Crystal River NASCAR

created by sandra groeneveld

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Object: NASCAR Theme Commission

Materials: Glass Tessarae with Medium Grey Grout on Framed Maple Plywood

Dimensions: Two 14 x 2 foot panels

Method: Direct and Indirect (using clear tile tape)

Design Notes: As part of cost saving, the most popular design created for the Lecanto High School Project was repurposed for Crystal River. The only change was an increase of the length of each panel to 14 feet. This design is not connected to a food group. It is meant to be a flexible station where mostly pre-made items are sold. To see what thought went into the design back in 2011, take a look at NASCAR in the Lecanto Project.

Commission Notes: This commission entailed the design and execution of five themes to identify the various food stations at the Crystal River High School cafeteria in Florida. It was an impressive remodeling project with longevity in mind. While much planning went into "function", "form" was by no means forgotten. Providing an inviting place to eat was certainly a big part of the mix.

Instead of permanent traditional signage, there are themed decorative mosaic panels running the length of the counters. The look of each of the stations informs you of the type of food being served, leaving the exact menus flexible.

I congratulate the vision of the Citrus County School Board. All of the students and faculty of Crystal River High School will be able to benefit from this investment in their school for years to come. I was proud to be a part of this project.

Close Ups

01 This is the exact design that was used on the Lecanto High School Project completed in 2011. With this iteration, each panel grew from 13.5 feet into 14. The design sketch got a little stretch & shift in Photoshop.

02 Detail.

03 Detail.

04 Some of the number logos received a fresh treatment in the way the tiles were applied compared to the Lecanto Project. Keeps things interesting and fresh; always looking for details to improve on.

05 Detail.

06 Detail.

07 Detail.

Process

08 My one-man assembly line system to make the checkerboard background. Each shade of blue is comprised of 2 different color tiles.

09 The evolution of number 3. All is done in reverse since I am using tile tape (sticky side up) placed over the drawing.

10 Three shades of black, three shades of white, make up the classic checked flag. The drawing has the white areas colored in so the white tiles are more easily visible when putting them in place.

11 This illustrates how to increase the number of rows as a simple shape gets wider. It is a combination of changing sizes, looking a few steps ahead and feeling the direction you are moving in.

12 The checkerboard fills the background initially without interruption. When a number is finished, its precise placement is chosen and then the background is cut out to allow for its placement.

13 The placement of each number is chosen with the size of the tiles I need to cut in mind. In order to mortar the number down in that carefully chosen place, I used marks for alignment.

14 Border tiles are only cut once the background is down to ensure a perfect fit. I found buttering the board & plopping down the tiles the quickest way to finish this detail.

15 Alignment marks are on the board to ensure the checkerboard stays true as the cut tiles around the numbers are added.

16 Each seam tile gets marked, cut, cleaned up with the grinder and then dried off. Deciding when a piece is too small to bother with is harder than you think.

17 A traditional "halo" of blue tiles to finish the background as it hits the numbers was not an option due to the checkerboard. At least, I didn't want to break the straight lines and thus muddy up the pattern.

18 After all the tiles were mortared down, I applied tape to the frame to protect it from the grouting process. Careful placement ensures the grout ends at the proper level. Burnishing the tape down with a tool is a must. Using your fingertips just leads to a needless loss of blood.

19 This project introduced me to epoxy grout. I wanted the panels to be maintenance free (no sealing). Tips: work in small sections, work fast, work clean. Above you see how clean the surface can be when using a silicone tool to scrape with. This makes the first clean pass with water/sponge a breeze.

20 The bottom panel is grouted, the top panel is how the colors look pre-grout. I can't stress enough how important it is to plan for the grout color/shade you use. It is not something to decide after the tiling is completed.

Install

21 The NASCAR panels reside in a separate set of rooms which are back-to-back mirrors of each other.

22 One panel in place.

23 Though kickplates and other cleanup still needs to occur, it was nice to see the backlit images in conjunction with the mosaic panels on this installation.

24 Detail.

25 NASCAR panel arrives at its final destination. You can see the extra bracing that is attached to the back of the panel which gets removed before hanging. This bracing ensures the panel has extra support during transportation.