weber.floor is the "Cat's Whiskers" for Jaguar Hall at Ricoh Arena

The Jaguar Exhibition Hall at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry is a busy venue in the Midlands for trade shows and exhibitions and also a popular concert location. There are very few weeks when the vast 6000m² floor area is not in use, either in part or as one big area. This high level of usage has taken its toll on the original floor surface where a combination of spilt liquids, machine traffic, the installation and removal of exhibition stands, carpets and displays has damaged the existing concrete screed. The result has been an unsightly, damaged surface that could also be considered a risk for trip hazards.

A brand new, high performance surface is being laid. weber.floor 4655 duro flow rapid has been selected to guarantee the surface survival under these testing conditions. This cementitious pumpable, self levelling, industrial surface layer adds a new dimension in striking, long-lasting and low maintenance floor finishes that will complement any environment from industrial, retail, commercial and domestic applications.

Careful preparation of the surface is vital to ensure total, long-term bonding. The core substrate below the top screed is in excellent condition so the requirement is to secure the new hard wearing surface by deep bonding through the screed to the base. The weber.floor system is designed to deliver this integrated bond. First the surface is shot (sand) blasted to lift any loose or damaged material. In places up to 10mm deep depressions have been caused by liquid ingress. High points around the edges of these divots are smoothed to ensure the flow of the new surface when poured. Giant vacuum cleaners are used to clear the surface of any loose material.

Two coats of weber.floor 4716 primer/bonding are applied by brush (roller). The first coat is mixed at 5:1 ratio; this thin coat is rapidly absorbed deep into the screed and substrate. The second primer coat is mixed at 3:1 to give a further strong bond to the material and to present the most resilient surface for the adhesion of the weber.floor 4655 duro flow rapid. The screed is machine mixed and pumped continuously and poured to achieve an eight mm self-levelling screed. Foam rubber edgings are taped in place at the edges of the steel service ducts. As the material is poured a spiked roller ensures an even spread of the material. Regular checks are made with a flow ring to be certain that the water/material consistency is accurate throughout the pour.

In just three hours the new weber.floor can be walked on. The next day a final coloured surface sealer is then applied and at the Jaguar Exhibition Hall, additional fine quartz micro chips are added to give a safe, non-slip surface even in wet conditions. Traffic is limited for a further 24 hours but then normal fork-lift truck operations resume.

Terry Bates, facilities manager at the Ricoh Arena, said the work was being carried out as part of an improvement programme.

“The Jaguar Exhibition Hall is in constant use every day of the week for a wide variety of events which means footfall is high and the type of products being installed is constantly changing as exhibitions, conferences, concerts and meetings take place,” he said.

“That means we need a durable and lasting flooring which looks immaculate and can cope with constant display and stand changes. We are confident this system will achieve that.”

The flooring renovation is being carried out by Pola Flooring Services who have many years experience of the weber.floor system and project team leader, Chris McGowan, considers it the best performance surface available.

“We have recently used the weber.floor system at blue-chip companies for resurfacing high traffic production areas. Here for the Jaguar Hall the finish is the cats whiskers!” he said.

Further information about the weber.floor system is available by telephoning 01525 722169, or by visiting www.netweber.co.uk