2016
Stockport, United Kingdom

High Performance Flooring for Castle Hill

As part of a major refurbishment at Castle Hill School in Stockport, the 160 pupil high school required a high performance flooring solution that was not only robust enough to last, but soft enough underfoot to minimise impacts.

Appointed by Thelwell Flooring, Sika designed and delivered a 2,000m2 Sika® ComfortFloor® system throughout the school’s classrooms, corridors and stairs, which main contractor ISG delivered as part of the North West Construction Hub capital works framework.

One of the primary design drivers for the project was to eradicate moisture ingress to minimise damage to the system. Sika undertook a great deal of testing at the site, which was vital to determine the level of moisture present in the substrate.
 

Castle Hill

A number of the school’s pupils suffer from conditions such as ADHD and various Autism Spectrum Disorders, which can worsen in environments that are too visually stimulating. Sika had to provide a seamless finish in an appropriate shade of grey which could be replicated throughout the school, as well as providing a flooring system to absorb slips, trips and falls.

Thanks to close collaboration between the client, contractor and manufacturer, a high quality flooring solution was created to deliver:

  • Attractive aesthetic
  • Hard-wearing system
  • Excellent compatibility
  • Low maintenance
  • Fast application
  • Appropriate colour
  • Seamless finish

The Solution

Early stage testing of substrate conditions to find a compatible flooring system uncovered a number of challenges due to the different substrate materials on site. A liquid flooring system was selected due to its compatibility with most substrates, something which the original specification of vinyl flooring could not do. At Castle Hill, the system had to be compatible with quarry tiles, granwood floor and old and new screed.

With durability also key to meet the demands of a busy school building, Sika® ComfortFloor® proved to be the optimum solution. Combining noise suppression and durability with a flawless finish, ComfortFloor® met the client’s aesthetic requirements whilst delivering a hard-wearing system that guarantees long term performance.


Ongoing maintenance costs can also be a key factor for schools, and as resin flooring can be applied over existing vinyl and wood surfaces and once laid, there is always the option to refresh it to extend its lifecycle. Sika® ComfortFloor® boasts a wide range of benefits for both the end client and installers. Easy to apply and ready to use immediately, this was vital on this project due to the three day lead time for the flooring application.

Sika has developed a range of high performance ‘seamless’ epoxy and polyurethane resin flooring systems which lend themselves to education projects – with a ‘refreshability’ option to extend the life cycle even further. This refreshability is important, as Carillion has taken the projecton as a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and will maintain the site for the next 25 years.

Products Used

Sika® ComfortFloor®

Installation

Sika provides a range of solutions to rejuvenate floors of virtually any size, shape, colour or technical requirement and as these solutions can be applied to a wide range of substrates – from old tiles to vinyl – they can stay in situ so specifiers do not have the added expense, time and landfill disposal of the old failed material.


Sika and ISG undertook a great deal of testing prior to project commencement to determine the compatibility of the various substrates with flooring systems and levels of moisture to ensure the long term viability of the solution. With a tight construction timeframe, Sika also worked closely with ISG to provide a solution that could be installed quickly to meet timescales whilst satisfying the client’s demands.


The size of the floor could have presented an issue for alternative flooring systems with the tight lead times, while the condition of substrates meant that vinyl alternatives could not be used. Utilising ComfortFloor’s compatibility with a variety of flooring types, it could be installed over the wide range of substrates within just three days.

Summary

A challenging project which brought many design considerations – both in the selection of floor covering and the aesthetics of the finish. After undertaking intense testing of existing floors to check their conditions and compatibility, the installation was successfully completed in three days and the school open on time.


For its ambitious scale, the level of detail undertaken at the planning stage and the demonstration of Sika’s ability to provide a solution that exactly met the needs of the client; the Castle Hill School refurbishment project is testimony to the capabilities of Sika® ComfortFloor®.