TEC® Products help set a perfect stage for the new Global Learning Center at Walsh University
The new Global Learning Center at Walsh University in North Canton, Oh., will truly be a communications hub for students and faculty. The two-story atrium building has an open, modern design to encourage and support maximum interaction. The sunlight-filled facility will house student labs for fast-growing technology-based fields of study such as computer engineering or video production, The Forum – an aptly named space for two of Walsh’s important research institutes – contains an atrium café, meeting areas and more.
The building’s open design incorporates the use of many windows, curved glass railings and round support columns. Stylish large-format tile flooring adds to the modern feel with 30” x 30” and 15” x 30” thin gray tiles covering about 11,000 sq. ft. on both the first and second levels. For an additional 1,000 sq. ft. of tile in the restrooms, sleek 12” x 24” thin panels were selected.
Distributor Virginia Tile of Cleveland helped ensure that TEC® flooring installation products were specified to meet the unique challenges of the job. With a tight construction timetable and lots of curved columns and curved flooring lines along atrium railings, installation of the Global Learning Center’s large tile panels required special skills. Luckily, Youngstown Tile and Terrazzo (YTT), a NTCA Five Star Contractor, had the skills needed to accomplish this challenging tile installation.
Substrate challenges
When YTT arrived at the Global Learning Center site, they quickly discovered that leveling the substrate would be tough. The new concrete had varying elevations. On the first floor, there were frequent dips and swirls up to 1/2”. On the second level, the concrete changed depth by up to 1-1/2” across a 6’ section. In addition, the many columns and curves added leveling complexity.
After priming with TEC® Multipurpose Primer, YTT pumped new TEC® Level Set® 300 Self-Leveling Underlayment to correct the variations. Josh Cohol, President of YTT, explained, “The new TEC Level Set 300 created as close to a perfectly flat surface as I’ve seen. We pumped the product and noticed its excellent flow ability to reach around the many 
columns and follow the curved flooring edges. Even applied at a depth of 2”, it was walkable in just a couple of hours.” Cohol appreciated frequent on-site support from H.B. Fuller Construction Products’ Charlie Renner, Technical Sales Manager, and Ron Sheldon, Technical Services Manager.
To mitigate concerns about cracks migrating up through the large, thin tiles, TEC® HydraFlex™ Waterproofing Crack Isolation Membrane was specified. YTT rolled on the membrane before troweling on the mortar. For the larger expanses, TEC® 3N1 Performance Mortar was used. TEC 3N1 is a lightweight premium mortar with Easy Trowel Technology™ for superior handling and extended open time – appreciated for large spaces and large tiles.
The Global Learning Center’s round columns required challenging radius tile cuts and a 17° angled layout to follow the column line on the second floor. YTT’s experienced installers successfully navigated through all the challenges with impressive results. For the bathrooms, TEC® Ultimate Large Tile Mortar was used to handle the large tiles on both the floors and walls, where its non-slip and non-slump properties made tiling much easier.
To finish the dramatic tile installation, YTT grouted with TEC® In-Color™ Advanced Performance Tile Grout. YTT was impressed with how easy it was to grout with the ready-to-use product. TEC In-Color Grout is crack-resistant, stain-proof, and chemical-resistant with no sealing required. In other words, the product was just right for the very large tiles set in the high-traffic spaces of Walsh University’s new Global Learning Center.
Upon completion of the project, YTT’s Josh Cohol did a walk-around with Charlie Renner, who summed up the quality of the work when he said, “This installation had a lot of challenges, but the tile looks flawless.”
For more information about the products used at Walsh University, visit www.tecspecialty.com.
©2018 H.B. Fuller Construction Products Inc.
