Stoke Mandeville Hospital is home to the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), and is considered the birthplace of modern spinal cord injury care. Through research, clinical and educational innovations, Ludwig Guttman proved that persons with damaged spinal cords could still live long, healthy and productive lives and so in February 1944, he opened the NSIC. As it now stands the NSIC is a 115-bed unit that acts as a focus for the treatment and rehabilitation of spinal injuries and coordination of the subsequent clinical needs of the patient. The centre also undertakes a teaching role and provides post-registration and postgraduate training in its specialist area. Outside of medical circles, the centre is most famous for the International Stoke Mandeville Games, that took place for the first time in 1952 and that are now known as the Paralympic Games. It is this sporting connection and a sports hall in need of refurbishing and expanding that led specialist sports floor installer Dynamik Sport Surfaces, to install some 1600m2 of sprung hardwood strip flooring at the renowned Guttman Centre.   The need for surface prep very apparent   Dynamik Sport Surfaces’ complex baton system   Covering swimming pool, changing rooms, showers, viewing gallery, and a multi purpose sports floor facility. The extensive flooring work involved a new sports hall that was finished with hardwood strip flooring laid on an elastic timber baton system, that in turn, was laid on a concrete floor. The whole installation covered some 1600m2, of which the existing floor covered 1000m2 and the new, power floated concrete floor some 600m2. At a site meeting Dynamik Sport Surfaces’ installation team met with technical staff from Creom UK, that supply a fast track solution to moisture in concrete floors. The aim was to ensure an effective, fast and clean answer to any residual moisture that remained in the new power floated floor and to ensure that the existing concrete floor, that required extensive repair work, was also adequately treated for potential moisture problems. After rh testing and inspection had taken place on both floors, it was established that the new power floated concrete surface would be relatively simple to treat with only some small areas of making good required before the application of Creom. However, the existing concrete floor was in a bad way, being uneven and with numerous cement protrusions and holes up to 30mm deep where the previous ceramic tiled surface had been hacked and hammered up. There were also some steel base plates set into the floor protruding up to 50mm above the surface. These surface repairs and irregularities were taken care of by the Dynamik Sports floor laying team, removing all impurities, loose material and dust and then all the repair work was completed with the use of Arditex smoothing compound. With the complete floor area now ready for treatment prior to the installation of the sprung floor, the entire hall floor was treated with two coats of Creom moisture suppressant. In most projects, Creom is applied with a lambswool roller, but on this occasion Dynamik chose to use the alternative method of spray application. With all floors moisture is a major factor, but with the sprung timber sport floors as installed by Dynamik Sport Surfaces, it is even more imperative that effective protection is in place. Sprung floors are ‘area elastic’, meaning that the floor surface deforms over a large area to absorb impact, thereby protecting the athlete and delivering maximum performance. So not only does the final floor have to look superb, it has also to perform. As the complex, Double Swing Beam construction is made almost entirely from wood, too much moisture in the subfloor could be disastrous. The fact that Dynamik Sport Surfaces’ sister company had used Creom on many previous installations, meant that there was a good working knowledge of the product and its many advantages. This background provided the confidence they needed to utilise Creom on such an important and prestigious project. The cost savings and added environmental benefits of Creom, its simplicity and its ease of application are making it the product of choice for many flooring contractors. The suppressant has been used in Sweden since the mid -1980's, where it was initially developed in response to growing concerns of the harmful effects of voc's in building construction, and was introduced into the UK market in 1985. End-users who have benefited from Creom in new build and refurbishment projects include the supermarket chains- Sainsburys and Waitrose, electrical and DIY retailers - Homebase, Currys and Comet, plus numerous other public and private sector projects such as warehouses, factories, offices, hotels, school, colleges, and hospitals. It has also been used on numerous Prisons, Ministry of Defence and PFI projects. Creom requires no mixing, is non-toxic and there is no waste as it is used straight out of the container. The quick dying times (typically 1 - 4 hours depending on ambient conditions) mean that the two coats required can easily be applied in one working day either by roller or spray unit. Provided that the rh levels of the subfloor do not exceed 98%, then Creom is suitable for use with all cementbased screeds and levelling compounds provided they do not contain, or are surfaced treated with any product or agent that prevents penetration of Creom. In the case of power-floated concrete floors, where the floor has been finished to a hard and dense surface, it is recommended that light shot-blasting or grinding is undertaken prior to the application of Creom to assist in absorption. In today's contract environment, the use of fast track products such as Creom provides the contractor with a major advantage in keeping installation time to a minimum while not cutting any corners. Another increasingly relevant factor in modern construction, and particularly in refurbishment where confined areas are common, is the impact on health and the longer-term impact on the environment. Creom's water-based composition and zero toxicity means that it is not hazardous to health or the environment and is fast becoming a more and more important issue in building design and refurbishment.   Creom is simple: Spray or roller applied   The final floor finish looks superb Creom’s advantages are ensuring that it’s steadily being recognised as a effective safe and simple product to use, With extremely good coverage rates and a twelve month shelf life un-opened (two to three months when opened) the product is also very cost effective. With distributors located throughout the UK, Creom moisture suppressant is readily available to any contractor. The company provides a full technical service and can arrange site visits to assess the suitability of application if and when required. So, with a growing number contractors using Creom and many hundreds of UK installations under its belt, the Guttman centre is another success story for Creom UK and Dynamik Sport Surfaces. More information on Creom can be found at it's web site - www.creom.co.uk or by requesting an information pack from the company at: Creom UK Limited, The Coach House, Fartherwell, West Malling, Kent ME19 6RH Dynamik Sport Surfaces Limited, Castle House, Lawrence Hill, Bristol BS5 0AT www.dynamiksport.co.uk