NTCA FIVE-STAR SPOTLIGHT
Fast-track, complex casino project earns CBFI a NTCA Five-Star Project of the Year Commercial Grand Prize Award
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By Lesley Goddin, Editorial Director and Senior Writer
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Working on a complex casino renovation project that involves 24 different finishes between interior and exterior is challenging enough. But when the project has to be completed in less than 60 days – well that’s award-winning material!
And that’s just what Christian Brothers Flooring & Interiors (CBFI) did – completing the Viejas Casino Expansion & Renovation Phase B1 in San Diego, Calif., in less than 60 days, to ultimately win the NTCA Five-Star Project of the Year Commercial Grand Prize Award.
Christian Brothers Flooring & Interiors won the NTCA Five-Star Project of the Year Commercial Grand Prize Award for the Viejas Casino Expansion & Renovation Phase B1 in San Diego, Calif.
To meet this deadline, shifts of up to 35 tile craftsmen, working 24 hours a day, six days a week, were needed. More than 10% of this workforce were Certified Tile Installers. The CBFI project team managed daily design changes with flexibility and adjusted as needed. A key consideration for the entire project was paying critical attention to placing interior and exterior movement joints per EJ171.
The interior required installation over 20,000 sq.ft. of tile with intricate layouts. But first, the crews had to address extreme subfloor issues which required self-leveling at an average 1” depth, floated mortar beds at some of the floor tile areas and intricate layouts of tile, stone, glass and mosaic tiles. Interior floor tile installation methods followed F205-23 for installation over self-leveling underlayment, F113-23 for on ground concrete, F112-23 for on-ground concrete and bonded mortar bed, and F205-23 stone installation over self-leveling underlayment.
The interior tile installation also included 39”x128” large-panel gauged porcelain tile which had to be cut down to 5” widths and then installed on a 30-ft. tall entry wall area. Scissor lifts were utilized to install the elevated areas.
Interior wall tile installation methods followed, W245-23 over metal studs and glass mat water-resistant gypsum backer board. The gauged porcelain panels were installed by ANSI 108.19, 108.20 guidelines.
While teams were working on the interior, other teams were installing 18”x36”x5/8” sandstone on the exterior of the building. The 60-ft high enclosed scaffold area had to be heated, and required 24-hour temperature monitoring to ensure the temperature did not drop below 40 degrees, plus daily pull tests. CBFI crew installed the exterior stone following W201-23 with the lath, scratch installed and completed by the plastering subcontractor. This allowed for more control of wall flatness to meet required tolerances.
Materials used included porcelain tile from Arizona Tile, Crossville, Daltile, Garden State Ceramics, Spec Ceramics, and Tilebar, with glass and gauged porcelain tile from Crossville. Daltile provided marble, Tilebar provided brick clay and sandstone was sourced from Vegas Stone. Additional distributors included Longust and Stone Source.
“We are thrilled and honored to be selected to receive the NTCA Five-Star Project of the Year Commercial Achievement of Excellence Award, for our work at Viejas Casino and Resort,” said Brian Boek, Chief Sales & Marketing Office for Christian Brothers Flooring & Interiors. “This project highlights the craftsmanship, high performance and dedication that our entire office and field team exhibit on a daily basis. We are proud of each team member and also to be part of such a beautifully designed building.”