When Kindred Healthcare, Inc. began construction on a new extension of its award-winning, long-term, acute-care hospital in the Sacramento, CA, area, Performance Tile & Stone of Rocklin, CA, won the contract for installing tile in the new facility. Kindred’s plans included a 2,200-square-foot industrial kitchen that specified 6- x 6-inch quarry tile and 100 percent solids epoxy grout. The installation was completed with CEG-Lite Commercial Epoxy Grout, a new product from Custom® Building Products of Seal Beach, CA.
Scott McAllister, Field Superintendent for Performance Tile & Stone, knew that epoxy grout was necessary for this application because it provides the stain and chemical resistance necessary for an installation that will be subjected daily to harsh sterilizing agents. However, he was concerned about the challenges of working with epoxy grout, including difficult workability and clean-up.
“One of the biggest challenges of most epoxy grouts is the clean-up, especially on the quarry tile that this job called for,” explained McAllister. “Because of the tile’s texture, the epoxy grout can grab the surface and stick, making it really difficult to remove. We usually have to pre-seal, which is an extra step, extra manpower, extra time and extra materials - all of which add up to additional cost. If there was a new option that would give us the same durability and performance, with easier use and clean up that didn’t require pre-sealing, then I wanted to know about it. We’ve been long-time customers of Custom and have a lot of confidence in the quality of their products, so we knew that if they had come out with a new epoxy formula, it was worth checking out.”
CEG-Lite™ Commercial Epoxy Grout is a lightweight, 100 percent solids epoxy grout. Formulated with Custom’s exclusive CustomLite™ Technology, new CEG-Lite represents a major breakthrough in epoxy technology, delivering high stain and chemical resistance as well as optimum handling characteristics and versatility, reports the manufacturer.
CEG-Lite Commercial Epoxy Grout is formulated with the same recycled content found in Custom’s other lightweight setting materials, and the company reports that it is the only 100 percent solids epoxy grout that contributes to LEED certification. The introduction of CustomLite’s lightweight recycled aggregate gives CEG-Lite a smooth creamy consistency that flows easily into grout joints and works effectively on vertical applications without additives.