Contractors from Puma Floors Ltd., in Cardiff, used F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro high-performance levelling compound, Styccobond F44 acrylic adhesive and Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive adhesive to install a combination of LVT and vinyl sheet floorcoverings throughout the three-storey waterside residential development at Swansea Marina.
To start with, a moisture test was carried out on the building’s concrete subfloors to determine if levels of subfloor moisture were low enough to proceed with the installation. In this case, the tests indicated that relative humidity levels were below 75% on each floor, so contractors could continue preparing the subfloors without needing to apply a waterproof surface membrane.
Smooth sailing
F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro high-performance levelling compound was then used to create a smooth base ready for the receipt of floorcoverings on all levels of the development. Stopgap 1200 Pro is a two-component levelling compound, developed for use over old adhesive residues, and normally does not require the subfloor to be primed. It’s also fast-drying; applied at a thickness of 2-5mm, it’s dry enough to receive floorcoverings from as little as four hours. Contractors safeguarded against pinholing by rolling over areas with an F. Ball spiked roller while the levelling compound was still wet.
Contractors then used F. Ball’s Styccobond F44 acrylic adhesive to install oak-effect Polyflor vinyl sheet in the kitchens and bathrooms of each of the property’s apartments. Styccobond F44 is a solvent-free, acrylic emulsion adhesive, which provides high bond strength, strong initial tack and a long open time. It’s suitable for securing a wide-range of vinyl sheet and tile floorcoverings, rubber floorcoverings and some PVC or polyurethane-backed textile floorcoverings. Styccobond F44 was also used to install purple Polyflor vinyl sheet floorcoverings in the building’s corridors, stairways and other communal areas.
Luxury finish
Lastly, F. Ball’s Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive was used to install Polyflor wood-effect vinyl planks in the living areas of each of the apartments. Styccobond F46 is solvent-free and offers high initial grab on contact, making it ideal for installing vinyl tiles or planks or for use where intricate designs or patterns are being created. It’s also specially formulated to reduce the incidence of trowel serrations showing through thin vinyl floorcoverings.
Commenting on the project, Grant Cox, operations director at Puma Floors Ltd., said: “It was a big project, and we had to work quickly to install floorcoverings in different areas once the builders completed different sections of the development. The speed with which we could work, thanks to the products we were using, meant that we were always on top of things.”