A one-of-a-kind floor, designed for the refurbishment of the food court at Greenstone Shopping Centre in Edenvale, Johannesburg, led to the specification of TAL’s revolutionary decorative screed, TAL StoneFlow, a fast track, industrial, terrazzo-look flooring system.
Originally opened in 2007, Greenstone Shopping Centre is considered one of the largest malls in South Africa with over 150 stores covering 85 000 m 2 of retail space. The highly- detailed food court floor, designed by architects Bentel Associates International, entailed the transformation of the existing tiled floor into an eye-catching design of large butterflies, ladybirds and dragonflies, using coloured glass aggregates embedded into the seamless, polished decorative screed.
Products
Although polished, decorative and seamless concrete floor solutions are in high demand, Terrazzo floors can take up to 28 days to cure before grinding and polishing can commence.
Rapid-setting TAL StoneFlow however is polishable within four hours of installation, depending on application thickness and site and ambient conditions. As a cement-based, self-smoothing, heavy-duty decorative screeding system, it is available in a wide range of colours and aggregate finish. TAL StoneFlow is shrinkage-compensated, durable and abrasion-resistant, and its seamless, smooth, noise-reducing substrate is easy to maintain.
These characteristics make it ideal for high foot-traffic areas in the shopping centre.
Ancillary products used for the TAL StoneFlow installation included TAL SF Primer, a high penetration, solvent-free primer fully blinded off, with TAL Primer Aggregate, carefully graded silica aggregate, to ensure an optimum bond between the substrate and TAL StoneFlow.
TAL StoneFlow Aggregate, which includes marble and granite chips, available in a wide range of colours, was incorporated into the TAL StoneFlow which was manufactured to specified RAL colours.
The installation was finished off by grinding and polishing, followed by sealing using TAL PUD Sealer Clear Gloss, a two component, high performance, water-dispersed, polyurethane sealer and anti-scratch coat.
Environmental Commitment
The TAL range of construction products for functional flooring, concrete repair, industrial flooring and waterproofing systems alike, are all manufactured and tested in accordance with the most stringent South African and international standards for quality and performance.
Challenges
A challenge encountered by TAL approved applicator, ThinkFlood Flooring Specialists, was the level variations between the receiving substrate and the surrounding tile installation. As an effective solution, TAL Superscreed was specified to achieve the desired levels prior to placing of TAL SF Primer and TAL StoneFlow.
TAL Superscreed is a high strength, rapid- setting, shrinkage-compensated cementitious underlayment compound formulated for rectifying and smoothing imperfections in floor surfaces prior to installing further coverings.
TAL StoneFlow allows specifiers and designers to create a customised floor, as the preferred background colour and various aggregates, including marble and granite chips, can be selected. This feature was of particular importance in the creation of the intricate floor pattern comprising sectional tiles and sectional TAL StoneFlow decorative screed, with the light-coloured insect shapes fashioned from brightly coloured glass chips and set in a darker- coloured outer field with 3.2 mm white aggregate.
Extensive alterations and refurbishments, in line with the Greenstone Shopping Centre’s ‘green’ theme, are scheduled for completion in spring 2019. A part of this ‘look with a feel of nature’ will be highlighted when the stunning ‘bug’ floor at the brand new food court is revealed.
About TAL
TAL, a division of Norcros SA, has been a trusted manufacturer and supplier of the highest quality materials to the construction industry for more than 40 years. Their trusted range of tile adhesives, grout and waterproofing materials, as well as their range of specialized functional and decorative floor coatings and construction chemicals are manufactured and tested in accordance with the most stringent standards of quality and performance.
In combination with a commitment to exceptional customer service, encompassing pre-sales advice and after-sales support, this constant pursuit of excellence means that TAL is there for you at every level, creating beautiful spaces – from conception to completion.
TAL products are manufactured and tested to TAL procedures which are maintained in accordance with Quality System Standard ISO 9001:2015, Environmental Management System ISO 14001:2015 and Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001: 2007.
The TAL laboratory is an ISO 17025:2005 accredited testing facility for 1348:2007 (Tensile Adhesive Strength of Cementitious Adhesives). As a member of the Green Building Council of South Africa, TAL is committed to designing and manufacturing their products in an environmentally responsible manner.
