PALACE Chemicals says it offers one of the market’s widest ranges of flooring adhesives and preparation products, including fast track levellers, thick bed levelling compounds, smoothing and levelling compounds, surface preparation aids and DPMs.

This range is now joined by Pro Gyp-Base Fast Track Sealer – a product designed to greatly reduce the minimum drying times normally applicable for anhydrite (calcium sulfate) screeds. The new product comprises a three-stage preparation system for fixing ceramic and porcelain tiles on to screeded surfaces. It’s sold as a kit containing the elements necessary to achieve a successful bond, including a primer, moisture suppressant and gritted primer, says the company.

‘Used together, the system allows for fast-track installation of floorcoverings, without detracting from the overall screed strength. It also avoids the need for a special gypsum adhesive, which is normally required for fixing tiles and other floorcoverings onto anhydrite screeds in order to prevent them from debonding.

‘Pro Gyp-Base Fast Track Sealer can be used on heated or unheated anhydrite screeds. A 15kg kit contains everything required to prepare and seal approximately a 25sq m area. In an ambient temperature of 20deg C, drying times are down to two hours for the first primer coat and 24 hours for the second primer coat. The moisture suppressant and gritted primer require a total of three hours drying time before tiling commences. Screeds need to be a minimum of seven days old and have a maximum relative humidity of 95%.’

The company continues: ‘After drying, tiles may be fixed with the Palace Multi-Flex S1 Adhesive. This is a grey or white cement-based, flexible, fibre-reinforced, cementitious S1 adhesive specially formulated for fixing fully vitrified porcelain, ceramic and stone tiles. It has a setting time of three hours at 20deg C permitting early trafficking of the tiled installation. The adhesive has excellent thermal ageing properties making it suitable for use on heated floors. It’s sold in a 20kg pack.’

‘This system is designed to tackle one of the key issues associated with the increasingly common anhydrite screeds, namely extended drying times, which can be up to 80 days for a 60mm screed,’ says Steve Ball, commercial director at Palace Chemicals. ‘This new addition to our range should prove a real benefit onsite for flooring contractors.’
www.palacechemicals.co.uk