Though buffeted by the high-speed winds of Hurricane Wilma, a 27-acre construction project in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., held strong. The tile installations across 12 buildings incorporating 65,000 square feet of wainscot walls, vertical facades and columns were installed using Laticrete products, according to Robert Scavone Jr., of Total Flooring Contractors.

"We were pleased with the performance of the installation, which was about 90 percent complete at the time Hurricane Wilma came through," recalls Scavone. "There was no significant damage, which proved to us and our customer that this installation was going to endure future hurricane seasons."

The only damage sustained at the downtown Gardens project was a few chipped tiles from airborne debris, Scavone noted.