Our Laticrete Field Reps Work On Some Interesting Projects

"A cool tile job that an artist in Taos NM did for a sculptor in El Paso TX, they used Permabase attached to steel. Tile installed over HydroBan with Laticrete 254 Thinset, grouted with Permacolor. Soft movement joints with Latasil.

Pretty cool stuff."

Tim Evans - tevans@laticrete.com - (203) 671-6078

Additional info:

"Hank Saxe & I (Cynthia Patterson) are the artists/ sculptors. We designed the artwork.

Alex Sanchez of the University of New Mexico, Valencia Campus did the 3D computer modeling and Vic Chavez of Chavez and Grieves, Albuquerque, engineered it and contributed design ideas.

Southwest Ironwork, Albuquerque, fabricated the steel sculpture and provided space for us to prep and apply the tile to the work. The principals of the company (Shawn Faught, Rick Kollar, and Calven Hernandez) were very supportive of the project.

Hydro Cut, Inc. of Belen, NM water jet cut the yellow and red tile discs which were preassembled on backer board.

Calven Hernandez delivered the sculpture to El Paso and erected it on the cast concrete base that we built with the assistance of Noe Tapia's Concrete.

Of course, Tim Evans provided advice on products and procedures to use.

Many people were skeptical that we could apply the glass tile, mortar, and grout and truck it 275 miles down the road without damage, but not a piece of tile loosened up, not a crack appeared. Tim had predicted that we would have no such problems and he was right.

The project was commissioned by the City of El Paso Public Art Program of the Museum and Cultural Affairs Division under the guidance of Pat Dalbin and Marisol Lopez. ....and those are just some of the people who contributed.

The sculpture is at the new Downtown El Paso Transit Terminal at 601 S. Santa Fe near the international border crossing into Mexico."

We Try To "Do Things" To Help Contractors

"To the Team:
I just wanted to thank-you very much for the design work and arranging to have this brochure designed for my company. It looks beautiful and I am going to put it to work immediately. I will keep you all updated on the response we get.

Thank-You, "

Isaac Homza
www.higherstandardtile.com
808.214.4364

Some Guys Need To Test Things Themselves

"Henry, 254 applied over HydroBan on a regular concrete block. Cure time 2 days for the HydroBan then 5 days for the 254 . First pic is the chisel in between the block and the Cultured stone product . This is after I have hit it with a hammer 2 times."


"This is after 5 blows with the hammer and chisel. I am shocked with the bond of the Hydroban! The surface of the concrete block failed .
The aggregate on the piece of Cultured stone is bonded to the HydroBan, Truly amazing."

Jim Doane- Jimbo's Creative Masonry
http://www.jimboscreativemasonry.com/

Some GREAT Advice From A Tile Contractor

"By the way if you want to forget all your advertising and just call people 3 times in one year to follow up on completed jobs I think you'll never be short of work.

They NEVER forget you. and by the time you're done you know the name of their dog, the kids soccer game schedule... in short you have a 'relationship'.

I am amazed at how well this works. Best time to do this is right before the holidays as everyone is having a Christmas party or Thanksgiving etc. people are so blown away that someone will actually service them that you are what gets talked about over coffee and drinks."

Trask Bergerson
Astoria, Oregon

Read more here

This Has Nothing To Do With The Tile Or Stone Business

Successful Manufactured Stone Veneers

Manufactured Stone Veneers are a hot topic ....!

Read more here.

Tile Guys Who Are Inventive

"OK now this is the best part of the job. I find silicone to be the only lasting change of plane treatment. Especially in a wet environment. One thing I can’t stand about silicone is the shine. Even if the color matches the texture doesn’t. Laticrete sells an incredible color matching silicone but even it has a shine to it. To prevent this I siliconed the job and then immediately sandblasted the silicone joint. The media I used to blast the joint was part “C” of Spectralock. This shower was grouted using Spectralock so I used the matching latisil then blasted the joint with the matching part “C”. The siliconed joint looks almost exactly like grout."

Todd Roberts/Tile Works - Spokane WA

Read more here.

LATICRETE Sponsored Race Car on Speed Channel

LATICRETE is sponsoring race car driver Jon McKennedy and the LATICRETE Chevrolet NASCAR Modified car number 21.

The LATICRETE Chevrolet NASCAR Modified qualified for the New Hampshire 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event which takes place on Saturday, September 19, 2009 in the 22nd position (of 40 cars).

Look for the LATICRETE Chevrolet Modified car number 21 (pictured) in the New Hampshire 100 to be broadcast nationally on Speed Channel, Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 1:00pm EST.

More information and more photos have been posted to the LATICRETE Racing Website under the Events page. www.laticreteracing.com

We Gotta Bit Banged Up

" .... a driver tried to make a pass on car #22 in probably not so good of a spot, and caught the #22 car on the back bumper. This caused car # 22 to go sideways and then into the grass. Car #22 did not let up on the throttle (as he should have) as he danced around a bit and was trying to get back on track. A few cars got by as he came back on track, and unfortunately, once his car hit pavement shot into traffic. T had almost squeaked by, but luck was not with him at that moment in time. T was going approximately 102 mph, and the other car "T-Boned" him in his passenger side - also going very fast. T's car started sliding and went up 3/4 way on the left side tires, almost flipping over. Fortunately, when the car hit the wet grass it came back down and slid for about 400 feet until it stopped before the guard rail. # 22 car, again caused a mishap that should not have occurred, but this time it was our driver T that lost position and was forced off track, ending T's race for the day and putting his points for the year too far down to even have a shot at the series win, the #22 driver was not in any kind of points challenge.
It was a spectacular crash, and when T's car stopped sliding we waited for the all okay sign from him, we could see him get out of the car and give the corner workers the "ok" sign. Course went to full course caution (yellow) for about 4 laps. As the other drivers came by, it was one of the saddest feelings to know, that T would have a DNF (Did not finish) designation and would not be racing the rest of this race. This was T’s first major incident in 17 consecutive TDI Cup races. T and the other driver were transported to the medical building to be checked out. Although it wasn't needed, there was a police officer standing between the two drivers to keep the peace. We were very proud of T and the way he handled himself.

T is fine and he is ready to race again on Sept. 26th in Atlanta. He said every time he gets to race is like Christmas! "

TaylorBroekemeier.com

A Testimonial & Another Smile On My Face

..... I want to thank Laticrete again for their amazing customer service. xxxx gave me the run around about my thinset and told me it wouldn't be in until next week, so I went through my local distributor, which my rep told me he sent some 317 to. When I got there, they gave me the thinset and told me "It's taken care of, my manager said it was worked out with the Laticrete rep." I can't even express how impressed I am with the company - whatever small amount of business I can send their way, I will.

Flooring In The 50s

A family friend sent me this photo of my father, Henry M Rothberg, the founder of Laticrete, working in the family floor covering business in the early 1950s. My father is on the right.

Sometimes Stone Doesn't Make It To The Jobsite

I received this from a friend in the tile & stone business:

"Our latest order…..for real

Driver is OK."

Latibaby

"I hope you are both well. I wanted to thank you both for the "Latibaby"
t-shirt that you sent my son Harry. I really appreciate it. Please pass along my regards to your entire family. Take care. Jason"

All Racing Isn't In Autos ...!

"We have around 20 races a year in several states and have crowds up to 10,000-15,000 people."

Our boat is a P550 crackerbox.

Andrew Games - Project Manager - Premier Tile & Marble - Monterey Park, California

Laticrete In Australia

The Full Frontal Trade Show was recently held in Sydney. While it is hard to judge the value of a trade show as a part of a marketing program, we did get to make contact with existing clients and potential new clients as well as send a message to the industry that we are alive and doing well....!

Latapoxy #310 just missed out on a product award but gained a very good mention at the gala dinner/awards night.

Sandy Roberson and Maureen Randolph from Oz Mosaics were working on our stand creating one of their unique mosaic masterpieces that drew attention from all sections of the industry.

www.laticrete.com.au

LATICRETE Racing!

LATICRETE is proud to sponsor drivers in many racing series across the country.

With cars such as a 2010 Volkswagen® turbo-diesel Jetta and a No. 49 Chevrolet® Monte Carlo, LATICRETE sponsors racers in a variety of competitions, including the 2009 DIRTcar I-5 Northwest Late Model Tour, the clean-diesel fuel technology based Volkswagen® Jetta TDI Cup, and more. Currently, Team LATICRETE is Taylor Broekemeier, Ron Munnerlyn, John Duty and Dennis Pobanz.

Check us out here at www.laticreteracing.com

Isaac Does Nice Work

"..... installed new mortar bed (with reinforcing) then Hydroban. Yes it does hold water! We made sure we did a flood test that the owner witnessed. Then we installed some random quartzite that comes on a mesh that interlocks."

Isaac Homza - Higher Standard Tile & Stone - HI - http://www.higherstandardtile.com/

Read & see more here: http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=844014&postcount=1728

Maybe You Can Tell ... We Like Racing

We competed this past weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, winning the first race and placing 4th in the second event. I have attached photographs from this past weekend’s event and results from the 5 races run this year. This season, we started 6 races with a record of 4 wins, a 4th place finish and one DNF(Did not finish). We head into the championship race in October one point short of 2nd place and 9 points out of 1st.

Ron Munnerlyn - Laticrete Regional Operations Manager - East Coast

Laticrete has sponsored the racecar of Taylor Broekemeier for five out of his 10 races this season in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series, the world’s first racing series designed to be “green.”

Broekemeier is a 22-year old senior at Colorado State University.

At the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series in Salt Lake City, Utah held on May 17, 2009, Broekemeier placed fifth in the field of 27 racecars. Broekemeier is currently 3rd in the overall points standing.

Interesting in racing ...? Check www.laticreteracing.com

LATICRETE products Certified by GREENGUARD for Children & Schools Program

The entire range of Laticrete GREENGUARD certified products have passed the most stringent emissions criteria to date and are now certified under GREENGUARD for Children and Schools. These products meet the product emissions criteria developed by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute for low-emitting building materials used in daycare, K-12, and healthcare facilities. In developing these new standards, the chemical sensitivities of children and the unique building characteristics of schools were evaluated. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has approved GREENGUARD Children and Schools Certification as an acceptable compliance path for all low-emitting flooring credits in LEED® Rating Systems. Printable LATICRETE product certificates are available here or at at www.greenguard.org for easy submission in the LEED process.

GREENGUARD for Children & Schools certification helps architects, builders, designers and specifiers identify products and materials that have undergone rigorous testing and meet stringent standards for chemical emission. LATICRETE products certified under the GREENGUARD Children and Schools program are specified in the USGBC’s LEED Rating System, CHPS Best Practices Manual and the Green Guide for Healthcare for low-emitting materials. GREENGUARD Children and Schools follows the State of California’s Department of Health Services Standard Practice for testing chemical emissions from building products used in schools and office buildings.

Too Much Green ...?

At least this one is clad in mosaics

Miles Distributors

Green Mountain Club

"Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land"
Click on the attached photo to blow it up to full screen. Look in the lower right corner.
Dr Henry M Rothberg & Lillian R Rothberg founded Laticrete International in 1956

Laticrete In Tibet

LATICRETE store in Lhasa, Tibet (elev. 12,000’)

Hello Braves Sponsors

"I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU from the Highwood Braves 10U 2009 Team for helping make this year a big success!

Our success was not just measured in wins and losses. The Boys had a lot of fun, they all improved throughout the year and they learned a lot (I think)!

But just in case you wanted to know, the team finished with an overall record of 37-11.

We finished 1st in our Division of the Mid Suburban Baseball League and either 1st or 2nd in every tournament! We won Championships in the Memorial Day Tourney in Libertyville and finished the year winning the Vernon Hills Cougar Classic!

I have attached a photo of the boys in front of our team Banner which displays your Company!

Again on behalf of the entire team THANK YOU!

Coach Carp
Scott A. Carpinelli"

A Nice Private Pool In Lithuania

Product(s) Used:

* LATICRETE 226 Thick Bed Mortar
* LATICRETE 335 Tile Adhesive
* LATICRETE 3642 Latex
* LATICRETE HydroBan
* LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout

Finish Type(s) Used:

* Porcelain Tile / Vitrified Tile

Jason's Fun Backsplash

"This was a fun backsplash.

The tile is way prettier than the pics show. A mix of light green clear glass, matte glass and with a little honed marble.

First time using Laticrete 254. Sticky stuff.

I did a skim coat one day and set glass second day. Waiting on Permacolor Sea Glass grout to come in next week."

Jason King - Frontier Tile - Oklahoma City
frontiertile@cox.net - (405) 229-4354

Adam & Bill's Installation Has Started

Bill is a 3rd generation & Adam a 4th generation user of Laticrete materials. Bill's grandfather was one of the first tile contractors in America to use Laticrete materials in the 1950s.
Adam Forsythe - Creative Covering Solutions - http://www.ccs-tile.com
Bill Vincent - Creative Ceramic & Marble - http://www.creativeceramicandmarble.com

Some Tile Guys are Truly Artists

"After shimming studs for cbu i skim coated the walls for plumb and flat. Then Hydroban on all walls up to shower head and shower floor. Skim coat of thinset on top of Hyrdroban and set glass with Laticrete platinum, grouted with Laticrete Permagrout."

See more here: http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=840606&postcount=1609

Isaac Homza
www.higherstandardtile.com