Maintenance & Refurbishment; Technology


Floors & Floor Coverings Feature; Monitoring, Smart Controls & Software Feature


Whether the result of rising damp or residual construction moisture, unmanaged subfloor moisture can attack adhesives and floorcoverings, possibly causing complete floor failure


Quicker, two-coat systems are available that will create an effective barrier against residual construction moisture where relative humidity values are up to 95 per cent. The first coat cures in 15-20 minutes, and a further 30 minutes curing time is required for the second coat.


LEVELLING COMPOUND SELECTION Once satisfied that the subfloor is dry, or an appropriate moisture management solution is in place, they can proceed with preparing the subfloor for the installation of new floorcoverings. General-purpose levelling compounds are available for many situations, as


well as products with a wide variety of specialist applications. When contractors are working to tight timescales, the fastest-drying levelling compounds on the market will be walk-on hard from just 30 minutes and ready to receive floorcoverings in as little as 45 minutes after application. Flexible levelling compounds that are fibre-reinforced are recommended over flexible subfloors, such as steel and plywood, to cope with the natural movement in these subfloors. Levelling compounds with high compressive strength should be used where floors will be subject to heavy loads or high foot traffic, while calcium sulphate-based levelling compounds provide optimum compatibility with calcium sulphate screeds. In most cases it will be essential to prime a surface before applying a levelling


compound. This promotes the optimum performance characteristics of the levelling compound and, when used over absorbent subfloors, such as concrete,


prevents moisture being drawn from the levelling compound, which can cause it to dry too quickly and result in floor failure. For time saving purposes, levelling compounds are available that can be applied directly over old adhesive residues without the need to prime beforehand.


COMPATIBILITY CHECK Once the levelling compound has cured, contractors can proceed to installing floorcoverings using an appropriate adhesive. At this stage, the compatibility of particular floorcoverings and adhesives should be checked to further ensure against floor failure. To do this, contractors should consult the adhesive manufacturer’s Recommended Adhesives Guide or see the floorcovering manufacturers’ instructions.


Stephen Boulton is technical service manager at F. Ball and Co. Consort Claudgen launches new brochure


The latest Heat brochure includes a host of new heating controls and heaters including motion-activated and waterproof run-back time controllers, new heater models in the electronic 7-day timer range and advanced wireless controllers which are now compatible with Consort’s RX and SL heaters.


These are detailed in the brochure along with the established panel and fan heaters, convectors, LST heaters, air curtains, downflows and towel rails.


Please call to request a copy or visit Consort’s website to download a copy. 01646 692172 www.consortepl.com


Housing Management & Maintenance


The Housing Management & Maintenance (HMM) website is an online provider of past and present news items dedicated to keep professionals within this sector updated with a wide range of topics including legislation, projects, products and more.


housingmmonline.co.uk is a one-stop source for all the latest press releases providing any visitor with access to information about products and services that they may require. From the website, you can find links to digital issues that have live links to advertisers’ sites, as well as email alerts to keep you as informed as possible.


www.housingmmonline.co.uk 34 | HMM December/January 2020 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


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