In this issue of F-Talk, we speak to Stephen Boulton, F. Ball’s Technical Service Manager, about his work and how he ensures customers can always rely on F. Ball products.
Stephen leads F. Ball’s technical service team, who are tasked with providing expert advice on how to use F. Ball’s range of subfloor preparation products and adhesives. The aim is to ensure contractors have the knowledge to get the most out of F. Ball products and can always be confident they will perform as required.
“This has two main aspects,” says Stephen. “Firstly, I run the department that continually assesses and tests F. Ball products in different environments and applications. Secondly, I head the team who provide advice and training to contractors based on the knowledge acquired through testing and feedback from real-time applications. We use this information to provide advice on subfloor preparation for any project and recommend the most suitable F. Ball products.”
Exacting standards
We asked Stephen exactly what’s involved in the testing of F. Ball products.
“We check the compatibility of F. Ball primers and levelling compounds with a wide range of subfloor types, so that we can confidently advise which levelling compounds can be used where. We also check the performance of F. Ball adhesives with a vast range of different types of floorcoverings.
“We have a criteria for measuring the bond performance of adhesives with a wide range of floorcoverings based on British Standards. We test initial grab, as well as bond performance over time, and we are only happy to recommend an adhesive is used with a particular floorcovering if we are certain that the adhesive will perform for the entire lifetime of the floorcovering; not just the short term.
“We also seek the endorsement of the floorcoverings manufacturers to publish these recommendations.”
It’s this testing that provides the basis for F. Ball’s Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG). Produced every year, the guide features 6,000 up-to-date adhesive recommendations for floorcoverings, endorsed by around 200 leading international manufacturers. It’s the industry’s most authoritative guide to floorcovering and adhesive compatibility and is available as a printed booklet, on the F. Ball website and as an app, which can be downloaded for free.
Supporting contractors
Apart from the RAG, how else do you communicate best practice when using F. Ball products?
“Our technical service team are available on-demand to take calls with questions about F. Ball products, from 7.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, so you can get expert advice and information about all of F. Ball’s products and how to best use them throughout the working day.
“Our testing also informs the advice given by F. Ball’s regional technical representatives and advice pieces we write for publications such as the Contract Flooring Journal (CFJ) and Tomorrow’s Contract floors (TCF).
“It’s also members of the technical service team who deliver free training courses on subfloor preparation for flooring contractors at our purpose-built training centre at F. Ball’s Staffordshire Headquarters, imparting our expert knowledge on best practice with the aim of maintaining standards across the flooring industry.”
How do you keep on top of new developments?
“We have someone who communicates with manufacturers to check when backings of floorcoverings change and new products are released, so when this happens, we are in a position to test compatibility with our adhesives and update our advice if necessary. We also keep up-to-date with the latest advice from industry bodies, such as the Contract Flooring Association and the British Adhesives and Sealants Association,” says Stephen.
Increasing demands
With a background in engineering, Stephen joined F. Ball in 1984 and progressed to the position of Technical Service Manager; a role he has now held for 25 years.
During this time, he’s seen the products he tests and advises on change in response to pressures placed on flooring contractors by the wider construction and building industries.
Illustrating this point, Stephen explains: “For example, in the case of reduced time scales, we’ve developed waterproof surface membranes that are able to supress residual construction moisture as floorcoverings need to be installed before the concrete can properly dry. We’ve also launched fast-drying levelling compounds and adhesives, which allow floorcoverings to be installed in less than a day, whereas this would have once taken several days, in response to time pressures placed on flooring contractors.
“We’ve also seen a proliferation in the number and type of floorcoverings available. As we don’t make general-purpose adhesives, F. Ball’s product range has increased substantially to provide for these requirements over the last 25 years.”
“Combined, these developments have meant that the technical service team has become more important than ever in my time as technical service manager.”
Informing innovation
Given Stephen’s role in testing products, we ask him to what extent he’s involved in new product development and innovation at F. Ball.
“The technical service team is not directly involved in product development and testing. I do sit on the development committee at F. Ball though, so I relay feedback from flooring contractors about the sorts of developments that would be most useful to them. Customer feedback has been instrumental in driving innovation at the company over the years.”
And what about the opportunities for the future?
“We’re in a strong position to continue to maintain close links with floorcovering manufacturers. As we continue to test combinations of products, we can ensure that the advice provided by our team of technical service officers is the gold standard for the industry.”