Now, the company has added several new options to simplify installment – especially on uneven mounting surfaces. Chris Hanstad, CRL’s Railing Systems Brand Manager, states, “We found that all dry glazed glass panel systems (such as TAPER-LOC™) still had one remaining difficulty to overcome - undulating/uneven mounting surface conditions.

To compensate for this, and to prevent angular misalignment of the glass panels, careful shimming was previously required at bolt locations along the man side and/or the drop side of the railing. To improve installation, we engineered and developed the SurfaceMate Adjustable Angle Base Shoe and Shimming System which makes the correction automatically.”

Hanstad continues, “CRL’s new SurfaceMate System has contoured mounting blocks to conform to the irregular surface conditions.

This innovation is a real timesaver.

The installer simply places the base shoe in its intended position on the mounting substrate, then inserts an Angle Adjust Curved Block under the base shoe at each bolthole location.

This Block allows the installer to move the base shoe forward or back up to 3 degrees until the shoe is plumb.

If the mounting surface has irregular dips from hole to hole, the installer just inserts aluminum horseshoe shaped shims to fill gaps under the base shoe that occur when a sudden dip in the floor occurs to achieve level.

The shims are slotted for use in both horizontal and vertical positions, making them applicable to fascia mounted base shoe installations as well.”

As part of the system, CRL has also introduced the B5A Series heavy base shoe, which has a curved bottom to match the Angle Adjust Curved Blocks, and a redesigned interior channel with walls that provide all of the support of traditionally formed base shoe, but also reduce the weight of the channel.

Hanstad explains, “This environmentally responsible or ‘green’ change removes unnecessary material and lightens the weight.

It does not affect the base shoe’s strength or appearance, but uses less aluminum, lowers transportation costs, and makes it easier for installers to handle.

This redesign also helps make the base shoe very price competitive. We’ve taken an innovative popular product and, by listening to comments from customers in the field, created new solutions and technology to meet our customers’ needs.”

C.R. Laurence Co., Inc. is a leading manufacturer and global supplier to the glazing, railing, architectural, construction, and automotive industries. Offering more than 50,000 products, CRL serves the industry from 28 locations throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.

For additional information, contact CRL at (800) 421-6144 in the United States and Canada, or (323) 588-1281 from outside the United States and Canada, or visit the company’s web site at crlaurence.com.