Page 8 - Flooring Specialist Spring 2022

Adhesives for Healthcare Environments

RollSmart. The Smart Choice.

By Don Styka, Tarkett, CFI #383
ADHESIVES

esilient flooring manufacturers often have more manner. The porosity of the substrate (porous vs. non-
than one adhesive recommendation for a particular porous) will determine the adhesive open time and the size
Rtype of flooring material. Where the flooring is being of the trowel.
installed—and the intended use of the space—should be
understood prior to determining which recommended In applications over non-porous substrates where the open
adhesive to use. time of the water-based adhesive is extended to allow the
adhesive to reach a drier state prior to installing the floor,
While water-based adhesives are normally the first choice the rolling of the floor with a 100 pound, three-section
and typically used, there might be a reason to switch to roller doesn’t eliminate the trowel ridges. Even when using
a two-part urethane or epoxy adhesive. These reasons a smaller trowel often recommended for non-porous
could include applications where topical moisture or heavy substrates, these trowel ridges can be visible after installation.
equipment, furniture or rolling traffic is present. An example The visibility of this telegraphing can be accentuated by
of this is in hospital patient rooms where two-part adhesives lighting conditions and the application of high-gloss floor
are commonly used under patient beds to avoid adhesive finish.
displacement from the tapered bed wheels.

Adhesive displacement
Trowelable adhesive telegraphing in patient room
While the location of the installation and the use of the space
are factors in choosing the proper adhesive, restricting traffic Healthcare applications are challenging because of the
and the waiting period necessary before performing the rolling loads, stationary equipment and patient beds that
initial maintenance on the new floor after installation will be contribute to adhesive displacement and the use of high-
determined based on the type of adhesive selected. gloss floor finish that makes undulations in the substrate and
trowel ridges more visible. Another restriction related to
Most trowelable adhesives require that all traffic be restricted trowelable adhesives is waiting a minimum of 24 hours before
for a minimum of 24 hours after installation to avoid adhesive heat welding.
displacement and up to 72 hours before placement of
furniture, opening the floor to rolling loads, and performing Tarkett RollSmart Fast-Drying Vinyl Flooring Adhesive was
the initial maintenance. developed with our healthcare customers in mind and is
recommended for Tarkett homogeneous and heterogeneous
Two-part adhesives require a wet-set application while water- sheet vinyl and LVT. We know that the aforementioned
based adhesives could be applied in a wet-set or dry-to-touch challenges exist in medical facilities and the ability to shut
down areas to allow the adhesive to reach a dry state to avoid
displacement, heat weld or perform the initial maintenance
on the new floor can be very disruptive and costly to their
business.

RollSmart was designed to address all of the challenges
associated with healthcare installations. RollSmart can be
applied with a 3/8” nap paint roller on both porous and non-
porous substrates. The adhesive is ready for installation after
Trowel Ridges 15 minutes.

continued >>>
8 Flooring Specialist Spring 2022