SpectraLock - Nothing to fear

[ddmoit]

I just measured it, George. It's 4.5 quarters long and one quarter wide.

Converting to another popular unit, it's 15/16" wide and 4.5" long.

[tracerbullet]

I just finished my third tile project with Spectralock Pro, and this was my largest and most challenging. ~150 sq. ft. foyer with three step downs into the master bedroom, living room, and family room. I continue to be impressed with this product, and I would use it in a heartbeat again in any project with water exposure or major foot traffic (otherwise it's hard to justify the extra cost).

[SurfaceTrends]

Anyone know the sqft suppy cost of Spectralock? Also the sqft labour rate, I have a huge job to do in this stuff and need unit rates. I live in Bermuda and I need to buy it in the US.

[John Bridge]

Beautiful work, Tracy.

Bermuda, please make your own thread. You'll just get lost in here.

[DonB]

Hi Y'all,

I just want check in and say that almost three years later, my SpectraLock job looks as good as the day it was born. There are absolutely no problems to report.

The "Big Island" with the Cobblestone tile and the Silver Shadow grout is a joy. Mostly we just sweep it off with a pool table brush and wipe it down. Every year os so it gets a good bath with AquaMix cleaner and an acid brush. The bathroom countertops of the same construction are perfect and almost automatic to keep clean. All we've ever do there is give it a quick wipe with a damp towel. It is indeed true this grout will not stain and will stand up to any wear and tear.

The Blue Pearl kitchen countertops with the Raven grout are equally lovely to live with. The color is still perfect. My wife is still very pleased with me and her kitchen. She doesn't even complain if I do minor mechanical work on her island (as long as it isn't a chainsaw)

[ddmoit]

Hey Don, it's good to hear from the originator of this monstrous thread. Thanks for the update.

[DonB]

Heheh. Yeah, this thing really grew a life of it's own.

[LatCSRNC]

George,

In response to your question about mixing SpectraLock, I have found the easiest way to mix it is with a cordless variable speed drill with a small paddle.

I demo this product weekly and find most people use a high rpm drill or mix with a margin trowel. The cordless drill keeps it low rpm's and makes mixing the product very easy.

Thanks,

[George K]

LatCSRNC

I tried mixing with the putty knife that ddmoit suggested, but wound up using a margin trowel. The trowel was easier to grip and it handled the stiff mix better.

A small mixing blade that you suggest is a problem to find. Can you show me a picture of yours and tell me where you got it and the size batch you are mixing with it? I can find a paddle that will mix a full unit, but it is too big for a mini. Being a one man operation, I can do 1 Full (4Mini's) a day, mixing and applying only one mini at a time. Hard on the knees and hands.

270 sq. ft. of my 1300 sq. ft. is finished and looks nice. It looks like it will take about 3 commercial units plus 1 full to do it all. I think about 13 working days. 3 down, 10 to go.

Thanks.

[CharlieM]

For a mixing blade for Spectralock, I use an old beater from a hand-held electric beater. You can use it in the hand beater or stick it in your drill. All on slow speed. Works great.

[Scubadoo]

I just use a wooden paint stirrer to mix the mini units. Works fine.

[George K]

I use an old beater from a hand-held electric beater

I tried this using a mixer I got from a thrift shop. I used just one blade and chucked it up in a variable speed drill. I selected a blade that was square shaped so that I could get in the corners of my plastic pail.

I'm happy to report that it works great and it sure beats mixing it by hand.

[silvercitytile]

i also do as charlieM does.



although in the pic its not spectralock. i use the (cake mixer) paddle for small mixes.

[Snets]

Do you think she'll get mad if I use the Kitchen Aid stand mixer? I'm actually thinking about it. It's got a stainless steel 5qt bowl with a handle that would be handy to carry to the shower.....I'll clean off the beater before I go upstairs!

2 Mini's would fit perfect.

[sreeb]

I just picked up a full unit of Spectralock Pro. For some reason I had expected to find it already packed in mini unit bags in the bucket but that clearly isn't the case and I have a single large bag of each component.

I think I only need 1/3 of a unit for my bathroom floor so I am going to need to repackage some. Splitting it by weight won't be a problem but I am wondering what to store is in and how long it will last out of its original packaging.

Can I just put it in a ziplock back or should I buy some pint cans from a paint store?

Ed