Built in 1972, the Voyages of Discovery ship last underwent a major refit in 2003. As part of the current refurbishment programme, 3,400sq mtr of floors in the ship’s public areas and 300 cabins were upgraded.
Areas demanding particular attention during the refurbishment of older vessels such as Discovery are the decks, notes the UK-based supplier. The impact of movement and vibration of the ship’s structure, as well as frequent foot traffic, while sailing, caused the subfloor above the steel deck to crack and even crumble in some areas of the ship.
In the most badly affected areas of the subfloor, this had created holes up to 35mm deep. To repair the damaged areas, specialist flooring contractor team-marine installed Stopgap 1050 Lite smoothing underlayment to level irregularities within the surface.
A lightweight, fibre reinforced system, Stopgap 1050 Lite is intended for levelling floors where structural loadings need to be considered. Designed to offer weight savings, it has a cured density of 1050kg per sq mtr, half that of a conventional smoothing underlay, according to F. Ball. Additionally as Stopgap 1050 Lite can be applied up to a thickness of 20mm, it enabled the flooring contractor to level the most damaged areas of the subfloor in two applications.
To install the carpet floor coverings selected for the ship’s restaurants, bars, entertainment lounges and cabins, a release bond adhesive system was selected. This will allow the carpet to be lifted and replaced in the future, without damaging the subfloor.
