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ARDEX Meet the Challenge with Ease
The refurbishment of the A13 Becton Arms Underpass, near Canning Town, London posed a challenge from the outset, as the main contractors RMG (A13) Construction JV, had received a tile design from their architect which, they believed could not be achieved. The intricate design involved ten different colours of tiles in a wavy random pattern, which would portray a bright and light ambience, favoured in underpass locations.
The project was sub-contracted to Cerface Limited Floor and Wall Tiling Contractors of Gillingham in Kent, as they have significant experience in underpass refurbishments. By teaming up with the leading tile fixing systems manufacturer ARDEX UK, Cerface were able to specify a rendering, tiling and grouting system solution which would enable both the technical and timescale demands of the original project specification to be met.
The project commenced by removing the existing mosaic tile and render, grit blasting the exposed concrete to remove laitance and loose material, then re-rendering the walls and ceiling using ARDEX AM 100 fast track one coat tiling render. The rapid hardening properties of ARDEX AM 100 enabled the specially ordered Buchtal 244 x 119mm Chroma tiles to be fixed just 2 hours later, providing a saving of at least two weeks compared to a traditional wall render.
The tiles were fixed using ARDEX-FLEX 5001 flexible tile adhesive, which delivers superb adhesion, very high yield, plus excellent slump resistance and adjustability. To conclude, the tiles were grouted utilising ARDEX-FLEX FL grey rapid setting flexible grout, to ensure a perfect end result.
“By utilising the ARDEX fast track render and tiling system, combined with meticulous planning and efficient working practices, we were able to reduce the original 12 week schedule down to only 7½ weeks, much to the delight of our client” commented Chris Clark of Cerface Limited.
March 2005
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