MV Discovery

Range of F. Ball's marine approved products used to refurbish global cruise ship


F. Ball’s range of marine approved Stopgap subfloor preparation products and Styccobond flooring adhesives have been used to repair and upgrade the floors on board the global cruise ship, MV Discovery. F. Ball’s products provided the reassurance of IMO marine certification, as well as proven high levels of performance.

Built in 1972, MV Discovery last underwent a major refit in 2003. As part of the current refurbishment programme, 3,400m² of floors in the ship’s public areas and 300 cabins were upgraded.

An area demanding particular attention during the refurbishment of older vessels, such as the MV Discovery, is the floor. The impact of movement and vibration of the ship’s structure, as well as frequent foot traffic, while sailing the heavy seas, caused the subfloor above the steel deck to crack and even crumble in some areas of the ship. In the most badly affected areas of the subfloor, this had created holes of up to 35mm in depth. To repair the damaged areas, specialist flooring contractor, Kerry Johns Partnership, installed a marine approved Stopgap smoothing underlayment to level irregularities within the surface.

To create a smooth surface for the new floorcoverings, a second smoothing underlayment was installed across the entire subfloor, which was first primed using Stopgap P131. A general-purpose primer, Stopgap P131 prevents smoothing underlayments drying out too rapidly and promotes their adhesion to the subfloor.

A combination of carpet and vinyl floorcoverings selected by interior designer, 2B Interiors USA, was then installed, using a range of Styccobond adhesives approved for marine floor installations. Styccobond F44 adhesive was used to install the vinyl floorcoverings in the ship’s medical centre and yacht club. A solvent free acrylic emulsion adhesive, Styccobond F44 is designed to give a high bond strength, strong initial tack and a long open time which promotes ease of installation.

To install the carpet floorcoverings selected for the ship’s restaurants, bars, entertainment lounges and cabins, a release bond adhesive system was selected. This will allow the carpet to be lifted and replaced in the future, without damaging the subfloor. As such, Styccobond F40, a high tack adhesive was applied to the subfloor, allowed to dry completely to provide a peelable bond, then the carpet underlay was fitted. Finally, Styccobond F3 was used to stick the carpet to the underlay. The flooring market’s leading adhesive, Styccobond F3 is a water-based rubber/resin adhesive. Offering excellent wet grab and an early build up of strength, Styccobond F3 is ideal for securing carpet in a broad range of flooring applications.

Kerry Johns, Director of Kerry Johns Partnership comments: “F. Ball’s IMO approved products provided excellent levels of performance and a high quality finish for the carpet and vinyl floorcoverings selected for the ship.”