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Mapei bond at The Braid Museum
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A wide range of Mapei products have recently been used in the construction of The Braid, Ballymena’s new Museum and Arts Centre. Consarc Design Group, Belfast, designed this prestigious flagship project, which has been developed with support from the Heritage Lottery fund and the Arts Lottery Fund. The new Museum explores the history of mid-Antrim from earliest times to the present day.
A system of Mapei products including levelling compound, adhesives and coloured grout was selected to prepare substrates and install and finish ceramic and porcelain wall and floor tiles. Tiling contractors, J & R Keys Tiles Ltd of Ballymena, supplied and installed the tiles on behalf of the main contractor, Patton Construction.
Mapei Latexplan, a premier two-component levelling compound was used to smooth mechanically abraded screeds to receive the tiled floor finishes. The low odour, protein-free product is self smoothing and suitable for levelling differences in thickness from 1-10mm.
A variety of tile types and sizes were specified for the project and Mapei were able to provide perfect product solutions for all of these. In the reception area and other ground floor locations 550m² of Imola Time Porcelain Tiles 1200×600 were installed with Mapei Granirapid in grey. A two-component, rapid setting adhesive, Granirapid is particularly suitable for installing large format porcelain and stone material which are subject to heavy traffic.
Mapei Keraflex Maxi white was used to install 700m² of Kronos 600×600 Lux white porcelain floor tiles on the first and second floor areas. Keraflex Maxi is a super single part flexible S1 adhesive suitable for thin or thick bed fixing of ceramic, porcelain and stone materials.
Mapei Keraquick, fast-setting flexible S1 adhesive was used in the toilet and bathroom areas including shower stalls to fix Pilkington Matrix tiles in cream to floor areas and Vogue tiles in a vibrant purple on the walls.
The most challenging areas to be tiled were the staircases and lift interiors which were all based on a steel frame. For this application Mapei Keralastic proved the ideal solution, the two-component polyurethane adhesive is particularly suitable for installing ceramic and stone materials on metal substrates.
All tile joints were finished with Mapei Ultracolor Plus fast-setting and drying cementitious grout for joint widths from 2-20mm which was suitable for both walls and floors. It’s DropEffect® Water-repellent and BioBlock® anti-mould properties make it ideal for wet areas including power showers. Available in 26 different colours there was a shade of Ultracolor Plus for all of the tile applications.
Mapei is the world’s largest manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and chemical products for building. With over 70 years experience, Mapei is a specialist in the production of quality products for the installation of all types of wall and floor coverings, and has a vast range of admixtures and repair products for concrete and building materials.
