The Am Burghof retirement home in Lippstadt is enjoying great popularity thanks to its familial atmosphere. When the Knippschild family took over managing the house in 2008, only the floors in the hallways and lounge areas didn’t meet the ideas of the head of the company in terms of cosiness and a comfortable atmosphere.

Data

Building type Care facility (International)
Area 600 m² vinyl luxury floor covering on existing
Country Germany

With the new luxury floor coverings in warm colours, the housing should be cosier, while still modern and comfortable, on all three levels. However, in order to do this, 600 m² of floor covering had to be switched during regular operations without disturbing the seniors and staff in their daily activities.

The home, built in 2007, has space for 42 seniors in need of care. "The colour and design of the existing grey floors in the halls and lounge areas bothered me from day one", recalls general director Hubert Knippschild, "that’s why these areas needed new floors." But the floors could only be replaced during regular operations. It had to be ensured that the residents would be taken care of, and temporary housing was out of the question. "While looking for solutions, the dry adhesive Sigan® from UZIN was recommended to me, which was developed for fast renovating and refurbishing without downtime. With this system, we actually succeeded in replacing the floors on all three floors successively - without inconveniencing staff, residents, or visitors", says Knippschild. "And the result is impressive, all the floor surfaces look bigger while still feeling homey."

Changing floor coverings during regular operations

“The double-sided adhesive film UZIN Sigan® is even suitable for sensitive areas like retirement homes or hospitals, where operations can’t be interrupted and the residents shouldn’t be irritated by conversion work,” states Franz-Josef Sinnhuber, Key Account Manager, Uzin Utz SE. Because the old floor coverings don’t need to be removed and the new floor covering can be installed directly on the existing one, there is no noise, dust, dirt, closure times, or disposal costs. There are no drying times to watch out for and setting times are completely inapplicable, because the dispersion-based adhesive has dried on the foil carrier at the factory. The existing floor just has to be cleaned in advance and dust-free. The new vinyl luxury floor coverings can then be installed directly on the metal-reinforced, double-sided Sigan® Elements adhesive foil. Roll-out is performed after everything fits correctly. The dry adhesive won’t develop to its full adhesive strength until pressure is put on it.

New floor, no odour, clean and stress-free

The floor is set to traffic and ready for foot traffic during the entire installing period. With Sigan, there are no indentations, which means that seniors with wheeled walkers (Zimmer frames) and staff with supply carts can move throughout the home unhindered. There are also no odours that develop during renovation, and the indoor air stays clean, because Sigan® products are super low-emission and qualified as EC 1 PLUS. “The renovation was ideal and the cooperation wonderful,” recalls Johannes Günther, general director of Farben Günther, which carried out the flooring installation. “The seniors were really easy-going. We worked in sections, and started with the highest floor as the quietest area. For each residential section, we only needed four to five work days with two or three people. As masters of designing walls and floors, this was a new experience for us that we were happy to put to the test.”

Successful transformation - including door thresholds

Flooring expertise was also needed to design the transition to the existing floor covering in the resident rooms so that it was handicap accessible. To avoid unsightly door rails, the floor installer recommended removing the old floor covering on the width of the door thresholds and creating an even transition with the low-slump smoothing compound UZIN NC 182. After the primer, the new luxury floor coverings were likewise installed here with the dry adhesive, and all transitions from the hall to the room were flush.

Dimensionally stable and gorgeous

"Installing with Sigan® Elements is a very economical and time-saving procedure, which won over the installer, the building owners, and the users alike,” affirms Franz-Josef Sinnhuber. The adhesive is specifically matched to vinyl luxury floor coverings and vinyl tiles. Metal reinforcement in the film can ensure that the installation is dimensionally stable. “The decision was the right one,” concludes building owner Hubert Knippschild. “With the new floors in a realistic oak design, our lounge areas are styled like classic sitting rooms. Above all, coordination with the installation company went perfectly. The seniors could have a part in renovation measures, but weren’t burdened.”

Products used

Planus switchTec® System primer

switchTec® Primer for preparing for bonding with Sigan 1, Sigan Elements Plus, or Sigan Elements Plus

Remur Special skirting tape for PVC soft skirting boards and PVC flute systems

switchTec® High-performance dry adhesive for adhering PVC soft skirting boards

Sigan Elements High-performance adhesive for larger areas

switchTec® High-performance dry adhesive for installing LVT luxury flooring or PVC floor coverings in single elements

UZIN NC 182 Low-Slump Smoothing Compound

Low-slump, fine and very fast setting cement smoothing compound for any thickness range

Installation systems for screeds, floors and wood flooring

Machinery and special tools for substrate preparation and installation of floor coverings

Complete product range for installation, renovation and maintenance of wood flooring

Resin and cementitious floor finishes combining performance and design

Installation systems for tiling and natural stone

High quality painting, plastering and drywalling tools