Interplanetary project
February 1, 2021
High performance subfloor preparation products and adhesives from F. Ball and Co. Ltd. have been used to install floorcoverings as part of a refurbishment to transform a 19th century school into a community centre incorporating a planetarium, pottery studio, and a gin distillery.
Johnston School, in Kirkcudbright, had fallen into disrepair since its students relocated over a decade ago. Now, a charitable renovation project managed by the Kirkcudbright Development Trust has brought new life into one of the town’s most beloved buildings. The refurbishment houses a nursery, conference rooms, facilities for youth groups, as well as a gin distillery and the project’s main attraction, the Dark Skies Visitor Centre.
At the start, contractors were faced with a plywood subfloor in the former main hall of the school and a stone base throughout the rest of the building. F. Ball’s Stopgap F77 waterproof surface membrane was chosen to provide a barrier to stop excess subfloor moisture attacking adhesives and floorcoverings and Stopgap 1200 Pro, a high-performance, fast-setting, fast-drying levelling compound, was used to create a smooth base for the application of the waterproof surface membrane. For the plywood subfloor in the main room, F. Ball’s Stopgap 700 Superflex fibre-reinforced levelling compound was applied to create a smooth base.
F. Ball’s Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive acrylic flooring adhesive was used to install Surestep safety vinyl sheet Styccobond F46 was selected to reduce the incidence of trowel serrations shadowing through thin vinyl flooring, whilst also providing a strong initial tack to assist flooring contractors when positioning floorcoverings. In the conference rooms and offices, Tretford carpet was adhered using Styccobond F3 adhesive.
Roy Henderson, Managing Director at contractors A&H Flooring Ltd., said: “The Johnston Centre was a substantial refurbishment project, with high expectations from the local community. Therefore, we knew we had to select the best products, which would not only achieve a stunning floor finish but enable the floor to withstand thousands of visitors and people to make the most of the building for many years to come.”
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BUSINESS NEWS
Imports of soft flooring including wall-to-wall carpet and rugs were up 8.8% to £74.75m in March, according to HMRC data compiled by The Furnishing Report. With this increase, imports of carpet grew faster during the period than alternatives like vinyl.
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