Gauge Porcelain Tile Panels Complement Modern Office Building

An increasingly popular trend in office and retail construction throughout South Florida features the use of Gauge Porcelain Tile Panels as exterior cladding to give a bold, contemporary appearance. Cladding is a non-loadbearing skin or layer attached to the facade of a building to shed water and protect the building from the effects of weather. It is a key element in the aesthetic appeal of the building and directly influences both building cost and property value. GARCO, LLC is a custom home builder in South Florida. When they decided to relocate their headquarters to Kendall in South Miami-Dade, they chose the Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels offered by D&B Tile Distributors. These porcelain panels are available in a wide variety of designs capturing the aesthetics of various stone types. The Gauged Porcelain Tile collection captures the innate elegance and impact of natural stone and artisanal marbles like statuario and crema marfil in a modern nod to ancient Roman architecture.  The panels were delivered to the job site and hoisted to the roof where they were cut down to 78”x27” panels for the large areas and 27”x27” for the columns. The material was direct bonded to a cement substrate using Laticrete Hydro Ban waterproofing and Laticrete 254 Platinum Thin-set mortar. Joints were filled with Laticrete Latasil Sealant.

Palenzuela and Hevia Design Group were the architects who specified this amazing project. They were established in 1994 and licensed as a full-service Architecture and Interior Design firm in 1997. The firm has worked on a wide variety of project types, including Custom Homes, Restaurants, Hotels, Aircraft Repair, Postal, Manufacturing and Maintenance Facilities, Retail Stores and Shopping Centers, but most of their portfolio consists of Educational Facilities, and Residential Projects for developers in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The tile contractor was Ivan “Chino” Herrera, owner of The Miami Floors, an experienced and award-winning Miami-based company specializing in floor/wall tile installation and design. Their commitment to quality installations, customer service and competitive prices, have made The Miami Floors a leading choice of tile installation for South Florida Homeowners, Designers, Builders and Contractors. As a qualified installer of Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels, Herrera attended workshops at D&B Tile where he was trained in the proper installation methodology.   nine conveniently located stores in South Florida. Remember, the first step to beautiful design is stepping into D&B Tile. Photographs and article by G. Richard Booth.