Buildings have been through several trends over the years and the design of living, working, dining, and other spaces is being reinvented. The elements of expression for facades and ceilings have expanded beyond the homogenous clutches of plain surfaces and drab materials. Stone and tile ceilings are increasingly being used to provide a distinctive aesthetic across hospitality, retail, and residential projects.
These installations demonstrate that the “fifth wall” doesn’t have to be cookie-cutter in nature. Stones and tiles add dimension through colors, shapes, and finishes and can establish a strong visual connection with the rest of the interiors. They are versatile too and can be incorporated in a myriad of ways from creating a floor-to-ceiling continuity with a specific material or punctuating accents. They can visually imply more space, offer easier maintenance, and transform spaces such as lobbies, hallways, fireplace surrounds, and archways without requiring designer suspended ceilings. The anchor frameworks that have for been used to fix these heavy overhead finishes are now being replaced by innovative adhesives that facilitate more ease and speed in installation.
Large sized ceramic tiles and stones with smaller grout joints are reigning in popularity as they bring in a sense of seamlessness. But with that also comes the challenge of providing a higher level of adherence. Large or heavy tile and stone formats are often time consuming to install on the ceiling given that it can be incredibly hard to get the individual pieces leveled out. It often warrants the use of support boards or sticks to hold up the material till it is set. In addition, uneven ceiling surfaces can make things go awry and if they are not dealt with properly, the hazard of tiles and stones falling off or being displaced, is high. Further, if the adhesive is not well combined or in the right ratio with other components, the guarantee of the tiles staying in place can be compromised. When the building is subject to high temperature changes or vibrations, there is also a possibility of stressors leading to open cracks and warping of marble.
All this means that there is a need for a product that is flexible to stressors, has a high mechanical strength, and a fast setting chemical anchor that can hold these heavy materials in place until they are completely set in the desired position. While a non-sag feature helps with the setting, spot bonding allows attaining plumb and gap the distances due to uneven surfaces as the material can be adjusted. It is also excellent at handling routine vibrations and building movement.
To fulfil these requirements and enable architects and designers to add stone and tile details, MYK LATICRETE offers the LATAPOXY® 310 Chemical Anchor, an epoxy adhesive that is hinged on spot fixing these materials. The product allows an economical installation and secures various kinds of stones and tiles in overhead applications. It works ideally even in high temperatures up to 95°F.
LATAPOXY® 310’s high bond strength attachment works perfectly for spot bonding marble, granite, large format ceramic tiles, along with adhered masonry veneering both interiors and exteriors, on walls and overheads. It does not damage or stain light colored marbles, tiles or stones and can be used on both dry and damp concrete surfaces. Furthermore, it takes only up to an hour to set, with the rapid version setting up even faster. It doesn’t deteriorate over time and resists vibrations and shocks while also saving on resources and ensuring safety.
It is approved by TCNA for interior applications method W215and W260, as well as by ICC, IBC for exterior installations. Additionally, it conforms to EN 12004 and ISO 13007 with a classification of R2T.
Given the safety, durability, high quality and performance of the product, it has been embraced by a host of reputed clients, including global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, Accenture. When it was setting up its new facility in Pune, Maharashtra, there was a requirement for fixing composite marble of size 3 feet x2 feet and vitrified tiles of size 2 feet x2 feet on to a plywood ceiling covering an area of 500 Sq.ft. MYK LATICRETE’s LATAPOXY® 310 Chemical Anchor product came up as an appropriate choice to fix the composite marbles and vitrified tiles straight onto the ceiling using spot bonding method.
Innovation is at the heart of strategy at MYK LATICRETE. It focuses on constantly rolling out new products which represent an added-value to customers and serve the needs of modern architecture.
