GREAT OUTDOORS
Stephen Boulton, technical service manager at F. Ball and Co. Ltd., advises on heavy-duty products for heavy-duty settings, including outside.
Exterior and semi-exterior floors are frequently subjected to extreme temperatures, high foot traffic, surface water, frost, and snow. Installing floorcoverings in these environments necessitates the use of subfloor preparation products and adhesives with the ability to maintain strength over time and withstand exposure to the elements.
The steps to achieving a professional flooring finish outdoors are much the same as when working indoors, including ensuring a suitably smooth base for the receipt of floorcoverings. One special consideration is selecting suitably heavy-duty products. This means ones with the ability to withstand exposure to water, extremes of temperature and high footfall. This is also the case in many semi-exterior environments and transitional areas, such as garages or entranceways.
LEVELLING COMPOUNDS External flooring installations typically involve working over concrete or sand/cement screeds. It’s also possible that the screed will be uneven or damaged, particularly if the project is a refurbishment. In most cases, a levelling compound will be required to create a surface that is smooth and level for floorcoverings to be installed. The levelling compound must be weatherproof and able to withstand extremes of temperature.
F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s Stopgap 850 Exterior is purpose- designed for external use. It is suitable for smoothing and levelling screeds, including those that have become worn, impact damaged or weathered and can be used for patios, walkways, and balconies. Its resistance to water, oil, and grease, once fully cured, also makes it ideal for use in locations such as garages.
Applied in thicknesses between 5mm and 15mm, Stopgap 850 Exterior is resistant to frost and rain when fully cured. As well as smoothing and levelling a surface, Stopgap 850 Exterior can be mixed with aggregate to fill up to 50mm in situations where the concrete is particularly damaged or worn. If desired, the levelling compound can be used as a stand-alone exterior wearcoat, over a garage floor, for example. It is also suitable for the installation of artificial grass, as well as with vinyl or matting in transitional areas, such as entranceways.
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HEAVY DUTY ADHESIVES Once the levelling compound is fully cured, contractors can proceed straight to installing floorcoverings. Again, it is essential to choose an adhesive suitable for outside use.
The latest advancements in adhesives technology have enabled F. Ball to create a one-part, moisture-curing adhesive for internal and external heavy-duty applications: Styccobond F73 PLUS.
The adhesive has been specially developed to provide the high bond strength required to hold a wide range of floorcoverings in place in the most demanding environments, such as in areas subject to surface water, heavy loads and high foot traffic, including in transition areas and entranceways. The adhesive offers high initial grab, and fibres in the adhesive limit lateral movement, an advantage when installing LVTs, for example, preventing them from sliding as the next tile or plank is butted up to the previous row.
EASY APPLICATION Styccobond F73 PLUS is easier to apply and faster curing than traditional alternatives, requiring as little as 90 minutes to secure floorcoverings. The adhesive can be trowel-applied to a wide variety of sound, smooth subfloors, including concrete and sand/cement screeds. Its fast setting properties allow welding of sheet floorcoverings to take place from as little as two hours.
As always, it is 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 over 200 floorcovering manufacturers. It is available on the F. Ball website and as a free app, as well as a printed booklet. Contractors can also consult floorcovering manufacturers for advice.
www.f-ball.com
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