Starnet Member: Universal Metro
Starnet Preferred Vendors: Antron, ARDEX, Johnsonite By Tarkett, Mannington Commercial Resilient, XL Brands
For over two years, Placentia Linda’s patients, visitors, and staff navigated construction barriers and containments as their Cath Lab Suite and PACU Remodel dominated construction efforts at the facility. Operating in the OSHPD space, containment requirements were vital to reduce risks to passerby, and corridors and units were shut down, as the facility moved staff and patient care units from one temporary space to another, navigating the phases of construction. As the construction barriers came down, the back corridors were showing the effects of two years of heavy equipment moving, construction traffic, and barrier mounts, which left patches of unmatched, discontinued flooring finishes throughout. With marketing efforts underway to attract new patients and visitors to use the newly opened Cath Lab Suite, the Main Entry Lobbies and back corridors would now become predominant paths of travel, and like many hospitals, interior corridors can be a labyrinth for infrequent visitors, unfamiliar with their surroundings.
Placentia Linda turned to our team of flooring experts to explore how to bridge the divide between old and new, complimenting the aesthetics of adjoining wings, while creating a wayfinding path that guests could use to find their way. With warm, woods and natural patterns throughout the facility, we turned to Mannington’s Paradigm Collection, which offered sheet vinyl in a combination of vertical and horizontal, linear patterns as well as a cross-hatch accent. These lines nicely complimented natural elements in wall covering and wood doors. Feeding off a previous corridor design, circles were added to break up the long corridors, overlapping linear lines, combining the primary beige tone with dark browns and the occasional “Placentia Linda blue” (the main color in their logo). In the Main Lobby, carpet tiles were upgraded with Mannington carpet tile, utilizing Antron carpet fiber.
When working in any occupied hospital, noise levels, odor concerns, and paths of travel can make a big impact on patient care. Navigating these issues becomes especially difficult when corridors are involved, but when the corridors in question have visible signs of moisture damage, issues like noise, odor, and containment are made far worse when moisture control becomes necessary. During construction at the hospital’s new Cath Lab, a customized, ARDEX Moisture Control System was deployed to address high Relative Humidity (RH) levels. From the start, we anticipated that the same means would be necessary for this new project and tested accordingly. Sure enough, RH levels were in the high 90s, setting the tone for a more planning and a complicated installation ahead, complete with loud equipment, smelly odors, and phasing behind negative air containments. To get the project rolling, a mock up was performed, showcasing the design concept and testing the moisture control application and timeframe in a controlled space. After two separate applications of ARDEX MC Rapid complete with sand broadcasts and cementitious self leveling with ARDEX K10, the design was approved for us to move forward with the rest of the project. The schedule was set for 3 months, emphasizing a need for a Friday start and Monday morning turnover, at each phase of the project. After the first plastic containment was erected and the HEPA filters were turned on, demo began on a large corridor one Friday morning. While this corridor’s existing flooring finish was the same as the mock up in the adjoining area, the underlayment was completely different. The substrate had already been self leveled before, and in fact, at closer examination, already had a moisture control system fully intact. What wasn’t fully intact was a large control joint, which was stuffed with foam and sand. Stretching over an inch wide and nearly 80’ long, we had a far bigger issue on our hands than we could have ever anticipated. A new plan had to be deployed right away, as this corridor still needed to be turned over to Med Surg patients in short order, but with such a substantial joint to contend with, a custom approach was needed for such a unique problem. Leaning on our team’s vast knowledge and experience, we incorporated a “stitching” method, in which metal plates were cut and pounded into the concrete slab, zig-zagged over every wide crack and cold joint. Doing so was designed to alleviate additional movement in the slab, especially with new sheet vinyl to follow. While the stitching method helped to shore up structural concerns, the gaping cracks still needed to be filled. Chasing each crack with a custom-mixed, polyurea and top-coating it with ARDEX Moisture Resistant Feather Finish (MRF) across the entire surface, we were able to pivot and still install sheet vinyl within a tight timeframe. We inherited the issue in each phase that followed, and while the Moisture Control System that we budgeted for was not necessary, the time allowed availed us to deploy our custom system within the same tight schedule. Those using the corridors in the future would never know what lengths were taken to bring our in-house specification and design to life. Instead, they will simply appreciate the beauty and performance of Mannington’s Paradigm Sheet Vinyl, and the craftsmanship our technicians deployed to align wayfinding elements with circular accents throughout the space. This project perfectly illustrates why we are a single-source solution for end users and general contractors alike, navigating complex issues, creating solutions for those problems, and beautifully installing flooring finishes amidst unique challenges.