ON THE BALL
Stephen Boulton, Technical Service Manager for F. Ball and Co. Ltd., gives his advice on choosing from the vast range of new adhesives for installing vertical flooring accessories.
Recently, contractors have enjoyed an extended range of adhesives for installing vertical flooring accessories such as skirting, capping and coving. This is the result of recent advancements in technology, which have enabled the development of new adhesives with added advantages, including wider compatibility with different floorcovering types and greater ease of use. So, as well as traditional options, contractors can now use the same adhesive they’ve used to install vinyl floorcoverings or a go-to flexible tube adhesive.
TRADITIONAL OPTIONS Contact adhesives have long been a popular choice for installing vertical flooring accessories. They are applied to both the flooring accessory and the surface it is to be applied to and allowed to become touch-dry. Coated surfaces bond immediately on contact and are pressed or rolled to ensure complete contact.
Tapes and aerosol contact adhesives are also available for the installation of vertical flooring accessories. A downside of these solutions is that polymers used within these products mean that they can sometimes offer poor resistance to plasticisers – chemicals added to PVC materials that are released by the material over time. These can cause delamination of the flooring accessory from the substrate. Resistance to plasticisers is key to making adhesives suitable for installing PVC skirting, capping and coving.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS This knowledge has enabled manufacturers to reformulate existing high-performance adhesives, so that they now offer an alternative to traditional contact adhesives.
This is the case with F. Ball’s market-leading, rapid-curing, flexible tube adhesive, Stycco Flex, which has recently been reformulated and is now 100% compatible with PVC flooring accessories. This is a result of improved dimensional stability and excellent plasticiser resistance.
The highly versatile adhesive is known for its ability to bond almost any materials found in the flooring and construction industries. The high strength build-up and fast curing time means it can secure stair nosings and trims, without the need for
18 | TIP OF THE MIONTH
mechanical fixings, in as little as 60 minutes. These properties restrict the movement of PVC accessories that occurs as a result of plasticiser migration, as well as temperature changes, eliminating the problem of gapping at joints.
The reformulation also has improved application properties. It is now easier to gun out, and has better nip-off qualities. The ability to apply to vertical substrates has been improved to ensure there is no slipping or sliding when using it to bond accessories in these types of situations. An extra advantage is that the excellent gap-filling qualities of Stycco Flex make it ideal for installing vertical flooring accessories on rough surfaces.
WIDENING APPLICATIONS Following extensive testing, F. Ball’s temperature tolerant, pressure sensitive Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS vinyl adhesive has also been approved for the installation of skirting, coving and capping, meaning contractors now only require one product to install vinyl floorcoverings and vertical flooring accessories.
The pressure sensitive nature of the adhesive means it delivers instant grab, which is essential when installing vertical flooring accessories, and also makes it ideal for installing luxury vinyl tiles and planks where intricate designs and patterns are being created. It continues to build up strength following initial application. When fully cured, it develops an extremely strong bond, which is able to maintain its performance even when exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations (as low as -20°c and up to +60°c).
Unlike contact adhesives, Styccobond F49 only needs to be applied to one surface to achieve a high bond strength and, with a working time of up to four hours, skirting, coving and capping can be easily repositioned if initial alignment isn’t correct.
FLOORCOVERING COMPATIBILITY As always, it’s recommended that contractors check the compatibility of particular floorcoverings and adhesives. For these purposes, F. Ball produces its industry-leading recommended adhesives guide (RAG), which lists adhesives recommended for use with over 6,000 floorcoverings, produced by more than 200 manufacturers.
www.f-ball.com/en
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
