F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS vinyl adhesive, a revolutionary development in temperature tolerant adhesives, has been used to install luxury vinyl tiles in a swimming pool viewing gallery at the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth. The area is subject to temperature change and excess humidity due to having large areas of glazing and being adjacent to the heated swimming pool. Extreme temperature fluctuations can cause vinyl floorcoverings to expand and contract over time, leading to tenting and gapping.
The innovative formulation of Styccobond F49 limits any movement and holds the floorcovering firmly in place. The adhesive also delivers the instant grab and extended open time associated with pressure sensitive adhesives, which, until now, hasn’t been available for temperature tolerant adhesives. This makes the installation process quicker and easier.
Status Flooring of Poole were contracted to install the 170m2 luxury vinyl tiles in the leisure centre, to replace the previous, worn, carpet flooring.
Firstly, the carpet floor tiles were removed and Stopgap 1200 Pro smoothing underlayment was applied, to create a smooth subfloor. Stopgap 1200 is a low odour, fast setting, fast drying, two component smoothing underlayment suitable for preparing sound internal subfloors prior to the installation of new floorcoverings. It is particularly suitable for use over old adhesive residues (including bitumen and carpet tile tackifiers) and does not normally require the application of a primer.
Finally, to fit the luxury vinyl tiles, Status Flooring used Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS vinyl adhesive. As well as offering instant initial grab and high bond strength, the water-based adhesive has been specifically developed for use in conditions, which are subject to extreme temperature fluctuations as low as -20°c and up to +60°c, such as conservatories or heavily glazed areas and is suitable for use over normal underfloor heating systems. The pressure sensitive nature of the adhesive allows it to continue to build up strength following initial application. In addition, it provides an extremely strong water resistant bond, allowing it to be used in areas subject to water and high humidity, including wet rooms.
Status Flooring also used Styccoflex, a rapid curing flexible adhesive with excellent gap filling properties to install stair nosings, on the stairs leading up to and down from the area. The adhesive is supplied in a ready-to-use cartridge and its fast curing time combined with high initial strength means that it can be used to install stair nosing without the need for mechanical fixing.
Gary Perkins, of Status Flooring, said: “I am so pleased that our F. Ball representative recommended Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS for this refurbishment; it allowed us to install professional, aesthetically pleasing flooring in an area that is subject to extreme temperature change and humidity. We always use F. Ball products as they are tried and tested to be reliable and successful- we are sure that Styccobond F49 will be no exception.”
For further information on F. Ball and Co. Ltd Call 01538 361 633, visit www.f-ball.co.uk, follow us on Twitter @FBallUK or tweet the F. Ball team for technical advice at @ASKFBall
