Guarantee optimum results for LVT

Given the premium associated with LVTs and customers’ high expectations for finished results, it is useful to know how to ensure a flawless finish when installing them. Neil Sanders, technical director at the UK’s leading manufacturer of subfloor preparation products and adhesives for floorcoverings, F. Ball and Co. Ltd., talks through what is involved.

A long-lasting, visually attractive flooring finish when installing luxury vinyl tiles or planks involves following the basic principles of subfloor preparation, as well as taking precautions to avoid common causes of floor failure. This can be broken down into a few simple steps. Careful product selection at each stage of the process will also help optimise the installation.

Creating a base

F. Ball recommends that a smoothing underlayment is applied over the subfloor to create a perfectly smooth base for the receipt of floorcoverings and ensure that the visual appearance of an installation is not compromised by imperfections in the subfloor showing through.

Before you apply a smoothing underlayment, the first step in any flooring installation should be to check that the subfloor is suitably sound, smooth and dry. Any laitance and contaminants should be mechanically removed.

At this stage, a moisture test should be conducted to determine if the subfloor is dry enough to receive floorcoverings. Where Relative Humidity (RH) levels are higher than 75%, a moisture management solution will be required to prevent moisture attacking flooring adhesives and causing resilient floorcoverings to blister and lift, potentially ruining the appearance of the installation. The usual solution for suppressing excess subfloor moisture is the application of a liquid waterproof surface membrane.

F. Ball recommends the application of a smoothing underlayment to ensure the finished appearance of a flooring installation

Prime importance

You also need to prime the subfloor. Primers promote adhesion between the subfloor and the smoothing underlayment applied over it. Applied over absorbent subfloors, they also stop the unacceptably rapid drying of smoothing underlayments, which can result in insufficient strength build up and a reduction in the open time or wet edge of the smoothing underlayment. Another benefit of priming is reducing ‘pinholing’: small holes in the smoothing underlayment that have the appearance of pinholes or blisters caused by the slow escape of air from absorbent surfaces as the smoothing underlayment cures.

Adhesive selection

To adhere the LVTs to the smoothing underlayment, pressure sensitive adhesives, such as F. Ball’s Styccobond F46, are usually the best choice. They form an instant grab upon contact, so installers don’t need to worry about tiles or planks sliding about when they are working, making them ideal for installations with intricate designs or patterns.

Styccobond F46 is part of F. Ball’s ‘System LVT’ range, which comprises waterproof surface membranes, primers, smoothing underlayments and adhesives that used correctly and in combination F. Ball guarantees will result in an aesthetically pleasing floor finish that lasts the lifetime of the installation. The range also features pressure sensitive adhesives with a variety of other specialist attributes, including moisture tolerance and the ability to hold vinyl floorcoverings firmly in place in areas exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations (from -20°C to +60°C).

Compatibility check

Finally, it is highly recommended that contractors always check the compatibility of particular floorcoverings and adhesives. To do this, you can consult the floorcovering manufacturer’s guidelines. Alternatively, F. Ball produces a Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG), which lists adhesives recommended for use with over 6,000 floorcoverings produced by over 200 manufacturers. The guide is available as a free app or a printed booklet. An interactive version can also be found on the F. Ball website. Alternatively, contractors can contact F. Ball’s technical service department, from 8.30am–5.00pm, Monday to Friday, for advice on adhesive compatibility.

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