F. Ball Delivers Showroom Finish

Fitters from flooring retailer Carpets R Us, in Taunton, used F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s Stopgap 1600 fast-drying, fibre-reinforced smoothing compound to encapsulate retrofitted water-fed underfloor heating boards as part of a textbook flooring installation in their own showroom.

After applying F. Ball’s Stopgap P131 primer over the system to promote the application characteristics of the smoothing compound, Stopgap 1600 was applied over the 90m2 cement board system affixed to the concrete subfloor. The product is formulated especially for use over underfloor heating systems and can be applied between 3 - 40mm thick to encapsulate electrical wired or water-fed systems installed over internal subfloors as part of new build or refurbishment projects in both domestic and commercial environments.

It is suitable for use over a wide range of absorbent and non-absorbent subfloors, walk-on hard from three hours after application and ready to receive floorcoverings in as little as 12 hours. F. Ball technical service officers recommend allowing 5-35mm of a smoothing compound above retrofit electrical wired or water-fed underfloor heating systems, depending on the type of system being installed (less for electrical wired systems) and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Once the smoothing compound had dried, fitters again primed the surface with Stopgap P131 primer before capping with a layer of F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 high-performance smoothing compound, which is walk-on hard in as little as 60 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from four hours. The showroom installation was completed with the installation of Gradus carpet tiles and Moduleo LVTs, showcasing the standard of workmanship that Carpets R Us customers can expect in their own homes.

Commenting on the project, Henry Griffin, Carpets R Us, said: “As well as using F. Ball yellow bucket adhesives, we exclusively use F. Ball smoothing compounds. This was the first time we’ve used Stopgap 1600 over a cement board water-fed underfloor heating system, and it is the perfect product for the job. We’re grateful to F. Ball’s Technical Service Department for advising on subfloor preparation, including priming and the minimum thickness of smoothing compound. This meant that everything went smoothly.” www.f-ball.com

F. Ball Products A Gift At Department Store Refurbishment

F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s Stopgap 1200 high-performance smoothing compound has been used to prepare subfloors where old adhesive residues were left behind as part of the refurbishment of the gift shop at Suffolk homeware and interiors department store: Glasswells.

The project itself is the first phase of a wider £500,000 renovation of Glasswells Bury St Edmunds location to modernise the showrooms and create more spacious, contemporary layouts and designs for cookshop, gifts, lighting, bedding and bath departments. Glasswells own flooring fitters began by removing the old carpet, Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs) and laminate floorcoverings before mechanically preparing the roughly 900m2 area, partially revealing the painted concrete subfloor beneath.

The surface was then primed using F. Ball’s Stopgap P141, which is designed especially to promote the adhesion of smoothing compounds to non-absorbent surfaces and coloured yellow to help gauge coverage. Stopgap 1200 was applied throughout the gift shop. It is formulated so that it can be applied over minimal old adhesive residues, eliminating the need for mechanical removal and saving time in these situations.

It is low-odour, self-smoothing and fast-drying. Applied at a thickness of 2-5mm, it is walk-on hard from 60 minutes and dry enough to receive floorcoverings in as little as four hours. The refurbishment of floors was completed with the installation of stone and wood-effect LVTs, showcasing the standard of workmanship that Glasswells customers can expect in their own homes.

Commenting on the project, Andrew Boreham, flooring manager and buyer at Glasswells, who supervised the work, said: “We were really pleased with how everything went and the finished result. We had two weeks to complete the project, and we finished with a few days to spare thanks to the high-performance nature of products used. We use F. Ball smoothing compounds and adhesives for customer projects, so we knew we could rely on them for this.” www.f-ball.co.uk