New homey atmosphere in the retirement home - floors changed without breakdown

With the new luxury floor coverings in warm colours, the housing should be cosier, while still modern and comfortable, on all three levels. However, in order to do this, 600 m² of floor covering had to be switched during regular operations without disturbing the seniors and staff in their daily activities.

The home, built in 2007, has space for 42 seniors in need of care. "The colour and design of the existing grey floors in the halls and lounge areas bothered me from day one", recalls general director Hubert Knippschild, "that’s why these areas needed new floors." But the floors could only be replaced during regular operations. It had to be ensured that the residents would be taken care of, and temporary housing was out of the question. "While looking for solutions, the dry adhesive Sigan® from UZIN was recommended to me, which was developed for fast renovating and refurbishing without downtime. With this system, we actually succeeded in replacing the floors on all three floors successively - without inconveniencing staff, residents, or visitors", says Knippschild. "And the result is impressive, all the floor surfaces look bigger while still feeling homey."

“The double-sided adhesive film UZIN Sigan® is even suitable for sensitive areas like retirement homes or hospitals, where operations can’t be interrupted and the residents shouldn’t be irritated by conversion work,” states Franz-Josef Sinnhuber, Key Account Manager, Uzin Utz SE. Because the old floor coverings don’t need to be removed and the new floor covering can be installed directly on the existing one, there is no noise, dust, dirt, closure times, or disposal costs. There are no drying times to watch out for and setting times are completely inapplicable, because the dispersion-based adhesive has dried on the foil carrier at the factory. The existing floor just has to be cleaned in advance and dust-free. The new vinyl luxury floor coverings can then be installed directly on the metal-reinforced, double-sided Sigan® Elements adhesive foil. Roll-out is performed after everything fits correctly. The dry adhesive won’t develop to its full adhesive strength until pressure is put on it.

The floor is set to traffic and ready for foot traffic during the entire installing period. With Sigan, there are no indentations, which means that seniors with wheeled walkers (Zimmer frames) and staff with supply carts can move throughout the home unhindered. There are also no odours that develop during renovation, and the indoor air stays clean, because Sigan® products are super low-emission and qualified as EC 1 PLUS. “The renovation was ideal and the cooperation wonderful,” recalls Johannes Günther, general director of Farben Günther, which carried out the flooring installation. “The seniors were really easy-going. We worked in sections, and started with the highest floor as the quietest area. For each residential section, we only needed four to five work days with two or three people. As masters of designing walls and floors, this was a new experience for us that we were happy to put to the test.”

Flooring expertise was also needed to design the transition to the existing floor covering in the resident rooms so that it was handicap accessible. To avoid unsightly door rails, the floor installer recommended removing the old floor covering on the width of the door thresholds and creating an even transition with the low-slump smoothing compound UZIN NC 182. After the primer, the new luxury floor coverings were likewise installed here with the dry adhesive, and all transitions from the hall to the room were flush.

"Installing with Sigan® Elements is a very economical and time-saving procedure, which won over the installer, the building owners, and the users alike,” affirms Franz-Josef Sinnhuber. The adhesive is specifically matched to vinyl luxury floor coverings and vinyl tiles. Metal reinforcement in the film can ensure that the installation is dimensionally stable. “The decision was the right one,” concludes building owner Hubert Knippschild. “With the new floors in a realistic oak design, our lounge areas are styled like classic sitting rooms. Above all, coordination with the installation company went perfectly. The seniors could have a part in renovation measures, but weren’t burdened.”