2023
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Building a 26-story residential luxury tower from the ground up demands nothing less than the most trustworthy flooring installation solutions. Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s New River Yacht Club was designed to ooze upscale living with its two-story lobby, array of luxurious apartments, riverfront pool and bar, spas, fitness centers, and other high-end amenities. This impressive property was constructed between January 2023 and January 2024 with the intention of being a long-standing pillar in the Fort Lauderdale community. For the various flooring systems installed, an emphasis was placed on aesthetic appeal, long-term durability, and quality of life for future residents.
Robert Rodriguez and his team at FBD Contracting Group spearheaded the project. The team consists of over 55 installers and carries over 20 years of experience in residential and commercial installations throughout Florida. For this project, they needed to install a variety of floor coverings and were hoping to be able to turn to one supplier to meet all of their needs efficiently. While the apartments were to feature a combination of heavy tile, luxury vinyl tile, and luxury vinyl plank, there was also a large amount of carpet tile to be installed in the many corridors and office spaces throughout the building. Identifying solutions that could perform optimally with one another and fall within a single warranty was the ideal scenario.
For these reasons, Sika’s portfolio was the clear choice. Among the products implemented were a self-leveling underlayment, an acrylic primer, and a light and heavy tile (LHT) mortar. Sika® Level-01 Primer was the first layer of the application, as it primed and sealed porous surfaces while also serving as an adhesion promoter. Following this, Sika® Level-125, a durable, cementitious self-leveling underlayment, established a level and smooth substrate. “We particularly enjoyed the nice, flat, easy surface the self-leveler created before putting down the tile and other coverings,” said Rodriguez. SikaTile®-500 LHT Lite, a superior grade, lightweight, and flexible mortar, was then implemented to install the range of diverse tile coverings that elevate the aesthetic appeal of the luxury apartment units.
Each of these solutions are tested to perform in combination with one another at the highest level while providing the Sika Secure warranty, matching the duration of the flooring manufacturer’s warranty. Prior to this project, Rodriguez and his team had not before utilized any of Sika’s solutions, but they’ve now become a staple in their installation arsenal. “We’re glad we were introduced to Sika during this project,” said Rodriguez. “We loved the performance of each product and how easy they were to work with. We know we can trust them going forward”. Today, the New River Yacht Club is a premier fixture in the Fort Lauderdale cityscape, and its eye-catching floors are often the first thing visitors notice.
