WHAT LIES BENEATH?
F.Ball and Co. Ltd. discusses the common pitfalls to avoid when installing smoothing underlayments.
When beginning work on any flooring project, F. Ball and Co. Ltd. advises contractors to take the time to thoroughly assess the composition and condition of the subfloor, to avoid the common pitfalls that can lead to the failure of a smoothing underlayment and an overall substandard floor finish. Contractors should primarily ensure the removal of contamination, treat damp accordingly and take action to avoid pinholing in the smoothing underlayment.
tile tackifiers. The high performance self-smoothing product provides flooring contractors with a professional, cost- effective solution to challenging floors, without the need for mechanical preparation or priming.
TREATMENT OF DAMP Before an underlayment is installed, F. Ball also advises contractors to take the time to thoroughly assess the levels of subfloor moisture. If left untreated, excess subfloor moisture will pass thorough an underlayment and can cause adhesives to de-bond, carpet underlays to rot, wooden floors to warp, and resilient floorcoverings to blister. It may also promote the growth of mould, which may stain and risk further damage to the floorcovering.
F. Ball advises using a digital hygrometer to accurately measure subfloor moisture. If the relative humidity (RH) levels are 75% or above (65% or above for wooden floorcoverings) then a moisture protection system should be applied, to impede the passage of rising damp or residual construction moisture.
When a contractor is working to tight deadlines in areas with excess residual construction moisture, F. Ball recommends the use of water-based moisture management systems that are fast curing and effective up to RH levels of 95%. In environments where damp is particularly likely to manifest, or areas where high levels of moisture are already present, solvent-free epoxy resin systems are available that are effective up to RH levels of 98%, or up to 90% directly over underfloor heating systems. Alternatively, a loose-lay isolator membrane can be laid directly onto the subfloor to provide an instant barrier between moisture and the floorcovering.
REMOVAL OF CONTAMINANTS Certain types of subfloors will present particular challenges to flooring contractors, particularly during refurbishments, where the removal of existing floorcovering might leave behind old adhesive residues. Such residues, including bitumen and carpet tile tackifiers, could potentially compromise the integrity of the underlayment.
Any old adhesive residues should be removed by mechanical methods such as scrabbling, scraping, shot/grit blasting and grinding. Mechanical methods or industrial cleaners can be used to ensure the removal of other contaminants such as oil, grease or laitance.
As with many rules, there is an exception: a high-performance, specialist underlayment that does not necessitate the complete removal of adhesive residues. F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro is a minimum preparation, maximum performance smoothing underlayment, specially designed for use directly over old adhesive residues, including bitumen and carpet
36 | SMOOTHING UNDERLAYMENTS
AVOIDING PINHOLING In addition to improving bond performance, primers can also reduce the incidence of surface defects and imperfections, such as 'pin holing' in smoothing underlayments.
F. Ball’s Stopgap P131 general purpose primer is designed to promote the adhesion of Stopgap smoothing underlayments to smooth non-absorbent surfaces and can be used to combat pinholing. It can also be used as a general purpose primer for absorbent surfaces to promote adhesion and to prevent unacceptably rapid drying of adhesives and smoothing underlayments.
As a further precaution to avoid pinholing, contractors should use a spiked roller, where appropriate, to help trapped air escape from the smoothing underlayment.
The long-term appearance and durability of a new floorcovering is largely determined during the planning and subfloor preparation stage of a flooring installation. Measuring and managing moisture, removing contamination and avoiding the risk of pinholing, is crucial to optimise the aesthetics and safeguard the longevity of a new floor.
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