The Challenge • High Profile –There are few college basketball programs in the coun- try with a reputation as prestigious as UNC, which has earned a top 10 national rank- ing year after year and produced many NBA athletes. Neuse Tile Service knew from the outset that this facil- ity would double as a recruiting tool and a functioning facility for the basketball team, so the space needed to “wow” visitors while withstanding heavy everyday use. • Tile Availability – Due to changes in preferences and long lead times on the materials that were originally specified, the project experienced multiple tile chang- es. Neuse Tile was called upon to find new sources for products with narrow variance. With each change, hard samples had to be sent out of state for approval from the design team and project committee. Ultimately, Neuse Tile’s relationship with local ven- dors proved to be crucial in the attempt to provide options that were within design speci- fications, readily available in the right quantities and the right color of Carolina blue. • Tight Timeframe – The entire ren- ovation was limited to just seven FEATURE: LATICRETE products wow locker room at The Dean Smith Center The locker room showers are ready for continu- ous use with LATICRETE HYDRO BAN, 4-XLT mor- tar and SPECTRALOCK® PRO Grout on floors with PERMACOLOR Select Grout on the walls. Photo credit - Neuse Tile Service LATICRETE HYDRO BAN was carefully applied to make sure the shower updates are long-lasting. Photo credit - Neuse Tile Service 36 TileLetter | March 2017