Industry Profile: Don Macdonald - "The Imagery"

Philomena Yeatman - "Mind Games"

Valmai Pollard - "Wild Flower"

Valmai Pollard - "Muddy Tracks"

The city of Cairns has a new iconic three dimensional Australian Indigenous mosaic artwork in the CBD recently completed by Don Macdonald and The Orchid Group^ team.  

Over the last few weeks we have seen the broad range of artistic and technical skills gained by the team to prepare them for such an undertaking.  We also saw the artists and the stories of their work. This week we explore the translation of the imagery into the mosaic medium.

The redevelopment of Shields Street in the Cairns CBD has enlivened the CBD with a culturally rich and engaging precinct for visitors and locals alike.  It features a range of local Indigenous artists in a variety of mediums sharing the wonderfully unique features of Cairns in the Rainforest to Ocean theme.

A significant artistic and cultural element of the redevelopment is the Shields Street Heart mosaic project.  Council undertook an exhaustive process to select the imagery from artists from the local Yarrabah Indigenous community finally selecting Edna Ambrym, Philomena Yeatman and Valmai Pollard

During Don’s first meeting with Council he expressed his concern that the installation of the mosaics had to be completed during the cooler months (June-August) due to the sensitivity of the epoxy adhesives and grout to heat.  The longest possible adhesive work time would be crucial as there were over 1,000,000 tiles to be laid, many being very small cut pieces, onto complex three dimensional shapes. Continue reading here.

Next time, "The Installation Part I".

Contact us on 1800 331 012 for technical support, arrange a demo, free samples, a trade event, or to discuss your next project or contact us here.

^The Orchid Group is also known as Symmetry Mosaics.

Residential Splashback

A private residence in Rose Bay, NSW, just received this beautiful 3m2 kitchen splashback which features 3000x1000x5mm Kertile thin porcelain panel. The team from Maestro Group used a range of LATICRETE materials for the installation. 

Projects used include:

• 254 Platinum - the ultimate one-step, polymer fortified, thin-set adhesive. For interior and exterior installation of ceramic and stone tile, reduced thickness porcelain, quarry tile, pavers and thin brick. 254 Platinum provides long open time with unsurpassed adhesion and workability. Designed to just mix with water. Suitable for immersed installations. Meets and exceeds the requirements for a C2TES2P2 classification.
• LATASIL™ - a high performance, one component, neutral cure, 100%.                 silicone sealant designed for ceramic tile and  stone applications.Exterior and interior use. Great for swimming pools and other wet applications. Great for use in joints for ceramic tile and stone applications. Expansion joints in residential and commercial applications.

For more information on using LATICRETE in your projects, product demos, samples or technical support please contact LATICRETE on 1800 331 012, email sales@laticrete.com.au or visit www.laticrete.com.au.

Brisbane Residential Pool

 

This private residence pool in Brisbane, QLD, is currently being installed by Sam Gardener from Sam Gardener Tiling. The 40m2 pool will feature 30x30mm Artedomus glass tiles and SPECTRALOCK® Grout DAZZLE™. Sam has used a wide range of  LATICRETE materials to qualify for a 15 year LATICRETE Pool Tiling Installation System Warranty. 

LATICRETE products used:

• 226 Thick Bed Mortar - Designed for use with 3701 Mortar Admix to produce a latex Portland cement mortar that has exceptional strength. 
• 3701 Mortar Admix - Used in place of water, 3701 Mortar Admix improves the working and physical properties of any cement mix.
• LATAPOXY® Moisture Shield - 2 component, roller applied, epoxy coating specifically designed to reduce moisture vapour emissions in concrete and other substrates.
• HYDRO BAN® - Single component, self curing liquid rubber polymer that forms a flexible, seamless waterproofing membrane. 
• HYDRO BAN® Adhesive & Sealant - One component, fast curing, hybrid elastomeric adhesive and sealant. 
• 254 Platinum - The ultimate one-step, polymer fortified, thin-set adhesive for interior and exterior installations.
• SPECTRALOCK® PRO Premium Grout* - High performance epoxy grout that offers colour uniformity, durability and stain resistance with extraordinary ease of use.
• SPECTRALOCK Grout DAZZLE - adds metallic and "Glow-In-The-Dark" enhancements to SPECTRALOCK PRO Grout.
• LATASIL™ - A high performance, one component, neutral cure, 100% silicone sealant designed for ceramic tile and stone applications. 

Click here to view/download the LATICRETE Pools, Spas and Fountains System Brochure.

Are you getting ready to start a pool project? Contact us to discuss your next project or arrange a demo. Call 1800 331 012 or email us here.

*United States Invention Patent No.: 6881768 (and other Patents)

Mosaicists Love LATICRETE

Well known Mosaicist, Sandy Robertson from Oz Mosaics in Brisbane, QLD, posted this wonderful testimonial about utilising LATICRETE products in her artworks:  

"LATICRETE Australia have many fantastic thin-sets (cement based adhesives) suitable for mosaics and more! I have always loved using the 4237 Latex Additive & 211 Crete Filler Powder system for matching grout to thinset in 3D and special mosaic projects fabricated on fibreglass mesh. I teach all my tips and tricks in my workshops. Mixing 4237 and LATICRETE Sanded Grout makes a wonderful adhesive and is flexible in it's mixing, catering to my many mosaic whims and adhesive fantasies. 

LATICRETE Australia have been a powerhouse of information to me over almost 20 years. OzMosaics stocks and sells LATICRETE products in quantities for beginner and mosaic enthusiasts, for small or big mosaic art projects."

If you would like to know more about Sandy's artworks and learn mosaic methods at Studio OzMosaics Brisbane, head to www.ozmosaics.com.au.

For more information on LATICRETE products, FREE samples, technical support or to arrange a demo, call 1800 331 012 or contact us here.

Merry Christmas To All!!

To all of our Customers, Colleagues and Friends.

LATICRETE Australia wishes you a very Merry Christmas!

 May your day be filled with peace, happiness, fun, food, family and friends.

Industry Profile: Don Macdonald - "The Artists"

Edna Embrym - "Coral Reef"

Edna Embrym - "Meeting Place"

Philomena Yeatman - "Beetle Species"

Previously we shared how Don Macdonald and The Orchid Group^ team prepared the walls for The Shields Street Heart Mosaic project. The Shields Street Mosaic Project featured imagery from three local Indigenous artists, and this week we find out about them and their inspirations.

Edna Embrym

Walls 1 & 3 - ‘The Reef’

A thousand words in an image – a hundred tales, intrigues and whispers about a reef that is ever moving, shaping, developing, changing and encompassing. These are the thematic bases that Edna Ambrym drew upon to form her visionary drafts of walls 1 and 3 in the Shield Street project.

Wall 2 - ‘Meeting Place’

To have the energy, optimism, familiarity and homeliness of this space celebrated by the Shield Street wall called ‘Meeting Place’ is not only apt and appropriate, but strengthening in the bonds of community and togetherness.

Philomena Yeatman

Walls 4 & 5 – ‘Bidi Bidi’

“In November and December the festive seasons arrives, as do the different colour Bidi-Bidi species.” Philomena Yeatman. Shimmering blues, greens, greys and burnt orange are but a few of the shades and hues that emanate from the bidi bidi (beetles) that arrive around year’s end in Cairns.

Wall 6 – ‘Mind Games’

“Some people are successful while others get left behind.  The colours in this painting represent the different ways of thinking.” Philomena Yeatman. This wall portrays the intricacies, complexities and convolutions that can occur within the fabric of thought, attitude and mind-set of individuals.

Valmai Pollard

Wall 7 – ‘Wild Flowers’

The ways in which Valmai has depicted the changes and formations of the wild flowers in this 3 dimensional art work, cements for us the notion that hope always exists, renewal is always happening and new beginnings are there for the taking whenever we need them

Wall 8 – ‘Muddy Tracks’

Valmai Pollard’s vision and skills have transformed a forgotten concept into a mesmerising and stunning work that contributes significantly to the appreciation we feel for our own place – our own muddy tracks and paths.

Read the full story about the artists and their inspiration here.

Next time, "The Imagery".

Contact us on 1800 331 012 for technical support, arrange a demo, free samples, a trade event, or to discuss your next project or contact us here.  

^The Orchid Group is also known as Symmetry Mosaics

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

Kerang Streetscape Upgrade

Victoria Street in Kerang, VIC, is currently undergoing a streetscape upgrade. Gannawarra Shire Council are installing 1200m2 cement pavers and granite cobblestones over a concrete substrate, using a range of LATICRETE materials. 

• 211 Crete Filler Power - A factory prepared blend of carefully selected raw materials, Portland cement and graded aggregates. Designed for use with 4237 Latex Additive to produce a high strength adhesive for ceramic tile and stone that meets and exceeds the requirements of national and international standards.
• 4237 Latex Admix - A specially designed latex additive for use with 211 Crete Filler Powder to make a high strength latex thin bed and medium bed adhesive up to 15 mm.
• 226 Thick Bed Mortar is a factory prepared blend of carefully selected raw materials, Portland cement and graded aggregates. 226 Thick Bed Mortar was designed for use with 3701 Mortar Admix to produce a latex Portland cement mortar that has exceptional strength. 
• 3701 Fortified Mortar Bed - A polymer fortified blend of carefully selected polymers, Portland cement and graded aggregates.

View/download the LATICRETE "Extra Heavy Duty" Streetscape Installation System brochure.

For more information on using LATICRETE in your projects, product demos, samples or technical support please contact LATICRETE on 1800 331 012, email sales@laticrete.com.au or visit www.laticrete.com.au.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

Sandstone Cladding Project

Artistry Stone and East Coast Stone have been busy working on this private residence project in Woolwich, NSW. The project consists of 300m2 of sandstone cladding which has been installed using 335 Premium Flexible Adhesive and LATAPOXY® 310 Stone Adhesive. 

• 335 Premium Flexible Adhesive - a high performance thin-bed adhesive for installing a wide range of tiles and stone including low absorption ceramic tile, porcelain tile, natural and manufactured stone using thin-set method of installation. Exceeds the requirements of AS ISO13007.1&2 classification C2TES1. Excellent for exterior and underwater applications, supeior bond to masonry.  
• LATAPOXY 310 Stone Adhesive -  a two component, high strength epoxy adhesive. Engineered, formulated and optimised for the spot bonding fixing method of installing tile and stone on vertical surfaces. LATAPOXY 310 Stone Adhesive maintains its non-sag consistency at high working temperatures up to 35°C. Interior, exterior, wet areas, walls, ceilings and soffits.

Call us on 1800 331 012 to find out more about our products, training and to schedule a trade event for your store or email us here.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

Best Wishes From LATICRETE Australia

The festive season is upon us, and we want to thank you for continuing to help shape our business throughout the year. 2017 was exciting for LATICRETE Australia, and we hope that it has been a memorable one for all of our customers, colleagues and friends.

We would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - we look forward to working with you in 2018!

The team at LATICRETE Australia are taking a break over the festive season. Click here to view/download the 2017 LATICRETE Australia Holiday Schedule.

Protect Your Tile & Stone Surfaces

An article by Fred Gray, LATICRETE Australia Technical Service Manager, provides tips on how protect your stone and tile surfaces against the damaging effects of everyday living:

"LATICRETE and STONETECH® - two names synonymous with innovation, high quality and technical advancement. As someone who has been associated with the best tile installation products on the planet for more than two decades, it’s only fitting that our professional and retail line of STONETECH Stone & Tile Care & Maintenance Product range is of the same calibre. Let’s face it, you would only be able to call the best sealer on the market BulletProof®. STONETECH® BulletProof® gives you the best opportunity to clean up spills before they do any permanent damage.

There is literally an arsenal of STONETECH products to Protect, Clean and Transform your stone or tile and to back that up, a technical team to support and answer all your STONETECH installation and care questions. So, if you have any questions give us a call. In the meantime, to get you headed off in the right direction we have created a series of technical data sheets that explain how you can make the most of your installation with STONETECH surface care products. For example, TDS1261 has some great information on how to determine if a surface has been sealed or does not require a sealer. Or TDS1262 Stone and Tile Care Guide, provides general information and some important do’s and don’ts."

Click here to view/download the STONETECH Surface Care Product Selection Guide.

For more information on LATICRETE permanent trouble free installation products, training, or technical advice, contact your local LATICRETE representative on 1800 331 012 - or email: sales@laticrete.com.au.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

Industry Profile: Don Macdonald - "The Preparation of the Walls"

Previously we shared how the background experiences helped prepare Don Macdonald and The Orchid Group^ team for The Shields Street Heart Mosaic project, and last week we saw the tendering process. This week the site works begin.

The City of Cairns is the largest regional commercial centre in Far North Queensland in Australia.  The climate is tropical and is well known internationally as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef hosting over 2 million tourists a year.  The Cairns Regional Council embarked upon a forward thinking upgrade to the heart of the city with a revamp of Shields Street. The mosaic installation was only a small part of the $22 million upgrade.

The Orchid Group’s base, in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, is some 1600km (1000 miles) from Cairns.  Undertaking the Shields Street Mosaic project was in itself a logistical challenge.  As Don explains, “Taking a team on the road is a costly exercise, especially if you’re travelling a great distance to a regional centre where access to your normal suppliers is restricted”.

Don had encouraged Council to specify LATICRETE as the materials supplier because of his long association with the company.  He was confident in their range of products, their superior performance characteristics and their complete system approach which was what he needed to support him in completing such an iconic artwork in a difficult climate and in a high exposure public location. Click here to continue reading. 

Next time, "The Artists".

Contact us on 1800 331 012 for technical support, arrange a demo, free samples, a trade event, or to discuss your next project or contact us here.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

^The Orchid Group is also known as Symmetry Mosaics.

Private Residence Pool Installation

Glenn Mannix, LATICRETE NSW Technical Sales Rep, visited the team on-site from A Plus Services in Maroubra, where the guys were trying out LATAPOXY® Moisture Shield for the first time and gave it the thumbs up! The team are using a wide range of LATICRETE installation materials for the 120m2 pool project. 

Products used:

LATAPOXY Moisture Shield - a 2 component, roller applied epoxy coating specifically designed to reduce moisture vapour emissions in concrete and other substrates.

HYDRO BAN®  Adhesive & Sealant - a one component, fast curing, hybrid elastomeric adhesive and sealant.

HYDRO BAN® - a single component, self curing liquid rubber polymer that forms a flexible, seamless waterproofing membrane. HYDRO BAN bonds directly to a wide variety of substrates.

254 Platinum - the ultimate one-step, polymer fortified, thin-set adhesive. For interior and exterior installation of ceramic and stone tile, reduced thickness porcelain, quarry tile, pavers and thin brick. 

SPECTRALOCK® PRO Premium Grout* - designed for use on tile, glass tile and stone applications, both residential and commercial. It can be used both interior and exterior on floors and walls. Ideal for re-grouting applications. SPECTRALOCK PRO Premium Grout is perfect for swimming pools, fountains and other wet area applications.

Click here to view/download the LATICRETE Pool, Spa and Fountain Tiling Systems Brochure. 

Are you getting ready to start a project? Contact us for technical support or to arrange free samples. Call 1800 331 012 or email us here. 

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

*United States Invention Patent No.: 6881768 (and other Patents)

Palm Beach Project

Check out this 700m2 private residence project in Palm Beach, NSW, installed by Reflective Gardens, Sticks & Stones Landscape Architects, and Cadence & Co. 400m2 of Eco Outdoor Wamberal Wall Stone is being installed with MVIS™ Veneer Mortar, and the 300m2 driveway is being installed with Jymina Cobblestones using 254 Platinum and PERMACOLOR® Grout.

• MVIS Veneer Mortar is a patented, versatile polymer fortified mortar designed specifically for the installation of adhered masonry veneer, stone and thin brick. 
• 254 Platinum is the ultimate one-step, polymer fortified, thin-set adhesive. For interior and exterior installation of ceramic and stone tile, reduced thickness porcelain, quarry tile, pavers and thin brick.
• PERMACOLOR Grout - offers the maximum performance available in a cement-based grout, providing consistent colour and antimicrobial protection to resist stain-causing mould and mildew. 

Call us on 1800 331 012 to find out more about our products, training and to schedule a trade event for your store or email us here.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

Beautiful & Durable Resinous Flooring

Flakes broadcast over the substrate

Before topcoat is applied

After two top coats have been applied

Beautiful new floor! 

This 70m2 showroom for Tiles in Stile in Melbourne, VIC, has just received this beautiful new LATICRETE SPARTACOTE™ BLENDED CHIP floor. Neil Warden, LATICRETE Australia National Sales Manager, conducted hands-on training with the team from Tiles In Stile to install the flooring system. 

SPARTACOTE BLENDED CHIP provides a capable, seamless flooring finish suitable for numerous commercial and residential applications, it is also available in a wide assortment of blends and finishes to suit your designer needs. With a contoured finish to allow for optimal traction, this minimal maintenance coating system offers 1-day installation and next day return to service.

Key Features:

• Wide assortment of blends and finishes
• May be used as a floor & wall coating
• Minimal maintenance
• Contoured finish allows for optimal traction
• 1-day installation with next-day return to service

For more information on SPARTACOTE flooring systems click here.

Contact us to discuss your next flooring project or to arrange a mock-up - Call 1800 331 012 or email us here.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

Double Bay Pool Complete

Previously we had blogged about this Double Bay Pool Refurb that was underway by the team from Maestro Group. We are excited to share photos of the completed project! Sam and the team used a range of LATICRETE installation materials to install 160m2 of Trend glass mosaics, and received a 15 year System Warranty:

• 226 Thick Bed Mortar - Designed for use with 3701 Mortar Admix to produce a latex Portland cement mortar that has exceptional strength. 
• 3701 Mortar Admix - a specially designed latex admixture for use with thin-set adhesives, cement grouts, cement mortar beds and other cement mixes. 
• LATAPOXY^® Moisture Shield - a 2 component, roller applied epoxy coating specifically designed to reduce moisture vapour emissions in concrete and other substrates.
• HYDRO BAN® - a thin, load bearing waterproofing/crack isolation membrane that DOES NOT require the use of fabric in the field, coves or corners.
• HYDRO BAN® Adhesive & Sealant - a one component, fast curing, hybrid elastomeric adhesive and sealant. 
• 254 Platinum - the ultimate one-step, polymer fortified, thin-set adhesive, for interior and exterior installations.
• SPECTRALOCK® PRO Premium Grout* - designed for use on tile, glass tile and stone applications, both residential and commercial. 
• LATASIL™ sealant is a high performance, one component, neutral cure, 100% silicone sealant designed for ceramic tile & stone applications.

Click here to view/download the LATICRETE Pool, Spa and Fountain Tiling Systems Brochure. 

Are you getting ready to start a project? Contact us for technical support or to arrange free samples. Call 1800 331 012 or email us here.