Page 75 - CFJ_Feb26

ADVICE & INFORMATION

Chris McQuade

Chipboard challenge

Chris shares a practical, timesaving solution for preparing chipboard
subfloors without overboarding or added complexity

ONTINUING the format of recent solar gain. Over time, this could cause textured surface.
Ctechnical advice articles drawing tenting in LVTs and gapping at the edges Cracks in the concrete would need to
on real-life situations where F Ball’s of floorcoverings as a result of their be vacuumed to remove any dust and
technical service department has repeated expansion and contraction. debris before being repaired with F Ball’s
provided advice on the best course of Timesaving solution Stopgap 400 Repair compound. The
action for particular flooring installations, Technical advancements have enabled flooring contractors would additionally
I’ll relay a timesaving solution for F Ball to develop Stopgap Fill and Prime, need to ensure the chipboard was clean,
preparing chipboard subfloors. a fast drying, cement-based primer that dry and dust-free for the same reason.
It’s usually necessary to overboard can be applied to non-coated flooring It was recommended that the concrete
chipboard with flooring grade plywood grade p5 chipboard that is mechanically subfloors were primed using Stopgap
prior to the standard procedure of fixed down to the supporting base with P131 general purpose primer, diluted
priming the subfloor and applying a screws and glued at the tongue and with four parts water to one part primer,
smoothing compound. Otherwise, grooves prior to the application of a before applying F Ball’s Stopgap 600
a subsequently applied smoothing recommended smoothing compound. Base deep section compound at a
compound may fail to bond to the minimum thickness of 5mm to raise the
subfloor and detach, with the chipboard level of the floor to one level throughout.
possibly absorbing too much water, both While most floor smoothing compounds
potentially resulting in floor failure. can be applied at thicknesses up to
This step obviously adds extra time 20mm, meaning at least two applications
and expense to projects and can be would have been required to build up the
particularly undesirable when installations necessary thickness, Stopgap 600 Base
are subject to time constraints. is designed to be applied at thicknesses
The setting up to 75mm, allowing contractors to
It can also be problematic where it’s raise floor levels quickly and easily with a
difficult to transport plywood. This was single application.
the case where one of our tech reps was Once the chipboard was prepared with
called to advise on a flooring installation Stopgap Fill and Prime, Stopgap 1200
as part of the conversion of offices into It has a thixotropic consistency, smoothing compound could then be
two-bedroom flats on the fourth and meaning it flows freely when stirred applied throughout the entire area, over
fifth floors of a relatively modern building but sets to a gel-like consistency on both floors, to create a suitably smooth
in Greater Manchester. standing, enabling it to fill gaps between base for the installation of chosen
The majority of the subfloor, a total panels to prevent imperfections floorcoverings.
area of approximately 900sq m, was transferring to the finished installation. Adhesive recommendation
P5 flooring grade chipboard, apart from This makes it also ideal for use over Finally, we recommended that LVTs
a small concrete section of around raised access flooring. Once cured, were installed on the upper floor using
30sq m on the upper floor. Luxury vinyl the flexible nature of the product will a compatible temperature tolerant
tiles (LVTs) were to be installed in the accommodate slight movement within adhesive, such as F Ball’s Styccobond
hallways, lounge, dining and kitchen the substrate. F49 Hybrid PS, to enable the installation
areas of the properties; the bedrooms Applying Stopgap Fill and Prime, rather to withstand extreme temperatures and
would be carpeted, while ceramic tiles than a general-purpose primer, over temperature fluctuations expected as a
would be installed in the bathrooms. the chipboard removed the need to result of the skylights.
Other issues overboard the subfloor with plywood, The solvent-free, water-based adhesive
The chipboard was higher than the saving valuable time and expense, as develops the ultra-high bond strength to
concrete subfloors, so the level of the well as sparing the flooring contractors hold floorcoverings firmly in place when
concrete would need to be raised where the task of carrying the plywood up four exposed to temperature fluctuations
the two substrates met to ensure a or five flights of stairs. from -20deg C up to +60deg C. The
consistent floor-level throughout. There Prior preparations pressure sensitive characteristics of
were also a few minor cracks in the It was also necessary to mechanically the adhesive, crucially high initial tack,
concrete, which was contaminated with prepare the concrete screed to remove would also help with the positioning and
paint elsewhere. paint and other contaminants, which alignment of floorcoverings. 
On the fifth floor, skylights meant the may inhibit the adhesion of subsequently www.f-ball.co.uk
potential for high temperatures and applied subfloor preparation products, to Chris McQuade is technical service officer
temperature fluctuations resulting from leave a sound, clean, dust-free micro- at F Ball and Co

www.contractflooringjournal.co.uk 75
@CFJMagazine CFJ February 2026