A LUXURY Here, F. Ball and Co. Ltd. provides expert advice on


In order to meet customers’ high expectations of finished results when installing luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs) and planks, it’s essential to follow best practice in subfloor preparation; taking steps to avoid imperfections in the finished result, including when adhering the floorcoverings. Ensuring a long- lasting, visually attractive flooring finish also necessitates avoiding common causes of floor failure, the most common of which is excess subfloor moisture


The application of a levelling compound will help to create a perfectly smooth base for the receipt of LVTs, avoiding subfloor imperfections affecting the finished appearance of the installation. Where high levels of subfloor moisture are detected, a moisture management solution will be required to stop floor failure. Finally, floorcoverings can be installed using a compatible vinyl adhesive. Selecting the optimum products at each stage of the process will help achieve optimum results quickly and efficiently.


Before any floorcoverings can be installed, the subfloor must be suitably smooth, dry and free from contaminants. If the subfloor is a newly-installed screed, laitance may still be present, and floors that are being refurbished may be contaminated with old adhesive residues. To avoid costly


16 | EXPERT ADVICE


floor failure, both laitance and contaminants should be mechanically removed before proceeding with a flooring installation. Specialist levelling compounds are available that can be applied directly over old adhesive residues, without the need to prime beforehand, such as Stopgap 1200 Pro from F. Ball and Co. Ltd.


GUARDING AGAINST DAMP As with any flooring installation, when preparing to install LVTs or vinyl planks, contractors should conduct a moisture measurement test to determine if the subfloor is dry enough to proceed. To do this, a digital hygrometer can be used to determine relative humidity (RH) levels. If subfloor RH levels are higher than 75% when resilient floorcoverings are to be installed, a waterproof surface membrane will be required to prevent subfloor moisture attacking the adhesive and floorcoverings, potentially causing complete floor failure.


Advanced products are now available that will isolate residual construction moisture where relative humidity values are up to 98% with a single coat application and will fully cure in as little as three hours.


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