CASE STUDY: ARDEX solves minimal downtime challenge for large shopping mall renovation

CHALLENGE:

· Large renovation: 17,000 square feet.

· Existing ceramic tile would not be removed for renovation.

· All work had to be performed at night so that the mall could continue to operate.

PROBLEM:

Salt Lake City’s busy Trolley Square Mall required a 17,000-square-foot renovation of an existing ceramic tile installation into a decorative, diamond-cut concrete floor. So that the mall could continue to operate during the day, all renovations needed to commence overnight. In addition, a solution was desired that would not require abatement of the ceramic tile in order to save significant preparation time and costs.

SOLUTION:

ARDEX SD-T^â SELF-DRYING, SELF-LEVELING CONCRETE TOPPING was chosen to create the decorative surface. ARDEX SD-T can be installed directly over prepared and primed ceramic tile and can be topically stained and saw cut to create patterns, making it ideal for this challenging application.

The ceramic tile was first shot blasted and then primed with ARDEX EP 2000™ SUBSTRATE PREPARATION EPOXY PRIMER and sand broadcast. ARDEX EP 2000 is walkable in just 6 hours, which allowed the mall to be open for normal business the morning after it was applied. Protective paper was placed to protect the installation. In addition, because ARDEX EP 2000 is fully cured in just 16 hours, the ARDEX SD-T was able to be poured the next night.

Because ARDEX SD-T can be walked on in just 3 hours, the protective paper was replaced, and the mall was again open for business the next morning. Moreover, topical staining and saw cutting of ARDEX SD-T can proceed after only a 16-hour cure.

This entire installation, including preparation of the ceramic tile, priming, pouring the ARDEX SD-T, cutting the diamond pattern, staining and sealing, took just four overnights to complete!

For more information, please visit www.ardex.com.