FLOORING contractors who undertake installations in office environments will likely be familiar with working over raised access floor panels. While their benefits in these settings have made them increasingly popular, they need special preparation before installing a floorcovering to ensure that the finished appearance is not compromised.

When installed, raised access panels normally have small gaps or joints where individual panels meet. When applying a smoothing compound directly over the top of raised access flooring, the product will sink into these gaps, potentially resulting in weak points, which apart from affecting the finished appearance of the installation, can cause the smoothing compound to crack and lose its integrity.

It’s therefore necessary to fill these gaps beforehand. This is no more important than when installing thin resilient floorcoverings, such as luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs).

Dual benefits
Says F Ball, ‘For this purpose, cement-based primers, including F Ball and Co’s Stopgap Fill and Prime, are available that fill the gaps between flooring panels while simultaneously priming the subfloor, saving valuable time. They have a thixotropic consistency, meaning they flow freely when stirred but set to a gel-like consistency on standing, enabling the joints to remain filled.

‘They’re also suitable for use over well-bonded, waterproof adhesive residues, prior to the application of the recommended smoothing compound. Stopgap Fill and Prime can also be applied to mechanically fixed and glued P5 flooring grade chipboard prior to the application of a recommended smoothing compound, removing the need to overboard the subfloor with plywood, saving valuable time and expense.

‘Similarly practical in office environments are carpet tiles. When installed using a carpet tile tackifier, such as F Ball’s Styccobond F41, individual tiles can be easily lifted and replaced when they become stained or worn – in walkways or areas occupied by chairs with castor wheels, for example.’
www.f-ball.co.uk