F. Ball and Co. Ltd has provided valuable support in Venue Marine’s recent flooring installation project for luxury Crystal cruise ship, Crystal Endeavour. Venue Marine, installation partners of specialist IMO products supplier Kerry Johns Marine, has recently delivered ‘the perfect flooring installation’ for luxury Crystal cruise ship, Crystal Endeavour. They completed this project under the management of global turnkey cruise ship interiors specialist, Merima.

Venue Marine used Styccobond flooring adhesives and Stopgap 1200 Pro levelling compound, provided by F. Ball and Co. Ltd, to guarantee the highest levels of aesthetics and durability.

The project scope

This project demanded the highest level of workmanship and materials to install luxurious carpeting throughout public areas of the ship. The project scope included the Palm Court and Crystal Cove entertainment areas, Waterside restaurant, as well as the Sea Casino. As these spaces experience high levels of footfall, the flooring for these areas must be both durable and aesthetically pleasing.

In addition, luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs) were used to create high end, hardwearing floor finishes. These were applied to the ship’s gym, crew offices and ‘back of house’ areas. These areas number among some of the hardest wearing areas on the ship. In waterside restaurants and gym flooring, the floors risk elemental damage while having to look top of their class for a luxury finish.

The Sea Casino on board Crystal Endeavour, Copyright: Merima

To install carpets, contractors opted for a dual bond system comprising F. Ball’s Styccobond F40 and F3 adhesives. This combination creates a permanent bond, using F3 between the carpet and luxury underlay and a peelable bond, with F40 between the underlay and the deck of the ship. As such, the carpet will remain firmly fixed in place and looking its best throughout its lifetime. This will also enable quick and easy removal when it needs replacing during future refurbishment projects.

Styccobond F1 rubber latex adhesive was used to seal carpet edges. This reduces the risk of fraying and fibre loss, maximising the longevity of the installation.

High quality luxury vinyl tiles

Luxury vinyl tiles were installed using F. Ball’s Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive adhesive. This provides instant grab to prevent tiles and planks from sliding as adjacent tiles/planks are laid into the adhesive. The adhesive also delivers a strong bond, which increases over time as the floor is trafficked. To eradicate the risk of trowel serrations ‘shadowing’ through the vinyl, the adhesive can be flattened to a smooth finish using a paint roller (pre-coated with adhesive) after it has been trowel-applied to the subfloor.

The Fitness Centre on board Crystal Endeavour, Copyright: Merima

Prior to installing the LVT, Venue Marine used F. Ball Stopgap 1200 Pro levelling compound to create a perfectly smooth and level subfloor surface, free from indentations, ridges or undulations. This ensured that the optimum finish was achieved.

Stopgap 1200 Pro was also used in the Palm Court and Crystal Cove entertainment areas to build up the floor levels around the natural wood dance floors to ensure that the installed carpet was finished flush with the dance floor sections. This created a cohesive design where the multiple flooring types flowed into each other.

palm court aboard crystal endeavour, a bar with a wall of windows, and grey leather seats around round wooden tables
Palm Court on board Crystal Endeavour, Copyright: Merima

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