Faulty mortar mix forces crews to replace all tiles at state Capitol

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SALT LAKE CITY A rambunctious group of schoolchildren in the Capitol rotunda Thursday didn't seem to notice the sheets of plastic taped along the floors above, where work is underway to replace all of the historic building's tile floors.

Like so many other visitors, they were too busy looking at the Capitol's grand marble staircases and other features to be distracted by the closed areas where the floors are being ripped up and replaced.

The work is being paid for with a $4.4 million insurance settlement and an undisclosed amount from the construction companies in charge of the $250 million restoration of the Capitol completed in 2008.

The floors throughout the Capitol are being ripped up because of the failure of a mortar mixture that was used to lay tile throughout the building six years ago. It was supposed to last at least 50 years.

To minimize disruption, work crews arrive at 6 p.m. and leave at 4 a.m., taking Fridays and Saturdays off so as not to disturb the wedding receptions and other events typically held those evenings.

The project began after the 2014 Utah Legislature ended in mid-March, and it will be halted for the 2015 session. The work won't be done until the end of next year, with a total of 60,000 square feet of new small hexagonal-shaped tiles in place.

"That's a lot," said Terry Wright, senior vice president of Jacobsen Construction, who is overseeing the project to replace the flooring, which began to settle erratically about two years ago.

"People were coming in saying they saw a tile that looked loose or popped up," said Allyson Gamble, executive director of the Capitol Preservation Board. At first, building maintenance fixed tiles that seemed to be shifting.

But as more problem areas surfaced, Gamble said it was clear there was something seriously wrong. A tile expert was brought in and samples were taken from more than two dozen sites before the mortar mix was blamed.

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Faulty mortar mix forces crews to replace all tiles at state Capitol