Longton Cottage Hospital

Stopgap 1200 leaves hospital in healthy condition


F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s new high performance smoothing underlayment, Stopgap 1200 Pro, has been used to create a professional, hygienic floor in the Ainsley Ward of Longton Cottage Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent. The low odour smoothing underlayment, which is particularly suitable for use over old adhesive residues, without the need for priming, was specified to provide a fast, professional finish in order to bring the refurbished hospital ward back into use as quickly as possible.

After removing the existing Karndean floor planks, contractors from B & P Flooring conducted a moisture measurement test to ensure that the surface was dry enough to proceed without the installation of a waterproof surface membrane. Removal of the floor planks left adhesive residue on the subfloor, which would ordinarily need to be removed by mechanical means and the surface primed before the application of a smoothing underlayment.

However, by specifying the fast drying Stopgap 1200 Pro, contractors were able to apply a 4mm coat of the smoothing underlayment directly over the 200m² existing surface, without the need to mechanically remove the adhesive residue, delivering a time saving and cost effective, professional solution. Vinyl sheet flooring was then installed to create a durable, easy to clean finish.

The latex free Stopgap 1200 Pro has excellent self smoothing properties. With a working time of 20 minutes, and a walk on time of just 60 minutes, a new vinyl floorcovering could be installed in the Longton Cottage Hospital ward within just four hours.

Stopgap 1200 Pro is suitable for application over damp, clean and uneven concrete. It can be used over a wide range of other subfloor types including waterproof surface membranes, sand/cement screed, concrete, granolithic, terrazzo, asphalt, steel, epoxy and polyurethane resins, ceramic and quarry tiles. It is also protein free, making it suitable for use in clinical and biologically sensitive areas such as medical facilities and laboratories.

Mark Stephenson, of B & P Flooring, said: “F. Ball products really should be the first choice for flooring professionals. Stopgap 1200 Pro, particularly, needs minimum preparation but gives maximum performance. In a situation like a hospital contract, where there’s a real need to get the job finished to a high standard, as quickly as possible, I can’t imagine ever wanting to take my chances with a different product.”

Stopgap 1200 Pro is a two component smoothing underlayment that comes packaged in a 20kg sack and a 5 litre bottle. It can be applied ‘unfilled’ to maximum thicknesses of 10mm and, filled with graded aggregate, in applications of up to 30mm.