DIY SOS: The Big Build

Products donated by F. Ball, including Stopgap Fast-Track 30 smoothing compound and heavy duty adhesive Styccobond F73 PLUS, have been used to install floorcoverings against the clock, as part of a life-changing residential refurbishment, featured on the BBC One television programme ‘DIY SOS: The Big Build’.

How were the products used, and why?

Flooring contractors were commissioned to remove old floorcoverings and prepare the subfloor prior to installing luxury vinyl tiles and vinyl safety flooring over a total area of approximately 200m² at the Chapman family household, in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham.

The home’s ground floor refurbishment consisted of an open plan kitchen-dining and lounge area, with a newly built single-story extension at the rear, housing two bedrooms, wet room, and a utility room for the family’s two wheelchair users.

Beginning work in the extension, a moisture test found that a moisture management solution was not required. Contractors then proceeded with priming the concrete subfloor using Stopgap P131 general purpose primer, before applying Stopgap Fast-Track 30 to level the extension’s rooms.

The smoothing compound was applied at a thickness of 5mm over the subfloor to ensure a suitably smooth finish ready for the receipt of floorcoverings. Stopgap Fast-Track 30’s capability to be ‘walk-on hard’ after 30 minutes allowed the floorcovering installation to commence after just 45 minutes.

Styccobond F73 PLUS adhesive provided the high bond strength needed to secure Tarkett Primo Safe-t vinyl sheet in the wet room and the utility room, and LVT in the two bedrooms. The one-part fast curing adhesive requires no mixing and requires as little as 90 minutes to secure floorcoverings and welding to take place in as little as two hours. Styccobond F73 PLUS’s resistance to water once cured also made it the ideal solution for use in the extension’s wet room and utility room.

Throughout the rest of the ground floor, plywood sheets were firmly affixed to the existing floorboard subfloor, and Stopgap 500 Micro was used to smooth over screw indents and the joints between panels. Contractors then proceeded with the installation of LVT, again using Styccobond F73 PLUS adhesive for the job.

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Commenting on the project, Kevin Keegan, business partner at Cheltenham Flooring Services, who donated three labourers’ time for the project said: “We always use F. Ball products for installations. We can rely on the products’ quality to help deliver a good result and the new Styccobond F73 PLUS is no exception.

“It was a tricky job. We were on-site, working around other contractors for a period of five days, when usually we’d only need around three to complete the job. The fact the adhesive is one-part and fast setting helped saved time, as did the rapid drying smoothing compound, both of which were invaluable in a unique, fast-paced project such as this.

“We’re pleased we could contribute our time to such a worthwhile cause and we’re very grateful to F. Ball for their donation.”