SAFE SOLUTIONS
F. Ball advises how to mitigate health and safety concerns when installing floorcoverings in care settings.
When working in areas where preventing infection is a priority, including care and nursing homes, flooring contractors should bear in mind health and safety considerations when making their choice of products for preparing subfloors and installing floorcoverings.
This includes selecting a levelling compound to create a smooth base for the receipt of floorcoverings. In clinical and biologically sensitive settings, the use of protein-free formulations is often specified to ensure that there is no breeding ground for bacteria once the levelling compound has cured.
When it’s required to install flooring in areas of care homes that remain open to residents or visitors, contractors should also be sure to choose low odour adhesives, to avoid any unpleasant smells that could cause irritation to residents.
Advances in adhesive technology mean that most adhesives are now solvent-free and low odour as well as offering a range of other specialist properties. For example, hybrid pressure sensitive adhesives are resistant to moisture and suitable for use in areas subject to extreme temperature fluctuations, such as conservatories.
These features, as well as enhanced plasticiser resistance, make such adhesives suitable for installing PVC flooring accessories, such as skirting, capping and coving, a popular choice in many healthcare settings because they allow for easy cleaning of floor areas.
Flexible cartridge adhesives are also available for this purpose, such as F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s Stycco Flex, which restrict the movement of PVC accessories that occurs over the lifetime of an installation and with temperature change. This provides the advantage of eradicating gapping at joints, avoiding the creation of a haven for dirt and grime, which will harbour bacteria. It is also water resistant, so can tolerate repeated wet cleaning without any detriment to the bond performance.
FAST-TRACK SOLUTIONS Nowadays, fast-track floor preparation systems have been developed that include waterproof surface membranes, levelling compounds and adhesives that, when used together and applied correctly, allow floorcoverings to be installed quickly, easily and safely. Whereas installing new floorcoverings might have once taken several days, leaving areas inaccessible in the meantime, these time saving solutions can cut this down to less than a day.
MOISTURE MANAGEMENT Before installing new floorcoverings, it is crucially important to check for the presence of moisture in the subfloor. Unmanaged moisture, whether residual construction moisture or rising damp, is one of the leading causes of floor failure. Where the relative humidity (RH) levels in the subfloor are above 75% (or 65% if wood floorcoverings are to be installed) a moisture management solution will be required to suppress the moisture in the subfloor and prevent
28 | CARE HOMES
it damaging floorcoverings or even causing complete floor failure. Moisture can be controlled with the application of a waterproof surface membrane. Advanced products are now available that will isolate excess subfloor moisture where relative humidity values are up to 98% with a single coat application and will fully cure in as little as three hours.
Even quicker, two-coat systems are available. The first coat cures in 15-20 minutes, and a further 30 minutes curing time is required for the second coat, creating a barrier against residual construction moisture where the Relative Humidity value is up to 95%, in less than two hours.
A SMOOTH FINISH Recent advances in cement technology have also enabled the development of levelling compounds with fast-track properties, without compromising on quality or finish.
Levelling compounds are now available that are walk-on hard from 30 minutes and allow floorcoverings to be installed from as little as 45 minutes after application.
Where old adhesive residues (including bitumen and carpet tile tackifiers) are present after the removal of old floorcoverings, contractors can save time by using a levelling compound that has been specially formulated for use without the mechanical removal of old adhesive residues. One such product, Stopgap 1200 Pro from F. Ball and Co. Ltd., takes as little as 60 minutes to set and is ready to receive floorcoverings from as little as four hours. In most applications, including when it is applied over old adhesive residues, it is not essential to prime beforehand, saving further time.
www.f-ball.com
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