Client
Old Swinford Hospital
Sector
Education (State Boarding School)
Scope
Supply and installation of carpet, carpet tiles, safety flooring, entrance matting, and vinyl flooring
Location
Stourbridge
Duration
The Challenge
Old Swinford Hospital, a distinguished state boarding school, aims to provide an outstanding education both in and beyond the classroom. As part of their ongoing commitment to excellence, they enlisted Hammond Hill Flooring to assist in converting disused squash courts into rugby changing rooms. The key challenges of this project included:
- Water Damage: The existing wooden flooring in the squash courts had suffered significant water damage and had lifted off the floor in several areas.
- Reversible Conversion: The conversion needed to be done in a way that would allow the space to revert back to squash courts in the future if desired, without compromising the integrity of the sub-floor.
- Flooring Choice: The flooring needed to be durable, slip-resistant, and suitable for the new use as changing rooms, while also allowing for future changes if the space were repurposed again.
Why Choose Hammond Hill
At Hammond Hill Flooring, we understand the unique challenges that educational institutions face when it comes to maintaining and improving their facilities. Our expertise in providing durable, flexible, and high-quality flooring solutions ensures that projects are completed efficiently, safely, and in line with the client’s long-term goals. Whether for a one-time conversion or a space that requires adaptability, we offer solutions that meet the highest standards.
Our Approach
Hammond Hill Flooring’s approach to this project was both thoughtful and flexible, ensuring that the school’s needs were met in a way that allowed for future adaptability:
- Sub-floor Preparation: We began by addressing the water-damaged wooden flooring, removing around 15mm from the perimeter to allow the floor to relax and settle over the following days. This careful approach ensured that the sub-floor would not be compromised during the installation.
- Choice of Flooring: We recommended and installed Altro Xpresslay, an award-winning, adhesive-free safety flooring. This product is ideal for situations where the flooring might need to be uplifted or recycled at the end of its life without causing damage to the underlying sub-floor.
- Seamless, Waterproof Finish: All joints were hot welded to ensure a completely waterproof and slip-resistant finish, which is critical in changing rooms where safety is a top priority.
- Reversible Solution: By using Altro Xpresslay and taking extra care in the installation process, we ensured that the flooring could easily be removed or replaced if the room needed to be converted back to squash courts at a later date.
What the customer said
Hammond Hill Flooring has been an essential partner in our ongoing improvements to the school. They worked with us on a challenging project, converting our squash courts into rugby changing rooms while ensuring that the floor could be easily reverted back in the future. The team’s professionalism, attention to detail, and ability to provide flexible, high-quality flooring solutions made all the difference. We are delighted with the results and look forward to working with them on future projects.
Leigh Meneer - Site Manager
Outcome
The project was completed successfully with the following outcomes:
- Durable and Safe Flooring: The installation of Altro Xpresslay ensured a long-lasting, slip-resistant, and waterproof surface ideal for rugby changing rooms.
- Future Flexibility: The reversible flooring solution allows the school to convert the space back into squash courts at any time without damaging the sub-floor, providing long-term flexibility.
- Efficient Process: The careful preparation and skilled installation allowed the project to be completed smoothly, with minimal disruption to the school’s daily activities.
- Satisfied Client: Old Swinford Hospital was pleased with the outcome, particularly the quality of the flooring and the ease with which it could be reversed if necessary.