AGAINST THE CLOCK Contractors installing floorcoverings in educational facilities often face severe time
constraints. With this in mind, F. Ball advises on fast-track products to bring classrooms back into use as quickly as possible.
During the refurbishment of a school or educational building, a thorough assessment of the subfloor should be completed and its intended use and other considerations taken into account. In an educational setting, the floor will be expected to endure high volumes of daily foot traffic, whilst remaining secure and hygienic.
SAFEGUARDING AGAINST MOISTURE Unmanaged moisture, whether residual construction moisture or rising damp, is one of the leading causes of floor failure, causing resilient floorcoverings to blister or adhesives to de-bond. This can lead to the movement of floorcoverings, and the growth of mould and bacteria, which can potentially cause a health risk to people in the immediate environment, as well as being a potential trip hazard. To avoid these problems, a moisture measurement test should always be conducted before the installation of a new floorcovering, in both old and new buildings, and a waterproof surface membrane installed if required.
To measure the relative humidity (RH) levels within the subfloor, F. Ball recommends the use of a pre-calibrated digital hygrometer. If RH levels exceed 75%, or 65% when installing wooden floorcoverings, a moisture management solution will be required to stop excess subfloor moisture damaging coverings and adhesives and potentially causing floor failure.
Water-based moisture management systems, which are ideal for biologically sensitive school settings and effective where RH levels up to 95%, are now available. These products offer contractors a speedy way to bring new classrooms into use, delivering a barrier against residual construction moisture and rising damp with a drying time of under two hours.
Further advancements in flooring technology mean that single- coat epoxy waterproof surface membranes which provide protection against RH levels as high as 98% are also available in single coat, fast drying formulations to save valuable time.
PREPARING SMOOTH SUBFLOORS Once the floor is dry enough to proceed, a levelling compound should be selected to provide a surface suitable to receive the new floorcovering. In some areas of schools, colleges and universities, such as corridors, floors will be expected to receive high levels of daily foot traffic, so using a high- strength levelling compound will help ensure long-term durability of the floorcovering.
Fast-track levelling compounds that are 'walk-on' hard in 30 minutes and ready to receive new floorcoverings from 45 minutes are also available, allowing installations to proceed faster than ever. In education facilities, it is important to select levelling compounds that are low odour and protein-free, this ensures they are suitable for the most sensitive environments.
High performance levelling compounds that can be applied directly over bitumen and adhesive residues also offer significant timesaving benefits for contractors undertaking
30 | EDUCATION
refurbishment projects to a deadline. One such product, F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro, 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.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT ADHESIVE The contractor can then select a suitably fast-working adhesive to install appropriate floorcoverings. The choice of adhesive will often be determined foremost by what type of floorcoverings are being installed and where, but there are options for when timesaving is a priority.
Vinyl, which is easy to clean and maintain, is popular in educational facilities, and is best adhered by an adhesive with good initial tack and high final bond strength. Nowadays, acrylic and vinyl adhesives are available that build up a strong enough bond to allow for foot-traffic in less than an hour after the application of floorcoverings.
Carpet tiles are another popular choice for areas such as libraries or common rooms, not least for their ability to be removed and replaced if individual tiles become worn or damaged. For this floorcovering, a carpet tile tackifier provides a permanently tacky film that prevents the tiles from moving laterally under everyday traffic, while allowing individual sections to be lifted and replaced with ease. Carpet tile tackifiers are available that, once applied, only take 30 minutes to form a permanently tacky film ready to receive floorcoverings.
Always check the compatibility of particular floorcoverings and adhesives. To do this, contractors should consult the adhesive manufacturer’s Recommended Adhesives Guide or see the floorcovering manufacturers’ instructions.
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
