Using the correct adhesive is vital for a successful flooring installation:

BAL Level Max, the new all-in-one leveller with Fibre Strand Technology (FST), is said to be able to bed depths up to 80mm and is suitable for use over most bases including timber.

Combining the benefits of BAL’s levelling expertise, Level Max is described as providing contractors and specifiers with a complete, all-in-one product for preparing a finished internal floor surface for the installation of tiles, natural stone, vinyl or soft furnishings.

Competitively priced, Level Max is claimed to reduce overall project costs and duration significantly with easier and faster installation.

With 30 minutes open-time, it is designed to provide a longer working time, yet it can be tiled or carpeted after only four hours.

Furthermore, it reportedly only requires a depth of 3mm over timber providing massive coverage benefits.

Suitable for levelling most backgrounds, the product is said to offer key features including added flexibility and strength, self-smoothing capability, excellent flow and a protein free formulation.

BAL Level Max is described as being extremely versatile for commercial projects as it is pumpable and achieves coverage of 5sq m at 3mm bed depth.

Available in 25kg packs, BAL Level Max can be used to install tiles or floorcoverings even on key installations such as underfloor heating.

It also includes BAL’s 25-year guarantee and technical support team. www.bal-adhesives.com
Bostik has introduced new branding and packaging, making it even easier for tiling professionals to specify, order and stock its extensive range of tiling products.

The new look is being rolled out across wall and floor tile adhesives including single part flexible, thick and thin bed, and rapid set flexible, as well as wall and floor grouts including smooth finish, pourable, wide joint and showerproof.

All products now carry the Bostik name for ease of ordering and the new packaging, complete with the new Bostik gecko, makes them highly identifiable.

The new look is also being applied to product literature and a wide range of retailer POS, and the consistent new appearance will help professional users to identify more products from one of the world’s largest manufacturers of smart tiling adhesives and grouts.

Katharine Egerton of Bostik said:

‘The products themselves remain the same, offering all the performance and quality that tiling professionals know and trust.

‘By refreshing their appearance, we’re making it easy for professionals to quickly identify the right product for the job from our extensive range and we’ll be driving awareness later in 2015 with a new advertising campaign!’

The new branding is being introduced throughout 2015 to over 200 Bostik, Screedmaster, Laybond, Cementone and Cempolay products. www.bostik.co.uk

F Ball and Co created Styccobond F5, the fast-track vinyl floorcovering adhesive.

Fast drying and solvent free, Styccobond F5 has been designed to allow for maximum flexibility when installing a wide range of tile and sheet vinyl floorcoverings in fast-track applications.

The fibre-reinforced formulation of Styccobond F5 reportedly has excellent initial grab and fast drying properties that allow for early placement of floorcoverings.

Vinyl tiles can be placed immediately, but F Ball suggests allowing the adhesive to dry for just five minutes, which will significantly reduce the risk of tiles sliding.

The highly versatile adhesive is also said to offer an extended open time of up to 90 minutes.
Once a floorcovering has been installed with Styccobond F5, the area can reportedly receive foot traffic immediately, minimising the downtime of the area, which is ideal for fast-track projects.

Styccobond F5 is part of F.Ball’s Fast Track Solutions range, which also includes rapid drying waterproof surface membrane Stopgap F78 and the rapid set, rapid dry smoothing underlayment, Stopgap Fast-Track 30.

These products, combined, will reportedly allow flooring contractors to complete a vinyl floorcovering installation in as little as three hours. www.f-ball.co.uk

Floorwise says its F592C one-part synthetic contact spray adhesive is now available in 17kg canisters.

It is claimed to be the only adhesive installers should need for larger scale applications.
Simultaneously saving time, money and effort, the 17kg option reportedly contains adhesive to cover up to 150sq m of surface area, focusing on convenience as well as product performance.

Combining super-fast spray action with exceptional bond strength, F592C comprises a high solid/low solvent ratio, reputedly ensuring more adhesive is left on the floor when tested against more solvent-based competitor products.

This is said to equate to a stronger bond for the same level of coverage, offering a solution for bonding the widest range of materials.

These are not limited to carpet, and include matting, rubber or most vinyls, bonding onto wood, metal, concrete or stone.

Furthermore Floorwise F592C has a directional nozzle, designed to offer tight control for a tidy finish. The product’s ability to withstand high temperatures makes it suitable for use over underfloor heating or on public transport vehicles.

Additionally, F593C super contact spray adhesive is said to be suitable for the most arduous of projects, especially those requiring extra strength in their product selection.

Reducing the need for double spraying, F593C is described as a premium adhesive that makes jobs easier. www.floorwise.co.uk

Kerakoll UK has a comprehensive range of high performance flooring adhesives for wood, laminate, vinyl, textile and ceramic, all of which have been developed to be as friendly to the environment and human health as possible.

The H40 Eco range of adhesives includes a number of different products all of which are formulated to perform to an extremely high standard in different situations.
One of these, H40 Eco Flotex is described as being an easy to spread, single component adhesive which performs well on floors that are exposed to water, heavy traffic and concentrated loads.
It is said to cover the backs of tiles fully without the need for back buttering, making it suitable for use with large format tiles, especially as it is quick and easy to adjust.

It has reportedly been employed on many projects in the UK, including John Lewis’ Exeter store refurbishment, all of the Boux Avenue stores and the busy lobby of the Dorset Search and Rescue Centre where it was used to fix extra-large 1m x 1m tiles which were 6cm thick; the size and weight of which made back buttering impossible.

The Slc range for hardwood flooring is made up of seven adhesives with different characteristics for different situations including heated and flexible substrates.

The range for resilient materials consists of 11 different adhesives for use with PVC, rubber, vinyl, carpeting and linoleum in a variety of substrates.

It includes Slc Eco PU 70 and SP70 both of which are said to be suitable for laying artificial turf on outside pitches and three variations of Slc Eco S45 for creating coving sections when laying between walls and floors and on stairs and corners.
www.kerakoll.co.uk

Osmo UK supplies MS-Plus adhesive for wood flooring. Described as being suitable for use in residential and commercial interiors, Taylor Timberline MS is a solvent-free product said to give great performance and comes backed by Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification.

Available from Osmo UK, Taylor Timberline MS Flexible wood flooring adhesive is a one component 100% solids, cross linking, MS polymer-based adhesive formulated for the interior installation of all types of wooden flooring including wood block parquet, engineered wood plank, acrylic impregnated plank, bamboo and pre-finished and unfinished solid wood flooring.

Taylor Timberline MS is also said to have good concrete moisture inhibition capability as well as good sound reduction properties.

The product is solvent- and isocyanate-free, has negligible VOC content, contains no hazardous chemicals as per OSHA Regulation CFR 1910.1200 and is a nonflammable, low odour adhesive that meets all relevant indoor air quality regulations.

This specially formulated adhesive reputedly has good early strength build-up for immediate grab and quickly builds into a tenacious but elastic resilient bond as the adhesive cross-links, says Osmo.

Timberline MS features the latest advances, Meta-Tec adhesive technology, which utilises ‘cross-linking’ chemistry technology to create a permanent bond that when fully cured, is waterproof and extremely strong, as well as environmentally friendly.

Meta-Tec products are one-part formulations that are claimed to replace and out-perform more costly epoxy, urethane, and acrylic adhesives, and are described as easy to use, easy to clean up, and very installer friendly.

Helping to avoid mess, Taylor 600cc Sausage is designed to ensure quick and accurate application, while allowing users to administer the adhesive using a bulk gun, giving them complete control.

Taylor Timberline MS can reportedly be used over APA grade underlay plywood, association grade particleboard, fully secured cork underlay, existing well-bonded vinyl, tile and sheet flooring, terrazzo, cementitious and anhydrite screeds, concrete, and radiant heated subfloors where surface temperatures do not exceed 85degF (30degC).

Taylor’s Meta-Tec Adhesive Solutions and Envirotec Healthguard Adhesives have received Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification and continue to be monitored to ensure their low emitting status.

Taylor claims to be the first flooring adhesive manufacturer to subject their products to the scientifically rigorous testing of the Greenguard Certification Programme. www.osmouk.com www.wftaylor.com www.greenguard.org

T&R Floor Covering Distributors supplies a range including a variety of F Ball adhesives, for the installation of textile, vinyl and rubber floor coverings.

Best-selling options include Styccobond F3, F5, F44 and F46 all designed to provide a high strength, solvent-free application.

All systems are available from extensive stock, for standard two-day delivery or next day by request.

For carpet installation, F3 is a rubber/resin adhesive that is said to provide good wet grab and is protected against bio-degradation.

It is suitable for the application of carpets and cork tiles, up to 3.2mm thick. F5 is designed for the fast-track installation of vinyl flooring. The solvent-free, fibre-reinforced adhesive is fast-drying and reputedly provides long open time and exceptional initial grab.

F44 is an acrylic emulsion adhesive suitable for vinyl sheet, tile, rubber and some textiles.

Features include a high bond strength, strong initial tack, long open time and protected against bio-degradation.

The fourth best seller, F46 is a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive that dries to a permanent tacky film and reduces trowel serrations shadowing through thin floorcoverings.

Designed for vinyl tile and sheet products, the high strength adhesive also has excellent tack and plasticiser resistance.

The vinyl adhesives, F44 and F46, as well as F3 are also approved for marine use and can be applied over most underfloor heating systems.

Other T&R adhesive brands include Ardex, Laybond, Tilemaster, Tremco, Ultra Floor and Uzin.