The Paddington Exchange project is a large residential development comprising of 123 stunning apartments in the heart of London. The project was carried out for main contractor, Bouygues UK.
Working with Chelmer Group, the main flooring contractor on the project, Bostik supplied a subfloor preparation package to cover approximately 20,000m2 of the new development. This included the Bostik Screedmaster Rapid DPM, One Coat Membrane and Universal Primer, as well as the Screedmaster Flow and Ultimate smoothing compounds.
A wide variety of floor coverings were installed on the project, including ceramic and porcelain tiles, timber, carpet, LVT and vinyl. Bostik provided an adhesives package to cater for the different characteristics of each covering, which included Bostik MC250 Vitri-Flex and Bostik MC310 OPF for the ceramic and porcelain tiles, as well as Bostik Laybond Wood, Carpet and Vinyl adhesives.
Technical expertise
As the installation took place during the winter months, the site presented some difficult working conditions such as increased moisture levels and limited timescales.
Carl Harper, Senior Contracts Manager for Chelmer Group, said: “Bostik’s wide product and service offering, including on-site testing and a team of technical experts made them the obvious choice for the London development.
“Having worked alongside Bostik on a number of projects previously, we were confident in the quality of the products specified. Bostik offers a complete package for flooring installations, from damp proof membranes and primers through to smoothing compounds and adhesives. This meant we could use products from a single brand throughout the project, safe in the knowledge that they were all compatible.”
Minimising downtime
After Bostik’s technical team visited the site and carried out a hygrometer reading to test for moisture in the screed, it was recommended that a surface damp proof membrane be used prior to the flooring installation, as the moisture levels were above the recommended 75% relative humidity (RH). Bostik’s Screedmaster Rapid DPM was specified as it has a fast drying time of approximately one hour, which granted quicker access to the site and minimised downtime, along with the Screedmaster One Coat Membrane.
Specialist products
Once the damp proof membranes had cured, an even coating of Bostik’s Universal Primer was applied to enhance interaction between the subfloor and the smoothing compound.
Carl added: “The Paddington Exchange development had an almost non-existent water supply on site so we chose to use Bostik’s Screedmaster Flow and Ultimate smoothing compounds across various areas of the project, which are two-part products supplied with a polymer liquid.
“Both products have excellent workability and flow characteristics, making them quick and easy to use. We were left with an exceptionally smooth surface on which we could bond the various floorcoverings during the final stages of the installation.
“Thanks to Bostik’s support, the installation was completed within deadline resulting in satisfaction for the client and peace of mind for Chelmer Group knowing that we had achieved highly professional results.”
