Products

Increasing global temperatures are causing more extreme weather events resulting in more frequent and intense flooding. Much of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean’s housing lies in flood prone zones and as a result flooring material that absorbs the water leads to cracking, buckling and the spread of mold and other bacteria once they come into contact with prolonged flood events.

TEC CARIBE Products are not affected by immersion in water. They will remain dimensionally stable and in place for the lifetime of the building.

Overview & Benefits

The New Generation of Building Materials

Faster

Ease of use - Installation requires very limited training and requires a low skill level. No special tools required

FASTER TO BUILD

Cost Effective

Our building materials will compete with all existing construction methods

COST-EFFICIENT

Echo Friendly

Environmentally friendly, natural materials

ECO FRIENDLY

Safe

Resistant to water, fire, wind, projectile impact, earthquakes, insects, fungus, mold, mildew and chemical infiltration

SAFER

Stronger

Wall axial load capacity is nearly 4 times stronger for Wall Panels vs conventional construction

STRONGER

Light Weight

Our building materials will compete with all existing construction methods

LIGHT WEIGHT

Sustainable

The average lifespan for a stick build home is only 40 years

SUSTAINABLE

ENERGY EFFICIENT

Our products create a tighter structural envelope increasing energy efficiencies and reducing power consumption

ENERGY EFFICIENT

TEC CARIBE Innovative Materials used in Interior Wall Construction

There are many types of building materials used in construction. Each material has different properties such as weight, strength, durability and cost which makes it suitable for certain types of applications. The choice of materials for construction is based on cost and effectiveness to resisting the loads and stresses acting on the structure.

The manufacturing of building materials is a well established and standardized industry capable of providing a reliable supply of high-quality materials for our structures. The production of structural-grade building materials is subject to quality control procedures that involve inspection and testing according to national standards and scientific testing methods.

Magnesium Oxide Board

Magnesium oxide is a versatile mineral that when used as part of a cement mixture and cast into thin cement panels under proper curing procedures and practices can be used in residential and commercial building construction.

  • Flame retardant
  • Waterproof (tested to freeze/thaw for 36 months
  • Free from mildew / mildew / insects (does not feed mold, mildew and insects)
  • Shock resistant
  • Silica / Asbestos Free STC Rated 53-54
  • No special tools required.
  • Hard non-absorbent surface - based on fiberglass - no paper.
  • Available in colors
  • Energy Efficient: High Thermal Insulative Properties

Traditional Materials used in Floor Сonstruction and Covering

Poured Concrete
Architects and structural engineers design buildings with concrete blocks (also known as concrete masonry units, or CMUs) for a number of important properties: high structural capacity, resistance to fire, resistance to water, variety of aesthetic possibilities and insulating and acoustical advantages.
Disadvantages of Poured Concrete
  • Concrete Blocks are Expensive. When compared to other traditional building supplies, concrete blocks add a considerable expense to a home construction.
  • Concrete Block is Difficult to Insulate.
  • Concrete May Not Offer Pleasant Aesthetics.
The limitations of concrete include:
  • Relatively low tensile strength when compared to other building materials.
  • Low ductability.
  • Low strength-to-weight ratio.
  • It is susceptible to cracking.
Rebar
Rebar (short for reinforcing bar), known when massed as reinforcing steel or reinforcement steel, is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid the concrete under tension. Rebar significantly increases the tensile strength of the structure. Rebar’s surface is often “deformed” with ribs, lugs or indentations to promote a better bond with the concrete and reduce the risk of slippage.
The most common type of rebar is carbon steel, typically consisting of hot-rolled round bars with deformation patterns. Other readily available types include stainless steel, and composite bars made of glass fiber, carbon fiber, or basalt fiber.

Disadvantages of Rebar

  • High Cost: Steel is expensive and considerably increases the cost of structure.
  • High Temperatures: Steel show tendency to melt in extremely high temperatures. This is also one of the reasons; steel is tied and not welded.
  • Reaction: Too little concrete cover allows the water to penetrate and react with steel rebars causing concrete to crack. Occasionally concrete aggregates react with steel causing concrete to spall.
  • Rust: Steel exposed to weather rusts and reduces the strength of reinforced concrete. When rusts start building up around the steel rebars, it causes severe internal pressure on the surrounding concrete, leading to cracks in concrete.
  • Weight: It is not a light weight material.

Aggregate

Construction aggregate, or simply aggregate, is a broad category of coarse- to medium-grained particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world. The Different Types Of Aggregate. The categories of aggregates include gravel, sand, recycled concrete, slag, topsoil, ballast, Type 1 MOT, and geosynthetic aggregates (synthetic products commonly used in civil engineering projects used to stabilise terrain).

     Disadvantages of Aggregate

    • Downgrading of quality of concrete.
    • Increase in water absorption capacity ranging from 3% to 9%
    • Decrease in compressive strength of concrete (10-30%)
    • Reduces workability of concrete.
    • Lack of specifications and guidelines.

Tile

Tiles are most often made of ceramic, typically glazed for internal uses and unglazed for roofing, but other materials are also commonly used, such as glass, cork, concrete and other composite materials, and stone. Tiling stone is typically marble, onyx, granite or slate. While a durable porcelain tile works well in high-traffic areas, like entryways, the best types of floor tiles for most rooms are those with an added or natural non-slip resistant surface such as cement or travertine tiles.

Disadvantages of Tile

  • Cold, Hard Surface. The hard surface of tile makes it easy to clean.
  • A Lot of Weight
  • Decrease in compressive strength of concrete (10-30%)
  • Challenging Installation
  • Grout lines are also susceptible to moisture if they are not sealed properly. Without the protection of sealant, water can seep down into your flooring, weakening the installation and encouraging mold.

Laminate

Laminate floors are a hybrid floor covering consisting of a particleboard wood base topped by an image layer and a transparent wear layer. Laminate floors are a popular type of floor covering for homes’ living areas, kitchens, dining areas, bedrooms, hallways, and other areas that are not subject to excessive moisture. Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product fused together with a lamination process. Laminate flooring simulates wood (or sometimes stone) with a photographic applique layer under a clear protective layer.

Disadvantages of Laminate

  • Cannot be refinished. One popular function of natural timber flooring is that it can be sanded back and refinished to renew its appearance over the years.
  • Not moisture-proof. Being made of wood, laminate flooring is not impervious to the effects of moisture.
  • The inability to sand and refinish is a major disadvantage of laminate flooring.

Lumber

The main purpose of Flooring is to provide a neat, clean, and pleasing appearance. Hardwood floors are made with a variety of wood species: oak, maple, cherry, bamboo, walnut, ash, mahogany as well as exotic, imported varieties.

Disadvantages of Laminate

  • Cannot be refinished. One popular function of natural timber flooring is that it can be sanded back and refinished to renew its appearance over the years.
  • Not moisture-proof. Being made of wood, laminate flooring is not impervious to the effects of moisture.
  • The inability to sand and refinish is a major disadvantage of laminate flooring.