The right choice for tiling in leisure environments

leisure

Specifying adhesives and groutswww.powerspeconline.com

CI/SfBSt3

September 2010

S P E C I F I E R S U P P O R T

In any leisure environment, whateverits nature, appearance matters. Everyproduct on show has to look right, aswell as doing its job.

Tiling is special. In a pool, hotel, stadium, clubhouse or elsewhere,users can admire your tilework, butwhat about the adhesives and groutsholding it in place? They only noticethese if they fail. Your product choiceis as vital as the tiles themselves – and getting it wrong has serious consequences.

BAL, the market leader, has built its enviable reputation by helping specifiers to ensure that they selectthe right products first time, every time.

Only BAL can offer unrivalledspecifier support

Problem-solving expertise

Informed, intelligent answers to remove any doubts in unusual or challenging situations.

Full technical support

From right-now answers to telephonequeries to all-embracing site inspectionand reporting. Where appropriate, industry-leading training is readilyavailable.

Complete solutions

Adhesives, grouts and allied productsthat exactly match the needs of thespecific tiles and tiling environment.

Unquestioned quality

Respected by professionals, reflecting decades of consistent,proven performance.

Practical benefits on-site

Product formulations to help tilers, including time-saving options, with assured, short-notice availability nationwide. Site visits quicklyarranged as appropriate, when real in-person expertise is required.

Guaranteed results

Take assurance from the industry’slongest warranty: 25 years. It coversevery adhesive, grout, sealant, preparation or other product bearingthe BAL name, subject to the usual‘correct use’ conditions.

When you specify tiling for any leisurefacility, you can trust the quality thatonly the market leader can deliver.

Add it all together and you know that, for quality that goes beyond appearances, you should insist onBAL for your leisure facility tiling.

Beyond appearances

Excellence is the lowest acceptablestandard when specifying tiling for aleisure facility. If problems arise, theimpact is rarely trivial.

In March 2010, a Kent Council announced a 12-week facility closure,“so that the cracked and de-bondedtiles in the swimming pool floor can be removed and replaced.” They were,“very disappointed that this has happened within three years of (the centre) reopening.”

Serious loss of revenue may be onlythe most immediate effect. Damagedreputation may endure indefinitely.

The first paragraph reviewing a 50-bedroom Derbyshire hotel mentions, “bits of the tile grout thatcould have done with renewing.” That June 2009 review is still online,deterring potential customers.

Even the biggest names can suffer.One review of a Hilton facility isheaded, “Only Average… And TheyNeed to Call the Grout Doctor.” Thatreview says, “the most unappealingpart of the hotel was the condition of the grout.”

“Embedded dirt in the tile grouting,”“bathroom tile grout was stained,”and, “grouting round the bath neededattention,” are all guest commentsposted online about a four-star hotel.

Such problems have more in commonthan their remedial costs and lastingreputation damage. All were avoidable,at the specification stage.

BAL can help

Leisure sector tiling involves more thanselecting attractive tiles.

If your tiling is to endure, meeting suchstandards as BS 5385, BS EN 12004,BS EN 13888 and others, you mustspecify from more than 25 types of task-specific adhesive and numerous grouts.

Allowing contractors to choose theirown materials is an abdication whichmay return to haunt you. Let BAL help.Created to produce the best professionaltile adhesives and grouts, it has led themarket for four decades. Its experts dispense free, impartial tiling consultancy to 50,000 callers annually.

For peace of mind, start your leisure facility tiling specification by calling the BAL Technical Advisory and Specification Service.

Tiling matters

Solutions for leisure environments:

Proven excellence

BAL’s expertise has been proven, timeafter time, on real leisure projects.

Refurbishing the Villa Marina Arcadeinvolved 1,800 m2 of bars, performanceareas and access routes, a complex,precise tiling design and sensitivity toan historic environment.

With underfloor heating involved onone level, flexibility was key, as it wasin areas with multiple pillars weakeningthe floor at particular points. Rampsprovided movement challenges, as did glass roofing adjoining tiling. BAL support was constant, before and during the project, on- and off-site.

Luxury tiling for The Carrick meant4,000 m2 of porcelain tiles, limestonetiles, mosaics, pebbles and more. In varying sizes, colours and combinations. On a range of surfaces,in differing environments. The poolarea alone involved four different tile

Key basic needs for Specifiers

n Adhesive compatibility with tiles/location

n Consistent product quality

n Reliable bonding

n Assured performance and durability

n High standards of workmanship

types, from non-slip flooring to glassmosaics. In one area, the specificationchanged mid-project from ceramic tilesto pebbles; in another, the original tileswere dropped in favour of mosaics.

Throughout, the choice of adhesivesaffected workers’ access times toproject areas. BAL expertise was onhand at every stage from initial designonwards. Reviewing the completedproject, the main contractor applauded,“what can be achieved with excellentcommunications.”

One refurbishment, one new build:both times, future problems were prevented at the outset, through correctadhesive and grout specification. BAL provided the answers.

Solutions for leisure environments:

Vital differences

Replacing or repairing tiling can costmore than the initial installation. Whentiling cracks, lifts, warps or completelyde-bonds, it is usually due to use of the wrong adhesive. Specifying a good product is not enough: it has to be the right, task-specific, product.

The type of tile used can dictate orconstrain the choice of adhesive. Certain types of natural stone demanda white adhesive. Porcelain tiles mustalways be fixed with a polymer-modified cementitious adhesive. Mosaics and glass tiles have specialrequirements. Get it wrong and yourisk anything from discoloured tiles to complete bond failure.

The substrate matters. If your floortiling is on a timber background, youhad better specify the correct flexibleadhesive and grout. Otherwise, it is justa matter of time before the first cracksherald the need for a time-consumingand costly replacement of the wholefloor. Even the age of the substratecan affect the suitability of adhesives.

Environmental factors, a complextopic, are fundamental to adhesivespecification. Sometimes, projecttimescales must influence yourchoices. Even the start and completion dates can matter.

You do not have to know all about 25different tile adhesives and a dozendifferent grouts. You should know thatthe different types are all necessaryand that specifying the right one isvital.

Typical specific needs for Specifiers

n Fast-setting options – for earlier job completion

n High-yield adhesives – less product, lower costs

n Anti-bacterial properties – for extra hygiene

n Extra flexibility – to accommodate movement

n High water resistance – for wet rooms/pools

A swimming pool in Richmond, Surreywill need to be tiled using differentproducts to those for an identical poolin Richmond, North Yorkshire. Only themore experienced tiling specifierswould know that.

In Surrey, the water is hard. In NorthYorkshire, the water is soft. That meansusing an epoxy grout, as dissolved SO3

sulphates will attack a cementitiousgrout. Sooner or later, they will destroyit. Even in hard water areas, poolchemistry will need consideration beyond checking a pH value in the 7.2 to 7.6 range.

There will be other influences on product choice, with such pool features as wave machines affectingrequirements. A specifier will need either to fully understandBS5385:Part4:2009 Section 7.3.2.9,among others, or to seek expert advice.

The answer is not to always specifyepoxy grouts throughout for any poolcomplex. Apart from this being an expensive and unnecessary over-specification, some areas of the facility will require a cementitiousgrout with anti-bacterial protection, for health and safety reasons.

As for adhesives, circumstances can change mid-project, with delaybeing only the start of the difficulties. The right adhesive could become the wrong product, with significant implications. When project timingschange, adhesive choices alwaysneed to be re-confirmed.

Solutions for leisure environments:

Special challenges

Problem-solving needs for Specifiers

n Genuinely experienced expertise – on-call

n Hands-on assistance – on-site when required

n Proven track record – of help in finding solutions

n Intelligent answers – that inspire confidence

BAL support for specifiers goeswell beyond the design phase:Product Support Technicians arealways available for site visits. Ifmid-project problems arise, solvethem with a single call.

By insisting on BAL, you know thatyou can rely upon:

n Product formulations to fit specifictasks and deliver specified performance.

n Unrivalled support services to advise, guide and confirm yourspecification.

n An unmatched reputation, derivedfrom four decades of leadership.

n The industry’s only 25-year guarantee, covering every singleproduct bearing the BAL name.

Your own reputation could rest uponthe successful creation of a leisure facility. It makes sense to call upon the most trusted expertise in tiling adhesives and grouts, with decades of leisure sector success.

Tile manufacturers sometimes urgeuse of particular adhesives. Wisespecifiers treat such endorsementswith caution. One regularly specifiedbrand is always recommended by atile company owned by the same parent, regardless of the project. In an online survey of tilers’ preferredadhesives, it was not among the 14brands cited by 450+ professionals.Their favourite, BAL, polled four timesas many votes as the runner-up.

When you insist on BAL, you acknowledge the expert choice of professional tilers and take the first step towards getting it right.

The next step, the most importantstep, is to place your trust where theprofessionals place theirs. Each year,tilers make more than 50,000 callsseeking advice from BAL experts. Follow their lead.

For tiling in leisure environments:

Be sure it’s BAL

Building Adhesives Limited, Longton Road, Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8JB, England. Tel: +44 (0) 1782 591100 www.bal-adhesives.com

Whenever your tiling specificationwould benefit from precise tiling answers, you can trust BAL expertise and experience.

On call

Get immediate answers from our dedicated Specifier Support Line:

0845 600 1222

On line

Send your specific questions to theteam by email:

specification@bal-adhesives.com

or by fax: 01782 591121

Or, take your project through to complete NBS M40 specification with the fast, authoritative and reliable Powerspec on-line tool:

www.powerspeconline.com

On site

Benefit from expertise in person, by calling in a BAL Product SupportTechnician. Start by calling the Specifier Support Line:

0845 600 1222

On the web

A wealth of information is ready todownload from the BAL web site:

n Product details

n Technical data

n Material safety data

n Training information

n News and events

Find all the facts on more than 50 specialist tiling products, including 25 different adhesives, at:

www.bal-adhesives.com

On call, on line, on site

BAL214

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