High Bridge
Condominiums
(Multi-family development)
LOCATION
Milwaukee, Wis.
PRODUCT
LEVELROCK Brand FLoor Underlayment 2500
BUILDING
OWNER
New Land Enterprises, LLP
LEVELROCK
APPLICATOR
Rock Solid Acoustical Floors by Alpine Insulation
Company |
"It's a great product ... the best we've seen."
 Karl
Pahl
President
Rock Solid Acoustical Floors
|
|
 |
LEVELROCK Brand Floor Underlayment 2500 Is The Choice
for
High-End Milwaukee Condo Project
 |
| LEVELROCK underlayment is
mixed on-site. |
LEVELROCK®
Brand Floor Underlayment 2500 delivered exactly the answer Gerry Burke, vice
president, construction for New Land Enterprises, LLP, was looking for during
construction of High Bridge Condominiums, the newest upscale residential
development in Milwaukee's revitalized Lower East Side.
The $16
million, seven-story, 53-unit luxury condo project utilizes only top quality
materials, finishes and construction systems. The LEVELROCK poured gypsum floor
underlayment delivered the high compressive strength, acoustical properties,
and quick and easy installation that New Land required to cover the building's
40,000 sq. ft. of floor space.
Gypsum Flooring
Benefits
Poured gypsum flooring has long been the preferred choice for
New Land, which has broken ground on more than $45 million worth of residential
and commercial construction projects over the past 18 months.
 |
| After screeding, the
underlayment sets in less than two hours. |
"For years, we have
preferred it over both wood substrate and lightweight concrete," said Burke.
"It offers excellent sound-deadening properties, and unlike lightweight
concrete which requires overnight drying, it sets in less than two hours,
allowing other trades to get back in the area within a matter of hours. "
Achieving Higher Strengths
The High Bridge Project was the
first project in which New Land opted to use the new USG product line.
LEVELROCK 2500 underlayment delivers compressive strengths up to 3200 psi.
That's significantly higher than competing entry-level poured gypsum
underlayments.
"The higher strength of this floor eliminates flaking
and wear that can result from ongoing construction work after a gypsum floor is
laid," explained Karl Pahl, president of Rock Solid Acoustical Floors by Alpine
Insulation Company, the subcontractor for the High Bridge Project. "It's a
great product -- the best we've seen."
Quality Control
Benefits
USG has established an industry-leading quality assurance
program for its LEVELROCK Brand products that requires all installing
contractors to be licensed and certified.
 |
| On site tests ensure
proper product mix. |
Each LEVELROCK
flooring contractor is required to conduct on-location "slump tests" and "cube
tests" to measure job-specific quality standards.
The slump tests
ensure a proper and consistent product mix on each job. The cube testing
procedure requires contractors to pour samples from each job into 2- by 2-inch
cubes. The cube samples are then sent to USG's Research and Technology Center,
where the exact psi for each floor is determined. The process enables USG to
submit reports on the strength for each floor and monitor contractor
consistency. It takes the guesswork, which historically has been an inherent
part of a gypsum flooring installation, out of the equation.
"General
contractors and developers love receiving those compressive strength reports,"
said Pahl. "And it helps us, too. We haven't laid a LEVELROCK floor yet that
tested below 2,700 psi. And that's remarkable considering that the norm for the
industry is in the range of 1,200 psi." |
|
