ON THE TILES
Trimline Group outlines the importance of levelling compounds and presents a recent case study in a prestigious four-star London hotel.
Levelling compounds are essential when seeking to achieve the ultimate surface for laying flooring materials. Suitable for removing dips in levels and height differences, nowadays there is a self-levelling compound for every type of substrate and surface finish.
A typical levelling compound is a cement-based powder, often incorporating polymers which make the final cured product more flexible, and fibres, which make it stronger and allow it to be laid in a thinner layer.
Achieving a smooth surface takes an ingenious compromise between the products – too much fibre and the mix won’t flow and smooth, less fibre means the mix is easy to move and spread, but won’t be so strong.
Flexibility is especially important when laying a levelling compound over under-floor heating wires. Heating elements incur extra stresses on the flooring; expansion and contraction can be accommodated in levelling compounds that have the right mix of polymers and fibres. However, polymers are made of relatively hi-tech advanced chemicals, and are correspondingly an expensive additive.
Water added to a cement product is the agent that triggers the curing and hardening process (fully drying takes longer than the initial cure). All this water must also evaporate, before the next layer is applied, especially if this layer is moisture sensitive.
CASE STUDY: THE DORSETT CITY HOTEL Trimline Group based in Sydenham, London, was recently asked to provide a levelling compound for use on a prestigious four-star development, The Dorsett City Hotel.
A stone’s throw from London Bridge on Aldgate High Street, EC3, this 13-storey hotel development with 267 rooms, boasts modern architecture and design, alongside two restaurants and a rooftop terrace bar with panoramic views of London's iconic skyline.
38 | LEVELLING COMPOUNDS
The application required a high strength levelling compound, which would provide a sound, smooth and level surface, compatible with soft and hard flooring finishes. Tilexpert TX50 is a premium grade self-levelling floor compound suitable for 2-50mm thickness. Fast setting and flexible, the compound is also pumpable and offers no shrinkage. Polymer modified and protein free compound, the TX50 is suitable for use over most common substrates, it provides coverage of 1.8kg per m²/mm, and suitable for use with underfloor heating.
Alan Rock of Moore and Rock Tiling Contractors who carried out the work, was quick to praise the Tilexpert TX50 product used on the project. “It was absolutely brilliant” he said. “The lads loved it, and as it was so easy to mix by hand, this made it unlike anything else we had ever used before. The fact that we used over 145,000kg of the TX50 on this project, is a testament to how easy we found it to work with. Using the amount of water recommended, the compound finished perfectly smooth and flat each time.”
“With a setting time of just 2 hours, the TX50 allowed us to complete each area in record time”
He also commented on the advice and support that he received from Trimline, saying that the coverage calculations provided were “spot on”.
Keith Cooper, the account representative at Trimline, said: “We enjoyed working on this project, and the fact that we were able to provide an excellent solution for the contractor was very rewarding. As we are determined to be knowledgeable and trusted partners to our clients businesses, providing excellent service coupled with a bespoke standard of customer care is central to everything that we do. Based in London, with Warehousing and Distribution located on the edge of the M25, we are well placed to work with some of the UK’s most ambitious construction and tiling companies.
www.trimlinegroup.com www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com
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