22 2017 | TECH Cost-effective wall coverings TCSC needed a budget-conscious plan for the large ren- ovation and selected Performance Services, the leading qualified provider of guaranteed energy savings projects for Indiana K-12 schools. They specialize in designing and implementing high-performing educational and munici- pal facilities. The Performance Services design team – including Julie Merriman Altman of i2 DesignWorks – met the challenge of finding a highly cost-effective wall cover- ing solution. Working with distributor Louisville Tile, they chose the Laminam® by Crossville® 747 gauged porcelain panel series for its contemporary appeal and function- ality. They recommended that the Laminam panels be installed with TEC® setting materials, as TEC products could potentially eliminate the need for demolition of the existing substrates, saving the Tipton project significant time and money. As one of the first steps of the project, Blakley’s needed to find out if the Laminam panels could be adhered directly to the existing surfaces. If the existing tile and painted CMU walls were suitable as substrates, Blakley’s could confidently avoid the time-consuming, costly, and dusty demolition process. TEC offered the advanced installation products needed for directly adhering the Laminam to the substrates. Blakley’s project manager Shane Mann noted, “We made a special request of the TEC technical support team to do a quick version of pull-off bond testing. TEC really stepped up by doing the testing to give us more information. The results, though preliminary, helped us make the decision to install the Laminam directly to the existing substrates.” While TEC normally does not do pull- off bond testing outside the lab, the multiple challenges of the TCSC project’s fast pace, newly introduced gauged porcelain tile panels, and their own newly developed set- FEATURE STORY (continued) Preparing the Laminam® by Crossville® with TEC® Ultimate 6 Plus® Mortar. Checking cut piece of Crossville Laminam before installation. Combing TEC® Ultimate 6 Plus Mortar on to the substrate. Cutting Laminam® by Crossville® tile in Middle School hallway.