F BALL and Co’s Styccobond F3 is a water-based rubber/resin flooring adhesive, which is suitable for installing a wide range of textile floorcoverings, including hessian, felt, secondary latex and rubber foam backed carpets, as well as cork tiles up to 3.2mm thick.

More than 50 years since its original formulation launch, Styccobond F3 is, according to F Ball, still the UK’s most used adhesive for textile floorcoverings.

Says the company, ‘The adhesive offers excellent wet grab, rapidly builds up a high bond strength and is protected against biodegradation. It can be applied over Stopgap smoothing compounds, structurally sound, smooth, dry subfloors of concrete and sand/cement screed, plywood, flooring grade chipboard and hardboard.

‘It’s also suitable for use over normal underfloor heating systems and approved for use in marine flooring installations.’

Dual purpose
Continues F Ball, ‘It can also be used as part of a dual bond system, where an adhesive that creates a peelable bond is used to prevent underlay moving laterally when subject to normal foot traffic, while allowing it to be easily lifted without causing damage to the subfloor.

‘Styccobond F3 is then used to adhere carpet to the underlay to create a permanent bond to deliver an installation that won’t ruck, move or lift throughout its working life, but can be conveniently removed and replaced when it comes to refurbishing floors.

‘Styccobond F3 is compatible with most carpets and over 70% of the floorcoverings listed in F Ball’s Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG), which contractors can consult to check the compatibility of particular adhesives with over 6,000 floorcoverings produced by over 200 manufacturers.

‘A constantly updated version of the RAG is available on the F Ball website and as a mobile app, which is free to download from the Apple App store or Google Play.

‘Alternatively, contractors can contact F Ball’s technical service department, from 8.30am-5pm, Monday to Friday for advice on floorcovering-adhesive compatibility.’

New bucket designs
Says F Ball, ‘The adhesive now comes in iconic F Ball yellow buckets with new visual designs, which have been refreshed to aid selection and help flooring contractors assess value when comparing products.

‘The new designs have been introduced to simplify and modernise the look of the plastic buckets, in keeping with new smoothing compound sacks introduced last year, while the product formulations remain the same.

‘When empty, the buckets can also continue to be disposed of for recycling at participating locations, for free, as part of the F Ball Recycling Scheme.

‘Product information on the front of the buckets includes the adhesive name, key features and volume, as well as the instantly recognisable F Ball brand. In addition, the buckets now detail coverage rates to help flooring contractors work out how much of an adhesive they need for a particular project and compare value with alternative products, especially where competitor products are sold by weight rather than volume.’

Concludes the company, ‘QR codes on the reverse link to detailed technical information and videos demonstrating application, as well as F Ball’s Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG), allowing flooring contractors to easily check the compatibility of the adhesive and chosen floorcoverings.’
www.f-ball.co.uk