Luxury Living

Overview: A wide variety of MAPEI products – including waterproofing, adhesives, grouts, mortars, self-levelers and cleaners – were used to make ultra luxurious condominium complex Park Lane Ala Moana come to life.

Park Lane Ala Moana is an ultra luxurious, low-rise set of condominiums located in Honolulu, HI. Nestled on 7.3 acres (2.95 hectares) with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean, the multi-million-dollar complex houses seven buildings featuring a total of 217 units – ranging in size from 1,600 square feet (149 m²) to more than 6,500 square feet (604 m²).

The upscale development features resort-style amenities that include oversized unit balconies, private pools and garages, a luxury spa, a wine room, entertainment facilities, a gym, a library, lounges for all owners and guests, a 300-piece private art collection, extensive tropical landscaping and much more.

Park Lane Ala Moana is a prime real-estate property located on the grounds of the Ala Moana Shopping Center, the largest retail complex in the state of Hawaii. Park Lane Ala Moana also presently houses the highest recorded price in Hawaii for a condominium, which sold for $23.5 million (USD).

A condominium complex of Park Lane Ala Moana’s magnitude and elegance required detailed work, constant coordination, a dedicated team and high-quality products during its construction. MAPEI was on hand to help achieve the project’s ultra luxurious design.

MAPEI products on the jobsite

Over the course of two years, crews from installer A-American Custom Flooring and contractor Albert C. Kobayashi, Inc. worked together to install numerous MAPEI products in order to match the various substrates and specified installation needs.

“This project included almost every type of installation you can think of,” said Stephen Pazienza, MAPEI’s coordinator on the project. “It was a completely new build. There was waterproofing and prep work. The crews worked on masonry and on concrete. They worked on the building facades and installed cladding. They installed ceramic and stone tiles, wooden flooring, resilient and carpet.

“There was a total of 1,535,000 square feet [142 606 m²] quoted for this project,” Pazienza said. “It ended up being 980,000 square feet [91 045 m²] of tile, stone, pavers and cladding; 375,000 square feet [34 839 m²] of wood flooring; 175,000 square feet [16 258 m²] of carpet; and 25,000 square feet [2 323 m²] of resilient and rubber flooring.”

At the time of Park Lane Ala Moana’s construction, many Honolulu architects and designers were specifying luxury high-rise projects that focused on “zero-tolerance” transitions for all finish work. This zero-tolerance-transition design scheme created challenges for interior and exterior walls and flooring – all transitions were required to have no change of plane from material to material. Height transitions for tile, wood, carpet and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, as well as for all amenities, had to be benchmarked to the same specifics. Even if thresholds were used, the height of all thresholds had to remain at zero transition.

MAPEI’s self-leveling underlayments and primers became the major products for providing and adjusting height transitions. Novoplan 1, Novoplan 2 Plus and Ultraplan 1 Plus underlayments were used for the bulk of the self-leveling work in conjunction with Primer L, Primer T and ECO Prim Grip. When needed, Planiprep SC skimcoating compound was used to skimcoat over the self-leveling materials for resilient- and wood-flooring installations.

Hawaii’s climate and the jobsite’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean meant that moisture mitigation was a must to ensure stability for the LEED-certified wood flooring, carpet and resilient-/rubber- flooring installation that was earmarked for Park Lane Ala Moana.

Planiseal VS epoxy coating was the main moisture-mitigation product for all areas of wood- and resilient-flooring installations; for bedroom carpeting, Primer WE was used as an approved moisture mitigator in order to save on costs. Mapecem Quickpatch was also applied and used as a pre-moisture floor patch. In addition, Mapelastic AquaDefense waterproofing membrane was used with Reinforcing Fabric for bathrooms, showers, kitchens, patios, spa facilities, landscaping and balconies.

Granirapid and Kerabond T / Keralastic mortar systems were used to install various types of natural stone on the vertical exterior facades. The combination of the two mortar systems provided necessary bond strength and rapid setup in specific areas. For all terrace and retaining-wall installations, Mapelastic cementitious membrane was used to help create the large “Puka Lava” volcanic-stone look.

Ultraflex LFT became the “workhorse” mortar for all large-format tile and stone installations – both interior and exterior – that included bathrooms, showers, common areas, walkways, meeting rooms, dining rooms and recreation areas. Ultraflex LFT is a premium, nonslump, non-sag, large-format tile mortar with polymer, making it an ideal product for these installations. The grouting choice for tile installation was Ultracolor Plus FA, a fast-setting, color-consistent, nonshrinking, efflorescence-free grout. However, Keracolor S (sanded) and Keracolor U (unsanded) grouts were used in areas where a specific color of Ultracolor Plus FA was not readily available in Hawaii. For caulking and expansion joints, Mapesil T sealant was used throughout the property.

For concrete construction, Mapecem 102 mortar was used to build up exterior concrete ways and landings to fix depressions. Planitop X and Planitop XS repair mortars were used for structural repairs. Keracolor U was used to grout shower wall units. Planicrete W setting compound was used to adhere limestone to elevator-cab doors.

For the pool-deck installation, Ultraflex LFT and Keracolor S were used to set the pool coping. In addition, Adesilex P10 Mosaic & Glass Tile mortar was used to set glass-tile mosaics within the spa area.

To complete the tile installations, crews cleaned the tile using UltraCare Epoxy Grout Haze Remover and UltraCare Heavy-Duty Stone, Tile & Grout Cleaner. They then sealed the tile with UltraCare Penetrating Stone, Tile & Grout Sealer, a natural-looking, water-based penetrating sealer for maximum protection against staining.

The availability of product and shipping materials to Hawaii can be challenging. To avoid time delays, contractors used multiple products to finish the Park Lane Ala Moana construction. These products included Ultrabond ECO 810 adhesive for carpet tile, Ultrabond ECO 360 adhesive for resilient flooring and Ultrabond ECO 711 adhesive for vinyl flooring in maintenance areas. Ultrabond ECO 980, Ultrabond ECO 985 and Ultrabond ECO 995 adhesives were also used for wood-flooring installation.

MAPEI’s quality, reputation and warranty standards have been used around the world and are now part of Park Lane Ala Moana, one of the most unique and luxurious residences in Hawaii.