Laticrete Party at Coverings 2010

We had a Customer Appreciation Party at Coverings Tuesday night.

We had a GREAT time with something like 375+ people attending our Rockin' party at the Ice Bar.

I said a few words to the party attendees ... I said "Thank you for your support"

MVIS Pointing

Fast MVIS pointing with a Quikpoint Mortar Gun


Pointing Tool at work = Productivity


Top & right are pointed, tooled & brushed. Bottom & left are just pointed

I visited an MVIS jobsite this afternoon.

I watched a tile guy - Michael Millard - use the Quikpoint Mortar Gun pointing tool.

The pointing work went fast !

Using the Quikpoint supplied plasticizer / pumping additive was required to get a good, smooth flow of the Laticrete MVIS pointing mortar with the Quikpoint Mortar Gun. Without the plasticizer the pointing mortar pumped smoothly at first but then “clumped up” and jammed the unit.

Want more info ...? Call Michael or myself ...!

More Laticrete MVIS info & video here.

MVIS info on the website of a smart tile contractor in Florida here

International Group for Training

Click on photos to enlarge

We had a nice group of 18 people from Costa Rica & Panama visit with us here in CT for one of our 3 day Passport To Success (PTS) Educational & Training programs. The program was in English & Spanish.

A good groups of Architects, Engineers, Builders & Laticrete people. A great opportunity to discuss & review a range of Laticrete products, gain hands-on product experience and discuss construction projects and practices in Central America.

More information on our PTS programs here.

Additional Business

Here is a tile contractor who is taking our Laticrete MVIS program and really “running with it” to pursue new opportunities outside of his normal tile business.

Take a look at his website posting … and then think about your business and new opportunities for your business.

http://ceramictec.com/thin-masonry-veneer-florida

What Do Teachers Make ....?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a lawyer, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued,

"What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Barbara. Be honest. What do you make?"

Barbara, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?" She paused for a second, then began...

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make? She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life"

She paused one last time and then continued.

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.

You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make Mr. Lawyer?"

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Citiscape Waterfeature

These guys do incredible work ... click on photos to enlarge

"We used Latapoxy 310 epoxy in unison with stainless steel clips and pins - along with Latasil caulking - and Laticrete 254 at the base to bond the dry pack mud bed to the stone at the base and also at the back fill between the CMU and the stone."

Mark Chelak - Vice President
Desert Mountain Tile & Marble Inc.
3802 East La Salle Suite 2
Phoenix ~ Arizona ~ 85040

http://www.dmtm.org

Have YOU attended a Laticrete Educational program ...?

I received an email from a contractor who attend a Laticrete PTK Educational & Training program last week:


"Hello Henry. Thank you very much for your note, I received it today. I should be the one thanking you!

The information presented to me by Steve Rampino and others was fantastic. I soaked up more than I thought possible, and I attribute that to the quality of your training staff. They presented themselves as experts, but spoke to us on our level. I have been to other PTK style seminars where the presenter seemed too "aloft". Meaning they were treating us like people who were ignorant, rather than people who wanted to learn. When I train my staff and installers I always try to make myself as accessible as possible to everyone in the hopes that they will not be intimidated to ask questions.

Long story short, I have always been a huge supporter of Laticrete. I feel everyone in your organization is working to their fullest potential and morale seemed extremely high, it's the kind of organization that I like to be involved with. Again, that quality of personalities and knowledge, I feel, is what makes for long lasting relationships. Eric and Bill have also been extremely helpful in assisting us with answers to all of our questions. Bill, in particular, is probably the most helpful manufacturer rep that I have dealt with in a very long time. Thank you again for having both myself and Cathy and I look forward to continued success in our region for both of us."

Sincerely,

Scott Hyland
Installation & Marketing Coordinator
FLOORS Plus
www.floorsplus.ca
Office: (902) 407-3364

Brian supervises floor and cove base grouting with SL 2000 IG

Click on the photo to enlarge

Grouting cove base with epoxy grouts has historically been an issue

Our new SpectraLOCK 2000 IG (Industrial Grade) is an incredible epoxy grout to work with.

Creamy & smooth. Easy to mix and install. Easy to clean up during the installation process.

No slump or sag when grouting cove base or wide wall joints ...!

This stuff you have got to see or try to believe. Send me an email and I'll arrange it.

hbrothberg@laticrete.com

More info here:
http://www.laticrete.com/architects/products/grouts/epoxy_grouts/productid/73.aspx

We Start Them Young

Click on photo to enlarge

Message from a Laticrete distributor in Jacksonville, FL:

"Some kids just want to be like their grandmother.......thought you'd appreciate the use of the pink hard hat!"

Marie-Claire

Demo - Hanging Tile with Laticrete 4-XLT

Click on photo to enlarge

Brian at recent Laticrete educational & training event

Brian
www.ceramictec.com

Greg On The Jobsite

Message from a Tile Contractor:

"Now I can have stuff fall on my head in style and comfort."

Greg Vergara
Tileartist
Sherrodsville, OH

What level of flatness ...?

Received an email with an interesting technical question:

What level of flatness do we need in a concrete slab for a ceramic tile installation – using the F-number system?

Note:

Measuring concrete levelness and flatness using the F-number system for ceramic tile & stone installations may be over and above what is needed. Typically measuring FF/FL tolerances would be for projects such as warehouses where forklifts or machinery requires tight concrete levelness and flatness tolerances.

And our Laticrete Technical Support reply:

Please note that the American Concrete Institute's (ACI) Floor Flatness (FF) / Floor Levelness (FL) are typically used by concrete specifiers / masons to pour their floors to specific tolerances.

Typically, the following are the FF #'s which roughly correlate to the respective floor tolerances:

FF 25 is roughly equivalent to a single ± 1/4" defect in 10'
FF 50 is roughly equivalent to a single ± 1/8" defect in 10'
FF 100 is roughly equivalent to a single ± 1/16" defect in 10'

Tile Council of North America / ANSI Standards typically require substrates receiving thin set applications to be within 1/4" in 10' (and 1/16” in 1’-0”). For large format tiles and running bond patterns, a tighter tolerance of 1/8" in 10' may be necessary.

Laticrete Training Continues ....

Laticrete PTK (training seminar) - West Palm Beach, FL April 15, 2010. Click on photo to enlarge

"I have been down here since Wednesday with my rep. from the Tampa area and also with a bunch others including Tom (floormaster) from the JB Tile forum, people from Daltile, Spectra Flooring, Specialty Tile, Mastercraft, Solutions along with installers and some general contractors.

Today we did some Powerpoint resentations of various Laticrete products with some discussions and a little hands on of the LatiLevel 86, 3701, 226 thick bed mortar, floor heat, HydroBan, 9235 & 312 vapor reduction membrane.

Laticrete was represented by:
Rob Smith (regional mgr)
Anthony Nelson (supplier rep)
Tony Campos (contractor rep).

Another Class act !"

Brian
www.ceramictec.com

All in a day's work

A rather nice message from a Tile Contractor. These types of messages always put a smile on my face:

Henry,

After recently finding out what your position is within Laticrete, I am even more impressed with your level of service, commitment, and generosity to myself and to many of the other people on this forum. These acts, along with having some awesome products, has earned my loyalty towards specifying, recommending, and using Laticrete products.

I hope you know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. I look forward to meeting you at Coverings next month.

Thank you,

Juan

http://www.redrocktilestone.com/index.html

Laticrete in Brazil

click on photo for enlarged view

Marcelo Lass, David Rothberg and Marcello Chama at Votomassa - Laticrete exhibit at Feicon in Brazil

Incredible Mosaic Art

Click on photo for enlarged view

The short story:

An almost unbelievable mosaic art project.

This project took over a year to complete!

The Mosaic Artist Dianne Sonnenberg is from Austin, Texas and is an incredibly talented artist.


The long story:

Mosaic artist Dianne Sonnenberg’s masterpiece titled “Ocean(egg)raphy,” completed with LATICRETE® SpectraLOCK® PRO Grout, has been selected by a juried commission on behalf of Mosaic Arts International as winner of the 2010 Best Architectural Award. Sonnenberg was officially recognized on March 19, 2010, at the Smith Museum of Stained Glass on Chicago’s Navy Pier during this year’s American Mosaic Summit. The week-long event marked the 10th annual conference and exhibition hosted by the Society of American Mosaic Artists.

Sonnenberg’s “Ocean(egg)raphy” is truly a mosaic art treasure, consisting of two six-foot tall mosaic tile covered eggs with an underwater theme expressed with seashells, schools of fish, underwater creatures, and other water-inspired elements surrounded by a swirling ocean current. To set off certain sections and details, Sonnenberg utilized three different options of the LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Grout Dazzle component, including Glow-in-the-Dark, Silver and Gold. Based in Austin, Texas, Sonnenberg created “Ocean(egg)raphy” for the backyard of a fellow Austin resident. In addition to LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Grout Dazzle, Sonnenberg also used LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout in White and Black for certain sections of her award-winning mosaic art project.

“I chose LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout for this project because it was very important to have a long-lasting, durable grout that would retain its beauty over time,” said Sonnenberg. “After spending over a year creating Ocean(egg)raphy, choosing the right grout was an essential part of the process. I was also able to create some stunning visual effects using the Gold and Silver Dazzle components, as well as strategically placed Glow-in-the-Dark areas. I delight in using these components as there is nothing else like them in the marketplace. They offer a one of a kind effect.”

Each of the two eggs in Sonnenberg’s internationally-acclaimed Ocean(egg)raphy weigh nearly 250 pounds with over 80 square feet of surface area. The eggs consist of a styrofoam core reinforced with rebar which are bolted to a steel base. The nautilus shell is cut out of iridescent stained glass, fired in a kiln and slumped slightly to match the eggs shape. The eggs were installed and then bolted to a gunnite shell in the new owner’s backyard

Dianne Sonnenberg
www.gnomenclaturestudios.com