By Denise Tripamer, Director of Marketing, H.B. Fuller/TEC
When Danny Fulton, owner of Fulton Tile and Stone in Evansville, Ind., needed to find the perfect product to adhere gauged porcelain tile panels to the exterior of Big Rivers Electric’s new corporate headquarters, he knew to call his contacts at H.B. Fuller.
H.B. Fuller’s TEC brand associates had been developing a new single-side application, pre-mixed adhesive to handle the most extreme jobs, including exterior porcelain gauged tile panels, submerged applications and glass.
For several years, the TEC team had been testing numerous iterations of a totally new product category: exterior, non-water-based, modified silane adhesive. The R&D staff put the product through grueling tests, especially for exterior and submerged conditions.
“The product had to withstand a lot of freeze/thaw cycling, without a degradation of strength properties,” said John Anderson, senior product manager, H.B. Fuller. “We tortured the product back and forth between extreme heat and cold. We didn’t see a drop in strength despite what we put it through.”
He added, “We put the product through 200 freeze/thaw cycles. This exceeds the standard set by the International Standard Organization (ISO) and ISO 14448 for exterior wall-time adhesion.”
Fulton Tile and Stone had also tested several versions of the product, called TEC® TotalFlex® XMS Tile Adhesive. A run of the product was shipped to use on the most complex exterior project Fulton Tile had ever tackled.
When Danny’s team began, it was already October in the Midwest. Dropping temperatures would have been a big concern using traditional water-based mortars, possibly requiring costly and time-consuming tenting to ensure proper overnight cure temperatures were maintained.
Because TotalFlex XMS is not a water-based product, it avoids these barriers. It works beyond temperature cure limits—from 40 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, TEC Installation Systems offers a warranty for exterior applications.
Does the Heavy Lifting for Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels
The Big Rivers project was specified with gauged porcelain tile panels. Offering a wide range of colors, the panels look great—mimicking marble, onyxes and natural stone, as well as modern stone and concrete. They beautifully cover large areas with fewer grout lines/joints.
For this new corporate headquarters, the porcelain gauged tiles used were Laminam I Naturali Statuario Venato Matte from Crossville. The faux statuary marble panels added a sophisticated touch to the first-floor entry, covering vertical columns and continuing under the soffit areas. It defines the first floor and adds emphasis to the main entry.
But with these big porcelain tiles come some big challenges. The Big Rivers project included 8,400 sq. ft. of panels—that’s 240 exterior panels measuring 3.5’ x 10’ each (or 39 mm x 119 mm). The added challenge was these enormous panels needed to be scissor-lifted up to 16’ in the air!
“It’s very tricky,” said Fulton. “Gauged porcelain panels handle more like glass. They are very brittle and can’t be twisted or tweaked.” The panels have to remain rigid throughout handling and adhesion—from the box to the worktable, to lifting into position and adhering into place.
The project demanded good grab, not only for the vertical exterior applications, but also to adhere to the ceiling surfaces on the soffits. The TEC modified silane adhesive offers great green grab for superior initial tack and higher strengths.
“This new technology is non-toxic, so users don’t need to worry about health concerns,” said Anderson. “There’s less waste. If you don’t use all of the product in one job, you can simply put the lid back on and save it for the next.”
The team used the TEC installation system of products on the job. HydraFlex Waterproofing Crack Isolation Membrane was used on the walls to cover the panels and make them waterproof. TEC AccuColor 100 Silicone Sealant was used on all the joints.
Getting Airborne with a Lightweight Solution
TotalFlex XMS only needs to be applied to one surface—no need to back-butter the tile and prepare the substrate like traditional cement-based mortars. In the Big Rivers headquarters project, Fulton chose to apply adhesive to the porcelain panels.
“It’s more lightweight, making the panels easier to lift,” stated Kelly Snapp, technical sales representative for H.B. Fuller. “You don’t need to scissor lift with 50 lbs. of mortar on the tiles. Because the tiles are only 35mm thick, any wrong move will shatter it.”
The product is ready to go right from the 4-gallon pails. “The combination of no mixing and one-surface application speeds up the process tremendously,” added Anderson. “What normally takes four to five people, now takes three to four.”
TotalFlex XMS has an even, creamy consistency that hangs on to the trowel. “Installers raved about how easy it was to use,” said Fulton. “The adhesive offers a smooth, buttery consistency that is easy to work with.”
“It offers nice trowel ridge/trowel tension,” noted Anderson. “Once you’ve lifted the panel into place on the wall, just tap and the product properly wets out the surface.”
Good Workability and Open Time
TotalFlex XMS offers good green grab so it’s easier to get into place, but it also has a longer open time to provide the workability to adjust if needed. “Maybe you want to move it up 1/16” to ½”—the product allows that,” said Anderson. “Open time is 60 minutes compared with 30 to 45 minutes with competitors.”
A quicker cure time speeds up workflow, allowing workers to move to the grout phase in 12 hours versus the traditional 24 hours with mortar-based products.
Flexible Uses
“There isn’t much this product won’t stick to,” said Anderson. “Because of the make-up, it’s super versatile. And it works well in tough conditions—you can see the results on the Big Rivers building.”
“This is extremely important for today’s porcelain gauged panels which have a mesh backing for strength,” added Snapp. “Not all mortars will want to stick to that and handle fiberglass materials.”
Snapp also shared a recent project where TotalFlex XMS was used for a swimming pool repair. Because the adhesive is totally waterproof, it allowed the team to repair, install and refill the pool in eight days.
Because the adhesive is pure white, it’s perfect for transparent applications like glass—including large format.
