North Tees Hospital

Minimising disruption for patients, staff and visitors was a priority for the University Hospital of North Tees team, responsible for the refurbishment of a vast area of new flooring in the hospital’s main public corridors. As such, Forbo Flooring Systems supplied its adhesive-free Modul’up Compact sheet vinyl – a resilient flooring solution that was easy to install and could be walked on immediately after installation.

Built in the 1960s, the hospital in Stockton has seen much maintenance over the years and visually, had become dated. Therefore, the aim of the refurbishment was to bring the hospital interior into this century to create a more pleasant and comfortable environment for everyone.

As well as speed of installation, the hospital team’s specification priorities were cleanliness and hygiene, especially as these main corridor routes lead on to clinical areas. But also, the spaces experience high footfall and are tested to the limit with heavy medical equipment and trolleys being moved around; the flooring had to perform well in terms of durability.

“We were looking for something different and when our Forbo Area Manager, Jon Rogers, put forward the Modul’up solution, we identified a few advantages that appealed immediately,” explains the Project Manager for the University Hospital of North Tees, Michael Jones.

“Firstly, speed of installation. It’s a vast area of flooring to cover. In fact, we’ve not done an area this size before, all at once. As you can imagine, we were apprehensive with it being such a dynamic environment. It’s hard to co-ordinate one installation let alone having to snag or worse re-lay. We liked the fact that Modul’up is tried and tested to meet all the current standards, but is also much easier to install and is easy to clean.

“Secondly, from a subfloor maintenance angle we saw great benefits. The building was constructed in the 1960s, so in certain areas from time to time there are repairs to be done to the subfloor beneath.

“With Modul’up you can cut the weld, roll back, fix the floor and re-lay with no patching required. If you have subfloor issues with normal vinyl floor you would have to lift it with the adhesive. This often causes damage to the vinyl and if patching is required then potentially you don’t get a match.”

Phase One of the project involved the installation of 1,573m² of Forbo’s Modul’up Compact in Natural Oak in the general circulation areas and corridors. Creating a fresh, contemporary and airy feel, the wood-effect flooring has been selected to complement the corridor walls, which feature a split wall colour scheme with the lower half painted in a strong, modern graphite grey and the top half in a lighter, almost white, grey.

Also commenting on the specification, Drew McColgan, managing director of Rimick Flooring, the installer, said: “We have worked with the hospital for 15 plus years. The building is old and we often have issues with the subfloor; installing a loose lay product makes it easier for us to access the subfloors for repair without having to patch the vinyl back. It was also quicker for us to install in an environment where time is of the essence. The client is delighted with the appearance of the vinyl too.”

The hospital team, Rimick Flooring and Forbo worked together to ensure a smooth install as Drew explains: “Forbo came to visit the site a number of times to meet with us and the client. They attended meetings with screed representatives too and provided expert support throughout with samples aplenty; including a decent sized part roll so the fitting team could familiarise themselves with the product. Jon Rogers, and the customer support team (particularly Jason Livingstone) were there to help us every step of the way.”

Drew talks through the installation process and hints at the longer-term benefits: “During the night shifts, the team lifted the existing linoleum, screeded the existing surfaces using a non-ammonium smoothing compound and fit (with set-in skirting detail) from there. Modul’up helped us to save approximately an hour a night, “Going forward, there’s no need to patch areas should there be a problem with the subfloor, and it negates the need to use an adhesive, which is good as it’s odour free and means the floor can be used immediately.”

Providing primary protection at the main entrances, Forbo’s Nuway and Coral entrance flooring systems have been installed too – helping to prevent dirt and moisture from being traipsed indoors. Forbo’s new Coral interior was also installed to complete the hospital entrance flooring system.

Looking ahead, Michael Jones, University Hospital of North Tees Project Manager concludes: “So far, we’re impressed with Modul’up. There are other buildings on site which now may also be considered to be refreshed with this loose lay product.”