The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) awarded four NTCA Five-Star Project of the Year awards to NTCA Five-Star Contractor members during a live awards ceremony at the Coverings trade show, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The awards, sponsored by Dal-Tile Corp., were an opportunity to showcase craftsmanship. Projects were judged on scope, complexity, technical soundness, and presentation in the Residential, Commercial, and Commercial Elite (projects of $1 million or more) categories.

Residential Grand Prize Winner – Vallefuoco Contractors, LLC
Project: Barrels of Fun, McLean, Va.

This job entailed tiling five bathrooms, with installation challenges in the primary bath. Vallefuoco Contractors had to consider various factors, without compromising the integrity of each. The installation included ceramic, marble mosaic, mirrored glass, and large-format porcelain tile, and involved a dual-entrance curbless shower. Schluter-Systems’ drain grates and a KERDI waterproofing system -- as well as USG Corp.’s Durock tile backer board -- were also utilized.

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Commercial Grand Prize Winner – Cox Tile Inc.
Project: Whimsical Woodland Path, San Antonio, Texas

At the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas’ San Antonio location, a 76’-long, 54”-wide hallway was created, with two 70 sq.ft. rectangular landings at each end for the main entrances of the newly-remodeled facility. The goal was to depict a beautiful mosaic woodland pathway to create a sense of wonder and beauty and reflect the emotional journey of healing for each family. The whimsical pathway begins with small pieces of broken tiles, symbolizing the fragility of the children entering the program and gradually progresses to larger, stronger pieces as the path continues, symbolizing the healing process. Along the sides of the path, mosaic murals were created to incorporate various flora and fauna to tie in with the full wall painted murals to come. Butterflies were also included to signify their program logo.

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Commercial Elite Grand Prize Winner – Premier Tile & Marble
Project: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Around 300,000 sq.ft. of tile and stone were used for the SoFi Stadium, ranging from 1” mosaics to 3” x 6”, 12” x 12”, 6” x 36”, and 12” x 24” tiles, and large 60” x 120” porcelain panels. Restroom floors feature LATICRETE HYDRO BAN waterproofing. LATICRETE 254 thinset, PERMACOLOR grout, LATASIL silicone sealant, and STONETECH BulletProof ® Sealer were also utilized for various aspects of the project, as well as LATICRETE’s NXT products for all substrate patching and filling.

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Commercial Elite Achievement of Excellence Award – National Ceramic Tile & Stone, Corp.
Project: Stanly Ranch Resort, Napa, California

The 712-acre resort features 43 types and sizes of tile, stone, and thin porcelain panels, totaling over 85,000 sq.ft. The guest reception building floor is an intricate pattern of 2 cm Jura limestone in varying sizes that ties into a Jura slab fireplace and the exterior stone pavers with the same pattern. Heated floors were installed in each cottage and the private spa floors, requiring daily coordination with electricians, and including the manufacturer with onsite installation methods.

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