Product Focus: Stopgap 1500
For this months product focus, we take a closer look at F. Ball’s recently launched next-generation water-mix smoothing compound.
What is it?
Stopgap 1500 is a water-mix smoothing compound that can be applied over a wide range of insoluble, well-bonded adhesive residues, including bitumen, carpet tile tackifiers and ceramic tile adhesives, eliminating the need for their removal, as would normally be required before installing a smoothing compound. In such applications, there is no need to prime beforehand, saving further time and expense.
Fast-setting and fast-drying, the product is walk-on hard in as little as 60 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from just four hours.
Where is it used?
The smoothing compound is suitable for use over a wide range of subfloor types, including sand/cement screed, concrete, granolithic, terrazzo, asphalt, steel, old vinyl asbestos tiles, epoxy and polyurethane resins, ceramic and quarry tiles, as well as Stopgap waterproof surface membranes.
Furthermore, its low-odour, protein-free formulation makes it suitable for use in biologically sensitive settings, such as hospitals and laboratories, and allows installations to proceed while adjacent areas remain in use.
What’s different about it?
The product is formulated to minimise the stresses inflicted on adhesive residues as it sets, meaning it is able to maintain its integrity when applied to subfloors with adhesive residues still present. The stresses of a regular levelling compound, combined with initial expansion and shrinkage, can cause adhesive residues to debond from the subfloor, causing the entire installation to lift and crack, potentially resulting in total failure of the floor.
Typically, such smoothing compounds come in a bag and bottle form. As Stopgap 1500 is a water-mix smoothing compound, no bottle is required, meaning less plastic waste is produced by the flooring industry.
Something you might not know about the product:
Stopgap 1500 is moisture resistant, meaning that it can be applied to damp subfloors prior to the application of a waterproof surface membrane. This is ideal where a rough or uneven screed would result in a liquid waterproof surface membrane pooling in undulations on the surface, often requiring a greater quantity of the product to achieve full coverage.
For more information about Stopgap 1500, visit the F. Ball website.
