When season two of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) TV series “Built To Last” airs starting this January, nearly 20 million viewers will have underwriter Florida Tile to thank.

The 13-episode series for 2014 went into distribution the first weeks of November in time for winter program guide listings. The show was expected to make initial airings among some PBS TV stations starting as early as mid-November with the majority airing in January. 

Season one debuted in July 2013 with more than PBS 50 stations nationwide picking up the series. Shows are available at subscribing stations for unlimited re-airing for three years.

According to Florida Tile Marketing Director Sean Cilona, “We recognized Built To Last as an opportunity to support this comprehensive look at the professionals and practices involved in every level of construction, from foundation to rooftop and everything in between. Also, Built-to-Last is how Florida Tile approaches its products,” he added, “especially season number two which focuses on green building products and practices for residential construction." 

Series host Jana Petersen takes viewers behind the scenes of residential and commercial building, exploring both the history and the future of the skills, materials and technology used to build the structures we depend on every day. Each half hour offers fans of home improvement television a new perspective on the genre from the inside out, from a tour of a carpenter apprentice program where centuries-old skills are kept alive to the manufacturing of the essential products that make up many home improvement projects. 

Seasons two and three of “Built to Last,” set to launch in late 2013 and early 2014, expand on the basics presented in season one, providing an insider’s view of the construction of an energy efficient home in “Built to Last: The Green Home” and renovating existing buildings for modern efficiency in “Built to Last: Retrofit.”

“Built to Last” is a production of Indiana-based Lakeshore Public Television in association with the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Labor and Management Committee. Funding is also provided by The Unico System and Great Northern Lumber.

For more information and links to Lakeshore Public Television’s 9 a.m. Saturday broadcasts (which begin January 25, 2014),  visit www.lakeshorepublicmedia.org and click on the series banner.