F BALL and Co’s ‘market-leading, rapid-curing, flexible adhesive’, Stycco Flex, is known for its ability to bond almost any absorbent or non-absorbent material found in the flooring and construction industries, says F Ball.
‘The high strength build-up and fast curing time means it can secure stair-nosings and trims, without the need for mechanical fixings, in as little as 60 minutes. It can also be used to bond two impervious surfaces together.
‘The knowledge that plasticiser resistance and high dimensional stability is key to making adhesives suitable for installing PVC flooring accessories has enabled F Ball to make Stycco Flex 100% compatible with PVC skirting, capping and coving.
‘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.
Technological advancements mean the product provides advantages over contact adhesives, tapes and aerosols in these situations.
‘It can be applied to vertical substrates without slipping or sliding when using it to bond accessories in these types of situations and excellent gap-filling qualities make it ideal for installing vertical flooring accessories on rough surfaces.’
Case study
Stycco Flex, along with other F Ball products have delivered what’s described as a fast-track solution for refurbishing the iconic Nelson Staircase at Somerset House, London. As part of ongoing maintenance and improvement works, flooring contractor Carpet Culture was commissioned to restore the steps and one of the main landings of the historic Beaux-Arts staircase, which spans six floors and dates back to the late 18th century, when the Royal Navy occupied the building.
Stone effect LVTs were installed on the landing and risers and treads of the stairs, and Stycco Flex was used to affix Gradus stair-nosings, without mechanical fixings. The landing was destroyed by a bomb in the Second World War and subsequently restored with concrete, meaning that it would require raising in order for floorcoverings to meet the level of the original stone border, but less than the minimum application thickness of a smoothing compound. Additionally, work required completing over two nights, between the hours of 6-11pm, while the building was unoccupied, meaning there wasn’t time to mechanically prepare the concrete area.
Contractors, therefore, applied two coats of F Ball’s Stopgap Micro Rapid floor finishing compound to create what’s described as a perfectly smooth surface for the receipt of floorcoverings. ‘The product can be applied to a seamless feathered edge to repair minor surface defects in a range of absorbent surfaces, including sand/cement and calcium sulphate screeds.
‘Ideal for use where a flawlessly smooth surface is required to prevent imperfections affecting the finished appearance of new floorcoverings, Stopgap Micro Rapid is walk-on hard and ready to receive new floorcoverings from just 20 minutes after application. Priming is also not required prior to use, saving further time.
www.f-ball.co.uk
