The refurbishment of 42 bathrooms at the Best Western Castle
Green Hotel in Kendal to a top quality durable standard has just been completed
with Ultra’s high performance floor levelling range. Thanks to the technical
expertise provided by Ultra’s commercial flooring team, the innovative solution
is certain to uphold the hotel’s four-star quality for years to come.
A popular destination for many holiday-makers, the Castle
Green Hotel in Kendal, part of the Best Western chain of hotels, boasts an
enviable location, beautiful surrounding woodland and outstanding hospitality.
The hotel attracts thousands of tourists every year who come to enjoy the
natural beauty of the Lake District in a quality environment with the best
possible service.
To maintain these standards, in January 2008, the Castle
Green Hotel initiated the refurbishment of the bathrooms in 42 standard
guestrooms. Contractor Harris Tiles, commissioned to undertake the project,
contacted Ultra’s Commercial Flooring team seeking assistance on resolving a
frequently encountered problem. To guarantee the quality of the finish, the
contractor needed to ensure that the moisture usually present in bathrooms, did
not reach the structural part of the building, which would ultimately lead to
its failure. Investigating the subfloor, site conditions and the intended floor
coverings, the Ultra technical team recommended an original approach, which
delivered best results for both the contractor and the client.
The uneven block and beam subfloor was prepared first with
Ultra’s Patch IT rapid45. An extremely rapid hardening mortar for small section
repairs. Stress, crack and shrink resistant, Ultra’s Patch IT rapid45 was used
to repair the substrate and provide a stable base for the application of a 3mm
layer of Ultra Level IT two.
A low odour flexible levelling compound, Ultra Level IT two
is suitable for most common substrates, prepared tiles, wooden floors, etc.,
and can be laid to depths of 12 mm in one pass. It is particularly appropriate
for floors where slight flexural movement is likely, which was evident in this
case. Ultra Level IT two was followed by a layer of Quinn Therm insulation
board and an industrial strength polyurethane sheeting, which was applied to
both the floor and the bottom part of the walls. The latter provided a
safeguard against moisture reaching the subfloor and eventually destroying it.
Ultra Level IT one, single part concrete leveller, was
applied next onto the polyurethane sheeting at a depth between 20 and 30mm.
Because it contains specially graded fillers, fine cements and polymers, Ultra
Level IT one can be laid at depths of 2mm to 50mm in one pass saving the
contractor a considerable amount time by eliminating the need to apply several
layers. With a set time of two hours and a compressive strength of 40 N/sq. mm
after 28 days, the product offered the perfect combination of drying time and
strength required by the contractor. Finally, a layer of aqua board was applied
to the floor and the lower part of the wall, and the bathrooms were finished
with ceramic tiles of the hotel’s choice.
Chris Harris of Harris Tiles said: “The Ultra Commercial
Flooring team provided us with the technical expertise and application advice
which secured our confidence in the flooring installation. The products were
delivered exactly as specified, and on many occasions exceeded our
expectations. For example, we were amazed at how quickly Ultra Level IT one
dried at a depth of 30mm. The floor was fully cured and stable enough to work
on in a couple of hours, which helped to ease the pressure of a very tight
deadline”.
Contact Instarmac Group on 01827 254454 or visit
www.instarmac.co.uk
