FFI 53 May 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° 53, May 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 France

23-25.09.2012 Kortrijk Xpo (B) Preview Carrefour International Du Bois (France)

Special PU adhesives

KANEKA MS POLYMERTM The premium polymer of choice for your parquet adhesives !

Special Parquet oil

Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings

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tailor-made easy processable low voc emission heat resistant isocyanate and solvent free

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° 53, May 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

23-25.09.2012 Kortrijk Xpo (B) Preview Carrefour International Du Bois (France)

Special PU adhesives

KANEKA MS POLYMERTM The premium polymer of choice for your parquet adhesives !

Special Parquet oil

Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings

Special Panels and design panels

www.kaneka.be

tailor-made easy processable low voc emission heat resistant isocyanate and solvent free

Floor Forum International, N° 53, May ’12 Photo Kaneka

5 Inside news 9 Aftershow Domotex Asia/Chinafloor 14 Advertorial CSP Engineering (B) 16 Special Panels and design panels 20 Advertorial BJ Parket (B)

28 Special PU adhesives 33 Special Parquet oil 37 Aftershow ‘Vakdagen Parket & Woninginrichter’ (NL) 40 Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings 45 Special Pre-finished floors with oil 48 Advertorial Lechner S.p.A. (Italy) 50 Special Terrace renovation machines 52 Industry news 55 Overview on the Parquet Industry in France 58 Product news

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

Visit us at

23 Preview Carrefour International Du Bois (France)

Editorial “You can use silane adhesives to glue several sorts of wood.”

Jo Indesteege (Kaneka Belgium)

There is no need for us to say that a lot has happened in the ‘world of glue’ over the past decade. The emergence of MS polymers has set things rapidly in motion on the adhesive market in the direction of silane-based glues.

We considered these matters with Jo Indesteege from Technical Market development at Kaneka Belgium. Kaneka does not produce any glues itself, but it does produce the raw material which serves as the base. Here the trend is towards glueing rather than floating fitting. Some things are the result of growing ecological awareness, something on which silane technology certainly has capitalised. The main advantage of MS polymers and silane adhesives in general is that this technology provides an answer to all parquet market demands. After all, there is no unequivocal guideline to say which glue must be used at particular times. Jo Indesteege comments, “Floor fitters are professionals with a certain expertise, so they tend to know ‘instinctively’ what they can best use and when. However, with MS polymers you can’t go wrong.” These adhesives include ‘soft elastic glues’, ‘elastic glues’, and ‘hard elastic glues’.

The first two are used, amongst other things, for multilayer parquet, the third sort for solid wood. He continues, “The sort of glue and the glue technology are determined partly by the degree of expansion and the hardness of the wood. However, as we’ve already said, you can use silane adhesives to glue several sorts of wood.”

In recent years, this adhesive technology has undergone far-reaching changes as regards the composition.

The first glues which came onto the market were highly elastic (elongation > 400%), ‘too’ elastic for some uses.

Jo Indesteege comments, “That’s why people switched to glues which were more suited to the needs of the market with an elasticity of about 250% (soft elastic glues), and recently we’ve been given the opportunity to use hard, more rigid glues based on MS polymers.” At all events, MS based glues are seen as a supplement to the existing range and not so much as a replacement for an existing glue.

Most producers of parquet glue therefore have an assortment of four or five different glues, which stand out from each other as regards elasticity, strength, use of a softening product, and packaging. “The fact that various producers have launched onto the silane market shows that the MS polymers have provided added value,” said a representative from Kaneka. “This technology has also absorbed shortcomings.” These glues are solvent-free, ecological, and they consist of only a single component. This latter point is important in the area of user-friendliness. Jo Indesteege explains: “The fact that you no longer have to mix two components on site is not only helpful, but it also prevents mistakes and reduces waste considerably.” The fact that they also use MS adhesives in the parquet training schools is also a consequence of this, but also of the fact that the glue does not leave any stains on the parquet (or on hands).

An important detail: the research and development within this field of technology is ongoing. For example, recently, Kaneka has developed an MS epoxy technology as an alternative to hard cement adhesives for use on wall tiles and in regions susceptible to earthquakes, such as Japan.

Capitalising on market needs is the name of the game.”

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 France

www.floor-forum.com

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

2

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> Inside news

Plastor Glazing Trophy (‘Trophée de la Vitrification’): 4th edition This trophy is a recognition for professional parquet floor fitters

25 Years of HARO Laminate Floor As currently the world’s quietest laminate floor with particularly natural wood styles, various surfaces, appealing designs and easy installation, HARO Laminate Floors have been taking hold in living rooms all over the world – for 25 years now. HARO is celebrating the anniversary with a variety of sales promotion activities and no less than five new styles for Gran Via, the large-size plank design. The targeted expansion of this premium range gives distributors the opportunity to generate attractive margins despite the fierce competition in this product segment. A new sales flyer has also been created, which shows the full Gran Via board size and impressively presents the product’s advantages for the consumer.

Indisde news

Sadechaf: Renovation of parquet floors in public buildings Parquet floors in buildings like sport accommodations, city halls and tourist offices have a high traffic flow. These places are open for public all the time so renovation of these floors in a short time frame is very important.

While using a UV curable coating you are able to repair the complete floor in only one day. After applying the coating in the usual way, the UV floor curing machine of Sadechaf is drying the floor instantly. That means that the building can be open for public the next day!

and crowns their expertise and work as regards both finish and the decorative aspect. During the 4th edition, the first prize was won by the company NET PARQUET led by Jean-Marc Mécréant for the renovation of 553m² of parquet in the theatre hall at Cognin, near Chambéry. Second prize went to the company CAP DECO of Pascal Lecocq for fitting and varnishing 600m² of parquet in the university restaurant of the Skema Business School in the Sophia Antipolis technology park in Nice. Antonio Tavares and his company took third prize for finishing 200m² of parquet in an architect’s home in Paris. The three winning projects all made use of PLASTOR products in order to give the new floors durable protection.

Rubio Monocoat De Batiweb public prize: you really have to earn this one!

Rubio Monocoat was rewarded in France with the prestigious Batiweb award, in which the public could vote for their favourite product of the year in 2011 within 19 different categories. We are delighted to be able to announce that Rubio Monocoat was the laureate of the category ‘Interior Design’ with Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C. This prize is an important recognition by end users of the innovative and user-friendly features of Rubio Monocoat products.

UV FLOOR CURING EQUIPMENT for vinyl and wood

Finally I found the solution for my workload!

PETE JOHNSON Floorfitter

+32 (0)14 41 11 19 www.sadechaf.eu

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Floor Forum International 53

“Instanthouse temporary housing”: Fourth edition of the competition dedicated to city users, new opportunities for the world of architectural design and building In view of the next edition of MADE expo, scheduled from 17 to 20 October 2012 at Fiera Milano Rho, FederlegnoArredo, in collaboration with Milan Polytechnic, is promoting the fourth edition of the “InstantHouse” competition for students and post-graduates from Italian and foreign faculties of Architecture, Engineering and Industrial Design.

The central theme this time is Temporary Housing, a steadily growing living solution for our metropolitan areas. Entrants will have to consider the various ways of living in a metropolis, developing projects that are aware of the environment and sustainability and satisfy requirements for wellbeing and quality of life.

The objective is to experiment residential strategies that satisfy new user types – city users. The competition design is part of the Milan Polytechnic “Sustainable Campus” project, which promises a sustainable makeover for the University City campus. Entries must meet the needs of a transient resident population and at the same time play a service role for the scientific community and citizens around the Campus. The projects must be structured on dialogue between the individual and the collective, a mutual exchange of ideas between the community and the city. Residential areas fully served by onsite facilities that are also open and welcoming, areas full of life.

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The ‘natural choice’ is the basic principle of WOCA’s new concept for the renovation and freshening up of outdoor wooden terraces.

The idea is quite simply to ensure that the wooden surface is stripped and cleaned in such a way that the following reinforcement of the oil treatment can penetrate deep into the wood so that the surface becomes saturated. In other words, this is ‘back to basics’ and back to the idea that wood is a vibrant material with natural built-in protection. The new WOCA concept is based on the highly innovative WOCA silicon scrubber, which fits under all current 16” single disc machines. This disc, in combination with the unique WOCA Exterior Cleaner, is the key to success. The WOCA silicon carbide scrubber is very flexible. After some times, old wooden terraces are no longer 100% flat. The scrubber is designed in such a way that it absorbs the difference in height easily.

Moreover, the special hairs ensure that the scrubber also continues to do its work even in profiled terrace sections. WOCA Exterior Oil is available in natural and an extensive range of exclusive and trendy colours. The oil differs from other oils due to its none-film building properties as well as the built-in UV filter which impedes the discolouring effects of sun rays.

Pallmann Magic Oil 2K Ergo in the FC St. Pauli Millerntor –Stadium A general refurbishment programme was implemented with the objective of encouraging access to even more visitors to the now dated cultural “gem” Millerntor construction and reconstruction works started in 2006. The interior construction of the new lounge within the main concourse area included the installation of 2000sqm smoked oak industrial parquet in narrow strips, laid edgewise by the contracted company Hollenbach Concept Böden GmbH. The floors use and environment contributed to the choice of the oil-wax combination of Pallmann’s Magic Oil 2K Ergo. Firstly the oil ensures that coating penetration into the joints is avoided and consequently even joint appearance.

Substantial investments at Habo production As the specialist in 9mm overlay parquet (Classic and Master Line), producer Habo now also concentrates on Top Line, a top quality 2-layer parquet. When deciding and choosing the new installations no chances were taken. Making a good product takes knowledge, experience, good raw material and state-of-the-art machinery.

A fully equipped Wintersteiger DSG Sonic has been chosen to cut the top layers, a second saw has already been ordered. The PARDuo by CSP Engineering glues the top layers onto the multi-ply boards (see page 14 CSP Engineering). In line with a four-sided Weinig moulder a new Marinus Powermax and a Kundig sanding machine have been installed. In short, impressive machinery for a new top product, Top Line.

Muylle Facon is amongst the Trends Gazelles for 2012 Recently, Trends awarded a certificate to Muylle Facon, the innovative company behind the Rubio Monocoat brand. This certificate confirms officially that the company belongs to the Trends Gazelles in the province of West Flanders for 2012, in the category of small businesses. The editor of Trends explains: “The Trends Gazelles are rapidly growing companies which boost the competitive capacity of the region and have a positive effect on the business climate. These are companies which stand for competitive enterprise. These ‘gazelles’ are powerhouses of innovation, which generate employment and often provide an inspirational role model for other (newer) businesses.”

The company considers this award to be a more than welcome confirmation that they are on the right track!

info@chapelparket.nl | +31 (0)73-6110606

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Indisde news

WOCA

.As this parquet floor is exposed to extreme usage, regular reoiling is required to provide a longer durability.

Another important reason for the choice of this two-component oil was its quick curing time of only 12hours. The parquet oil Magic Oil 2K Ergo from Pallmann was also used to overhaul the existing oak parquet of the foyer - a narrow strip-parquet laid edgewise.

Floor Forum International 53

It goes without saying that the company is absolutely delighted with this award.

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> continued from page 7

Rectification In our special ‘Fastening systems for deck flooring’ published in issue nr 52 of Floor Forum International, there has been a mistake of translation in the text ‘LTL Woodproducts’. The LTL Clip is a Polypropylene clip, not a plastic clip.

Indisde news

The LTL Clip is a polypropylene clip, which makes it possible to fasten terrace planks onto the support structure almost invisibly. In connection with that support structure, LTL Woodproducts supplies suitable support beams which have to be anchored in the substrate. The combination of LTL Clip and LTL Deck means that professionals can expand their ranges to include a real design terrace. Indeed, in the LTL Deck range we find a number of attractive and exclusive sorts of wood such as itauba, ipe, massaranduba, and jatoba. By selecting exclusively from durable wood sorts, end users can expect to enjoy a qualitative outdoor floor for many years.

It will pick up from the success of the last edition, which saw more than 253,000 visiting operators and professionals from all over the world, an increase of 4.7%. Figures for foreign operators were particularly significant, with 31,905 attendees totalling a record 34% growth.

Tramex Hygro-i - Relative Humidity Probe The New Hygro-i relative humidity probes from Tramex are the most advanced relative humidity probes for the flooring industry. They take the hassle, risk and waste out of in-situ humidity testing to ASTM, British and other International standards. The Hygro-i probes use cutting edge sensor technology to give accurate humidity, dew point, mixing ratio and temperature measurements even in the most demanding of on-site conditions.

Covering an exhibition area of more than 95,000 m², MADE expo showcases the most innovative ideas by 1,950 exhibitors, representing all the sectors of the design and building chain. Ranging from the world of building sites to that of design and architecture, MADE expo offers specialised operators a complete overview of products and technologies for living solutions.

Flooring Hygro-i Master Kit The complete package for moisture testing of Concrete and Wood Flooring, giving the user the ability to make an informed decision as to when to lay the Floor Covering and for diagnosing moisture, relative humidity and temperature problems in post installation testing.

17-20 OCTOBER: made expo is green: Eco-friendliness and new Technologies at the international building and design show MADE expo is fast approaching, the international building trade fair scheduled from 17 to 20 October 2012 in the pavilions of Fiera Milano Rho.

Floor Forum International 53

mFLOR – The innovative design floor mFLOR is the number-one specialist with regards to vinyl strips and vinyl tiles (also known as PVC floors). These design floors are suitable for both the consumer market as well as the project market.

8

HARO Plank 1-Strip Parquet range 2012 As the Plank 1-Strip design plays an increasingly important role in the HARO Parquet range, the already wide selection has been expanded even further to optimally meet current market requirements: country-style look, lively appearance and a wide variety of colours. The new HARO Plank 1-Strip designs Oak Alabama with delicate, carefully filled cracks and Oak Country with a high amount of sapwood create a natural vibrant effect. To add more colour to living environments, HARO has expanded its Plank 1-Strip Oak Sauvage line to a total of eight models. Treated with different coloured oils based on the naturaLin plus finish, this rustic grade displays a striking diversity of appearance. The product range is complemented by special marketing material to help dealers optimise their sales and service.

Innovative designs The hard-wearing design floors of mFLOR are characterised by their true-to-nature look, even more so thanks to the principle of ‘inregister embossing’ whereby the surface structure matches the design completely.

What is more, mFLOR floors are comfortable and very practical in use. Thanks to their water resistance they can be installed in damp spaces and they are easy to clean. They are equipped with a standard polyurethane (PU) protective cover. Furthermore, thanks to the use of the purest PVC, all the mFLOR floors are completely dimensionally stable. The floors are also compatible with underfloor heating and cooling systems.

mFLORLOCK mFLORLOCK is a range of vinyl stripes and tiles featuring a click system, thanks to which they can be installed without glue. This strong and patented click system offers you the convenience of a quick installation while still guaranteeing an optimal floor covering. The number-one design floor solution when installation time is of the essence. Visit our site mflor.eu mFLOR Studio By means of the useful tool mFLOR Studio you can determine the laying direction and the laying pattern of every design yourself. In this way you can see how your own mFLOR design floor will look like.

We look forward to welcoming you at our stand at FUTURE FLOORS, so we can present this innovation and many others to you in person.

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Domotex Asia/Chinafloor…

A big hit!

27 March of this year witnessed the kick-off of the 14th Domotex Asia/ Chinafloor with a blaze of trumpets. This took place with a festive ceremony in the southern entrance hall of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The enthusiasm of both exhibitors and visitors was first rate from the starting gun. Both participants and organisers were also pleased to welcome an increased number of visitors. Participants could feel this favourable wind from start to finish. Here we give a summary

Some reactions from exhibitors: Adesiv

In 2012, Adesiv also participated at the fair in Shanghai. It is an important international window that allows the company to show its products in the audience of the Far East, generating interest, seeing the company’s good quality and attention to ecology.

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Floor Forum International 53

Prominent figures from the industry The opening ceremony did not pass by unnoticed, partly due to the good number of prominent figures in attendance. Renowned names from the wood industry, politics, and business showed up for the opening on 27 March. They included Wang Man, president of the China National Forestry Product Industry Association, and Bian Zhen Hu, chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal

By Products. Diplomatic figures included Zafar Hassan, general consul for Pakistan in Shanghai, and his colleague from Turkey, Denz Eke. The show also welcomed He Shao Lin, director of the Department of Commerce of Qinghai Province,Ye Ke Lin, director of the Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, and, finally, Zhang Yu Fen, president of the Carpet Industrial Association. David Zhong, chairman of VNU Exhibitions Asia, the organiser of the show, summarised the value of the show like this: “As the top show in the industry, we have applied all our knowledge to give the floor industry a constant and healthy development.”

Aftershow Domotex Asia/Chinafloor

World’s second biggest floor show is a bullseye

9

Aftershow Domotex Asia/Chinafloor

> continued from page 9

The visitors particularly appreciated the demonstrations performed with two-component waterborne varnishes especially with the varnish ICE - our workhorse - that proved to be the most popular for its easy application and excellent resistance to abrasion. Adesiv continues to believe that participation in ‘Domotex’ fairs is an important means of communication.

market are very low. And so, it will take time to develop MS in China, but it is clear that several specifications of MS do provide an answer to current and future market needs, not least in the area of ecology. At any rate, China acknowledges that air pollution within homes is a major problem and MS will certainly find a place in interior application.

Berry Alloc

Leitz group

This was the first time that Berry Alloc had been to Domotex Shanghai with a new and individual stand.

The former brands Berry Floor and Alloc have now joined forces to become a new powerful brand under the name Berry Alloc. After Domotex Hanover, the group also wanted to promote this new image in China with a completely new corporate branding and an extensive new range of products: laminate, HPL laminate, parquet, wall furnishing, and click vinyl. Berry Alloc was given an enthusiastic reception and the fair was an ideal way for them to persuade many new clients of the value of their product range. One of their new clients is Beamy, with whom they have concluded an exclusive contract for the products of their High Pressure Laminate with aluminium lock.

Hamberger Flooring Hamberger Flooring with the brand Haro is not only recognized and sold in over 90 countries; it is also well known and respected in China since more than ten years. Haro has been represented at Chinafloor/ Domotex Asia with good success in all those years.

Since two years with a booth exceeding 100 sqm Hamberger Flooring was hosting this year more than 450 visitors, from 32 countries and all five continents, although the vast majority of visitors have been from China.

Today, Haro is sold in China through more than 30 stores which serve this strong and important brand. For both, the sales team and the consumer, Domotex is always a good opportunity for a get together with the dealership throughout Asia. This provides the expansion strategy of Hamberger to the rest of Asia.

Floor Forum International 53

Kaneka

10

Kaneka went to Shanghai with a stand of 15m². The company had the opportunity to meet at least 50 flooring companies with which it exchanged details.

At present, Kaneka is in contact with two local MS suppliers for parquet in China. Their products will be introduced in the next month or so. It is very difficult to sell European glues in China because the prices on the Chinese

Leitz group is world wide No.1 for manufacturing and innovation the tools for machining wood, wood based material and plastics. It has 9 factories in 7 different countries, 25 sales companies, and 180 service centers, 3000 employee all over the globe. Its products are sold to more than 100 countries.

Main products include tungsten carbide circular sawblades, hoggers, Planerhead, cutters, routers, drills and clamping systems etc. especially Leitz suppliers super-quality Diamond tools for woodworking industry.

Loba Loba celebrates its ninetieth anniversary this year.

This company, which was formed near Stuttgart in 1922 and presently employs 85 people, now sells its products in over 50 countries in Europe and Asia. For this anniversary year, Loba has introduced two world premieres, namely the maintenance products Loba Aqua Oil Care and Loba Aqua Wax Care. These are fully waterborne emulsion products for anyone who wants to maintain products which are oiled or treated with wax. This maintenance range joins up seamlessly with the High Solid system in an ecological manner.

The Aqua Oil Care is completely soap-free and ideal for maintaining the matt character of an oiled floor.

Osmo The biggest exposition of the flooring branch in the asian region – took place this year from march 27 to 29 2012 for already the 14th time. The company Osmo Holz und Color GmbH & Co. KG presented itself and his product line in the Chinese metropolis and inspired the international audience with their wide product range „Made in Germany“.

The open designed Osmo trade fair stand exposed mainly color products and products for the industrial use. The second focus was on the cleaning and the maintenance of wooden decking and flooring for the interior use. The spacious trade fair stand not only offered to many visitors from all over the world a perfect space for the communication but also provided enough space for the Color presentation and live demonstration.

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“The remarkable frequency and the great interest of the international audience confirm us that our products are established on the global market. It’s not without cause that our export rate in the Color division takes more than 50%”, resumed contentedly Michael Sommer (product manager Color).

Aftershow Domotex Asia/Chinafloor

Rubio Monocoat Rubio Monocoat is, and always will be, the producer of the first genuinely 100% solvent-free and VOC-free hard wax oil, which is applied in one single layer. In China, too, they are starting to realise that the use of both the RMC Oil Plus 2C and the RMC Oil UV has lots of surprising benefits.

The stand at Shanghai therefore attracted lots of visitors, who were existing and potential clients. The sales representatives’ diaries were soon filled with appointments to visit new clients, and these visits will all be made shortly. Parallel to the rapid development of the national market in China, there is also a growing demand for innovative products which make a difference. People greatly appreciate the attractive colours and the easy maintenance of the RMC range. However, it was not only the Chinese public who found their way to innovative products such as those of RMC. Visitors from outside China also flocked to the stand as potential new clients who are interested in the company’s range of products. This was a highly successful fair where the company established several valuable contacts.

This year, they have featured the DSB Singlehead 660 band saw for extra wide cutting of top-layer boards. Visitors were generally very impressed with the flexibility and speed that this high-precision band saw technology offers.

Furthermore, the feedback on the concept of their Twinhead NG (two cuts at a time for even higher capacity and precision) was more than promising. In addition, the exhibition helps the company to understand existing trends in the parquet-market and incorporate them into their product development. The general tendency to wider boards and ‘creative’ surface structures helps them to leverage the advantages of their technology. Their X-Well saw blade, which applies a wave-like structure to the wear layer during the cutting process, was another highlight at the Wintersteiger booth. Overall, the company was satisfied with the outcome of Domotex and looks forward to being back with new innovations in 2013.

WOCA

Floor Forum International 53

Super-Click International

12

Super-Click International revealed even more new innovations at their exhibition stand at the Domotex Shanghai/Asia China Floor in March this year, proving that the relatively new company has what it takes to compete with larger players in the industry. The pioneering company hosted crowds of new and returning visitors to its stand at its second visit to the Asian exhibition when it released new colours to its product range and demonstrated the unique click technology in a decorative 6” x 6” tile.

The exhibition gave Super-Click International the opportunity to not only reveal its unique technology to new visitors, but to also to reconfirm the popularity of the product itself with potential distributors with whom the company have been in discussion since its launch at the Domotex Hannover exhibition in 2011.

Super-Click International’s unique click technology in both tile and the traditional LVT plank format is set to satisfy a market which is constantly pushing for more user-friendly products and the newest of innovations.

Wintersteiger The Domotex exhibition in Shanghai has been Wintersteiger’s main event in mainland China for years. The company uses the event as a platform to meet existing as well as potential customers and present its newest technology to a professional audience.

“WOCA Denmark and WOCA China (Xinjing Coatings) exhibited together for the 6th time at the Domotex Asia/China Floor show in Shanghai. Again this year, the event was a great success. The interest for high quality natural oil finishing is still increasing and this year WOCA Denmark introduced a number of new exiting solutions.

The market place is rapidly going away from pre-oiled quality to fully-oiled factory finish. In this sector of the market the WOCA Diamond Oil and WOCA Platinum Oil have been very well received at the show due to the extremely high solid matter content in the products. This combined with the multi-certified high ecological profile of these 2 products have meant more and more European Flooring Buyers are specifying these products in particular. They all need a product that is ready after installation and does not require any addiltional on site ”first maintenance oil” Another highlight was the new WOCA Penetrating UV-Oil 901.

That combines the unique drying features with a real oil-base providing a none-filmbuilding finish which is 100% compatible with the regular WOCA after care products.

Finally, a number new trendy color designs such as WOCA Active Stains were presented to give oak wood new designs without making the surface look ”pigmented” Finally, WOCA Denmark presented the new concept ”All information at your fingertip” which is a brand new on-line education platform where QR Codes are now integrated on all product labels linking up to the WOCA web based show room: http://showroom.WOCAdenmark.com providing clients product information as well as a how-to-do-video’s in real time. The new WOCA Showroom is prepared for PC, tablets as well as smart phones.

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Crematorium Uitzicht, Kortrijk Habo production, afzelia doussié

… since 30 years the specialist in 9mm parquet, now introduces two-layer parquet Top Line.

Classic Line, traditional 9mm parquet in French oak and various exotic wood species, selected at the highest standards.

Master Line, unique 9mm pre-glued open book parquet, known for its increased stability and special design.

Top Line, 13 or 18mm two-layer parquet with solid top layer and multi-ply board in Russian birch.

All parquet floors can be delivered with a PEFC certificate.

Distribution: Holz Bois • Bosdel 41 • B-3600 Genk • T 0032 89 32 95 80 • holz.bois@skynet.be Albers Parketgroothandel • Franklinstraat 4 • NL-6003 DK Weert • T 0031 495 58 08 08 • info@albersparket.nl

CSP Engineering (B) builds new PAR-Duo machine at parquet producer Habo Advertorial CSP Engineering (B)

PAR-Duo: the solution for the production of two-layer parquet on a medium-sized scale Over the past decade, CSP Engineering from Dessel, Belgium, has been working on the development of computerised solutions and machines tailored to smaller and medium-sized producers in the parquet industry. The most recent innovation in the CSP machine range is the PAR-Duo. This unique machine ensures efficient and intelligent production of two-layer parquet on a plywood base. Over the past few months, parquet producer Habo in Genk (B) has started using the PAR-Duo machine and both supplier and client are delighted with the results.

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Two-layer Jan Peeters, general manager of CSP Engineering comments, “The rapidly growing demand for semi-solid parquet means that several smaller and medium-sized parquet producers need efficient machines to produce this type of parquet. We knew what we had to do and we set out to develop a machine which glues solid wood top layers onto plywood bases with a production capacity of up to 250,000 square metres per annum. This capacity is enough for the major part of the market.”

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Efficient use of raw material Jan Peeters explains that efficiency and flexibility were the priorities in the development of the PAR-Duo: “We wanted a machine which could handle plywood bases from various manufacturers in a flexible manner and at the same time use the plywood plates as efficiently as possible.

This would mean as little waste as possible of raw materials. At the same time, we also had to take into account the variable lengths of the supplied noble wood for the top layer.”

Intelligent machine Jan Peeters continues: “That’s why we’ve developed the PAR-Duo, an intelligent machine which retains the exact dimensions when the solid wood top layer is fed. It then adapts the plywood plank processing as required. This keeps production costs down to a minimum. A work buffer of plywood plates is available at the PAR-Duo to feed it into the machine automatically.”

Edge glueing of plywood The glueing follows once the plywood bases are fed-in and adapted to the available top layer. The planks are fed so that they fit in perfectly and are directed via a conveyor belt to the glueing unit. At that point, a PU hot-melt glueing system ensures durable adhesion between the plywood bases and the solid wood top layer.

Cold glueing is also possible, if required.

The PAR-Duo provides edge-glueing of the plywood bases, integrated into the feeding system. This ensures a minimum quantity of waste and very strong adhesion. After the glueing of top layer onto the plywood, the boards are pressed

intensively into a 6-metre long aggregate developed for that purpose. In the end phase, the PAR-Duo again shows its ingenuity. Indeed, the machine has a perfect knowledge of the various dimensions of the top layers in progress. By means of the integrated cross-cut saw, the boards are perfectly separated at the edges of the original top-layers. The boards can be stacked or one can provide a carrier or a roller conveyor to fill the knots in the boards in line.

The entire process takes place at a tidy and adjustable variable speed. Three operators are enough to use the machine: one at the plywood base feed, one at the top layer feed, and one at the end phase to remove the boards. The boards then only need to be taken to the planing machine for the final touching up.

Parquet producer Habo Last year, the PAR-Duo was installed at various parquet producers in Belgium, Netherlands, and France. In the spring of 2011, it was the turn of Habo in Genk.

It is no coincidence that the machine

ended up there, as Jan Peeters explains. He says, “Habo and CSP Engineering have enjoyed an excellent working partnership for many years. It was here, too, that the first preliminary model of the PAR-Scan scanner was once installed, a model entirely tailor made to the needs of Habo. We’ve maintained relations ever since and CSP Engineering is one of the preferred suppliers of machines for parquet production. Amongst other things, Habo also uses one of our stacking machines.”

Stefaan Luykx from Habo expressed complete satisfaction with the CSP Engineering machines. He says, “The CSP approach is based on dialogue and flexibility and this, together with the excellent machines from CSP, ensures excellent relations between our companies.”

They have also been delighted with the PAR-Duo, which has more than met their expectations. Stefaan Luykx explains: “Due to the growing need for semi-solid parquet on the market, we decided to invest in this machine. We regard the PAR-Duo as the ideal solution due to its quality, capacity, and efficiency. The concept of glueing in a continuous production flow makes full use of both the top layer and the plywood base!”

Flexibility and precision Stefaan Luykx continues: “What we also appreciate is the flexibility of the machines. The PAR-Duo can cope perfectly with

CSP Engineering: preferred partner for the parquet industry Since its formation, CSP Engineering has devoted itself to efficient and affordable solutions to computerise production. Over the past decade, the company has devoted itself completely to solutions for the parquet industry. Today, CSP has a unique and extensive range of innovative machines, which are also perfectly compatible with each other: • PAR-Scan® determines the precise length and surface area of each board into a package of floorboards, labels the package with specific data, and packs it with straps and/or in foil, without any manual intervention.

• PAR-Label® is an intelligent and user-friendly labelling system for parquet producers.

• PAR-Info® is a handy system for adding an information folder to a package of parquet planks.

• PAR-Stack® is an automatic and intelligent stacker.

Packages are stacked or piled quickly and efficiently.

• PAR-Feed ® is an ergonomic feeding table which provides the necessary working comfort and speed for planing parquet at the planing machines.

• PAR-Return ® is an automatic return system, used in combination with slower machines and can also do useful work as an accumulator.

• PAR-Collect® is a basic accumulator behind the processing or packing machine, which increases the output of the processing post.

In addition, CSP Engineering also has a number of useful solutions for various operations in parquet production. In the meantime, CSP Engineering is also working on a new innovative solution for filling knots, cracks and grooves in parquet floors. This new shoot in the ’PAR’ family is expected in the autumn of this year!

Advertorial CSP Engineering (B) Floor Forum International 53

different thicknesses of both the plywood base and the top layer.

Here, we produce two types of semi-solid parquet: a variant with a top layer of 6mm on a plywood base of 12mm and a variant with a top layer of 4mm on a plywood base of 9mm. When we discussed about the installation and configuration, we chose to eliminate possible thickness tolerances of the plywood base by calibrating the plywood strips in line. CSP Engineering has integrated our sander with the PAR-Duo so that no extra workers are needed for this operation. If you don’t calibrate the plywood, you run the risk that, with a thicker plywood bottom layer, the solid wood top layer is becoming too thin after planing. This ensures that we can always offer a top quality product with the stated top layer thickness, so that we can further enhance our reputation for quality products.”

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Castle of Versailles as a source of inspiration Special Panels and design panels

Versailles panels suit all interior styles In a previous edition of Floor Forum International we made the acquaintance of marquetry, a fitting technique for wooden floors, even a puzzle, which enjoyed its golden age in the 17th century. In this article, too, we delve into the period of Louis XIV. After all, the artistic style panels which are still available today in several variants, are named after the magnificent castle of Versailles, which was erected for Louis XIII, but was enlarged by his son Louis XIV and became one of the biggest and most attractive castles in the world. ‘Parquet dit de Versailles’ enjoys worldwide renown for the role which it plays in the hall of mirrors in the palace. Even today, it has lost none of its charm.

Versailles pattern As we have already said, the genuine original pattern of Versailles is a diagonal plaiting. In the castle the panels are exactly one square metre (100 x 100cm). They are separated by three strips of 8cm, which come together in a corner and form a point.

Nowadays, Versailles panels are available in different sizes and are adapted to the room in which they are fitted (see below).

Chantilly pattern The Chantilly pattern is a pattern which is also used a lot in making bobbin lace and designing clothes. It is not as well known as the Versailles pattern, but it can be found in the renowned castle.

Chantilly is a somewhat intricate variant which consists of several small panels which also form a plaiting. In the castle this is done in panels, but it can also be spread out over the width of the floor.

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Timberline

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Versailles… how come?

These artistic style panels are called ‘Versailles’, of course, because they have become world famous thanks to the renowned castle. Let’s look back. In 1624, a hunting lodge was built for Louis XIII near the hamlet of Versailles, 19km south of Paris. This building was erected in red brick and sandstone, so it was not particularly glamorous. Louis XIV expanded the lodge into a demesne of 800ha. with a charming palace. The first architect was Louis Le Veau. The major expansion followed in 1680 under the leadership of Jules Ardouin-Mansart. The interior was designed

by Charles Le Brun. The castle is a listed building in the UNESCO heritage register. It acts as a symbol for the ‘old regime’ when between 3,000 and 10,000 courtiers stayed there every day during the reign of Louis XIV. The ‘Hall of mirrors’ is the most famous and as yet the most visited room in the castle. The hall is 73 metres long, 10.5 metres wide, and 12.3 metres high. The room is located on the first floor on the western side and was originally an outdoor terrace. The floors are made of panels (1x1m) and are world famous. The system of designing floors in panel form is also called ‘Versailles panels’ after the castle.

A plaiting The Versailles panel looks like a diagonal plaiting framed by a square edge of parquet strips. Strictly speaking, the Versailles pattern is a plaiting, but the panels can also include other fitting patterns. Here are some popular patterns:

Hungarian point Hungarian point is amongst the oldest parquet patterns. This pattern, too, is usually fitted ‘loosely’, but can be fitted in panel form.

The strips are fitted together in herringbone design at an angle of 30 to 45°. Sandpapering creates a subtle difference in colour to give a three-dimensional effect. Some people (mistakenly) equate Hungarian point with herringbone.

Herringbone Herringbone, too, is a classical parquet fitting method, which can also be the pattern for a panel design. The French call it ‘à baton rompus’ (shallow and superficial). The slats are fitted in herringbone, the top sides directly facing each other, to create a zigzag pattern. A good way to remember the difference with Hungarian point: with herringbone every strip is a geometrical right angle, but with Hungarian point every strip is a parallellogram (mitred).

Always customised Various players offer Versailles panels in various dimensioning.

In reality this will always be customised work, and that’s logical.

Since this system uses square panels, the fitter must know the size in advance to avoid having to saw panels. The measuring has to be accurate. The dimensions of the room where the floor will be fitted, the plank finish, and the preferred dimensions of the panels are taken into account to calculate the right configuration.

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BJ Parket

The aim is to ensure that the panels fill the whole room precisely without the need for sawing them. A pleasantry (or peculiarity) of Versailles panels is that they are fitted diagonally (in the shape of a rhombus). This means that a half (diagonal) panel is always necessary at the edge for each row. Those who offer Versailles floors in their range also provide those half panels so that it is not necessary to saw anything there either. There is usually a choice in patterns and in the width and shape of the friezes used.

Designs and fitting Versailles panels are offered in various selections, wood sorts, and thicknesses. 10mm is a very commonly applied thickness.

The sections are sawn and mitred to measure and are glued to each other sideways and stretched in order to dry. After the fitting, it is possible that a minimal piece is sawn away from the created panels in order to ensure that all panels have the same dimensions and squareness. Naturally, this simplifies the fitting for the floor fitter considerably. As regards selections, extra, premium, or bis-rustic are extremely popular designs which are much in demand. In the line of general floor trends, however, there is a wide range of distressed Versailles floors. The distressing process is completed in various ways. The best way to fit Versailles panels is full glueing on a perfectly flat sandpapered mosaic subfloor.

Firstly, the lines of the edging are measured and marked out so that it is possible to measure where the central panel has to be fitted. The other panels are glued to each other and nailed to the edging friezes and to some central blocks. A permanently elastic adhesive is strongly recommended for the glueing.

What’s on the market?

BJ Parket When BJ Parket started, the company intended to produce style panels only as a client service. Now, 23 years later, style panels are almost a daily reality in the company. The Versailles panel is the most in demand. The standard design which BJ Parket has chosen is that with twelve blocks and five diagonal plaits. This design has a stylish character without coming over as too strained. Adapting the size of the panel to the size of the place makes it possible to work towards a natural harmony between floor and room. This is why BJ Parket has three ranges of dimensions in the assortment in which the plait work is composed of friezes of 55mm (panels of 49.5cm or from 55 to 73cm wide),

B.J. Parket BVBA I NDUSTRIESTRAAT 44 9240 Z ELE – BELGIUM TEL: +32 52 44 45 57 FAX : +32 52 45 06 71 E MAIL: INFO @ BJPARKET.BE WWW. BJPARKET. BE TRADITIONAL PARQUET MANUFACTURER Style panels, end grain, distressed floors (different ageing techniques ‘sanded, brushed, tumbled and smoked’)

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   Manufacturer of standard and tailortailor-made parquet panels AUTHENTIC EXCLUSIVE TIMELESS EXCEPTIONAL A FAMILY COMPANY FOUNDED IN 1883 COMPANY SPECIALITIES : MERANTI | CAMBARA | TEAK MERBAU | AFRICAN SPECIES | WHITEWOOD AND REDWOOD NEW : AMERICAN HARDWOODS – WALNUT | TULIPWOOD AMERICAN WHITE OAK | HARD MAPLE | WHITE ASH ALWAYS IN STOCK : FSC,PEFC, OLB, VLO, MTCC, TLTV TIMBER BERGSTRAAT 25 | B-8511 AALBEKE | BELGIË T. +32 (0)56 43 33 33 | F. +32 (0)56 43 33 34 GENEVIEVE@VANDECASTEELE.BE | HANS@VANDECASTEELE.BE WWW.VANDECASTEELE.BE

Intrawood bvba – Hooimanstraat 2aa – 9112 Sinaai – Belgium T: +32 (0)3 6531258 – F: +32 (0)3 6531263 – info@intrawood.be – www.intrawood.be

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As regards style panels, it is possible to make just about anything to order in Habo products. The most well known and coveted panel is still the Versailles panel, whilst oak and walnut are the most popular species. If the panel is not too big in size, each panel can be fitted separately with a plastic sheet on the top edge. This sheet is easy to remove after fitting. The fitter saves a lot of time in fitting each panel, but they must be fitted very meticulously. First of all, you must measure the room precisely so that the panels fit the room perfectly. When fitting, you must start at right angles, although diagonal fitting is often also very attractive. However, it does require considerable skill.

Intrawood Intrawood BVBA (Ltd.) produces both traditional parquet and parquet panels.

The company offers eight designs as standard: the Versailles design, in dimensions of 810 x 810mm or 1000 x 1000mm, is clearly the most popular design, followed by Castel (570 x 570mm). However, the trend in recent months has been customised work based on the clients’ own designs. All sizes and designs are possible. The only limitation is the client’s own creativity.

Anyone who opts for panels, both in solid wood and in engineered form, opts for exclusive parquet. This sort of parquet is on offer in the most qualitative specie of wood, namely French oak. Clients are certainly showing more and more interest in other sorts of wood such as the combination of walnut and oak. The intensive production process is, of course, the essential difference with traditional marquetry. The manual composition of the

Mardegan Legno Mardegan Legno produces various types of panels with marquetry. The company offers 13 different designs.

The most popular ones are the Cavallar (no. 2) and Brindisi (no. 3). The most popular sorts of wood for these applications are oak, walnut, and cherry. These products are mainly geared to the market for the restoration of castles or other patrimonial estates with large rooms. Fitting these panels does not require special training. Basically, the fitting is fairly simple. The panels have to be glued with a 2-component adhesive or an equivalent.

Floating fitting is therefore not possible. These products are also a niche market for Mardegan Legno.

Special Panels and design panels

Habo

panels guarantees stable top quality parquet and provides an extra quality control. The exclusivity, the quality, and the labour intensive production process are reflected in a higher cost prices as compared to traditional parquet. At Intrawood they see this sort of parquet fitted mainly in large projects such as in hotels and residential homes.

Parqueterie du Hainaut Parqueterie du Hainaut offers a wide range of decorative panels, in which the major patterns are Versailles, Castle, and Chantilly.

Oak is the most popular wood sort because it can be finished in several ways e.g. varnished, oiled, distressed, or brushed. Tropical wood sorts are also used, but to a much lesser extent. Whilst classical marquetry usually shows designs, murals, or patterns via the assemblage of various sorts of wood, decorative panels usually consist of the same sort of wood and tend to display geometrical and recurring patterns. The size of the panels is based on the sizes of the room where they are fitted. The panels are fully glued. They are still niche products, however, partly due to the expense and partly due to the fact that not every room lends itself to fitting these panels.

Timberline/Chapel In the field of decorative panels, Timberline offers an extensive range with the following patterns as standard: Cross, Empire, Star, Albert, Versailles, Chantilly, Castel, Renaissance, and Castle.

Apart from this standard assortment, other designs can be made at the client’s request. The most popular patterns are Versailles, Castle, and Cross design. All panels are made in European oak and finished with an endless variety of colour nuances.

The panels are fitted preferably with full glueing in order to restrict the movements of the wood. These products also tend to be niche products for Timberline.

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Floor Forum International 53

friezes 72mm (panels of 65cm or from 73 to 95cm wide) and friezes of 90mm (panel 102cm wide). The size is adapted precisely for each floor by modifying the size of the square blocks.

Versailles panels are much in demand in distressed design. For the rest, square, Luxor, and Castle are panels which sell well.

Bj Parket is also strong at producing designs applied by clients themselves. Oak is still the most popular sort of wood used in extra, premier, and bis quality, but clients also often ask for panels in tropical sorts of wood, such as afrormosia, merbau, teak, and wenge. BJ Parket works only with wood sorts, the movements of which it knows thoroughly, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises later on.

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End-grain from BJ Parket (B): Trendy and the strongest

Advertorial BJ Parket (B)

BJ Parket is one of the few producers of end-grain wood in Belgium and a real specialist in these special and extremely trendy floors. This article tells you all you need to know about end-grain and the quality range from BJ Parket.

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Perfect quality – wide range Just as installing end-grain floors is a job for real specialists, so too is the production of end-grain wood. After all, the thickness of end-grain has to be sawn with great precision. Otherwise, sanding this extremely durable floor becomes a nightmare.

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The BJ Parket range includes tropical, indigenous, and oak wood. The blocks in tropical wood are 7cm x 7cm and the thickness is 12, 15, or 20mm. Oak wood blocks are 2.3 x 6.9cm or 3.5 x 7cm; larch is 5.5 x 9.0cm. The endgrain blocks are deburred, mixed, and packed in plastic bags per 1.5m² to 2.5m², depending on the thickness of the blocks. The trade also includes end-grain floors on nets, but there is a risk here of the raster structure of the net becoming visible after some time. BJ Parket offers its clients the opportunity to order assembled end-grain with a special sheet along the top side.

This can easily be removed before sanding and there is no longer any danger of raster formation.

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The unique features of end-grain wood The unique features of end-grain floors relate mainly to the upright wood fibres. From a microscopic point of view, the wood fibres in end-grain parquet can be compared to collections of joined upright stakes. It is easy to understand that the resistance to pressure is therefore much greater on the head side than along the side. Similarly, the surface of end-grain parquet is much more durable and pressure-resistant than traditional parquet. This makes end-grain wood ideal for high traffic rooms. Moreover, end-grain wood is also warm, hygienic, and anti-allergen.

The sound insulation and vibration-free character of end-grain wood is equally striking. The sound vibrations are absorbed strongly in the wood fibres, so there is much less reverberation.

Amongst other things, this is an advantage as compared to a stone floor, but in this area end-grain wood still scores much better than traditional parquet.

Precautions and expertise required Fitting end-grain floors involves taking account of some sensitive areas of this sort of wood. For example, the pores of endgrain wood stay open on the surface and these sorts of floors are much more susceptible to expansion and shrinkage due to fluctuating atmospheric conditions. And so, it is essential that the substrate is dry and stays dry at all times. This means that the finish on a end-grain floor must protect it against damp.

Fitting method During the process, you have to take account of the above-mentioned features, namely the strength and moisture sensitivity of end-grain parquet. Therefore, you must not fit this sort of

For the perfect fitting from an optical and technical point of view, the supplied end-grain wooden blocks are vitally important. And so, BJ Parket parquet blocks are sawn to a precise thickness. A uniform fitting on a good flat covering floor is important for keeping the sanding afterwards to a minimum. The thickness of the wood means that sanding even just 1mm away requires a lot of effort. Sanding to level the surface is done using a belt sander, with the grain depending on the evenness (or unevenness) of the floor. As you progress, you change to an increasingly finer grain, but it is most certainly not advisable to miss out more than two levels (i.e. do not change directly from grain 40 to grain 80).

Finally, you polish the parquet using a disc sander so that the floor is eventually finished using a gauze disc grain 120.

Advertorial BJ Parket (B)

parquet in extremely hot or dry conditions. The end-grain blocks are glued directly onto the covering floor without a subfloor or nails. The blocks are pressed by hand against the previous row and are not tightened with a lever. This gives the end-grain floor the chance to ‘set’.

Finishing Protection against moisture absorption is also crucial for the finish applied to end-grain parquet. Waxing is one option provided that a sealer is applied first. Those who opt for a varnish should best choose an elastic primer first. BJ Parket recommends the Bona Primer Classic, and a finish using the waterborne Bona Traffic. Another option is to apply an oil finish. The oil penetrates deep into the wood and provides a durable finish. Moreover, a floor treated with oil is easy to maintain and can be repaired in patches with no problems at all.

Low maintenance Maintaining an end-grain floor is closely related to the way it is finished. Vacuum cleaning or sweeping are no problem, polished end-grain floors can be waxed a few times a year, and also the varnished or oiled variants are given a traditional maintenance timetable. Furthermore, it is possible to extend the lifespan of a end-grain floor considerably by periodically renewing the finishing coat. Furthermore, professionals with the required expertise can easily replace pieces of end-grain wood.

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The following sorts of wood are also available from BJ Parket: • guatambu: also called ivory, light cream in colour; • common hornbeam: grey/white, moderate tree ring patterns; • kambala: light yellow to dark brown, with a wide variety of colours; • merbau: brownish-red, with significant variation in brightness; • muteneye: Brown, with pronounced tree ring patterns; • larch: light yellow with Brown tree rings; it can show bursts.

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Wherever. Forever.

Berry Floor and Alloc become BerryAlloc • The interior and decoration specialist for both residential and commercial projects for floors and walls.

• Lifetime warranty on all our products • Trendsetter in terms of colors, sizes and designs • Range of products with unique technologies (aluminum lock, water-resistant, soundproofing ... ) • BerryAlloc respects the environment.

Look for more information about the BerryAlloc products at www.berryalloc.com

At the Carrefour International du Bois we see everything and everyone connected remotely or closely with wood. Moreover, we see nothing but wood, and this is what makes the event a unique show worldwide. It’s all wood, from deep in the heart of the forest to the gossamer-thin skirting board, from tree to parquet. The Carrefour International du Bois is the ‘meeting’ of an industry; that much is clear. The show takes place every two years and so far each successive show has eclipsed its predecessor. The 12th Carrefour International du Bois takes place at Nantes in France on 6, 7, and 8 June. Three days under the spell of wood – that’s a date not to be missed!

Innovations on show The section ‘Techniques & Solutions Bois’ within the Carrefour International du Bois is accommodated this year in hall 4. This section brings together innovations and new techniques for the construction industry in one room. The companies which present their innovations target both architects and engineers as well as building managers, building professionals, joiners, contractors, and such like. Various conferences are organised on the periphery of ‘Techniques & Solutions Bois’ with speakers from France and abroad, expositions, animations, and presentations to show the prominent role which wood can play in ‘sustainable construction’ and how it provides an answer to various ecological questions.

The organisation The Carrefour International du Bois is organised by Atlanbois, a professional organisation which promotes wood, and Le Grand Port Maritime de Nantes Saint Nazaire. On 6, 7, and 8 June, this trade fair will completely take over the Parc des Exposition de la Beaujoire in Nantes. The city has excellent rail and air links and maintains a perfect mix between business and tourism.

What will they see?

Carrefour International du Bois is also welcoming exhibitors this year from over 20 different countries. In 2010, most of them came from Europe. 75% of exhibitors were French companies, whilst 25% came from elsewhere. Major countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Spain, Finland, France, Gabon, England, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Most exhibitors were building product producers, followed by the sawmills, and dealers or distributors came third.

All wood … nothing but wood Surveys amongst both exhibitors and visitors at the previous edition show that everyone values this trade fair for exactly the same reason. They find it an attractive show because the Carrefour International du Bois concentrates solely on one material, namely wood, and the entire sector is involved with this material. At the close of the 11th edition, a ‘regular client’ commented: “At the Carrefour there is wood, all sorts of wood, and nothing but wood. It’s the only show where you can be sure to meet your colleagues, clients, and suppliers, whom you don’t normally see, due to lack of time or because they’re too far away.” This testimony summarises the ‘spirit’ of the show perfectly. The Carrefour International du Bois aims to be an ‘appointment’, a ‘meeting place’ of committed professionals. That is exactly why the show can also serve as a barometer which enables us to summarise the ‘economic state of play’ at any given time.

Exclusive study results On the occasion of this edition, the Carrefour International Du Bois organisers will be announcing some exclusive study results.

One of those studies relates to the wood construction industry in France (results to be announced at 11.00 a.m. on 6 June in the Espace TSB) and the other one is about the distribution of wood in France (results to be announced at 11.30 a.m. on 7 June in the Salle Loire Grand Palais. The study on the wood construction industry has been led by the National Observatory of Wood Construction and financed by the forest association France Bois Forêt. The study has been conducted in partnership with FFB, Afcobois, Wood Surfer, Maisons-bois.com, and IRB. This study will provide the players in the industry with recent figures. The second study has been financed by France Bois Forêt.

Floor Forum & Floor Forum International present!

It goes without saying that your trade journal will also be present at the leading French wood fair, and with a brand new stand in pure lounge style. To give this stand an exclusive, yet inviting look, the Belgian laminate producer Balterio has agreed to fit the lounge floor, for which we are very grateful! Balterio presents the new Dolce collection (Hemlock White decor) without a V-groove in the soft touch matt finish. We are pleased to know that the floor belongs to the AC4 durability class, realising that once again scores of visitors will be drawn to the cosy atmosphere, and one of the attractions will be the traditional glass of draft Leffe beer. And so, everyone is welcome at the Floor Forum and Floor Forum International stand and, not to mention, the Dolce collection from Balterio.

A selection from the participating exhibitors: Archiwood Archiwood will be attending Carrefour International du Bois. In particular, the company will be presenting its innovative and invisible fastening systems Hardwood Clip® and Softwood

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Floor Forum International 53

The show which is all about wood and nothing else

Preview Carrefour International du Bois (France)

12th Carrefour International Du Bois

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ClipTM for terrace planks and wooden boundaries. Hardwood Clip® has been honoured with the prestigious Red Dot Award and the IF Product Design Award. Hardwood Clip®, which uses Spax® screws exclusively, is one of the few invisible fastening systems which has been certified because it conforms to the requirements of the recent French standard DTU 51.4, which is awarded by an authorised organisation. The new SoftclipTM fastenings have been devised for use with softwood, thermally treated wood, and bamboo wood. Archiwood will also present a range of accessories and tools which are designed for professionals who finish off outdoor constructions.

Briançon

Balterio

Chene de l’est Chene de l’est is a French producer of parquet floors, solid wood floors, and ready-for-use engineered parquet. The company holds the Parquets de France label and is PEFC approved. The company has plenty of know-how in the field of very trendy parquet floors. During Carrefour du Bois, we will be showing off our new products for 2012, including our new TOP4, which is available in all finishes from the Chene de l’est range, new colours in sawn oak which are particularly popular, novelties in the Métallique range, and a new range from Percival. You can see all the company’s wares during Carrefour du Bois at stand H3 C6.

Balterio, trendsetter in laminate floors, brings the ultimate in ease of installation to Carrefour du Bois in the form of PressXpress {PXP} R with the new collections Infinity and Xperience in attractive modern designs. With the new Dolce 7mm laminate floor collection, Balterio brings a matt synchronised surface structure in eight current designs. You will see all the Balterio laminate floors and accessories at stand H4-15

Briançon, formed in 1855, is expecting you at its stand (M-B25). They will present their latest new product, Wood Mastic E100. This is specially designed for terraces and is part of the numerous existing repair, protective, and finishing products for wood. Briançon develops and produces technical products with respect for the environment and the health of the user in accordance with the ‘ECOLABEL’ standards for traders and the wood industry in general. Treatments, lazure, impregnation products, oil for parquet floors, varnishes, fillers for wood, glues, paint strippers,...

Berry Alloc Berry Alloc will be present once again this year at Carrefour du Bois (GP-E36). The company will present a selection from their extensive range of DPL and HPL laminate, parquet, wall furnishing, and click vinyl

Ciranova® During the Carrefour International du Bois, Ciranova will introduce their full range of finish and maintenance products. At their stand you can discover the new colours and trends of the Lye Stains, distressing Stains, Dye Stains, and the Hard Wax Oils. Ciranova will also take the opportunity to present its modernised range of outdoor products

Le s

du p

D E S I G N® PA R Q U E T F r a n c e

Mitered herringbone 45°

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Panel “Croix de St-André”

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SOLIDOR Supports for terraces they make the difference!

www.solidor.be info@solidor.be

The specialisT of cusTom-made wood flooring Design Parquet has a special ability in making special parquets. Our widely recognised skills have enabled us to reply to many special requests by prestigious names. Thanks to our teams of cabinet-makers, Design parquet will make reproductions of antique wood flooring, rosettes,panels and will made-to-measure parquet for special purpose.

www.designparquet.fr

Design Parquet A manufacturer of exotic solid wood parquet in oak and readyfor-use parquet, Design Parquet is also an innovative trademark and develops lots of new products on a regular basis. Design Parquet offers a complete and varied range of products, which even extends to the imitation of old floors and launching scores of accessories on the market. The company is both FSC and PEFC approved. The ultra-modern factory deploys high technology in the field of product finishes: varnishing, oiling, colouring, brushing, and distressing.

Europlac Europlac has built up its range around a system à la carte. On the basis of 20 colour combinations in

FP Bois FP Bois is an industrial company in Aquitania, France, which specialises in woodwork. It accepts responsibility for sawing, planning, and finishing wood. This year, it is expanding its range, which already includes traditional parquet and panelling (2,300,000m²), to include outdoor applications, with scores of innovations in facade furnishing and terrace sections. The finger jointing technique makes it possible to obtain absolutely precise profiles without any mistakes. The finishes in aqueous phase have a ten-year guarantee as facade covering and three years as terrace sections.

The major new element lies in the fact that FP Bois, which has invested in an exclusive planning unit, will be able to introduce these different pedestals with surface structures to eclipse all their predecessors.

Gazzotti France This distributor in France stands out for the diversity of its high-quality parquet floors. The company deploys the very latest technology, which unites the advantages of a varnished parquet floor with those of oiled parquet.

Gazzotti is the ideal partner for architects, decorators, and fitters, to ensure a combination of originality and know-how. The

Preview Carrefour International du Bois (France)

Delospan International Delospan International, a Flemish company with over 35 years of experience in the industry, concentrates mainly on finishing all sorts of sheet material. They always provide a customised service for their clients in the furniture and kitchen sector and various levels of finish are possible. With their brand new Kentucky Line, a collection of multi-layer parquet and stairs, Delospan International is aiming mainly at the flourishing interior, project, and renovation sectors. For a visual presentation and a further clarification of their products, Delospan invites you to visit their stand at Carrefour International du Bois in Nantes!

oak and 2à other wood sorts, you obtain in five steps a huge range of possibilities (you can vary the dimensions, choice of wood, thickness, base, finish, oblique sides, and click system).

The company does all the production in France and maximum flexibility is possible due to the flexible adaptation of the diverse manufacturing units. Europlac distributes its products amongst specialist re-sale agents, who have a clear strategy and who help with correct purchases.

Pedestals deck sytems for sloped roofs

Timber decking systems Using the joist cradle attacment to locate timber or aluminium joists, timber decking can be simply and safely supported.

Architects

Specifiers

Contractors

Landscapers

Roofers

Builders

Buzon Pedestal International s.a./n.v.

Z.I. des Hauts Sarts, Zone 1, Prolongement rue de l’Abbaye, 134 – B-4040 Herstal, Belgium Tel : +32 (0)4 248 39 83 Fax : +32 (0)4 264 82 38 Email : info@buzon-world.com Flash it and visit www.buzon-world.com our web site

Floor Forum International 53

for terraces and frontage cover. In order to meet the ever-growing demand for Ciranova products, the company is looking for agents in various regions. You can find out about their products in hall 3 at stand E12.

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company is capable of meeting all your parquet needs, ranging from the most distressed to the most modern floors or from solid wood to composite, both for private clients and for major projects. The company checks the ecological quality of all its products very strictly, as is evident from several certificates. Gazzotti helps with the development of ecologically responsible building initiatives.

Hamberger Flooring GmbH & Co. KG With the floor covering brand name ‘Haro’, Hamberger Flooring GmbH & Co. KG in Rosenheim, near Munich, is one of Europe’s leading parquet manufacturers and the German market leader. Haro Quality Flooring stands for style, comfort, and superior quality made in Germany.

The product portfolio of Hamberger Flooring includes parquet, laminate, and cork floors, as well as accessories. Technical innovations such as the quick and easy Top Connect installation system, 100% solid-coloured top layers for parquet, and the world’s quietest laminate floor underscore the company’s leading position as a full range provider. The innovative Haro range also features Celenio, the unique wooden floor which looks like stone, slate, and textile, which is made of the Harolith material produced in-house. At the high end of Hamberger’s portfolio, parquet manufacture by Haro offers hard-worked wooden floors for the premium segment. A comfortable living environment for everyone, barrier-free homes, energy-efficient buildings, and eco designs are key topics for which the flooring specialist has been developing innovative solutions.

HARO presents an environmentally-friendly alternative to PVC flooring that is set to conquer the design floor market by combining an attractive appearance with sound-reducing properties, natural warmth, and easy care. Quality assurance, environmental management, and environmental certification are standard at a high level at Hamberger Flooring. As a guiding corporate principle, sustainability is an essential component of the corporate philosophy.

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Inpa Parket

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When parquet has to be ‘good’, you can rely upon Inpa Parket as a traditional company in the world of parquet, with parquet experts through and through. Since 1988, Inpa Parket has had a modern parquet plant in Paraguay, which is based on a European model. The workers at that plant process the wood into a fully fledged product in solid wood or multi-layer parquet and, if necessary, completely varnished ready for use. In addition, Inpa Parket also owns a 30,000 hectare FSC-approved forest in Bolivia. They have opened a sawmill in the vicinity of the forest with four sawing lines where the trunks are processed into semi-finished articles. Inpa concludes agreements with local communities in the field of sustainable forest management so that these people can earn a good living in a sustainable manner.

When Inpa Parket started in Bolivia, the forest was largely inaccessible. Today, however, the area enjoys the benefit of a complete infrastructure in the forest where only selective cutting is allowed in line with FSC rules. Before 2004, Paraguay was a country which suffered heavily from deforestation. Scores of trees had to make way for arable farming and intensive cattle farming. Replantation is essential in order to counteract this erosion and restore the natural balance. Inpa Parket accepts responsibility for this and has therefore taken on various replantation projects in Paraguay.

Lime Alternative Supplier sprl Lime, a producer of alternative building materials, presents terrace planks in coconut wood, which comes originally from sustainably managed forests in Indonesia. The cocos nucifera is harvested as soon as it fails to produce any more fruit to make way for new plantation. These 100% solid wood planks (glueless) possess exceptional aesthetic and mechanical qualities. The ‘Lime’ terrace plank in coconut wood is now officially recognised as naturally sustainable (without treatment) by the SPW Division for the study of natural association with the environment and agriculture in Gembloux. This plank is easy to fit thanks to the B-Fix system. This system also facilitates the integration of an illuminated plank with a low-consumption LED light.

Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) MTC will be present again at Carrefour du Bois 2012 in Nantes to promote the use of sustainably produced tropical timbers – Grand Palais FO3. Since the MTC obtained PEFC accreditation in 2009, the demand for PEFC-certified Malaysian timber species has commanded growth and healthy interest all over Europe.

Wood-based exhibitions like Carrefour du Bois have always proved very positive and productive for MTC and the Malaysian timber industry. Since MTC is a body which promotes the interests of the Malaysian wood sector, it represents the whole spectrum of premium wood product manufacturers.

2012 is also a special year for MTC, which will see the second edition of the MTC Global Woodmart exhibition to be held in Kuala Lumpur from 4 to 6 October 2012. This is the only exhibition of its kind in the Far East and it focuses entirely on the Global wood sector, not just Malaysian or tropical. It is an excellent venue for international wood producers and consumers to meet, providing the perfect opportunity in outreach to the Far East with the involvement of global players. To register as an exhibitor or visitor, please visit the Global Woodmart web site.

Oosterlinck NV Oosterlinck is a family owned company in Belgium with more than 60 years of experience in the manufacture of quality wooden products. The company has become a leading manufacturer of interior doors and wooden flooring. The range of interior doors are sold under the brand name Greendoor and consists of solid wooden doors, veneered doors, lacquered doors, HPL doors, and glazed doors. The solid doors are the most impressive and can be finished in beautiful modern colours. Oosterlinck also produces solid and engineered wood flooring under its brand name Greenparket. You can visit Oosterlinck in hall 4, stand G6.

Original Parquet SpA Original Parquet SpA is a leading Italian company in pre-finished parquet, which it will be presenting during Carrefour du Bois in Nantes. The company will be introducing its new product Europlancia. Europlancia has ideal dimensions for creating an atmosphere in all possible sizes and has been developed specially to help small and medium sized rooms come completely into their own. This is a completely European product as regards the finish and treatment of surfaces, with colours and oils of Italian origin, which are subjected to strict controls and standards. The company uses equipment and tools from ‘ACIMALL’ (Italian maker of machine tools and accessories for processing wood). Europlancia has a total thickness of 15mm, including a 5mm covering layer. This is also the ideal product as regards the CFL-S1 Certification and Max Fort treatments, which are used

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The Carrefour du Bois trade fair in France is an important appointment for the wood industry. The company Osmo Holz und Color GmbH & Co. KG will also be present between 6 and 8 June 2012 in the ‘Parc Expo – La Beaujoire’ in Nantes to underline their international orientation and to intensify business dealings on the French market. This wood specialist will have a 30m² stand to present all its expertise in the wood and colour range: they will be exhibiting all products related to construction and laminated timber, edge glue panels, timber cladding, screens, and decking, as well as the accompanying products for the surface finish. Osmo is looking forward to many excellent discussions and new contacts.

Pallmann Wood flooring competences or know-how at all levels of the Palmann brand. Pallmann offers a global and unique system for the installation, renovation, and maintenance of wood flooring. Find in one single source a full range of products for the wood flooring specialist: varnish products, adhesives, machines, and accessories. Moreover, go to the premium quality in the implementation, the unique expertise of the Pallmann sales team, and the recommendation for the subfloor preparation.

Parquets Marty Marty, which has made creativity its trademark, is constantly looking to rediscover the parquet floor and thereby set a new standard for unknown experiences. Throughout its new range of aesthetic innovations and functions, this pioneer of French parquet expresses its passion for wood. Wood which is noble, warm, and timeless to meet all the requirements for decoration. Parquet Marty’s 75 years of experience enables them to present a range with great solidarity and durability. ‘Marty, a brand of the Tarkett group’.

Parquets Protat Parquets Protat has been manufacturing parquet floors, panels, and oak blocks since 1936. They produce traditional parquet floors in solid oak in thicknesses of 10, 14, and 23mm; then there are wide parquet planks in solid oak in thicknesses of 14 and 20mm and widths from 90 to 200mm; there is also traditional parquet in solid oak with a thickness of 9mm and widths from 110 to 230mm.

Then there is semi-solid parquet in oak (thickness 16mm), with widths from 145 to 245mm. The company also produces unfinished parquet, an oiled range (Antique), or varnished in the factory Rubio Monocoat Rubio Monocoat specialises in single coat finishing products for wood. Thanks to the unique molecular binding, Rubio products

Quick-Step® Quick-Step®, producer of laminate and engineered wood flooring, leader in design, innovation and quality has been inspired by the latest innovations to surprise everyone with its unique dimensions, innovative finishes, and delightful colours.

With Eligna/Perspective Wide, Quick-Step® is introducing planks in a new size. The exclusive 19cm width makes the beautiful weathered designs stand out even more, while their 138cm length imbues smaller and larger rooms alike with a distinct visual depth. Another highlight are the easy-to-lay new Exquisa tiles (40x120cm) with four possible patterns in a single plank size.

Solid FloorTM This year, the European brand Solidfloor is taking part in the Carrefour International du Bois 2012.

They have noticed a strongly rising demand for wooden floors in the collections from the French market. By taking part in this fair, Solidfloor is giving French parquet specialists the opportunity to acquaint themselves with their concept and innovative products. During the fair, Solidfloor will be presenting all eight collections, including the collection from Piet Boon. In addition, they will once again be displaying/ highlighting the new hand-cleaved floors and the traditional pattern floors, which they introduced at Domotex. Solidfloor will be in hall 3 and its stand number is H3-G3.

Preview Carrefour International du Bois (France)

Osmo

offer unrivalled performances and can be applied quickly. Rubio Monocoat oils contain no water, solvents, formaldehyde, or isocyanates. They provide protection indoors, outdoors, horizontally, and vertically on all sorts of wood (hardwood), exotic wood, wood sorts with resin, heated, autoclave, MDF, HDF, and OSB) in one single coat. They will be introducing the new product Saturabois during the fair in hall 3, stand D2.

Vetedy The team from Vetedy will welcome you from 6 to 8 June 2012 in Nantes.

Vetedy manufactures a system for invisible fitting: Softline® (available in five stable and durable sorts of wood: merbau, padauk, ipe, afrormorsia, and teak). Vetedy also invites you to make acquaintance with its new Techniclic® licence. This is a system for wooden furnishing with invisible fastening for facades, walls, and ceilings. Techniclic®: the unique design offers the same advantages as Softline®: four times quicker to fit, fastening in composite material with a perfect connection, design with open joints to aid ventilation, regular connection, and precise to the millimeter. You will find Vetedy in hall 3 at stand C2.

Weitzer Parkett GmbH & Co. KG Parquet Intelligence, that is the core competence of Weitzer Parkett. Whether you want maintenance-free or sound-reduction parquet, there is a specific function for every customer need.

However, intelligent not only refers to the parquet: Weitzer Parkett offers an intelligent partner concept with a smart shopin-shop solution, namely the Module Exhibition. This is a clear representation of the rich assortment suitable for smaller showrooms with a specifically developed sales concept – simple and effective.

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Floor Forum International 53

for parquet floors which are designed for high traffic rooms i.e. they are put under severe pressure.

From a technical point of view, the product consists of a top layer of Polish oak with a thickness of 5mm. This is secured using a PVAc adhesive with no formaldehyde (Synthos Chemical Innovations made in PL. Europe), and the product also has a bottom layer which consists of several layers of European birch. This is pre-cut every 3cm, with regular intervals to guarantee maximum stability and flexibility. Europlancia is easy to fit, either glued or floating, and is suitable for use on top of floor heating. This product has an Original Parquet Spa guarantee, which is 100% CE and FSC certified.

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Polyurethane – a trailblazing discovery

Special PU Adhesives

The glue which floor fitters can hardly let go You must have special powers of adhesion if floor fitters cannot ‘leave you alone’. Polyurethane is a discovery in a thousand. Dr Otto Bayer, who lived from 1902 to 1982, is still regarded as the father of this remarkably versatile material. In the meantime, the number of applications in which polyurethane shows up is now immense. One thing’s for sure: polyurethane is here to stay! Even in the world of parquet glues where they develop new technology all the time, PU has stubbornly stood its ground to become a permanent fixture.

MS technology, the advance of which was largely driven by marketing and publicity. For a long time, polyurethane had to cope with prejudices and a certain degree of scepticism. Interesting to note: the actual breakthrough of polyurethane as a material came in 1960 when a company with a reputation worldwide launched a chair on the market in the furniture industry; it was in one piece and made entirely of polyurethane. The chair in question made history as the Verner Patton Chair, named after the legendary designer of that time. The Patton Chair is still around today and in different colours. From the launch of the chair, polyurethane began to advance into various industries and applications. The fact that the material can take on different forms (e.g. solid, foam, or flexible) immediately gave it a wide scope of application.

Properties and scope of application Materials made from polyurethane can replace scores of other materials in various applications. Its flexibility, spring, and durability are just a few of its properties. It was clear from the launch that this material could offer vast benefits as compared to other synthetics and rubber. It is used both in the production of toys and in air travel applications. Polyurethane is a unique polymer, constructed from a chain of organic units. It owes its properties to a chemical reaction and appears in liquid or solid foam, depending on which monomers are used for the reaction.

Important properties are its great strength, tear-resistance, and support capacity. Furthermore, polyurethane is also an outstanding electrical insulator and is highly resistant to both very high and very low temperatures. PU is breathable, odourless, and resistant to degradation as a result of ozone, fuel, oil, and various solvents.

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The chair which changed the world The discovery of polyurethane around 1940 was a genuine revolution (‘A small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind’).

However, lots of water had to flow into the sea before polyurethane could be used in practice. Indeed, completely new processing technology had to see the light of day. Lessons had to be learnt from the initial applications and, what’s more, as is often the case with new technology, the world still had to be made ripe for it. By way of comparison, just think of the introduction of

Polyurethane adhesive Traditionally, PU glue owes its adhesive strength to a binding of isocyanate and alcohol. The adhesive bond is created by the reaction of the ambient moisture to the urethane bonds. The structure of polyurethane is something quite wonderful. The material contains hard and soft components, which alternate with each other in the structure. The combination of both segments ensures that the best properties from both segments join forces. This is why PU adhesive is both very strong and elastic. By ‘playing’ with the length division of the segments, glue manufacturers can adapt the properties of the material fairly flexibly.

Polyurethane glue is ideal for glueing just about all parquet or

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wooden floors, especially solid wood parquet, wider strips, and moisture-sensitive types of wood (2K) such as beech, maple, and such like. Polyurethane glues can be used for glueing on anhydrite floors and sand-cement floors. They are ideal for fitting pre-varnished floors which are fitted after the application of a moisture barrier. Polyurethane adhesive is available in two components (resin + hardener to be mixed on site) or in one component (resin + hardener are already mixed and react to the air humidity).

very stable adhesive grooves. The following substrates are suitable: cement covering floor, subfloors with a levelling agent at least 2mm thick, anhydrite screed, poured asphalt, and fibre plates (V100). R770 has a very long open time. Bona R777 is a 2-component polyurethane parquet adhesive for parquet and solid wood parts in line with EN 14293 (hard). The glue binds by means of a chemical reaction without shrinking. It contains neither water nor organic solvents.

What’s on the market?

Bona R778 is a 2-component polyurethane parquet glue in line with EN 14293 (hard). This, too, contains neither water nor organic solvents. The glue binds by means of a chemical reaction.

Bona R778 is particularly suitable for moisture-sensitive sorts of wood and for substrates which absorb little or no moisture.

Adesiv offers various polyurethane adhesives. The PELPREN PL6 is a 2-component epoxy-polyurethane glue, which does not contain any water. It has been developed specially for glueing wooden floors on any sort of concrete substrate or existing non-absorbent floors (marble, tiles, Palladian, or wooden substrates). EURO F1 is a 2-component epoxy-polyurethane glue, which likewise contains no water. It is used for glueing wooden floors on concrete sand-cement covering floors or existing non-absorbent floors (marble, tiles, Palladian, or wooden substrates). In addition, Adesiv has the PELPREN PL 60-E, also a 2-component polyurethane glue, and the ADESIVO WB 2C, a 2-component epoxypolyurethane glue. Bona In its range of PU adhesives, Bona presents the R770, R777, and R778. The R770 owes its adhesive bonding to a chemical reaction. The glue does not contain any water or solvents.

The great tensile strength of the glue makes it absolutely ideal for glueing extra wide floorboards. Adhesion is excellent on just about all wooden materials. Moreover, the glue also offers

Bostik The Bostik polyurethane adhesives are Parcol PU 1K and Parcol U57.

Parcol PU 1K is a 1-component polyurethane glue for glueing unfinished sorts of parquet (for exotic wood it is preferable to use Parcol MS Elastic). Parcol PU 1K is also suitable for all varnished sorts of parquet on porous substrates, strip parquet, solid wood parquet with tongue and groove, wood engineered parquet (with 2 or 3 layers), mosaic, end grain blocks, laminate floors, wooden panels, OSB, and such like. Parcol U57 is a 2-component glue for glueing all unfinished sorts of parquet, all wood extracts, all sizes, all varnished sorts of parquet (solid wood or with 2 or 3 layers), strip parquet in all sizes, solid wood parquet tongue and groove, wood engineered parquet (with 2 or 3 layers), mosaic, end grain blocks, cross-cut, wooden floors, laminate floors, wood fibre panels, OSB, and plywood. The glue

Special PU Adhesives

Adesiv

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is also suitable for glueing rubber, but you should contact Bostik for advice in this respect.

Chimiver Panseri offers the Adesiver 327/ 2-component PU adhesive. This glue does not contain water and is ideal for glueing traditional parquet floors in solid wood and pre-finished floors on non-absorbent existing substrates. This glue provides excellent adhesion. It is available in the colours oak and walnut. Adesiver 327 is suitable for glueing all sizes and on all substrates, provided that they are dust-free, dry, clean, and smooth. The moisture content of the subfloor must not exceed 2% or, if the subfloor has floor heating, 1.70%. This glue can also be used for glueing insulation panels, tiles onto chipboard or wood, and other metal-based materials.

Pur Plus, adhesive for the application of artificial grass also in conditions of residual moisture. Multipurpose and tailormade, these are the main characteristics of Lechner adhesives, next to excellent ridge formation, excellent flexibility, outstanding bond strength, high shear strength.

These adhesives are also easy to apply, water and solvent free, reduce the stress between flooring and surface. Legnopol 2000 and Gommapur have received the EC1R certification from GEV and Legnopol 2000 has also passed the tests necessary for obtaining the DIBt certification. Green Pur and Green Pur Plus have achieved the certification for the bonding system issued by the Italian Football Federation – National Amateur League for the construction of soccer fields for the national championships.

Emfi

Lecol

Emfiparquet PU Mono R800 is a single component parquet glue based on polyurethane which sets by means of contact with the air humidity. The EC1 classification guarantees very low emissions of volatile organic compounds. This adhesive has been specially developed for the full glueing of solid wood or multi-layer parquet, varnished or pre-varnished, and in all wood sorts. The glue also allows the glueing of rough parquet and acoustic subfloors. It guarantees excellent adhesion on most subfloors. After polymerisation, the glue remains flexible. And so, it can also be deployed on floor heating and improves acoustic comfort at the same time.

Lecol offers four PU adhesives, namely PU 230, PU 233, PU 240, and PU 390.

Lecol PU 230 A + B is a polyurethane reaction glue with no solvents. Lecol PU 233 A + B is a dual component brown reaction glue with no solvents, just like the PU 240 A+B. These adhesives are suitable for the chip-resistant glueing of 10mm solid wood, mosaic, end grain, and ready-to-use parquet. They are equally suitable for use with exotic parquet, crosscut wood, and laminate floors on porous and impervious substrates. Lecol PU 240 A + B is suitable for glueing 22mm solid wood parquet (thick strips and wide boards) only onto a wooden intermediate floor (chipboard, mosaic, and such like) in combination with blind fasteners. Lecol PU390 is a single component polyurethane, solvent-free reaction glue for chip-resistant glueing of chipboard, solid wood parquet, mosaic, end grain blocks, readyto-use parquet, and for glueing released laminate floors (depending on the supplier) on absorbent and non-absorbent subfloors.

The glue is suitable for glueing on floor heating.

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Special PU Adhesives

Chimiver Panseri

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Kerakoll Green Building Company When Kerakoll Green Building Company develops new products for fitting parquet, its primary consideration is the floor fitter’s health. After the tightening up by the EU of the norms relating to isocyanates (which can generate cancer), which some producers use in their 1K PU glues, 2K PU glues, and 1K PU primers, Kerakoll has therefore abandoned the use of these products, which are classified as R40 (i.e. they can generate cancer) in the SDS. Therefore, Kerakoll calls upon floor fitters to accept only those products which bear a 2011 SDS and which floor fitters themselves can verify as to whether or not they generate cancer. Kerakoll Green Building Company produces the following 2K Epoxy-PU glues: SLC Eco L34 (Green Building Rating ECO2) / L34 Neutra (ECO3) / L34 Plus (ECO4). These PU adhesives do not contain any isocyanates and therefore do not carry the R40 marker on the SDS sheet. This means that they are not dangerous to the health of the user. Kerakoll no longer has any 1K PU adhesives in its product programme due to the R40 classification of these products. Therefore, they use the 1K SLC Eco L34 Flex (ECO4).

Mapei has a very extensive range of PU adhesives which can be used for all types of parquet on all substrates. The range includes Lignobond, Ultrabond Eco P909 2K, Ultrabond P902 2K, Ultrabond P913 2K, Ultrabond P990 1K, and Ultrabond P992 1K. The Ultrabond P909 2K (with no epoxy) and the single component glue Ultrabond P992 1K are the most recent additions to the range. The Ultrabond P913 2K is the only PU adhesive which cannot be used for floors with floor heating.

Lechner Lechner HPA High Performance Adhesives include PU adhesives such as Legnopol 2000, Green Pur and Gommapur for the applications of hardwood floorings, artificial grass and rubber for both civil and sport floorings. From 2012 Lechner offers also Green

Pallmann Pallmann P9 is a dual component PU adhesive in line with DIN EN 14293, for all sorts of parquet, specially also for moisture-sensitive sorts of wood of various sizes and for glueing onto UZIN substrates which are suitable for parquet. Pallmann P9 is a pasty

Mapei

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Recoll Recoll International offers two types of polyurethane adhesives, namely Parquet T56 (two components) and Parquet W6/SA (one component). The Parquet T56 is a dual component polyurethane adhesive for glueing wooden floors. This water-free glue is specially developed for glueing on cement covering floors. The 1-component glue Parquet W6/SA is designed for glueing pre-finished parquet onto cement covering floors or onto existing, nonabsorbent substrates such as marble, tiles, and such like.

Sika Sika has two types of monocomponent PU glues in its standard range: Sikabond 54 Parquet (in pails of 13kg, bags of 6kg, and bags of 700ml ) and Sikabond 52 Parquet (in pails of 13kg, tubes of 600ml for glueing a cordon and tubes of 1800ml). Due to its exceptionally strong adhesion and elastic properties, Sikabond 54 Parquet can be used on all substrates, including a floor with floor heating and difficult sorts of wood. Sikabond 52 Parquet is a more solid glue which is designed for dispenser and cordon glueing. Due to its more solid structure, it has strong levelling properties. In its solid form, this type of glue can also be used on every possible substrate and wood sort. Sikabond 52 Parquet and Sikabond 54 Parquet have been strong brands in the Sika assortment for several years. Since recently, the formula has been adapted to meet the EMI code EC1PLUS so that the glue is virtually odourless. This is unique on the parquet adhesive market.

Soudal PU-20P has set (after about 24 hours at 21째C and with 50% residual moisture), it forms a hard-elastic and shrink-free adhesive film which fixes the parquet strongly in place. As regards user-friendliness, the PU-20P is similar to a single component system. Soudal PU-20P is activated by mixing the B component with the A component. You do this for at least two minutes using a drill with a mixer. Note: once the PU-20P is mixed, it must be used within 50 minutes. Otherwise, the glue will set in the bucket.

Stauf Stauf offers two PU adhesives: PUK-450 and PUK445. The PUK-450 is a hard-elastic polyurethane adhesive for glueing wooden floors. This is a ready-to-use premium product which is suitable for glueing all sorts of solid wood planks. There is no risk of damaging the subfloor or finish as a result of softeners. The PUK-450 does not contain water or solvents and bears the Emicode EC1-R (very low emission). The PUK-445 is an extremely elastic polyurethane adhesive with an adhesive groove which is very springy and easy to spread. This glue can be deployed for just about all sorts of wooden floors, including pre-finished floors. It guarantees a very high dimensional stability and helps to reduce tension in the wood. A coloured version is available for darker sorts of wood. Furthermore, the PUK-445 does not contain water or solvents and bears the Emicode EC1-R (very low emission).

Special PU Adhesives

polyurethane parquet glue, which does not contain any solvents or water. It does not affect the expansion of parquet because no moisture is sucked out of the wood.

The glue is suitable on substrates which are strong enough, such as sand-cement, calcium sulphate, and pouring asphalt covering floors, chipboard, suitable UZIN substrates, and on warm water floor heating. The substrate has to be compression resistant and fixed, constantly dry, absorbent, clean, and free of substances which can reduce the adhesion strength.

Thomsit/Henkel Henkel presents the Thomsit P625.

This is a 2-component polyurethane parquet glue for glueing mosaic, strip parquet, solid wood parquet, exotic wood, engineered parquet, cross-cut, and pre-finished. This glue does not contain solvents and has low emissions. It is ideal for glueing critical sorts of parquet with high water absorption and for chip-resistant glueing, particularly with large size planks. Thomsit P625 guarantees rapid initial adhesion and is suitable for floors with floor heating. Thomsit P625 is suitable for glueing on both absorbent and non-absorbent substrates.

Soudal

Soudal PU-20P is suitable for glueing solid wood planks directly onto a suitable screed. This product is also the logical choice for exotic wood sorts, strong expanding and shrinking wood sorts such as beech, maple, and cherry, and for larger sizes. The dual component technology ensures fast setting so that the parquet can be sandpapered 24 hours later and finished quickly. Once

Tover offers in its range two polyurethane adhesives: a two-component one (Tovcol PU2C) which contains no solvents, no epoxy resins, and no isocyanate and consequently avoids any type of allergy. It has a long working time (60 minutes), an excellent adhesion, it is elastic and suitable for any essences, any sizes on all types of absorbent or non-absorbent sub-floors. The second product is mono-component (Tovcol PU/F1) with high performances, packed in bags for an easier, cleaner use without any waste. This adhesive is also available in 600ml sausages to be applied with a gun for an elastic and flexible bonding even in vertical position.

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Floor Forum International 53

Tover

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LIOS SUNDECK W OIL Water-based impregnator for outdoor wood

New!

Water

info@chimiver.com I Tel. +39 035 795031 I www.chimiver.com

NATURAL

MAGIC PALLMANN MAGIC OIL 2K

Beautiful, fast, simply magic.

The solvent-free combinations of natural oils and waxes of the PALLMANN MGIC OIL 2K LINE.

Now available: MAGIC OIL 2K COLOR in five rich, vibrant colors.

White

Black

Grey

www.good-for-wood.com

Red-Brown

Dark-Brown

An oil finish? Of course!

The finish has to make the wood look natural.

Waterborne oil In recent years, we have witnessed the occasional emergence of waterborne parquet oils which are even more ecological.

Waterborne parquet oil is usually created by emulsion. Emulsion is a concept from the world of chemistry. It is used to denote a mixture of two fluids which cannot be mixed with each other. If these non-mix compounds are nevertheless mixed with each other, they do not yield a stable or uniform mixture. And so, to mix such fluids you need an emulsifying agent. Of course, everyone knows that oil and water reject each other. Oil, without an emulsifying agent, simply drifts along as a film on top of the water. The emulsifying agent is a surface-active substance with a lipophilic part (i.e. to reduce fats) and a hydrophilic part (i.e. to reduce water). These parts can settle around the boundary layer between fat and water. Without elaborating too technically, what we can say is that the emulsifying agent partially neutralises the repulsion effect between water and fat. Amongst other things, emulsion technology is used in cosmetics to produce creams (emulsion of fat in water) or bath oil (emulsion of oil in water). Emulsion also has its uses in the food industry (e.g. margarine or mayonnaise).

An advantage of waterborne parquet oil is the fact that this oil impregnates the wood quickly to ensure very fast drying.

What’s on the market?

Adesiv Adesiv presents two oils for parquet, namely Paviolio 25 and 50.

Paviolio 25 is a natural oil which is suitable for impregnating polished wooden floors. The oil gives the floor a clearer effect. Paviolio 50 is an oil designed for autopolymerising impregnation of polished wooden floors. Two coats are

enough to obtain a ‘varnish’ effect. Allow the product to warm up before use. Spread the oil with a roller or paint brush. The amount of product applied for each application is essential. In order to obtain the best results, as is the case for any finish, the principle of forming layers applies that several smooth and thin coats ensure better durability and the floor looks better as a result.

Basin Besides its well known impregnating oil Basin Wood Oil and the hybrid No Visible Oil, Basin has enlarged its range with the addition of Unik Oil. The protection provided by this new oil is based on a natural reaction (polymerisation) in the upper microns of the wood and forms a double molecular seal. The reaction occurs in the core of the wood fibres. A hard layer (but not a film) is formed which is waterproof and dirt-resistant. This Unik Oil provides both colour and protection in a single working session.

There are 12 authentic and trendy colours available. Since polymerisation takes place in the first microns, it is impossible to penetrate a second layer so that colour overlap is eliminated. Unik Oil is an extremely rapid solution: 25m²/hour is perfectly feasible for one person. The treatment applied is permanent and irrevocable.

Further maintenance with oil-based products is not necessary, whilst local repairs are perfectly possible. Unik is a hyper-ecological product with 0% VOC. Blanchon The Blanchon range includes three oils based on the traditional compositions (the oxidative drying of which has improved considerably) and one waterborne oil, which also has certified ecological properties.

The Blanchon Parquet oil is an extremely hard oil due to the fact that it is urethane modified. This oil is ideal for extremely high-traffic rooms such as shopping malls, theatre stages, shops, multifunctional halls, and all publicly accessible areas. This oil is hydrofuge and dust-resistant. The ease with which the oil is applied is as equally appreciated as the exceptional matt effect. As regards maintenance, the Blanchon Parquet oil scores very highly. In addition to the parquet oil, Blanchon also offers a number of products or systems with oil such as the Wax Oil and the solid Oil. The Parquet Oil Environment is a waterborne oil (it deploys emulsion technology) which makes it possible to impregnate a parquet or wooden floor very quickly without using a primer. The drying time is barely two hours! This oil carries the European Eco Label.

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Floor Forum International 53

‘Natural’ – a concept to be modified Various natural oils are used as the base for making parquet oil.

The highly popular ones include linseed oil and tung oil. These oils in their original form are not capable of providing sufficient protection for a wooden floor. For example, if we used natural linseed oil to protect a floor, we would not achieve a very high degree of scratch resistance and in many cases the wood would turn a shade of yellow. Moreover, natural linseed oil takes a relatively long time to dry. And so, natural oils have to be ‘refined’.

Ingredients such as linseed, tung plant, castor, soya, or sunflower still provide the base for what we now called ‘modified oils’. The most commonly used ingredient in modified oils is urethane. This ensures faster drying, greater scratch resistance, and less chance of discolouration.

Special Parquet oil

The fact that oil with its immense matt effect makes wood look completely natural is perhaps one of its strongest selling points. Oil doesn’t leave any film on the wood, so the wood still feels entirely natural. Varnish may well usually be hailed as the most low maintenance finish for parquet, but it really isn’t difficult at all to maintain an oiled floor. Moreover, the fact that ingredients for the composition of parquet oil are extracted largely from the wild is also appealing to an ever greater public. Naturally!

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Special Parquet oil

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Bona Bona Oil 45 is a setting vegetable oil. It is suitable for use on untreated hardwood and other wooden floors which are subjected to normal or intensive use. Due to the longer open time, which means that the oil penetrates the wood less quickly, this oil is ideal for treating bigger surfaces.

The surface to be treated must be dry, well sandpapered, and free of grease, dust, dirt, and old coats of wax. The final sandpapering should be done according to the Bona Scrad system or with sanding gauze grain 120. Bona Craft Wood Oil is a waterborne setting oil for untreated wooden floors. It contains less than 5% solvents. The oil has a fast drying time so it is possible to finish the floor in one working day. Bona Craft Wood Oil is available in five different colours and a neutral base (Pure).

Chimiver Lios Bioil Natural is a completely natural oil treatment for indoor wooden floors based on a mix of natural oils. Lios Bioil has been developed for those who love the natural character of genuine wood and warmth of any oil treatment. The range of Lios Bioil Natural Treatment includes 15 different standard colours and maintenance products, Lios Soft Balm or Lios Kronos for cleaning and maintaining your oiled wooden floor. The consumption is very low; in fact, with 1 litre of Lios Bioil you can stain between 45 and 60 square metres. The treatment obtained by applying Lios Bioil can be protected with natural Lios Balm Fissativo, urethane based lacquer Oil Wood Traffic or Hard Wax Bioil 90.

Floor Forum International 53

Ciranova

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The products offered by Debal Coatings include the Ciranova Base Oil, Hard Wax Oil, Hard Wax Oil Magic, Hard Wax Oil Full Solid, Ecofix, and Ecofix Woodlook. These products are available in various colours. Naturally, the difference lies in the properties of the products. This vast range makes it possible to serve all markets. The way in which the oils have to be applied depends on the sort of oil. The present trend in oil is still for matt and natural. Ciranova provides an answer in the form of Hard Wax Oil Magic Natural and Hard Wax Oil Natural. The best seller, however, is the waterborne impregnating oil Ecofix Woodlook. Ecofix Woodlook is easy to apply and its unique composition means that the wood retains its natural beauty and is protected against discolouration. Ecofix Woodlook can also be finished with a waterborne lacquer from the Aquafix range.

Durieu Durieu presents various oils for parquet. For example, there is the oil system Sadolin Parquet Oil, which consists of the Sadolin Parquet Oil First Care, a primer for oil, and Sadolin Parquet Oil Classic or Excellence, which are for normal or high traffic floors respectively. Linitop Acryl Parquet Oil and Owatrol Oléo Floor are

presented as parquet oils from the new generation. Acryl Parquet Oil is particularly suitable for finishing a job urgently. This oil dries rapidly, it is easy to maintain, and provides excellent protection on high traffic floors. One or two coats of Acryl Parquet Oil are plenty to give all your woodwork (parquet, wooden floors, stairs, wood tiles, tabletops and worktops, doors, and such like) durable protection and an attractive look. Acryl Parquet Oil has a high covering strength with a yield of 15 to 20m²/litre. This silky gloss waterborne matt oil is suitable for all sorts of wood. The oil penetrates very deeply into the wood to provide maximum protection and give the wood grains a warm glow. The wood is nourished to the core. Acryl Parquet Oil is slip-free, is not greasy, and has a pleasant odour. The oil can be coloured in the first coat using a universal dye.

Faxe Faxe offers the following oils: Faxe Wood Oil is a traditional parquet oil, Faxe Prestige Oil is a high solid parquet oil, and Faxe Colour Oil is a colour oil. The Faxe Wood Oil and Prestige Oil can be used for all indoor wood and parquet. These oils are available in Natural and White. Faxe Colour Oil is available in extra white, extra grey, black, and walnut. These oils are applied manually with a roller or mechanically with a Woodboy. The latest trend in floor finishes is the distressing of parquet using products such as Faxe Special Lye and then finishing with a Faxe Colour Oil or Faxe Prestige Oil. The most popular one is Faxe Special Lye finished with Faxe Wood Oil White. In addition, Faxe has a new product for saturating and maintaining, namely Faxe Oilotion H2O. This gives the parquet a transparent protection and provides a moisture-resistant layer on the surface. The application is very simple.

Floorservice/Overmat Floorservice offers oils for parquet and wooden floors for both manual and industrial application. For manual use the Floorservice Hard Wax Oil Classic and Floorservice Colour Hard Wax Oil Classic is absolutely ideal. This 2-coat system has established an excellent reputation when it comes to high durability, waterresistance, and anti-slip features. As a 1-coat system, specially for professional floor fitters, Floorservice offers the solvent-free Hard Wax Oil Pro and Colour Pro. Naturally, this product also has the same properties as regards durability, waterresistance, and anti-slip. These oils are available in 27 trendy colours. With a manual application, you apply the Hard Wax Oil Classic using a spatula, brush, roller, or mop. It is not necessary to polish the surface to obtain the required effect. When a Colour Oil is used, it is necessary to polish the surface with a single disc machine. The Floorservice Colour Hard Wax Oil Pro can also be applied manually with a spatula, brush, roller, or mop, and then rubbed in using a single disc machine such as the Woodboy.

Haro At least 10% of Haro floors leave the factory with a coat of naturaLin oil or naturaLin plus. This is a natural oil based on natural ingredients such as linseed and minerals. You can read more about that in the article on industrial oils elsewhere in this edition. Here we are concentrating on the maintenance and renewal of oiled floors, so we give more attention to the clean & green aqua oil. To prepare an oiled floor for daily use or to freshen up an oiled floor, it is no longer necessary to apply a special treatment with a buffing machine. Clean & green aqua oil can be applied easily using

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Irsa Irsa has eight different finishes based on oil (natural oil combinations, oil/wax combinations, and oil/wax/resin combinations). The best seller at Irsa is the traditional, colourless Irsa Natural Hard Oil. However, colour is still the number one trend and you can see this in the oils from Irsa. Irsa Design Colour Oil is a colour oil for wooden floors and parquet, cork, and other absorbent floors for indoors. This oil is composed on a base of natural raw materials such as vegetable oils and resins as well as isoaliphatic hydrocarbon. Irsa Design Colour Oil is supplied in liquid form ready for use. The colour oil is available in various colours. This oil has the effect of regulating the moisture, it is dirt-resistant, has a good penetrative capacity, is UV resistant, and is odourless when it is applied. The oil gives the floor a light gloss. Apart from the Design Colour Oil, Irsa also has the Irsa Natura Hard Oil, Hard Oil Rapid, and the HP Oil High Protection, which protects wood, bamboo, cork, and cotto.

Lechner Spa Lechner Spa offers in its new 2012 catalogue a superb high solid and highly elastic oil treatment for wooden flooring indoor and outdoor applications. Olio Alto Solido is biocides-free, is highly durable, and penetrates deeply into the wood’s surface strengthening the wood flooring.

Environmentally-friendly and water and dirt repellent, Olio Alto Solido features extremely high resistance to household chemicals and provides natural, effective, and long lasting UV and weathering resistance. Due to its very high solid formulation, excellent and beautiful finishes can be achieved in only one coat. Health and Environment: tested in accordance with UNI EN 71 – 3 (physiological aspect: suitable for children’s toys) – Tested in accordance with DIN 53160 (physiological aspect; resistance to saliva and sweat stimulation) part 1 and 2 – Tested in accordance with DIN 68861 (resistant to chemicals) part 1 – 1A very high resistance. Test certificates are available.

Mapei Mapei presents Ultracoat Oil, a natural oil for treating parquet. Ultracoat Oil gives wooden floors a pleasant rustic effect and brings out the natural features of the wood. Ultracoat Oil is ready for use. The oil is applied in one work session with the use of the Ultracoat Roller plus or the Ultracoat Steel Spatula. In the case of highly absorbent sorts of wood, it is necessary to repeat the treatment after 20 minutes before the First coat of oil is dry. Surplus oil must be removed within the hour with a cotton cloth and a single disc machine with a white Ultracoat Pad. You can polish the floor after 16 hours using a black Ultracoat Pad. Finally, you apply two coats of Ultracoat Oil Care.

Special Parquet oil

Hesse The Hesse assortment consists of various oils, including the resin oil. This oil is available in two glosses, semi-matt or glossy. The oil must only be applied with a roller and it brings out a natural effect. Furthermore, this oil leaves a small film and is suitable for both parquet and cork. The natural oil is a comparable oil, but, in contrast to the resin oil, this one must be rubbed in using a white pad. Naturally, this provides a different look. Both oils can be used as single or dual component oils. The colour oil is a coloured oil which can be polished and can be prepared according to the client’s wishes. This oil, too, can be used as dual component oil.

All these oils require regular maintenance with the protect cleaner. If necessary, you can also apply a maintenance coat using the protect oil. Finally, Hesse also has the primer oil, a 2-component oil, which can be supplied both coloured and natural. This oil has been developed specially for providing a varnish finish with a Hesse 2K Hydro varnish. This new trend has proved enormously popular in recent times.

Loba Loba presents the Lobasol® HS 2K Impact Oil/Impact Oil Colour.

This is a dual component parquet oil based on vegetable oils.

Lobasol® HS 2K Impact Oil/Impact Oil Colour is suitable for parquet and wooden floors which are subjected to extremely intensive use. The oil is solvent-free and consists of solid matter for 100%. It gives a natural light gloss effect. Its high degree of water resistance means this oil is also suitable for use in bathrooms. It can be applied in one day. The Lobasol® Markant/Markant Colour is an impregnating oil based on natural oils and waxes. After treatment, the floor is resistant to scratches, water, and dirt. This oil highlights the natural colour and structure of the wood. Cleaning and maintenance are very simple.

Osmo Wood is an organic material. Like the cells of human skin, wood cells can absorb and emit moisture. Wood breathes. In order to preserve this capacity, Osmo has developed some wood products which are geared perfectly to the specific properties of wood. Osmo wood products are based on natural oils and waxes. The oil penetrates deep into the wood to protect it from the inside. The wax forms a resilient, breathable surface and protects the wood from the outside. This also keeps the wood attractive and resilient for the long term. Oil and wax come together in the Hard Wax Oil range from Osmo, which consists of the Original, Rapid (two coats in one day), and Coloured (for painted floors).

Pallmann Pallmann Magic Oil 2K is a natural, solvent-free oil-wax combination, which gives an open-pore and breathable surface and brings out the wood’s natural character. The wax content makes the surface evenly matt and velvety. The hardener gives Magic Oil 2K a fast and unique drying process. This fast drying makes it possible to renovate high-traffic floors (e.g. in restaurants, hotels, shops, offices, and such like) in a short space of time without compromising on mechanical and chemical resistance, and the product is dry after one night. The improved crosslinking provides a surface which is even more resistant to water and dirt, something which is not possible with a 1-component parquet oil. Another oil is the Magic Oil 2K Ergo. This is applied using the Magic Oil Applicator. Magic Oil 2K Spa is the new, extremely resistant product from the oil line which has been specially developed for extremely damp rooms.

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Floor Forum International 53

a mop. The product is based on waterborne oils and dries so quickly that the treated floor is ready for use within a few hours.

This maintenance oil makes the maintenance and renewal of oiled floors child’s play. That’s a strong selling point!

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Special Parquet oil

Plastor The Plastor assortment includes various oils, depending on the application. For busy residential buildings or public buildings there is Huile Pur T3 and for extremely high-traffic floors there is the Huile Pur T4. Huile Pur T3 reacts to water. The oil binds itself to the wood and protects it. This oil is made on a base of natural tung oil. It is suitable for all sorts of wood for indoor use (new wood, old wooden floors, with anti-oxidants or ship deck joints). The wood can continue to breathe naturally. Huile Pur T4 is a dual component oil. The hardener improves the resistance of the oil and this reduces the amount of cleaning and maintenance required. This oil, too, is based on tung oil. Plastor oils offer unrivalled resistance to water. This oil penetrates the wood without forming a film and without the wood forming bubbles.

Rubio Monocoat The three main actors within the Rubio Monocoat range are the RMC Oil Plus, RMC Oil Plus 2C, and RMC Oil UV. These oils are based on a revolutionary molecular technology whereby the oil binds itself to the upper wood fibres. The products really are the ultimate as regards consumption and application efficiency. All these oils provide colour and protection in a single coat. The application is simple: apply, leave for a few minutes to soak in, and rub off any surplus product. Muylle Facon has noticed an increasing demand for alternative

and individual finishing methods. End users want personalised finishes for their floors and they find the answer in the products from the ‘Creative Zone’. This range includes the (renewed) Precolours: pre-colours in attractive shades which are finished with RMC Oil Plus 2C or industrially with RMC Oil UV. These products give you the opportunity to experiment infinitely with colours and effects so that you obtain the final finish to match what the client is looking for.

Tover In the past few years, the market trend has moved towards coloured floors to obtain highly customised ‘unique’ effects.

To meet this particular aesthetic demand combined with the search for eco-compatible finishing products, Tover has increased the number of its coloured oils to 30 different standard shades, an endless range since these bases can be mixed together. Moreover, to accompany L’olio Antico, quick drying traditional oil and Crema D’olio, high resistance hard wax oil, the already wide Tover line now also has a brand new VOC zero oil: L’olio 100%.

It is completely solvent free and is available in a neutral version as well as a coloured one. It is easy to apply on site. This innovation once again demonstrates Tover’s advanced technology capacity and represents the will to offer safer products.

For wood the natural choice!

6-8 June 2012 | Hall 2, Stand B24

WOOD AND COLOR > PLYWOOD, PANELS, WOODEN CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

The hardwax-oil, specially developed for industrial application.

> CONSTRUCTION SOLID WOOD > GLUED-LAMINATED TIMBER > EDGE GLUED PANELS > SAUNA WOOD > FLOORING, MOULDINGS

Wide range of colours and effects!

> TIMBER CLADDING > DECKINGS, SCREENS Floor Forum International 53

> COLOR

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Osmo Holz und Color GmbH & Co. KG Affhüppen Esch 12, D-48231 Warendorf | Postfach 110161, D-48203 Warendorf Tel. +49 25 81 / 9 22-100 | Fax +49 25 81 / 9 22-200 | info@osmo.de | www.osmo.de

Overmat Industries b.v. | Scharlo 11 | NL-5165 NG Waspik | The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0) 416 31 77 88 | Internet: www.overmat.nl

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The Dutch parquet industry can look back with satisfaction on the trade fair ‘Vakdagen Parket en Woninginrichter’ in Gorinchem (NL). The number of visitors (9,326) was just about the same as last year, and most exhibitors were content. Despite the crisis, this trade fair provided an excellent opportunity to discover new products and applications and have some profitable exchanges with colleagues. This article gives a summary of all the most interesting and latest products amongst the exhibitors for floor fitters.

Aftershow ‘Vakdagen Parket & Woninginrichter’ (NL)

Dutch floor fitters show up in force at their national trade fair

Heywood

The most important innovation from Amorim was the Wicanders Artcomfort line. For this range of cork floors the company uses innovative print techniques, which offer a whole variety of decors: wood, but also (natural) stone, textiles, and such like. In addition, the Wicanders Artcomfort has all the unique properties of cork floors, namely comfort, sound reduction, and durability.

concluded an exclusivity contract for the new brand BerryAlloc Laminate (fusion of the Berry Floor and Alloc brands) and wanted to highlight this fact. Visitors to their stand also had the opportunity to discover the 48 new colours of the DPL laminate range, together with the new Wherever.Forever. concept from BerryAlloc.

BerryAlloc has a solution for end consumers anywhere in your house (kitchen, bathroom, stairs, walls, etc.) and also has some durable products with a lifelong guarantee: Whichever.Forever.

Forinn, too, presented some new products in Gorinchem, especially the BerryAlloc project-laminate range with the High Pressure Laminate products with a super strong aluminium lock.

These are the reasons why the fair was a success for BerryAlloc.

Bona

BerryAlloc BerryAlloc did not have its own stand at the trade fair in Gorinchem, but it was strongly represented via its distributors, mainly with Cotap, but also with Forinn.

Last year, BerryAlloc and Cotap

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For Bona this was mainly a relations show. As regards visual communication, a giant elephant attracted everyone’s attention to the new Bona Traffic HD varnish. This version of the renowned varnish is 40% more durable, has a solvent content

Floor Forum International 53

Amorim

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Aftershow ‘Vakdagen Parket & Woninginrichter’ (NL)

> continued from page 37

below 4%, and sets completely in 24 hours. After three days, the floor is ready for carpets. Bona also exhibited Craft Wood Oil. This waterborne oil system is efficient and effective, available in six attractive colours, and Bona recommends applying the oil with a sheep wood pad so that the oil can penetrate more deeply and thereby offer better protection. Finally, they also showed off an air-brushed Bona Belt sander. Floor fitters can use this entirely as required – an original way to impress clients by standing out from competitors.

Ciranova It goes without saying that the Belgian specialist in wood finishes was also present. Ciranova, which has enjoyed strong growth in Netherlands ‘thanks to a network of outstanding and enthusiastic dealers, presented several items, including a new range of ‘Outdoor’ oils with built-in nanotechnology. This was the UVP Colour VOC-free primer for colouring wood and available in eight colours. You then apply one coat of UVP Decking Oil 2k as a finish. Both products contain a built-in UV absorber in order to preserve the colour of the wood. The products are conform to the Dutch legislation regarding VOC content. Moreover, the products do not contain any cobalt and nickel and also conform to the Dutch ARBO (health and safety at work) legislation.

Floor Forum International 53

Döllken Weimar The German manufacturer treated its visitors to the presentation of a hot-melt application system, which glues Döllken skirting boards quickly, easily, and cleanly. The S60 flex Life Top skirting board with flexible lips at the top and bottom ensures perfect connections to walls and floors and is fairly easy to assemble.

They also exhibited a handy adhesive skirting board, namely the HLL26 Life. These skirting boards with a hard core of MDF and framed with top quality and stable synthetics are ideal for design floor coverings. They are available in various colours, impact-resistant, scratch-resistant, and quick and easy to process.

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line structure. Finally, it was possible at this show to present the attractive new displays of Chaco Wood which allows the dealer to present products even better.

Mapei Mapei Nederland BV took part in the fair for the second time. In 2011, they stressed the introduction of the name Mapei as a serious professional partner in the floor industry, whilst in 2012 they put more emphasis on new products. They presented the new packing units of the parquet glue Ultrabond Eco S955 1K (1x7, 2x7, and 3x7 aluminium bag in a pail). The Mapefloor I 320 SL concept is a synthetic resin pouring floor which is easy to apply and has a coloured grain effect for the application of durable floors. Mapefloor I 320 SL Concept has synthetic grains as a filler, which do not drift down. Ultraplan R is a levelling agent which can be applied indoors for layer thicknesses from 3 to 10mm. The Low Dust technology reduces the production of dust during the pouring and mixing drastically by up to 90%.

Overmat Industries/Floorservice

F. Ball and Co Freerk Beuckens, the Dutch agent for F. Ball, explained that the British construction chemical specialist is still in the hands of the Ball family after almost 130 years. At their stand he presented the STOPGAP Fast-Track 30, an innovative, fast-setting, and fast-drying levelling agent which can stand up to footsteps after barely half an hour and allows you to fit soft and hard floor coverings after 45 minutes. The product is suitable for a whole range of substrates. Furthermore, it does not contain any proteins so that it can also be used in hospitals. Visitors could also obtain the new adhesive guide for all sorts of floor coverings, so they could find suitable F. Ball products in no time at all.

A new addition to the Floor Service range is the maintenance oil Antique White, which is designed mainly for floors which are smoked or aged first and finished with a white oil. However, the maintenance oil can also be deployed on floors with a transparent white oiled finish. They also presented the renewed SMP110 Parquet Glue from Floor Service. This is easier to spread and now also has a darker colour so that it blends in better with the wood. SMP110 is more economical to use because of its better packaging and longer lifespan. Moreover, Overmat also presented a new machine, namely the HTC Greyline™ 550. This machine can be used perfectly for sanding, roughening, cleaning up, and levelling.

Inpa At Inpa Parket’s stand the new launches in the Scarving Experience’ range were presented to the visitors. This includes the new SX 6, SX 7, and SX 8. These floors with organic surface treatment are unique on the market and are extremely popular with architects, interior designers, and on the project market. Another new item was the end grain parquet on duo plank (FSC approved) in fine

Pallmann At their stand, Unipro presented the Pallmann range to the visitors. Anyone who was looking for novelties paid special attention to the new Pallmann Gecko Star edge sander. This machine stands out for its excellent sanding, silent performance, and comfort and it can be used in the most difficult corners and near edges and obstacles. They also highlighted their Magic Oil 2K

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Roll Roll is a German manufacturer which specialises in the production of machines, tools, and profiles for floor specialists. This family business is located in the region of Stuttgart and has been in existence for over thirty years. The company does all its own development and assembly work. They are now looking to enter the Dutch market and are looking for an agent. At the trade fair, they primarily highlighted their single-disc machines with an optional suction unit and a complete range of rotating milling plates.

These are ideal for stripping and sandpapering various substrates and the speedy removal of the remains of adhesive, resin, floor coverings, and such like. In addition, there were also sanding machines, rollers, and other handy accessories available.

In the traditional style group, we immediately noticed the four new traditional parquet floors with a traditional windmill sail pattern. The attractive style group included the so called sturdy Axwood Vintage Collection floors: these sturdy floors are hand-cut, something which shows the power of wood in its purest form.

The latest floors in the modern style group are part of the Lifestyle collection and are FSC approved. The floors have trendy terrestrial and aged colours, which blend in perfectly with modern dwelling trends. Solidfloor also presented new point of sale material, including an attractive summary of subfloors in a triptych on A4 size with genuine samples of all subfloors and a virtual range and shop presentation on a USB stick.

The next edition of the ‘Vakdagen Parket & Woninginrichtingen’ trade fair in 2013 will take place one week later, namely on Monday 8, Tuesday 9, and Wednesday 10 April 2013.

Aftershow ‘Vakdagen Parket & Woninginrichter’ (NL)

Colour. This High Solid 2K parquet oil is an oil-wax combination which repels dirt and water, and preserves the natural character of the wood. The hardener is a dual component product which guarantees rapid setting (within 24 hours). There are five standard colours available and the product is suitable for places with floor heating.

Rubio Monocoat

Soest At machine specialist Soest they announced the launch of the RC-R reverse roller machine, which is ideal for finishing brushed or distressed parquet. The RC-R has four rollers whereby the first one applies the oil or varnish, the second one presses the oil or varnish deeper into the grains by rotating in the opposite direction. It is also possible to obtain a smoother and more rigid result than with a single roller machine. This machine also has a fast replacement system so no time is lost during assembly. Soest also emphasised that its machines are suitable for various finishes e.g. oil, varnish, or stain.

Solidfloor The impressive Solidfloor stand was divided into the style groups ‘Traditional’, ‘Attractive’, and ‘Modern’. In addition, they also presented the elegant Piet Boon® flooring by Solidfloor™ collection.

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Floor Forum International 53

At the Rubio Monocoat stand they introduced the trade fair visitors to the Hybrid Wood Protector for outdoor floors and wood. This is an ecological protector for both new and weathered wood. Hybrid Wood Protector protects the wood both from the effects of rain and from the impact of the sun and was well received by the visitors. In addition, many visitors also cast their eyes over the Rubio Monocoat Precolour Wash products, which are ideal for distressing wooden floors.

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15/05/12 10:35

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Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings Floor Forum International 53 40

Wood adorns public buildings Catering businesses opt for parquet or laminate Let’s make this quite clear! This article is about wood and ‘wood-related’ floors. This means all floors which consist entirely or mainly of wood. Solid wood parquet, multi-layer parquet, veneer floors, and laminate are all appearing more and more frequently in public buildings.

The return to natural materials and the craving for sustainable construction have a lot to do with that, but there are several other reasons for building managers to opt for wood.

Warmth, character, and an endless choice of sorts and decors are some of the main benefits of wood. No wonder that lots of hotels and other catering businesses opt for wood. and hyper-modern rooms. This is exactly the same with laminate. The number of decors is well nigh endless. Wood or wood derivatives have as a major decorative benefit the fact that they give warmth to any sort of design.

Why choose wood?

You can think of several reasons why a building manager of a public organ or government should prefer wood or wood-related floors. When it comes to public projects, people appreciate wood because it is a renewable raw material. The term ‘sustainable construction’ is never far away these days. However, wood also attracts because of its charming looks, it is technically a sturdy product, and offers plenty of benefits for renovation or interior adjustments.

Technical If you can use a material to play sport on, you can use it for anything. Surely you can hardly give a floor any more punishment? Varnish makers profit greatly from the efficiency of wooden and wood-related floors. Varnishes for high traffic floors, the so called high traffic varnishes, have

given wooden floors a scratch resistance and durability which they could never have had in the past. The latter applies to solid wood floors as well as multi-layer, veneer, and laminate. The pre-varnished floors often have a rock-hard top layer as a result of seven to eight coats of UV dried varnish. However, solid wood floors and multi-layer wood can also be finished with oil or hard wax.

Decorative and versatile Irrespective of the style of the interior, there is always a suitable decorative solution within the range of wooden floors or laminate. If we look at the available number of wood sorts, we see that the choice is vast. This number of sorts can then be multiplied by options regarding colours, finishing method (oil, varnish, or wax), degree of gloss, and fitting pattern. There are suitable wooden floors for both traditional

Suitable for renovation and repair All wooden floors can be renovated. After some time, when they lose their character or show signs of suffering under intense use, it is easy to sandpaper them and apply a fresh treatment. If a complete renovation is required (completely blank), the floor looks as good as new at the end, and all this without demolition work. Laminate can also be repaired (locally), but cannot be sandpapered. The benefits of laminate in this context are rather to be found in the following item, namely complete interior renewal.

Renewable interior When public rooms have a commercial function, it is often desirable to renew the entire interior after a few years. This is undoubtedly the case for trendy boutiques, snack bars, and restaurants where it is good to change the design after a few years to generate renewed client interest.

For solid wood parquet we refer back to the previous point: it is perfectly possible to sandpaper them completely blank and give them a new colour. However, multilayer floating parquet, veneer floors, and laminate do have the advantage that it is possible to remove the floor and fit a completely different one without much mess or demolition work. This can be a very important factor, for example, if you need to re-design hotel rooms gradually without having to close the hotel.

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Whatever May Come.

Bona Traffic HD Ultimate High Traffic Performance Bona raises the standards again – now introducing 2-component Bona Traffic HD. Since 1998, Bona Traffic has outperformed any other finish for outstanding durability on heavy-traffic floors, where top performance is demanded.

Taking performance even further, Bona Traffic HD offers significantly greater scratch, scuff and chemical resistance only 24 hours after application. Bona Traffic HD is the finish of the future, combining ultimate durability with 40 % lower VOC for fantastic long lasting results.

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Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings

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Advantages and disadvantages of projects Assignments for public buildings usually belong to that category which we label as projects. These are hardly ever small assignments. They can be lucrative for floor fitters provided that they are aware of possible ‘snags’.

Advantages of projects The main advantage of medium-sized or big projects is, of course, that they always involve more or less large volumes of work on the same site. This makes it fairly simple to deploy employees as regards division of labour and planning. Big projects always provide job security for a certain period of time. Since it is often bigger firms of architects, contractors, or engineers which obtain the (main) assignments, such projects can often lead to more new assignments. In other words, those who do their work well are invited to come back. Another important advantage of such projects is their reference value. Lots of people visit public buildings. This is undoubtedly a form of free publicity for the floor fitter. If the assignment comes from a government organ, that reference value is even greater: many people still have the (often misguided) notion that those who work for the government must be really good.

Disadvantages of projects Everything has a down side, of course. Big projects also imply bigger (financial) risks. Floor fitters have to finance their equipment (e.g. parquet and adhesive) in advance. If the client or the main contractor were to go bankrupt during the course of the project, that could cause serious problems. Another disadvantage regarding public buildings is the fact that such assignments are almost always obtained through a tender. This usually means extremely competitive prices with a much lower profit margin per square metres as a result. Furthermore, governments are not usually very quick to pay their invoices. All this means that you have to be in a financially healthy position. The supervision and control over the work is usually stricter. This is because in such projects the client usually has a quality manager who has to ensure that the work is done properly. The quality manager usually does his or her work thoroughly and checks to make sure that the floor fitter has observed all aspects of the tender, even, for instance, in the field of environmental requirements (FSC and such like).

Floor Forum International 53

A number of attractive projects Over the years, we have been greatly privileged to visit several impressive projects. Below we give a brief impression of some of them.

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The La Scala opera house in Milan It has to be said that for opera lovers the La Scala in Milan is the absolute number one. Beneath a somewhat grey and sober frontage lies the most famous opera house in the world with a rich and impressive interior. December 2004 witnessed the completion of a thorough renovation. The ‘new’ La Scala shines as never before, partly due to the magnificent parquet floors of the Italian producer Tavar.

Three sorts of wood were used for the various parquet floors: oak, wild cherry, and walnut. These three sorts of wood were combined in different places to form elegant compositions, artistically and yet rigidly based on square patterns. The floors showed a varied effect and alternating colouration without a single moment of stress. Tavar fitted parquet in the rear seats, the galleries

and foyer, and in the museum next door where the Ricordi Casino used to be situated. The end result was pure charm and artistic class. Moreover, the solid wood floors have improved the acoustics in the concert hall and galleries considerably.

Publicis Drug store in Paris Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet is without a shadow of a doubt a ‘visionary’. In 1958, the founder of Publicis in Paris created a place geared to a totally new lifestyle and a new way of doing business.

Marcel came across his idea on one of his trips to the United States. The idea took shape on the ground floor of the building which also houses the headquarters of the group at the ChampsElysées and next to the Arc de Triomphe. Nowadays, this Drug store has passed into folklore as a place where Parisians can call in from an early breakfast until the next days. They can eat and drink there, buy a newspaper or tobacco, and have a great chance of meeting some of the cultural icons and celebrities of the moment. In the beginning, the Drug store was open until 2.00 a.m. at night. Nowadays, it is open for 24 hours. This establishment welcomes about seven million visitors a year!

There are few places in the world where wood has been used so masterfully as a counterbalance to contemporary frivolity and modernism. The design of the Drug store restaurant is certainly equally transparent, modern, and ‘light’. Then there is always a real risk of a certain ‘chill’. The architect counteracted that masterfully with the use of merbau wood. As regards colour, the wood combines perfectly with the total design, but has a ‘supportive’ function at the same time: the wooden floor ‘carries’ the interior and raises it up in some respects to a high level.

The choice for a wooden floor in the restaurant was certainly the best choice, but there is a problem when the wooden floors are due for freshening up. The Drug store restaurant is probably one of the busiest places in Paris. And so, it is absolutely impossible to close the business. In order to freshen up the parquet floor, you are obliged to work after the evening service and into the next day. However, the midday service still has to be guaranteed.

And so, to achieve this, you have to look for a product with very special characteristics and an extremely rapid drying time. They chose Rubio Monocoat. The product gives rock solid protection to the top layer by forming a molecular binding with the wood fibres. However, more important is that Rubio really has finished its work after one coat.

Hotel Martinez in Cannes The French seaside resort of Cannes enjoys worldwide fame for its annual film festival. During the period of the film festival, all hotels in the locality are fully booked, including the stately Hotel

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Balterio Laminate in Delta Sports Centre at Spijkenisse (The Netherlands) We went to have a look at a suite on the seventh floor where ‘Parquets 2000’ from Nice, together with l’Art du Parquet, completed a strong sample of parquet restoration. Object: magnificent parquet in African teak. The magic potion: professional skill combined with the PUR-T3 glaze from Plastor (the first dual component polycarbonate glaze with the European Eco-label). The project in Hotel Martinez was no sinecure, not only due to the client’s extremely high expectations regarding the floor finish.

Amongst other things, it was essential that the workers did not spread any odours through the hotel during the work so that the hotel guests present at that moment in time did not experience any inconvenience due to the work. After the completion of the project, the building manager was satisfied with both the professionalism of Parquet 2000 and the attractive nature of the finish.

Kinetix Stadium (Quick-Step®) in Brussels

There’s not much left of the memory of the Roman baths and gymnasia in the Kinetix Stadium sports centre in Brussels, but the essence is still here: both Young and old people come here to

For the Delta sports centre in Spijkernisse architect and engineer Van Kooten opted for laminate from Balterio. The work was done by Bedrijk Riklus Uitgeest. For the main fitness room (600m²) and the bar (350m²) they opted for the long and wide planks from the Grandeur collection: 2m long planks in a pale tint (592 Renaissance Oak).

In a different section of the fitness area they chose a darker decor (594 Wellington Oak). A fine combination of light and dark!

The Chromezone® structure emphasises the True to nature® touch by giving the grains a glossy look. The lounge area of the sports centre was decorated in Pure Stone. This collection combines all the advantages of top quality laminate with the authentic look of

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Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings

work on this health and fitness. The atmosphere, design, and character of the centre ‘reflect’ the clients themselves in some respects: modern without necessarily being trendy, extremely luxurious without being decadent, dynamic and intelligent at the same time, and expensive, but worthwhile. They have created a comfortable ‘habitat’ here with an almost unnoticeable sense of austerity. The ‘members’ immediately feel at home here. Only four colours were used for the interior: mustard, orange, chocolate Brown, and concrete grey. The interplay of these light colours looks modern and timeless at the same time.

The entrance foyer and most of the landings have been decorated in splendid ceramic tiles. The owners opted for laminate in the fitness rooms themselves, the aerobics room, and, in short, everywhere where people work out. The simplicity of fitting and maintenance undoubtedly played a part in this choice. Thanks to the fact that the selected type of laminate contains an extremely high number of prints, there is no longer a hint of any repetitive effect. The designers opted for a grey-brushed teak design, a 9.5mm thick floor with bevelled edge on the longest side. A good 3000m² of this were fitted. In the stretching room they succeeded in creating a special ‘central nave’ effect by combining teak with wenge. The wenge laminate floor forms a corridor between the items of equipment which are set up long both sides of the room.

Floor Forum International 53

Martinez, an architectural pearl from our Art Deco past. Hotel Martinez is situated along the Croisette promenade of Cannes.

The luxury hotel dates back to the 1930s and was once the favourite den for the ‘stars of this world’. The hotel is erected completely in Art Deco style and the owners were determined to preserve this style, even after various restorations. In 2003, the entrance reception was renewed and the hotel shone with renewed splendour. Hotel Martinez is known for its style, warm homeliness, and excellent service. These strong features can be found in all parts of the hotel. There are good reasons why Canal + installs its studios here during the film festival.

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Special Parquet and laminate in public buildings

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natural stone. The large tiles with their stylish V-groove on all four sides ensure an attractive floor. The result: minimalism, repose and an industrial style, pure, and open. This is the ideal setting to relax between sports so that you are ready to fly back into action.

Parador laminate in nhow hotel Of all the hotels in Berlin, there is none which personifies the spirit of its surrounds (expressive, artistic, and, not to mention, creative) better than the nhow Berlin. This new and revolutionary manner of living and habitation is situated on the bank of the River Spree in the heart of the most vibrant district of the city, with trendy bars and clubs on every corner and the latest art and fashion on display everywhere. The nhow is more than just a hotel. It fuses music, art, and architecture together into a dynamic and sensual postmodern experience. Each of the 304 rooms offers a stimulating space which is experimental as regards design, yet functional, comfortable, and equipped with all the infrastructure to make exhausted travelling guests feel at home.

Luxury bed linen, comfortable furniture, an extremely modern entertainment centre with 30 television and 100 music channels to choose from are just a few of the facilities to spoil the guests during their stay. The height of hospitality is the split-level, 258m² nhow suite, which includes a spacious private roof terrace. This magnificent area also serves as one of the seven multi-functional halls which make up the nhow Conference Centre, where innovative design and sumptuous views of the River provide an incredible setting for all sorts of private events. The entire hotel interior was designed by Karim Rashid, who opted for three laminate floors from Parador for the flooring. Thanks to its ‘Art print’ process, Parador Identity laminate is, of course, an ideal candidate to create unique floors. The ‘Acoustic-Protect 100’ subfloor was an excellent choice for this musical hotel.

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Will people ever abandon their image of the floor fitter who, with care and tenderness, cleans up the excess oil from the wooden surface with a cloth? Maybe not. That’s because there are lots of floor fitters who still look forward with justifiable pride to the end phase of fitting a wooden floor, namely applying the finish. This is the icing on the cake, the crowning glory of the work, and, especially, a job to make them stand out from their colleagues. Yet applying an oil or varnish finish elsewhere rather than on site does have its benefits.

At the same time, the finish is the time for clients to see what they get for their money. Yet this is also that part of fitting parquet with the most side effects and inconveniences. The room has to be empty, no one can step on the floor, there is often a strong odour, you cannot create a draught to prevent the spread of dust, and such like. In recent years, end users have shown increasing interest in pre-finished floors. Despite the great admiration which clients usually have for their floor fitter’s expertise, this expertise cannot match the benefits of pre-finished floors.

Clients are aware that such floors exist and ask their floor fitters about them, so there is no getting around this fact. One thing is certainly new: nowadays, floor fitters can fit pre-oiled floors and yet still decide for themselves how involved they wish to be in applying this oil. In other words, there are alternatives.

Blanchon

The ‘inconvenience’ of the finish Scores of floor fitters make it their trademark to offer an oil finish, especially with their own range of colours and concepts.

They aim to stand out in this way. In some respects floor fitters also operate on the axiom that any competent and well trained professional is capable of fitting a parquet or wooden floor to perfection. And so, the difference has to be visible in the end phase, namely the finish.

Pre-finished parquet The advance of pre-finished floors offered by parquet manufacturers themselves is virtually unstoppable. And so, in many cases finishing parquet with varnish or oil is simply the final phase of parquet production. This is undoubtedly a logical development. The step whereby makers fitted parquet with a click system, which drew its inspiration from the world of laminate, was also the step towards parquet which was ‘ready for fitting’.

However, in contrast to laminate, until recently ‘ready for fitting’ did not yet mean ‘ready for use’. Indeed, the latter means that the floor is complete as soon as it is fitted, an advantage of laminate which consumers really do appreciate. Nowadays, parquet which is ‘ready for use’ has also conquered the market. Clients have a choice between the various existing traditional finishes. A trend which we have detected amongst several parquet manufacturers is an increase in the use of oil here as well. The natural character of the wood is greatly appreciated and the fact that the ‘inconveniences’ are dealt with in advance makes it all the more pleasant.

Involvement and benefit for the floor fitter In this case the involvement of the floor fitter in finishing the floor is nil. The client chooses the floor from the parquet manufacturer’s extensive range. Of course, floor fitters can help their clients to choose by offering them advice. This saves floor fitters a lot of time so that they can accept more work.

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Floor Forum International 53

Pre-finished and outsourcing create new chances

Special Pre-finished floors with oil

Applying oil on site is wrong?

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Special Pre-finished floors with oil

What’s on the market?

Basin The Unik Oil UV from Basin has been specially developed to be used in industrial oiling lines. This industrial oil has the same protective properties as the Unik Oil, which is presented elsewhere in this edition. This oil consists for 90% of renewable raw materials and does not contain any VOC. It is based on polymers and vegetable oils.

The oil does not contain any biocides or preservatives. Thanks to the UV composition, the oil dries immediately under the influence of the UV drier. The floorboards can either be packed immediately or they can be given a second, matt UV coat to give even better protection.

Blanchon For many years, Blanchon has been presenting an extensive range of solventless oils according to various compositions: natural oil, UV oil, and ‘hydro’ oil (in a watery solution). The management of those three techniques enables them

to meet any demand, especially industrial applications, from the most basic to the most difficult. The oils can easily be coloured using dyes. This means that these industrial oil finishes are entirely in line with current design trends. Blanchon Solid Oil is applied all at once. This oil is rich in natural raw materials and available in a very extensive range of tints. Solid Oil can be applied to oak as an oil which dries in the open air, but it is also available in a UV version. Since last year, this Solid Oil is also available with a hardener, which optimises the drying process. Similarly, the Blanchon waterborne oil (Parquet Oil Environment), which makes use of emulsion technology, dries both in the open air and under UV rays.

Ciranova/Debal Coatings Ciranova has a wide range of industrial oils for both UV and oxidative drying. Ciranova has the advantage of being able to fall back on the industrial expertise of Debal Coatings. Some excellent products have been developed for finishing on industrial lines. One example is Debacure UV Roller Oil Matt. This oil has the character and low maintenance of a natural oil, but production capacity is raised considerably because the products can be stacked immediately without having to dry on the shelves first. If you don’t have a UV drier at your disposal, Hard Wax Oil Full Solid provides the solution. One

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with oxygen, whilst UV drying oil dries by means of a reaction initiated by UV radiation. UV drying is a very rapid drying process.

Floorservice/ Overmat Industries Floorservice provides oils for parquet and wooden floors for both manual and industrial application. Floorservice Hard Wax Oil Profiline is the number one industrial oxidative drying solventfree Hard Wax Oil for machine application.

All these oils for both manual and industrial use are available in no fewer than 27 trendy colours. The industrial oil from Floorservice, the Profiline series, is applied on an industrial oiling line. Both the manually and mechanically applied oils meet both the VOC EU directive of 2010 and the Dutch VOC legislation for working without solvents.

Irsa Irsa presents its Industrial Hard Oil High Solid, an oil which has been developed exclusively for machine applications. This Industrial Hard Oil High Solid is ideal for all hard, soft, and exotic wood sorts in the interior.

The floors can be subjected to normal of very high traffic. The oil can be applied with a so called ‘roll on’ machine and is spread with brushes or a pad.

Industrial Hard Oil High Solid does not contain any solvents or resins. It dries in the air (oxidative) and is environmentally-friendly. Naturally, everyone has to think of their budget and here, too, the Industrial Hard Oil High Solid scores excellent results with a consumption which fluctuates between 8 and 12g/m², depending on the absorption capacity of the wood and the nature of the sandpapering applied to the wooden surface. The impregnated floorboards are resistant to both dirt and water. After the fitting, it is advisable to apply a thin coat of Irsa Maintenance Oil.

Haro

Rubio Monocoat

Haro specialises in two and three-layer parquet. Strip parquet and ‘long strips’ are finished with naturaLin plus, two-layer parquet with naturaLin oil. This oil is based on natural raw materials. It penetrates deep into the wood and protects the floor from dirt and dehydration. The wood pores stay open so that the wood can breathe. During the treatment with naturaLin plus, the floorboards are given the necessary time to develop an authentic surface. The oil penetrates deeply into the pores and sets on the inside to create a perfect symbiosis between wood and oil. This treatment gives both a natural feel and an exceptional look. The deep impregnation gives the wood a more intensive wood structure. The wood is prepared for daily use with clean & green aqua oil. For two-layer floors, Haro uses naturaLin. The difference between this product and natural Lin plus lies in the fact that the initial oil treatment is done in the factory and the second one on site.

As a parquet oil producer, Muylle Facon serves a large part of the finish industry.

Clients can create their own pallet of colours and a personal range, and to do this they may, if they wish, use Muylle Facon’s pre-colours to achieve creative effects.

Muylle Facon industrial oil possesses characteristics which are greatly appreciated in this sector: it colours and protects in one coat with respect for the character of the wood. The consumption is low and application time short. The most popular oils from Muylle Facon are the RMC Oil Plus 2C (manual and industrial) and the RMC Oil Plus UV (UV drying). These are the frontline products for parquet within the Rubio Monocoat range. Through the revolutionary technology on which the entire oil range is based, this oil binds itself molecularly to the top microns of the layer of wood to provide durable protection. This also means that the wood retains its natural feel and visible structure, whilst at the same time having durable protection. Moreover, none of these products contain any VOC!

Special Pre-finished floors with oil

coat of 15 to 18g/m² provides total protection. Hard Wax Oil Magic is an extra matt oil which dries rapidly. You can roll out two coats of this in one day. After fitting an industrially oiled floor, you can oil again using Ciranova Maintenance Oil. This universal oil gives the floor a fresh look and, of course, extra protection.

Hesse Benelux Tover Oiled parquet floors perfectly meet the market trend towards the search for a natural, rich, and traditional aspect with major respect for the environment thanks to product formulas based on vegetal oils, which are solvent free. The industrial application of oils enables both an easy and quick fitting and a wide range of colours, which means a strong customisation of the parquet. Tover, in co-operation with the machine manufacturer Paoloni, has developed quick drying oils with about thirty different standard colours. Fastoil (neutral) and L’Olio Antico (pigmented) are perfectly suitable for industrial application as well as on site. If ageing and bleaching agents are used, the results obtained are endless, with colour contrasts in the wood veins, an ‘aged’ aspect, or whatever customers have in mind.

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Floor Forum International 53

Hesse Benelux is a supplier of varnishes and stains. Of all the finish products which Hesse sells, about 10% are oils and 90% lacquers (varnishes). Hesse Benelux oils have multiple advantages. The Proterra oil is made from biological raw materials which grow again after they have been harvested, so this oil is very ecological. Proterra oil is certified by the IHD (Dresden) as safe for human health. As regards the end result, oil gives wood a nice warm colour (‘anfeuerung’ in German), which is difficult or even impossible to attain with waterborne varnishes.

Moreover, oil is easy to repair in the event of damage. Industrial oil is developed in such a way that it dries more quickly because the planks are stacked immediately after they are finished. The application properties of the oil also have to be attuned to what is possible on the client’s lacquering line. Oil for manual application on a floor already fitted has to be set slower so that the lanes flow into each other properly. Hesse offers both oxidative and UV drying oils. Oxidative drying oil dries by entering into a reaction

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Advertorial Lechner S.p.A. (Italy)

Environmental quality and performance: better if certificated The increasing demand on “eco” and “bio” products in the building industry meets an always richer and more varied offer. The biggest space the media dedicate to the subject of environmental sustainability is the confirmation of the increasing interest on the matter both from the side of the producers and of the consumer. There are though still many different kind of approach, and this is the reason why we try to make clear some aspects.

It is necessary to grant the layer and the customer that products called “eco” and “bio” have been tested and certified by accredited laboratories in respect of European norms, and not only according to the manufacturer’s internal tests. Chemical industry is strictly ruled, but there are factories which respect not only what is necessary, going farther in the research of formulations and in the use of raw materials which, for their environmental sustainability, give the product an added value.

Lechner is one of these companies and its offer for 2012 shows complete lines of products – adhesives, primers, levelling compounds, varnishes – for the laying of resilient and parquet floorings, all with low environmental impact, and each product has its own certifications.

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The installer can find in Lechner catalogue a rich serie of solutions for complete cycles of application with low VOC content products, mainly solvent free, accredited by GEV, DIBt and Leed[1].

Staring from primers (Primer PU 300, Primer PU 150 Speed, Primer AC Plus, Primer 99, Aquagrip), up to cement based

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levelling and self leveling compounds (Fibrodur, Rasodur Maxi, Levelfast), the installer can chose the most appropriate solution chosing among consolidating or waterproofing products, in presence of absorbent or non absorbent, or “powdery” subfloors.

Lechner has the answer to all the needs, in the respect of the

keeping an eye open on the matter of the quality and health of the job environment.

The offer of solution with low environmental impact goes on with one and two component adhesives (Sipol Free, Legnopol 2000, SMP BOND) indicated for the laying of both prefinished and traditional parquet, and ideal for both small and big sizes, and also for the laying of parquet outdoor.

Contact Lechner S.p.A.: export@lechnerspa.it www.lechnerspa.it

Advertorial Lechner S.p.A. (Italy)

environment and of the health of the installer, without sacrifying the quality of the result.

Lechner offers different solutions also for the finishing of the parquet, from the grouting (with Ecostuc Plus and Ecostuc Pronto), to primers and finishes (Comfort line, Eco line), and the new and requested nature oil treatment (Nature Line, Alto Solido Line).

[1] Gev (Gemeinschaft Emissionskontrollierte Verlegewerkstoffe, Klebstoffe und Bauprodukte e.V.) is the German association for the check of VOC emission in products for the building industry. The institute recognises the Emicode classification.

DIBt (Deutsches Institut f端r Bautechnik) is a specific kind of certification for the German market, where from 2011 it is no longer possible to sell floorings adhesives with high content of VOC. Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the name of the institute founded in 1998 in the united States by the U.S. Green Building Council in order to check and classify, according to a rating system, the level of sustainability of a building, and it is one of the main international standard for the green building all over the world

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Thanks to its rich offer of certified products, with low solvent content and in respect of the strictest norms, Lechner grants the designer and the installer, the chance to work with complete cycles only using products which have been certified by accredited International institutes, with high performances, but also

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Special Terrace renovation machines

A new lease of life for wooden terraces Renovation machines turn back the clock More and more floor fitters now include full renovation of wooden terraces in their services. And why not? If some machine makers produce machines specially for that purpose, this invariably means there is a market for them. Sooner or later, even a well maintained terrace needs something more radical than just a regular clean. In the same way, a well maintained parquet floor will have to be sanded down sometime and given a fresh finish.

This is a speciality like any other and, especially, a lucrative activity.

Wooden terraces are on the way up Everyone knows that wooden terraces are becoming more popular. This growth first caught the eye about 20 years ago and shows no signs of abating. Here, too, the pronounced fondness for natural materials plays a part. Wood is associated by definition with the garden and choosing a wooden terrace to act as a threshold between the interior and garden therefore seems logical. Together with the growing success of terraces in wood, we are also seeing a refinement of terrace systems. This refinement is evident in both the fitting systems (invisible fastening) and the side finish and surface treatment. In other words, the success of wooden terraces has given the whole market a boost.

Refinement also implies a growing need for professional staff to take care of the fitting and maintenance. This has opened up a new world to floor fitters. Increasing numbers of floor fitters have made the transition to ‘outdoor parquet’ and turned it into another of their specialities. This has opened up a new market to them which provides lots of extra business and enables them to establish strong relations with another set of clients. Renovation of terraces is the ‘latest’ speciality.

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Terrace maintenance Nowadays, wooden terraces are better equipped to withstand the ravages of time than they were about 20 years ago. The wood sorts belong to the highest durability class, the fastening systems ‘spare’ the wood because there is no need for damaging screw holes, and the shape of the planks themselves ensures excellent drainage. All this takes nothing away from the fact that terraces in wood do require careful maintenance. Good stewards who carry out this maintenance faithfully are rewarded in the long term.

There are two groups of threats in the ground, which make maintenance a necessity.

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The natural greying All tropical sorts of wood eventually turn grey. This phenomenon is the result of a chemical process in which a wafer-thin layer of wood disintegrates under the influence of UV light. Depending on the atmospheric conditions, this greying can be light or dark.

The only way to equip the wood to cope with this greying is to protect it against UV light. At present, the only way to do this is to use a coloured oil. After all, a transparent oil does not keep out UV rays. Another approach to this phenomenon is to let the natural process have its way and leave the wood to turn grey in

peace. If the greying becomes too dark (through pollution), you can still remove the dirt with a detergent or ‘anti-ageing’ agent.

That also removes any moss.

Moss and mould As well as greying, the natural world also includes several other threats which can ‘attack’ the wood. Take woodworm, for instance, which, as it were, makes minute little passages in the wood in order to lay eggs. Those eggs become larvae, which settle even deeper in the wood. Another enemy is wood rot, a mould which takes advantage of moist wood and can destroy it completely. Then there are various fungi and even ordinary moss formations which have to be tackled to prevent the wood from being badly damaged. It is clear that the harder the wood is, the fewer the chances for all these natural enemies to form a real threat.

Regular maintenance In order to counteract the above-mentioned threats, manufacturers have developed a whole range of cleaning and maintenance products, which mean extra trade for floor fitters. In order to remove the layer of wood which is disintegrating as a result of sunlight and to counteract this process, there is the ‘anti-ageing’ agent. For the removal of moss and dirt various producers offer a ‘terrace cleaner,, which can be used on just about all sorts of wood. In order to prevent dirt and damp from penetrating the wood, you can treat the newly cleaned wood with ‘terrace oil’, which impregnates the wood and saturates the pores.

If all else fails, then renovate!

Even the best stewards reach a point where they have to concede defeat, in spite of their best maintenance efforts. Sooner or later, even the best maintained terraces need renovation, and that’s something relatively new. In the past, people assumed that if a terrace looked long in the tooth, it really was worn out. However, recently, manufacturers have launched machines on the market to give such terraces a thorough makeover so that they look as good as new, as is also the case with a renovated indoor parquet floor. More and more floor fitters have made their way into terrace renovation and have bought a special machine so that they can carry out such renovation professionally. It’s no surprise that they have their hands full. After all, terraces fitted about 20 years ago are probably now in real need of renovation.

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Janser

Bona presents its Bona Deep Cleaning System, a powerful and professional cleaning system for wooden floors. This system ensures professional, deep cleaning to remove stubborn dirt and scale from wooden floors. Floor fitters can ensure a nice clean surface with the powerful scrubbing machine Bona Power Scrubber and Bona’s special professional formula wooden floor cleaner, Bona Deep Clean Solution. The Bona Deep Clean Solution is mixed, depending on the applied finish. The product is developed for use with the Bona Power Scrubber™ and other scrubbing machines. For varnished floors, pour one litre of Bona Deep Clean Solution into the Bona Power Scrubber tank and add clean water. For oiled floors, pour half a litre of Bona Deep Clean Solution into the Bona Power Scrubber tank and add clean water.

You must always dilute this product!

De Terrace Renovator by Janser renovates and maintains the wooden deck perfectly. The Renovation Roller used in this machine gently sands the decking and is constructed so that even grooved decking can be cleaned effectively. The machine then sprays oil onto the decking, by using a pressurised container, and uses a special brush to rub the oil into the wood.

Janser also offers a manual sanding machine for renovating, cleaning and treating smaller or hard-to-reach sections of the wooden decking, the Terrace Side Renovator!

The matching Floorservice Decking Oil penetrates deep into the (hard)wood and provides excellent protection from water and dirt. The new garden wood will retain its lively warm appearance.

And the colours of old grey wood will also be brought back to life, restoring the wood’s former glory!

Overmat Industries

Special Terrace renovation machines

Bona

FG Maschinenbau De Terrace Renovator by Overmat renovates and maintains the wooden deck perfectly. The Renovation Roller used in this machine gently sands the decking and is constructed so that even grooved decking can be cleaned effectively. The machine then sprays oil onto the decking, by using a pressurised container, and uses a special brush to rub the oil into the wood.

Overmat also offers a manual sanding machine for renovating, cleaning and treating smaller or hard-to-reach sections of the wooden decking, the Terrace Side Renovator!

The matching Floorservice Decking Oil penetrates deep into the (hard)wood and provides excellent protection from water and dirt. The new garden wood will retain its lively warm appearance.

And the colours of old grey wood will also be brought back to life, restoring the wood’s former glory!

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

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Moisture, moss, and algae not only make a wooden terrace unsafe, but they also take away the terrace floor’s original beauty. Until recently, cleaning terrace wood was a difficult and inefficient chore: high-pressure cleaners destroy the grains of the wood and chemical products are harmful to the environment.

Then, after the terrace is polished, it is not usually completely level. Splinters and bursts as a result of polishing are still a hazard.

The new Terrace Blitz from FG Maschinenbau cleans wooden terraces and levels them in a single working session.

The patented cleaning brushes remove moss and discolouration and restore the wood’s original beauty. After this process, it is possible to give the wood a fresh treatment as required (e.g. with oil). Possible harmful substances (with some tropical wood sorts) are absorbed by the built-in dust suction. FG has added to the Terrace Blitz the Terrace Randy, a small manual machine for corners and edges. The result of this combination? Perfect!

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> Industry news FEP The Board of Directors of the European Federation of the Parquet Industry met in Brussels on 13 April 2012 and discussed both the parquet situation and recent indicators on the European market.

Though it is yet too early to give a reliable forecast for the current year, the information provided by the individual country representatives indicates that 2012 will be a challenging year for the European parquet producers with important variations at country level – a situation already visible in recent years and which seems to be further amplified by the persisting economic downturn in certain regions. It is hence generally an increasingly polarized picture that emerges, with some Central European and Nordic countries performing predominantly well versus a more disquieting current that has seemingly settled under Southern skies.

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Industry news

A brief per country recap is provided in the table below:

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Austria

2011 was a good year and 2012 started in a stable way. The country remains with a very low unemployment rate and the private sector performs well.

Government debt is problematic, with little money for investments

Belgium

No spectacular changes on the parquet market at start 2012. General economic picture improving on account of growing GDP, slightly decreasing unemployment rate and declining budget deficit

Denmark

The market remained flat to slightly down

Finland

Slightly positive market

France

The first quarter of 2012 showed a flat picture. Many companies face uncertainties. New buildings are decreasing, 80% of the market is in renovation.

People are predominantly uncertain and show a lack of confidence

Germany

Parquet sales in Q1 2012 rose slightly, especially wide planks. The economy in the first quarter of 2012 was positive. The construction sector performs well with an increase in building and flat permits of 20% in 2011. Overall, customers and wholesalers show some confidence

Italy

The parquet market was more or less stable in 2011, however the tendency in Q4 2011 and Q1 2012 is clearly negative. The economic situation is pretty difficult, probably the worst period since the beginning of the crisis. Many companies face or envisage permanent closures and/or stiff cuts in their working force. The financial situation does not improve, difficulties to lend money.

Psychological problems and lack of confidence impede economic activity

Netherlands

The market is going down and remains uncertain. Activities and exports are following the same negative trend. Overall, the economy is not in a good shape

Norway

The parquet market growing in excess of 10%. Building market going up by 19% in January and February. New houses: 28,000 in 2011, 31,000 expected in 2012

Spain

The situation in Spain is really difficult. The parquet market went down in the first quarter of 2012. Parquet consumption remains uncertain but is in any case lower than last year

Sweden

The market remained fairly flat in the first quarter after a sound progress last year. Competition is picking up, especially in retail as a result of a well functioning market. The Swedish Crown remains strong

New Edge Sander Gecko Star from Pallmann Wood floor sanding: simple and quick The edge sanding of parquet and wood floors is even simpler for the parquet floor professional. The newly developed Gecko Star is introduced by Pallmann to the market as an edge sanding machine which perfectly meets the need for efficient and comfortable edge sanding This machine is easy and intuitive to operate but stands out through particularly smooth and quiet operation, with high performance at 1800 Watts and top-class sanding results.

To compliment its ease of use, the Gecko Star works in almost dust free conditions owing to a remarkable vacuum mechanism. The user has the choice of connecting either a bag-system to collect the dust or an adapter for the Pallmann Dust vacuum

cleaner. With this measure in place working with the Gecko Star turns sanding into a clean task.

Thanks to the remarkable design and the ergonomic arrangement of the handles the machine appearance is a true highlight. With the perfect balance between weight and performance power the Gecko Star allows for fatigue free working for longer working periods; in addition to this the integrated light of the Gecko Star illuminates the working area, reducing strain on the eye whilst highlighting any remaining scratch pattern.

Varying requirements of sites and floors can be accommodated by the contractor with ease by simply changing the sanding heads which come in two different lengths.

WOCA Industrial Decking Oil for Industrial application WOCA Denmark has launched a new decking oil for industrial application. The benefits of this product • None Filmbuilding Saturation of the wood • Strengthens and stimulates the natural inner properties of the wood

• Fast drying • Water based • Good durability • Available in many colours incl. customized colours WOCA Industrial Decking Oil can be applied by roller coater or spraying gun etc. It penetrates the wood very fast and ensures a durable and an easy-to-maintain surface.

The product is based on natural oil components, which ensure a high ecological profile. The product can be maintained with the range of WOCA exterior products.

Combined Wintersteiger thin-cutting technology for maximum economic performance in the separation of large-sized wood blocks Natural stains, knots, cracks: markets are increasingly demanding lamellas with a rustic appearance. According to this trend the log prism can also be utilized a 100%, log core product is back in hot demand. For the efficient sawing of large blocks of wood and the production of premium lamellas, flexible concepts, maximum sawing power and absolute precision are the measure of all things. Considering these indisputable quality characteristics; Wintersteiger the Upper Austrian manufacturer of special machines now also targets green cutting of very large blocks. Under the motto “From block to the lamella with pre-cut and integrated resaw” a system solution with all the refinements our thin cutting technology is currently under construction at the factory in Ried/Austria.

For the pre-cut the large-scale block is fed into 3 connected DSB Singlehead thin cutting band saws with a shuttle feed system.

Already the resulting pre-cut blocks offer tremendous precision and minimal saw kerf. For the final cut the thin-cutting band saw DSB Twinhead NG with 2 saw modules is used. The DSB Singlehead shuttle system is equipped with 3 saw modules. The triple cut ensures the continuous supply of material to the DSB Twinhead NG - even during the return stroke of the shuttle system. This section gives the performance of the system a new dimension. With this approach, using a block of 300 mm in height

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MeisterWerke: Additional investments in production process Nadura production temporarily suspended As a result of unforeseeable changes to material specific components and the modifications in the production process for the new Nadura ranges associated with this, MeisterWerke will be making additional investments in plant technology. Managing Director of MeisterWerke Ludger Schindler: “We are our own toughest critics. The aim is to be able to produce the usual top quality reliably and consistently. That’s why we have decided to suspend the production of Nadura for the time being. At the end of the day our company’s basic values are total customer focus and excellent product quality.”

Managing Director Guido Schulte adds: “A team of high-ranking technicians and product developers are working full steam ahead at improving the production process. However, the changes in material require more investment in plant technology, so that the supply of products is delayed by several months.”

Based on the current knowledge available the product range will be supplied in the fourth quarter of this year. The range, look and colours are not affected by the modifications in the production process.

Bona Traffic HD – new ultimate performing finish for wooden floors Now Bona, the market leader in products for wooden floors raises the standards again, introducing a new 2 component polyurethane finish to meet the ultimate demands coming from wooden floors exposed to extreme wear.

Bona’s efforts to create sustainable products is also reflected in the Traffic HD formulation, reducing the VOC content by over 40 % compared to the classic Traffic. The almost undetectable odour underlines the sustainable impression of the finish. In every aspect, Traffic HD surely is the finish for the future, setting a complete new standard as an ultimate performing finish for professional contractors, designed to last, year after year, in extremely high traffic areas such as airports, hotels and shopping malls. Bona Traffic HD offers fantastic wear, scratch, scuff and chemical resistance on the very top of expectations. Bona also has improved the curing speed and early durability so that life can begin only 24 hours after application. Professionals in 50 countries around the world rely on Bona products for their businesses.

Parador realigns exhibition strategy The Coesfeld company Parador wants to use a new exhibition strategy to target domestic and international business partners in future. Parador will exhibit at Domotex every two years, as long as Messe Hannover continues to push the Wood Flooring Summit. In the years in between, the company will invite people to Coesfeld for innovation days on a regular basis. The Paravision event, last held in 2011, will be replaced by the new concept despite its great success and popularity.

Parador hopes to support its international expansion strategy using the new two-pillar concept consisting of internal and external events. The focus of appearing at Domotex is on acquiring new customers, taking care of existing ones and comparing itself at close hand with the competition, whilst the aim of the innovation days in Coesfeld above all is to inform existing trade partners about new product features in a targeted and timely manner.

Industry news

No chance for tolerance.

By combining a triple thickness on the pre-cut blocks and the final sawing of the lamellas with the two parallel arranged sawing modules of the DSB Twinhead NG, additional tolerances due to the warping of wood are eliminated. Per shift 2,500 square meter of lamellas are made with the DSB Twinhead NG.

Partkettfreund For decades, Parkettfreund has been the established and successful brand of the German manufacturer SGH Metall-und Kunststoff Technologie GmbH. Offering one of the largest assortments not only for the professional installation of the most different types of floor coverings but also for reparation, maintenance and care has lead SGH/ Parkettfreund to continuing success in Germany, Europe and even around the world.

In its recently up-dated catalogue “Universal Profiles” SGH / Parkettfreund is giving clearly-structured information about the different profile types for laminate, parquet, carpets and also elastic floor coverings, like linoleum and design floors, which became the latest trend in the flooring industry. With a number of special profiles suitable for these more and more required heights from 2,5mm – 7mm they are absolutely following the market demands.

More over this, SGH / Parkettfreund has launched its new digital printing technology which enables to transfer the flooring colour and patterns exactly onto a high-quality decoration foil which will be wrapped on the profiles.

Technical and specific knowledge, best quality and delivery reliability this is what Parkettfreund stands for.

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.

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.

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.parketmachines.nl

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savings of 15 % and more are feasible compared to the classical method of separate steps for the pre-cut and final cut.

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Ciranova – Debal Coatings

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Advertorial Ciranova-Debal Coatings (B)

Ciranova scores well on the international market!

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Residiency Bondue, France - Reactive stain Baro + Hardwaxoil Full Solid Natural white

New agents Thanks to highly successful trade fairs at Domotex in Hanover and Vakdagen Parket en Woninginrichter in Gorinchem, Ciranova has acquired several new clients. Its qualitative products, extensive range, and professional image have attracted international agents and floor fitters. Since the Vakdagen Parket & Woninginrichter trade fair, Ciranova has acquired a fourth agent in the Netherlands and new agents in Poland and England. At

Amsterdam – Ecofix Woodlook + Aquafix Magic 2K

present, Ciranova is also starting out with new agents in Italy, Spain, Israel, Turkey, Russia, and Lithuania.

Hardwaxoil Full Solid is conquering the Netherlands Since the introduction of Hardwaxoil Full Solid in the Netherlands, this one-coat oil from Ciranova has become the best selling product. Hardwaxoil Full Solid is easy to apply, provides excellent protection in one coat, does not contain any VOC, and meets the ARBO guidelines for indoor use. Hardwaxoil Full Solid can be applied on site or in the factory and is available in eight trendy colours.

Amsterdam – Ecofix Woodlook + Aquafix Magic 2K

Carrefour International du Bois France is one of the biggest markets for Ciranova, yet there is still a lot more potential for growth. Ciranova is taking part for the first time in Carrefour International du Bois in order to support existing agents and to recruit some new agents and users.

During the show, Ciranova will be introducing its new range of outdoor products in addition to its various colours and finishing products. You can see their various products and finishes in hall 3, stand E-12.

Demo sessions In addition to theoretical and practical training for its agents, Ciranova is also starting a series of demo sessions for clients and floor fitters on particular finishes such as natural finishes, distressed finishes, trendy finishes, and such like. If you would like to be kept informed of the various demo sessions or would like more information, you can contact Ciranova by telephone or e-mail: +32 (0)51/30.11.40 or ciranova@ciranova.be

The French adore their wood One of the few countries where the forest is still growing

Metropolitan France Most of France’s borders are natural ones. There is the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the the Strait of Calais and the English Channel in the north west, the River Rhine, the Jura mountains, and the Alps in the east, and the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees in the south. For the rest, France has a border with Belgium (620km) and Luxemburg (73km) in the north, Germany (451km), Switzerland (573km), Italy (488km), and Monaco (4.4km) in the east, and Spain (623km) and Andorra (57km) to the south.

Overseas Departments The state of France comprises European France (Metropolitan France) plus the overseas departments Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, and La Réunion, the overseas collectivities Saint Peter’s Island and Miquelon and Mayotte, and four overseas territories, namely New Caledonia, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna. Furthermore, France also lays claim to part of Antarctica, namely Adélieland. Since 1 January, New Caledonia has also been given a new status. The overseas departments (DOM) number about 1.7 million inhabitants and the overseas territories (TOM) and New Caledonia numbered just over 430,000 inhabitants in 1996.

the insurance sector, tourism, and, not to be forgotten, the traditional luxury products (leather, fashion, perfume, wine, spirits, and such like). Moreover, France is also still the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe. The country conducts over 66% of its trade with the countries of the European Union (50% with those in the euro zone). France is also in second place in the world rankings in the field of foreign investments (see also below). Investors appreciate the quality of French employees, the high level of research, the mastery of advanced technology, and a good management of production costs. GDP for 2010 was 1,932.8 billion euros. Growth in GDP is 1.5%, the same as inflation. In 2010, the trade deficit amounted to 136.5 billion euros.

The building industry is one of the major industrial branches.

The French wood industry The wood industry employs over half a million people. Several years ago, the French government realised that the country had a huge stock of wood, which it wasn’t exploiting enough. In the area of forest land, France is the third richest country in Europe.

The country has over 2000 sawmills, including scores of small ones. The French government has encouraged the use of wood in construction with all sorts of special measures as regards both fiscality and in the area of licences. Apart from direct measures for the construction industry, the French government has also encouraged the use of wood as a source of energy. One of the objectives of the French charter Grenelle de l’Environnement is that by 2020 about 8% of France’s energy will be supplied by wood. France can implement its wood strategy in a flexible manner due to the fact that a good 70% is in the hands of private owners who receive a good deal of government support for its exploitation.

France - economy Naturally, the worldwide economic and financial crisis has also affected France. The economy felt the initial effects at the start of the crisis in 2008. However, the government intervened very quickly with a package of financially supportive measures and operations to stimulate the economy. France has hauled out all its big guns to withstand the crisis and has emerged from the struggle even stronger. Those big guns certainly include the vast opportunities on the construction market, and that favours the timber and parquet industries.

France and its forests The French government is actively controlling the growth of the forest. Due to factors such as more forestation of disused waste grounds, abandoned fields, and mountain regions, the surface area of forest is gradually increasing. At present, just over a quarter of the total land surface area is forest land. The vast majority of the forests consist of deciduous trees, but coniferous trees are emerging rapidly due to the higher yield. Only the state-owned forest lands are being exploited thoughtfully, even though, as we have already said, the government has taken measures to encourage the sustainable exploitation of privately owned forests.

Economy in general In terms of gross domestic product (GDP), France is the world’s sixth biggest economic power. The country has various advantages: transport, telecommunication, the food industry, and pharmaceutical products; yet there is also the banking industry,

Some figures The forests and woods in France cover about 15 million hectares and represent 29% of the total surface area of the territory. This puts France in second place in the European Union. The forest area has increased in surface area since the late 19th century.

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La douce France France (‘La France’ or, officially, ‘La République française’) is a republic in Western Europe. The country’s total surface area is 543,965km², making France the biggest country in Western Europe in terms of surface area and the 37th biggest in the world.

In surface area, France is the third biggest country in Europe after Russia and Ukraine. The longest distance from north to south is 975 kilometres, and the distance from east to west is roughly the same.

Special France

In the field of parquet production France is somewhere in the middle. However, when it comes to consumption, it is one of the biggest users. France has a vast supply of wood and French forests are managed sustainably thanks to prudent government control. This means that over the years the forest area in France has grown. This is a healthy trend and a good example for many other countries. Anyone who looks after the planet gets something in return: the French forestry and timber industries together provide over 550,000 jobs.

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> continued from page 55

Since 1945, the forest area has increased by no less than 46%. In that time, about 74 hectares have been added each year. Until a few years ago, deciduous trees accounted for more or less 70% of the forest, mainly oak and beech trees. As for conifer trees, pine and spruce are extremely popular. The state-owned forests (about 1,750,000 hectares) are managed by the ONF (National Forestry Office) as well as those forests which are the property of local administrations (about 2,700,000 hectares). The remaining 10,600,000 hectares are divided up between about 3.5 million private owners. Each year, French forests yield over 53 million cubic metres of wood.

Special France

The French parquet industry France is not the biggest parquet manufacturer, but the French do love a wooden floor. And so, France does very well in terms of consumption. The last available figures were from 2010. For 2011, the European parquet federation spoke of a ‘stable market’.

And so, we assume that there have been few startling changes.

Parquet production France is in fifth place in the rankings for European parquet producing countries (FEP members). The country accounts for 9.25% of all European parquet production. In ranking order, France trails Poland, Germany, Sweden, and Austria. The total production in Europe in 2010 amounted to 70,300,000m² as compared to 67,523,000² the previous year. Of that total production, France accounts for 6,502,750m² of parquet. In 2009, France produced 6,353,914m² of parquet. And so, France has also benefitted from the general growth in the overall figures (square metres produced), even though the proportion of the total has fallen (9.41% in 2009 and 9.25% in 2010).

Parquet consumption We have already explained sufficiently why France is such an attractive land for foreign investors. However, France is also an attractive market for parquet producers since the country consumes far more parquet than it produces. Parquet consumption in Europe rose in 2010 by 6.81% to 92,945,000m². This is a positive trend which is expected to continue in 2012. French consumption has grown, and in 2010 France overtook Spain to claim second place in the European rankings. Germany heads the rankings with no less than 20.84% of the total consumption. France accounts for 13.01%, representing 12,0092,144 square metres of parquet. That’s almost twice what the country produces. In 2009, the French bought 10,036,783m². And so, consumption has increased by almost two million square metres and that is because of the aforementioned favourable wind which is blowing through the French construction industry.

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An introduction:

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Blanchon Blanchon was formed in 1832 at the start of the industrial revolution. Aimé Blanchon, the founder, concentrated mainly on the manufacture of fine tints and colours for the ‘Soyeux de Lyon’ (silk processers). As early as 1900, the company started to diversify by making products for the treatment and maintenance of copper and wood. In 1940, the course was set: Blanchon was to become a specialist in paint and varnish. This is still their core business today; they make and sell technical varnishes and transparent finishes which have added value for parquet and wood and offer durable protection with full respect for the user and the environment.

For 2012, there are lots of innovations planned. White Concept® makes it possible to obtain white and grey tints for oak with no

hazards at all. Prim Gold® is a new primer for parquet, which eliminates application traces on sorts of wood which are rich in tannin.

Furthermore, there is also the Solid Oil® in two components (with a hardener), which is considered at length elsewhere in this edition.

Blanchon has become a world class player, which exports to over 30 countries. The company has four subsidiaries, namely in Poland, Germany, Italy, and the UK. 480 people work for the company and the annual volume amounts to 35,000 tonnes.

Briançon The company Briançon was formed in 1984 and has connections with a long tradition in a family business. Indeed, Camille Briançon produced glues from skins in his similarly name companies (Ets) in the region of Aveyron. Nowadays, the company is located in Toulouse in an extremely modern factory. In 1980, Briançon launched the wood putty and paste Wood Mastic and the wax Carbamex. In 1992, they created the First dual component putty with no solvents. In 2009, Briançon launched azures, saturators, varnish, and such like. The company’s core business is the production of wax, putty, and adhesive for professional fitters. The most important product is still the Wood Mastic in powder or paste. New for 2012 is the Wood Mastic E100 Special Terrace Wood, which can be applied to all stable sorts of wood. Nowadays, Briançon employs 10 people and operates in 20 countries. The country is expanding in Asia and has set its sights on South America.

Chêne de l’est Chêne de l’est manufactures parquet, solid wood floors, multilayer parquet, and ready-to-use parquet. All phases of the production process, from the tree to the parquet, are performed in the company’s own workshop. The company was formed in 1960

by Joseph Bach, a joiner by profession. Chêne de l’est has always been in the hands of the Bach family. Today, Joseph Bach’s children hold the reins. Since 1993, the company has concentrated mainly on solid wood in 14 and 22mm, but has recently added multi-layer parquet to its range. Chêne de l’est is ‘particularly gifted’ when it comes to finishing or distressing floors. The company supplies an extremely varied range of quality floors with finishes such as Vieux de France®, Plancher d’autres fois®, and the much coveted finishes of (brushed/varnished, brushed/oiled, varnished, oiled, and such like. Thanks to its four production plants, Chêne de l’est can present an impressive range to meet today’s modern and varied demands.

The Emfi group The Emfi group specialises in the development and production of polyurethane and hybrid based glues and putty. For over 50 years, the group has been introducing innovative solutions for both the industrial sector and the construction industry. The company sells specific products, which are composed in such a way that they meet the needs of each user. Thanks to its formula with no isocyanates and a controlled production, the group installations are strictly answered to the ISO 14001 standard. The Emfi group is present in over 70 countries via its agents and subsidiaries. The company achieves 70% of its turnover abroad. Its sales figures have more than trebled over the past three years.

The range includes several novelties, including EmfiParquet Pro + and Emfiparquet PS 1300, adhesives based on silane polymers, designed for the full glueing of parquet floors.

Design Parquet Design Parquet has been manufacturing solid wood parquet for over 10 years. The company is driven by innovation and therefore

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FP Bois Felix Plantier founded FP Bois in 1953. The company is now led by his grandson, Eric Plantier, and is therefore into its third generation. In 1974, FP Bois created the first European industrial site for finishing parquet and panelling: Verniland. Today, there are three finishing lines, which varnish over a million square metres per annum. In 1990 and 2000, FP Bois took over two fellow companies. Since then, they have rationalised production on the various sites. One of the sites specialises in the production of parquet, another in varnishing, and the third one is used for sawing and drying the wood. Parquet is the most important product.

210 people work at FP Bois. The annual capacity amounts to about 3 million square metres. The company exports to over 15 countries and is considering exporting to China. The new products for 2012 are structured parquet and terrace planks in various colour finishes.

Gascogne Wood Products The company was formed in 1925 and has developed around three core businesses, namely wood, paper, and bags. Gascogne Wood Products is the wood division and was formed by the fusion of Gascogne Wood and d’Imberty in 2008. Gascogne Wood Products profiles itself as a specialist in wood for the home under the strong Imberty® trademark. The range includes indoor wood (panelling and solid wood parquet), outdoor wood (terraces and enclosures), and construction wood (including insulation systems on the outside, the K’ITE system). Gascogne Wood Products has six production plants. They take care of each phase of the wood processing themselves. The company employs a good 500 people.

New for 2012 is the ‘Gamme Lambris déco’ with three new collections: Free Expression (‘Libre Expression’), Style and Charm (‘Chic et Charme’), and The Moderns (‘Les Contemporains’). The company will also shortly be introducing a completely new range of outdoor wood under the Imberty® trademark.

Parquets Impexwood Jean Luc CASSIN is the president and founder of the company Parquets Impexwood, which was formed in 1993. Based at St Pierre des Corps en Touraine since 2000, Impexwood makes a whole range of solid wood and engineered parquet, which it offers to different markets in which the company operates.

Impexwood has a production capacity of 250,000m², employs 30 staff, and achieved a turnover of five million euros in 2011.

Specialising in wide planks, Impexwood supplies finished products oiled or varnished in the traditional or distressed ranges.

In 2012, Impexwood is launching a range of plywood parquet Duopark in widths of 260mm. Parquets Impexwood is active in France, but also on the major European markets where the company exports over 25% of its products.

Special France

Europlac Europlac is the division of Cabannes which concentrates on the production of parquet and wall furnishing. The company was formed in 1980 by Mr Cabannes, who is still head of the company.

Nowadays, he has assistance in the shape of the second generation. Europlac was formed 15 years ago. In its early days, the company developed an assortment of veneer floors and panelling, and now it has added multi-layer and solid wood parquet to its range. The entire production process is managed at its own offices at Bordeaux. In 2011, Europlac achieved a turnover of about five million euros and about 20 people work at Europlac.

With Cabannes included, the company employs about 40 people.

Production capacity amounts to 300,000m² per annum. Today, a good 150,000m² are produced annually. For 2012, the company plans to enlarge the Prestige range. There will also be a new range in solid wood of 14mm and an oak collection in the smoked and oiled designs (Chêne Fragrances).

Groupe V33 Plastor Over 50 years ago, the Group V33 launched the first parquet varnish as an alternative to the traditional bees wax. Since then, they have developed various products to protect and freshen up wood under the Plastor trademark. Research and development have laid a foundation for various innovations. First and foremost, Plastor strives for reliable products to supply demanding professionals. They describe their core business as the production and sale of all products for the protection, decoration, and maintenance of parquet, with the star products being the varnishes from the Pur-T range. Today, Plastor employs 600 people all over Europe. New for 2012 is a completely new range for outdoor floors. The company, logically, has also extended the Plastor range with the addition of a cleaner, an antiageing agent, a saturator, and oil. This assortment is complete and completely harmless to human health and the environment.

With this range Plastor now has solutions for all indoor and outdoor wooden floors. Another innovation is the ‘Rehausseur de teinte PUR-T’, a waterborne technical bottom layer which is applied before the varnishes and gives the floor an intense and modified depth.

Parquets Protat Parquets Protat has been producing parquet since 1936.

Amongst other things, the company produces 150,000m² parquet in solid oak and 25,000m² of panels each year. The oak wood comes from the most beautiful forests in Burgundy and is processed in the factory in Saint Gengoux de Scissé in the south of Burgundy. Parquets Protat is a sawmill and manufacturer of parquet. Turnover in 2011 was 5.7 million euros and the company employs 46 people. In 2012, the company is launching a twolayer parquet floor with a 5mm top layer in solid oak on a counter layer. The widths are 145, 185, 225, and 250mm. Parquets Protat bears the PEFC certificate.

Vision Parquet In 2001, Luc-Antoine Becquart set up Vision Parquet. The idea was to launch on the market a complementary assortment, a supplement to the existing floors work mainly with unusual sorts of wood (e.g. Mongolian, oak, rosewood, teak, and merbau) and with unusual sizes such as widths up to 260mm. Products are supplied within five to ten days and the finishes are customised. Vision Parquet pursues an atypical market strategy and is interested mainly in long-term partnerships. The core activity consists of the development, manufacture, and distribution of wide wooden floors. The top product (developed in 2003 and launched in 2005) is M3P (solid wood 3 ply) in oak with a top layer of 6mm. In 2011, Vision Parquet achieved a turnover of €650,000. The annual capacity is 25,000m².

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Floor Forum International 53

develops new products on a regular basis, both floors and floor accessories. To assure clients that the wood originates from sustainably managed forests, Design Parquet has both the FSC and PEFC certificates. Design Parquet has an ultra-modern factory and deploys the very latest technology to finish its floors. Floors can be varnished, oiled, coloured, or brushed on an ultra-modern finishing line. Design Parquet also offers special customised floors such as Versailles or the Navylam+ parquet floor for bathrooms. The company’s annual capacity is 500,000m². 47 people work at Design Parquet, which achieved a turnover of 15 million euros in 2011. For 2012, Design Parquet plans to introduce some new tints.

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> Product news TOVER — L’olio 100% In order to reply to an increasing demand for eco-friendly natural finishes, Tover launched a zero VOC oil formulated with essential and vegetal oils which deeply feeds the wood and keeps its open pores aspect. L’OLIO 100% offers a good resistance to water, dirt, wear and household products. It is solvent free and is nevertheless easy to apply on site.

This oil exists in neutral and coloured version and perfectly combines the tradition and beauty of an oil treatment with the modern daily life requirements.

WOCA

Exterior Oil, Exclusive – new water based exterior oil

Product news

For basic treatment and maintenance of new and previously oiled wood surfaces such as decks, garden furniture, cladding etc. The special water-based composition of oil components ensures that the product is water dilutable and friendly to the environment. The oil penetrates and saturates the wood from the inside and ensures a strong water and dirt repellent surface and protects against mould fungus. Typical features: Water based, None filmbuilding, Provides a hard-wearing surface, Contains UVprotection, Prevents mould and fungus, Suitable for decking, garden furniture, claddings and sidings, Fast drying

Rubio Monocoat

A carefree summer starts with RMC Hybrid Wood Protector The RMC Hybrid Wood Protector gives professionals a pure monocoat product for treating any type of outdoor wood. Why Hybrid? Because it brings together the benefits of all our technology in one product! RMC Hybrid Wood Protector colours and protects the wood in one single application, is 100% ecological, and extremely efficient as regards ‘freshening up’. Moreover, sandpapering is not necessary! If necessary, this product can also be used for indoor applications. RMC Hybrid Wood Protector does not form a film and does not peel. It is available in eight attractive shades. If you would like information and documentation, please contact one of our sales agents or visit our web site.

SADECHAF

Monitoring your UV-lamp with the Integrator of Sadechaf The UV-Integrator of Sadechaf is a practical instrument to follow up the output of your UV-lamps. Let the Integrator move under your UV-lamp with a constant speed and read the results of the measurement in milli-joules per cm². Repeat this measurement every week, and monitor the UV-output of your lamps.

If you need to be sure that your UV-lamps are generating enough UV, you have to use the UV-Integrator. Simple as that.

CSP Engineering

Par-Info®: automatic flyer-applicator

Floor Forum International 53

CSP Engineering, the Belgian producer and supplier of technology for parquet floor production, enlarges its product-range with Par-Info®, an automatic application device for brochures. Assembled onto the packing line, Par-Info® add a brochure to each package of floor boards passing the packing line. The brochure informs the end-customer directly about the product: CE, guarantee conditions, regulations for preservation, fitting and so on.

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HABO — presents Top Line, multi-layer parquet CSP Engineering, the Belgian producer and supplier of technology for parquet floor production, enlarges its product-range with Par-Info®, an automatic application device for brochures. Assembled onto the packing line, Par-Info® add a brochure to each package of floor boards passing the packing line. The brochure informs the end-customer directly about the product

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Loire Castle: wood and time!

With this new realization, Mardegan Legno wants to recreate the effect that the seasons, accompanied by winds, rain and sun, give the wood exposed to weathering.

Therefore they created this line of saw marked and sand blasted floors, rustic and refi ned at the same time,

dedicated to those seeking the natural warmth of wood with the elegance of neutral tones.

Like all products of Mardegan Legno, Loire Castle is also made entirely by hand, and is available in various sizes and various colours, making the choice of floor a real pleasure.

For further information please visit our website: www.mardeganlegno.com, or email us at info@mardeganlegno.com

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.

Discover the world of Mapei: www.mapei.com

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