Norcros Adhesives has been involved in an exciting project to replace the floor at a popular branch of Cineworld in Harlow.
The substrate of the existing tiled floor was an anhydrite screed, which had not been allowed to dry out properly prior to the laying of tiles and as a result these had failed to adhere properly, which was beginning to cause problems.
It was a £60,000 project for commercial interior specialists Bentley Rowe, who needed to completely strip out and re-tile the foyer area at the cinema. As an added logistical challenge, the management wanted to keep the cinema open, so hoardings were erected with extraction to minimize noise, avoid dust and keep customer flows going in the areas that needed to be kept accessible. The cinema is situated within a shopping centre, so any disturbance to neighbours had to be taken into account as well.
As well as incorrect drying of the anhydrite screed, leading to moisture trapped under the tiles, the team from Norcros Adhesives found that the original surface hadn’t been sanded or properly prepared. So there was poor adhesive coverage and poor adhesion to the tiles.
Due to the nature of the substrate and the fact that these were quartzite tiles, Norcros Adhesives carried out full lab testing in order to determine the correct adhesive to use and produced a remedial M40 tiling specification.
The work involved correct preparation of the existing anhydrite screed and the removal of laitance and contamination from the surface of the screed by sanding and vacuuming. The surface was then primed, using progressively stronger coats of Norcros Prime Bond. The adhesive specified was Norcros Rapid Porcelain Grey S1 Tile Adhesive, with a joint width of 3mm. For grouting Norcros 4 Into 1 Wall & Floor Tile Grout was specified.
Norcros Rapid Porcelain S1 Tile Adhesive is a rapid-setting cement-based adhesive with a bed thickness of 2-10mm suitable for fixing porcelain and stone tiles to a variety of building surfaces. It features superior flexural strength, an extended open time, improved bed thickness and crack bridging properties, due to the polymer strand technology incorporated in the formula.
Norcros 4 into 1 Wall & Floor Tile Grout is a fine-textured, polymer-modified, anti-bacterial, rapid setting wall & floor tile grout for use in joints from 1mm to 12mm. It is suitable for use with ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, glass or mosaic tiles.
“This was a very satisfying project for us to be involved with,” says Nick Bratt, National Specification Manager at Norcros Adhesives. “By using Norcros Adhesive products we were able to overcome the issues that the customer was experiencing with the previous floor – and the end result looks superb. As a result of excellent collaboration with Bentley Rowe, the project was completed on time and within budget.”
For more information visit www.norcros-adhesives.com
