The excitement of a brand-new school can never be underestimated. For students, teachers, and staff, the education experience is elevated when in a new space. It is just as satisfying for those who contributed to its creation, such as New Jersey-based Gillespie Group, and Torcon, the construction management and general contracting services corporations who recently completed construction at the Elizabeth Elementary School.

The Elizabeth School District wanted a contemporary look for the school’s corridor and classroom floors throughout the four-story structure that could withstand heavy foot traffic while providing slip-resistance and low maintenance. Armstrong vinyl composition tile (VCT) was chosen for the new 80,000-square-foot flooring installation based on the Gillespie Group’s expertise in the education sector.

The durable construction of Excelon VCT ensures lasting beauty in high-traffic areas, while flowing linear patterns, organic looks, and densely patterned earth tones effectively mask scuffs and soil in busy commercial spaces. The Gillespie Group installation technicians are all Armstrong Certified, and receive ongoing training yearly to maintain their designation.

“Working in tandem with Torcon on this project was a truly seamless collaboration,” said Bob Gillespie, CEO of The Gillespie Group. “Armstrong flooring has also been a mainstay with us for many of our education facility installations. They always have the color, quality, and quantity of product we are looking for. Their flooring products always stand the test of time even in the most heavily trafficked environments.”

Gillespie and Torcon worked together with the Elizabeth School District representatives to develop a plan to address important logistical issues, such as: coordinating schedules with different contract work occurring at the same time as the floor installation; removing of the existing flooring systems by shot blasting; addressing moisture control; and applying a self-leveling application. The project also had to be completed in three months and before classes started. The entire installation was finished in only six weeks.

For more information, visit www.thegillespiegroup.com or www.armstrong.com.