The project started toward the end of the rainy season, so Heritage crews had to protect the work space. Crews used a large MK Diamond bridge saw on site to cut the material, which worked perfectly, Brookes said. All the corners on the project featured quirk miters. The contractor had GPTP equip- ment on hand to move the tile due to its size. But because the panels themselves were so thick and rigid, Brookes didn’t need to use it and opted for suction cups to move the tile from the scaffold to the sub- strate. It took four crew members to handle the weight and the han- dling of the tile. Heritage Marble & Tile workers implemented directional troweling with LATICRETE 254, which per- formed exactly as expected. “We did not grout the project until we gave the thin-set mor- tar ample time to cure,” Brookes said. “We felt this would not only benefit the curing process of the thin-set mortar, but would reduce our potential call backs for efflo- rescence or latex leaching.” The Heritage team – and the client – were thoroughly pleased with the results, which amount- ed to about 3,200 sq. ft. of tile for the cladding, upper deck and out buildings. “Although this was a challenging project, the guys excelled and the finished product was to the delight of the owner,” Brookes concluded. LFT: FROM PLANKS TO PANELS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Leo Escamilia (l.), a valued Heritage crew member who is a CTI and ACT certified, along with LATICRETE rep Dave Foster – both of whom were instrumental to the smoothly running project. Crews, led by CTI/ACT certified Gabriel Cortez and Leo Escamilia, corrected the previously installed substrate to provide a suitable surface to be tiled, and layout was thoughtfully calculated to make the finished product shine. 86 TileLetter | January 2019