If you have any questions about installation, feel free to call us at 888-307-0855
Your ComfortStall® system is designed for simple, easy installation in almost any stall, no matter what the construction. ComfortStall® is comprised of three different components—a layer of engineered, closed cell precision foam, an impermeable top cover, and anchor strips that secure the top cover to the walls of the stall.
• Sharp utility knife and extra blades
• Electric drill or cordless screwdriver
• Long retractable measuring tape
• Long straight-edge
• Pencil or marker
• 1.5-2" galvanized wood screws, non-rust self-tapping metal screws, or Tap-Con screws for concrete
• Duct tape
Optional: double-sided industrial adhesive tape, as recommended, to place strategically between top cover and foam padding layer. Can be purchased at wholesale pricing from Independent Flooring Corporation - Terry Zine - 781-858-4786 terry@ifc.bz
ComfortStall® is installed by laying the foam padding layer down on a level, firmly compacted base, covering it with the seamless top cover, and then fastening the cover securely to the walls and doorway(s) of the stall. To ensure that your new ComfortStall® system is installed correctly, both the walls and floor of your stall need to be properly prepared. Please read the following instructions completely before starting.
Before installation, replace or repair any loose, broken or rotten boards in the stall walls -- this will provide a secure surface to which the top cover can be fastened. Also, fill in any holes in the existing stall floor and make sure it’s perfectly level, even and firmly compacted, so that it doesn’t shift under foot. The ComfortStall® system can be installed over any type of stall flooring, but it must be FIRM and LEVEL.
Once installed, ComfortStall® will add a little over 1.5" of height to the stall floor.
All of the components of the ComfortStall® System can be easily trimmed to fit any size stall—all you need is a sharp utility knife. Please use extreme care when trimming ComfortStall® components so as to avoid injury --- and don’t forget to measure carefully before cutting!
The ComfortStall® precision foam is manufactured only in a 6' width and in lengths of 24' or 48'. Using your utility knife, cut lengths of foam from the roll to fit the dimensions of your stall. To allow for eventual “load-spread” or expansion of foam, we highly recommend leaving about 1.5 to 2 inches between the edges of the foam and the walls to prevent buckling. (For example, for a 12' x 12' stall, you would receive a 6' x 24' roll of foam, which you would cut into two 5'10.5” [or one 6’ and one 5’9”] x 11'9” pieces, to allow for the 1.5” minimum space recommended between the edge of the foam and the walls). If at all possible, allow the foam to relax by opening it up and spreading it out for a few hours on a clean surface, (ideally with a warm ambient temperature of over 65 degrees), weighting the corners with something heavy, such as concrete blocks or bags of feed. It has a “memory”, and will be easier to work with if it has this “relaxing” time to flatten out.
The top cover is manufactured at a 13'3" width, and you'll need to allow about 6" of extra material on all four sides, in order to securely attach the cover to the wall, --- so for a 12' x 12' stall, the top cover should be 13'3” x 13'; for a 12’x 14’ stall, cut a piece that’s 15’ long and so on, according to the dimensions of your stalls.
You will usually find the anchor strips wrapped into the first few feet of the roll of top cover. They are 8' long and come in 6” wide strips or “bands,” scored so they can be broken easily into 4 strips each 1.5” wide. They can also be easily cut to fit the wall dimensions -- just score each one with your utility knife at the proper measured length, and then bend the strip at the score mark until it snaps. The anchor strips do not need to be pre-drilled.
Once you’ve cut sections of foam to the proper size, (remembering to leave the 1.5-2” of space between the edges of the foam and the walls) lay the pieces of foam side by side and centered on the stall floor, attaching them to each other by using several (at least 5 - 7) pieces of duct tape (about 2 feet long), crosswise of the edges between the sections, pushing them snugly against each other.
Next, unroll the ComfortStall® top cover, and cut the appropriately measured piece(s) for your stall(s) as described above. Place the piece of top cover over the centered foam—the fuzzy side should face down, and the smooth polymer side should face up.
IMPORTANT: Center the top cover in the stall, and walk around the perimeter to press it down into place along the edges and make sure there is equal distribution of excess around all four sides.
To add friction and stability between the top cover and foam, and to deter any migration or shifting of the foam under the top cover, we recommend using a strip of the optional 9.25” double-sided industrial tape lengthwise over the foam “seam” and another strip of that tape centered and perpendicular to or across the seam, essentially dividing the foam into four “quadrants”.
To accomplish this, start by gently folding 1/2 of the top cover back over itself, so that only 1/2 of the stall’s area is exposed, (covered already by the pieces of foam that are stabilized and held together by the duct tape). Then carefully unroll the double-sided tape over the exposed half of the stall, across the center in a straight line, starting at the wall, going toward the fold, sticky side down on top of the foam, firmly holding the roll up and pressing the tape down with your hand (on the protective paper backing), and smoothing it out as you go, then cut it with the utility knife when it reaches the folded top cover. Remove the protective paper cover on that first half-row of tape, then unfold and push the top cover back down to cover the whole stall.
Then fold the other half of the top cover back, so you can finish putting the rest of the row of tape on the centerline to the opposite wall. Then unroll the other strip of tape onto the foam, starting at the wall, all along and right next to the folded top cover, centered in the stall and crosswise of the first row of tape, pressing it down firmly and cutting it when you reach the opposite wall. Pull off the protective backing and unfold the top cover back down to smoothly cover the entire stall again, taking care to keep it centered so that the excess is available all the way around to be fastened to the walls with the anchor strips.
Firmly press the whole top cover down onto the foam, over the “cross” or “plus sign” of tape, to bond it to the tape strips and smooth it out to the walls, pressing the top cover down a bit into the space left between the foam and the wall, making a 90 degree bend. At this point, it might be best to cut a short slit in every corner, so as to “dovetail” the top cover down to fit deeply into the corners.
Start fastening the top cover to the walls, using the plastic anchor strips, placing them down as low as possible on the walls, into the 90 degree bend, and pushing the top cover slightly down into the space between the foam and the walls, NOT stretching it too tightly across the stall, so as to allow some “give”. It’s usually easiest to start right in a corner, placing the screws about 4” apart, drilling them in tightly to hold the top cover firmly against the walls. When the anchor strip ends (8’ along the first wall), measure the distance from the end of the strip right to the corner, and cut the next anchor strip to fit, by scoring it with the utility knife and bending and breaking it at the right length needed. Take care to “dovetail” the top cover into the corner and use enough screws to hold it firmly to the wall.
If there are any obstructions that protrude from the walls of the stall—like posts or water pipes—continue fastening the top cover with anchor strips right up to the obstruction, then use your utility knife to cut the smallest piece possible out of the top cover to accommodate the post or pipe. Continue with the anchor strips as close as possible on the other side. (If a water pipe is located “stubbed up” away from the wall, cut a small hole to accommodate it before anchoring too close, so that you can lift the top cover over it and have the smallest hole possible in the correct location).
Fasten the top cover to the walls all the way around the stall. On the thresholds of the doors, continue anchoring the top cover to wood or concrete across the doorway, just the same as it is on the rest of the perimeter of the stall. If the level of the floor of the stall is too high to do that, please call us for alternative instructions. It is advisable to push the top cover down into the foam to form a little dip of sorts along the door opening, so the top cover isn’t very taut right in that area, to allow a little “play” and help prevent the top cover from possibly being pulled out of the screws by the weight of a 1200 pound horse repeatedly stepping right next to the threshold. Once the cover is fastened all the way around, use your utility knife to trim off the excess along the top of the anchor strips to create a tidy finished edge.
If you have any questions during installation, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 888-307-0855 for assistance. It is our intention that all goes smoothly and that everyone is satisfied with the results and enjoys the benefits of our anti-fatigue flooring system.
