A range of products from F. Ball and Co. Ltd, the UK's leading manufacturer of flooring adhesives and floor preparation products, have been used to create a durable and attractive floor finish at The Hop Farm Family Park, in Paddock Wood, Kent. Stopgap F77 accelerated waterproof surface membrane and Stopgap 1200 Pro high performance smoothing underlayment were used by JMH Flooring to prepare the floor in the 440m2 Dray Bar function suite of The Hop Farm. Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive was then used to adhere Tarkett Contract vinyl to the subfloor, creating a lasting and aesthetically pleasing finish at the popular tourist attraction.
The existing flooring at The Hop Farm needed to be refurbished after being subjected to flooding in December 2013. Tests revealed that significant levels of moisture were still present within the subfloor, necessitating the use of Stopgap F77, the ultimate waterproof surface membrane system, which is effective up to relative humidity levels as high as 98% and is suitable for most flooring installations, including application over underfloor heating systems.
A solvent-free, two-part epoxy resin system, F77 offers unrivalled protection and performance for installations where a waterproof surface membrane is required, and creates a barrier against moisture in a one-coat application. Pigmented metallic black to aid coverage uniformity, the new epoxy resin product has a working time of 30 minutes and cures in approximately three hours, which was especially important at The Hop Farm, where contractors needed to bring the function suite back into use as quickly as possible.
After installing the waterproof surface membrane, contractors applied a 3mm coat of Stopgap 1200 Pro, the minimum preparation, maximum performance smoothing underlayment. Utilising the latest cement technology, the latex-free, no ammonia smoothing underlayment achieves fast setting and drying times for preparing sound internal subfloors. Stopgap 1200 Pro has a working time of 20 minutes, a walk-on time of 60 minutes, and was ready to receive new floorcoverings at The Hop Farm after just four hours.
Styccobond F46, a pressure sensitive adhesive with excellent tack and high bond strength, was then used to adhere the new floorcovering in the function suite. A solvent free acrylic polymer emulsion adhesive, F46 dries to a permanent tacky film and is used to reduce the incidence of trowel serrations showing through thin vinyl flooring, making it ideal for design floorcoverings.
John Ingram, owner of JMH Flooring, said: "I use F. Ball products regularly and get a lot of support from their technical department, particularly our local area representative Mike Willett. I've used F. Ball products for many years, they're the recognised industry standard when it comes to adhesives and floor smoothing underlayments."
