects in detailing and construction.
There are several general principles for use and application of sealers. Water repellent sealers are not waterproof, and generally cannot bridge gaps or hairline cracks in grout joints or building material, so these materials are useless when used over cracks or very porous surfaces. Sealers suitable for use over slab-on-grade concrete must be vapor permeable and allow the floor to “breathe” to allow vapor to pass through the system. Sealers can also create functional or aesthetic defects that are intended to be prevented or corrected by their application.
As sealers age, wear out or weather, several other problems can occur. Effectiveness is typically reduced over time, so periodic re-application (depending on the manufacturers formulation and recommendations) is necessary, and effective service life ranges from 1 – 5 years. Sealers may also allow variable wetting of a cement grout or tile from poor application or weathering; this can produce a blotchy appearance. In some cases the sealer can be re-applied; in others it may be necessary to allow it to completely weather off, or be removed chemically to restore a uniform appearance. Check with the sealer manufacturer for complete information on their products.
Compatibility of sealers is also important, not only with the materials to be sealed but also with adjacent and underlying components of the system. The appearance of certain tile or grout can be affected by sealers. Poor application or poor quality products can darken or change the appearance of the tile or grout. Application (or overspray) of sealers onto non-porous tile, such as porcelain, will result in visible residue or a dripping, wet appearance from sealers that do not absorb (e.g. urethanes or acrylics). Sealant joints, waterproofing membranes and metal are some of the system components which might be affected by solvents in some formulations.
7.4 Alternative To Using Sealers
Use a low absorption tile (e.g. porcelain or quarry tile) and LATAPOXY 2000 Industrial Grout. These installation system materials never require sealing and can greatly lower the long-term, overall cost usually required to maintain the tile installation.