Eleva-Strum School

Originally the school district was going to install carpeting and sheet flooring, but then a school superintendent saw a Sikafloor Quartzite floor Crane Engineering of Kimberly, Wisconsin had recently installed at another school and decided to reconsider. Sikafloor Quartzite systems blend ceramic coated quartz aggregate with a clear polymer-matrix, creating a wide range of finishes and textures for distinguished style and performance. The school district also researched a Sikafloor Decoflake system, an aesthetic, easy-to-clean, seamless floor consisting of a clear epoxy binder, broadcast with multicolor vinyl chips and sealed with transparent, UV stable topcoats. Both flooring systems offered easier maintenance than carpeting or sheet flooring, and are also extremely durable, stain-resistant, and aesthetically pleasing.

“The school liked the look of the Decoflake floors and the fact that you don’t have to wax it like you do with tile,” said Mike Jensen, account manager at Crane Engineering.“Both the Decoflake and Quartzite floors are high quality, seamless systems, which is why we feel confident installing them.”

The first project Crane Engineering faced was installing floors in the classrooms of the new elementary school. Crane Engineering shot blasted the floors and installed a Sikafloor1610 Moisture Containment System over the new concrete. They then applied Sikafloor 217 epoxy resin as a primer and brought the floor to an orange peel finish. Another coat of 217 was put on, followed by Sikafloor 315 N, a clear urethane topcoat. “The 315 N is one of the best urethane topcoats out there,” Jensen remarked. “It’s durable, holds its color, and is easy to install.”

In line with Murphy’s Law, the installation of the high school floor was not as straight-forward as planned. Asbestos was found under the tile floors and carpet, which was removed by a professional asbestos abatement contractor, and then the area was sealed with a Sikafloor 1610 Moisture Containment System. The Decoflake system was then applied in the classrooms and corridors, and the Quartzite system was used in the kitchen and locker room.

One advantage of using the Decoflake and Quartzite systems is the wide array of colors they come in. “We used five or six different colors in the schools, especially red and white, the school colors,” Jensen stated. “Each classroom has a different color pattern and the corridors use a distinctive diamond motif.”

The decorative vinyl flakes also varied in the schools – 1/16 inch flakes were used in the elementary school and 1/8’ inch flakes in the high school. “It made the rooms more unique,” Jensen explained.

Ryan Wichmann, Project Manager at Market & Johnson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the general contractor, added that varying the sizes of the flakes was a challenge, but Crane Engineering handled it easily. “Crane Engineering was very easy to deal with and very responsive,” he commented.“They are there when you need them.”

It was this professionalism that earned Crane Engineering Sika Flooring’s 2019 Decorative Flooring Project of the Year for this project.

Today the Sika flooring systems are performing above expectations. “The floors are holding up very well, with no delamination or chipping,” Wichmann said. “The installation went down faster than with many other types of flooring and there were very few callbacks – which is impressive when you consider the amount of flooring that was put down.”

Mike Zingshiem, director of building and grounds for ElevaStrum Schools, said the floors look “really nice” and are easy to clean and very durable. “There are no scratches on the floors, and they have really brightened up the schools,” he explained. “In fact, I’m hoping to use Sika Flooring again on another section of the high school.”

Once again, Sika Flooring systems earn high marks