F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s Stopgap 700 flexible smoothing underlayment and Styccobond F41 carpet tile tackifier have been used in the refurbishment of a thirty-year-old Routemaster bus to create a library for children at Tolworth Nursery, Infant and Junior School, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
On the top deck of the bus, Stopgap 700 flexible smoothing underlayment was applied over a firmly-secured plywood subfloor. Stopgap 700 is fast-drying, fibre-reinforced and self-levelling. It is designed for use on plywood, sand/cement screed and steel subfloors. Applied at a thickness of 3mm, it is ready to receive floorcovering from a little as three hours.
On both floors, Styccobond F41 carpet tile tackifier was used to install premium blue Burmatex fibre-bonded carpet tiles. Styccobond F41 dries to create a permanently tacky film that prevents ‘loose-lay’ carpet tiles from moving, but allows individual tiles to be lifted and replaced easily when worn or damaged.
New carpet tiles were also installed on the bus’s staircase, where old floorcoverings and adhesive residues had been removed prior to the beginning of the project. Styccobond F66 solvent-free contact adhesive was used to install the carpet tiles as its instant bond-forming properties make it suitable for affixing floorcoverings onto vertical surfaces. Stycco Flex, a rapid-curing flexible adhesive, was then used to attach the aluminium stair nosings.
The flooring installation was undertaken free-of-charge by local contractor Eric Miller Flooring; also based in Tolworth. F.Ball donated the adhesive and smoothing underlayments used in the refurbishment.
Commenting on the project, Eric Miller said: “It was a bit of an unusual project. I’ve never installed flooring on a bus before. F.Ball kindly donated the products for this job, but we use them all the time. They’re reliable and they always do what they say on the tin.”
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