Palace Chemicals is an independent manufacturer of products for the tiling and stone sector, celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Established in Speke, Liverpool, the company’s ongoing commitment to technology and development has enabled it to bring an extensive range of tiling products for the UK market.
The company produces over 250 formulations in total, which are overseen by a technical team operating from two laboratories, covering research & development and quality control. “From standard adhesives through to specification products with highly technical formulations,” the company says, “and from levellers to waterproofing, Palace Chemicals offers a one-stop shop for its customers in all domestic and commercial markets.”
For levelling, Palace offers a range of water mix and 2-part latex products, including fast track levellers – such as Fast-Track and Fast-Flex, thick bed levelling compounds, smoothing compounds and surface preparation aids. Some of these, the company says, are particularly suitable for use in combination with underfloor heating (UFH) installations.
Jim Percival, technical director at Palace Chemicals, says: “What we can bring to the market is the comprehensive nature of our range, which means we can supply a solution for any of the challenges which floor layers are likely to encounter. This includes building up a floor which incorporates underfloor heating, working with uneven surfaces or working on installations where a fast-track solution is required.
“Products from our wide range will tackle all these different types of installation, conforming to all relevant standards and providing the same Palace guarantee of effectiveness and technical excellence.”
The range offer includes Thick Bed Fibre Reinforced Floor Levelling Compound, which can be used up to an 80mm bed depth. This product is particularly suited for installations incorporating heated sub-floor systems, where its ability to be laid to a thick-bed is sufficient to accommodate most types of wire or pipe based heating systems. It can be laid over a range of different floor surfaces, such as tamped or worn concrete and sand/cement floor screeds. It can also be used on more challenging non-porous floors such as mastic asphalt, plywood and dense impermeable surfaces.
For installations where a rapid finish is required, Fast-Track Rapid Floor Leveller is suitable. The rapid setting floor levelling compound, is designed to help flooring professionals overcome time limited projects. The product is reportedly ready to be walked on in 30 minutes and can be tiled over in just 45. It can be used over concrete, sand/cement screeds, anhydrite screeds, damp proof membranes, flooring grade plywood, vinyl tiles – as well as underfloor heating systems.
Fast-Flex is a recently updated formula for the company, which is now able to level floors up to 50mm thick on a single pour. The product incorporates specially blended cements, graded sands, built-in polymer, anti-shrink agents and organic super-plasticisers, which, when mixed with water, give the “ideal” properties for application over a comprehensive range of floor surfaces such as tamped or worn concrete and sand/cement floor screeds, plywood and dense impermeable surfaces, Palace says. It’s also said to be suitable for heated sub-floors, giving improved adhesion to all types of substrates and provides enhanced abrasion and point-load resistance.
A niche product in the range is Wear-Top – a wear-resistant topping designed to provide a very smooth final finish, which can be further enhanced by the application of a resin-based resilient floor covering, especially where a consistent colour finish is needed.
Wear-Top can be used over internal and external surfaces such as tamped or worn concrete, pre-existing sand/cement floor screed underlayments, as well as non-porous power-floated concrete or similarly dense impermeable surfaces. The product is designed to ensure a final smooth finish which can receive a decorative resin-based coating after 48 hours or simply be painted as a final floor finish.
Percival believes it is in the area of sustainability that most future development will be seen: “This is something we are working on consistently at present – how to make our products more sustainable,” he says. “For most of our products in the levellers range, this means sourcing alternative recycled materials to replace the virgin materials normally used in levellers, and this is something we are actively working on.”
