A new build private residence in Indooroopilly, QLD, Australia, consisted of nearly 1200m2 of construction including a pool, spa and water feature. Skilled designer, Owen Rentoul, helped in the creation of the project design, and Tim Stewart Architects were engaged to assist with the project drawings. 1200x600mm large format marble from SNB Stone and 40x40mm glass mosaics from Trend Mosaics, which were new to Australia and not used before, were used on the pool, spa, and water feature. The installation of these tiles required more than the above-average application technique. With award winning skills from Sam Gardener Tiling and LATICRETE solutions, the project was completed with exceptional quality and ease of mind.
Challenges
Sam was faced with a few challenges throughout the installation of the pool, spa and water feature. The position of the pool was a big challenge as it was located on the second level above the main bedroom, so ensuring it was watertight was of the utmost importance. Perspex was used at one end of the pool and in the spa. The challenge was to find a product to seal against a non-porous surface.
Lastly, there was an issue to make the air blow holes in the spa waterproofed. This was discussed and then eliminated after chiselling out a channel, and waterproofing below the PVC pipe to make the air being used through the seat above the membrane for movement and water.
LATICRETE Solution
After attending a specialised Profit Through Knowledge industry training day at LATICRETE, Sam locked in LATICRETE tiling solutions which proved to be more beneficial to the project, visually, technically and would guarantee to perform for years to come. Sam had to ensure the air blow holes in the spa were watertight, and was reassured when HYDRO BAN® waterproofing membrane was applied.
For the project Sam selected to use a full LATICRETE installation system; 226 Thick Bed Mortar and 3701 Mortar Admix was used for the render and bedding for the substrate preparation. 211 Crete Filler Powder and 4237 Latex Additive was used for the bond coat in the pool. HYDRO BAN was used for waterproofing all the areas. Sam had selected 335 Premium Flexible Adhesive White, knowing it was suitable for immersion and would give the partly translucent glass tile a more even, consistent look.
LATAPOXY® 310 Stone Adhesive was used to bond the 1200x600mm marble slab, nominally 50kgs/m2, to the front protruding featured face the of the pool. Sam was impressed with the result, which was a flat finish and knowing it will hold. SPECTRALOCK® PRO Grout and LATASILTM was used to finish it all off.
Both the home owner and Sam Gardener were happy with the end result of the project. Sam had expressed that without the confidence in the application products and the knowledge of the LATICRETE Technical team, it would have been a much different outcome - “There are no leaks, and I sleep easy with the product warranty that comes when using LATICRETE. I would like to thank Mitchell Haw for his involvement throughout the project and for introducing my team to LATICRETE ”.
For the project, Master Builders Association awarded Sam the 2017 “Residential Trade Contractor of the Year” for Brisbane and he was also the overall winner for Queensland, in the same category.