RUBBER floorcoverings are a popular choice for heavy-duty flooring installations, including in outdoor and transitional areas, such as entranceways, because they are durable and will not be damaged by water.

Traditionally, flooring contractors installing floorcoverings in these environments would require a polyurethane or epoxy-based adhesive.

Once cured, such heavy-duty products are resistant to water, oil and grease. Conventional flooring adhesives, on the other hand, may break down and soften when they come into contact with water, potentially causing floorcoverings to bubble or de-bond.

Now, advancements in adhesives technology have enabled the development of one-part, moisture-curing alternatives for heavy-duty installations, meaning contractors can now benefit from products which, apart from not requiring mixing, resulting in less waste, are also easier to apply than traditional options.

New developments
For example, says F Ball and Co, it’s developed Styccobond F73 PLUS, a one-part adhesive for internal and external heavy-duty environments, ‘which is also solvent and isocyanate free. The product develops the high bond strength to hold in place a wide range of textile and resilient floorcoverings, including vinyl, linoleum and rubber in areas that will be subject to heavy loads and high foot traffic, as well as surface water.

The heavy-duty adhesive is also fibre-reinforced, limiting the lateral movement of floorcoverings when placed into the adhesive, an advantage when installing vinyl tiles or planks over large areas’.

The company continues, ‘Styccobond F73 PLUS can be trowel-applied to a wide variety of sound, smooth subfloors, including concrete and sand/cement screeds, as well as Stopgap levelling compounds. It’s also faster curing than traditional alternatives, requiring as little as 90 minutes to secure floorcoverings. Its fast-setting properties allow welding of sheet floorcoverings to take place from as little as two hours.’

Compatibility check
Adds F Ball, ‘F Ball recommends that flooring contractors check the compatibility of a particular adhesive with a chosen floorcovering. For this purpose, F Ball produces its industry-leading recommended adhesives guide (RAG), which contains over 6,000 adhesive recommendations for floorcoverings from over 200 international manufacturers, for this purpose.

‘The latest guide is available as a printed booklet and features more recommendations than ever before, each the result of stringent testing and endorsed by the individual floorcovering manufacturer.

‘A continuously updated version of the RAG is also available as a free app and on the F Ball website. Flooring contractors can also consult floorcovering manufacturers’ guidelines for advice on floorcovering-adhesive compatibility.’
www.f-ball.co.uk