FFI 51 February 2012

INTERNATIONAL tra de jour nal for impor t, expor t, dis tribution and laying of parquet, laminate, cor k flooring and related produc t s

I N T E R N AT I O N A L N° 51, Feb 2012 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept, Nov, Dec) Office of delivery 9099 Ghent X, P911092, BC 31359 — Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder - Mieke Vandeputte

Overview on the Parquet Industry in Rumania

AFTERSHOW: Domotex Hannover (Germany)

23-25.09.2012 Kortrijk Xpo (B) Special Waterbased lacquers

Special Joint fillers

Special: Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

Special Repair tools and fillers

TOGETHER EXPERTISE IN WOOD FLOOR FINISHES Respect

for people and the environment

www.blanchon.com

The Blanchon range of oils, lacquers, stains, ageing agents and fillers are used by wood flooring professionals the world over. Small wonder given the reassurance of local support staff in each country, and products consistently manufactured to the highest standards. Quality that has been our trademark for over 60 years.

Every day, to make sure that your wood is the most beautiful flooring on the market, our team works to develop even more effective products with the greatest possible respect for the environment.

With our ongoing development of innovative treatments, Blanchon offers the trade all the answers for perfect wood flooring.

Blanchon U.K. For more information, please contact: John-David PAPWORTH - Mob. 07835 354 871- e-mail: jdpapworth@blanchon.com Tel Export lines: +33 472 89 06 09 - www.blanchon.co.uk

N° 51, Feb 2012 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept, Nov, Dec) Office of delivery 9099 Ghent X, P911092, BC 31359 — Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder - Mieke Vandeputte

REVIEW: Domotex Hannover (Germany)

23-25.09.2012 Kortrijk Xpo (B) Special Waterbased lacquers

Special Joint fillers

Special: Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

Special Repair tools and fillers

Floor Forum International, N° 51, February ’12 - Photo Z-Parket

5 Inside news 8 Advertorial Mardegan Legno Mardegan Legno (Hungary): ‘Hungarian expertise produces trendy and refined collection’

9 Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany) 28 Special Joint fillers 32 Special Glue guns 35 Preview DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR (Shanghai) 36 Special Waterbased lacquers 42 Project: ‘La Reserve’ opts for Woca High Solid Master Oil 44 Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite) 49 Special Repair tools and fillers 53 Overview on the Parquet Industy in Rumenia

58 Product news

Subscriptions to Floor Forum International: Mail to office@media-pact.com

Visit us at

56 Industry news

Editorial “Investment in innovation and renewed products is the way ahead for European parquet manufacturers.”

Roel Geraerts (Z-Parket)

The Belgian parquet manufacturer Z-Parket aims to be more than just a production company and always brings a total concept to their parquet floors. In spite of the difficult economic climate, they continue to work positively to make their company grow and have every hope of a bright future. We spoke to Roel Geraerts from Z-Parket about the recent Domotex trade fair and the current situation in the industry.

What are your expectations at the start of this new year?

“These are difficult days for everyone, including ourselves. However, we can’t complain about our sales and expansion. If your product is good and innovative, then you always find clients. We’re absolutely convinced of that. There are parquet projects everywhere, but it goes without saying that these days you have to work even harder and make more effort to make yourself and your products stand out.”

What effect has the crisis had upon the industry?

“No one has escaped completely, but in my view our industry is coping quite well. The economic crisis is a reality and we have to get through it. The bottom line is that the industry has to look for the right solutions both in Belgium and the rest of Europe. The crisis has forced us

to put our house in order. We can no longer escape. And if we do put our house in order, things will come good again.”

Z-Parket always puts in a striking appearance at trade fairs. Why this strategy?

“We always try to adopt a different approach from our colleagues.

We work hard on the character, the look, and the quality of our products and combine that with a fresh and trendy image. At a fair like Domotex we often hear visitors say that we’re different from the others. You have to see the launch of the Z-Parket app for Iphone in this context.”

“However, the industry also has to understand that we also invest a lot in the innovation of our products.

A large part of our income goes directly into research in order to make better, more attractive, and more outstanding products. In addition, we also attach great importance to the presentation of our trademark to end users and architects. In our view, that’s the only way ahead for parquet manufacturers in Europe: that of top quality and innovative products. Otherwise, we have to concede ground on the price in any case towards low salary countries. I also noticed at Domotex that several fellow exhibitors have also realised this and are committing themselves more to renewal and innovation.”

Editing & advertisements

Advertising & subscriptions

FFI bvba PO BOX 29 9870 Olsene, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)9 385 80 40 Fax.: +32 (0)9 385 88 85 sales@media-pact.com www.floor-forum.com

Mieke Vandeputte office@media-pact.com Filip De Ridder sales@media-pact.com

Publishers

Filip De Ridder Mieke Vandeputte Lay-out:

‘79 design - Gentbrugge (B)

Translation:

Michael Robinson Floor Forum International is a publication of FFi bvba

Editors:

Jean Paul Talbot Ludwig Janssens Filip De Ridder Jacques Legros Production:

Lowyck - Oostende

The copyright of Floor Forum International and the articles appearing herein are retained by the publisher. By agreeing to publication of an article in this journal, the author assigns to the publisher the irrevocable and exclusive right under Copyright law to collect charges due from third parties for copying said article and to undertake legal or other action for this purpose.

Editorial and advertising copy in this issue have been carefully checked and Floor Forum International bvba cannot accept any responsibility for any errors.

Contents, Colophon & Editorial

I N T E R N AT I O N A L Overview on the Parquet Industry in Romania

www.floor-forum.com

INTERNATIONAL tra d e jour nal for imp or t, expor t, dis tribution and laying of parquet, laminate, cor k flooring and related produc t s

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> Inside news

Dachser Dachser is one of Europe’s leading logistics providers. Its fullcoverage overland transport network currently comprises 163 own locations across 21 countries, not including partner locations in further 15 countries. Via Dachser’s Air & Sea Logistics business field, links are also assured to worldwide procurement and sales markets. Sophisticated contract logistics solutions complete the services offered.

Bamboo X-Treme: Better than wood!

Bamboo X-Treme™ is the innovative decking that combines sustainability and design with stability and durability. Distributed exclusively in Italy by Ravaioli Legnami Srl, and developed

by MOSO Italia Srl, it is a high-density, heat treated product, patented and environmentally

Progress Profiles: Proskirting Channel & Flat The latest trends in architecture include the increasingly popular use of skirting boards (cover walls) with plasterboard.

Proskirting channel & flat have two innovative products, with or without the internal decorative channel, designed with an integrated system for plasterboard walls. These are available in stainless steel and anodised aluminium, shiny or varnished in different colours to create some modern design effects.

Rectification: Haro Laminate Floors with aquaTec System Their well-balanced multilayer construction means that HARO laminate floors remain stable at all times. The special aquaTec system gives the guarantee that they will always stay in good shape.

This is achieved by connecting the aquaResist special moisture control HDF coreboard with a specially impregHaro Parquet Spa in Smoked Oak nated protective coat.

For dump rooms like bathrooms the producer recommends HARO Parquet Spa. The parquet range offers four special wood species that brave the humid conditions. Merbau, oak, smoked oak and African oak feature an enhanced moisture resistance due to their low shrinkage and swelling potential. Oil-finishing is performed with a special oil balm, which the installer applies in two coats. This intense surface treatment protects the parquet floor against moisture penetration. HARO Parquet Spa can also be laid over underfloor heating.

Gazzotti During 2012, Gazzotti plans to focus a lot of attention on its relationship with architects and designers. All activities are based on the homing concept: do things at home, where people feel comfortable. Therefore, there are two options: do activities at the architects’ homes or at home in Italy.

For Gazzotti the perfect home for inviting architects to experience the beauty of our wood floors is the company’s own art gallery La Limonaia at Villa Beccadelli near Bologna. If we go and visit architects, a very effective means of presentation are Lunch & Learns. We use the lunch break in an architectural firm to have some fine Italian food and talk about very specific design topics involving wooden floors.

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Inside news

Sadechaf UV specialist Sadechaf has made a successful start with site applied UV projects. They completely restored a damaged parquet floor in just one day using the waterborne UV varnish from paint maker Ursa Paint.

De Rigo Step Lyght coat from Ursa Paint was applied coat by coat and was hardened using the Bulldog UV Floor Machine from Sadechaf.

Once the coat had hardened, it was possible to sand the floor immediately and the next coat was applied. The result was a professionally repaired floor which the client began to use that very same day.

friendly because it is made from a renewable resource. It is stronger than many other woods and not susceptible to torsion.

Bamboo X-Treme™ is ready to install, unfinished, with one smooth side and one non-slip side, pre-milled for laying with clips and end tongue and groove joints.

Floor Forum International 51

Soudal wins “Company of the year 2011” Award Prime minister Yves Leterme announced the winner of the 17th edition of the “Company of the year 2011” award in Flanders, Belgium.

Among the four finalists, Soudal nv and its founder Vic Swerts came out on top. With this award, the organizer Ernst & Young rewards successful Belgian companies for their outstanding growth and their sense for innovation, entrepreneurship, strategy, sustainability and management. The other nominees were Arseus, Waterleau and Willy Naessens Group. You can find more info on this award on our web site.

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Gazzotti sponsors Fabio Novembre lecture at IDS12 Toronto Once a year, the Canadian interior design world comes together for one magnificent event, the Interior Design Show in Toronto.

From parties and intriguing displays to educational and inspirational ‘Trade Talks’, this year’s IDS12 was a feast of ideas and creativity.

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For Gazzotti and its exclusive dealer in Canada, IDEE17, the highlight of the show was its presentation of Milan star designer Fabio Novembre. Furniture that encapsulates the human body, interiors that stretch the imagination, art that inspires conversation, Novembre creates it all. His pieces please the eye, stimulate thought, and touch you personally. From designing a stunning restaurant, to turning a door knob into a thought provoking piece of art, his immense creativity brands every project he touches.

It gave us the utmost pleasure to host this talk. We are sure many came away with some cutting edge ideas that make them think of their next design project in a whole new light.

PARQUET and HOME DESIGNER show (NL) On 2, 3, and 4 April 2012, Gorinchem trade fair centre (NL) will witness the Parquet & Home Designer show. The former Parquet Fair and Home Designer show have been joined into one trade fair under the title Parquet & Home Designer.

Parquet and Home Designer show 2012 is an important meeting point for businesses and operators associated with the parquet and home design industries. For three days, specialists and professionals looking for new products and ideas can also take the opportunity to meet suppliers and catch up on the latest news.

Show division For the coming edition we have ensured that there will be a better flow of visitors between the two divisions Parquet and Home Design. You come in through one central and spacious entrance and precede in the direction of the show floor where you will find two clusters of parquet exhibitors and two of home design. Between these clusters we have created a larger overflow area where you will find suppliers who serve both target groups.

Information area and mini transport square For the coming show we have created a new specially designed ‘Information Area’. This is located between the Parquet and Home Design clusters. This Information area occupies a central location on the show floor. This will be a pleasant meeting point where all show visitors can see all those providing information in no time at all. Furthermore, this area is ideal for arranging to meet people before visiting the show. In this area you will find parties such as industrial associations, trade journals, training institutions, and retail associations.

Old Floor company: RESTAURO To get the best from nature and reach the top!

To capture its dimensions and get the foot to lean on a wide and steady surface. This is the spirit which Old Floor continues to embody as it makes its 3-layer wooden floors in astonishing sizes: boards up to 34cm wide and 3m long.

The company has introduced ‘Rovere Restauro’ with these features. Each single piece is subjected to skilful hand-scraping, followed by sealing any unevenness with contrasting black plaster.

You then choose a finish from a slightly antique-like oiling or a zero gloss natural varnishing. An aesthetic effect rich in intensity and able to fit into any kind of setting.

Thomsit will be attending FUTURE FLOORS – EUROPARKET Kortrijk Xpo - 23, 24 and 25th of September 2012 Thomsit, the innovative brand with regards to floor systems, will also be represented during the upcoming Europarket fair in Kortrijk Xpo. Especially the special concept and the target group of the fair are very appealing to us. By taking part in the fair we can show both the Belgian market as well as the international visitors that Thomsit is the best option when it comes down to floor systems.

Furthermore, we think that it is an excellent opportunity to invite customers and to personally present the new Flextec™ range to them.

Strong, stronger, strongest!

Every day and for each project an excellent performance is required. Thomsit realized that there was a great demand for elastic parquet adhesives at exactly the right time. Elastic adhesives offer a long-term protection against the shear force and an optimal safety thanks to the strong adhesive power. The Flextec™ range of Thomsit consists of three anhydrous and solvent-free parquet adhesives which permanently reduce the tensile stress on the groundwork. Another important characteristic of the Flextec™ range is that it is very easy-to-use. The adhesives are pasty and can therefore be easily applied and they furthermore guarantee an excellent crease formation.

Leave the installation of your parquet flooring to Thomsit Thanks to the new Flextec™ range Thomsit is now able to offer parquet adhesives for all kinds of parquets. Our products guarantee a perfect and long-lasting result. We hope to welcome you at our stand during the upcoming FUTURE FLOORS –EUROPARKET.

• ObTain yOur frEE badgE On

www.timbershow.com

THE

get together

for the timber trade

with the support of :

Mardegan Legno: Advertorial Mardegan Legno (Hungary)

Hungarian expertise produces trendy and refined collection Mardegan Legno, based in Barcs in South Hungary, close to the Croatian border, combines traditional expertise with a love of wooden floors and good taste. The expertise has been passed down from father to son and, moreover, they control the entire creative process, from the selection of the wood and the drying to the sawing, finishing, and surface treatment.

and finish customised work for its clients.

In the current Mardegan Legno range we find three-layer planks with thicknesses of 15 and 20mm and two-layer planks with a thickness of 14mm. The planks vary in length from 120 to 300cm.

They also have three types of herringbone: Hungarian herringbone 45 degrees, Hungarian herringbone 30 degrees and Italian herringbone (90 degrees).

They have developed three collections with the utmost care: • Rovere Milano Style is a range of oak floors with trendy, current colours and various finishes.

• Rovere Firenze Style is a range of oak floors in a traditional but equally

Floor Forum International 51

The result is an extensive range of splendid floors with extremely refined finish and colours which have already been sold successfully in Italy. With its presence at Domotex in Hanover, Mardegan Legno is now also looking for other markets.

8

Mardegan Legno works with experienced and specialised woodworkers and applies this knowledge to produce a wide range of multi-layer parquet with a high quality top layer of 5.2mm. The range includes mainly oak wood, but cherry wood, elm, walnut, and acacia are also available. Due to the immaculate management of the various possible finishes, Mardegan Legno offers scores of designs. In addition, as regards the colouring of the floor, Mardegan Legno makes an impression with a range of 46 stylish colours.

In recent times, Mardegan Legno has enjoyed a lot of success on the Italian market with its range. The company is now aiming to get a foot in the door in other countries as well. To that end, they are looking for partners in other parts of Europe and beyond to act as importers, distributors, and dealers.

Mardegan Legno can offer both its own collections and produce

current style in various finishes.

• Rovere Loire Castles is the newest collection. The various colours are applied to more rustic, sandblasted planks. The floors are presented as naturally aged and are full of authentic character.

Mardegan Legno offers a choice of the following surface treatments: • Sanded • Sandblasted • Brushed • Sandblasted and rounded • Hand-scraped • Aged • Hand-scraped and rounded • Saw marked Despite the wide choice which Mardegan Legno already has at its disposal, they constantly working on new directions. The new collection ‘Live in New York’ will be launched within two months with eleven new colours. With the quality of wood and the expertise to finish in all sorts of ways, Mardegan Legno can still surprise many in the trade.

For more details: sales@mardeganlegno.com www.mardeganlegno.com

Domotex a great success!

In the light of the current economic climate Domotex 2012 in Hannover was certainly a great success. With no fewer than 45,000 visitors, many of them top quality visitors, the industry is looking back upon the show with great satisfaction. Producers of parquet, laminate, PVC, and vinyl floors have proved that their choice for innovation and renewed design was the right one. “Floors have really become a lifestyle item,” says Dr Andreas Gruchow, committee member of Deutsche Messe, the organiser. Exhibitors from the laminate and parquet industry who go down that road enjoy success.

The annual high mass for the floor industry attracted 12% or 5000 more visitors than in 2010 and 2011 and finished with just 2000 fewer than in the record year of 2008. There were more visitors from Germany and from abroad, and there was noticeably more interest from Eastern Europe, North America, and Asia.

European laminate sector As usual, the Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) organised a press conference in order to announce its annual results and analyses of the laminate market.

The 22 members of the EPLF sold 468 million square metres of laminate all over the world, a fall of 4% as compared to 2011.

The Western European market was just about stable with around 300 million square metres. They also announced that the new standards for impact sound and scratch resistance for laminate are almost ready and are due to be announced officially in the spring. Similarly, for subfloors a new typology and classification is due to come into effect soon. Furthermore, the new laminate standard 14041 will also include VOC emissions and dangerous substances.

Adesiv A representative from Adesiv said, “The sector will always need glue, and that’s also the basis of our success. We’ve increased our export to several countries, which now number 35. We’re also shortly presenting our new catalogue in 19 different languages. That proves how widespread our products are.” An important new item at the Adesiv booth was the MS polymer adhesive WB Mono MS. This adhesive has been developed by the Adesiv specialists using MS polymers from the Japanese Kaneka. The new 2K waterborne ICE varnish also attracted lots of attention. Furthermore, the Adesiv staff also stress that this varnish is anti-skid and flame-retardant.

They also said that the new products will all be labelled with the QR code.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

“Innovation and renewed design works!”

Amorim

Here is a summary of the major exhibitors and their news and innovations.

Traditionally, Amorim has always shown off new products at Domotex. Here, they exhibited the Fast Connect Cork comfort.

The 5.5mm thin cork tiles in this collection are fitted using pressure-sensitive glue and a ‘revolutionary’ Grip-strip system. The tiles can be fitted without glue and without PE film on the floor.

The Cork comfort also has some new decors. These include the leather look, Slice with the appearance of criss-cross cork strips, Flock, and Traces with a lot of extra structure. For high traffic locations there is now also a Cork comfort plank with HPS extra durable finishing.

Arboritec The star of the show at the Arboritec stand was the new and ceramically reinforced Uvelite UV varnish finish, which is ideal for finishing on site in combination with a mobile UV curing machine. One coat is sufficient and everything is perfectly set after the UV curing. At Domotex, Arboritec also presented its ceramically reinforced waterborne Arboritec and Nanofloor.

Runno Allikivi from Arboritec commented, “Ceramically reinforced may sound new, but Arboritec actually launched this

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Floor Forum International 51

Floor Forum International As usual, your trade journals Floor Forum and Floor Forum International were present at Domotex were present with their own stand. For four days, we received scores of national and international readers, advertisers, and supporters. The Floor Forum stand was also an ideal location to meet people or simply to have a pleasant chat whilst enjoying coffee, wine, or a Leffe beer and a snack.

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finish technology together with nanotechnology back in 1999.”

Visitors also showed a lot of interest in the 2K high solid Miracle Oil. This oil can be used as a separate product or as a primer for the Nanofloor waterborne varnish.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Archiwood Archiwood, maker of the hardwood clip, exhibited an adapted case kit with lid for professionals, which is handy on site.

This kit includes the necessary material for fitting decking, saves space in the van, and reduces waste. Moreover, it also gives fitters a more professional look. In addition, they also showed a bitumen substrate for under the decking floor, which reduces noise, provides greater walking comfort, and also makes the floor watertight. There is also a new profile for those who wish to use the hardwood clip with wall furnishing.

Axel Wirth Axel Wirth has attended Domotex faithfully for as long as anyone can remember. On this occasion, the D DWO roller applicator was star of the show. With its striking application precision of 3 grammes per square metre, this tool is ideal for all types of floors and various possible finishes e.g. varnish, oil, or lye. All together, four rollers ensure an even and precise application: a dip roll, an application roller, a contra-rotation ‘reverse’ roller, and, finally,

another dip roll. Wirth stresses that the D DWO is easy to clean and that all parts are made of top quality (stainless steel) material.

Balterio Balterio, winner of the Wood Flooring Summit Innovation Award Balterio once again enjoyed an extremely successful Domotex. Their stand attracted lots of visitors, but this manufacturing company also walked away with a prize at the Wood Flooring Summit. With its new PXP (Press Xpress) fold-down installation system for fitting the short sides of the floor panels, they have once again made fitting laminate a whole lot easier. There is still only one bolt for the two panels, both horizontally and vertically. The clip in the plank ensures that the short sides are fastened directly and this always results in an even and seamless groove.

Balterio has not rested on its laurels as regards collections. For example, there was the Infinity: the exclusivity of long and wide planks in eight wood designs with a new 3D-wood effect. This highlights the natural relief of the wood grain through the variations in level of gloss from matt to satin and silk. Another novelty is X-perience plus, which provides an extra touch of style in the home. The eight decors have a choice of the 3D-wood effect or the new soft touch matt structure. Attractive for anyone looking for a fashionable floor at an affordable price in its assortment is

Belgian quality laminate flooring…

Laminate flooring specialist Balterio combines style, quality and simplicity.

At Balterio, you choose from elegant designs, different plank sizes and numerous finishes. Our laminate floors comply with the highest quality standards allowing you to benefit from long-term warranties and lasting comfort. Thanks to revolutionary click systems, your laminate floor is installed in no time. At Balterio, you will certainly find a floor for life!

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Basin Chemie At the booth of the Belgian parquet chemical specialist Basin visitors saw the No Visible varnish, which is now also available with UV system in collaboration with Sadechaf. The No Visible varnish has a gloss percentage of 1.5%, respects the natural colour of the wood, and yet is highly durable. Also new was the ‘Unik Oils’ range of monocoat oils, which, according to Basin, stands out for its excellent durability and 0% VOC. Also on show was the ‘Antico System’ chemical distressing range for oak. Furthermore, there was also the Basibond glue pistol for applying glue from a standing position. More and more floor fitters are using this tool because it relieves pressure on the knees.

Bassano Parquet

Berry Alloc Berry Alloc is aiming to strengthen its brand image with a wide range of quality products: HPL and DPL laminate, parquet, click vinyl, and wall finishes. Their booth stood out for the extremely numerous new decor variants in the DPL laminate range. As regards technology, it was mainly the 5G locking system (Best Loc X-treme) which caught the eye. The DPL laminate range includes the Titanium Collection, a class 33 collection in ten colours; the Elegance long plank collection is now available in twelve brand new attractive colours. They also exhibited 10 new colours in the Naturals collection, including some with Wood Structure+ embossing. They also launched 10 new colours In the 9mm thick Exquisite range (with Micro Wood View 4 technology, a V-groove on the long and short sides of the plank). Finally, Berry Alloc also presented 20 new floors with coloured oak (shades varying from natural to sophisticated).

Floor Forum International 51

Bassano Parquet took part in Domotex for the first time.

This family business from Cassola, near Vicenza (Italy), has operated in the wood industry since 1832. In 2003, Bassano started producing parquet, but, before that, the company supplied top quality wood for the furniture industry. Bassano Parquet offers a range of two and three-layer parquet floors and took the opportunity at

Domotex to exhibit all its quality with the special Opera Prima Collection. This is a three-layer floor with a top layer of 6mm in European oak which is hand-planed to make each plank unique.

The lengths vary between 180 and 240cm, the width between 15 and 22cm. Another attraction was the Roveri Centenari old oak floor in widths up to 370mm and lengths up to 300cm. Everything is produced in Italy and supplied with a varnish or oil finish.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

the Dolce. Dolce is a collection of 7mm planks with 189mm plank width and 1261mm length plank collection, which is available in eight decors in True-to-Nature or soft touch matt finish. Dolce is in durability class AC4.

visit us at www.floor-forum.com FFi50_ADESIV.indd 1

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Wherever. Forever.

What would be better than 1 trusted brand ‌ 2 trusted brands !

Berry Floor, known for their beautiful laminate and parquet collections and Alloc, famous for their high performance laminate with the original aluminium locking system, have merged their brands into a new brand in the world of decoration. BerryAlloc is a leading creator of interior design and home decoration for residential and commercial projects. At BerryAlloc, we all share the same passion for quality, innovation and service.

Find more information about the full BerryAlloc product range at www.berryalloc.com

> continued from page 11

Buzon Pedestal International The specialist in polypropylene indoor and outdoor floor pedestals was satisfied with its return to Domotex after its absence in 2011. Buzon highlighted all the advantages and possible uses of its pedestals to an extremely international public. The company was also looking specifically for distributors for Eastern European countries.

Chimiver The Italian chemical specialist presented its Ecogreen 1K polyurethane waterborne varnish for wooden floors.

This product also bears the European Eco label.

Another new product was the Ecocrom, a 1K waterborne colour primer for wooden floors. This product is the first one to succeed in creating the same effect as that produced by solventborne primers. The Ecostar 2K Natural and Ecostar 2K Antibatterica were also prominently on display. The Ecostar Antibatterica is a waterborne 2K polyurethane varnish, which reduces the development and spread of staphylococcus and Escherichia coli bacteria by 98%. The Ecostar Natural is a 2K polyurethane varnish which also gives wooden floors an ultra matt and natural wood look.

Ciranova Ciranova presented a line of new outdoor finish products with ‘UV Protection for Decking’.

Moreover, this collection has a wide range of variety with eight available standard colours. For outdoor wood they also displayed

the Eco-protector. Furthermore, Ciranova stressed the importance of a good network of dealers. This was why, for the first time at this fair, they displayed the Ciranova Certified Dealer Concept. Dealers who make a wholehearted choice to work with Ciranova and commit themselves fully to that work can become a Certified Dealer after one year. This entitles them to extra service from the producer, with training and extra sales support in various areas.

Design Parquet At Domotex, Design Parquet exhibited a new surface treatment which can be ordered as an option for a number of ranges from ‘Design Parquet’ parquet. The procedure is called ‘ROC’ and it guarantees a durability and wear resistance which can stand up to comparison with the most durable laminate floors. ROC has been tested extensively and produced exceptionally good results. This finish contains neither solvents nor any VOC. Another new item from Design Parquet is Loft Pro, a range of parquet for floor fitters.

Loft Pro is a multi-layer parquet with a top layer of 4.5mm and a birch plywood base. The planks are 180mm wide and between 150 and 220cm long and are suitable for use with floor heating.

There is a choice of six sorts of wood and 30 different finishes.

Döllken-Weimar To find a suitable skirting board for a design floor, you can opt for a contrasting look or an optically harmonious decor. Until recently, the latter choice often meant settling for a compromise solution.

Now, however, there is the new EP60 Flex life from DöllkenWeimar. Döllken-Weimar offers its clients the opportunity to use perfectly identical skirting boards with the help of Photo Print and embossed technology. In addition to its own decors, the standard colours of alu-metalic, black, and white can also be supplied.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Bona has a tradition of innovation and environmental friendliness and highlighted these facts with a number of innovations. The company presented three new ecological wood finishes. For example, there was the Bona Traffic HD, which combines long life with a low VOC content of less than 4%. The Bona Wave, a medium-hard varnish, has also become more ecological and has a strongly reduced VOC content. Similarly, the Bona Resident Plus for residential floors now has a considerably lower VOC emission figure. In addition they also presented a waterborne oil, Bona Craft Wood Oil. This is available in six colours which reconcile beauty, a healthy working environment, and perfect living conditions for the client. There was also some new sanding material, the Bona ceramic sandpaper 8700, which yields impressing sanding results.

Egger At its spacious and attractive booth, Egger displayed various innovations and new decors. For example, there was the Cork+ technology with direct print method, which prints the pattern and decor in the upper cork layer and then finishes with an elastic, ecological, and sturdy coat of varnish. The new decors which Egger presented fall within the categories of ‘natural’ and ‘authenticity’. For example, there was the Grand Canyon with an extremely deep and natural brushed effect, and vintage saw cut with old traditional saw-cut effect. The Egger collections are extensive, up-to-date, and diverse. Anyone wanting to see them can do so in the Egger Trend book.

Ernst P. On show at the booth of Swedish company Ernst P. was the Repair Kit Pro for stained and coloured floors.

Worn out patches can easily appear, especially in high-traffic places. The Ernst P. kit includes six coloured oil stains which can be mixed together to arrive at just about any colour in order to repair damage (e.g. to chair legs). Small patches can then be

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Floor Forum International 51

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Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

sealed up or oiled again. For deep-seated damage there is also a filler available with the help of a fluid wax in 20 different colours.

Eukula Chemical specialist Eukula introduced its visitors to products such as the Strato 461/462/463 2K waterborne varnish in three degrees of gloss, namely silk matt, matt, and ultra-matt. This varnish is ideal for high traffic locations, does not turn the wood yellow, does not leave marks, and is also suitable for light wood sorts. The setting component is mixed in a ratio of 1 to 10.

F. Ball British chemical specialist F. Ball has enjoyed further export growth and was therefore present again at Domotex.

They exhibited a self-levelling levelling agent which you can walk on within just half an hour and floor coverings can be fitted on an absorbent subfloor within just three quarters of an hour. Based on the very latest cement technology, Fast-Track 30 is an ideal solution for situations where speed is required. The company also showed a new and free app for iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile. Visitors were able to consult the F. Ball catalogue and technical information sheets at their leisure.

FB Hout It was not only the Volendam herring stand where a herring trader in wooden clogs was cutting mountains of fresh herring that was a highlight at the FB Hout booth. The new Design Collection, too, attracted plenty of attention.

The idea of this collection is to create special floors with plenty of character without compromising on user-comfort. The sawn effect of some floors in this collection does not result in unevenness, so the floors are a pleasure to walk on. FB Hout also focused on its splendid collection of Hungarian point and herringbone floors, given the growing demand and interest on the market.

Fetim Visitors had the opportunity to make acquaintance with no fewer than 18 new Solid Floor floors in various collections. For example, there are four new items in the new Classics collection, which have a full deep colour thanks to light brushing. The Vintage collection has been extended with nine new decors, including five hand-cleaved floors, the so called Ax-woods. These five hand-cleaved floors clearly demonstrate the power of wood in its purest form. This is a magnificent floor for anyone who loves wood in its purest and most authentic form. The Lifestyle collection has been extended with five beautiful FSC approved items in grey and earth tones. Naturally, there was also the unique Piet Boon® flooring by Solid Floor™ collection. This collection, which is signed by the renowned interior designer is characterised by a sturdy square groove and a single colour pallet based on a specially developed oil.

Finsa – Faus At the Finsa-Faus booth the Spanish laminate maker showed off the new Zaino Granite wide planks in white, grey, and dark grey granite decor, the Romance Oak in various widths of plank with taupe colours, the Loft Goa sober floor for eclectic interiors, Cottage Slate Taupe tiles with stony decors, Black Marble, Palatine Travertine with travertine decor and the Sucupira Recife wooden floor.

Flamingo Parket Flamingo Parket is looking into the future with confidence and is planning to open a new production plant in The Netherlands.

This Dutch company is extremely export-oriented and exports 70% of its production. At their booth they displayed a 4m long plank with a width of 25cm. The top layer of 6mm of oak stands on a plywood base. They also showed visitors their Global Collection, a

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Flexura The Belgian veneer producer Flexura has undergone radical changes in its management. From now on, the company will be led by three partners, each of whom is responsible for one area of expertise. The company is aiming to operate in a strongly client-oriented manner and sees itself more as a supplier of specialities in veneer. For example, Flexura has a range of extremely long and wide plank veneer floors and they always stress that the veneer has a (remarkable) thickness of 2.5mm. The floors are available with a click system or with tongue and groove. As regards finish, there is a choice of oil or a coat of varnish and the company now has at its disposal a range with hardness class 33.

Haro The Haro booth had a flavour of innovation, novelties, and more marketing.

The brand new web site and glossy catalogue provide support for dealers.

The parquet range welcomes planks with vivid optics and diverse colours, including the ‘Oak Sauvage’ and ‘Oak Alabama’. Another new item was the ‘pro’ country house plank range Scala: tongue and groove, 1750mm long and 160mm wide, various colours and finishes. This year, Haro is celebrating 25 years of Haro laminate and is launching five new attractive decors in the ‘Gran Via’ range and a new Haro laminate display. The Celenio range, made from a mixture of wood fibre with ‘Harolith’ natural resins is attractive, easy to fit, and offers silence, material warmth, and durability.

N

EW

Forestry Timber Export This Malaysian company unveiled an extra large booth this year.

Adriaan van der Wal explained that this was necessary in order to display more products. He said, “We can say that we really do have even more products with that little extra added value and that we’re developing further into a leader in new parquet floors.

I think particularly here of our parquet floors with gold, silver, aluminium, and metal looks.

With our antique floors we’re launching three new items: there’s the Altay, a dark smoked floor, the Rossel, an oak floor with an extremely natural aged look and subtle differences in height to make the floor look extremely authentic.” Finally, we can also state that there is now a three-layer solid wood floor available in three layers of oak or merbau.

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Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

collection of floors finished with coloured stains with a wide choice of grey and beige tints.

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Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Inpa Parket Inpa Parket is taking advantage of the demand for new 3D surface treatments on the parquet market. Designers are using new techniques and procedures to create floors with a very organic look.

These SX6 and SX7 variants complement the existing Scarving Experience range. The architects and interior designers reacted most favourably to these innovations. Al these treatments are available for both the oak and exotic ranges. Inpa also presented a range of finished duo planks (end grain) in FSC approved exotic wood sorts. As regards the finish, there is a choice of oil or varnish.

Furthermore, they also presented a coloured curupay floor plank which is given an attractive shade of walnut by the treatment.

Janser

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Janser presented several new products. For example, there was the new Columbius Dia-Disc with diamond segments, which improves the efficiency of Columbus sanding machines considerably. There was also a new and handy hand-milling tool for sanding and polishing in corners, on stairs, and similar places. Floor fitters who want to put an end to the dust generated by sanding can now use the Grizzly belt sander and the Lupo edge sander. This works together with the new DC 2900-G vacuum cleaner with auto-start system. They also presented a new development of the Strato-Mobil: III.

ECOCROM New!

JP Coatings Pallmann, the parquet finishing range from JP Coatings, promoted its extensive range of parquet finishing and maintenance products with the theme The Future is Natural. They paid special attention to the solvent-free Magic Oil hard wax oil line and the solvent-free Pallmann P5 1K STP adhesive with the Emicode EC1 R Plus label. The Magic Oil range has a 2K oil, a 2K Ergo oil (with more user-comfort due to better viscosity), and a 2K Spa (for wet areas). Moreover, there are now new colours available in the Magic Oil range with an attractive radiant gloss and a soft, silky surface. Moreover, the Magic Oil range resists dirt and water and at this point bears comparison to parquet varnish. Pallmann also displayed the new and now even more flexible Gecko Star edging sander.

Uzin presented its new slogan (The future at your feet) and also highlighted its progressive range as regards health and the environment. For example, last year, Uzin was the First to present a solvent-free contact glue, namely the WK 222. This glue performs so well as regards performance and user-friendliness that Uzin has also decided to sell only solvent-free adhesives in Germany.

With the machine trademark Wolff the new Handy parquet stripper attracted plenty of admiring attention. This machine makes it even easier to remove old flooring material.

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Floor Forum International 51

Navylam

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Navylam+ is an unique system easier and faster for double joint laying bathroom parquet floor. Strips are already pre-oiled and with an double integreted joint. No sanding, oiling and joint laying. You just have to put some glue in the groove provided for and join strips.

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La Legno La Legno from Belgium registered late for Domotex, but looked back upon the fair with great satisfaction.

They established some good new contacts and visitors to their booth responded most favourably to the new products. These included the sandblasted and then coloured floors, the new parquet tiles, and the parquet with invisible varnish. In its short life, La Legno has already developed a strong market identity. Its well known image of some ladies’ legs entwined in the shape of a tree trunk even walked away with a Titan Award in Miami for the best publicity image.

Lamett Lamett exhibited a new wooden floor collection, namely the Vintage. The Vintage Collection is a multi-layer product with a 3mm European oak top layer and finished with an Akzo Nobel UV matt varnish. The planks have an old, rustic look with a lot of texture and the colours are so chosen as to suit any modern interior perfectly. The Classica is an AC3 laminate floor with a 25-year wear guarantee and a distressed look in six decors.

There are 12 unique planks available so that there are no problems with repetitive decors. Classica planks are 1215mm long,

193mm wide, and 12mm thick. Lamett also showed a new range of luxury vinyl planks.

Litubel At Litubel, they were highly satisfied with the results of Domotex. In particular, they were pleased with the very high quality of the visitors.

At their booth, they exhibited their range of solid wood and two-layer parquet. The two-layer parquet has a 6mm top layer in oak on an oak bottom layer. This makes the floor highly stable and also suitable for floor heating or for fitting onto existing floors. The Litubel production process takes place in Lithuania and the company has three sales points, two in Belgium and one in Croatia.

Loba This year, Loba celebrates its ninetieth anniversary. The company was formed near Stuttgart in 1922 and now employs 85 people and sells its products in over 50 countries in Europe and Asia. For this anniversary year Loba is presenting two world premieres, namely the maintenance products LOBA Aqua Oil Care and LOBA Aqua Wax Care. These are 100% waterborne emulsion products for anyone wanting to maintain oiled products and products treated with wax. This maintenance range links in ecologically and seamlessly with the High Solid system. The Aqua Oil Care is completely soap-free and ideal for maintaining the matt character of oiled floors.

Mapei Mapei showed off its new Ultrabond Eco V4 SP Fibre. This adhesive is a further development of the Ultrabond Eco V4 SP, a solvent-free dispersion glue with phaser technology which sets new standards as regards sound reduction and tensile and sliding strength. This adhesive meets the strictest standards: GEV Emicode EC1 Plus and Blue Angel. The still very recent range of parquet finishing products from Mapei is now even bigger. Following the Ultracoat Aqua Plus come the Ultracoat Universal Base and Premium Base, two primers which have low emissions and the Easy Plus and High

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Floor Forum International 51

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Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Küberit Profile Systems Küberit looked back upon Domotex with satisfaction. This year, 48% more visitors came to their booth and the quality of those visitors was excellent. They proudly displayed the all-round skirting board 950, which makes it possible to cut the floor material (e.g. laminate) to size and slide it into the profile skirting board.

This means the skirting board is always exactly the same as the chosen floor material.

The 950 skirting board is available in anodised silver and stainless steel looks and is suitable for floor material between 3 and 11mm thick. For design floors with a thickness of 4 to 7.5mm, the company offers the Design Clip, which serves as a connecting, edging, or adapter profile. The Design Clip is very stable, has a smooth surface and a 6mm expansion joint, and is available in various metal colours.

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Mardegan Legno from Hungary combines traditional expertise with a love of wood and elegant taste. This results in refined ranges of floors which are produced entirely under their own management, from the selection of the wood and the drying to the sawing, finishing, and the surface treatment. They have three-layer planks with thicknesses of 15 and 20mm, and two-layer planks with a thickness of 14mm. Plank lengths vary from 120 to 300cm. The company also has at its disposal herringbone floors and floors for Hungarian point. Mardegan Legno already operates in Italy and is now looking for importers and dealers in other European countries and beyond.

MeisterWerke MeisterWerke was proud to present the Nadura floors. These are floors made with the innovative mixture of wood slush. This is a natural mixture of wood fibres, dyes, corundum, and melanin binding agents. At Domotex MeisterWerke also presented both floors and panels which are based on this technology. Nadura makes it possible to have attractive and deeply imprinted 3D surface structures. The floor is therefore as durable as a tile and at the same time impact-resistant, warm under foot, and easy to fit with the Masterclic Plus-system. In the laminate collection they also showed the LD 400 collection, castle planks with dimensions of 2600 x 238 millimetres. They also announced that the DS 300 S design floor collection is free of PVC and therefore has no softeners.

Muylle-Facon Rubio Monocoat showed the international audience its Rubio Monocoat Oil PLUS 2C, which protects and colours the wood in one coat. If necessary, this can now be combined with ultra-fast drying, ideal for projects with a tight schedule. It is sufficient to add the Rubio Monocoat accelerator to obtain fast setting (80% setting in two days), and greater durability. This product can be used on all sorts of wood and does not contain any VOC. Six days later, you can clean the floor with a mop, water, and maintenance detergent.

Novoryt The Swiss company Novoryt specialises in repair kits for various floors.

At Domotex they exhibited the melting kit for various floors, including parquet, laminate, and cork, but also elastic floors. The special practical kit carries out

Osmo Holz und Color At Domotex Osmo stressed for the first time that they, as a finish and colouring specialist for wood, are a major partner for scores of industrial parquet makers. The logos of their partners were on display at the booth. With products such as the Oxi Polyx hard wax oil, Osmo offers the industry an extremely efficient and fast-drying natural oil finish without neglecting the environment.

For high traffic wooden floors Osmo presents the Hard Wax Oil with anti-skid. Sometimes, cleaning machines in those locations remove the dullness from floors and make them more slippery.

However, using the 3088 Osmo Hard Wax Oil Anti-skid reduces the danger of slipping and ensures that the wood keeps its natural beauty.

Overmat At a successful Domotex, Floorservice presented Prime Old Grey, which is particularly designed to give oak a weathered appearance. Prime Old Grey has numerous possibilities and variations. This results in various creative and commercially attractive shades by subsequently applying a finish using one of the 27 standard colours of the Floorservice Hard Wax Oil Classic, Pro, or Profiline. This water-based product offers very attractive market possibilities for both industrial and manual application. Another new item was the Floorservice Maintenance Oil Antique White. This Maintenance Oil is an addition to the natural Maintenance Oil and Maintenance Oil White, and is ideal for weathered wooden floors finished with white oil. However, Maintenance Oil Antique White is also ideal for floors with a transparent white oiled finish.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Mardegan Legno

quick and easy repairs and it is never a botched job. The kit can be used for all floors in just about all shades. The colour is set by mixing the standard colours in the kit. There is a choice between kits with 20, 40, 60, and 120 colours. All the required accessories are available as standard in the Novoryt melting kit.

Paolino Bacci s.r.l.

Paolino Bacci has been manufacturing wood treatment machines for over 90 years. At Domotex they presented their horizontal band saw Stream Elite, a machine which attracted favourable reactions from the visitors. The Stream Elite can handle blocks of wood of different heights without stopping the machine. Since there is no rubbing between the wooden blocks and the belt, it is possible to saw both wet and dry wood. The very limited tolerances ensure very high efficiency and very little waste. In combination with the machine’s high speed, these features ensure the maximum possible daily production and savings in the purchase of raw materials.

Paoloni Onelio & Figlio The Italian machine manufacturer Paoloni presented its machines for the parquet industry: the Minitunnel, a compact, affordable parquet impregnation machine for floor fitters, the Tunnel Decking oil machine for decking floors, and the Rusticat,

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Floor Forum International 51

Traffic, both of which are variants for high traffic locations. For the Ultracoat Oil there is now also a maintenance product available, namely Ultracoat Oil Care.

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a brushing machine which the floor fitter can use to brush wooden floors as required.

They stressed at Domotex that the machines with various products from various manufacturers have been tested and are therefore suitable for all products.

Par-ky At Domotex the veneer specialist Par-ky showed its new logo with the new ‘friendly floors’. Parky feels this is a suitable slogan for the following reasons: the use of veneer is more friendly to the forests; the wood used is FSC approved; the company does not use formaldehyde; 30% of the energy used in the production is generated by solar panels; the floors are user-friendly; and because the floors are produced in healthy working environments. At the stand they also displayed the new trendy oak collection which, in addition to a number of new colours, also includes two innovative designs with thermally treated oak. The thermal treatment is less harmful to human health or the environment than a chemical treatment with substances such as ammonia.

Parador At Parador they showed their visitors the Trendtime 8, a new top range of multi-layer parquet floors (top layer 4mm) in which each plank is a unique piece of expertise. There is a choice between brushed, hand-scraped, and Elephant Skin finish. For Elephant Skin they process and highlight the texture, the grain, and the joints so that the fitted planks contribute to a distinctive and unique floor with a historical look. The new Eco Balance is a range of attractive and qualitative top class laminate floors, which set new standards as regards environmental impact. Each aspect from the production to the logistics has been improved to make it more ecological.

The production takes place in Germany and Austria, the forests are managed sustainably, packages are recycled, and there is only limited lorry transport.

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Profilpas was proud to present its PDS (Profilpas Digital Systems). Thanks to the help of digital print technology, it is now possible to print skirting boards and profiles with the required colours and imprints. All orders of at least 50m² are tailored to the client’s wishes. And so, from now on, it is possible to adapt everything perfectly to the finish of the floor and/or wall, a problem which has troubled the

industry and its experts for years. To tackle this problem, there is now an ultra-modern scanner with a high resolution which renders a perfect reproduction of the colour and details of the images to be scanned for printing on skirting boards and profiles.

Progress Profiles Progress Profiles had an extremely successful 2011 with a strong rise in turnover and an increase of 25% in its exports.

The Italian skirting board and profile maker is now the clear market leader in its own country. The recipe for this success is a combination of the extremely wide range, the quality, the price/quality ratio, and an efficient logistical operation. As regards products, their booth included the Pro Screw profiles as an alternative to systems with a screw. A company representative said, “We’ve noticed that some professionals still prefer to use screws, even though the screw-free systems are also durable. To take advantage of this we have put together this range. This range also comes in colours such as champagne and sand colour.”

Quebec Wood Export Bureau Four producers from Quebec jointly hired a stand to welcome visitors from abroad. PG Model presented the ‘Collection Unique’, a range of solid wood or multi-layer parquet in North American sorts PG Model of wood finished with really playful colours, which can be used on the project market.

Préverco showed off its Wave collection of solid wood or multi-layer with a handscraped ‘wavy’ surface in 16 different colours finished with varnish. They also presented a Préverco range of floors in hickory, a strong and resilient American sort of wood which is also called ‘carya’ (its botanical name). Wickham Hardwood Flooring exhibited its range of FSC approved Canadian wood.

Seven sorts can be processed Primatec into solid wood or multi-layer parquet in four widths and in four qualities. Wickham also has an agent in the UK. Finally, Primatech presented the 250 series of Primatech parquet nailing machines which make glueing superfluous. These are suitable for 5/8 to ¾ of an inch floor panels.

Recoll This was the first time that Recoll had taken part in Domotex. Recoll is one of the leading producers of parquet adhesives and parquet finishes in Italy. The links which the company established at Domotex and the interest shown by visitors from various parts of the World were a first step towards further expansion on the export market. Even after Domotex, Recoll is

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Repac Repac looks back on a very successful fair Domotex 2012. As a result of our latest novelities dealing with design flooring, a lot of visitors attended our new exhibition stand in hall 7.

Interesting profiles and skirting rails, the perfect Repac add-on to the late-breaking floorings showed Repac’s leading competence concerncing innovation and quality of design flooring accessoiries. Furthermore the fairs latest hall restructuring suits Repac. Repac introduced innovative stair nosing profiles – attuned to the thicknesses from 2 up to 5,5mm - and a wider range of aluminium skirting rails. A perfect completion to the established and experienced range of e.g. inner angle profiles, stair nosings and stair nosings anti-slip, cover strips, border profiles, separation strips and transition strips, flexo profiles, the twoparted, extra smooth PLP-S system, skirting rails, rails with insertion as well as clip-on skirting rails of aluminium and MDF. The innovative wide range for design flooring is being developed in co-operation with leading design floor companies.

Sadechaf This was Sadechaf’s second visit to Domotex and once again they enjoyed great success.

This specialist in UV floor machines exhibited their Bulldog and Tiger machines for the benefit of visitors. The Tiger is a machine which is within the budget of floor fitters who want to finish and dry floors with UV oil on the client’s premises. Medium-large projects from 50-70m² are ideal for the Tiger Floor curing machine. In addition, the Tiger is also extremely useful for curing lines and markings in factories and warehouses. Sadechaf made several international contacts at Domotex. In this respect, Sadechaf is focusing on floor fitters and varnish developers in Europe. However, professionals from Asia and South America also showed interest.

Saicos Colour Saicos presented a new oil for outdoor floors, namely ‘Spezialöl für Terrassendielen’. Saicos guarantees that the floors will not show any traces of wear at all for at least two to three years if treated with this oil. Saicos has now also introduced for the first time a varnish which can be used as a primer in combination with a coloured hard wax oil. Furthermore, they also stressed that the Premium hard wax oil from Saicos is now available in four degrees of gloss: ultra-matt, matt, silk matt, and glossy. Recently, the company has also published an international reference brochure of projects with Saicos coating systems.

SCM Group At the SCM Group stand, the machine manufacturer presented the new Celaschi Team Profiler. This machine enables makers to produce between 40 and 250 metres of parquet per minute.

With this machine it is possible to make solid wood, two-layer, and

three-layer parquet, as well as MDF or HDF planks with laminate or ceramic coating in various widths (58 to 300mm), lengths from 30 to 600cm, and thicknesses between 6 and 35mm or more.

Similarly, tongue and groove systems and various click systems can also be integrated. Optionally, the Team Profiler can also be equipped with extra equipment such as side finishers, quality control systems, or addition of a ‘tongue’ for the 5G click system.

Soest The Dutch manufacturer presented all its wooden floor finishing machines to the visitors. Soest enjoyed a lot of success with its machines and generated a lot of interest from visitors from new markets. For example, the adjustable oiling line with a polishing unit with a basic setting of 2 pads and 1 brush attracted plenty of attention. As regards novelties, the oil roller machine RC caught the eye. These new machines with direct drive systems and frequency-regulated speed ensure perfect application of the finishing coat in all circumstances. This is thanks to the new driving method. The RC is suitable for finishing surfaces with various products such as oil, varnish, and so on.

Solidor Products The Belgian maker of rubber and synthetic articles continues to aim for international growth and was present at Domotex for the second time in a row.

Solidor presented its new slope improver, the HS2.

This slope improver can rectify slopes on each item up to 2%. If that’s not enough, it is possible to assemble several extra examples. Another new product is the IPV tile pedestal with a rubber bottom layer. This bottom layer provides extra protection for the roofing material, more sound reduction, and is, of course, anti-skid.

Stauf In 2011, Stauf launched its range of varnish and oil finishes for parquet and gave professionals the opportunity to use a perfectly harmonised chemistry for all phases of fitting a wooden floor, from subfloor preparation and glueing to the surface finish. This was highlighted once again this year. However, the R & D division of Stauf has not stood still, but has brought out two new silane parquet adhesives, namely the SPU-570 and the SPU-545.

These adhesives combine the benefits of silane with that of PU technology and, remarkably, are exempt from the legally required safety warnings. The SPU-570 is easily the equal of the traditional

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Floor Forum International 51

still looking for new importers and distributors and invites interested parties to contact them. The new range of Recoll glues based on silane resins attracted the attention of lots of visitors, as did the other products.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

> continued from page 20

23

> continued from page 23

1K PU adhesives and the SPU-545 is the first 2K silane adhesive which stands out for its rapid and thorough drying.

Tarkett Tarkett is one of the first companies in the flooring industry to have fully Cradle-to-Cradle approved floors (including linoleum and parquet). As regards new products, they showed off their premium Tarkett laminate collection Revelation 832, which combines an unusual embossing technique called ‘light catcher’ with unique oak colours. They also exhibited the new Tarkett merchandising concept, which combines various displays with large interior photographs. This concept helps clients to select the right material for each room and gives advice on installation.

This concept has been launched as a pilot scheme in France, Germany, and Sweden.

Thomsit Thomsit are as proud as punch over their remarkable and dustfree XXL levelling material. The XXL Premium variant is the absolute show pony. Thomsit claims that this levelling material reduces dust in the air by 90%. Users soon notice that the XXL Premium is easy to spread and does not become lumpy. Another advantage of this levelling champion is that afterwards you need up to 15% less adhesive for the same amount of parquet. This is because the dried levelling layer is much finer than with traditional levelling agents with a rougher surface. In order to highlight XXL even more, visitors were able to play ten pin bowls on the smooth XXL bowling lane.

Timberline

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anufacturer of adjustable pedestals for all types of terraces

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Robin van Roy told us that Timberline had enjoyed a successful Domotex. He commented, “We welcomed lots of visitors with specific interest and they were impressed with our range. We presented five new grey floor tints, which proved very popular.� Timberline stressed at the fair that they manage the entire process themselves and that clients can order just about anything. Robin van Roy continued: “This flexibility is important, and what struck us at the fair was that Domotex visitors are looking explicitly for reliable partners. The price is still important, but reliable products, a proper delivery, and good sales support are clearly higher priorities. They know that we supply only quality goods and that we control every phase of the production process ourselves.�

13/12/11 10:49

Tramex attended Domotex in Hannover last month as guests of our flooring partners Janser Gmbh to provide in depth information on Tramex moisture meters for subfloor moisture, humidity and wood moisture. Janser Gmbh is a remarkably dynamic company with a vast range of flooring products, they offer consulting and services by professionals for professionals. They offer approximately 4,000 different products, covering a wide range of equipment and services for interior designers, flooring professionals and the flooring trade.

They include a range of Tramex moisture meters for the flooring industry. Tramex has directly exhibited at Domotex a number of

times in previous years. This year we found that we got a lot from the exhibition by working with Janser and their partners from around Europe. We were able to benefit from their excellent reputation and position in the market and we were able to offer our experience in moisture testing as a market leader in many countries around the world. There is a need for a simple and effective moisture test in Germany and other European countries, we found that our Concrete Moisture Encounter CME4 and CMEX were of great interest to the visitors and other exhibitors alike.

When used as part of a moisture analysis of a sub floor the Tramex meters can save the user a lot of time and money. We received a lot of positive feedback about the meters from the visitors, with many commenting on the repeatability of readings as well as the accuracy and simplicity of use.

A strong Duo.

Trap Ciney This was Trap’s third visit to Domotex in five years. Marc Trap commented, “On the one hand, taking part in Domotex keeps you on your toes because you have to think more about where you stand and what your trump cards are. On the other hand, we do have plenty to offer visitors. Here we’ve presented fifteen new 3D colours (colours in three layers) which visitors have found extremely elegant and stylish at the right price. In addition to our solid wood range, we also offer a semi-solid parquet range with widths up to 300mm. Another attraction is our range of American walnut in super select quality (95% free of sapwood). This is a special product which is very hard to obtain.”

STAUF SPU-570 and SPU-545 1 and 2 component hard elastic SPU wood flooring adhesive according to DIN 281 and DIN EN 14293 ▪

no adverse interaction with parquet sealings varnishes flow asphalt or old substrates

▪

high shear strength

▪

adhesive residues easy to remove

▪

integrated vapor barrier

▪

fast setting

▪

no labeling required, EC1-R plus

Tover At Tover they showed off the Bella SQ, a waterborne and isocyanate-free 2K varnish which has extremely good coverage and lends itself ideally to high-traffic areas. Bella SQ is also highly resistant to the effects of various chemical domestic products. Amongst its oils, Tover has introduced L’Olio 100%, a high solid natural impregnating oil with 0% VOC and recommended for high-traffic areas. Finally, at Tover, they presented a new sanding machine, the RC1. This machine with variable speed stands out for its diversity in use, stability, and easy assembly, but especially for the new efficient turbine suction system, which reduces the amount of sanding dust in the room.

Unifloor Underlay Systems The Dutch subfloor specialist presented its Heat-Paxx insulation subfloor for electric floor heating on cold subfloors, and the Heat-Paxx traditional for applications in combination with floor heating or cooling. The latter also has an outstanding levelling capacity. Another new item was the Easy level levelling subfloor with a thickness of only 2mm and a self-adhesive overlap with built in moisture barrier. This is suitable for PVC click strips, tiles, click laminate, and parquet.

Unilin Unlin stressed that its Quick-Step® floors stand out for their design, innovation, and quality. Highlights included the magnificently weathered floors with saw cuts and the oak floors with a

www.stauf.info

> continued from page 25

romantic look. Other noticeable items were the unusually easy-fit new tiles, with four possible designs on one plank size. With the Eligna/Perspective Wide, Quick-Step® is introducing planks with the exclusive width of 19cm, whilst the lengths of 138cm give visual depth in large and small rooms. Other novelties included the transfer skirting boards, which are easy to apply over existing skirting boards. No demolition work is needed, so there is no danger whatsoever of the walls being damaged.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Vec Equipment Centre At Vec professionals were introduced to the Trivec Double Coater, a dip roll machine with an extra reverse system which ensures that the oils penetrate more deeply into the wood pores. You can also obtain special ‘whitewash’ (ceruse) effects without special polishing.

They also announced that all Vec machines are now available with an integrated conveyor belt which gives a more precise passage of the work items and very small items can pass through easily.

Vermeister At Vermeister from Italy, they told us that their most important new product was the new Zero VOC varnish, which is available in one and two-component versions. The 2k version can be added, if necessary, to give the floor extra protection against traces of wear. Zero VOC from Vermeister has the EC1 Plus label, does not contain any NMP, and is 100% waterborne. Both the A and B components are solvent-free. Primarily, Vermeister thinks that

Vetedy The Luxembourg outdoor floor specialist Vetedy presented an important innovation, namely the new Techniclic fastening system for wood on walls and ceilings. The producer which once pioneered the Softline system for fastening outdoor floors has now launched an efficient system which is suitable for walls and ceilings. It is equally as reliable as Softline, but is three to four times faster than other methods for fastening wooden planks. Vetedy has also reinforced its green image with an extensive range of FSC and PEFC floors. Native European sorts with thermal treatment for outdoor use are also available.

Wintersteiger Machine maker Wintersteiger has traditionally attended Domotex and met lots of clients who are also exhibitors.

Furthermore, the company also aims to show visitors some of its new technology. It is also a good location for monitoring new trends which could lead to the development of new machines and applications. Wintersteiger has noticed that one-strip floors and wide planks are still an important trend and stressed that their machines are ideal for this application seeing that they can finish plank widths up to 660mm with a groove of 1.1mm.

They also promoted the X-Well sawing machine because this is extremely useful for manufacturers looking for new surface finishes with special textures.

PARQUET SANDING WITH INSTANT DUST SUCTION

ct u od r p ! g in 011 l el in 2 s st be

   

this product will help them to meet the needs of architects of sustainable buildings, but they also expect the rest of the market to show some interest in this pioneering product as regards health and the environment.

The

GRIZZLY

belt sander

Sanding dust vacuum cleaner

DC 2900-G

STRONG AS A BEAR

We provide professional demonstrations, training courses, and solutions.

aquafix magic 2K

Sanding parquet USED TO BE a dusty business.

Gloss <5° Excellent resistance Waterborne Gives a natural protection to the wood in combination with the Ecofix woodlook or Tannin Blocker WL!

Fine dust particles are the reason why we have to clean a floor thoroughly after sanding it. Moreover, dust particles are bad for our health.

If you want perfectly sanded parquet without the dust, we have the answer: our GRIZZLY system.

For a dust-free operation we have developed a vacuum cleaner with an auto-start function and high suction strength.

The parquet sanding machine and vacuum cleaner are joined to each other by an 8m suction tube with integrated power cable so that the tube and cable are no longer a hindrance.

For more information and a complete overview of our range

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Produced by Debal Coatings nv Industrieweg 29 - 8800 Roeselare - T +32 (0)51 30 11 40 -ciranova@ciranova.be

visit us at www.floor-forum.com FFi51_JANSER.indd 1

Janser GmbH Böblingerstr. 91 info@janser.com 71139 Ehningen/Germany www.janser.com Tel. + 49 (0)7034-1270

20/02/12 11:17

Traditionally, Witex has always shown lots of innovations. This time, they showed off their premium laminate collection Edition 2012. All together, they have 42 new decors and finishes for the following collections: piazza, grande, marena maxi V2, casa V4, Xenia, and colour. These collections are characterised by more texture and more feel for the natural fancy of wood. RE-Y-STONE elements is a laminate floor which is produced almost entirely from renewable material. The top layer consists of recycled Kraft paper and natural resins. With Digital Selection, Witex gives dealer, architects, and, of course, consumers the opportunity to design their own floor. Just about anything is possible and it starts with a purchasing quantity of six planks.

Woca Denmark Wood Care Denmark set its stall this year by user-comfort and information. To that end, the company created a genuine virtual showroom. This included the full range of all available colours and, after you select a Woca product, you have all the product information and a technical index card.

Thanks to the QR code on the packet you can now look up all the product information and user tips anywhere via the smart phone.

One of the eye-catching innovations was the Woca Oil Applicator, a handy system which makes it much easier to apply oil or lye to a wooden floor and, moreover, also guarantees an even spread.

Another eye-catching novelty is the Woca Driftwood lye for anyone wanting to give their wooden floor the unique weathered look of driftwood.

Z-parket On a stylish, minimalist design booth Z-Parket’s presentation included a new colour in its X-line collection ’Argos’. The range of composite parquet with a thickness of 21mm now has three new widths. From now on, clients can also choose from widths of 190, 220, and 240mm. Other important news is that the colours from the X-line collection are now also available for those whose preferences lie in the Fine line collection.

Z-Parket is one of the very first players in the industry to launch its own Z-parket App for iPhone and iPad. The App can be downloaded free of charge via iTunes and there you can view the collections, take photographs, and send them to others. Anyone with the App on their Smart Phone is automatically informed of new collections or colours. This is particularly useful for architects and dealers

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (Germany)

Witex

Active Stain

Colouring real wood surfaces – without dyes, using Active Stain

Easy and effective. Naturally

NEW! WOCA Active Stain is a newly developed wood treatment product which is a new and different way of colouring wood. Instead of adding dyes to the surface like a traditional stain, Active Stain colour’s the wood using very special additives that react with the natural components inside the wood itself.

This special treatment is developed for tannin-containing wood types, because these types will create the strongest reaction.

Active Stains provide everything from dark gray to dark brown with a twist of white wash as an option.

The colouring is particularly effective on oak wood. All components in the Active Stain are eco-friendly and come from nature itself. The Active Stain is yellowish and water based in its natural state.

Active Stain is also available in a whitepigment version, where beautiful grey colour combinations will appear when used on oak.

These new products, offer the customers individual and easy possibilities to develop contemporary colours of the wood.

www.wocadenmark.com WoodCare Denmark A/S · Tværvej 6 · DK-6640 · Tel.: +45 99 58 56 00 · info@ttwoodcare.com · www.wocadenmark.com

Active Stain always needs a finishing treatment with one of the high quality WOCA flooring oils, and the surface is of course 100% compatible with the famous WOCA after care range.

Life on a ship deck floor Maritime mode indoors… and why not?

Floor Forum International 51

Special Joint fillers

When we speak of ship deck joints, we usually mean a floor which is designed in teak.

However, if a ship deck floor is fitted in a living room for purely aesthetic or decorative reasons, it is perfectly acceptable to use other sorts of wood. More and more clients are opting for a ship deck floor, not so much to create a maritime atmosphere as to show the exclusive character of such a floor. Ship deck patterns even appear in bathrooms as wall furnishing for the shower. And why not?

28

Water and wood We all know that moisture is the bitterest enemy of parquet. For a traditional parquet or wooden floor moisture is nothing short of pernicious. The reason for this is by now well known: depending on the air humidity, wood absorbs and/or emits moisture so that it expands and/or shrinks. Human beings make full use of this for various water applications.

Wooden wine casks are a good example.

As soon as a wine cask is filled with fluid, it is more watertight than when it is not full. Indeed, the wooden planks swell so that they press against each other, as it were. The steel rings around the cask ensure that the cask does not burst apart.

In other words, for some applications we can exploit the fact that wood expands and shrinks, but for other applications we have to take account of these movements and absorb them in some way or other.

This latter case is exactly what is at hand with a ship deck floor. The deck boards are fitted at a certain distance from each other and jointed with a flexible material so that the wood has room to move. The fact that teak has often been used for ship deck floors is because this sort of wood is exceptionally stable in extreme conditions. After all, teak is resistant to tropical temperatures and air humidity, but it also stands up well to a bitterly cold climate.

This versatility, of course, was (is) essential for shipping purposes.

Decorative and waterproof A ship deck floor is perfectly suitable for a design interior. In an extremely rigid and modernistic room, a ship deck floor can even be used as the ‘sole’ design object to set the entire tone of the room. When dark ship deck joints are fitted on light sorts of wood, they provide a vivid lining.

However, even with extremely dark sorts of wood such as wenge or panga panga, dark joints can provide a matching effect

Bostik

to give a highly elegant style. And so, ship deck floor represents an additional market segment for floor fitters. The maritime and exclusive effect of a ship deck floor cannot be achieved with any other sort of floor. It’s decorative, but also watertight! Since the wood can move freely thanks to the wide and elastic joint, the ship deck floor can come into direct contact with water with no risk of damage. Shower cabin walls can be finished perfectly well in teak and this wood can even be used for shower floors provided that there is enough of a slope to ensure that no water comes to rest on the wood surface.

Deciding on the joint widths The floorboards are preferably glued and nailed onto a subfloor in mosaic parquet or onto plywood. The only difference to traditional parquet is that the floor strips do not come to lie sideways against each other, but a joint is left between the strips. Of course, the width of the joint must not be chosen randomly. A general rule says that the width of the joint must come to about 10% of the width of the floorboard with a minimum width of 5mm. Various manufacturers provide lists of recommended widths. These figures are close to each other, but they are not identical for all manufacturers. For example, Simson lists joint widths of up to 16mm (for a floorboard 125mm wide), whereas Würth with its Nauteaka system sticks to joints of a maximum of 10mm. Wider joints would get damaged too easily damaged mechanically. Here is a chart for comparison: STRIP WIDTH

JOINT WIDTH

JOINT DEPTH

Simson

Würth

Simson

Würth

Simson

Würth

35

35

5

5

6

5

45

45

5-6

5

6

5

50

50

6-7

6

6

6

75

75

10

8

7

8

100

100

12

10

8

10

125

///

16

///

10

///

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Preparing the joint It goes without saying that the joint has to be cleaned thoroughly. First of all, it has to be cleaned meticulously with the vacuum cleaner. It is advisable to clean the sides of the joint thoroughly with acetone, certainly in the case of a ship deck floor in teak.

This needs to be done with a non-fluffy clean cloth. We should also mention that it is best not to rub back and forth too much and you should use a new cloth frequently. Otherwise there is a risk of dirt being transferred to the side of the joint. Of course, you must remove any adhesive residue resulting from glueing the floor mechanically.

Primer With the various products which we will be examining it is necessary to give the sides of the joints a pre-treatment. There is a special adhesion primer for this purpose. You also have to apply the primer meticulously and without streaks. The job also requires a certain speed. With some products (e.g. Simson) you get perfect adhesion between the joint filler and the floorboards if the filler is applied within six hours of the primer. With other products the joint has to be filled within 20 hours.

Separation tape As soon as the joint has aired sufficiently (from the primer), a separation or seam tape must be applied to the base of the joint.

This prevents the filler forming a triangular adhesion (sides + base). Such a triangular adhesion could result in tension cracks appearing when the teak boards move so that a full seal of the joint would no longer be guaranteed. Applying the tape at the base means that the boards can move with complete freedom and the joint absorbs the movement of the wood perfectly.

This product has excellent adhesive properties and can easily be used in joints on terrace planks, for the construction of outdoor terraces, and for ship decks. The product runs nicely into the joint and the surplus product can easily be removed later using a spatula without the joint becoming loose. It is applied quickly without the formation of air bubbles. Bona Deck Master is extremely flexible and sets under the influence of air humidity. The product does not shrink and has high chemical resistance. It goes without saying that it is resistant to sea water. Bona Deck Master does not contain any silicones, solvents, or isocyanates.

Bostik Under the Simson Marine label, Bostik offers products for sealing teak ship decks. Depending on the substrate, Simson has a range of pre-treatment products and glues for fitting floorboards. A special range is designed for joints: Simson Cleaner E. for cleaning joint flanks and Simson Primer P for pre-treating flanks.

Simson MSR Deck Caulk and Deck Caulk Plus are used to seal ship deck joints, with the latter ensuring more durability. Simson MSR Deck Caulk is a 1-component, permanently elastic, and fast setting sealant based on silyl modified polymer (SMP). MSR Deck Caulk is tested and certified in line with the International Maritime Organisation Fire Test Procedures for Surface Flammability, resolution A.653(16) and is thereby approved for use in all accommodation (dividing walls, ceilings, and covering floors). It is suitable for sealing teak wood decks and other deck materials watertight.

Bostik also has the Bostik PK Profiseal, an elastic SMP sealant for wooden floors which, amongst other things, are used to seal areas around heating pipes and such like.

Special Joint fillers

The minimum joint width and joint depth are identical with Würth, but this is not the case with Simson.

Jointing and finishing Filler kits are usually based on silane technology. As we have often said, silane-based adhesives and fillers such as the MS polymers were used originally in the world of shipping where they have been ‘part of the furniture’ for many years. It is not really difficult to apply a joint, but there are some rules to heed: • The joint must be finished in a single uninterrupted movement from start to finish.

• The filler should be applied in abundance. This means that you apply more filler than the joint can contain.

• Once the filler is applied, it is pressed in with a filling knife to ensure that the joint sticks out about 2mm above the floor surface.

• Depending on the product/system used, the joint can be left to set for three to seven days. Naturally, the atmospheric conditions affect the setting time.

• The deck can now be sanded along the length (at an angle of no more than 45°). Never sand the joint at right angles!

A selection from the range Bona This year, Bona has launched its Bona Deck Master for finishing joints on outdoor terraces and ship decks. The Bona Deck Master is a single component filler and adhesive based on silane-polyether-pre-polymer.

Kerakoll Green Building Company SLC Eco Aqua-Pure flex (Green Building rating ECO4) is an ecological fibre-bound gel for jointing parquet. It is not harmful to the floor fitter’s health or the Indoor Air Quality. The gel has to be mixed with wood dust from the belt sander with grain 100 (3 gel to 1 wood dust). 3/1 is normally fine. However, if you

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Floor Forum International 51

• Once the product has set, the excess is removed using a filling knife.

29

> continued from page 29

have to fill bigger splits or cracks, the product will have to be thicker (2/1) and the waiting times will be longer. The joints normally dry within one to two hours, depending on the width of the joined parts. Iron filing grain 120 or 150 is used for sanding. This product can be used on all sorts of wood and complies with the Dutch VOC legislation. Once the compound has been mixed, it can be stored for a long time provided that it is well sealed. The consumption is 40-50gr/m².

Sika presents two products which can be deployed for completing ship deck joints. Adheflex® T6 is a polyurethane mastic in one component which sets to become a malleable elastomer under the influence of the air humidity. This joint filler has been specially developed to resist sunrays and is therefore ideal for filling joints which are exposed to the sun. This product is suitable for horizontal joints: for joints on glued parquet and terraces around swimming pools. After polymerisation, the product can be sanded perfectly well. Adheflex5R) T6 is suitable for metal, wood, and certain synthetics. Sikaflex® Marine is also a mastic/adhesive for ship deck joints and is designed primarily for repairs on pleasure boats. De Sikaflex® Marine can be deployed for making expansion joints and for indoor and outdoor glueing. This mastic also polymerises

Floor Forum International 51

Special Joint fillers

Sika

30 FFi50_CEFLA.indd 1

quickly without retracting under the influence of the air humidity.

Soudal The Parquet Seal 12-P can be used for wood to wood joints such as between floor and skirting board or for tube conductors (e.g. for radiators) in the parquet. This is a high quality acrylate kit, which is available in no fewer than six colours, namely merbau, medium oak, maple, cherry, light oak, or transparent. It is not usual to paint over these colours, but varnishes may be appropriate. This presents no problems for Parquet Seal 12-P. Joints between skirting board and walls do require a product which can be painted over. After all, skirting boards are often not flat against the wall, if they are not lined up. Very often skirting boards are simply finished in white and in that case the joint between the skirting board and the parquet floor can also be finished with the same product.

The Soudafill Light is ideal for this job. This is a user-friendly and lightweight filler. Soudafill Light dries very quickly and does not shrink. It can also be painted over within a very short space of time (within 15 minutes with a fine joint). Seeing that it can easily be sanded, it can also be deployed for filling holes after the skirting boards have been fixed/nailed.

Tover Tover has developed a specific black silane based sealant, Sigil MS, for filling indoor and outdoor joints.

This product is highly resistant to fresh water, seawater, and UV rays. It is suitable for terraces and boat decks, as well as indoor wet spaces like bathrooms or kitchens. There is no need for a primer and it is sufficient to follow normal fitting recommendations, namely to make sure that the wood is dry, clean, and free of residue from previous treatments. This type of application then requires a specific procedure, since the joint must be filled completely with no space left in between. As Tover sealant Sigil MS does not swell or makes bubbles, this operation is quite easy. It is also advisable to apply some adhesive tape at the bottom of the joint to stop the product from sticking and to facilitate the dilatation and compression of the joint itself.

Würth Nauteaka Würth presents its sealing products for ship deck floors under the name Nauteaka. Their sealing system consists of three separate components. Würth Nauteaka Seal is a 1-component thixotropic, permanently elastic sealing kit based on alcohol-setting, silane-modified polymers in 290ml case packing or 600ml sausage packing. Würth Nauteaka Seal Primer is designed for pre-treating the teak sections and serves as a coat to improve adhesion (packed in 500 ml). Finally, the system also includes the Würth Nauteaka Separation Tape, a one-sided seam sticky tape of 4mm for preventing triangular adhesion.

visit us at www.floor-forum.com 8/12/11 17:02

Quality you can depend on

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+44 759 54 111 42 +353 1 239 32 24

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Glue guns lighten the burden Dispensers ensure perfect dosage

Special Glue guns

Elsewhere in this edition we consider how staplers and nail pistols facilitate faster and easier fitting of parquet and wooden floors, not to mention benefits to the floor fitter’s health. ‘Ergonomics’ is the magical word which all manufacturers strive for and is also the ideal way for producers to stand out. User-comfort is now vitally important. Today, in the same vein we are witnessing the emergence of tools which are making it considerably easier and lighter to apply glue. These include dispensers as an alternative to notched trowels and tools for applying glue without strain on the knees.

Stauf

Floor Forum International 51

The importance of dosing In the previous edition we explained at some length how a perfect dosage of the glue is absolutely essential for glueing parquet or wooden floors properly. Not too much (to ensure full setting) and not too little (to ensure good acoustics and solidarity)!

The general measure is that 70% of the total floor surface area must be covered with adhesive grooves. When the floorboards are pressed into the glue, you have to reckon on ‘full’ glueing. Of course, the precise dosage also depends on the substrate and the glue used (e.g. its viscosity and elasticity). Until a few years ago, the most important ‘measuring instrument’ for applying the correct dosage of glue was the notched trowel itself. After all, the design of the notched trowel determines the distance between the adhesive grooves and the size (height and width) of these adhesive grooves. The now widely published TKB division of notched trowels states clearly which notched trowel is the most suitable for which application.

32

Glueing with a notched trowel Floor fitters have been glueing with notched trowels since time immemorial and no one ever complained openly about this.

Nevertheless, there are now some alternatives which can provide two improvements, namely less physical strain on the body and greater speed/precision in the glueing.

Physical strain If the floor fitting profession involves any physical strain, it is because of the unusual positions which they take up to do their job.

They kneel, bend their backs, lean on one arm whilst exerting pressure with the other, lift planks in bending and kneeling positions, move around, and exert pressure using the wrist. These are all operations and movements which can have seriously adverse

effects on muscles and joints in the long term. It is therefore no surprise that producers of tools and accessories for fitting parquet are constantly thinking about solutions which could lighten the stress and reduce the strain on muscles and joints.

Speed and precision It is precisely because the correct dosage of glue is so important that floor fitters have to take their time in applying the glue. It is not simply a question of which adhesive to apply to the floor. The working rhythm is affected by the viscosity of the glue, the quality of the notched trowel, and the natural speed limits of the human wrist. In other words, floor fitters are restricted by the material and their own physical limitations.

Automatic dosing In previous editions, we have described how notched trowel makers (often glue makers as well) have done everything possible to improve notched trowels to such an extent that they are ‘lighter’ to use. They have improved notched trowels in terms of both shape and materials (synthetics). Glue pads with a telescopic rod even make it possible to apply glue whilst standing up. Amongst traditional glue guns (sausage glueing) pneumatic versions have been around for some time now, and these do spare floor fitters a lot of trouble. However, the ultimate solution has appeared in the fully automatic glue dispensers which have appeared on the market sporadically. These dispensers have ushered in a new age in the field of glueing. They reduce the pressure on floor fitters and operate faster and more efficiently.

Glueing from a standing position The most important and radical virtue of automatic dispensers is undoubtedly the fact that, for the first time ever, floor fitters can

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perform one of their jobs from a standing position. This considerably reduces the pain or fatigue in the arms, back, and knees caused by the constant crouching. The telescopic dispenser handle can usually be adjusted in height so that fitters can adjust the handle to obtain the best working position.

developed for the Bona R850T in 4.4kg packaging (sausage glue).

Bona Optispread is an innovation which enables floor fitters to obtain flatter, faster, and better results from a standing position.

Bona Optispread works up to five times faster than the traditional method without putting any strain on the fitter’s knees and back.

What’s on the market?

Basin Basibond is a glue gun specifically designed for applying parquet glue. This ergonomic gun makes it possible to apply glue quickly and easily. Basibond is suitable for the parquet adhesive Basicoll STP-850, which is packed in flex-packs of 2.5 and 5kg. The wide application cap makes it possible to apply a bed of glue up to 29cm wide. The battery can operate for about one hour (about 100m² of glueing). With Basibond it is possible to glue up to 10 times faster than with a notched trowel so that the parquet can be fitted up to three times faster. This new method of working reduces the amount of waste to the absolute minimum. The packets are used to the full. This means that there are only 200gr of waste for every 5m² of finished parquet. By fitting lines which are 3 to 5mm thick with an interval of 1cm, glueing with the Basibond strongly resembles glueing with a notched trowel. And so, the glue can be applied in the same direction as the planks. By ensuring full glueing of the parquet, this technique is also completely suitable for use with floor heating. The properties of Basicoll STP-850 ensure that this glue can be combined perfectly well with this apparatus. Together with the use of the Basibond and the ecological packaging, this provides an efficient and ecological combination.

As regards glueing performance, Basibond and Basicoll STP-850 are second to none; they spread easily, have great elasticity, have strong beds of glue, and have great shifting strength.

Bona For glueing Bona R850 T tubes of 600ml Bona has both a manually and pneumatically driven glue gun. A real showpiece, however, is the Bona Optispread, which has been

The Bona R850T offers balanced elasticity and tensile strength and is easy to clean. The Optispread runs on compressed air. The sausage glue is easy to apply and corresponds to the filling capacity of the appliance. The spread width is 250mm. The spray arm has 19 triangular holes, which are made from recycled polypropylene. The 4.2kg sausage glue is suitable for 4 to 4.5m². The Bona Optispread is 1.25m long (perfect average working height) and weighs 4kg without glue and 8.2kg when it is full.

Kerakoll GreenBuilding Company The Kerakoll GreenBuilding Company range includes the glue gun for the SLC Eco L34 Flex in the 600ml sausage-packing and the ecological 1-component glue, which is better for the floor fitter’s health. It is possible both to glue in patches and apply caterpillar bonding. The glue gun is also ideal for flexible expansions and other construction applications.

Lecol

Lecol offers the UK market both manual and electric glue guns. These glue guns are recommended mainly for fitting parquet in combination with Lecol’s slatted acoustic base lat, a subfloor which is perforated and fitted with an aluminium insulation layer. The glue gun

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Fast and efficient The makers of these dispensers guarantee impressive speeds.

One of them promises a fitting process five times faster than the traditional fitting with a notched trowel; another one claims that its most powerful machine can apply adhesive at speeds of up to 10 times faster than with the traditional method. Since the dose can be calculated exactly, glue consumption also falls. In this respect there is talk of a 30% reduction in glue consumption! In other words, the machine pays for itself in no time at all. These ratios can be calculated accurately because the dispensers are set for the glue which the maker recommends for the dispenser.

Special Glue guns

Precise dosage As with all forms of automation, the effects of human error are largely eliminated. No one is satisfied nowadays with manual dosing. You can be sure of that. Glue dispensers work pneumatically or by battery. The dosage is set and the appliance dispenses the correct dosage. Irritations caused by spillage or unwanted contact with the glue (something which happens to even the most experienced floor fitters) are now definitely a thing of the past.

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is recommended for glueing in the notches. It is suitable for the MS sausage glue Lecol MS265.

Schönox

re-loading, and its consumption is also 500 to 600gr/m². The compact Sika Bond® Dispenser-1800 has one arm and can provide for 3.5m² without re-loading. Besides these pneumatic dispensers, Sika also offers the Sika Bond® Dispenser 1800 Power, a compact lightweight battery-operated dispenser. This dispenser has one arm and a loading capacity of 1800ml. The tool weighs a mere 7.2kg when full. The Sika Bond® Dispenser 1800 Power is supplied with two batteries.

Special Glue guns

Stauf

Schönox presents its i-Line battery glue device. This tool is absolutely ideal for glueing large surfaces and working quickly. For projects it is best if one person glues the subfloor and someone else fits the floorboards. This is a new development which will certainly prove its worth in the years ahead. The machine has been developed for spreading Schönox i-Line parquet glue ergonomically in sausage packaging. It is very easy to change the glue sausages (16m² can be glued using one pack of 7.3kg). The mouth can be opened up to 29cm. The i-Line battery tool gives extremely good adhesive grooves. This machine does not need a compressor, but runs on batteries. And so, the operator is not hindered by wires during the process. The tool can be supplied with a rapid charge and a spare battery, and it comes in a handy storage case.

The Parkett-X-Press is a glue dispenser which the operator can also use in a standing position.

This machine runs on batteries. The battery allows users to spread 160m² of glue without a pause.

Moreover, the tool is also supplied with a spare battery so that the work is not interrupted. The tool enables the operator to glue from wall to wall in nice straight lines. The compact dimensions mean that the tool can also be deployed in small areas. The Parkett-X-Press is supplied in a handy, wooden storage case on wheels. The dispenser is suitable for glueing the special silane adhesive Stauf S-press, an elastic glue for the most popular substrates and sorts of parquet. The glue is presented in a 1,800ml aluminium sausage packet. The sausage can be replaced in barely 25 seconds and there is hardly any waste. This dispenser is also available in a pneumatic design.

Tover

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Sika

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Sika presents no fewer than four distinct types in its range of automatic dispensers. The company offers three compressed air dispensers and one battery-operated dispenser. The compressed air dispensers are powered by a portable compressor of 10 bars.

All these dispensers work with the Sikabond-52 parquet glue.

The biggest dispenser is the Sika Bond® Dispenser-5400. This tool has three arms and a loading capacity of 5400ml. The application speed is 10x faster than with traditional glueing. The dispenser glues 10m² in strokes of 55cm without re-loading.

Consumption is about 500 to 600gr/m². Its weight when empty is 9kg. The semi-compact Sika Bond® Dispenser-3600 has two arms and a loading capacity of 3600ml for 6m² without

What is the best bonding system for fitting parquet: a spatula or a gun? Tover offers both solutions even though it recommends the use of a notched trowel. Indeed, with this tool the adhesive penetrates deeper into the subfloor, it is well spread, consequently covers a larger surface, and, finally, it fixes the dust residue which could get onto the subfloor. The quality of the glue adhesion is higher, stronger, and more secure.

Nevertheless, a kit composed of sausage + a gun, sold in a DIY store, represents the best solution for non professional fitting or sporadic use, especially due to its ease of use. In its range, Tover offers a polyurethane glue Tovcol PU and a silane based one Sigil MS in cartridges of 290 ml and sausages of 600 ml. Both tools are perfectly suitable for this type of application. For fitting large boards, Tover recommends the MS polymer version because it is more elastic. Its easy cleaning on pre-finished parquet also represents a trump card.

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building innovations and hosts green building conferences. Both R + T and CBC are held at the same time and venue as DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR. For more information about DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR, please visit www. domotexasiachinafloor.com

With 40 countries represented and some 1,100 exhibitors DOMOTEX asia/ CHINAFLOOR has expanded to 11 halls at the strategically located Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Renowned exhibitors take part including Balta, Oriental Weavers, Al Sorayai, Lumber Liquidators, Forbo, Berry Alloc, Invista, Mapei, Nora and Homag. In addition country pavilions fill large formats of exhibition spaces. Turkey returns after a five-year absence with close to 500 sqm in exhibition space; Pakistan with more than 430 sqm; traditional German, Belgian, Dutch and Iranian pavilions also display their products and innovations.

“Because many people have asked to be connected with someone who can answer questions about international floor covering markets,” said Zhong, VNU will offer a limited number of free, 45 - minute, private meetings with global flooring industry expert, Jim Gould, president of the US based Floor Covering Institute.

Alongside DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR further shows, related to building and interior design, will add to the visitors’ benefit: R + T Asia is the Asian platform for doors, gates & sun protection, whereas China’s Construction and Building Expo (CBC) presents green

Media contact: Ms. Elena Geremia VNU Exhibitions Asia Tel: +86 21 6195 6088 Fax: +86 21 6195 6099 elena.geremia@vnuexhibitions.com.cn

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR will showcase new technologies and innovative solutions from around the world, such as Forbo Group presenting its flagship product Marmoleum Green, made from natural raw materials and Gerflor Group showing their latest patent technology “EVERCARE TREATMENT”.

VNU is also adding a new, unique benefit for Western exhibitors and attendees.

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DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR opening on March 27, 2012, keeps growing.

New education programs, new exhibitors as well as the enhanced site layout and services will extend the business and networking opportunities for the domestic and international trade visitors.

About DOMOTEX worldwide DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR the number one flooring show in Asia held from 27 29 March 2012 is organized by VNU Exhibitions Asia, Deutsche Messe and Chinafloors. Deutsche Messe is the name behind DOMOTEX HANNOVER, the world’s leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings which took place from 14 17 January 2012. Furthermore Deutsche Messe launches a new offspring of the DOMOTEX brand catering to the Russian market: from 26 – 28 September 2012, the flooring industry will meet at DOMOTEX Russia in Moscow. DOMOTEX Middle East, Deutsche Messe’s flooring show for Middle East from 8 to 11 November 2012, will move to Istanbul in order to cater not only to the Middle East but also to the booming Turkish market.

Preview DOMOTEX Asia/CHINAFLOORS (Shanghai)

Some 1,100 exhibitors fill 11 halls at DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2012, a record in the show’s history!

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Solvents are dying out Special Waterbased lacquers

Makers are developing waterborne paints Floor fitters are closely attached to their tried and trusted brands. That applies to almost everything, from parquet makers, tools, and glues to sanding machines and finishing products. New technology really has to be convincing if floor fitters are to be converted to a different approach. Yet the latest generation of silane parquet glues shows that floor fitters are open to ‘innovation’. However, the biggest step has been the switch from solventborne to waterborne products. This switch is now a fact. Most producers are rightly proud of their (usually complete) range of waterborne products.

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Blanchon

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A brief summary What was this switch? The answer: it was about solvents and VOC (volatile organic compounds). It’s now 2012, but this story began in 2004 with European Directive no. 2004/42/ EC. That directive imposed a maximum VOC content for water and solventborne paints, which has been partly in force since 2007 and since 2010 must never be exceeded at all. The reason for this legislation is that solvents emitted during and after painting/varnishing enter the atmosphere and affect the ozone layer. Indeed, ozone is formed partly through contact (a reaction) between

volatile organic compounds, sunlight, and nitrogen oxide. An excess concentration of ozone not only affects the so called ‘global warming’, but can also adversely affect human health by causing respiratory problems, asthma, and such like. So why did we use them for so long? VOCs greatly affect the application properties of paint.

They ensure that paint is easy to apply and they increase the spread. They also generate a good mixture of binding agent and dye. The challenge for producers was to develop alternatives with fewer solvents and less emission of harmful substances.

Most of them have done this with ‘gusto’

before the deadline. Many have developed products with even fewer solvents than the minimum permitted by the legislation.

Hats off to them!

A major challenge No one denies that this changeover has been a challenge for the producers. After all, the scope of the legislation is broad: the VOC law relates to paints and varnishes which are applied to buildings and related structures with a decorative, functional, or protective purpose. The regulations both relate to products used by professionals and private individuals and apply to

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Adesiv Bona Adesiv devotes a good 30% of its research to developing new, better, and more ecological products.

This means the company has a wide range of waterborne products.

Fillers include Stucco WB, a waterborne product mixed with sanding dust to fill the gaps. Fondo WB is Adesiv’s single component waterborne primer. It is ideal as a base for a waterborne varnish finish. Fondo WB 2C is a 2-component primer. Adesiv also has the waterborne varnish Ecobril, an innovative acryl-polyurethane varnish in matt, semi-matt, and glossy. Ice is a waterborne aliphatic 2-component varnish with high durability and is therefore suitable for high traffic rooms. It preserves the natural colour of the wood.

Bona has a waterborne solution for all conditions and requirements. Bona Natural is a finish product which preserves the natural character of wooden floors. It is user-friendly and only requires two coats so that it really is a one-day solution. The range for commercial use satisfies all needs. These parquet varnishes have medium to high durability so that they can withstand a lot of footsteps on the floor. You can choose a glossy, natural, or oiled look. Bona Traffic is an excellent choice if you are looking for high durability in places such as a museum or airport. Bona Mega uses the oxygen in the air to harden the varnish to give it the benefits of a 2-component finishing varnish.

Bona Flow is a durable 2-component varnish for floors which are repeatedly exposed to chemicals.

Basin Basin presents a full range of water-based products. Hydral is a water-based wooden floor sealant that is produced with acrylicpolyurethane resins selected for their excellent price/quality ratio. Hydral subtly enhances the wooden floor and gives added value to the wood structure. It is available in matt and silky gloss.

Lumina is a 2-component finishing product for all types of wooden flooring and other elements in raw wood. This is a perfect finish that gives the wood a unique silky effect (Lumina combines different gloss degrees, depending on the angle of incidence).

With unprecedented scratch resistance and chemical resistance, this product is one of the best varnishes for intensively used wooden flooring. No Visible is a 2-component based product for finishing all types of wooden flooring and elements in raw wood (only for clear wood species). No Visible is ecological and does not emit any unpleasant odours. It ensures natural protection, is entirely invisible, and has no gloss. With its unparalleled resistance to streaks and chemical reactions, this product matches the level of the best finishing varnishes for intensively used wooden flooring. Protect is the professional reference for the protection of wooden floors that are subject to heavy use. Protect is a water-based two-component wooden floor varnish based on a high quality copolymer and polyurethane concentrate.

Chimiver

Chimiver Panseri S.p.A. has extended its assortment of waterborne lacquers. They are pleased to present Ecocrom, which is a single component waterborne super toning primer with high coverage for wooden floors. It could be used as a first coat in the lacquering process consisting of waterborne lacquers only.

Ecocrom gives wood a very warm colour, especially oak. Thanks to its composition, Ecocrom spreads very well and is easy to apply. It doesn’t leave overlaps and has excellent sanding properties.

Ecocrom has the colour of solvent with water!!

Another new product is Ecogreen. This is a single-component waterborne lacquer characterised by a high solid content, excellent resistance to wear and water, and excellent adhesion. It does not contain formaldehyde or heavy metals. Another feature of Ecogreen is that it gives the wood a warm and slightly

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Special Waterbased lacquers

Comprehensive systems The fact that the legislation was comprehensive forced producers to ‘revise’ their paints. New formulas emerged for primers, colour paints, finishes, and sports floor finishes. This led to whole new ranges, or, to be more precise, ‘comprehensive waterborne paints’. In the meantime, floor fitters have adapted to the new paints.

Blanchon Blanchon can definitely be called a European pioneer when we speak of waterborne lacquers. The company has had a full range for over 25 years: Aqua Pro, the range for the parquet fitter and floor specialist. The range includes primers, 1 and 2-component varnishes, a waterborne oil, a binding agent for putty, and a whole range of special colours for large surfaces. Blanchon has three varnishes in two components, namely Belmont, Intensive, and Sport. Belmont (EC1) is an odourless varnish with exceptionally good properties. Intensive (EC1) is also odourless and offers very high resistance to chemical products and very high traffic use. Sport is a waterborne polyurethane varnish for sports floors and floors with certain anti-slip requirements. Blanchon also offers three one-component adhesives. Allroad is a waterborne polyurethane varnish which really does bring out the natural effect of the wood. Initial warms up the look of light wood sorts.

New for 2011 is Chambord (EC1): this waterborne polyurethane varnish is extremely easy to apply to new wood and is odourless.

Chambord brings out the natural beauty of the wood and gives the wood a warm colour.

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both indoor and outdoor products. In other words, nothing or no one can escape, even if there are a few exceptions stipulated such as swimming pool paint, boat paint and varnishes, road markings, and such like. Thankfully, legislators have provided for an elimination ruling for existing supplies. Painters or odd-jobbers have not had to worry about the legality of their products.

Producers were still allowed to make paint in line with the previous regulations until 2006. They were also allowed to sell it until 31 December 2007. The wholesalers and shops were allowed to continue selling it as long as stocks lasted. Today, we can assume that stocks are either insufficient or completely exhausted.

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oxidised appearance. It also bears the Ecolabel certificate. This is the European mark of ecological quality that confirms the company’s commitment to the environment. The Chimiver range of waterborne products also includes Ecogel, which is a waterborne primer suitable for application on all kinds of wooden floors. Easy application and quick drying time makes it possible to treat the floor in one day. Then there is Ecostar 2K Natural, which is a two-component 100% PU waterborne lacquer with a Natural Wood Effect. Ecostar 2K Antibatterica is a two-components 100% PU waterborne lacquer with bactericidal efficiency.

It inhibits 99.97% of bactericidal proliferation to prevent staphylococcus and Escherichia coli. The Chimiver range also includes Ecostar single component and Ecostar 2K. The latter has been improved and now has the new certificate of resistance to cold liquids and chemical agents. It is available in different gloss levels. All Chimiver waterborne products comply with the VOC 2010 regulations and do not contain any NMP. Ciranova Ciranova has a waterborne varnish system with four products.

Aquafix Sealer is a ready-to-use, waterborne, 1-component primer for parquet. It is highly elastic and ecological. It is ideal as an insulation coat for wood sorts which are difficult to treat and as tannin crammer. The varnish is also suitable for parquet in combination with floor heating. Aquafix Mono is a transparent universal varnish based on PU/acryl for protecting parquet for normal domestic use (satin and matt). Aquafix Project 2K is the 2-component project varnish for high traffic floors (semi-matt, ultramat, and high gloss). This varnish is also suitable as a finish for sports floors. Aquafix Magic 2K is a 2-component parquet varnish for parquet and wooden furniture which gives invisible protection without discolouring the wood. This varnish is suitable for wooden floors in commercial use for indoor applications.

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Devomat Industries Devomat Industries has a full range of waterborne varnishes consisting of four waterborne product lines. Devo Natural® Passage Ultramat is a 2-component waterborne parquet varnish for high traffic floors. Devo Natural® Colour & Finish is a combination of the single component colouring with Aqua Devo Natural® Colour and a finish with a 1-component Aqua Devo Natural® Finish. The latter is now available in four degrees of gloss (bleached matt, matt oiled aspect, satin, and grey matt = new). Aqua Devo® Transit Mat is a dual component finish for high traffic floors and, finally, Aqua Devo® Sport is a single component acrylate/polyurethane varnish with UV filtering for sports floors.

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Durieu/Owatrol Vegafloor is a top quality 1-component waterborne varnish. This varnish is colourless and available in three degrees of gloss, namely matt, satin, and glossy. To obtain the best possible results, you are advised to combine this product with the primer Primafloor or a

colouring by means of Chromafloor. Two coats of Vegafloor are then certainly sufficient. It is, of course, also possible to use Vegafloor on its own in two or three coats, depending on the expected result or the state of the wood.

Primafloor is a colourless primer which can be applied to all sorts of wood. Primafloor reinforces the adhesion of the varnish. Certainly for tropical sorts of wood, the insulation effect of Primafloor is recommended. Chromafloor is a wood colouring which is applied before the floor is varnished.

Hesse Hesse’s selection of waterborne varnishes ranges from 1 to 2-component Hydro for both private and professional use. The 1K Hydro primers HG 21 and HG 22 are fast drying single component waterborne primers for parquet and wooden floors. This varnish prevents the need for edge and block glueing. 1K Una Elite is a durable single component Hydro acrylate varnish. This varnish is strongly elastic, filling, colour fast, and resistant to the most common domestic chemicals.

2k Pura One is the dual component finish. Both varnishes are available in three different degrees of gloss, namely matt, silk matt, and glossy. 2k Pura Natura (natural wood effect stomp matt- is a durable 2-component hydro acrylate PUR varnish. It is also strongly elastic and colour fast with high durability against footsteps and most common domestic chemicals. 2K Pura sport is the 2-component finish for sports floors.

Irsa With the new extensive range of Irsa Platinum, Irsa presents a waterborne varnish system of the highest possible quality. The result of research in consultation with clients is waterborne and ecological varnishes with revolutionary properties. The new finish hardens completely within three to five days, after which the floor is ready for full use.

The strength is comparable to that of a solventborne varnish.

Irrespective of the degree of gloss, these varnishes offer excellent scratch resistance, indelibility (for several hours), and resistance to black marks from rubber soles (these marks can easily be removed). Irsa Platinum is recommended for light sorts of wood.

For darker sorts of wood the Irsa Platinum Exotic Primer is recommended. Gaps can be filled in advance using Irsa Platinum Aqua Filler.

Kerakoll Green Building Company Kerakoll Green Building Company presents its certified ecological 2-coat system for providing a protective finish for parquet in 2 coats with the following system: wood filler SLC ECO Aqua-Pur Flex (ECO4) 40-50ml/m², A-P Basic (ECO4) 100ml/m²,

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intermediate polishing with iron filing grain 220, and a top finish of SLC ECO Aqua-Pur HPX (ECO4) 90ml/m² (extra matt/matt/ satin/high-gloss) with a short-haired roller. You can finish in total with 250ml product/m² for a floor which is also protected for commercial purposes. You get a durable finish: 7.5mg with Taber test (1kg/CS10/1000 revolutions). The HPX also has an EC1 certificate for emissions. The A-P Basic and HPX can be diluted with 5-10% water. Instead of the A-P Basic system, it is also possible to apply the HPX twice.

products from Loba’s extensive range. The waterborne finish 2K Supra A.T. (Advanced Technology) is capable of preserving the beauty of high traffic floors for many years. The 1-component finish Hybrid A.T. is also a waterborne finish which gives a deep colour and vitality to tropical sorts of wood. Lobadur WS Easy Prime is a primer which can be applied as a varnish. Lobadur Viva and Fusion 2K are waterborne varnishes which can be applied to most sorts of wood.

Floor Service offers two waterborne lacquers, namely Aqua Parquet Lacquer Satin and Aqua Parquet Lacquer Matt (both available in 1.0 and 5.0 litre tins).

The Aqua Parquet Lacquer is a transparent, hard-wearing lacquer for parquet and wooden floors, walls, ceilings and furniture. Floor Service Aqua Parquet Lacquer dries fast and doesn’t turn yellow. The Aqua Parquet Lacquer can be perfectly maintained using the Floor Service Dry Cleaning set, Parquet Polish and Parquet Cleaner.

Plastor

Lechner SpA Lechner SpA offers a full range of waterborne lacquers, which are both NMP-free and in conformity to the standard 2004/42/CE: grouts, primers, and lacquers, both one and two component, available for both domestic and civil areas. The range this year offers a new series, the COMFORT LINE, which is made up of COMFORT PRIME K1 and COMFORT PRIME K2, one and two component primers, and COMFORT K1 and COMFORT K2, one and two component finishes. They are specifically designed for medium traffic and domestic areas, and give the parquet a natural look.

Moreover, the best sold Lechner finish (ECO K2) has been awarded the Emicode EC1R certificate, while ECO K2 SPORT, the finish specifically designed for sports floors, been awarded both the Emicode EC1R certificate and the EUROCLASS Bfl s1 in accordance with EN 13501- 1:2007: ‘Fire classification of construction products and building elements’.

The full PUR-T range from Plastor is based on a new raw material, namely polycarbonate. A pure technique undergirds a range which respects both public health and the environment through the use of harmless raw materials.

The products are odourless, easy to apply, and they preserve the colour of the wood. Plastor has divided up its varnishes on the basis of usage criteria. The usage frequency determines which varnish is the most suitable. PUR-T 1 is designed for low traffic rooms. PUR-T 2 is recommended in residential dwellings and for places such as corridors, living rooms, and such like. PR-T 3 is suitable for both high traffic rooms in residential and commercial buildings, whilst, finally, PUR-T 4 is the high traffic product par excellence for high traffic places such as restaurants, dance halls, public places, and so on.

Special Waterbased lacquers

Overmat

Tover

Loba has been producing waterborne and low emission products for several years. The solvent content of the waterborne products even lies below the 140g/l which is prescribed by the European directive. New varnishes will contain a maximum of 80g/l without compromising on quality. Here we limit ourselves to presenting some

Tover offers a complete range of waterborne varnishes to meet any demand from professionals in terms of aesthetic results, resistance, and durability. The wide choice of mono and bi-component varnishes can meet the demands of rough, extremely matt,

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Loba

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natural, or warm, and glossy finishing. These varnishes are suitable on any surfaces, including exotic woods, and are for residential and high traffic areas. They are highly resistant to chemicals.

Tover has also developed products for a specific use like the two bi-component varnishes Firestop, in class Cfl-s1 as fire-resistant, and Sports Floor Finish certified EN 14904 for sports floors.

Once again Tover has shown itself to be a pioneer in its field by launching on the market an innovative bi-component varnish, namely BELLA SQ. As with all other products in the range, BELLA SQ is NMP free and has a low VOC content, but a new property is that it is totally isocyanate and polyaziridine-free to show respect for public health and the environment.

Woodcare Woodcare offers a full range of waterborne varnishes geared to both professional fitters and end users. For consumers there is the Woca Excellent Floor Lacquer. This is a waterborne varnish which dries within an hour and a half at a temperature of 20°C. The varnish is available in degrees of gloss 20 and 40. For professionals Woodcare offers a primer and a single and dual component varnish. The Woca Floor Primer dries quickly and is easy to sand. This is available in natural, white, and grey. The 1-component Woca Superior Wood Lacquer is a fast drying waterborne varnish (90 min./20°C).

Like other products in the range, it does not contain any NMP and is available in degrees of gloss 20 and 40. Finally, the Woca Advanced 2K Wood Floor Lacquer is the 2-component varnish which is completely waterborne and does not contain any NMP or isocyanate. It is also available in degrees of gloss 20 and 40.

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Woca

Special ‘La Reserve’ opts for Woca High Solid Master Oil

‘La Reserve’ opts for Woca High Solid Master Oil Parquet firm Zarbia fits its own oak floors in a unique residence at Knokke-Heist (Belgium) For parquet firm Zarbia from Waregem in Belgium, the project ‘La Reserve – The Residence’ will certainly feature prominently on their list of references. La Reserve – The Residence is situated in a historical spot with a history of ‘excellence’. A unique domain in the dunes of Knokke-Heist which, over the years, has accommodated only the most renowned visitors. You could call it ‘the place to be for the happy few’, ranging from Jacques Brel to Winston Churchill. Today, after a rich history dating back more than 150 years, the project has emerged again as a sublime port of call, part hotel, part residence, on the Belgian coast. Excellence? Yes, even today! The oak floors of Zarbia have been secured for the future, thanks to the products of Woca®. This article looks at the project.

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to become Duinbergen. The area was urbanised around the turn of the century.

Architect Josef Stübben designed the urbanisation plan. The Duinbergen Society, which had been formed in the meantime, continued to urbanise the area on the basis of plans drawn up by the German architect.

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La Reserve – The Residence … from bygone days Around 1855, Charles-Joseph Serweytens from Bruges acquired the dune area between the villages of Knokke and Heist, partly via purchase and partly via inheritance.

Serweytens wanted if for fertile arable land, but this never materialised. After his death, the rights to the domain passed to his widow, Felicie de Mercx. She turned the western part of the dunes, which link up with Heist, into a bathing area, which was later

Two world wars During World War I, the Germans built a huge defensive barrier with bunkers in the dunes between Knokke and Heist.

Emperor Wilhelm was the driving force behind this construction. It was situated on the site of the present Scharpoord cultural community centre and was one of the best designed bunkers on the entire coast. The Albert beach came into being between the two world wars. A new stone promenade about 100m inland was constructed to form a magnificent bay. In this period, Joseph Nellens built the Pavillon du Lac, which faces south towards Lake Zege, a sunny spot for welcoming its many prominent and well known friends. Since Knokke was also part of the German defensive line, it suffered greatly during World War II. The casino was camouflaged as a bunker and equipped with a wooden canon. Despite these efforts, it suffered badly from the constant bombardment, as did the Pavillon du Lac and the other buildings along the coast.

Oak in solid wood and multi-layer Thanks to its outstanding price/quality ratio, Zarbia from Waregem landed the assignment (after an invitation for tenders from promoter La Reserve Promotions NV). At about the time of writing, Zarbia has completed at least 40 of the 45 sold flats. They have oak floors with FSC approved wood. The surfaces of these flats vary from 100 to 150m². Buyers could opt for solid wood oak or multi-layer parquet (standard). Zarbia has also finished the stairs in the duplex flats in the same design as the floors. The fact that the convector grills had to receive the same treatment as the floors themselves proves that the quality requirements were second to none.

The finish of the floors Woca® products played a major part in the finish of the floors. For example, pre-colouring products such as Woca Pre Colour and Woca wood stain were used for some floors. All floors were finished with the Woca High Solid Oil White and Extra White. Woca High Solid Natural, White, and Extra Wit can be used to treat sanded or stained surfaces. The High Solid Master Oil is VOC FREE and can only be processed mechanically. The required accessories are Woca High Solid Master Oil, Woca Intensive Cleaner, brush or roller, paint mixing rod, plastic bucket or paint bucket, gauze sanding discs (up to a maximum of P100), polishing machine, beige polishing pad, and a non-fluffy cloth or absorbent paper. The level of the moisture in the wood before the application of Woca High Solid Master Oil must not exceed 14%. The ideal room temperature is 20°C and the air humidity between 50 and 60%. The floor surface must be oiled or sanded with a gauze sanding disc up to a maximum of P100. In order to ensure that the floor is completely free of dust and open the pores in full, it is advisable to dampen the floor with Woca Intensive Cleaner (1/40).

Construction of the floors The floors are fully glued to the cement covering floor. Before the glueing, the fitters applied a primer using the Primer P104 from Uzin. They levelled the subfloor using the Thomsit XXL leveller.

A lucrative project Not only would Zarbia love to repeat the project, but also they will be starting work on the second phase with additional flats in the next few months. The private limited company Zarbia is a specialist in fitting

a wide range of floor coverings and exercises its trade in Belgium, the rest of Europe, and in other countries. The company was formed at Antwerp in February 1977. Later, the company transferred its head office to Waregem. Zarbia supplies and fits wall-to-wall carpets, cork, linoleum, vinyl, solid wood, multi-layer and ready-to-use parquet, and laminate. The staff are all trained professionally and perform their work carefully and conscientiously. This was an extremely lucrative project for the company from Waregem.

A company representative explains, “Even though you always have to offer a competitive price for such projects, this was an important reference, which will certainly lead to more assignments thanks to the excellent performance.” The company plans to use between two and eight people for the job, depending on the completion dates.

Woca® – respect for natural beauty “Wood is a natural product. A treatment to preserve the natural qualities of wood will keep the surface durable, attractive, and strong. Woca® Denmark has been working consciously on the basis of this philosophy for a good 40 years to develop and improve effective products for wood care. With a heart for the environment, they have produced a full assortment using natural raw materials. This results in products, which are geared to each other, for the protection of wood indoors and out.” The products of Woca® Denmark are tested constantly in their own laboratories so that they always conform to the strictest standards. In addition, the wood care products of Woca® Denmark are also tested in neutral laboratories and are, amongst other things, approved for use in homes by the ‘Building Biology Institute’ in Rosenheim, Germany.

Photos: Michèle Verbruggen

Special ‘La Reserve’ opts for Woca High Solid Master Oil

Then the fitters fully glued the parquet floors with the Uzin MK 95 adhesive.

This adhesive is a 1-component polyurethane parquet glue. It is strongly elastic and does not contain solvents or water. It offers strong initial adhesion and a handy fitting time.

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A new complex After a chequered history, the hotel was finally demolished in 2008. Part of the debris served as the foundation for the Cavalia horse show, whilst the antiquated hotel interior was used largely for a hotel in Congo-Brazaville. The groundwork started in November 2008. In January 2009, the workers started to lay the foundations and the concrete structures followed two months later. The hotel and other flats are now sprouting up from the ground everywhere on a well tended site which employs 250 people. Today, a fully orbed home construction project, which shares the site with a star hotel, is emerging from the ground. Just like the old hotel ‘La Reserve’, the new complex is once again the pearl on the crown of Knokke.

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Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

Range of decking ‘sorts’ still growing Technological alternatives to tropical wood Tropical wood sorts are very popular for outdoor floors, but this is not the case for indoor parquet. The reason for this difference is quite clear: for parquet in the home, tropical wood sorts do not offer any real advantages from a technical point of view and, moreover, the versatility of oak offers sufficient choice. The situation is different for outdoor floors; in outdoor conditions we are obliged to choose a highly durable class of wood, and these are found mainly amongst tropical sorts. Yet here, too, human ingenuity comes up with alternatives.

Not cheap Partly due to pressure from environmental organisations and growing ecological awareness, more and more people in our part of the world are increasingly expressing a preference for wood which originates from sustainably managed forests. For scores of government assignments some sort of recognised certificate (e.g. FSC or PEFC) is now a basic requirement in the specification book. However, it is also true to say that private end users are now much more ecologically aware. One disadvantage, of course, is that this does not make tropical wood any cheaper, and, in fact, the reverse is true. However, a market within a market is opening up for outdoor floor fitters and installers. The construction of exquisite terraces in exclusive sorts of wood seems targeted towards the wealthy classes, the happy few with ample financial means. A terrace with a swimming pool in ipe seems to be the ultimate status symbol, but it does not come cheap.

Ravaioli Legnami

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Tropics come and go About 40 years ago, tropical sorts of wood were reserved for the happy few. There were only a few sorts and they were expensive.

Over 20 years ago, the rain forest evidently burst open completely. Every other minute, so it seemed, we got acquainted with a new sort of wood. The tropical sorts are still relatively expensive, but the existence of multi-layer and veneer floors has put them within the budget of mere mortals. Tropical is all the rage! In particular, sorts such as merbau, jatoba, ipe, iroko, and the pricey wenge are high on people’s shopping lists. Today, we are witnessing a turnaround, and some parquet manufacturers have even scrapped tropical wood from their selections completely. Oak is running riot as never before, but the situation is somewhat different for outdoor floors.

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Durability Tropical sorts of wood score well in terms of their long life.

Whereas we used to be limited to one sort of wood (bangkirai), we are now faced with a choice from a whole string of at least thirty sorts which are ideal for outdoor use. As we have often explained, this suitability is becoming visible in a generally acknowledged and accepted categorisation of the wood sorts into five classes. Those classes have been set out on the basis of experience: the researchers investigated how long the wood sorts ‘survive’ when they are exposed in an untreated state to outdoor conditions. Wood sorts in class 1 retain their beauty for 25 years.

Therefore, we use those wood sorts from category 1 and some from category 1-2 for terrace boards. Class 1 includes robinia, belinga, chestnut, massaranduba, padauk, teak, merbau, afrormosia, ipé, and so on.

Thermally treated wood Thermally treated wood provides us with the first alternative to expensive tropical wood sorts. In our previous edition we outlined the various procedures of thermal treatment: thermo wood, plato, ratified wood, and durable (see edition 82). Wood is modified with a view to giving soft and less durable sorts a longer lifespan.

In other words, modification elevates the wood into a higher class in the durability classes (classes 1-5). And so, it is also clear that making wood more durable by means of thermal treatment actually changes the essential properties of the wood. Amongst other things, the treatment results in the killing of natural elements, which could serve as food for fungi and insects. However, the most important consequence concerns the stability of the wood i.e. the way in which the wood copes with climate changes. After all, thermal treatment changes the hygroscopic character of the wood drastically. The wood becomes a lot less vulnerable to fluctuations in the air humidity so that it expands and shrinks considerably less.

Thermal bamboo Another alternative to both hardwood floors and thermally treated wood has appeared recently in the form of thermally treated bamboo. This treatment procedure is called by different names, depending on the producer or supplier: strand woven, X-treme, or solid bamboo. What the different products do have in common is that they have all undergone heat treatment and been pressed in such a way that they have an exceptionally high density. In most cases these floorboards are made from residue waste from the normal production of bamboo floorboards. The floorboards can be given a natural colour, but also some producers

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The composite materials Wood composites can trace their origin back to Canadian research into the possibilities of recycling polyethylene rubbish sacks. The researchers added cellulose fibres to the polyethylene.

In turn, these fibres became surplus products from sawmills and waste from printers and such like. After a decade of research and technical improvements, they established a formula of producing sheets and planks which could be used as ecological alternatives to tropical hardwood.

Composition Wood composite is composed of wood fibres, high-density polyethylene, UV stabilisers, dyes, and various additives to optimise the mechanical qualities. These are usually recycled wood fibres, waste wood, and recycled polyethylene. And so, in many respects wood composite is an ecological alternative to tropical hardwood. Basically, no trees are cut down and the waste wood can just as easily bear the FSC label.

Production process The production method is a form of extrusion. The ingredients are mixed and undergo an extrusion process at high temperatures and under heavy pressure. Extrusion technology makes it possible to obtain accurate measures and as regards the shape all things are possible.

Durability class 1?

The end result of this ingenious production process is a material which can easily compete with wood sorts in durability class 1.

Seeing that wood composite production started only as recently as around 1997, it is still too early to draw any final conclusions. After all, durability class 1 means that a wood sort (or composite) can stand up to outdoor conditions in an untreated form for 25 years.

Synthetic wood When we speak here of composite materials, we mean a composition of synthetics and wood fibres. And so, wood is always processed in the products obtained in this way. For some time now, there have also been products which are presented as alternatives to wooden terrace floors, but which do not contain any form of processed wood. These are synthetic products based on

A selection from the range B-Fix

According to B-Fix, ipe is still the most popular wood for fitting outdoor parquet, despite the regular price rises. This sort of wood does indeed account for a good number of wooden terraces. Other sorts of wood share the rest of the market. Most traders combine ipe in their range with another cheaper sort of wood: padauk, itoba, jatoba, massaranduba, cumaru, coconut, and such like. B-Fix itself does not handle any composite planks, even though they can be used perfectly with its fastening system.

Dumafloor Dumadeck速 terrace planks are made from a uniform combination of wood fibres and plastic.

It is precisely this unique interplay of nature and technology which belies their strength. After all, the benefits and strengths of both materials are bundled together to make these top quality planks. The natural aspect and the look of brushed wood go hand in hand with the sturdy and durable qualities of plastic. This immediately ensures that these terrace planks are waterproof, so they do not swell or bend. The durable composite material means the planks do not rot or splinter. Therefore, Dumadeck速 is ideal for making swimming pool boards. Moreover, the brushed finish provides perfect slip resistance. Composite material is much easier to maintain because moss or fungi do not affect it. Moreover, it is resistant to termites and other insects. With Dumadeck速 colours do not fade much. Then, after a while, outdoor terraces retain their definitive, even colours.

The planks are also sanded and brushed along the sides. This authentic look makes finishing profiles unnecessary. The sides of the terrace are trimmed by mitring. Similarly, steps or platforms are no longer a problem. All that not only looks nicer, but also saves time and money since extra end items are not needed.

Kosche Composite materials of wood and polymer produce floors which provide an excellent alternative to tropical wood sorts at a quality price. The product Kovalex from the firm Kosche is such a composite item, made from wood fibres with an ecological thermoplastic binding agent. The two components are joined together via an extrusion process in which they are subjected to a pressure process at temperatures which are sufficient to produce the new and innovative Kovalex. Producers are constantly searching for new applications to meet market demands. The Kovalex Roll Floor is a good example of this. You can roll out this floor anywhere e.g. on the balcony, at the camp site, or on the beach. The

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Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

Kebony marches on Kebony wood originates from deciduous forests in Western Europe. It is much harder than teak wood thanks to an innovative ecological treatment. Moreover, at first sight there is no noticeable difference between the two sorts of wood, so Kebony has become the first real durable wood substitute for teak. Kebony is a Norwegian company which, after years of research and experimentation, has developed an ecological modification process to make various wood sorts more durable. The used wood originates from deciduous forests in Europe. Maple tree wood is used a lot to make yachts. Once the wood is extracted, a special, patented fluid is impregnated into the wood under high pressure and subsequently hardens. This has the biological furfuryl alcohol as an element, originating from residue materials from the extraction of sugar cane and maize. When the wood has dried out thoroughly, it undergoes separate treatment whereby the application of heat results in hardening. Any residual fluids are re-used to make it a recycling process.

plastic or synthetic foam which, of course, remains untroubled by the weather, fungi, or other enemies of real wood.

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offer a choice of having either the smooth or ribbed side on top.

Usually, clients have a choice between fitting with a clip system for invisible fastening or fitting with screws.

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The revolutionary invisible solution for deck boards

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Kovalex Floorboard Light is another excellent solution for projects where there is only limited height. Its product features are that it is low maintenance, durable, and splinter-free!

Lime

THE INSTALLING OF DECK BOARDS REINVENTED • Screwing down boards to joists • 3 sizes available to ensure appropriate spacing between the boards • Adapted to most types of wood (AD and KD) • Reversible groove profile which allows to use either face of the boards • Adapted to pre-grooved or plain boards

Fastener with integrated spacer

A2 stainless steel self-tapping screw

Screwing down of boards to joists at 45°

info@hardwoodclip.com www.hardwoodclip.com

LIME presents what is for our part of the world a new sort of wood, namely coconut wood. After a considerable advance into the kitchen as a replacement for breadboards, salad bowls, dishes, and other kitchen tools in oiled wood, coconut now lies at our feet. Indeed, coconut parquet and terrace floors are the solution par excellence for sustainable development. Actually, a coconut tree is not really a tree, but a plant comparable to a palm tree: indeed, coconut does not have any gnarls. The wood tends to be dark (brown or honey colour), warm as required, and has a perfect thread with long, black fibres – an artistic beauty, which is nevertheless 100% natural. Since it does not contain any starch and is very hard, coconut is naturally resistant to attacks from wood insects. They remain hungry and prefer to make their way into other softer sorts of wood. Moreover, a parquet or terrace floor in coconut is ecological. Did you know that coconut trees used to be cut down and burnt as soon as they withered? And so, they made room for new plants. Nowadays, however, the trunks are recuperated, sawn, and processed into planks for a terrace or parquet floor. Finally, we should not despise the exotic aspect of coconut wood in our sometimes extremely grey land!

Parador The most prominent sorts of wood at Parador for wooden terraces are Douglas fir, thermal larch, ash, and oak. Parador is launching some striking innovations created by star architect Matteo Thun. With the Edition Irregolare, Thun breaks through uniformity by working with various widths on an element. This irregularity makes the floorboards extremely fascinating.

The Edition Intreccio distances itself from the typical longitudinal format by using small

Ravaioli Legnami

Ravaioli Legnami is considered one of the most important companies in the Italian outdoor wooden flooring sector. A key element of the company is its main plant where highly precise moulding machines can create a range of board profiles so that the company is better equipped to meet all customers’ needs.

Ravaioli Legnami imports directly the most suitable kinds of wood for decking, such as ipe, teak, angelim, amargoso, iroko, massaranduba, garapa, and heat treated ash and has a large and well furnished stock to cater for all orders.

The company is also very sensitive towards ecological solutions.

For example, it promotes and delivers Bamboo X-Treme and Kebony (South Yellow Pine), two innovative products which, after a natural treatment, are suitable for outdoor decking applications and uses. The Ravaioli brand represents a company which is competitive in the wooden profile sector, not only for decking solutions, but also for frontages and wall coverings.

SHS Houtimport Since 1998, Jack van der Meulen, manager of SHS Houtimport has been actively involved in importing exclusive sorts of wood from tropical countries. At SHS Houtimport there is no doubt that teak is the star of the show. The reason for this was, as it were, a ‘discovery’ which Jack van der Meulen made in Ecuador. The teak wood here comes originally from the mother plant in Myanmar. Trees were planted in Ecuador about 80 years ago. The trees which sprouted up as a result were certainly well maintained, but not really exploited so that the collection could grow continually. Jack van der Meulen discovered that the teak wood in those countries was of an attractive, even, and steady quality. That was clear enough from the wood structure. Since last summer, SHS Houtimport has had at its disposal a supply of about 1,000 trunks, some of which have a circumference of up to 250cm and are over 50 years old. Besides this unique teak wood, SHS Houtimport also presents teak floors in various formats and of excellent quality, tabaca floors (and raw wood), teak terrace boards (20 x 14mm to 3m), ipe greenheart terrace boards (20 x 140mm to 3.5m)

Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

profiles in a chessboard combination. For the Edition Griglia Matteo Thun draws his inspiration from the SPA culture from the last century. These splendid, slender tiles can be fitted both in chessboard pattern and ordinarily following each other. These new floors offer an endless creative freedom in terrace construction.

Pre-finish techniques for parquet flooring Trivec offers a unique range of machines for pre finishing of parquet flooring. Pre finishing comprises all sorts of surface treatments like brushing, aging and finishing with oil, wax, lacquers or stains.

SOLIDOR Supports for terraces they make the difference!

More information: www.trivec.eu Stuurboord 2 9206 BK Drachten The Netherlands

T F E W

+31 (0)512 510035 +31 (0)512 547950 info@vec.eu www.trivec.eu

www.solidor.be info@solidor.be

www.parketmachines.nl

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Trivec systems are modular and can be set up as ‘stand alone’ machines or as part of a complete Trivec finishing line with automatic feeding systems, infra red pre heating, polishing units and solutions for drying.

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basralocus terrace boards (20 x 140mm to 4m) and massaranduba terrace boards (25 x 140mm to 4m).

Stile/Lenox

Ravaioli expands with MaRittiMa

With the acquisition of the Marittima and Aeterno brands in September 2011, Ravaioli Legnami Srl has expanded its range of exterior wood decking and siding products to include customized deck tiles. This can offer a more competitive solution for creating wood covered surfaces, using pre-assembled panels (called tiles) customised for different needs. The finished effect is similar to the timber boards laid on site, but with an ease of installation that delivers major cost and time savings, especially on wide areas.

Operating from its original base in Villanova di Bagnacavallo (RA), Ravaioli Legnami has grown over the past thirty years thanks to sustained market success and it has gained a leadership position in the italian decking sector. Its production facility is continually evolving, and its increased flexibility and production capability guarantee optimum quality, offering a vast range of products like Ipè, Teak, Angelim Amargoso, Iroko, Massaranduba, Garapa, Heat Treated Ash, Kebony and Bamboo X-Treme.

To better serve its business partners, Ravaioli also operates with two sales offices in Bologna and Rimini, and a network of agents and dealers throughout Italy and foreign countries.

The Ravaioli Legnami brand is today one of the most competitive names in the sector of “timber solutions”.

Villanova di Bagnacavallo (RA) 48012 Via Bandoli, 24 T. +39 0545.927.309 - F. +39 0545.927.310 ravaiolilegnami@ravaiolilegnami.com - www.ravaiolilegnami.com

With the Lenox system, Stile combines an authentic wooden terrace floor with a technologically sophisticated fitting method. The Italian company offers the dazzling wood sorts lapacho, teak, and ash thermo in a complete fitting system. The floorboards are carried on a pedestal (two sorts: base and level), made from a thermoplastic substance. This pedestal is resistant to all outdoor weather, elastic, and capable of withstanding big fluctuations in temperature and damp. The Lenox system is extremely easy to fit with few components or tools and offers an extremely stable floor, perfect for fitting on a balconies, terraces, or around swimming pools. With the special black rubber joint, the terrace can be transformed into a ship deck. This can be done with the ‘base’ pedestal. ‘Base’ follows the level of the substrate, whilst ‘level’ rectifies the substrate.

Vandecasteele Houtimport Vandecasteele Houtimport offers a huge range of wood sorts from all over the world. For terraces they recommend all wood sorts in durability class 1: ipe, cumaru, massaranduba, tali, Jatoba bilinga, muiricatiara, and jatoba. Even for the subconstruction the company offers durable wood sorts such as angelim amargossa, bilinga, mandioquira, and such like. Vandecasteele Houtimport aims to be the Ipé durable outlet in Europe in the field of tropical hardwood, Russian and Scandinavian softwood, and American hard and softwood.

The company aims to achieve this in an ecologically responsible manner in perfect harmony with clients, suppliers, and the environment. Sustainable natural management has been an integral part of the company’s strategy since the very beginning. The wood originates from sustainably managed forests. The company’s various certificates (FSC, PEFC, OLB, VLO, MTCC, SGS, and TLTV) guarantee sustainable forest management.

Repair tools and fillers The first people to damage a new parquet or wooden floor are actually the floor fitters themselves. We are talking here, of course, about the inevitable damage which results from the traditional method for fitting parquet. This traditional method involves glueing the entire floor and nailing it to the subfloor. Nails are driven into the wood, so the inevitable outcome is a series of nail holes. Repairing those holes is part of the fitting method. Other flaws can arise as a result of an accident, wear and tear, or the natural movement of the wood under the influence of changing atmospheric conditions. Fear not! The market has the tools! floors we provide expansion joints which have to be filled with a material which absorbs the movement of the floor.

Discolouration One fairly modern form of damage arises from the growing interest in coloured wooden floors. Oak floors in various shades are becoming more and more prominent and have served to speed up the demise of tropical floors. The disadvantage when floorboards are not coloured in bulk is that local discolouration can appear in certain places. This usually occurs in high traffic places, corridors, entrances, and under the legs of chairs and seats.

Repair tools When we speak of repair tools, we mean all products which can be deployed to repair one or more of the above-mentioned defects in a wooden floor, irrespective of whether they are caused by the fitting, normal usage, or an accident.

Types of damage Nail holes The nail holes made whilst a traditional parquet floor is fitted constitute the first deliberate damage to the floor. As we note elsewhere in this edition, speedy arithmetic tells us that the number of holes in a room of 4 x 6m soon amounts to a few hundred nail holes. Naturally, these have to be filled before the floor can be finished with oil, wax, or varnish.

Repair wax Wax can act as a repair tool in the shape of wax rods. These wax rods are available in both solid and malleable forms. We use malleable wax for ‘cold’ repairs. The malleable wax is simply pushed into the cavity or split. The surplus wax is then removed using a plastic spatula. We use solid wax for repairs by melting it above the place of damage using a special melting pistol. The melting pistol for softening the wax can be compared to a small soldering iron. In this case, too, we remove the surplus wax using a plastic spatula.

Splits and gnarls Some flaws such as splits, cracks, holes, or cavities (e.g. loose gnarls) may be part of the natural flaws in the wood. This depends largely on wood selection. Rustic floorboards usually have more natural flaws than, for example, A-selection. However, damage can also occur accidentally on site (e.g. through falling objects or the use of poorly maintained tools).

Plastic wood Plastic wood is also known as putty. Plastic or liquid wood is particularly suitable for filling small nail holes or cracks. Its use extends beyond the parquet and wooden floor industry to the construction industry in general where builders use it to repair woodwork (doors and windows), Furniture, and such like. Plastic wood is available in various sorts of wood so that there is a solution for every floor. You can apply a coat of oil, wax, or parquet varnish to putty with no problem at all.

Expansion joints We are not talking here about the special kits which are deployed to complete a ship deck floor. Those are covered at length elsewhere in this edition. Although ship deck joints enable us to use wood in wet rooms and even as shower furnishing, we usually opt for ship deck for aesthetic or decorative reasons if we choose it for the living room or office. The kits which we are considering in this article are primarily functional. Basically, they have to solve a technical problem. On the wall joints and in transition to other

Acrylate and polyacrylate Some flaws in the wood, but especially joints and transitions to other floors, need constant elasticity to absorb floor movements.

The market meets this need with polyacrylate kits (e.g. Bona Gapmaster in 14 colours) or acrylate kits (e.g. Unika Colour sealant). These kits absorb huge shifts in the wood (7 to 14%). They can be varnished or oiled perfectly well.

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Ernst

Special Repair tools and fillers

Repairing damaged parquet is now child’s play

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Special Repair tools and fillers

Wood fillers Wood filler is the compound to which sanding dust from the wooden floor is added. This mixture is used first of all to fill holes created by nailing the wooden floor. The big advantage of wood fillers is obvious; seeing that the filler is prepared using sanding dust from the wooden floor, the colour is identical to that of the wood used. Modern fillers dry quickly, have a very good filling capacity, and are not harmful to human health or the environment.

Of course, fillers can also be used to repair other flaws such as cracks and scratches.

Complete repair kits These kits are a recent phenomenon on the market! Repair kits have appeared as a composition of various repair tools in one packet. You could compare them perfectly well to a sort of doctor’s case for floor doctors. These repair kits include products which enable the user to repair various floors (solid wood, multi-layer, veneer, and even laminate) locally and covering different types of damage.

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Bona Bona offers Mix & Fill, a waterborne binding agent which, mixed with sanding dust, can be used to seal holes and cracks.

For medium to larger cracks or holes, Bona offers Mix & Fill Plus. Specially for pointing between the floor and skirting boards, Bona has a mastic based on acryl. This is available in 12 different colours. Furthermore, Bona also has its Gap Master, a silicone-free filler for parquet based on polyacrylate which is available in 14 different colours. Finally, Bona Parket Repair is Bona’s ready-for-use repair paste, which is waterborne and available in six colours.

Briancon

What’s on the market?

Adesiv Adesiv’s solutions for filling holes and joints include Legastucco L100, a fast drying solventborne binding resin for trimming and filling wooden floors. It is mixed with wood dust obtained by very fine sanding in a 1/1 ratio. Legastucco L100 comes in 10-litre tins. It is ideally suited for complete levelling work. Adesiv also offers the waterborne Stucco WB. Blanchon

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polyurethane kit, is, as the name suggests, suitable for ship deck parquet and is available in black.

For over 20 years, the filler ‘Mastic à Bois’ from Blanchon has been a safe choice for filling small holes. The product is mixed with sawdust and generally fills holes on any glued parquet surface. This filler is wood-coloured, dries quickly, and can be varnished and oiled. Perfect for fast repair fillings is the odourless Mastic Bois, which is available in a tube, ready for use or in powder to be mixed with water.

It has an exceptional grip, does not penetrate the wood, and is available in four colours which adopt a perfect tone once they are dry.

In the Aqua Pro range, Blanchon has a similar product in the watery phase, but with a somewhat longer drying time, the Pro Filler. For finishing joints Blanchon offers the Parquet Joint. This acryl kit has been developed for jointing floors, parquet floors, laminate, or melamine, but also for filling in cracks in the joints between floor and skirting board. This seal is odourless and without silicones and can be painted or varnished after a drying period. Although this acryl kit is waterproof once it has set, it is suitable only for indoor use and not for ship deck joints. It is available in six different tones. The Parquet Joint Pont de Bateau, a

Briancon presents various fillers for repairing wood. For major repairs they offer putty in powder form, which is diluted with water (e.g. Wood Mastic BI or P340). Wood Mastic BI Rapide guarantees that the repair sets in 40 minutes.

This is an ecological product based on natural adhesives and it adapts perfectly to the colour of the wood. Wood Mastic E800 or E900 is a ready-for-use wood putty which is also based on natural adhesives. Wood Mastic Liant Aqua is an odourless putty which is formed by mixing it with sanding dust from the floor. This means that holes are always filled in the same colour as the floor. The product is odourless, is applied with a spatula, and dries quickly.

Chimiver Ecofill is an ecological waterborne product with a filling capacity analogous to solventborne fillers. It has a light fragrance without the traditional and unpleasant smells and hazardous vapours! It has to be used mixed with the dust coming from sanding wooden floors and it gives parquet a smooth finish. Ecofill, thanks to its rapid drying time, allows for the floor to be sandpapered quickly. Under normal conditions you only need to apply it once, so it also saves time and money.

It is very good for both medium and larger gaps and holes.

In its range Chimiver also includes Parketkit. This is a solvent and silicone free, odourless polyacrylate putty for glueing baseboards, gaps between differing floor elements, and such like. You can paint over it once it has set. It is available in eight different colours.

Ciranova

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Ciranova Parquet Kit is a highquality, plastic-elastic, and one-pack acrylic sealant for use on joints between skirting boards, windows, walls, doors, windowpanes, and so

Ernst P.

Kerakoll Green Building Company SLC Eco Acqua-Pur flex (Green Building rating ECO4) is an ecological, fibre-bound gel for pointing parquet in a manner which respects the floor fitter’s health and the indoor air quality. The gel has to be mixed with wood dust from the belt sander with grain 100 in a ratio of 3/1 (3 parts gel with 1 part wood dust). If larger bursts or cracks have to be repaired, you need a thicker mixture (2/1) and you have to wait a little longer.

The normal drying time for the joints is 1 to 2 hours, depending on the width of the joined sections. For sanding you need to use iron filing 120 or 150. It can be applied to any sort of wood and complies with the NL VOC legislation. Once the compound has been mixed, it can be stored for a long time provided that it is tightly closed. The consumption is 40-50gr/m².

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Ernst P has been serving the timber industry, furniture trade, and flooring industry in Europe for many years. The products in its range are accessories and tools for production, repair, and maintenance.

Ernst P products are based on natural and renewable raw materials. All ingredients are registered with REACH. The company searches constantly for solutions to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment. With its products, Ernst P. provides responses to specific market demands. At Ernst P. they have noticed a growing demand for coloured wooden floors. Floor fitters are being confronted with a huge expansion in the number of requested shades. For a long time, repairing such floors was a problem. Today, however, this repair work can be done using Repair Kit Pro. The colour pallet ‘Touch up Colour’ includes six oil-based stains. The various colours can be mixed until you obtain the colour required for the floor.

After the repair work, you need to apply a coat of surface protection. Repair Pro Kit provides satin and matt varnish and oil. Larger areas of damage need to be filled first. Therefore, Repair Kit Pro also provides 20 hard wax rods in various shades and a melting pistol. Talk of a doctor’s case! Repair Kit Pro is one of the numerous solutions from Ernst P. Their range also includes Repair Kit Express and Repair Kit Junior. Another useful product is Rubinol Putty, a repair paste based on linseed oil in handy tubes of 100gr.

This is available in 20 different shades.

Special Repair tools and fillers

on. Ciranova Parquet Kit can be used on all porous surfaces such as brick, concrete, or wood, and it can be painted when it has set.

It is suitable for joints with moderate movement (maximum 15%).

When diluted with water (2/3 water and 1/3 Parquet Kit), it can be used as a sealant primer. It is available in white, maple, oak, mid oak, grey, and red wood. Ciranova also offers various filling and fixing products. Ciranova Gupa-maker is a filler to join gaps in untreated wood and is mixed with the sanding dust from the wood to be treated. Ciranova Water Based Wood Filler is a natural powder that has to be diluted with water or Ciranova Aquacolor and can be used to fill cracks in wooden surfaces. Ciranova Wood Paste is available in several colours and sets quickly. Small holes and slightly damaged places can be filled with Ciranova Wax sticks.

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Special Repair tools and fillers

Loba In 2010, Loba launched the first waterborne 2-component wood filler, the Loba Wood Filler 2K Duo Fill. This filler has an exceptionally high filling capacity with strong adhesion, even in larger holes. With this development Loba strove to achieve something which had previously been regarded as impossible. Not only was the Duo Fill the first waterborne filler, but also this filler was also capable of filling bigger holes in the wood in one go, even holes which previously had to be eliminated in two ‘sessions’. It is clear that the added value of Loba Wood Filler 2K Duo Fill for floor fitters includes its user-friendliness and speed. The product does not shrink and does not come loose during sanding. Here, too, sanding dust from the wood on the fitted floor is added so that the colours match perfectly. The only difference with other products in application is the sanding itself: for the heavy sanding and intermediate sanding you use grain 36, 60, or 80, whilst for the finishing you need grain 100 or 120.

Novoryt The Swiss company Novoryt has a complete range of repair kits for all sorts of uses, including wooden floors. For example, there is the Novoryt Forte, a special repair product for filling holes in solid wood. Novoryt Forte enables you to repair holes from gnarls, bursts, or other damage in no time at all. The product appears in granules which are heated using a melting pistol (MS80 granule pistol). The fluid product is applied to the damage and cooled using an aluminium cooling block. Once the wood has cooled down, it can be manipulated easily.

Another star product is the Novoryt Melting Kit. Originally, this product was used mainly to repair wooden surfaces (parquet, cork, and laminate), but, due to its special properties, is also suitable for carrying out minor repairs to elastic floor coverings such as rubber, PVC, vinyl, and such like. The product is available in different colours which, in a fluid state, can be mixed to make

new colours. For providing a finish after repair with soft wax or a melting kit, Novoryt offers Novoryt Lacquer Fixation. This fixation is applied after the repair to protect the repaired patch and is available in matt, semi-matt, and semi-glossy (150 and 400ml).

Finally, we can state that Novoryt has put together an extensive range of repair sets in different formats.

Soudal The Parquet Seal 12-P can be used for wood to wood joints such as between floor and skirting board or for tube conductors (e.g. for radiators) in the parquet. This is a high quality acrylate kit, which is available in no fewer than six colours, namely merbau, medium oak, maple, cherry, light oak, or transparent. It is not usual to paint over these colours, but varnishes may be appropriate.

This presents no problems for Parquet Seal 12-P. Joints between skirting board and walls do require a product which can be painted over. After all, skirting boards are often not flat against the wall, if they are not lined up. Very often skirting boards are simply finished in white and in that case the joint between the skirting board and the parquet floor can also be finished with the same product.

The Soudafill Light is ideal for this job. This is a user-friendly and lightweight filler. Soudafill Light dries very quickly and does not shrink. It can also be painted over within a very short space of time (within 15 minutes with a fine joint). Seeing that it can easily be sanded, it can also be deployed for filling holes after the skirting boards have been fixed/nailed.

Tover When a new solid parquet floor is fitted or an old wooden floor is renovated, the first step in finishing is to fill in cracks between boards. Tover offers two fillers suitable for this operation: the first one is the solventborne Lega Stucco RS20 and the second, the result of research into innovative ecological products, is the waterborne Idrostucco RS30. Both have to be mixed with wooden dust and applied with a spatula. A single application is enough to fill cracks perfectly as they do not shrink and have excellent filling properties. Another feature is that they can be overcoated with waterborne and solventborne lacquers. A combination of all these qualities means they have had great success amongst parquet professionals.

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Swedish quality products for reparation of floors and interiors

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ch n r a se ors i e W ibut l ra tr dis seve ries! t un o c

Repair products for: • Production • Installers • DIY Ecological products

ERNST P. AB

www.ernstp.se

info@ernstp.se

Tel. +46 (0)31 - 703 07 70

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Rumanian parquet market loses ground slightly.

The fact that the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu more or less isolated Rumania from the rest of Europe for twenty years did the country no good at all.

Rumania is the slowest growing country of the former so called ‘Eastern block’, yet it is the second biggest economy. This latter point certainly does give its economy vast potential for growth. Today, the country is working hard to modernise its highly antiquated transport infrastructure. The government needs to improve access to the major growth regions by means of (previously non-existent) strategic urban planning. The EUI (Economist Intelligence Unit) expects strong growth in the coming years, but what about the parquet industry?

Setting Rumania is a republic in South-Eastern Europe. The country has a border with Ukraine in the north and south and adjoins Moldova in the north and north-east; in the south it borders on Bulgaria, and it runs into Serbia and Hungary to the south-west.

Two thirds of the country’s 3182 kilometres of border consist of water: the River Danube forms a natural border with Bulgaria, the Prut with Moldova, the Tisza with Ukraine, and the Black Sea in the east. Rumania also comprises mountains, highlands, and lowland plains to about the same extent. The Carpathian mountains shut in the highlands of Transylvania, whilst in the west of Wallachia the Transylvanian Alps (or South Carpathians) run into the lowland of Oltenia.

Rumanian economy The fact that Rumania produced growth figures of between 5 and 6% at the start of this millennium was largely because

the economy was in a pathetic state prior to that. After World War II, policy makers carried out radical reforms in Rumania.

In the decades which followed, the country then swung between radical nationalisations (e.g. banks and industries) and then privatisation after the revolution. At the end of the last century, Rumania sank into a deep recession only to enter into a period of recovery early in the new millennium. That explains the spectacular growth figures. According to the EUI (Economist Intelligence Unit), Rumania should still record healthy growth in the years ahead.

Some trump cards Although Rumania is still having to recover in many places (and domains), it is still an attractive place to do business. The country is easily accessible and extremely well situated within the European Union. Companies which are interested in exporting to Rumania are welcomed by a market of no fewer than 22 million consumers. Moreover, Rumania is investing heavily in order to meet EU standards. Furthermore, the EU Structure and Cohesion Funds has released over 26 billion euros for investments in Rumania and Bulgaria. The fact that there are no customs restrictions is another attraction for foreign traders.

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Economic regions In 1998, the country created eight Euro-development regions with a view to admission to the European Union. A Regional Operational Programme has been set up specifically for the regions. The Sectoral Operational Programme ‘Regional Development’ serves to help the different regions within Rumania develop equally and sustainably, both socially and economically and territorially. This takes account of the specific needs and resources for each region and the focus is on the urban growth areas and the improvement of business and infrastructure. This is designed particularly to make the least developed regions more attractive. The historical regions of Rumania are subdivided into Transylvania (including Banat), Moldova, Dobruja, and Wallachia. Maramureş, Crişana, Bukovina, Oltenia, and Muntenia (and Szeklerland) are often regarded as separate regions, although they are often included in the three ‘major regions’, namely Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldova. Large parts of these regions lie not only in Rumania, but also in other countries. Banat runs into Serbia (Vojvodina) and Hungary, the southern part of Dobruja is situated in Bulgaria, and large areas of the province of Moldova lie within the republics of Moldova and Ukraine.

Special Rumenia

Land of vast opportunity and growth potential

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Special Rumenia

> continued from page 53

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Future growth Armed with the above strong trumps, Rumania can look forward to a relatively rosy future. Already, people are noticing apt comparisons between consumer patterns in Western Rumania and those in the rest of Western Europe. In other words, welfare is germinating, even though the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gross domestic product per head of population is still lagging behind the other 10 Eastern European countries which have been admitted to the EU. For 2011, the EUI had predicted a 2% growth

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in GDP. In 2012, the EUI expects GDP to grow by 1.5%. In the next few years, the EUI expects nothing but growth in the Rumanian economy. The forecasts for the period 2013-2016 are for growth in GDP of no less than 4.2%.

2012â&#x20AC;Ś a year of slow-down The fact that prospects for 2012 show growth of 1.5% as compared to 2% in 2011 can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, Rumania depends upon the European Union for 72% of its export

income. And so, the waning economy in the market countries will cause a slowdown in Rumanian growth. In addition, the country is also facing drastic taxation reforms. The smaller deficit in the budget which has to be achieved, cuts in government staff and wages, and the planned pension freeze will also have the same effect. However, after 2012, the planned infrastructure investments will give the construction industry a new lease of life, and this should have the effect of boosting other industries.

Forestry and timber industry A report by the Dutch Timber Industry Association informs us that Rumania has at least 6,370000 hectares of forest, part of which is managed by Romsilva, the Rumanian State Forestry Service. The rest is managed by private individuals, who may or may not be grouped into organisations. 90% of the forest is owned by the government, and 10% is owned privately. The most important wood sorts are fir, pine, oak, and beech. Rumania numbers more than 5,000 woodworking companies, but the overwhelming majority of them are only small businesses. Due to demand on the European market, the government is making every effort to increase the range of certified wood on offer.

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CoC companies Whilst the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) concerns itself with sustainable forest management, companies can also obtain an FSC CoC certificate. After all, FSC has drawn up guidelines for the certification of the FSC Chain of Custody in a company. The most important point is that all FSC products and chains can be recognised and traced sufficiently throughout the company and that, where necessary, they are kept separately from non-certified products. A company has to undergo an audit to obtain the CoC certificate. It has to show that both in its administration and on the work floor it can guarantee that there is no chance of mixing FSC certified products with non-certified products. If the company passes the initial audit, it is awarded an FSC certificate from the certificate awarding body. This certificate is valid for five years. Each year, the awarding body visits the company for a follow-up audit to make sure that the company still meets the demands of the FSC Chain of Custody. 29 FSC CoC certificates have been awarded in Rumania.

countries. It provides 2.90% of the total FEP production, good for a modest 2 million square metres. Rumania is being pursued

by Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, The Netherlands, and Belgium, which still accounts for 0.67%. In comparison with 2007 Rumania has ‘lost’ about 400,000m² of parquet production, a fall over a period of five years which affects the producers badly. In 2008, production in square metres rose from 2.4 to 2.5 million.

Consumption As regards consumption, Rumania’s share in the total FEP consumption has also fallen to 2.11%. In 2008, Rumania was last but one in the consumption rankings, but it is now above both Czech Republic and Hungary. Of the FEP 92,945,000m² Rumania consumes barely two million square metres. Over the past five years, that also represents a fall, albeit not as sharp as with production (in square metres, from 2.05 million in 2007 to 1.96 million in 2010).

Major export destinations Sawn wood Yemen 24% Egypt 10% Saudi Arabia 6% Hungary 6% Germany 4% Sheet material

Special Rumenia

FSC forests The FSC has awarded two forestry management certificates in Rumania. The first certificate is for about 1.1 million hectares of forest which is managed by Romsilva. This certificate also falls under an FSC Group certificate. The other certificate concerns an FSC group certificate which has been issued for an area of about 17,000 hectares managed by the private forest district of Naruja. The Rumanian government encourages the use of certified wood by means of a tax measure. Companies which process certified wood are exempt from the 3% environmental tax.

Chipboard

Parquet in Rumania Rumania has always been a ‘small’ parquet country and FEP statistics from 2010 show a fall as compared to 2008. From a global point of view, the FEP members did very well in 2010. In comparison with the previous year, production rose by 4.11%.

Consumption did even better with a rise of 6.81%. Not bad in times of crisis! Total parquet production was 70,300,000m².

In particular, Germany, Austria, and the Nordic countries enjoyed an excellent year, but also Poland, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Hungary recorded good results.

Production Rumania is still in sixth place on the list of parquet producing

Germany 68% Italy 18% Fibre plate Italy 98% Plywood Germany 30% Egypt 26% Italy 17%

Rumania hosts parquet competition 30 and 31 March 2012 will witness the biannual European Parquet Competition, which takes place this time in Bucharest, Rumania. For the first time, there will also be a floor competition at the same time. So far, the entrants are Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, South Tyrol (for Italy), Germany, and, of course, host country Rumania. 12 parquet floor fitters will take part in this competition. The assignment consists of fitting and finishing one parquet floor. In addition, 12 floor fitters will compete against each other in fitting three different floors. The participants have already distinguished themselves in national competitions, so we are led to believe that the standard will be extremely high. The maximum age limit of the participants is 25.

The winners will receive the respective titles of ‘Best European Parquet Floor Fitter’ or ‘Best European Floor Fitter’. In addition, there are various prizes to be won such as tools and machines.

The judge, his coach, and the participants are in Rumania at the invitation of the AMPR and thanks to various sponsors. After this edition in Rumania, Czech Republic (2014) and South Tyrol (2016) will be the host countries for this competition.

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Potential One sixth of Rumanian forest surface area is FSC approved. This means that there is potentially certified wood available, but the number of woodworkers with an FSC CoC certificate is still low.

There are some national initiatives to encourage FSC certification. These can be used to help more forests and companies become FSC approved. It should also be said that a large part of the forest is state-owned (Romsilva) and that the government has announced its intention to have the rest of its forest area certified once the land has been divided up amongst private owners. The biggest proportion of the sawn hardwood exported by Rumania goes to the Middle East, so Rumania is not geared to the Western European market within that segment. It is to be expected that the wood which can be supplied with a certificate is geared mainly to Western Europe. The growing national demand for sawn hardwood and sheet material in Rumania is a point for attention because that could adversely affect the volume available for export.

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Industry news

> Industry news

put on the market, laminate flooring is always able to assume a dominant role.

Dachser DIY-Logistics and Dachser Chem-Logistics Specialized industries have very specific logistics demands. This is why the internationally operating logistics provider Dachser concentrates its industry knowhow in two solutions: Dachser DIY-Logistics and Dachser Chem-Logistics. In the global Dachser DIY-Logistics Supply Pipeline products continuously flow as and when needed, ensuring that the shelves of DIY stores are always filled. Dachser Chem-Logistics on the other hand provides Dachser customers with in-depth expertise concerning the transport and warehousing of chemical products.

European parquet consumption in 2011: stable picture, with important variations in different markets FEP, the European Federation of the Parquet Industry with seat in Brussels, presently estimates that based on preliminary information obtained from member companies and discussed at the recent DOMOTEX fair in Hannover, global parquet consumption in 2011 on the European market remained stable in comparison with the previous year. The general picture, however, is not uniform and the market performance varies considerably from country to country. First indications point towards a similar situation as regards parquet production, though complete data are not yet available at this stage. FEP wishes to underscore that this is a first prognosis and that variations still cannot be excluded at the present time. In accordance with the past practice, full and definitive data will only be diffused at the federations General Assembly in early June.

Witex: Change in the top management Dr. Holger Schmeisser is leaving Witex Flooring Products GmbH, Augustdorf, on 31 January 2012. Dr. Schmeisser was appointed from H.I.G. Capital Europe in Aug. 2010 to the position of managing director and given the task of guiding the company to a stable position fit for the future.

FEP General Assembly 2012 & attribution of the first FEP Award As a result of the invitation of its Turkish member, the meanwhile 56th General Assembly & 37th European Parquet Congress of the European Federation of the Parquet Industry will be held on 7 & 8 June in the fabulous city of Istanbul on the Bosphorus. This special occasion will be graced by the attribution of the first FEP Award to a person, company, organization or authority having made a significant contribution to the parquet sector. In continuation of past tradition, the entire FEP Team genuinely looks forward to welcoming the members, colleagues and international guests to the one and only annual forum of the European Parquet Industry.

Mister Matthias Windmöller

Mister Ralph Fr. Peter

Mister Holger Schmeisser

Ralph Fr. Peter (43) and Matthias Windmöller (41) will succeed as managing directors at Witex with immediate effect. Mr Peter was brought on board by Dr. Schmeisser back in December 2010 as an external consultant for Business Development and the sales responsebility for the markets England, Spain, Scandinavia and Southern Europe.

Matthias Windmöller is the main shareholder of Windmöller Holding and managing director of Windmöller Flooring GmbH. Together they will complete the integration of Witex Flooring Products GmbH with the Windmöller Group and expand the company’s prospects.

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We would like to thank Dr. Schmeisser for his commitment over the last 1.5 years and for the consolidation measures carried out successfully and sensitively towards the personnel.

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The markets are on track EPLF: Global trend toward consolidation is recognisable In the beginning of 2011, EPLF announced: The laminate flooring industry is back on track. One year later, the association can only confirm this statement: The laminate flooring markets have been further stabilised and continue to offer great sales opportunities. Western Europe has found its equilibrium at comparably high levels and the Eastern European market shows consolidation tendencies also. “We are not bursting with joy, but we can be content,” concludes EPLF president Ludger Schindler in December 2011. Even though new floor coverings continue to be

DOMOTEX Russia 2012: Almost two thirds of the space are booked From 26 28 September 2012 Deutsche Messe Rus will be holding its first trade fair for carpets and floor coverings in Moscow - Domotex Russia!

The flooring industry welcomes this opportunity to enter the Russian and CIS market. This feedback was very obvious during Domotex Hannover – the world’s leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings. “During the show, we had the chance to speak with our customers in Hannover about our new event in Russia. Numerous exhibitors signed in for Domotex Russia even before Domotex Hannover ended, so that by now almost two thirds of the space are already booked”, says Martin Folkerts, Director Global Fairs at Deutsche Messe AG. Gazzotti expansion in China continues After the opening of its first flagship store in Shanghai in 2010, Gazzotti had opened a further six stores throughout China by the end of 2011. One further shop in Shanghai, two locations in Beijing, two shops in Shengjang (capital city of the north-eastern province of Liaoning, which has six million inhabitants) and one in Jinan (capital city of Shandong province south of Beijing, which has six million inhabit-

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Progress Profiles: 100% original Italian quality The products are made entirely in Italy with exclusive projects, pioneering and with new materials of top quality.

Promindustria has confirmed the excellence of the wide range of solutions offered by Progress Profiles, leading manufacturer in the field of profile technology and furnishing, and has renewed its certificate of 100% original Italian quality.

Progress Profiles offers over 8500 articles in stainless steel, aluminium, brass, and wood. The quality of the products is verified by the UNI EN ISO 9000:2008 system, which registered this manufacturer in 1999, the first in its sector.

DOMOTEX Middle East relocates to Istanbul DOMOTEX Middle East, the leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings in the MENA Region (Middle East/North Africa), is on the move. After six successful years in Dubai, the fair will now be staged at the CNR EXPO Center in Istanbul from 2012 on. DOMOTEX Middle East 2012 runs from 8 to 11 November.

“Regrettably, the Emirate of Dubai was unable to reach the ambitious goals it had set itself,” explained Martin Folkerts, Director Global Fairs at Deutsche Messe. However, the Middle East remains a highly promising market for foreign companies, thanks to its many large-scale building projects. For instance, Saudi

Arabia is planning a major expansion of infrastructure services in and around the city of Mecca to cater for ever-increasing pilgrim numbers, while Qatar is erecting new office and residential buildings as well as hotels in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which it will be hosting. These are just two of the many major development projects in the region.

At the same time, Turkey, with its population of around 73 million, now ranks as the world’s 17th largest economy and also boasts economic growth that is well above the global average. In the second quarter of 2011, Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a stunning 8.8 percent year on year. The country’s economic growth rate for 2010 as a whole was an impressive 8.9 percent growth. Economists expect the country’s rapid economic expansion to continue, especially in the building and construction sector. Forecasts predict that around 210 million square meters (2.26 billion sq. ft) of carpets and floor coverings will be laid in Turkey in 2012 alone. Folkerts: “Our exhibitors stand to benefit directly from the booming market in Turkey. And thanks to the high regard in which the DOMOTEX brand is held in the region, we expect that the fair will attract large numbers of Turkish and foreign floor covering manufacturers on the exhibitor side, and purchasing executives, wholesalers, retailers, architects, planners, investors and real estate developers from Turkey, the MENA Region and Central Asia on the visitor side.”

Industry news

ants). The picture shows the Gazzotti product presentation during the annual sales meeting in Shanghai.

> Product news Ravaioli — Woodwrap: the ventilated timber cladding, decking becomes vertical!

At Milano Made Expo 2011, Ravaioli Legnami launched its Woodwrap ventilated timber cladding, developed jointly with Alutek, that combines the patented Profiltek system and the Ravaioli Legnami systems (Profiltek aluminium supporting frame, coupled with clip-on Ravaioli timber boards or custom-sized Ravaioli wood tiles). The Woodwrap system is available as an insulated ventilated cladding, ventilated cladding, simple cladding in heat-treated ashwood with FSC certification, or Ipe wood. The technical features of Woodwrap make it a highly innovative system. Its main strengths are an attractive appearance, ease of laying, and a high degree of protection, insulation and energy efficiency for the building, especially with the addition of insulating panels. The system offers advantages across the board: for the environment, for designers, for installers, and for those who want to give their home a new look.

Product news

blanchon — invents the composite Terrace Renovator Specially designed for composite terraces, this product gives them a new vitality. It renovates their surfaces and brightens up their colours. It is invisible and gives a completely natural result. The terraces are restored to their original condition. Better still, whilst impregnating the surface, it rapidly stops dirt penetrating. The new Composite Terrace Renovator can be used on all types of composite wood fitted in the last six months.

A single coat is enough. It does not require any mechanical preparation and its application does not leave an odour. The terrace is ready for use again after six hours.

Capacity = 0.75l and 2.5l | General sales price = €14.00 per litre (not including tax)

SADECHAF — Tiger 12: A new UV floor machine to beat all others in price

Sadechaf has launched the Tiger 12 UV floor machine. The traditional way of treating the floor is to use a UV setting coating. However, the primer, intermediate coat, and top coat set with the help of UV light. After exposure, the coating is dry at once and is 100% ready for use. The Tiger 12 is low in price and therefore accessible for floor fitters who want to start using UV. Floor fitters save time and money, whilst the clients get a superior quality of floor. The Tiger can be supplied from 1 April 2012.

Tover — Bella SQ Tover has developed a particularly innovative two-component water-based varnish: BELLA SQ. Apart from the soft touch and smooth aspect, to the high resistance to abrasion and household chemicals, the specific feature of this lacquer is that it is totally isocyanate and polyaziridine free and consequently safer for the installer and end user.

It is suitable for high traffic areas and available in glossy, semi glossy and matt versions.

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PAOLINO BACCI — Veneta Macchine: Band saw blade grinding machine

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Veneta Macchine, a product division of Paolino Bacci, manufactures horizontal band saws for the thin cutting of parquet top layers. Well sharpened band saw blades are the key to economic success in the thin cutting band saw business. That’s why Veneta Macchine offers its customers a complete service by supplying on request a grinding machine for band saw blade model AJF. The AJF is a small and inexpensive grinding machine which is very easy to use and facilitates high-precision grinding and a quick set up.

The removal of material is minimised thanks to accurate saw blade guidance. It is possible to switch over this tool from curved to pointed teeth. The blades are up to 80mm wide and can be sharpened. The saw blade guide is adjustable, so it can fit all blade lengths. For more information, please visit our web site.

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MS POLYMERTM Why KANEKA MS PolymerTM technology as polymer of choice for your parquet adhesives ?

Broad polymer portfolio for tailor-made performance Breites Polymer Portfolio Широкая номенклатура полимеров

Suitable for various kinds of wood & many different subfloors Für viele Holz- und Untergrundarten geeignet Универсальность: подходит для многих пород древесин и подложек

Isocyanate free & solvent free

Isocyanat- und lösungsmittelfrei не содержит, ни изоцианата, ни растворителей

Removable without leaving stains

Klebstoffreste können leicht entfernt werden und hinterlassen keine Flecken Остатки клея легко удаляются, не оставляя пятен

Excellent storage stability & multiple use without waste

Ausgezeichnete Lagerbeständigkeit und häufige Anwendung ohne Rückstände Отличная стабильность при хранении; при частом использовании нет остатков

No black fingers

Die Hände bleiben sauber Руки остаются чистыми KANEKA BELGIUM N.V. High Performance Polymers Division Nijverheidsstraat 16 - 2260 Westerlo-Oevel - BELGIUM Tel: +32(0)14 25 45 44 - Fax: +32(0)14 25 78 87 E-mail: info.lpd@kaneka.be Web: http://www.kaneka.be

Foto Miro Zagnoli

Systems for laying radiant and soundproof floors.

Parquet treated with Ultracoat® system

Ultrabond Eco S955 1K® Primer G - Ultraplan Eco® Topcem Pronto® Floor heating system

Mapesilent Roll® Substrate

Systems for laying radiant floors and for soundproofing against the noise of footsteps.

Mapei offers cutting-edge technologies and innovative systems to construct any type of radiant and soundproof floor, guaranteeing stability, excellent flexibility and a long service life for the floor.

Mapei. Our experience provides your solutions. Let’s take a deeper look together at: www.mapei.it

ADHESIVES • SEALANTS • CHEMICAL PRODUCTS FOR BUILDING