A high performance smoothing underlayment and waterproof surface membrane from F. Ball and Co. Ltd., the UK's leading manufacturer of flooring adhesives and subfloor preparation products, have been used to create a luxury floor finish at the new 2500m2 Abbey Sands seafront apartment complex in Devon.
Lang and Potter flooring contractors conducted moisture tests on the new subfloor, which showed high levels of relative humidity (RH). The concrete slab subfloor was also very uneven. After scabbling the substrate, contractors applied a base coat of Stopgap 1200 Pro smoothing underlayment to thicknesses of between 7mm and 10mm to level the surface.
Stopgap F78 one component, rapid drying waterproof surface membrane was then used to impede the passage of subfloor moisture. Stopgap F78 offers protection against residual construction moisture up to relative humidity levels of 95% in almost any flooring installation. The first coat applied at Abbey Sands took 30 minutes to dry and the second coat took a further 30 minutes, creating a barrier against moisture in less than two hours.
A final, 6mm coat of Stopgap 1200 was then applied to complete the subfloor. Award winning Stopgap 1200 is a minimum preparation, maximum performance smoothing underlayment, specially designed for use directly over old adhesive residues. Stopgap 1200 Pro can be used directly over waterproof surface membranes without the need for priming, has a working time of 20 minutes, a walk-on time of just 60 minutes, and was ready to receive new floorcoverings at Abbey Sands after only four hours.
Contractors used Styccobond F3 flooring adhesive to adhere a range of carpets to the subfloor. Enhanced and improved over the years in line with advances in technology, Styccobond F3 remains UK flooring contractors' favourite adhesive for the installation of textile floorcoverings. It is compatible with around 70% of the floorcoverings listed in F Ball's Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG), which features over 5,500 adhesive recommendations for floorcoverings, endorsed by over 200 leading floorcovering manufacturers.
Mark Wood, Director at Lang and Potter (Flooring), said: "We were under tight deadlines to complete this project and as such went straight for F. Ball's fast drying products. The reliable backup from F. Ball's technical support team gives us the confidence to specify their products because we know that our clients are getting guaranteed, high quality results."
