SITUATION:
The Royal Bank of Scotland, founded in 1727, is now a leading global bank. The headquarters in Edinburgh sees thousands walk through its reception every year, and the area required an extensive renovation. ARDEX products and specification team were selected for the project. The project was not short on complexity – grade 2 listed tiles were under the previously carpeted flooring, and these had to remain in place and intact. This meant that the historic tiles had to be levelled with a levelling compound that could go over this substrate to create an even surface for the next stage of the installation, but not damage the existing tiles.
CHALLENGES:
- Historic floor tiles had to be preserved
- Floor had to be completed quickly to minimise disruption to RBS customers
- Granite tiles were selected for the floor
SOLUTION:
To protect the grade 2 listed tiles, and to ensure that further renovations in the future could be more straightforward, the ARDEX DS 20 Decoupling Mat was used to provide a tileable surface, protecting and separating the historic tiles from the new tiles to be installed. The Decoupling Mat is also designed to withstand the high level of traffic that would be passing over the reception floor upon completion.
Adrian Ashby, Business Development Manager at ARDEX, said, “The fastdrying properties of several ARDEX products were especially important due to the strict timeframe of the project… For example, ARDEX X 32 Rapid Drying Natural Stone Wall and Floor Tile Adhesive was a key product for this renovation. The adhesive is rapid-drying to the extent that it can be walked on and grouted in as little as three hours after fixing.”
Ashby continued, “ARDEX X 32 was also the only product capable of dealing with the thickness and heaviness of the granite slabs, and the fact that it is designed for fixing moisture sensitive natural stone tiles meant that it was perfect for these tiles, which are susceptible to moisture and staining. ARDEX MG Grout was also used for this reason, as it virtually eliminates risk of water staining, or ‘picture framing’, on tile edges.”
Throughout the completion of this project, the innovative properties of ARDEX products were crucial in achieving the highest quality renovation.