News & Reviews: Market Updates

Controlling

water and damp

The manufacturers of Eco-Insulation Cellulose Fibre Ceiling Insulation, a SABS-approved product made in an ISO9001:2015 certified factory, advises that clients make sure that when they install an insulation product in a home or office, that it carries a SABS mark or an equivalent stamp of quality, which ensures it is in line with the National Building Regulations (NBR).

The installer should also have an up-todate Product Compliance Certificate, issued by the Thermal Insulation Products & Systems Association of SA says a company press release.

In the home, a burst water pipe or geyser leak may happen with the geyser overflow tray overflowing causing mayhem. The ceiling could detach as a result of the additional load of water. Whatever happens, the room below will flood causing interior damage. Whatever the cause, this is an insured event and in most cases requires ceiling replacement. Make sure you are insured and that you have used an accredited plumber to do the original work. However, in cases of ordinary condensation of water vapour and smaller leaks, including rain and pinholes in pipes or joints, the building owner will be unaware of them until condensate or water trickles down through the insulation onto the ceiling, over time creating damp in the ceiling, cornices and walls and leading to damage.

However, when using cellulose fibre insulation, such condensate is readily absorbed before reaching the ceiling. Eco-Insulation is highly absorbent and this proves to be a strength of the product in this instance. The sun comes out and the roof space warms up, evaporation will occur because the product contains many air gaps. This helps the insulation to dry out. The product also helps to regulate ordinary humidity levels in your roof, avoiding condensation that can otherwise run down the walls into the rooms below.

Melamine laminate:

Bison offering evolves

PG Bison has replaced its Super White in Peen finish with Picco White in Strata finish across its BisonLam and SupaLam product ranges.

PG Bison

PG Bison has supplied BisonLam and SupaLam products into the market in its Super White, Peen finish for many years. While the BisonLam products are predominantly used for the interior carcasses of cabinets, SupaLam, specifically the single face option, is used in the spray and wrap door market. In 2020, the company launched its new Picco White colour in Strata finish as an alternative.

Making the most of new surface technologies, Picco White in Strata is designed to offer a more modern, matt and whiter finish than Super White in Peen, but with the same durability and easy-cleaning qualities PG Bison customers expect from all the company’s sealed melamine products, says the manufacturer.

“We view this new colour and finish as a superior product and therefore an evolution of our BisonLam and SupaLam offering,” explains Justin Berry, Marketing and Strategic Development Executive at PG Bison.

“It was developed in line with our vision to inspire and enable beautiful living spaces. Our longer term plan to phase out this product was accelerated due to a loss of a set of our Peen texture plates, an unfortunate mechanical setback suffered at our Ugie plant.”

Multimedia display

adds value to decor

In 1692, Spier was one of the very first farms established in Stellenbosch. It's home to a restored Manor House, an intriguing collection of Cape Dutch gables (more than any other farm in the country) and South Africa's oldest dated wine cellar.

Gareth Griffiths

There is also a magnificent hotel, which speaks to guests and visitors about sustainable development as they walk its spaces.

However, it is the Spier Art Collection, one of the largest contemporary collections of South African art in the country, that makes a bold decor statement - within the corridors of Spier facilities as well as its beautiful gardens.

This historical wine farm and hospitality centre has adopted a visionary policy with regard to stimulating the arts community in South Africa through projects that honour our African art heritage and enriches its future including over 1 000 pieces of original work, mainly indoors. Largescale sculptures add visual interest to the landscape while providing artists with a platform for their unique artistic expression. In fact, Spier has in excess of 31 permanent outdoor sculptures. This ‘external decor’ carries Spier’s sustainability and heritage themes into its beautifully and sustainably landscaped outdoor and farming spaces,

The fourth and highly anticipated edition of the celebrated annual Spier Light Art was presented during March and April, mostly outdoors. Visitors experienced an evocative world of light, sound and video art at the historic farm.

“We have used this opportunity during the global pandemic to look within, connect with loved ones and find joy in quiet moments of calm. But we have also sought ways to embrace the promises of the future. It would be rash not to reflect on what has happened to us all, but it must be tempered with forward-looking positivity. The artworks showcased at Spier Light Art 2022 did just that by asking us to glance back while looking ahead, learning from the past as we stride into the future,” said the curators, Jay Pather and Vaughn Sadie.

Specialised chemicals

used at major mine

Due to major water losses at the Pilanesberg Platinum Mine (PPM) in the North-West province, the 60m diameter tailings thickener on site required resealing, after which it had to be deemed watertight. Sika products were used.

Sika

Appointed by main contractors, LEOKA Project Management, Sika’s approved contractor, Con-Solve Civils, assessed the repair requirements and proposed a workable solution to the client by recommending that the old bandages and joint sealant be removed and totally replaced. The LEOKA engineering team supported the proposed solution and Sedibelo instructed Con-Solve Civils to proceed with the necessary repairs. Under normal circumstances this would have been an approximate 6 to 8 week project, but by working 12-hour day and night shifts, ConSolve Civils completed it in just two-and-ahalf weeks using:

Sikaflex®-11 FC, a multipurpose elastic adhesive and joint sealant, was applied to all construction joints as the secondary seal, before installing the Sikadur-Combiflex® SG, as the primary joint seal.

A total of 47 6.6lt Sikadur®-31 DW kits were used as the bedding mortar for the bandage system. Sikadur®-31 DW is a 2-part epoxy structural adhesive that has been specially formulated to meet the requirements for use in contact with drinking water.

As part of the Sikadur Combiflex® SG System, 188m of Sikadur-Combiflex® SG-20 P, 2mm x 250mm was used to waterproof the wall to floor joint, while 848m of Sikadur-Combiflex® SG 20P, 2mm x 200mm was used to waterproof floor joints. Sikadur-Combiflex® SG-20 P is a flexible waterproofing tape based on modified flexible thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), with advanced adhesion properties.

A total of 25 kits of Sikalastic®-152, a highly elastic cement-based coating, was applied on the wall joints incorporating a 5 x 5mm plastic lined glass fibre mesh, as well as next to the Sikadur-Combiflex® SG on the floor joints for additional waterproofing due to small surface cracks that formed on the concrete to provide an additional waterproofing and concrete protection against hairline cracks. It was also applied over wall construction joints with applicable plastic lined glass fibre matt for additional reinforcement.

Sika SA assisted Con-Solve with dedicated technical back-up service and on constant stand-by for stock requirements, meetings, and general client queries.