Sunday, May 30, 2010

Laticrete 9235 .... Improved



Over 45 years ago Laticrete introduced the first liquid applied waterproofing / anti-fracture membrane for use directly under interior and exterior thin bed installations of tile and stone.

Since then Laticrete 9235 Waterproofing Membrane has become a staple in tile and stone industry specifications and on jobsites.

In order to make this product more user friendly to the installer we have improved it by reducing the odor. When you open your next pail with the sticker which says “New Improved Low Odor Formula” you will notice the difference.

Along with this you may see a slight change to the color from a black with a blue tint to black with a slight green tint. Rest assured that the Laticrete 9235 Waterproofing Membrane will retain all of the other great features that make your waterproofing jobs worry free.

Inhibits stain causing mold and mildew growth in the substrate with Microban® antimicrobial product protection
Safe—no solvents and non-flammable
Good for interior and exterior use
Vertical and horizontal surfaces (including ceilings)
Thin—only 0.02" (0.5 mm) thick when cured
Anti-fracture protection of up to 1/8" (3 mm) over shrinkage and other non-structural cracks
ASTM C627 Robinson Floor Test “Extra Heavy Service” rating per TCNA performance levels
IAPMO and ICC approval
Applies quickly with a paint brush or roller—no special mixing or application equipment needed
Fast cure—normally ready in hours for tile or stone applications
Install tile, brick and stone directly onto membrane
GREENGUARD Certified for Children and Schools
Easy cleanup—just use water while fresh
Protects concrete and reinforcing steel from corrosion

You will start seeing the “New Improved Low Odor Formula” version in the next few weeks

Laticrete stands behind this tile & jobsite proven product with a Lifetime System Warranty giving you peace of mind in your next waterproofing installation.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Laticrete waterproof membrane product manager, Jay Conrod, at 1.800.243.4788 x 320 or via email at jconrod@laticrete.com

Labels: , , , ,

Friday, May 28, 2010

Being Competitive




In August of 2009 we launched the Laticrete Hydro Barrier waterproofing membrane product to aggressively compete at a lower price point with a superior value.

Up to now Laticrete Hydro Barrier was only available in a 3.5 gallon container. Starting 5/31/10 it will be available in a One Gallon container size covering 50 SF with two coats.

Laticrete Hydro Barrier varies from our flagship product, HydroBan, as follows:

Allows for flood tested in 24 hours at 70ºF (21ºC) or above
Requires the use of fabric in the coves, corner, and changes of plane and around drains for waterproofing only; (it is not required for anti-fracture applications)
Backed by the Laticrete 5 Year System warranty
Changes from a light blue to a darker blue when cured
Allows for foot traffic in 4 to 6 hours @ 70°F (21°C) 50% RH

The following attributes remain the same for both Laticrete Hydro Barrier and HydroBan.

Anti-fracture protection up to 1/8” (3mm)
GREENGUARD low VOC certified
IAPMO Approved as a shower pan liner
Extra Heavy rating per ASTM C627 “Robinson Floor Test”
Passes ANSI A118.10 and A118.12
Thin; only 0.020-0.030” (0.5-0.8 mm) thick when cured
Inhibits stain causing mold and mildew growth in the substrate with Microban® antimicrobial product protection
Single component
Paint roller, brush, trowel or airless spray applied
Lighter color for easier inspection
Safe - no solvents and non-flammable

If you have questions concerning this or other Laticrete waterproofing products, call or contact our Laticrete waterproof membranes product manager, Jay Conrod. (203) 393-0010 ext 320 or email: jconrod@laticrete.com

For more info click here.

Labels: , , ,

One Of My Daughters ....





One of my daughters is attending University in Argentina this semester. She is a bit of an "Adventurer." Photos from Mendoza! ParaGliding ....!

Labels: ,

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Feedback & Comments Are Important To Us


The Laticrete website allows you to review & comment on our products
.

Take a look at the "More Information" page for any Laticrete product on our website and scroll to the bottom to post a review.

It takes only a moment and we love hearing from our users!

Labels: , , ,

Architectural Binder Goes Green


Click on image to enlarge


Click here for more info ....

Labels: , ,

Life At Laticrete

I asked a new Laticrete Field Rep how he was doing and what he thought about his position at Laticrete.

Here is his reply:

"Great Henry,


You know what ? The last 2 1/2 to 3 months have been great. Got my schedule figured out, which helped balance life. Talking to people has always been easy for me, but talking to people productively by listening and asking questions has been something that took time. I actually really like doing cold calls now and have no fear in setting up appointments now. Demo's are definitely the part of this job that is by far the easiest and most fun for me, I love it and can't get enough of showing, teaching and helping people see the great products that Laticrete has and how easy they are to use. You wouldn't believe how jacked I get when someone is struggling with SpectraLock or 3701 thickbed on walls or our new 4XLT, its like yeah ! Jeff to the Rescue ! Lol.

I have a great job for a great company that has great employees that just so happen to have a great product that's easy to be proud of.

Henry, I've always been passionate, creative and emotional about my work in the tile industry, I was good at setting tile, being a boss, supervisor, co-worker and I believe that I was a good representative of any company that I worked for.

Now I have found a place that I can feel the same way about, along with being in a industry that I love.

This has not been an easy transition for me, those first 6-7 months I questioned if this was right for me ( I think most of it was the part that in sales Instant gratification and results are few, Walt always said that its a marathon not a sprint ). Even home life was different and needed adjustment. but you know what ? I'm getting it. By all means, I don't have it ( I hope I never think I do ) but I'm getting it. Lol

Thanks to people like you, Ed, Ron, Walt, Eric and especially Todd.

Sorry about the long letter Henry. I guess I was just feeling it tonight. Don't know what it was but something in your last email struck a cord.

And thank you for that,
JJK"

Jeffrey Kimmerling
Contractor Sales Representative
jjkimmerling@laticrete.com
(203) 314-4240

Some background about Jeff:

Jeff joined our Laticrete team as a CSR for Territory 270 bringing more than 20 years of experience as a master tile setter. His familiarity with LATICRETE products and comprehensive installation experience make him ideally suited to take on the challenges as a CSR and cultivate relationships with contractors. Most recently Jeff was a project manager with Lakeside Stoneworks.

This Milwaukee native and his wife, Julie enjoy world traveling when not cheering for their hometown Brewers. Jeff is an avid golfer and competitive Foosball player. He has won more than 15 Foosball titles including the 2005 World Championship!

Labels:

Wet Film Thickness Gauge ... Various Uses







A Wet Film Thickness Gauge is a useful tool to have when installing liquid applied waterproof membranes.

Do you have one ...?

If you would like one, send me an email .... hbrothberg@laticrete.com

Labels: , ,

SpectraLOCK ... Comments ....


Josh visiting with the Local Laticrete guy Kevin Mahoney at a Louisville Tile event today

"I just recently started using Spectralock pro and I love it, in fact I don't ever want to use cement based grout again ....."

But ... life is not perfect ... everything doesn't always go perfectly. Josh had some coverage issues. He likes the SpectraLOCK product but had coverage issues. He called me and we chatted about this important subject. He later sent me a message:

"Thanks for talking with me, it's always nice when company reps take time to try to work out issues, I've had some that make me feel like I'm wasting their time, so I really appreciate it."

Josh Craig
B&S Home Improvement LLC
Evansville, IN 47720

Labels:

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

We're Social

Labels:

SpectraLOCK - New Improved



More Info - Click here

Labels:

Another Fish Story






"Using a top-secret killer bait I took five fighters like this in about 1 & 1/2 hours.

A second closer look identifies the killer bait."

Dave Taylor

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Laticrete Australian Factory

Labels: ,

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

50 + Years of Industry Innovation


We are almost half way through 2010 ...!


Time to take a look at the updates for 2010 for Laticrete "Innovations"

Click here.

Labels: ,

Monday, May 17, 2010

Trend Glass Mosaics




Just finishing building a new home in Florida ....

Trend Glass Mosaics in the Powder room ... installed by Mike Brooks.

Labels: ,

Gary & MVIS Display




One of our Laticrete "Guys In The Field" - Gary Martin - at a Robinson Stone and General Shale Thin Brick Display that was built in front of the General Shale Knoxville location.

The thin veneer was installed over Laticrete HydroBan waterproof membrane with Laticrete Masonry Veneer Mortar over cement block.

"Thin stone, thin brick and masonry people are fired up about our MVIS installation system with their thin veneer products."

Michael W. Goins
Laticrete Distributor Sales Representative



Labels:

Sunday, May 16, 2010

New Product Selection Catalog



The newest version of the Laticrete product catalog has been updated to include new products.

This catalog also offers a new bi-lingual layout – English then Spanish. At the center of the catalog, it transitions from English to Spanish.

The new catalog can also be found on the products section of our Laticrete website.

Here is a direct link: http://www.laticrete.com/contractors/products/full_product_catalogs.aspx

Labels:

Specialty Tile BBQ

I spent Thursday & Friday visiting Atlanta traveling with the "local Laticrete guy" Adam Marks. We spent Friday at Specialty Tile.

Specialty Tile in Atlanta does a BBQ for their customers & clients each year.


They also do a BBQ event in Orlando & Savannah each year.









The Weather was great, the food was great ... the people were great.

More photos here

Labels: ,

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The World of Building, Energy and Transportation 2010 event


The World of Building, Energy and Transportation 2010 event in Atlanta, GA.

At Laticrete we partnered with the NTCA, Dal Tile, CC Owens Tile and Tiede-Zoeller for this event.

This was a two day event that was attended by over 5000 Technical High School and Technical Colleges students.
We spoke to them about the Tile Industry and demonstrated for them estimating, tools of the trade and basic tile & stone installation techniques. many of them took home a one square foot piece of backer board that they installed tile on.

"This is a great opportunity to give back to our industry. Being able to show kids there are different avenues of employment"
- Rod Owen, CC Owens Tile.


The attendance numbers are in and they are nothing short of amazing:


4,641 students
815 teachers, administrators and parents
1,043 exhibitors, volunteers and industry guests

6,499 total attendees (a 6% increase over last year)

It was not our stated goal this year to create the biggest and the best event of this type ever held in Georgia, but we did it!

Labels:

The Doghouse





Message from Paul:

"Once a year our neighborhood has a home tour. This year the benefiting charity is a local dog shelter. The organizers asked local craftsmen to build a dog house to be put up for auction. Being an old school Italian tile man, I couldn't resist the offer to showcase my talents with glass tiles. The cement board shell was waterproofed with HydroBan. The roof "shingles" are 1/2" square iridescent glass set in Latapoxy 310 , which made the installation very easy. The shingles certainly are not going to fall off. The Tiffany glass tiles are set to mimic the Victorian style bungalows common in the Heights section of Houston.

This is the "ad" I wrote to describe the dog house for the auction:

House for sale, move to your lot. Truly a rare find. This custom built craftsman style classic Heights bungalow boasts an extra large covered front porch, vaulted ceilings, extra large master bedroom, solid bamboo flooring in an open floor plan. The exterior features Tiffany glass siding, hand painted double hung windows in the 3 color style with antiqued glass, which is all accented by the Bisazza glass tile roof.

The auction is April 9th. My competition is 5 architects. I am eager to see which dog house brings in the highest bid. I can have some of the professional pictures taken at the event sent to your blog. For now these are the ones I took on a neighbors lawn that looks far better than the weed patch at my house. To make sure everyone knows just who built the best dog house, I am planning on using the Latapoxy 310 to create a glass necktie to go with my suit."

Paul Luccia
Cabot & Rowe
Houston, Texas
http://cabotandrowe.com/

Labels: ,

Friday, May 07, 2010

Glass Mosaic Works of Art



Received an email from a tile contractor friend:

"Doing tile at a woman's home and she told me she did small glass
mosaics, turns out she uses SpectraLOCK grout to hold it all together.

I told her I would send you her info & pics and you might make her
famous on your blog ... lol"

The Artist:
Katherine Humpheys
Glass Mosaic Artist
http://bigblueheron.com/mosaics/

Labels: , ,

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

iPhone App


The Laticrete iPhone App is now available.

A Free download ..!

Grout calculations .... a full Laticrete product catalog ....

Check it out in the Apple Apps Store within iTunes.

More info here and here.

Labels:

Monday, May 03, 2010

Laticrete Racing - Start Them Young ....!




A message from a proud Mother:

"Just a quick note to let you know that Joey did fantastic in the first race of the season last night at Waterford Speed Bowl - placing 2nd out of 10 cars!!

We are really proud of him as he is new to this track. The commentator gave a great speech about him after his win. "

Jennifer Ternullo
Middletown Ceramic Tile Co.

Labels: , ,

Industrial Grade Chemical Resistant Epoxy Grout



SpectraLOCK® 2000 IG is a 100% solids epoxy industrial grout specifically formulated to provide maximum chemical and stain resistance with exceptional ease of installation.

Easy to trowel and clean, SpectraLOCK 2000 IG offers extended working time and a fast cure for same day installations. Combined with unmatched non-sag performance and up to 39 color options, SpectraLOCK 2000 IG provides you best-in-class features and performance at an economical price!

Easy to Install - Creamy consistency, easy to spread and clean.
Non-Sag Formula - Stays in the joint for easy installation and cleaning.
80 Minute Working Time - Allows you more time to install.
Expanded Color Availability - A full range of color options now available in an industrial grout.
Equipped With Microban® - Inhibits the growth of stain-causing mold and mildew in grout joints.
Meets ANSI A118.3 and A118.5 - Meets requirements for both epoxy and furan grouts.

More info here

Labels: , , ,