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2013 TileLetter Media Planner
October 30, 2012 by
Garden State Tile to Hold Laminam By Crossville Launch Event on Thurs., Oct. 11th
October 10, 2012 by
Unveiling of Innovative Large Format Porcelain Panels for A&D Community
— Open House & Presentation Part of DESIGNPHILADELPHIA Festival —
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Regional tile distributor Garden State Tile (GST) will host the Laminam by Crossville Launch Event at its new, state-of-the-art Architectural & Design Center in Philadelphia in conjunction with the DesignPhiladelphia festival. The event will take place on Thursday, October 11th, with an open house from 5 – 8 p.m. and a presentation at 6 p.m. GST’s Architectural & Design Center is located at 2401 Walnut Street. The event is free and open to the public.
Billed as “large format porcelain panels,” Laminam by Crossville products are just 3mm thick with outer dimensions of 1m x 3m. The lean profile combined with generously sized panels creates a versatile surface skin ideal for giving walls, doors, counters and cabinetry a nearly seamless appearance. Lightweight yet very durable, these porcelain panels expand the possibilities for tile applications for both commercial and residential use. Garden State Tile is the exclusive source for Laminam by Crossville in the metro Philadelphia area.
The Laminam by Crossville event is being held as part of the annual DesignPhiladelphia, a four-day festival celebrating the region’s design industries at work and the city’s contemporary significance as a center for creative innovation and advancement.
For more details on Garden State Tile’s Laminam by Crossville Launch Event or any DesignPhiladelphia festival activities, visit events.designphiladelphia.org.
Members of the media are invited to attend and may request interviews and showroom tours by contacting Irene Williams at irene@workwriting.net.
About Garden State Tile
Garden State Tile (GST) is a tile distributor with 10 design centers located throughout the eastern U.S. The company is built on the idea that people make all the difference, and its service and design expertise has defined its reputation since GST first opened for business more than 50 years ago. Grounded in a long tradition of supplying the highest quality tile products and service, Garden State Tile offers guidance, education and consultation to its customers, including interior designers, architects, retailers and product specifiers for national accounts.
In 2011, GST opened its 5,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Architectural & Design Center located at 2401 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA, giving a spatial showcasing of premium porcelain, stone, ceramic, glass tile and much more.
Founded in 1986, Crossville Inc. is a U.S.-owned and operated manufacturer of award-winning tile collections for residential and contract applications. The company is the first U.S. tile manufacturer to achieve the following: – production of large format tile on site, – manufacturing tile with certified recycled content, – development of the Tile Take-Back® Program for recycling fired porcelain tile – certification of its waste recycling programs – TCNA’s Green Squared certification for all of its U.S.-produced tile lines, – become a net consumer of waste.
For more information on Crossville, visit crossvilleinc.com.
About Laminam by Crossville
Laminam by Crossville is Crossville, Inc.‘s exclusive U.S. distributorship of select thin panel porcelain products manufactured by Laminam S.p.A., the world leader in the production of large format, lean profile ceramic surfacing products. A consolidated division of Systems Group, Laminam S.p.A. utilizes an advanced, fully automated production process to create large and lean profile ceramic and porcelain slab products available worldwide.
For more details, visit LaminamByCrossville.com
Tile Of Spain Launches “Passport To Creativity” Contest Show Us Your Creativity, And We’ll Show You Spain
October 8, 2012 by
Four design professionals will be selected to attend an all expense paid, CEU architectural tour and trip to Cevisama 2013 in Valencia, Spain - entries accepted through December 3, 2012
Tile of Spain, the international brand representing 125 ceramic tile manufacturers belonging to the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association (ASCER), is 
proud to announce the launch of “Passport to Creativity” contest.
proud to announce the launch of “Passport to Creativity” contest.The contest offers architects and interior designers a chance to win a free trip to Spain to participate in an architectural excursion where they will earn 4 CEU credits and visit Cevisama 2013, the International Ceramic Tile and Bath Furnishing Show in Valencia, Spain.
To enter, architects and designers must show their creativity!
Tile of Spain is asking architects and interior designers to submit a picture of themselves with Spanish Tile. It can be a picture of them holding a catalog, a picture (printed or on a phone), a drawing of a room or even sample of Spanish Tile. They can also stand next to a project where they specified Spanish Tile.
Entries will be accepted through December 3, 2012 and winners will be notified in the week of December 10, 2012.
Part of the Tile of Spain 2013 Architects & Designers Tour running February 2 to February 9, 2013, the “Passport to Creativity” trip includes time to explore Spain to be immersed in the culture, sample Spain’s world-famous culinary arts, observe sites and attractions with architectural and design significance and to gain a general understanding and appreciation for Spain. The trip also includes a guided visit to Cevisama 2013, factory and booth tours and a press conference. All participants will earn 4 CEU credits.
For complete rules, and details on how to enter the “Passport to Creativity” contest, please visit www.tileofspainusa.com/contest
Contact:
Lori Dolnick: ldolnick@frankadvertisingus.
Katie Sikorski: ksikorski@frankadvertisingus.
About Tile of Spain
In Spain, tile makers labor as they have for centuries – pushing their passion for design and innovation to new levels of artisanship. With one of the purest and strongest domestic clays available, Spanish manufacturers have an unparalleled ability to make the end product more diverse. From rustic handmade forms; to technical facades that cool buildings and clean the air; to the impossibly slim, sustainable recycled and ink jet masterpieces that fire the imagination. The Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturer’s Association (ASCER) is the private organization whose primary objective is to support Spain’s ceramic tile manufacturers and the industry as a whole by stewarding and promoting the Tile of Spain brand worldwide. A strong global leader, the ceramic tile industry of Spain comprises 125 manufacturers concentrated primarily in the province of Castellón. For more about tile produced in Spain, contact Tile of Spain Center at the Trade Commission of Spain, 2655 Le Jeune Road, Suite 1114, Coral Gables, FL 33134. Call 305-446-4387 or visit www.tileofspainusa.com.
For photography, interviews or questions, please call Lori Dolnick at 609-490-0999 x22 or ldolnick@frankadvertisingus.
NTCA recognizes Superior Tile & Stone as Five Star Contractor
October 8, 2012 by
National Tile Contractors Association has awarded the prestigious Five Star Contractor designation to member company Superior Tile & Stone, Oakland, CA. NTCA now recognizes a total of 35 Five Star Contractors.
Five Star Contractors are required to complete a rigorous peer-approval process, demonstrating their commitment to training, service, quality, safety, fiscal responsibility and superior job performance. More strict qualifications for applicants in 2012 include certifying a minimum of 10% of installers through the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) Certified Tile Installer program.
Both NTCA Five Star Contractors and CTEF Certified Installers are listed in recently approved TCNA Handbook for Ceramic, Glass and Stone Tile Installation language recommending the inclusion of installer and contractor specifications. The revised Handbook stresses, “Matching installer ability to the project at hand requires close evaluation of their experience, training, state licensing…and certification/credentials.” Tile Contractors Association of America (TCAA) Trowel of Excellence certified installers are also listed in TCNA Handbook recommendations for contractors who have demonstrated a record of successful installations; Superior Tile & Stone additionally holds membership in TCAA.
Tommy Conner, president of Superior Tile & Stone, Inc., said, “NTCA’s Five Star Certification and TCAA’s Trowel of Excellence demonstrate to the world of general contractors, developers and designers that Superior Tile & Stone is qualified to perform complex tile and stone installations, and may be relied upon to provide the highest level of professional service. Superior is proud to hold both certifications, and to work in concert with NTCA’s other Five Star Certified tile and stone contractors to improve our industry.” Superior is currently scheduling testing and certification of its field crews by CTEF.
Superior Tile & Stone, founded in 1929 and headquartered in Oakland, CA, provides installation, fabrication and preconstruction services for ceramic tile, natural stone and terrazzo for commercial services throughout California, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest. Superior recently completed Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, NV and is in progress on the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Oakland, CA.
Five Star Contractors may display the “Five Star” logo on all marketing materials. In addition, each company is prominently displayed in a special section on the NTCA website, with a direct link established from this website to each firm. Product rebates and insurance discounts are available, and AIA-accredited PowerPoint programs give Five Star Contractors the opportunity to be THE tile and stone source for their local architects and designers.
For more information on the NTCA Five Star Program, visit www.tile-assn.com and click the Five Star link on the scroll bar, or contact Jim Olson, assistant executive director, at 601-939-2071.
To contact Superior Tile & Stone, visit the website at www.superiortilestone.com or call 510-351-1700.
Donato Pompo Honored with Construction Specifier Magazine Article of the Year Award
October 8, 2012 by
Donato V. Pompo, CTC, CMR, CSI, CDT, MBA of Ceramic Tile and Stone Consultants, Inc. (CTaSC) was honored with The Construction Specifier Magazine Article of the Year Award by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). CSI is a prominent architectural association for architects that prepare construction specifications. The award was presented to Mr. Pompo at CSI’s Annual Meeting held in conjunction with CONSTRUCT 2012 in Phoenix on September 14, 2012.
The article that earned Mr. Pompo the distinguished recognition from CSI is entitled “Good Specs Mean Good Tile and Stone Installations” and appeared in the magazine’s December 2011 issue. click here for complete article. CSI’s Editorial Advisory Board stated that they selected Pompo’s article based on its relevance to the industry as a whole, readability, impact, and alignment with CSI’s mission and technical standards and formats.
“Like Pompo’s previous pieces for the magazine, it exemplifies what makes an article successful—the writing is in-depth but accessible, and thought-provoking but based on objective fact,” said Erik Missio, editor of The Construction Specifier. “Pompo draws on his own experiences in the tile industry to present clear, concise, and correct information for architects, specifiers, and engineers within a CSI context. His article is the very spirit of the tagline that appears on The Construction Specifier covers—a solution for the construction industry.” Pompo has a new article just released in The Construction Specifier’s October 2012 issue titled “Avoiding the Fall: Specifying Ceramic, Glass Tile, Stone, and Terrazzo for Slip Resistance.” click here for complete article.
Mr. Pompo is a frequent contributing author to many of the construction, tile and stone trade publications. He has been a Certified Construction Documents Technologist (CDT) through CSI since 2000 and has produced hundreds of tile and stone installation specifications. His more than 30 years experience in the tile and stone industries, combined with his dedication, commitment, and a desire to improve the industry as a whole through training and the sharing of information is key in motivating Pompo to publish many articles and offering training services. It is also what led him to establish the University of Ceramic Tile and Stone (UofCTS) in 2002.
“I realized the importance of training early on in my various roles in the ceramic tile and stone industry. I realized that there weren’t enough opportunities for those who specify, sell or install tile and stone to learn the critical requirements and standards needed to ensure successful installations. When e-learning technology became available it made it possible to educate installers, salespeople and architects in the most cost-efficient and convenient way, so that’s why I established the University of Ceramic Tile and Stone (www.UofCTS.org),” Pompo said. “Most people have access to a computer and an internet connection today. So now industry standards, product knowledge and uses, and installation application information is conveniently available online,” he continued. “And the beauty of online learning is that you can do it without having to miss work or incur any travel expenses, and you can go at your own pace and convenience.”
The core business, CTaSC, is what supplies Pompo with ideas for stories that turn into magazine articles. CTaSC specializes in forensic investigations, quality control, tile and stone installation specifications, testing, and expert witness testimony. Pompo is frequently called on to conduct forensic investigations throughout North America and this enables him to see first-hand the kinds of problems that are occurring on many different types of jobs. Installations run the gamut from exterior veneers, to swimming pools, hotel lobbies, showers, malls, airports, and the list goes on. CTaSC also provides various quality control services such as writing installation specifications and quality control plans, and having CTaSC inspectors, who are seasoned tile installers, perform on-site quality control inspections.
By keeping a record of the issues he comes across in the field, and translating them into informative articles and online courses, Pompo hopes to get the word out to the construction industry members about how such problems can be avoided through education.
For further information about the UofCTS training services please visit www.CTaSC.com or call 886.669.1550.
MAPEI Introduces Next-Generation Sound-Reduction Membrane
October 2, 2012 by
Researchers at MAPEI have delivered a new, patent-pending sound-reduction membrane for use in both residential (homes, apartments, condominiums) and 
light commercial (office buildings) environments. Mapesonic™ 2 provides reduced transmission of both impact sound (footsteps, dropped objects, etc.) and airborne sound (voice, TV, etc.) through floors. The membrane also helps prevent movement up to 3/8″ (10 mm) wide from transmitting through flooring assemblies.
Mapesonic 2’snext-generation technology combines sound reduction and crack isolation in a thin, flexible, lightweight, load-bearing, fabric-reinforced “peel-and-stick” membrane approved for use under ceramic tile, stone and wood flooring. The challenge for MAPEI’s R&D group was to meet or exceed a rating of 50 for both STC (airborne sound) and IIC (impact sound) standards on a 6″ (15 cm) concrete slab with no ceiling. Mapesonic 2 met both of those challenges head-on, bringing to the marketplace an easier-to-use membrane that compares favorably with thicker membranes currently on the market.
Brian Pistulka, Business Manager for MAPEI America’s Tile & Stone Installation Systems product line, commented enthusiastically on Mapesonic 2: “This patent-pending membrane is the most significant development in the industry that I have seen in my career. The MAPEI Group did in-depth research into understanding sound, how it travels, and how various materials and the dynamics of components work together to reduce that sound. Mapesonic 2 is truly a product innovation – delivering better sound-performance results with a thinner membrane than existing contenders, because of its material composition and design format. The result is technology you can build on.”
Mapesonic 2 is available from MAPEI distributors throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America. For details about product performance, visit www.mapei.com to view the Technical Data Sheet.
MAPEI Group, with 68 subsidiaries including 59 plants in 28 countries, is today the world leader in the manufacturing of adhesives and complementary products for the installation of all types of floor and wall coverings. The company also specializes in manufacturing other chemical products for building, including waterproofing products, special mortars and admixtures for concrete, products for the restoration of ancient buildings, and special decorative and protective coatings for walls.
Eighteen MAPEI manufacturing facilities are located in the Americas, with headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Florida. MAPEI is an environmentally conscious manufacturer – the company has been a member of the U.S. Green Building Council since 2001 and a member of the Canadian Green Building Council since 2008. MAPEI Americas is a registered provider to the AIA/CES program and also offers training related to ceramic and stone tile, floor coverings and concrete repair through the MAPEI Technical Institute. The Quality Management Systems of the majority of MAPEI Americas facilities are ISO 9001 certified. Visit www.mapei.com for technical data or call 1-800-42-MAPEI (1-800-426-2734) for the nearest location.
