Story at a glance:
- Ludowici’s top tile installer built its new headquarters utilizing NeXclad True wall cladding tile on its exterior and interior walls.
- Precision Construction and Roofing has worked with Ludowici for the entirety of its 14 years in business.
When expert contractors Precision Construction and Roofing needed a new headquarters for their growing company, they turned to terra-cotta tile pros Ludowici.
“Nothing lasts as long as clay tile, and Ludowici is the Cadillac of clay tile,” says Eric Hunter, who started Texas-based Precision with his father and wife, Mika, in 2008. “NeXclad True is the Cadillac of wall cladding. It’s good stuff.”
Eric and Mika Hunter founded Precision Construction and Roofing as a specialty residential and commercial roofing company and quickly partnered with Ludowici to help them fill that niche in the roofing market. They’ve been using Ludowici tiles for more than a decade, restoring the roofs of old universities and historical buildings all over the country. Today Precision is Ludowici’s number one installer nationwide.
NeXclad True Tile was used inside and out at Precision Construction and Roofing’s new headquarters. Photo courtesy of Ludowici
After years of installing Ludowici roof tiles for a variety of projects and any type of roof pitch imaginable, Precision sought to use Ludowici’s NeXclad True tiles for their own new headquarters. They installed the durable tiles on the roof as well as on the inside and outside walls—because the tiles are both beautiful, durable and because they love working with the centuries-old Ludowici, who got its start in Germany before expanding to the US in the late 1800s. In April 2022 Precision moved into its new 7,000-square-foot building—large enough to entertain clients and train new staff members.
The resulting project was dreamed up in part by Precision’s Mika Hunter—the company CFO with an eye for design. She had the tile installed all over—from the entryway to the conference room. “We liked it that much,” she says. “It’s beautiful. It’s like a piece of art inside.”
Eric says they get compliments every week about the tile. They’re considering using more NeXclad True to cover the remaining exterior stucco walls. “It just looks so much better, and it holds up so much better,” Mika says. Ludowici tiles also boast a 75-year material warranty.
Photo courtesy of Ludowici
NeXclad sets the tone for a beautiful interior, too. A backlit bar made from copper and railway sleepers sits on the headquarters’ first level. Wood details and exposed ductwork make for a modern industrial feel in the space, juxtaposed against clean, white lines and glass.
When Precision took a trip to visit Ludowici’s facility in New Lexington, Ohio to explore the tile behind the scenes they were impressed, says Matthew Melrose, senior project manager, sales manager, and creative director at Precision. He watched in awe as the Ludowici team collected clay, mixed and applied glaze, and fired the terra-cotta tiles in the kiln.
“NeXclad True is beautiful and decorative—not like the roof tile you might install in any condition and with dirty hands, for example,” Melrose says. “You want to try and make sure you’re keeping it clean and keeping contact to a minimum, so it looks nice once it’s up on the wall,” he says.
When Precision customers want a specialty roof like one tiled with NeXclad True he says they make sure they’re working with the best installers. It’s only the best for Precision and Ludowici. “You wouldn’t take your Ferrari down to the corner mechanic to get an oil change,” Melrose says.
