The Lowry Academy – Communal Areas Flooring Installation
Project Overview
Flooring Solutions Ltd was appointed to carry out a specification-led commercial flooring installation at The Lowry Academy, covering the school’s communal areas.
Communal spaces sit at the heart of a busy school, absorbing footfall from pupils, staff, and visitors throughout the day, as well as the additional wear and tear that comes with entrance points where dirt, moisture, and grit are constantly tracked in from outside. The specification for this project needed to combine a durable, good-looking carpet tile for the wider communal spaces with a heavy-duty entrance matting system to protect the building at its most vulnerable points. Our team completed a fully managed installation using premium products throughout, ensuring a safe, hard-wearing, and visually cohesive result across the whole area.
The Challenge: Durable, Cohesive Flooring Across Busy Communal Spaces
Communal areas in a secondary school academy see constant footfall between lessons, at break and lunch times, and at the start and end of the school day. At entrance points in particular, flooring must cope with grit, moisture, and heavy soiling being carried in from outside, while the wider communal areas require a hardwearing, easy-to-maintain floor covering that will retain its appearance under sustained daily use. Achieving a smooth, level substrate across these varied areas required careful preparation, all completed with minimal disruption to the academy’s operation.
Products & Materials Used
Gradus Lafite Connect Space — LCSPACE30
The floor covering specified for the main communal areas was Gradus Lafite Connect Space carpet tile, reference LCSPACE30. Connect Space is a hardwearing, contract-grade carpet tile designed for demanding commercial and education environments, offering excellent durability and long-term appearance retention in areas of sustained heavy traffic such as school communal spaces and corridors.
The Connect Space range delivers a refined, contemporary look, helping to create a welcoming and well-maintained impression for pupils, staff, and visitors moving through the academy’s communal areas each day.
Heckmondwike Battleship Entrance Matting
At key entrance points, Heckmondwike Battleship entrance matting was specified to provide maximum protection against dirt, moisture, and grit being tracked into the building. Battleship is one of the most trusted and widely specified heavy-duty entrance matting products in the UK commercial and education sectors, valued for its exceptional durability and proven ability to trap contaminants at the door, helping to protect the flooring beyond and reduce ongoing maintenance requirements throughout the academy.
F. Ball F41 Adhesive
F. Ball F41 was used to bond the carpet tiles and entrance matting throughout the installation. F41 is a pressure-sensitive, releasable tackifier adhesive widely regarded as the industry standard for carpet tile installations in commercial and education environments. It provides a secure, reliable bond capable of withstanding heavy daily footfall, while allowing individual tiles to be lifted and replaced without damage should localised repairs be needed in the future.
F. Ball Stopgap 1200 Screed
Thorough substrate preparation was carried out ahead of the flooring installation using F. Ball Stopgap 1200, a fast-drying, high-performance levelling compound. Stopgap 1200 was used to address surface irregularities and achieve a consistently smooth, stable substrate across the communal areas, ensuring the finished installation met the highest standards of flatness and integrity ahead of the carpet tile and entrance matting installation.
Why Choose Flooring Solutions Ltd for School & Education Flooring?
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Walkden, Manchester, Commercial Flooring Solutions Ltd has over two decades of experience delivering commercial flooring projects across the education sector and beyond. We understand the unique demands of school environments — from working within tight timeframes during holidays or out-of-hours periods, to specifying products that meet the highest standards of durability, safety, and appearance across busy communal spaces and entrance points alike.
Our team works with the industry’s leading manufacturers, including Gradus, Heckmondwike, and F. Ball, to ensure every installation is completed to the highest possible standard. From initial specification through to final handover, we provide a professional, fully managed service tailored to the needs of each individual project.
Related Services
Carpet Tiles | Entrance Matting | Commercial Carpet | Specialist Flooring Services | Contract Carpet
Get in Touch
If you have an education or commercial flooring project — large or small — we’d love to hear from you. Visit our contact page, email us at sales@flooringsolutions.co.uk or call 0161 787 7575 to discuss your requirements.