The company’s Stopgap 1200 Pro levelling compound was used to create a base for new floorcoverings as part of ‘The Secret Garden’, a charitable restoration project at Glenfield Hospital, part of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. The Secret Garden project aims to transform a disused Victorian walled garden and outbuildings to create a calming space, incorporating an indoor area which will eventually become a café for hospital staff, patients, and visitors to the Leicester Glenfield Hospital.
Contractors from Leicester-based W. Blackburn & Son supported the project by undertaking the refurbishment of the outbuilding’s 69m2 floor to provide the staff who are caring for patients during the Covid-19 pandemic with some indoor sheltered space to break away from the hospital environment.
Work commenced with the removal of a heavily stained carpet and a small area of vinyl sheet. To ensure the subfloor was the same level throughout the building, it was necessary to flatten a high point, which had been created by the removal of an internal wall, by mechanical means.
After ensuring that the subfloor was sufficiently sound, dry and free of contamination, contractors proceeded to apply F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro, fast setting, fast drying, two-component levelling compound to the floor at a thickness of 3mm. The product can be applied directly over old adhesive residues, without the need to prime beforehand, allowing valuable time to be saved.
Stopgap 1200 Pro is also protein and latex free, making it suitable for use in clinical and biologically sensitive areas. The levelling compound can also be used in other hospital areas, including laboratories and clean rooms.
Finally, Polyflor Polysafe QuickLay PUR loose-lay vinyl sheet was installed, with joints welded and a silicone sealant used to affix the floorcovering to skirting boards.
Commenting on the project, Gavin Hempenstall, Contracts Manager at W. Blackburn & Son, said: “We use F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro for the majority of our jobs, and it was particularly useful for this one. The hospital wanted the indoor space to be ready for VE Day celebrations, and the product’s ability to be used straight over old adhesive residues, without the need to prime, allowed for work to be completed in time.”
