Then-and-now: Adjusting to the times

Chipping away at concrete, logistical ‘nightmares’ and more

“It involved all kinds of crap,” says Norman Stein, who was the project manager for mall-owner Cadillac Fairview at the recently renovated Galeries D’Anjou in Montreal’s east end. Stein is referring to the challenges involved in installing new tile over old tile in such a large facility. He adds, “We had to make sure the soft joints were properly spaced, and then there’s the anti-fracture membranes, and so on.”

Stein lists yet more challenges involved in installing the shopping centre’s new floor: “Doing the tiling at the existing store fronts because, when you lay over, you’re higher, right? There were also a bunch of kiosks in the middle of the mall that had to be relocated temporarily, and put back. So there are all those little challenges.”

In fact, those little challenges can add up to a big challenge when a complete renovation occurs while the mall is still open. According to Stein, the “fun part” is having to make such logistical accommodations as moving the kiosks. The nightmares occur, he says, “when somebody starts complaining,” such as the mall’s existing store owners or customers.

Rolando Rotondo was the project manager for the general contractor hired to do the mall’s renovation, Construction C.A.L. Rotondo provides his own insight into installing new tile in the existing mall. He says, “We had to slope the new floors downwards towards the existing store fronts. This involved a lot of chipping away at the existing floor. We had to be very careful.

“The trick involved a combination of controlling the amount of adhesive and ceramic used in sloping the floor,” he says, “as well as removing some of the old concrete. And we had zero tolerance for matching the hall floors with the store fronts. It had to be flush. It had to match.”

Regarding the look of the mall’s floor, the renovation replaced a darker grey tile with a much lighter colour. Rotondo says, “Those decisions were up to the interior designer. Our job, along with the flooring contractor, National Ceramic, was to implement those decisions. And we think it all went well. Everybody involved in the project seems happy.”

Project submitted by Mapei

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