For Stick ‘n’ Step, its classroom floor is much more than just something to walk on – it’s also a place where they deliver specialist education sessions.
The charity, based in Wallasey, Merseyside, supports young people with cerebral palsy and helps teach them the necessary skills to help live them more independently.
As a great deal of the classes they run take place on the floor, a fit-for-purpose and high-performance replacement was top priority when its existing timber and vinyl flooring started to deteriorate and become a trip hazard in areas.
Contractors Quest Industrial Flooring was tasked with installing a strong, safe and soft floor. Through the specification of Sika Comfortfloor® Decorative Pro, Quest Industrial was more than able to meet Stick ‘n’ Step’s brief.
The smooth, durable, slip-resistant, resin-based system boasts excellent shock absorption properties and provides a comfortable surface to learn and play on thanks to its cushioning layers. Its durability and easy-to-clean benefits were also advantageous, as health and safety is paramount for a children’s’ learning environment.
Quest Industrial Flooring was given just four weeks to complete the project, a challenge made more difficult by the discovery that the sub-base underneath the existing wood and vinyl flooring required repairing with a high-strength, early loadable screed that required a week to fully set.
However, the new floor was installed within the given timeframe, ready for the start of the new school term, and to the client’s full satisfaction.
Mark Jones, Contracts Director at Quest Industrial Flooring, said: “Thanks to Sika’s advanced floor system, the technical knowhow and attention to detail of our installers and the understanding of close collaboration between client, contractor and manufacturer, the ideal solution for the school’s 90m2 classroom floor was created.
“The ease at which the Sika ComfortFloor® Decorative Pro system was applied meant that despite the project’s challenges, these very special children were able to resume lessons after the summer holidays in bright new surroundings which will increase their sense of wellbeing and in-turn, enhance their learning ability. The robust, easy-to-clean flooring also offers peace of mind to parents and staff that the children have been provided with the safest-possible classroom environment.”
Matt Meaney, Development Manager at Stick 'n' Step, added: “The team at Stick ‘n’ Step needed to replace an old, uneven, and sloping floor with a brand new, state-of-the-art flooring solution for our work with children and young people with cerebral palsy. From quote to completion our team was kept up to date with progress and had regular explanations of the different phases involved in the work.
“We hit a few snags along the way but Quest and Sika helped us to navigate the different options and to make good decisions. We now have a totally level, totally flat, hygienic floor that will last us for more than 20 years.”
