Efforts to improve damp-proofing at a University of Oxford hall of residence may have benefited from the use of floor saw blades.

The accommodation at Christ Church College had developed an unpleasant smell and a damp problem due to a poorly sealed previous installation.

Oxford Asphalt was tasked with repairing the problem and opted to lay levelling screed with cellular glass insulation, on top of which Permanite Asphalt flooring was set.

"Cellular glass insulation is totally resistant to the effects of liquid moisture and will protect the building with the designed insulation values remaining constant until the end of the building's life," explains Oxford Asphalt director Mark Sulik.

Floor saw blades capable of cutting through modern materials to a high degree of accuracy could help in similar projects elsewhere.

Permanite Asphalt lists seamlessness among the qualities that help to make its flooring robust and damp-proof, characteristics that other installers may be keen to emulate.

Posted by Jonathan Gordon