APPLICATION: Subfloor preparation and flooring adhesives
PRODUCTS: Universal Primer, Screedmaster Ultimate, Bostik’s BEST, Laybond Carpet Tile Tackifier, EVO-STIK Sticks Like Turbo
LOCATION: The Arts & Design Building, University of Suffolk
Jay Montgomery, Project Manager, Top Floors: “The great thing about Bostik is how they make a contractor’s job easier. I can call them and know that within days they’ll be on site, providing me with a specification. I also know they’ll provide me with excellent technical and sales support going forward. Bostik are great people to work with – they really look after their customers.”
Bostik has supplied a host of subfloor preparation and flooring adhesive products for use on the refurbishment of the Arts & Design Building at the University of Suffolk. The products, combined with Bostik’s expert advice, enabled a faultless installation of the new floor coverings in the building.
Ipswich-based Top Floors was appointed by main contractor RG Carter to strip out the two-storey centre’s rubber stud tiles, which were installed when it was built in the early 1990s, and replace them with 700m² Altro Walkway vinyl and 500m2 of Burmatex Tivoli carpet tiles as well as new nosings for the staircases.
To ensure that the subfloors were prepared correctly, and that the new floor coverings were bonded as effectively and efficiently as possible, Top Floors approached Bostik for its specialist guidance and market-leading products.
Everything covered
In the early stages of the project, Bostik’s technical service consultant, James Rosher, and Area Sales Manager, Phil Godley, visited the site several times to carry out initial tests. These revealed no concerns with moisture in the subfloor. The focus was therefore to ensure that adequate preparation was carried out following the removal of the rubber stud tiles, and that a suitable smoothing compound was applied once the floors had been returned to a strong, sound base.
“As can be the case with projects like this, the removal of the existing floor coverings was quite a long-winded process,” explains Jay Montgomery, Project Manager at Top Floors. “I chose Bostik at the outset so we would get the benefit of their input throughout, as I knew that contracts can evolve and unexpected things come up.”
The perfect products
Once Top Floors had removed the previous floor coverings and cleared the building of dust, the company primed the subfloors using the versatile Bostik Universal Primer. This was then followed by Bostik’s two-part Screedmaster Ultimate smoothing compound, which offers excellent workability and flow characteristics.
To bond the vinyl floor coverings in the corridors and on the staircases, Top Floors applied Bostik’s BEST flooring adhesive. Suitable for an array of different floor types including vinyl, Bostik’s BEST dries rapidly to form a strong bond. It also offers best-in-class handling characteristics, excellent coverage rates and good resistance to plasticiser migration – one of the most common issues with vinyl flooring.
For the carpet tiles in the rooms, Bostik specified its Laybond Carpet Tile Tackifier. The key benefit of this is that Laybond Carpet Tile Tackifier is designed to provide a permanently tacky film when dry – thus enabling the easy removal and replacement of individual tiles in future, reducing the university’s ongoing maintenance costs.
Finally, Top Floors installed 100 new Quantum nosings on the building’s stairs using the high-strength Sticks Like Turbo adhesive from Bostik brand EVO-STIK.
Supplied in a cartridge, EVO-STIK Sticks Like Turbo is a high performance, fast setting grab adhesive that sets in just 15 minutes. It can be used on almost all building materials and is both weatherproof and water resistant. As it’s solvent free, it’s also ideal for use in occupied buildings.
“We were very happy with the products that Bostik supplied us with, and their technical support was second-to-none,” concludes Jay. “In terms of the finished refurb, we were really pleased with it – and I know that RG Carter and the university were too, which is what it’s all about. Bostik played a vital role in this.
“The great thing about Bostik is how they make a contractor’s job easier. I can call them and know that within days they’ll be on site, providing me with a specification. I also know they’ll provide me with excellent technical and sales support going forward. Bostik are great people to work with – they really look after their customers.”