Coffee, Chat & Support

Products donated by F. Ball and Co. Ltd. from its System LVT range have been used to install floorcoverings at a new café at the Coffee, Chat, Support facility for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities, including autism and ADHD, in Taunton, Somerset.

Flooring contractor MJV Flooring, also based in Taunton, undertook the installation, first removing old carpet tiles and adhesive residues, ensuring a sound, smooth surface, free of dust and debris, for the receipt of subfloor preparation products. A subfloor moisture test indicated that subfloor relative humidity levels were low enough for the installation to proceed without the requirement for a moisture management solution to prevent excess subfloor moisture attacking floorcoverings and adhesives and potentially causing floor failure.

The surface was then primed using Stopgap P141, which is designed especially to promote the adhesion of smoothing compounds to non-absorbent surfaces and is coloured yellow to help gauge coverage.

Contractors trowel-applied Stopgap 1400 high-flow, two-component smoothing compound over the entire area to create a perfectly smooth base for the receipt of Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs). The product uses the latest cement formulation technology to maximise ease of application. It is walk-on hard from just 90 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from 12 hours, allowing floorcoverings to be installed the next day.

Once the smoothing compound had cured and to complete a full F. Ball System LVT installation, Styccobond F48 PLUS was chosen to install Gerflor Creation wood-effect LVTs in the café. Fibres in the adhesive provide high initial grab, a benefit when installing LVTs. The temperature tolerant adhesive also holds floorcoverings in place when subject to high temperatures, which can cause tenting and gapping at the edges of vinyl floorcoverings as a result of repeated expansion and contraction over time.

“It was a straightforward project, and everything went to plan ahead of the official opening,” said Marcus Vaughan, managing director of MJV Flooring. “What is rewarding is knowing that the budget the charity saved on flooring can now be spent on essential equipment and toys for children with special needs.”