The newest building on Greenwich Street in TriBeCa looks like one of its oldest. It is the 8-story Downtown Hotel at 377 Greenwich Street on the southeast corner at North Moore Street.

The brown-brick building is distinguished by its stunning curved, multi-paned corner windows, its huge skylights at its southern and eastern corners, and its very fine masonry detailing.

The hotel features 80 rooms and an arcaded courtyard as well as a 300-seat restaurant. Its lobby is connected to the adjacent
TriBeCa Grill.

During its construction phase, the hotel received a welcomed visit from Drytek. Known for being a leader in innovative flooring solutions, Drytek brought along a few friends for this short yet productive stay: One highly sophisticated pump truck, 5 technical field representatives and 500 tons of the industry's Workhorse product, Drytek 7200 Low Alkali Leveling Cement

Although the building itself is new and the workmanship second to none, the challenge presented to the flooring contractor was tough. The general contractor called out for a dead level floor. This was needed to provide a flawless smooth and flat substrate for adhesive attachment of engineered wood plank. This means there could be no variance at any point on the concrete slab. This is not easy to achieve. It would require great expertise and sophisticated tools.

The Drytek Floormaster level unit was utilized to map out the floor and provide a guide for setting heights by use of Drytek level pegs. Each peg was measured and cut with surgical precision insuring the top of each was exactly the same altitude as all the others. The material would be poured and smoothed using the pegs as a guide.

Drytek representatives were on site during the pouring of the Innovative Low Alkali 7200 leveling compound to provide support and insure field Quality is maintained. Customers of Drytek have come to expect a high level of Customer Service over the years and rely on its highly trained field representatives for timely and accurate advice and assistance.

More than 500 tons of material at an average depth of ¾" were expeditiously placed onto the concrete substrate within a relatively short period of time. This was made possible by means of the industry's latest material placement technology, a Drytek Pump Truck, capable of covering up to 125,000 square feet of substrate in a single day.

When Drytek checked out of the Downtown Hotel, they left something behind: A perfectly flat and hard surface which became the base for glued down engineered wood plank. One hour later, workers were able to get onto the new dead-level surface and plank could go down within hours. The hotel is slated for opening in the near future. Please check it out.

Mr. Trump wanted a new look for this season's filming of his wildly popular television reality show, The Apprentice, and he didn't want to settle for just anything.

That's when Tom Leahy of Consolidated Floors stepped in to provide a solution that would hopefully keep the notoriously outspoken Billionaire Boss from reciting his now famous line.

The studio, where much of the show's filming takes place, would have to be remodeled for the upcoming season. All the décor was to be changed, including the floor finish. It would have to be durable enough to withstand the constant traffic of people, cameras and moving furniture, as well as the heavy weight and echoes of often-recited ego-crushing comments.

The goal was to make the floor look good. But in order to build it up, it first had to be broken down.

After an extensive removal of an existing terrazzo finish, the concrete looked like the surface of the moon with craters everywhere. The substrate was then cleaned by mechanical means and taken down to clean concrete. Due to high porosity, the surface was primed twice with Drytek Primer. The first application was diluted 1:5 for deep penetration and the second at 1:3 to regulate suction of the substrate and provide an adequate bond.

After the primer dried, Drytek 7200 was applied over the entire surface at an average thickness of 5/8". As a result of rapid and even drying, the surface was ready for interior build-out within just hours. The construction crew of The Apprentice commenced snapping chalk lines and putting up walls shortly thereafter in order to get the space ready for filming.

Do to the rapid action of Drytek and Consolidated Carpet, the Apprentice studio was ready for filming of the new season just a couple of days after Mr. Trump called out the order to move ahead. So, I guess when The Donald speaks, people jump. And if you don't move on time and get the job done right, "You're Fired."

This season’s Apprentice show promises just the right amount of drama, intrigue and corporate fencing to keep us coming back and tuning in each week.

Balir Duron, a Raleigh Durham based contractor, was called in recently to solve a situation at Duke Medical Center in North Carolina. A concrete slab was out of whack by almost 3" and needed to be brought up to height. The problem was, load limits for the structure were near tolerance and adding much more weight was not an option.

To solve this challenge, Drytek's FlowliteT system was called out. The system consists of a base layer of Drytek 3000 which is capped by a Drytek leveling compound such as Drytek 7200, creating a brand new, smooth and level surface. The installed weight of the system is less than 30 pounds per cubic foot. Remarkably, this is only 15% the weight of normal concrete.

Drytek 3000 comes in a 34 pound bag which is ready to be mixed with water and then applied to the substrate. The material can be pumped or barrel mixed and is smoothed with standard leveling tools. Compressive strengths of well over 3,000 pounds are achieved when Drytek 3000 is capped with Drytek leveling compounds, such as Drytek 7200.

The general contractor, Skanska, was more than pleased with the way that Blair Duron and Drytek stepped up to the plate and provided a lightweight flooring solution to a heavyweight challenge.

It is often said that attorneys are among the most meticulous groups of professionals in the world. I guess it is their job to be this way. If they weren't, they wouldn't stay in practice for very long, right?

And this demanding trait is not normally limited to just the successful representation of valued clients but is often projected out into all things having to do with this endeavor, including the space in which they spend so much time; the all important office.

After all, when you practically live at your workplace, you tend to take an interest in how it is set up. You have a right to be picky. You work hard. Harder and longer than most. The office has to be right.

The attorneys at DLA Piper at 10 th and E Street in Washington DC also work hard and long. And they're meticulous. Both, about work and their work environment. It has to be right.

That's where Drytek comes in.

When DLA Piper decided to renovate their DC offices, they wanted a space that perfectly suited their needs. In order to achieve this, the entire office had to be torn up and made new again. This would prove to be quite the challenge.

Once demolition had taken place and walls and floor coverings were removed, it became apparent that there was no way to move forward without straightened out a substrate issue. Elevation differences where walls once stood were to be found throughout and slab surface was very uneven. A new surface had to be created which was level and consistent.

Metro Commercial Floors, a respected DC contractor, was called in to make things right. After all, this is a lawyer's office. And things just have to be right.

Drytek 7000 and 7200 Low Alkali leveling cement was applied throughout the 200,000 square foot area, essentially creating a brand new surface which was monolithic, level and ready for floor goods. Special attention was also paid to tolerances, as glass partitions requiring level floors were to be installed in many places.

Drytek consists of a propriety formulation which not only provides a leveling course but also creates an alkali barrier when applied over concrete. This barrier effectively stops naturally occurring alkalis from rising to the surface and aggressively attacking adhesives, which serve to hold down floor goods. When adhesives are protected, they are able to do their job and keep flooring locked down to the substrate. They are literally protected by the active layer of Drytek below them.

Well, the 200,000 square feet of slab was made level, the renovation was completed and the attorneys got what they wanted, a work environment that is right.
DLA Piper has 3400 lawyers in 64 offices in 25 countries. Its clients include local, national, and global companies across a wide range of sectors, ranging from emerging businesses to some of the leading national and multinational companies.

The Ayer Building, constructed in the early 20th century, recently under went a complete renovation that included space for luxury apartments and retail space. And Drytek was there.

The goal of the project was to develop a modern setting for business and day to day living while preserving the façade and original features of the building including Egyptian-style sculptures, reliefs and pressed metal work, as well as The Ayer's landmark bronze doors.

An intimate and exclusive residence, The Ayer's 56 high-end condominiums - including four penthouses - feature expansive floor plans, high ceilings and large windows with spectacular, panoramic views of the square, the river and the city. The Ayer stands alone in quality and detail with exquisite interior selections including slates from the finest quarries in England and Portugal; quarter-sawn hardwood floors from the United States; and the ultimate in German made kitchens.

Drytek 7200, the industry's most innovative self leveling cement, was expertly applied throughout the building by a leading area contractor. With millions of square feet of experience under its belt and a focus on substrate preparation and leveling, Surface Specialists, LLC was a natural choice for the job.

According to president Tim Fahey, "We chose Drytek 7200 because of the complexity of the project. We also knew we could count on the high level of service by Drytek's technical field representatives. This means a great deal to our company as we want to stay focused on getting things done on time and done right."

One-, two- and three-bedroom residences are available with views of all sides of the city and the square. One-bedroom residences start at $870,000 and penthouses start at $3.9 million. The property is 70 percent sold.

Go into the web site and see how the units look:
www.theayer.com

Oak Grove, a new neighborhood located ten minutes outside of Boston, MA needed to pour a pitch over an existing concrete system that was never pitched correctly.

«	Slide show (start)	»

To solve this problem, Drytek 7200 was utilized. Each drain was sectioned off with ramps 2" to 0" with about a 10ft width. Bench marks were set at 2" along the structural walls, and forms were built at 2" on the inner core areas. The Drytek 7200 was applied at 08:00 and by 2:00 P.M. the same day Bitchethane rubber membrane (A Grace Product), a layer of plastic, landscaping paper, soil, and grass were added over the Drytek application. Because of the fast drying nature of Drytek 7200, the rubber membrane was able to be added almost immediately, saving the contractor and customer both time and money.

Talk about the perfect match. The most recent Drytek success story takes you sky high to a lavish Penthouse on Manhattan's upper west side. It was on the 26th floor to be precise that Paul Hunnek, owner of Hudson Concrete, met with two Drytek representatives in the hopes that Drytek could provide a solution to what had others scratching their heads, rolling their eyes, and wondering how they would tackle this 2,500 sq.ft. dilemma.

Multiple challenges were imminent for Drytek and Hudson Concrete, including varied substrate conditions, height elevations and time constraints. The sub-floor was a contractors' worst nightmare; a cinder-ash fill with gypsum patch over a good portion of the 2,500 sq.ft. section.

The Drytek representatives began a thorough evaluation of the substrate consisting of surface bond strength tests, relative humidity checks (moisture levels) and probing of the sub-floor to ensure it was structurally sound and solid. The topography of the floor was then mapped out with the remarkably user friendly Drytek Floormaster level unit and it was soon apparent that Paul would need a steady 3" fill throughout the to make things right.

Paul began to think of the logistics of getting 3 inches of stone fill material onto the substrate on the 26th floor of a building in the middle of the City. This is a residential renovation and there is not a lot of leeway to make noise and get things dirty. Think of all the bags of pea gravel that would have to be lugged, staged, raked or mixed in with cement. This would require great planning and a lot of strong backs. Not to mention the cost.

Paul looked wearily over at the Drytek reps and asked if they had any sane solution to this tough situation, expecting to hear an answer in the negative and prepared to swallow the poison pill. He lifted his head and his eyes met their's. Without hesitation, and in unison, the two dutiful reps said, "Drytek Flowlite, baby! It's the only answer!"

The Drytek Flowlite System is a simple, two step program; a base layer of lightweight, fast-setting Drytek 3000, a revolutionary new product made from a proprietary formulation of cement and expanded polystyrene (EPS) and a capping of a Drytek self-leveling product. This combination creates a solid, lightweight flooring system, weighing in at only 32 lbs. per cubic foot, approximately 3 times lighter than concrete and only half as light as other lightweight systems.

To make things better, the installed cost of the Drytek Flowlite System represents a savings as high as 30% when compared with stone aggregate filler mixes such as pea gravel and the labor cost is far less expensive, as everything is already in the bag. Just add water, mix and place. Just like a normal pour.

In a matter of hours, 2 1/2" of Drytek 3000 was poured and beginning to dry. The following day, without having to prime the Drytek 3000, a 1/2" capping layer of Drytek 7200 was poured, completing the Flowlite System and converting a disaster into a beautiful finished floor surface, ready to receive various types of attractive floor covering.

At that point, it was love. Love for the recommendation by the dedicated Drytek representatives. Love for the ease of which the material was stocked, placed and finished. And love for time, money and labor savings that were achieved as a result of choosing the Drytek Flowlite System. Who says you can't fall in love with material things?

Also, the owner of said Penthouse was exceedingly pleased, which after all, is the objective. And it all happened on the 26th floor...

171st St. in Queens, New York is the locale for yet another Drytek success story. A high profile, mega-addition at St. John's University took the form of the Taffner Field House, new home to the NCAA Division I basketball team's practice facility and training center.

Each year brings new additions to the men's and women's basketball teams at this landmark institution. However, at the beginning of this season, along with the recruits, the school also welcomed the addition of the Taffner Field House to its basketball program.

The 43,000 square foot Field House, which opened in September, cost approximately $16 million to construct. The facility is named for Donald and Eleanor Taffner, the primary donors for the construction of the building.

It houses four full-sized basketball courts, two of which are available to campus recreation for student use while the other two are devoted solely to the men's and woman's teams. Along with the requisite courts, the facility also houses the bulk of the basketball program. Located within the Field House are a training room equipped with custom-made weight training machinery specifically for the athletes, professional locker rooms for both the men's and women's teams, and office space for the coaches and other administrative personnel. There is also a small locker room for students who use the front courts.

Practice facilities in Carnesecca Arena were out of date and did not allow the teams to recruit as competitively as they needed in the expanded Big East conference, which added Louisville (a Final Four participant last year), Cincinnati, South Florida, DePaul and Marquette. That's why St. Johns decided to create more space for its basketball program and be considered attractive to top incoming talent.

Skanska General Contracting Corp. was called in to plan and oversee the new field house. Time was of the essence as the facility had to be opened prior to the new school year. And this job required special planning and execution. Skanska, a multinational building, engineering and construction firm is a well known and trusted name in the New York area, having been involved in all types of projects including everything from new construction of elevated rail line to general building construction and renovation. In other words, they were a natural choice for this new monument at the well-known campus.

And because the bar was set so high, St. John's and Skanska, in turn, called upon Drytek Flooring Solutions to meet the challenge of making certain the flooring in this 43,000 square foot Fieldhouse Of Dreams came out right and on time. And it all started with a good substrate.

The large concrete slab was poured on grade and installation specifications called out for a minimum of 60 days curing. But this was too much time. Something had to be done and fast. That's where Drytek came in. A series of tests were expediently performed by Drytek representatives to determine if the slab moisture was within tolerance for application of the Drytek leveling system. The number 60 days was actually irrelevant in real terms as it doesn't take jobsite conditions such as external moisture (rain, humidity), temperature and limiting construction design into account. It is just considered a general guideline. What is relevant is the amount of moisture in the concrete slab. This is most accurately measured by probing deeply into the slab by using ASTM method F2170. The testing revealed a relative humidity measurement of 90%. Passing score for application of Drytek. Drytek can be applied on substrates with levels as high as 98%. This level would never be accepted by competitive products.

The second challenge was the physical condition of the concrete. It had been steel-trowel finished, creating a rock hard and extremely dense surface. Customarily, this would call for additional preparation in the way of shotblasting, scarifying or grinding in order to achieve an open surface which would provide a good mechanical bond with topping layers. However; thanks to Drytek's unique ability to grip to almost anything, this job required only a sweep and vacuum of the cast-iron slab, a coat of primer, and it's away we go. Think of the savings of both time and money!

The entire 43,000 square foot area was leveled, smoothed and ready for various floor coverings, including wood, vct, ceramic tile and carpet, all within 24 hours. Now that's Drytek's idea of a Field (house) of Dreams...

If you get a chance, stop by the St. John's Campus and have a look for yourself.

-CS

Portions of this article are adapted from The Torch, a student publication at St. John's University

The 7 Times Square Building will be the site of the new corporate office for Ann Taylor, a well respected, leading retailer for today's professional woman. VP's, CEO's, posh furniture and Italian glass fronts epitomize the style and culture which has propelled Ann Taylor to the forefront of the women's apparel industry.« Slide show (start) »Often with new construction, concrete pours frequently result in sub-floors out of tolerance, unsuitable for furniture, floor covering, etc. and is 99% of the time not the fault of the concrete contractor. Nevertheless, for every problem there is a DRYTEK™ solution. And that's exactly what Ann Taylor got.

Consolidated Carpet Workroom LLCs' Richard DiCosta chose DRYTEK™ for several reasons; topography of the slab, existing cracks in the slab and minimal surface preparation (no shotblasting). The 150,000 square foot project was spread out over ten floors, and was by no means your run-of-the-mill self leveling job. There were approximately twelve offices on each floor, all of which were to receive custom made sliding glass office fronts extending from the headers down to and flush with the floor. Not to be overshadowed were several other floors featuring rooms approximately 30 X 60 with two accordion walls descending from the ceiling, coming down to and running flush with the floor. These made to order walls had roughly 3/16 of an inch tolerance, and ran the entire width of the room.

Predictably, a significant portion of this job was going to have to be dead level. Ordinarily, a laser would be used to pin the floor, consuming valuable time, a minimum of two or three men, a tripod, a red laser beam whipping round and round, and most importantly just eight measurements within an inch. Rich DiCosta however, opted to use the DRYTEK™ Floormaster. The DRYTEK™ Floormaster is a silicon/gas, pressure sensitive, floor leveling device calibrated in millimeters (25mm = 1 inch or 3.125mm = 1/8 of an inch). Thereby allowing Mr. DiCosta to level each and every floor with precision accuracy (1/24 of an inch); in a fraction of the time it would take to pin with a laser. The Floormaster is dream come true commented one of Consolidated's employees. This device is a one man operation, and can also assist in determining quantities of material needed for any job. We are DRYTEK™, on the cutting edge and steadfast in our determination to redefine the floor leveling world!

The date was Saturday, March 27, 2004. I showed up to the jobsite that morning not knowing that I would be witnessing history. I was there to give technical support to the contractor on the project, East Hills Metro.

I saw a large box truck parked on the street with Drytek Super Sacks lined up like dominos. Each Sack is equivalent to forty-four, 55lbs. Bags.

I first saw this pump truck unit in action a few months ago knocking out 15,000 Sq. Ft. in approximately an hour. The pumps that I have used in the past typically place 15,000 to 18,000 Sq. Ft. in a day. WOW! How things have changed.

I followed the hose from the pump truck down a long corridor, up four flights of stairs and across the entire Target retail center floor. There was more than 500 feet of hose!

When I finally reached my destination, Mike Schilling, from East Hills Metro, greeted me. Mike told me their goal was to finish the entire store, 124,000 Sq. Ft., in just one day. I did not believe him.

The pump started at 8:35 A.M. and continued running until 8:45 P.M.

The substrate was burnished concrete with many hairline cracks throughout. The cleaning and priming were done the day before. Using Drytek 7800 would eliminate the need to shotblast and help bridge over the cracks because it was fiber-reinforced. It was a good choice.

Drytek 7800 started flying out of the hose as the men began spreading and smoothing the material. Conditions were ideal, substrate temperature was 62°, ambient temperature 68°. Production went on like this, all day, without a hitch.

At the end of this historical day in Brooklyn, NY, Mike and I sat and talked about how the Drytek product line would create greater opportunity for self-leveling products in the future. These products drastically reduce the amount of surface prep required and can also be applied to concrete with much higher moisture levels than other products allow.

We went on to discuss how in the future, concrete slabs will only need to be rough-finished and topped with a thin layer of low-alkali self-leveling cement, like Drytek. And how this will dramatically shorten the project production cycle and help to insure a higher standard of quality while at the same time alleviating common problems like tile disbonding and buckling. Imagine pouring a slab and gluing down VCT, all well within a one month period, without problems?! Well, more on this in another article. Until then, I can be found somewhere in the field witnessing future in the making.

Remember, records are made to be broken.

Brooklyn Schools Get Science Lesson in Libraries

Two public schools in the Bronx ; P.S. 36 & P.S. 93, were undergoing renovations to their respective libraries. This project, however, was no easy task! With a wall removed in each school to increase the size of the libraries, Pyramid Floors was faced with two unlike substrates at unequal heights. In addition, both schools had an existing floor covering situation which needed to be addressed.

At P.S. 93, vinyl composition tile was ripped up leaving Pyramid with felt paper atop the 2 3⁄4 inch strip oak wood substrate. To complicate matters, electrical conduit pipe lay fastened to the substrate in several areas of the room. This project would entail much more than priming and pouring the floor. However, with Drytek self leveling cements as the underlayment, this task could be achieved.

First, the strip oak wood floor was coated with Drytek primer applied to the wooden substrate at a ratio of one part primer concentrate to one part water. Shortly thereafter, steel reinforcement mesh was mechanically fastened to the oak wood floor (the mesh was added primarily due to the felt paper remaining after the VCT was pulled up). Pyramid was now ready to begin pumping.

With polished cork tile as the floor covering of choice, coupled with an unstable substrate, Steven DeGaray chose to pump the Drytek Fiber Reinforced 7600, at a pour depth of 1 inch. "With its good flow characteristics, glass-like surface, and reinforcing fibers, I knew Drytek 7600 was the logical choice for this job".

At P.S. 36, vinyl composition tile was down throughout the entire floor and down well. Traditionally, any manufacturer of self leveling cements would immediately recommend the VCT be ripped up and substrate be dealt with accordingly. This process however, can prove to be costly, time consuming, and possibly a health risk to children, faculty, and others that occupy these rooms. However, Drytek's innovation and technology allowed Pyramid Floors to provide a swift, cost efficient solution.

Drytek primer was first applied to the VCT at a ratio of one part primer concentrate to one part water. Immediately after, Drytek powder was lightly broadcast into the wet primer. Then by brooming it around with a soft bristle broom, a slurry was created. After giving the slurry ample time to dry, it was time for the pour.

"The 7600 went down like a dream. I have used it several times in the past over wood and troubled substrates and am still amazed by the results. I think 7600 is the single most important product in the Industry today. It is fiber-reinforced, fast drying and flows beautifully" said Stephen DeGaray at Pyramid Floors.

A polished cork tile was subsequently applied, providing a functional and attractive learning environment in the libraries of the two Bronx schools.

"I'm not sure any other product in this class could have tied together all these different substrates", continues DeGaray. It really is Science in the Bag."

He Made the Right Call - You really have to check this article out. What took place in NY recently was just shy of impossible and every bit amazing…I really mean that. It goes like this… A Drytek guy gets a call from a good contact at 10:30 on Thursday morning. He’s asked to come over to look at a project on W 34th Street as soon as he can. The contact’s in a bind and needs help with a nasty floor situation ; fast. That’s why he calls Drytek. By 12:30 p.m. a couple Drytek guys pull up to the West-Side headquarters of a high-end handbag maker and head up to the 11th floor. After shaking hands they were shown around the job site. “Disaster area”, explains the contactor. Twenty thousand square feet of lightweight concrete substrate, old as heck, chipped up, porous as #@#@!. Looked like pumice stone or coral or something but definitely not a suitable substrate for a 2” thick, glued-down, very high-end block wood floor.

Another remedy had already been tried but it cracked and fell off the floor. Had to be scraped up with shovels. Nasty.

“We have to have this floor installed by Monday morning. It doesn’t seem like anything will stick to it. What can we do?”

After performing tests on several areas throughout the job site, the Drytek guys requested a model scale installation be performed on the crappy substrate. This was to include all components which were to be included in the final flooring system; Drytek primer, Drytek Low-Alkali rehab leveling cement and the block wood flooring glued down onto the Drytek cement.

The Drytek rehab cement was applied in an area approximately 4’ x 4’ over what was considered by consensus at the site to be the worst case scenario, as regards the substrate. Six hours later the Drytek cement layer was hard as a rock and locked down, solid. The old hammer test was then conducted by the GC. This means banging, pounding and scraping; basically trying to get the Drytek off the substrate. It didn’t budge. Good, so far.

The wood floor was then applied over the Drytek with a very strong urethane adhesive. Let me tell you, this stuff has a lot of pull when it dries and that was the big concern. Everything had to stay locked down to the less than ideal substrate. That was the big challenge. Then the waiting began. Had to wait over night until the glue set and dried. What would happen? Would this stuff pull up, too?

On Friday afternoon the mockup was checked. Everything held in place and was in order. It was a go. The Drytek pour would be done on Saturday and the wood flooring would be installed on Sunday. Everything would be ready by Monday. It was simple. Right?

However, there were just two small details that needed attention. Who was going to install the Drytek and how in the heck would any distributor get material to the jobsite on time?

First, you need a contractor to apply the Drytek, right? Someone who can come in and start on a 20,000 square foot floor at the spur of the moment on a Friday afternoon. This was about 3 hours away… Yikes!

And then material. Who could possibly get a truckload of Drytek cement delivered into the 11th floor of a building in busy Mid-Town Manhattan in the middle of rush hour with two hour’s notice?

Heads were scratched and cell phones whipped out.

By 4:00 p.m.a deal had been made with Concrete Concepts, a reputable subcontractor located just over the other side of the George Washington Bridge. They would send people over right away to start prepping the substrate. The job would get done on time.

Sure…Sounds like wishful thinking, doesn’t it?

Well it wasn’t. These guys weren’t fooling around. They meant business.

Amadeo Cilli and Jimmy Barrata from Concrete Concepts mobilized a team of mechanics and equipment and sent them on their way.

At about the same time, Shane Devlin from Celtic Building Supplies loaded up a truck of Drytek rehab cement, gave his driver a thumbs up and went into his office to pray. This would be a close call. But if we can pull it off, our reputation will grow in the market and so will our business, thought Shane. This is important.

Pouring of the Drytek rehab cement commenced on Saturday morning and by the time evening rolled around the entire 20,000 square feet surface looked like a newly made ice rink, ready to be skated on. Trades were already moving around on the new surface and the flooring contractor’s crew was preparing for their installation.

One down, one to go…

The flooring was installed on Sunday without a hitch by Trada Wood Flooring. This was quite a feat considering the sheer mass of what was to be applied. This stuff is 2” thick hardwood and is not light in weight! To get this down the proper way and on time required a tremendous effort. Can you imagine the logistics? Wow…Thanks Eric Herman from Trada. He made it happen.

Now, fast-forward…

On Monday afternoon, Tom Granato from Micron Construction, the general contractor, stood wide-eyed and satisfied on his solidly constructed high-style wood floor, reflecting on what had taken place over the weekend. Pictures flashed into his mind, images of one heck of a mess. And for a moment he felt the sharp pain of fear in his stomach, the pain he had on Friday morning before he decided to take action.

But now that pain was gone. His mission had been completed. The job was done and it looked and felt great! All in just 3 days…

In the end, Tom received praise from his boss who in turn received praise from the building owners. He was able to turn a nearly impossible situation into what arguably could be considered one of the greatest clutch plays ever to be pulled off in NYC flooring industry history. He did the right thing. He called Drytek.

Duane Reade has decided they are going to get bigger. They have set their sights on six unoccupied stores in a Long Island strip mall. (Amityville, NY) The walls connecting the stores have been torn down, resulting in gaping trenches where they once stood. New concrete was poured to fill those trenches, and has converted six individual substrates into one monstrous concrete slab. Also, each of the six stores had a different type of floor covering on it, resulting in various types of adhesive residue and patching compounds still bound to the substrate. Additionally, there were waves and inconsistencies in the original slab.« Slide show (start) »

So with Vinyl Composition Tile as the floor covering to be applied to say this slab needed to be drastically improved was an understatement. Fortunately, Tom at DCF Inc. had a 55 pound answer to a potentially complex problem in a bag of Drytek 7200 self leveling cement. Tom decided that 3/8 of an inch of the Drytek 7200 would provide the flawless, almost glass like surface needed to apply this particular type of floor covering. Other trades, such as, electricians, plumbers, etc. working in the immediate area were in awe at the flowability, texture, working characteristics and overall appearance of the Drytek 7200. "It looks like you can skate on it, that's how smooth it looks" said one electrician.

Empire State Building Gets Extreme Drytek Makeover.The visitor's center at one of the world's tallest and best known structures recently underwent a facelift and Drytek was there to help with the nip and tuck. Known to be one of the most heavily trafficked tourist attractions on the face of the globe, the Empire State Building receives thousands of visitors from around the world each week, placing high service demands on all common areas. That's where Drytek comes in. With its high abuse resistance and unparalleled ability to stick to the substrate, Drytek products were the perfect choice for this extreme makeover. The Visitors Center in the Empire State Building is opened in the spring of 2005.

Please come and visit.

The location, JCPenny’s department stores at The Queens Center Mall in Long Island City, New York.A new concrete slab has been poured, has cured, and ceramic tile is the floor covering to be applied throughout the isles of the department store giant. Unfortunately, the inconsistencies in the substrate make it unsuitable for the tile to be applied. Mike Schilling with East Hills Metro decided that a self leveling underlayment would best remedy the situation.

Approximately 15,000 square feet needed to be self leveled at 3/8 of an inch, and time was of the essence. To make matters worse, Mike wasn’t able to begin his floor preparation until late in the afternoon, which subsequently, translates into an all night mission. Using two G4 self leveling pumps, and DRYTEK™ 7200 Mike and his crew began pumping at 1:00 AM, and didn’t finish until approximately 5:00 AM. What concerned him most was that in a few short hours other trades would be arriving to begin their days work. Well, to Mike’s delight when the trades arrived, and man lifts were rolled out onto the mere hours old floor the DRYTEK™ 7200 stood up to the test. When asked what impressed him most? Mike replied “hands down the immediate compressive strength". These guys are rolling 2,500 pound man lifts around three hours after we finished pumping, and there isn’t so much as a nick in this underlayment. His crew also raved about the flow characteristics, as well as, the superior workability of the DRYTEK™ 7200.

Two bigs problems arose during the recent construction of a major new retail center in White Plains, NY. Not only were the new concrete floors unacceptable for finishes, they also had not dried out to acceptable levels for application of conventional cementitious toppings. With RH readings from 85%-94%, they had a 120,000 sf mess on their hands.

Even if the owner applied an underlayment to correct the substrate condition, delays would still haunt them because application of floor covering would remain on hold until the moisture problem had abated. Once the underlayment contractor was selected engineers went to work on the moisture situation. Their initial solution was very costly and time consuming. It included the application of a separate moisture barrier prior to the application of a conventional Portland cement underlayment. This entire process would have cost them almost three times more per square foot than normal and require weeks to complete.

Fortunately DRYTEK™ 7200 already had the solution inherent in the material. The unique properties of DRYTEK™ underlayments create a barrier which permanently prevents the high PH of moist concrete from passing through it to the surface where it ordinarily would cause the failure of carpet and vct adhesives. Unlike conventional Portland based underlayments, DRYTEK™ can be applied to moist concrete. Flooring finishes can then rapidly be applied to the DRYTEK™. It is that simple.

After evaluating DRYTEK's unique properties the owner agreed to use it. Vinyl compostion tile was applied to the DRYTEK™ 7200 topping just days after its application. Their forward thinking saved them in excess of $250,000, and weeks of delay in the opening of their new store! DRYTEK™ has proven time and time again that value comes to our customers through our innovation and desire to solve their problems with the bottom line in mind.