A range of subfloor preparation products from Bostik have been chosen by Titan Flooring for the development of a new building at the University of Huddersfield.
Titan Flooring was the main flooring contractor for the £27.5m development, which includes the new six-storey Oastler building that will house the University’s Law School and part of the School of Music, Humanities and Media.
The building has a range of environmental features which have helped it achieve BREEAM Excellent status.
A number of products from Bostik’s range were selected to ensure a superior floor finish across the Oastler building. These included the Screedmaster One Coat Membrane, Universal Primer and Screedmaster Epoxy Primer, along with the Screedmaster Deep, Screedmaster Flow and Screedmaster Smooth levelling compounds and Bostik Laybond Carpet Tile Tackifier.
The project provided Titan with some challenging site conditions and Bostik’s technical expertise and ability to quickly tackle any issues on site were instrumental in winning the work.
One of the biggest challenges encountered at the university was uneven subfloors. This was more prevalent in the circulation areas of the building, so Bostik advised that the flooring levels should be brought back to an acceptable tolerance by applying Screedmaster Deep in a controlled manner.
The versatility of the Screedmaster Deep self-levelling compound allows for application between 5mm to 50mm in a single step. It can also withstand foot traffic in as little as 90 minutes, meaning the project’s timescales would not be compromised.
David Cartwright, Director for Titan Flooring, said: “Bostik has a vast array of products within its portfolio and after their initial consultation and subsequent technical report, we were confident their recommendations were sufficient to meet the challenges we were faced with.”
Where Screedmaster Deep was required to raise the floor levels, an even film of Bostik’s Screedmaster One Coat Membrane was first applied to control the moisture levels within the subfloor. Screedmaster Epoxy Primer was then applied to improve the bond between the subfloor and levelling compound. Epoxy Primer is a two part, solvent-free, water dispersible primer that’s ideal for use when applying smoothing compounds above 10mm in depth.
Due to the nature of the calcium sulphate screeds used in other areas of the site, it was necessary to apply a diluted layer of Epoxy Primer prior to the application of the self-levelling compound. This provided a high-performance barrier to enable the two materials to work in combination. In areas where a traditional cement sand screed was present, Bostik specified the use of the Screedmaster One Coat Membrane, followed by its multi-purpose Universal Primer.
In order to give a superior finish on which to bond the final floor coverings, Bostik’s Screedmaster Flow and Screedmaster Smooth levelling compounds were selected due to their excellent flow and high strength characteristics.
Bostik Laybond Carpet Tile Tackifier was then used to bond the final floor coverings. This is designed to provide a permanently tacky film when dry, which facilitates the removal and replacement of carpet tiles without application of further adhesive.
Like other products in the Bostik professional flooring range, the Carpet Tile Tackifier complies with the requirements of BREEAM for flooring adhesives.
David Cartwright continues: “In addition to its system of high quality products, we choose to work with Bostik due to the impressive level of support we receive from all parts of the business. On the rare occasion that one of our managers reports a concern, the team at Bostik is very quick to visit the site to offer support and speedily provide a follow up report for us to issue to our client.”
“Titan Flooring operates nationally, over many sites, and orders from Bostik are always dealt with quickly with flexible and efficient logistics.”
