PALACE Chemicals has opened its new Skills Hub at its head office in Liverpool – extending its commitment to training for its customers, its own staff and the wider flooring sector. It has taken this initiative at a time when several established routes to training are becoming more difficult to access.

The company believes suppliers should step up and create their own training programmes and the necessary facilities to enable them to deliver training to the flooring sector.

The courses available from the new Skills Hub have been developed internally and in partnership with a number of leading brands in the sector. Working alongside multiple industry partners, the company continues to deliver educational courses designed to promote best practice in the industry for both new and experienced floorlayers.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the training activities offered by Palace Chemicals should contact the company directly.

Says Palace Chemicals: ‘Alongside its work on training, the company is also constantly developing and improving its product range for floorlayers. A unique product which the company offers is Pro Gyp-Base Fast Track Sealer – designed to greatly reduce the ‘time to tile’ when dealing with the minimum drying times normally applicable for anhydrite (calcium sulfate) screeds.

‘Pro Gyp-Base comprises a three-stage preparation system for fixing tiles on to screeded surfaces. It is sold as a kit, containing all the elements necessary to achieve a successful bond, including a primer, moisture suppressant and gritted primer.

‘Used together, the system allows for fast track installation of floorcoverings, when the screed is only seven days old (or 95% RH). It also avoids the need for a special gypsum adhesive or preparation, which is normally required for fixing tiles and other floorcoverings on to anhydrite screeds in order to prevent them from debonding.’

The company continues, ‘If used in tiling installations, the tiles may be fixed with 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 is sold in a 20kg pack.

‘The company’s range also includes fast-track levellers, thick bed levelling compounds, surface preparation aids and DPMs. Palace offers a wide range of more than ten different water mix and 2-part latex levelling products – such as Fast-Track and Fast-Flex, which are suitable for use in combination with underfloor heating (UFH) installations.’

Adds Palace Chemicals, ‘The range offer includes Thick Bed Fibre Reinforced Floor Levelling Compound, which can be used up to an 80mm bed depth. This product is particularly suited for installations incorporating heated sub-floor systems, where its ability to be laid to a thick-bed is sufficient to accommodate most types of wire or pipe-based heating systems. It can be laid over a wide range of different floor surfaces, such as tamped or worn concrete and sand/cement floor screeds. It can also be used on more challenging non-porous floors such as mastic asphalt, plywood and dense impermeable surfaces.’

Continues the company, ‘For installations where a rapid finish is required, Fast-Track Rapid Floor Leveller is the ideal solution. It’s a rapid setting floor levelling compound, which offers flooring professionals the ideal solution for time limited projects, where a ‘fast-track’ approach is required. These might, for instance, include retail projects where the amount of down time is required to be minimised or preferably eliminated.

‘This product is ready to be walked on in 30 minutes and can be tiled over in just 45 minutes. It can be used over a wide range of surface types, including concrete, sand/cement screeds, anhydrite screeds, dampproof membranes, flooring grade plywood, vinyl tiles – as well as underfloor heating systems.’

Palace Chemicals goes onto say, ‘Flow-Level 2-part latex-based floor levelling compound is another specialist product in the range. It comprises a moisture-tolerant compound of protein-free powder, which is mixed with 5 litres of Palace Flow-Level Latex additive, to give a highly flowable floor smoothing underlayment, which is recommended for application over or under a DPM. The Palace Flow-Level can be laid directly to the subfloor and the flat level finish it provides then gives an easier surface to be over-coated with DPM to ensure protection for subsequently applied moisture sensitive floorcoverings.’

Concludes the company, ‘The Palace range has been designed to ensure that any flooring project has the best possible foundation, whether it’s with the use of a sealer for your anhydrite screed or a leveller to maximise the effectiveness of your flooring adhesive. Combined with Palace’s enhanced commitment to training, its initiatives are helping drive up skill levels in the sector, increase the quality of contract flooring projects and boost customer satisfaction and profitability.’
www.palacechemicals.co.uk