Mortenson Team Leads Solid Surface Hospital Project

Journeyman James XXX of Local 13 relied on a wealth of experience in and out of the classroom to play a leading role in the completion of a solid surface job at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois, which opened in May 2016. The solid surface work was completed under the direction of Superintendent Kevin XXX of Mortenson Construction. XXX leveraged his Solid Surface Installer Certification (CITF), in addition to Best Practices in Health Care Construction (ICRA) training, to seamlessly move from an environment of controlled learning to a real-world project that required precision and detail to meet the critical needs of hospital patients and their well-being.

“The project team faced schedule challenges that put installation of the solid surface wall protection in the operating rooms and catheterization labs on a critical path,” said Paul XXX, Field Operations Manager with Mortenson Construction. “With involvement of Mortenson’s onsite leadership, James XXX--Mortenson Carpenter Foreman--successfully overcame the challenges by assembling a crew of the best tradespeople with Mortenson¹s Chicago office and developing a detailed plan for execution. Without this combination of leadership, planning, and skill the outcome may not have been as successful.”

Twenty-nine-year union carpenter veteran XXX, along with solid surface-certified Armando XXX of Local 80, came up with the tool and material list to install approximately 12,000 square feet of ¼” solid surface to be manufactured on the job site with standard 30" x 98" solid surface sheets.

“We were under a tight schedule,” XXX recalled, “and had to stock the material off site. We ordered approximately $28,000 in equipment including sanders, vacuums and seam setters in a week. Our training helped us prepare for this huge application of solid surface and using all the techniques we learned in the (Carpenters’ Training School) class for proper seaming, sanding and wall application. Armando and I put a plan together, prefabing the full 4'6" x 8'2" sheets of solid surface using 2’6" x 8'2" sheets before we installed on the wall.”

As described by XXX the job entailed taking a 30" x 98" x ¼” sheet, cutting it down to 24" and tongue and grooving with a 30" sheet. The sheets were then brought to the room for layout of electrical outlets and were routered-out using templates that were hot glued to the solid surface. The sheets were then installed using clear silicone, after which they were then seamed using seam setters to achieve a tight fit and an inconspicuous seam. All outside corners were also hard seamed. When all the sheets were installed, they were brought to their finish using micron paper.

“Having the proper training and certification was half the battle,” said XXX. “It enables you to walk onto a job site with confidence. I would highly recommend to fellow brothers and sisters to take this training class and any other classes to further your career in the carpentry industry.”

And as XXX recounts, this job could not have been completed in a timely manner without his fellow skilled Mortenson union carpenters who put their capabilities to use to achieve a high-quality product that was accomplished safely and efficiently. (Written by Don Scott while employed as Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters' Communications Director.)