Project of the Month: Flooring by Henton
Carpet and flooring specialist, ‘Flooring by Henton’ opted for F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 smoothing compound and Styccobond F48 PLUS high temperature grade vinyl adhesive to achieve a high quality LVT floor finish in the company’s own showroom; offering showroom visitors instant visual endorsement of the company’s workmanship and attention to detail.
As well as requiring a perfectly smooth subfloor to optimise the aesthetic appearance of luxury vinyl planks, Flooring by Henton needed a vinyl adhesive that develops a high bond strength to hold the planks in place when subjected to very high temperatures, caused by solar gain through the showroom’s floor to ceiling windows.
The first point of action for contractors was to remove old carpet, LVT and wood floorcoverings from the 90m2 floor of the showroom. A moisture test was then conducted using a digital hygrometer, which indicated the relative humidity (RH) level of the subfloor was 55%. As the RH levels did not exceed the 75% maximum threshold, the application of a waterproof surface membrane was not required to prevent excess moisture potentially causing floor failure.
Contractors next applied Stopgap 1200 smoothing compound over the entire subfloor to create a perfectly smooth base for the receipt of floorcoverings. As well as being fast-drying and fast-setting, the two-component smoothing compound can be used directly over old adhesive residues, without the need to prime beforehand, saving further time and meaning minimal disruption to customers during the showroom’s opening hours.
The main area of the showroom has a large glass front, with the potential to cause solar gain and extreme temperatures. Therefore, F. Ball’s Styccobond F48 PLUS high temperature grade vinyl adhesive was selected to install wood-effect vinyl planks. Floorcoverings exposed to high temperatures can expand and contract significantly, which over time, can lead to tenting and gapping of vinyl planks and tiles. When cured, Styccobond F48 PLUS develops a high bond strength to hold floorcoverings firmly in place when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Styccobond F48 PLUS also provides high initial grab to help prevent lateral movement of floorcoverings when placed into the adhesive, an advantage when working with vinyl tiles or planks. The adhesive is fast-drying, allowing floorcoverings to be installed in as little as five minutes after application, meaning the showroom could remain open to customers during the final installation of vinyl planks, whilst the majority of the refurbishment had been completed over a bank holiday weekend.
Commenting on the project ‘Flooring by Henton’ Director James Scott said: “Using Stopgap 1200 and Styccobond F48 allowed us to finish the job quickly and remain open while the work was taking place. This created a good talking point for customers coming in and out of the shop, who were intrigued to see floor fitters in action. We always use F. Ball products, because they never let us down. We also get good advice from our local Technical Representative, Phil Nightingale, who provided support throughout the showroom refurbishment.”
