Schoolblazer, Mansfield
New F. Ball Smoothing Compound Helps with Getting Ready for School
F. Ball’s new fast-setting, high flow, two-component smoothing compound, Stopgap 1400, has been used to prepare subfloors to optimise the installation of floorcoverings at the headquarters of the UK’s leading school uniform and sportswear supplier.
Flooring contractors were tasked with installing floorcoverings in the new employee welfare areas at Schoolblazer, in Mansfield.
They began by mechanically abrading the new concrete subfloors to create a key for subfloor preparation products before priming with F. Ball’s P131 general-purpose primer. As the screeds were installed 18 months prior, tests indicated that subfloor moisture levels were low enough to proceed with the installation without the requirement of a moisture management solution.
Contractors then applied Stopgap 1400 in all areas (over 200m2 in total). The product uses the latest cement formulation technology to maximize ease of application. It is walk-on hard from just 90 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from 12 hours.
F. Ball’s Styccobond F48 PLUS was used to install LVTs in the canteen. The temperature tolerant adhesive has a high bond strength to hold floorcoverings in place when subject to high temperatures, which can otherwise cause tenting and gapping at the edges of vinyl floorcoverings as a result of repeated expansion and contraction over time. Fibres in the adhesive also provide high initial grab, a benefit when installing LVTs.
Contractors also used F. Ball’s Styccobond F44 acrylic adhesive to install Gerflor safety flooring in the WCs. Styccobond F44 is a solvent-free, acrylic emulsion adhesive, which provides high bond strength, strong initial tack and a long open time. It’s suitable for securing a wide-range of vinyl sheet and tile and rubber floorcoverings.
Commenting on the work, Ashdale Flooring director Sam Dale said: “We applied the smoothing compound by hand, and the formulation of Stopgap 1400 made light work of this. The flow rate was amazing, and it dried really quickly. It also looked pristine when dry – it seemed a shame to cover it up. We’ll definitely be using it a lot from now on.”
