SpecBlazer April 2006

ConestogaTile presents...
The NTCA Road Show
The NTCA Road Show is coming to town. Don't miss this special opportunity to see the newest innovative solutions to ceramic tile installations. The NTCA program will consist of information on the latest technology about: Shower Pan Installation Waterproofing Systems Crack Isolation and Suppression Systems Porcelain, Glass and Mosaic Tile Installation Preparing Wood Subfloors 2006 TCNA Handbook Changes Innovative Tools EARN 2 HOURS OF CEU CREDITS The show will also feature several setting material manufacturers with their newest, most innovative products. They will be offering specials that will only be available to attendees of the show. In addition, a catered dinner along with snacks, beverages and door prizes will add to this wonderful experience.
The show will be held in:		Times for all shows:
Harrisburg, PA Baltimore, MD Dulles, VA Troy, VA	Monday October 2, 2006 Tuesday October 3, 2006 Wednesday October 4, 2006 Thursday October 5, 2006	Manufacturer Demos Catered Dinner NTCA Program	2:00pm - 4:30pm 4:30pm - 5:30pm 5:30pm - 8:30pm
The program is free, but we do ask you to register. Please see the enclosed flyer for additional program and registration information.

Advanced Design of Wood Structures Short Course
Virginia Tech University - October 18-20, 2006

The intended audience for a Virginia Tech short course is design and code professionals who want to expand their design knowledge of wood structures for gravity and lateral loads beyond the introductory level. The course will focus on important aspects of member and connection design and the application of adjustment factors for member and connection design, respectively. More complicated and problematic areas, such as creep deflection and preventions of ponding, will be covered. The second half

of the course will address design for wind and seismic using the latest standards available. Field data on performance of buildings subject to lateral loads will be reviewed, and the results of a full-scale building test will be correlated to the ordinary lateral-design solution. Spouses are also encouraged to visit Blacksburg, as a guided tour is available on October 19. For a detailed syllabus and course information, please visit www.conted.vt.edu/sdww.

Meeting with Tile Council of North America (TCNA)

Howard Pryor, CCS, CTC, CSI, our Director of Architectural Services, is the representative of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) of the Tile Council of North America Handbook Committee. Recently, on June 20 and 21, 2006, Howard attended a Handbook committee meeting in Anderson, South Carolina, to review and vote on new submissions for the 2007 edition of the TCNA Handbook. Here is a short review of information that he brought back with him from that meeting.

The TCNA Handbook serves to define valid systems for setting tile and , where relevant, to delineate the responsibilities of the project designer, the tile installer and other trades. This conference provided a forum for all industry sectors with an interest in tile to contribute to the technical merits of the handbook. All valid systems for setting tile were considered and excluded only if the conferees believed the methods lacked technical validity, field experience (minimum of three years) or was proprietary.

There were 30 committee-voting members present and over 70 guests, several of which were manufacturer representatives who brought their own initiatives to present before the committee members for vote into the new handbook.

The Number One issue had to do with deflection criteria. It has long been felt that the verbiage of L/360 has been very confusing to architects and installers and is quite meaningless if the load, either concentrated or live, is not taken into consideration. This statement will be changed in the new handbook, and it will now read as follows: The first of two paragraphs that follow will be made globally in the Requirements section. (Please refer to the CTIOA Field Report 2001-11-19 included with this newsletter).

Floor systems including the framing system and subfloor panels over which tile will be installed should be in conformance with the IRC for residential applications, the IBC for commercial applications or applicable building codes.

Note: The owner should communicate in writing to the project design professional and general contractor the intended use of the tile installation in order to enable the project design professional and general contractor to make necessary allowances for the expected live load, concentrated loads, impact loads, and dead loads

including the weight of the tile and setting bed. The tile installer shall not be responsible for problems resulting from any floor framing or subfloor installation not compliant with applicable building codes unless the tile installer or tile contractor designs and installed the floor framing or subfloor.

A new feature we area definition is under consideration for introduction in the handbook beginning in 2009. With further modification, there will now be four levels that will be referenced:

Level 1 light/occasional water exposure: i.e. kitchen and restaurant back splashes, walls above tubs and walls in individual residential shower stalls beginning above the edge of the shower pan.

Level 2 medium/routing water exposure: i.e. shower floors in individual residential shower stalls, restaurant and cafeteria floors with drains.

Level 3 heavy/frequent water exposure: i.e. gang showers, uncovered exterior applications, commercial kitchens.

Level 4 extreme/constant water exposure: i.e. pools, steam showers, steam rooms, fountains, Roman tubs. Undoubtedly, this will lead to new considerations when selecting tile to conform to ADA requirements with respect to ASTM coefficient of friction wet or dry applications.

A new detail will be forthcoming with regards to installing tile on young concrete using an uncoupling membrane. This will be recommended for concrete that has cured for a minimum of 14 days. It was pointed out that the American Concrete Institute (ACI) recommends plactis membranes under all concrete slabs that are going to receive flooring above it.

A new spot bonding detail was introduced by LATICRETE and was approved for installing large format tiles on interior wall areas.

A single layer wood detail for residential or light commercial was accepted as long as the face grain of the plywood ( or strength grain access of OSB) runs perpendicular to joist for maximum stiffness.

All membranes will be required to meet wither ANSI A118.12 or A118.10, and a new ANSI Standard Book will be forthcoming this fall.

Made in the USA - STONEPEAK CERAMICS

We are pleased to introduce STONEPEAK CERAMICS to our long list of manufacturers. STONEPEAK CERAMICS is part of the Italian tile manufacturer IRIS CERAMICA. They have invested more than $60 million in a new facility in Crossville, Tennessee, to provide the U.S. flooring market with easier access to its extensive lines of glazed and unglazed porcelain and ceramic tiles.

The new plant covers about 592,000 square feet and has a capacity between 37.6 million and 43 million square feet per year. It features an 815 foot-long pressing area, and 87 foot-long space that houses spray dryers and a 1 million square foot warehouse.

The company has been adapting Italian designs to work with the 12", 18" and 24" sizes that are popular in the U.S. market today. IRIS has 26 plants in countries around the world and invests roughly $44.6 million per year on new product development and research. STONEPEAK is truly European design, made here in America.

Contact your local CONESTOGATILE Representative to schedule your design lunch seminar featuring STONEPEAK CERAMICS.

A brand new feature project for CONESTOGATILE utilizing STONEPEAK CERAMICS is the Parkridge renovation installation. Fox Architects in McLean, Virginia, was presented with a problem on their "Fast Track" project at Parkridge Building 3 located in Reston, Virginia. They has chosen a porcelain tile that was produced in

Italy, but was not available for immediate delivery. In fact,
they were looking at an 8 to 10 week delivery on the original tile selection.

David Buddendeck, Project Architect at Fox, indicated they wanted a large 24" x 24" tile for the open elevator lobby and has turned to CONESTOGATILE and their manufacturer, STONEPEAK CERAMICS, INC., for a solution to their problem. Not only did CONESTOGATILE provide Italian-style porcelain, in this case STONEPEAK Limestone Collection ( in 24" x 24" Honey and 12" x 12" Walnut), but the cost was less than the Italian tile originally selected. Their client not only liked the appearance of the STONEPEAK Limestone Collection better than the original tile, but the tiles were in stock as STONEPEAK CERAMICS in Tennessee and were shipped to the tile contractor in less than two weeks' time.

STONEPEAK CERAMICS, INC., is the newest state-of-the-art porcelain factory built in the United States in the last twenty years! They began production of their unglazed through-body porcelain and glazed porcelain tiles in early 2005. With the cost and longer lead times for Italian porcelain always presenting problems on many American projects, STONEPEAK CERAMICS has already become a major player in the U.S. ceramic tile industry.

For additional information concerning this exciting new tile line, please contact your CONESTOGATILE Architectural Representative.

New from Seneca Tiles

Ohio based SENECA TILES, INC., has recently introduced a new product called Cotto. This authentic, handcrafted terracotta tile offers customers the rich, centuries-old look which has been missing from the wide array of existing paver tile products. SENECA, which has long been offering handcrafted products for the industry, has now filled that void.

Cotto, an unglazed clay-body paver, is hand-formed, soaked and then fired in the century-old beehive oven. This process produces the rich centuries-old appearance, which remains in demand. The nature of the firing process enables SENECA to offer flashed and unflashed colors with each tile being unique from one another. Almost all products currently on the market with the terracotta look are produced by means of a glazed finish. Because Cotto is unglazed, it is suitable for exterior horizontal use and meets or exceeds ADA recommended COF ratings. The durability rating for Cotto also allows for commercial applications. The four colors are Brick Unflashed, Brick Flashed, Weathered Unflashed, and Weathered Flashed. The six sizes provide the designer the option of any look from traditional 4" x 8" to large format 16" x 16", truly unique in today's market. For more details on this product, contact your CONESTOGATILE Architectural Representative.

Tile Planks

Annapolis Doubletree Hotel

With an ever-increasing push by manufacturers to produce larger tiles, a new trend has surfaced in the ceramic industry. We are seeing a large increase in plank-style tiles. Many manufacturers such as ROYAL MOSA, ITALGRANITI, and EDILCUOGHI are offering tile planks ranging in length from 16" up to 36" and widths from as little as 2" to as wide a 8". This new style of porcelain tile opens the door to many new design opportunities. There is now the ability to create a floor that resembles the look of a hard wood floor but with the durability of porcelain tile. There are also new opportunities to become creative, placing the planks vertically on walls or even on cures. If you haven't had the chance to see these exciting new tiles, please contact your CONESTOGATILE Representative!

Annapolis Doubletree (formerly Radisson) is nearing completion. Thomas Hamilton and Associates of Richmond, Virginia, along with CONESTOGATILE, and Land Hospitality, teamed up to create a beautiful, new interior space. Product of choice was ITALGRANITI LeGemme 16" x 16" and 12" x 12". Thomas Hamilton incorporated both the polished and honed finish, creating a beautiful cosmetic appeal and meeting all ADA requirements. By using a 12" x 12" on bathtub walls and 16" x 16" on floors, the hotel was graciously brought into the new, modern era. The lobby incorporated 16" x 16" polished porcelain, creating a very elegant ambiance. Contact your local CONESTOGATILE Representative to view all the new porcelain lines available...and when in Annapolis, be sure to visit the Doubletree.