FFI 56 November 2012

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INTERNATIONAL trade journal for import, export, distribution and laying of parquet, laminate, cork flooring and related products

I N T E R N AT I O N A L N° 56, November. 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

TOP EXPORT MINDED ITALIAN COMPANIES IN A NUTSHELL !

Aftershow

Aftershow

Aftershow Harrogate Flooring Show (UK)

Aftershow Global Wood Mart Malaysia Special Veneer Wooden Flooring

Special Distressed Floors

Special Elastic Adhesives

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

industry news TOP EXPORT MINDED ITALIAN COMPANIES IN A NUTSHELL

Aftershow

Aftershow

Aftershow Harrogate Flooring Show (UK)

Aftershow Global Wood Mart Malaysia Aftershow Veneer Wooden Flooring

Par-ky

Special Distressed Floors

BJ Parket Special Elastic Adhesives

Floor Forum International, N° 56, November ’12 Picture Z-Parket

4 Inside News 8 Aftershow Domotex Russia (Moscow) 11 A visit to the Dr. Luga de Säliste vocational school ( RO) 13 Aftershow Made Expo Milan (I) 17 Special producers of Profiles 21 Special manufacturers of Veneer Wooden Flooring 24 Aftershow Global Wood Mart (Malaysia) 26 Industry News 27 Special producers of Distressed Floors 33 Special manufactures of Multi-layer parquet 38 Advertorial Zabolak (NL) 39 Aftershow Harrogate Flooring Show (UK) 41 Special Underlay (part 3) 44 Advertorial Mapei (I) 46 Special Sanding machines (part 2) 49 Special Laminate floors (part 2) 52 Advertorial Chimiver Panseri Spa (I) 55 Special Elastic adhesives 58 Special UV lacquer range 60 Special Italy : Top Exportminded Italian Companies in a Nutshell!

66 Product news

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Editorial “Private clients are increasingly buying multi-layer parquet.”

Jan Labeeuw (Lalegno)

In this edition, Jan Labeeuw, manager of parquet manufacturer Lalegno, gives us his views on the market situation and also tells us the state of play in his own company.

“Lalegno is doing very well. In these times of economic crisis, we have to be well satisfied with our position.

Our products are well known on the market and our quality commands the respect of our partners everywhere in Belgium and abroad.”

How do you explain the growing success of parquet in interior design?

“Nowadays, people give a lot of thought to the look and atmosphere of their homes. Despite the crisis, or perhaps even because of it, lots of people are renovating. They’re opting for home improvements, rather than move house. The quality of the material used plays a big part here, because private owners want to give their homes a little extra value and not simply opt for one of the many temporary solutions.”

You’re a major player on the multilayer parquet market. How is that market segment developing?

“Multi-layer parquet is our field. The general public now recognise the benefits of multi-layer parquet. Our expertise and ability to take advantage of the preferred colour trends amongst Belgian consumers mean we can convince people of the benefits of our products. Specialist parquet businesses are equally important here because they advise private customers

who are looking for a wooden floor.

That’s why we think it’s important to provide our partners with sound documentation and display material.”

What are the biggest advantages offered by Lalegno?

“One of our biggest advantages is undoubtedly our extremely wide and diverse range in oak, tropical, and bamboo parquet floors. Lalegno has over 100 different parquet floors, with scores of possibilities as regards sizes and finishes. Moreover, we’re proud to say that our products are all adapted to the latest trends in colour and taste and are therefore very well appreciated by the general public.”

“We also work hard to ensure that Lalegno can offer a total package: we supply not only the floor, but also all the accessories, such as matching skirting boards and profiles, rosaces, and even stair nosings or steps, finished in the same colour as the floor.

In addition, our range also includes suitable adhesives, maintenance polish and wax, and soap for regular cleaning.

And so, clients can come to us for the full package, and that makes life a lot easier for them.”

What new products is Lalegno introducing in the near future?

“At the moment, we’re busily working on our new collection for 2013. The top products are staying, but we also have a few outstanding new products.

We’re launching the new products officially at Domotex 2013 in Hanover.

And so, we’re not saying too much about them until then.”

Editing & advertisements

Advertising & subscriptions

Production:

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

Adriana Dascalu info@media-pact.com Hilde De Ridder floorforum@telenet.be Filip De Ridder sales@media-pact.com

Lowyck - Oostende

Publishers

Jean Paul Talbot Ludwig Janssens Filip De Ridder Jacques Legros

Filip De Ridder Lay-out:

‘79 design - Gentbrugge (B)

Translation:

Michael Robinson Floor Forum International is a publication of FFi bvba

Editors:

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

ER op OV ek zo m N ) Be Foru AN 13 H .20 or 1 Flo EX 5.0 T O 2-1 M (1

N° 55, Sept. 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

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INTERNATIONAL trade journal for import, export, distribution and laying of parquet, laminate, cork flooring and related products

> Inside news Lite Wood International opts for Surfaces, Las Vegas, Stand B 2845 The management of Lite Wood was unable to reach an agreement with Deutsche Messe about attendance at the forthcoming Domotex 2013 in Hanover. On the other hand, they decided to take part in the big North American floor fair Surfaces, which takes place in Las Vegas from 29 to 31 January 2013. Anyone wanting to know more about the Lite Wood products can contact the Lite Wood agents via the web site or is most welcome at the Lite Wood stand at Surfaces in Las Vegas.

Floor Forum International 56

Inside news

MeisterWerke starts delivery of Nadura again

4

Starting from 1 November, the new generation of Nadura products from the house of MeisterWerke Schulte will be available from specialist retailers. At the start of the year, the company presented the Nadura products to widespread acclaim, but due to material changes in the technical components it was forced to temporarily cancel supply.

Guido Schulte, Managing Director: “We have replaced the cellulose backing that we originally used with a modified wood fibre backing to guarantee an even more symmetrical configuration of the product.

In this way we were able to once again optimise the product attributes and visuals such as the tightness and also the three dimensionality.”

The Nadura products are now being delivered without any changes to their visuals or dimensions. The NB 400 flooring in tile format will continue to be offered in three slate visuals, Hickory as well as Stropiziano; the NP 300 Nadura panel in eight different colours and/or surfaces, and in two different formats.

Parkettfreund Parkettfreund has made its name over years now in the industry of flooring manufacturers, professional installers and specialized retailers as they are always aiming on the latest trends combined with efficient laying and finishing solutions.

Besides various types of flooring profiles and a wide range of accessories the German producer also offers stair nosings suitable for straight or diagonal installation and even to cover open side parts which lead to an excellent renovation of worn-down stairs. The application is as simple as time-saving and the available types of stair nosings may be used for floor covering heights from 7-16mm.

With stair nosing systems from Parkettfreund the customers gets an elegant, decorative and timeless look of the steps as one may choose between six aluminium surfaces and thirteen wooden optics. As a complete supplier for flooring products Parkettfreund also offers an underlay selection for the most different requirements. The assortment covers for example standard PE foam underlays and natural products out of re-growing materials.

Additionally, Parkettfreund is also putting the emphasis on excellent insulation results.

Parkettfreund is your partner for installation, finishing and renovation and offers “everything for the floor”.

Pallmann Pall-X 333: solvent- free, colour- enhancing priming for hardwood floors Pallmann extends its comprehensive product range with a solvent-free primer which intensifies the characteristic timber tint. The innovative, two component-oil-primer amplifies the natural appearance of timber varieties, for example oak and the more exotic species. This results in a stronger and warmer shade which can be finished with hardwood floor lacquers like Pall-X 96 or Pall-X 98, after the priming coat has dried.

Pall-X 333’s unique quality is it intensifying effect on the timber shade and grain and a warmer tone, combined with a short drying time when compared with other oil based primers; it allows the primed area to be lacquer-coated after only 12 hours.

The chemical engineers of the hardwood floor coating specialist Pallmann have achieved this by combining the oil component with a hardener component without the need for additional solvents. The floor professional is able to finish the floor with a Pallmann lacquer after only 12 hours, distinguishing this product, its technology and short drying time as unique.

This oil-based primer can be applied to all sanded and joint filled hard wood floors as well as to floors with underfloor heating.

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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 www.rubiomonocoat.com

> continued from page 4

Tolin The company Tolin Wooden began his career in the early sixties for over thirty years and adopting systems for its dry laying wooden floors, recovering and renewing an installation technique that has its origins in the early ‘90.

Tolin realizes a laying technique called “all dry” with which it is proposed to the client to realize a parquet laying completely dry in green building without the use of cement or its derivatives.

Important features of our type of installation are those of demountability, inspection and separability of the system itself, in particular being a dry system allows a high level of recyclability and reuse of materials at the end of life.

Inside news

Windmöller CONNECT designer flooring in XL plank format For BAU 2013, Windmöller presents kingsize for the first time at an exhibition - the first CONNECT floor in XL format. DESIGNline CONNECT kingsize are attractive country style single planks with extra long and wide planks (1505 x 235 mm) in the very latest wood finishes and a minimal construction height of just 5 mm.

The XL format with 12 ultra-modern oak, vintage and rough sawn finishes and shades from light to dark is the perfect flooring solution - in the home and in commercial buildings, for new builds as well as renovations and refurbishments. Like all CONNECT floors, the new kingsize planks can be walked on straight after installation, are extremely durable and with their tangible surface textures give off a natural appearance and hence a high degree of authenticity. The Windmöller CONNECT floors are suitable for installation in damp areas and on all conventional warm water underfloor heating systems.

Overnight renovations can therefore be carried out quickly without noise or mess and without interfering normal business (e.g. in hotels). The floors’ natural and authentic surface textures are particularly easy to clean and look after thanks to a PU surface treatment. Since the introduction of the patented CONNECT technology in 2009, this tremendously successful locking system for designer floors has established itself throughout Europe and put Windmöller in the position of market leader.

coating, finishing, oil treatments, and brushing wood for roofs, wood construction, and wooden floors. International clients and distributors can visit the testing area on two specific days of the week to see the machines at work. The core business is therefore machine construction. Paoloni has at least 45 models of machines in three categories: sports floor maintenance, the building industry, and the treatment and finish of floors and wooden profiles. The two star products are Minitunnel and Rusticat, which are both parquet finish machines. Paoloni operates in 45 countries, but only in 15 countries on an ongoing basis. The country wants to commit itself further to export in countries such as Australia and the UK.

The exclusive and sustainable wooden floor that lasts a lifetime.

The collections For use in commercial premises there are the attractive kingsize wood finishes with a wear layer of 0.55 mm (UC 33/42), whilst for home use the collection is called LAGUNA kingsize with a wear layer of 0.30 mm (UC 23/31).

Paoloni Paoloni was formed in 1959 and has been producing machines for the building industry for over 40 years. In 2001, the company modified no less than 50% of its production space for the express purpose of designing and making machines for wood processing. Today, the company offers 12 different machines for

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Floor Forum International 56

Sadechaf Successful start with site applied UV project Lacquer specialist Basin Chemie used the Tiger UV Floor curing machine of Sadechaf to develop a new line of UV varnishes for parquets.

The UV varnish is applied coat by coat and cured by exposing it to a high intensity UV lamp. Immediately after exposure, the coating is ready for sanding or for use at full load. The floor fitter can finish a floor within one day and the floor owner has a floor finish of the highest quality.

The tests at Basin Chemie are successfully finished. Both Sadechaf and Basin are ready to market their products in Europe.

7

Aftershow Domotex Russia ( Moscow)

The first Domotex Russia gets a good general review.

The first Domotex Russia took place in Moscow between 26 and 28 September. 145 exhibitors and 4120 professionals from all corners of Russia and the CIS gathered in Crocus Expo. It was not so much the figures themselves as the high quality of the visitors which revealed the potential of this B2B carpet and flooring trade fair.

International exhibitors The 145 exhibitors came from various parts of the world: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. They brought a selection of their most interesting products for a public from all parts of Russia and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). Domotex Russia certainly fulfilled its promise for the visitors with a varied and full range of floor solutions to make up the broadest selection ever seen in Russia. This included carpets woven mechanically or manually, wall-to-wall carpet, parquet, laminate, and hard floor coverings, complemented by a range of fitting and maintenance solutions.

Floor Forum International 56

Lots of market info Besides the range of 145 exhibitors, visitors were also able to attend an extensive programme of presentations with various guest speakers. For example, there was Vera Nikolskaya, director of ABARUS Market Research, and Vitaly Berdino, general director of Flooring Expert, who shared their insights into the current and future market situation on the Russian flooring market. Natalya Eremeeva, marketing director of the Starik Hottabych chain, and Ilya Korniukhov, general director of the DIY Union shared their views on sales channels in Russia. Oleg Vitalyevich Karimov from BTG Expo outlined import possibilities in Russia and the customs formalities. However, the fair also paid attention to working methods on site. John Roberts of The Academy of Flooring Skills from Great Britain led a workshop on the correct working methods for floor fitting and maintenance in a zone set aside for this purpose.

The organisers also considered ecology and sustainability at the specially created Eco Forum, which was sponsored by Bauwerk Parkett. The forum considered a wide range of subjects, including ecological production techniques and new materials to take advantage of environmental legislation.

8

General satisfaction After the fair, the organisers expressed their satisfaction with the first Domotex Russia. Martin Folkerts, director of Global Fairs of Deutsche Messe said: “We were delighted with the general confidence and broad support from various flooring companies from all corners of the world. The fair was buzzing with activities and visitors were also very pleased. We hope that the fair will also prove worthwhile for the exhibitors.”

Natalya Malikova, sales director at Bauwerk, commented: “We’ve

always had good experiences with Domotex fairs and we’re also pleased to be present at Domotex Moscow. In comparison with other fairs here in Russia, we see here a public of wholesalers and dealers, whereas at other fairs we see more architects and designers. For us that’s part of the fair’s added value.”

Natalya Ivanova, marketing manager of OSMO Russia, said: “I’m pleased with our results from this fair. I hope that in the future we’ll see even more colleagues here. At all events, we were happy with the interest which visitors showed in our products.”

In view of the favourable assessment, the organisers have already announced the venue and dates of the next Domotex Russia: 25 to 27 September 2013 in Crocus Expo, Moscow.

Bauwerk Parkett Bauwerk Parkett AG (Switzerland) is the leading parquet manufacturer in Europe. Bauwerk parquet combines Swiss quality, environmentally friendly materials, unique collections and wide range of parquet. To meet strict environmental requirements in the procurement of raw materials - is the most important component of business strategy. All assortment of Bauwerk parquet flooring is made of the wood from the environmentally certified forest area, which has all necessary certificates. Bauwerk Parkett AG ensures that all its products meet the quality standard, are produced in accordance with the requirements of environmentally friendly housing and does not emit in space any harmful chemicals and synthetic substances. Bauwerk Parkett inspires you to solve new design goals with its innovative products.

Floor Diffusion Mio Srl Floor Diffusion Mio S.r.l. is satisfied for the results achieved at last Domotex exhibition in Moscow. Golden and Silvery collection have attracted the attention of a big number of

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Grupo Arrondo Pavimentos Arrondo shows in Domotex Russia both traditional solid wood flooring and it´s new Design Line, where it combines the strengthen of the oak with the beautifulness of its ends and design. These are products that might be fitted in many projects such as Auditoriums, Hotels or Restaurants, and where it particular shapes, with a combination of straight and curve lines, will give to the space a special atmosphere. Into our Design Line we presented LAUKI, our cross-cut flooring which had and incredible interest not only from Russian visitors. It particular system for fitting the places was very well recognized from professionals that visited our booth. The fair was really successful in terms of interest of our products and the type of the public who have visited it.

Osmo attends the premiere of DOMOTEX in Moscow Osmo Holz und Color GmbH & Co. KG, together with Osmo Moscow, attended and accompanied the successful start of the DOMOTEX Russia, which ran from the 26. to 28.

September 2012. The wood specialist not only presented new products and highlights from this year’s decking and flooring product assortments, but also demonstrated various finishes and application methods on different wood species during the show.

As an internationally orientated company Osmo used the show to both meet existing business partners and welcome new contacts.

Osmo also arranged a seminar in advance of the trade show, on the 25th September 2012, which was attended by 125 people from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok and all over Russia. The DOMOTEX Russia, trade show and conference for flooring, mirrors the conception of its German role model and will now be an annual event which runs parallel to the Home Textile Russia show.

Stauf Domotex Russia was held in one hall with a good number of exhibitors. However, we were really surprised at the number of visitors to the Stauf stand, both from Moscow and from other

Easy and effective. Naturally

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NEW OIL APPLICATOR Roller application for rapid, uniform coverage

Oil Applicator The new Oil Applicator from WOCA gives the user numerous advantages.

The main benefit is the applicator dispenses the correct volume of oil consistently giving a uniform finish. Perfect dosage leads to less wastage making the process more economical, in addition the applicator makes oiling larger areas far easier and faster. Because of these benefits, the oil application becomes much more effective and smooth, perfect quality, time saving and economical.

The applicator tool kit is easy to clean and maintain and includes everything required to apply the WOCA oils easily and successfully.

How to do: www.woca.dk/video

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

Aftershow Domotex Russia ( Moscow)

visitors interested on special wood flooring. The main contacts we got from the fair are wholesalers, architects and designer. Since this event we are already in contact with new customers in order to develop a market network in Russia.

The peculiarity of our production of Golden and Silvery flooring is the real effect of gold and silver obtained with a particular Italian lacquer containing micronized metals with a high resistance on the surface. The whole collection will be shown at next Hannover exhibition, for info or samples request you can contact us at by our website.

> continued from page 9

regions of Russia. The quality of the visitors was good, so as far as we are concerned we are delighted with the results and positive feedback from Domotex Russia.

Harenda international wood trading in Siberian Floors

Aftershow Domotex Russia ( Moscow)

WOCA

WoodCare Denmark A/S, a market leader in the Danish retail market as well as in a number of export markets. This year, WOCA has been presented by the Russian company “WOCA-Russia” as an exclusive representative in the territory of Russia. At Domotex Russia 2012, WOCA has shown almost the whole range, however the main purpose was to present the new totally pure product “Pure Natural Oil”. It is an organically grown oil with less than 0.25% solvent and it is based on vegetable sunflower oil. All components in the product are FDA approved. That is great news for your wood and even better news for the planet.

WOCA wants to succeed in both: protecting the wood from inside and outside instead of forming a film and always with a product range produced with consideration for the environment.

WOCA was one of the few companies demonstrating the use of products at the Domotex Russia 2012.

Siberian Floors and Albert Chapel were present at the first Domotex Moscow. Ever since 2000, Albert Chapel has determined the products for Siberian Floors. After distressed, scraped, and Tudor coming first, organic oxidised floors are now the latest development. This is the result of the Haut Couture wooden floor coverings which Albert Chapel has been making for years, based on four elements, in which ‘polishing’ provides a completely new quality of wood finish.

Just as wood oxidises naturally, it is given a colour and a finish to preserve it and reduce tension evenly and slow down discolouration by about 90%.

In the split RAW and unplaned Brut oak, this gives a completely new feeling, which is produced by Siberian Floors as ‘Albert Chapel Couture’. For more information please visit the web site www.siberianfloors.com.

Flexible and strong – ready for major tasks!

SPU-460 by STAUF combines the well-proven application safety of a 1-component PU adhesive with the health and safety benefits offered by our silane technology. high shear strength for dimensionally stable and rigid bonding no adverse interaction with finishes excess adhesive easy to remove suitable for almost all subfloors without primers solvent-free, water-free, no hazmat labeling required

Elastic I-component SPU wood flooring adhesive – developed by STAUF for demanding tasks

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...excellence from the ground up!

A visit to the Dr. Luga De Säliste Vocational School The vast majority of parents and young people in Rumania live under a misconception that an academic education gives them more hope of finding a job than vocational training, even though some of these young people are not academically suitable to follow a classical education. This produces a whole generation of unemployed young people with no trade, whilst scores of employers search in vain for qualified specialists. The situation in the parquet industry is no different. That was reason enough for the Dr. Luga de Säliste Foundation to open a parquet training school. We spoke to Marius Filipascu, director of the school and, also, the only trainer.

Kirschbaum, a teacher in Neustadt/Aisch, and from Josef Heller, a former teacher at that school. Marius Filpascu and the aforementioned Josef Heller are responsible for the examinations. So far, they have witnessed two rounds of examinations. The results have proved that there is plenty of talent amongst Rumanian young people.

Corporate managers who had the ‘courage’ to send trainees to the school are absolutely delighted! One of them is even considering fitting parquet in addition to the company’s current activities and sending a team to the school for training.

were presented on 31 March at the National Museum of History in Bucharest.

Germany ran away with first prise, but one of the ‘home players’ did win an award.

Rumanian George Orza Dorel landed the ‘Special Prize for best PVC installation.’ There’s certainly plenty of talent in Rumania, and that means Marius Filipascu still has work to do. We wish him and the school every success!

A European competition This year, Rumania acted as host and organiser of the European Floorlaying Competition. Teams from seven different countries vied for the title Best European Floor Installer. Now let’s be honest: it’s a small world considering the organisation originates from the same EUFA P+F, of which the Dr. Luga de Säliste Foundation is also a member. The aforementioned Josef Heller, vice-president of the organisation, was in the jury. The awards

A European operation “The issue of training in Rumania is probably similar to that in many other European countries,” says Marius Filipascu. “Through a concentration of European associations and institutions, we can achieve a universal approach and a high European level of professionals in all trades.” He himself adopted ideas from Germany for his school. “We’ve developed a training course based on the existing training programme of the State Vocational School in Neustadt/Aisch. We simply took some elements, integrated them, and adapted them as required.” Mario Filipascu himself still learns new things from German

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Floor Forum International 56

The Vocational School The opening of the Dr. Luga de Säliste Vocational School was a response to the crying need for professional expertise. In Rumania, schools where you could learn a trade, the so called vocational schools, disappeared several years ago. The average ‘Rumanian’ sees more hope of success in academic studies than in vocational education. For over 20 years, various Rumanian governments have ignored the big need for new vocational schools, so now there is a situation where supply of workers no longer meets the demand. Therefore, the Dr. Luga de Säliste Foundation, a member of the EUFA P+F (Professional Training in Parquet Laying and Flooring Technology in Europe), has set up this ‘Vocational School’, a training scheme which combines ‘training’ and ‘working’, also called an ‘apprenticeship’.

At the start, 14 young people from eight different companies attended the course.

That number fell the next year because most of the trainees were older than 21 and had already completed other studies.

At present, the school has three trainees in the second year and two in the first.

A visit to Dr. Luga De Säliste Vocational School

Rumania under the spell of young parquet talent

11

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MADE EXPO

MADE Expo took place in Milan from 17 to 20 October. This international building and architectural trade fair brings together both the Italian and international building and architectural industries together in the economic capital of Italy. After the fair, the general view was that the event reflected the efficiency of the building sector in these difficult economic days. At the same time, exhibitors at this fair showed the way towards growth for the European construction industry with some new and innovative technology. We visited the fair and in this article we introduce some interesting new products.

Lots of attention to floors and wood Two full large halls were set aside for floor finishes, but one hall was also devoted to wooden houses and structures.

MADE Expo will be held every two years.

The next MADE Expo will take place from 2 to 5 October 2013 and will also represent a new start. Last month, the fair was put into the hands of Federlegno Arredo, which is the Italian wood and furniture industry federation. It has some new ambitions and is planning a new strategy. From 2013, this fair will take place every two years in order to take more advantage of other European building trade fairs. Furthermore, a two-yearly event will help the new owners to take better advantage of the need for specialisation. At the same time, the organisers also want the fair to steer a more international course, partly through the extension of its international contacts.

Below we give a overview of exhibitors with interesting products for our sector Cadorin Cadorin inside Green Home Design will participate to the realization of two important projects During MADE Expo 2012 Cadorin was PARTNER of the exhibition Green Home Design “Living present” participating to the realization of two projects: Cadorin carpentry, the family-run business, since over a century transforms wood with craftsmanship. Strongly conservative of Made in Italy produces parquet planking in big dimensions. The different collections – Pregio, Elite, Epoch, Oak, Tracks, Gold – meets every refined needs, while the wide selection of wood species and finishes increases their customizability.

In the first one “GKH: Green Kinder House”, a kindergarten and living room that will be donated to the Emila’s earthquake victims and is designed from Marchingenio Studio –arch. Max Mandarini.

Cadorin will present Larch Planks with weave working surface in alternate rows in two colors, both for effect: grey and bleached; the parquet will continue also on the wall to create vertically some skyscrapers.

In the second one “Space for Life” of Marco Piva Studio- realization of homes in green modular elements stackable and that can be aggregate – Cadorin will present in a location two kinds

of parquet: Vecchia Noghera hand planed and natural oiled, who enhance the countless wood shades of European walnut, and European Oak with Sugar Paper shades, trendy planks with an absolute modern taste.

Ciranova Ciranova exhibited for the first time in Italy with their new importer Bonomi Pattini. Since October Bonomi Pattini is the official distributor of Ciranova products in Italy. Bonomi Pattini is one of the largest timber companies in Italy and is also distributor of Parky and Valchromat. On the stand, Ciranova presented their trendy and unique colors of stains and hardwaxoils. There was a lot of interest in the new outdoor products to protect Deckings and sidings in a very easy, fast and environment friendly way namely UVP Color & UVP Decking oil 2C. UVP color is a water based primer to color the wood. Afterwards you need to protect the wood with UVP Decking Oil 2C. This 2-component oil protects the wood in only 1 layer and is easy to apply with the polishing machine. More info can be found on the new website: www. ciranova.eu.

Garbelotto Great success for Garbelotto and Master Floor at MADE Expo 2012 in Milan: many visitors have been attracted not only by the new products, but also by the elegance of the stand and by the richness of materials. For the companies it’s very important to communicate that all the products are Made in Italy in their plants, granting a perfect quality. Many new products have been presented: Gli Antichi – antique boards handily restored, Le Murrine di Creator, Venice murrine glass insert in the wooden square, Graffiti line, you can decorate your floor printing with anything you want on the surface of the parquet; and the new UV oil line that increases the natural oil resistance and permits an easy and perfect restoring.

Giorio Giorio was one of the protagonists of the “Made expo” fair in Milan. A lot of novelties have been showed during the exhibition affecting the attention of many visitors. First at all the Made in Italy collection that include fine Oak, Teak and Walnut parquets.

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Floor Forum International 56

After the fair, the organisers of MADE Expo (Milano Architectura Design Edilizia) numbered 231,729 visitors (8.6% fewer than in 2011). 31,235 of them were from abroad. With 1,532 exhibitors, MADE Expo has clearly confirmed its position as the leading national construction fair in Italy.

Aftershow Made Expo Milan (I)

shows future direction for the building industry.

13

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Than the “Alma floor” last tendencies, such as the “Island “ collection, made with natural varnishes. Finally the new amazing panels (tiles) composed with parquet and marble pattern, realized combining the new technological manufacturing system with the best materials and the italian design.

Giorio, Naturally surprises you.

Aftershow Made Expo Milan (I)

Lechner Spa Made Expo is confirmed as the main showcase for the building and construction industry, both nationally and internationally, given to the always increasing flow of foreign visitors. Lechner Spa confirms its presence and expects big results of interest for its proposals, especially from new contacts coming from Italy and abroad. The reasons of this success, said the CEO of the company Dr. Lechner in a recent interview, are the low environmental impact products and the certified systems. One of the proposals of the company had the honour to represent the historical brand of the company, a yellow and a green bulbs on a white field: Drenatech, an innovative resin bound paving system which is a long-lasting and actractive alternative to tramac, gravel and paving stones outside. Drenatech is available in a wide range of colours which gives you an opportunity to create something unique.

Mardegan Legno Last edition of Made Expo has been for Mardegan Legno a confirmation of the acceptance of its wide range of wooden floors, produced with exclusive craftmanship, such as, for example, handscraped, sanblasted, sandblasted and rounded, and a range of over 60 colours that can be applied on 17 different sizes.

It was also a good opportunity for the presentation of new collections, as “Harmony & Nature”, a collection that is finished with oil-based products and natural waxes, in a variety of color tones going from the classic to ultra-modern, and “Natural Wood”, a collection of wooden floors finished with professional “natural effect” painting.

Confirmed the success for the collection “Le Perle dei Castelli”, inlay parquet Versailles style in 13 different designs and sizes.

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Par-ky

14

Par-ky and its mother company Decospan were proud to present on Made Expo 2012 the new cooperation between their 2 Italian distributors, Par-ky Italia and Bonomi Pattini. In the past, the Par-ky veneer floors were distributed by Par-ky Italia, while Bonomi Pattini – pioneer in innovative and sustainable panels for architecture and design – was the distributor of the veneered panel products of Decospan (Shinnoki, Decoflex). This new cooperation offers a lot of new opportunities, a better service, a larger product range and a broader distribution network.

The many visitors on our renewed, big stand were enthusiastic and appreciated the advantages of this synergy. From the

success of Made Expo we can conclude that this cooperation will create added value for the Italian market.

Recoll Despite the actual economical situation, the number of interested visitors was at least satisfactory due to a large presence of local distributors and parquet installers. The main interest was the price and quality request of the epoxy – polyurethane products which are still mostly used in Europe, but there was also a large interest into the silane adhesives products which are developed according to the newest technology. The silane adhesives guarantee excellent performances specifically for the parquet dimensional stability with different humidity and heating conditions. To reply to those specific professional demands, Recoll International has showed the following products: • PARQUET 0160 ECO : Two components Epoxy – Poliurethane • SILANBLOK SM : One component Silane Adhesive Renzo Borgonovo and FNT Trabattoni Stampi Partnership between Renzo Borgonovo and FNT Trabattoni Stampi was a great success at the last edition of Made Expo Milan. This year, in addition of machine for wood embossing along with several new designs, Borgonovo has displayed the spraying machine model SP 6P for surface finishing.

The synergy between these Italian companies has developed technology of wood embossing applied to the world of parquet. Architects from all over the world use the experience of these two companies to create structures and finishes new and trendy, required by a market more and more demanding.

Siberian Floors

The Siberian Floors stand at MADE Expo in Milan caught the eye of Gruppo Bonomi Pattini due to the wood textures with a very high cosiness factor; it worked like a magnet on the hands. Gold on a burnt multi-plank, in extreme sizes (certainly for Italy) of 24cm wide and 250cm long, and even the quality of the birch plywood base stood out a lot. In the stand it was Albert Chapel, who, with a round wooden covering, showed that this, as such, was a Haut Couture in wood. As a designer, he has determined the product lines which Siberian Floors have been following since 2000. The Italian Gruppo Bonomi Pattini has included 46 products from the Siberian Floors collection, in which the ‘Icey’ series was launched specially for this show, floors with a metal oxide finish, which attracted lots of attention. For more information please visit the web site www.siberianfloors.com

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Live in New York

www.mardeganlegno.com info@mardeganlegno.com sales@mardeganlegno.com

Come meet the Canadian Maple Team at HALL 9, STAND E13

Learn how you can score big with Canadian wood producers!

www.canadawood.org

www.quebecwoodexport.com

Profiles, too, are trend-sensitive Whether skirting boards suit the floor or not is a ‘trend issue’. Skirting boards, apart from being a technical solution, are also largely a decorative solution. And so, skirting board developments mirror those of floors. Profiles are mainly a technical solution. They usually solve a technical construction problem (see below). Nevertheless, they, too, are not immune to the effects of ‘fashion’. Striking trends include aluminium and other metal ‘looks’. Even more prickly: digital printing on profiles. We’re moving towards personalised solutions!

What do profiles do?

Whilst skirting boards provide an aesthetic border between the wall and the floor, profiles provide an aesthetic and comfortable bridge for all sorts of transitions. These transitions can be summarised as follows:

Parkettfreund

From horizontal to vertical Here we mean the stop profiles or end profiles which connect the floor to the wall.

From horizontal to horizontal on the same level These profiles can be used to bind different sorts of floor (e.g. parquet/wall-to-wall carpet) or to get rid of expansion joints.

From horizontal to ‘nothing’ Here we mean the sealed edge profiles which are used, for example, to board up platforms, raised floorboards, or staircase edges.

Stair profiles Something of a separate category in the profile world are the so called stair nosings which provide an aesthetic and, in particular, a safe finish for stair steps. These are considered elsewhere in this edition in the article on stair renovation.

Even more choice For some years now, there has been a strong move towards ‘fewer profiles for more applications’. The reason for this development, of course, was the infinite variety of potential situations on site and for which some profile or other was required. Indeed, the transitions outlined above are available in every imaginable size and vary from site to site. Naturally, this problem occurs less

in new buildings, but all the more so in renovation. Producers have put their creative researchers to work to make profiles versatile. One separation profile needs to bridge as many differences in level as possible. Or one profile needs to serve as a separation, level, and seal profile at the same time. One of the purposes of limiting the variety of profiles by means of a certain versatility was to reduce the pressure on traders and distributors, who could hardly be expected to keep the infinite mass of technical profiles in stock. Nowadays, those versatile profiles are still a reality, but, according to one dealer, there is now a strong diversification, especially in the area of colours.

Trends in profiles The above developments have shown clearly that aesthetic appearance is gaining in importance. Profiles are no longer merely a technical solution, but they have also taken on a decorative function. It is certainly not easy to identify trends precisely because a certain effort towards the ‘tailor-made’ inevitably produces diversification. One trend which is appearing everywhere is aluminium. Aluminium profiles are appearing in different colours in which black and stainless steel are on the march. Anodised profiles with colours such as champagne, silver, gold, and bronze are also catching on. One producer now also has bendable aluminium skirting boards, which follow any bends in the wall with no problem at all.

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Floor Forum International 56

From horizontal to horizontal on a different level These are profiles which form a descending angle and thereby ensure that differences in level are tempered so that they become less of a hindrance. These profiles actually have three main functions: a protective function to ensure that the edge of the highest floor is not damaged, a safety function to prevent occupants or visitors from stumbling over the different levels, and, finally, an aesthetic function to make the difference in level less obtrusive.

Special producers of Profiles

Aluminium and metal designs are doing well

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What’s on the market?

In this section we let a number of companies have their say.

Some offer innovative products, whilst others give us their views on market developments.

Special producers of Profiles

Roommade

Roommade takes the view that the profiles determine the finish of the floor. The company offers an extensive range of profiles, which are subdivided into solid and metal profiles. The solid profiles include separation profiles, level profiles, and seal profiles, which can be supplied in nine colours. The two-part aluminium profiles are also separation profiles, level profiles, and seal profiles, which can be supplied in six colours. Roommade offers selfadhesive aluminium corner profiles with heights of 10, 15, and 20mm in eight colours. The profiles are presented on a profile chain, which is delivered with the showroom display for parquet or laminate.

FN Neuhofer As regards materials, FN Neuhofer still appreciates established values such as aluminium and HDF. As regards decorative aspects, no one can disregard digital printing any more. It is possible to create an endless number of decors within a short space of time using their own FN Digiprint. Any idea can be printed quickly and flexibly without having to make a print plate or cylinder for each decor. This saves time and money! FN Digiprint can turn

DIGITAL OR G DEC PRINTIN BERIT Ü

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any fantasy into a reality. As regards functionality, there is still a trend towards multifunctionality in one profile. The star product from FN is the FN 8 in 1 multi-talent. This profile has two height options for four different applications. This is an important advantage in saving storage space on the premises of dealers and retailers.

Karl Pedross This selection is awesome.

With ALU ****, the newly developed flooring profile system, the optimal expansion of the PEDROSS flooring profile range has been a success. The innovative aluminum profiles are available with 2 intermediate parts for height adjustment, thus helping to bridge a variety of floor levels. The multifunctional reducer profile allows height adjustment from 0/8 to 0/16, 5 mm. The same profile can also be used as a T-mold suitable for floor heights between 6 and 16 mm. The end profiles and T-mold profiles are suitable for floor heights of 8 to 18 mm.

The flooring profile systems convince with their slim design, excellent stability, large number of scratch-resistant decor foils for laminates and more than 100 elegant real wood veneers, available with certified AC3 Pedross sapphire coating (NEW: certified AC5 Pedross diamond coating), sheathed by our staff with the highest precision, and absolutely easy installation. The icing on the cake, however, are our digitally printed veneers and decorative foils for perfect harmony even with fancy flooring designs.

Küberit An important trend is the development of profiles for design floors. Küberit was one of the first companies to develop profiles for manufacturers of such floors, who recommend Küberit profiles to their clients or they deliver them as accessories. Another important point at Küberit is still the versatility of the profiles. It is important for wholesalers to be able to limit their stock where possible. The profile systems FCS-718 and PPS Champîon flex have been developed so that they can be applied at as many different heights as possible.

Both systems include flexible elements and even the top profile can be used as an adaptation profile. One of the most important investments of Küberit in recent years has been digital

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We can scan every flooring decor and print it in a brilliant resolution, so that we can

coating

wrap it on our profiles.

We would be pleased to advise you.

www.kueberit.com

D I G I TAL PR I N T I N G

Küberit Profile Systems GmbH & Co. KG · Römerweg 9 · D-58513 Lüdenscheid/Germany · Phone +492351/9507-127 · Fax +492351/9507-200 · export@kueberit.com

Strong contacts. Clever technology. printing, the best method of completely satisfying clients’ wishes. Small quantities can be finished in a cost-friendly manner.

Furthermore, LED technology has also made its way to the profile sector, especially as safety lighting, which has been worked into skirting boards and on stairs. For the presentation of the range, Küberit offers its clients five different sorts of sales racks.

The company has a division which occupies itself fully with making samples.

Prinz PS 400 screw profile system > Optimal frictional connection by using drilling screws. > Automatic adaptation of both height and inclination. > For floor coverings up to 17,5 mm.

Europa-Patent no. 1442687 Profilpas Over the years, Profilpas has always endeavoured to reconcile tradition and technological innovations. That is why the company pays a lot of attention to research and development. Today, Profilpas is therefore proud to present its new PDS® system.

PDS® (Profilpas Digital System) is a new digital print system which can be used to personalise profiles, even for extremely small amounts. Anyone wanting to have some tailor-made profiles in their own colour or design can now do so in quantities of at least 20 (54m).

Prinz PS 400 screw profiles are literally „universal“.

They automatically adapt to the flooring in both height and inclination.

Proline Proline offers two new products. The Procover Clip is a separation profile for heights of 7-18mm and the Procover Design Floor is a new fitting system for design floors/vinyl (4-7mm). Most profiles from Proline are available in five anodised colours (champagne, silver, bronze, gold, and stainless steel). Apart from this, they are also witnessing the growing significance of digital print, which makes it possible to produce an extensive range of surfaces.

The self-cutting screw guarantees an optimal friction connection - even after several years of pressure and tension.

Progress Profiles Profiles are increasingly becoming a decorative element. They no longer have the status of a ‘technical product’, but are gradually taking on an extremely important place in the finish as a decorative element. Therefore, Progress Profiles concentrates on products and marketing tools which are geared to decoration and presentation of profiles as a finishing product. Progress Profiles offers skirting boards and stair nosings with LED lighting and they introduced the new range of ‘Black Line’ during the Cersaie trade fair. They did this to provide some new ideas and solutions for those looking for something new and well tended.

Naturally, these products have to be presented in the best possible way. To do this,

Apply the top section, tighten the screws; laying has never been so fast and secure.

The perfect profile system for all wooden floorings.

Carl Prinz GmbH & Co. KG Flooring technology Jakobstraße 8 · D-47574 Goch

Phone +49 (0) 28 23. 97 03-0 Fax +49 (0) 28 23. 80 49-5 E-mail service@carlprinz.de

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Special producers of Profiles

Progress Profiles has developed displays which are suitable for exhibition areas and make it possible to give profiles another status so that they can be seen as a decorative element.

floorings. Are you looking for individual designs? Then have a look at the easy bendable profiles and the fitting bending machine to create unique room aspects.

Besides that the innovative two-part profile systems for clicking or screwing offer another possibility for the professionals and also for the private users due to the simplicity in installation.

Creating individual decors exactly matching the floorings is made possible now by the latest novelty: Digital Printing Technology.

Colours, patterns and grains will be scanned onto a special foil with which the profiles will be afterwards covered. Parkettfreund stands for high-quality, wide choice & individual solutions. Find out more: BAU 2013 Hall B6, Stand 129

Parkettfreund The German manufacturer of high-quality, innovative & functional aluminium profiles The profile range of Parkettfreund encompasses more than 300 types of universal profiles suitable for different applications and floor coverings, even for ceramic tiles, carpets and design

PARKETT everything for the floor FREUND

www.progressprofiles.com

®

Our glance always at the future

Lippage is a huge iSSue it’s our turn to heLP

the only one with 2 elements

Floor Forum International 56

„We give a profile to your floor“

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Your supplier for the complete flooring profile and accessory range www.parkettfreund.com

StUdIOvErdE

Save 3 pieces on intersections

Proleveling System Proleveling System is a revolutionary and innovative system that facilitates and quicken the laying process with only two elements: (leveler and cap).

A complete range of levelers of 1, 2 and 3 mm for floorings and coverings from 2 to 40 mm thick. thanks to the pressure applied vertically and not transversally, the exclusive removal system allows to avoid the movement of the tiles and the widening of the joints.

Lay

www.parkettfreund.com Progress Profiles SpA

Azienda certificata UN EN ISO 9001:2008

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pate nt Multip pendin g le so lution s

Turn

Remove Kicking the clip in the direction of the joint.

Veneer beats parquet on ecological grounds Veneer wood is used primarily in the furniture industry. After all, this extremely thin form of noble wood (usually oak) enables producers to use a cheap sort of wood or plywood to make furniture which looks like fully wooden furniture. As producers became more adept at working with veneer and technology progressed (e.g. in the field of adhesives) the time came when it was even more difficult to distinguish between veneer furniture and solid wood furniture. Using veneer wood for floors is also a result of all sorts of technological advances.

You can’t get it thinner Of all the floor coverings where the top layer is made of ‘real’ and ‘solid’ wood, a veneer floor is the most economical and therefore definitely the most ecological floor covering. Solid wood is the biggest destroyer of forests with solid wood parts of at least 6mm for some sorts of traditional parquet up to more than 25mm for solid wooden floors. Engineered parquet, multi-layer, or semi-solid floors are somewhat more frugal with a top layer of 4mm on average. The bottom and/or intermediate layer is usually made from chipboard, plywood, or slats of a cheap and renewable sort such as poplar. However, veneer wood leads the way with a top layer of 1mm (on average). This means that with the same quantity of chopped wood we can make a veneer floor surface which is four times bigger than what we can produce with engineered parquet and at least six to twenty-five times bigger than solid floors. The fact that the top layer of a veneer floor is barely 1mm thick has another advantage, namely that the existence of veneer wood brings some ‘more expensive’ sorts of wood within everyone’s reach.

Special manufacturers of Veneer Wooden Flooring

Veneer floors: wafer-thin, but cast-iron

The construction and fitting Veneer floors are constructed in virtually the same way as most quality laminate floors. With veneer floors a wafer-thin wooden layer of usually 0.6mm is glued onto an HDF sheet, whilst the same is done with laminate, but using a layer of printed paper.

With both floors it is possible to fit a stabilising counter layer and/or a sound insulation bottom layer. The floor becomes more scratch resistant through the addition of several (up to eight) coats of UV varnish. Laminate and veneer floors are fitted in an identical manner. Both types of floors are fitted with a (patented) click system. They are fitted floating whereby the floorboards simply click together. In short, from a technical point of view the only difference is the top layer, which consists of wood with veneer and paper with laminate. Veneer producers use the feel of real wood as a sales argument.

Par-ky

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Floor Forum International 56

A comparison with laminate Veneer floors are comparable to laminate in various respects.

From a strictly technical point of view, both sorts of floors are virtually identical. The difference lies in aesthetic and instinctive aspects.

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Special manufacturers of Veneer Wooden Flooring

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peeled, it has extremely vibrant patterns, depending on the cutting method. And so, a veneer floor is full of variety, partly due to the way in which the veneer parts are joined to each other by means of glue or wire glue. This means the veneer parts can be processed in reflection (book form) or repetitively (slid). Veneer parts from the same structure can be slid and/or turned alternately to obtain a varied structure.

What’s on the market?

Europlac

The decors One of the most significant challenges for laminate makers in recent years has been making the ‘repetitive character’ of the laminate sections less noticeable. Although digital printing techniques now mean that the possibilities are somewhat different, it is not really feasible to give each plank its own individual decor. This is where veneer scores very highly. The way in which veneer is cut affects the look of the end product. The widest veneer sheets are obtained by putting the tree trunk in a lathe and peeling the wood. This produces ‘veneer peel’. Sliced veneer, which is obtained by cutting the tree trunks, can be obtained by means of flat cuts (parallel with the centre of the tree) or by quarter-sawing (straight-grained, at right angles to the tree rings). At all events, you obtain a wafer-thin sheet of solid wood, every square centimetre of which is unique.

Europlac EUROPLAC is a brand of the French family business CABANNES, which specialises in applying veneer wood. EUROPLAC’s floor and parquet range includes a range of veneer wood for which the company now has over 25 years of know-how in the production and sourcing of the raw materials. We realise that nowadays it is difficult to find a place for a range of veneer wood on the market, if it is not linked to another range of composite parquet. This is why we have integrated the ABSOLU 8 (formerly FUNFLOOR) range of veneer wooden floors into our à la carte system. Therefore, it is possible to find the same colours and sizes as in the range of composite parquet, but at a lower cost price.

The ABSOLU 8 range is designed mainly for domestic use, but can also be a decisive argument in buying for other rooms (especially in rare and more expensive wood sorts).

A comparison with parquet It goes without saying that veneer floors can also be compared to solid wood or multi-layer floors, if only because real wood is used for the top layer.

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Flexura

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The construction and fitting Veneer floors are engineered floors, just as multi-layer parquet and laminate are engineered. The construction of the veneer floor is designed to create a stable floorboard with a top layer of real wood. The most significant difference is the thickness of that wood. Both solid wood parquet and multi-layer wooden floors have the big advantage that they can be renovated several times.

Obviously, a top layer of 0.6mm means you can’t sandpaper away too much more. Fitting a veneer floor is also perfectly comparable to the floating fitting of most multi-layer wooden floors, which are fitted with a click system. As regards strength, veneer producers have a particularly convincing argument: it is precisely because the veneer layer is so thin that the impressionability of the floor is less than with solid wood. After all, it is the density of the HDF sheet which is decisive. That density is considerably greater than just about all wood sorts.

The look The look of a veneer floor is identical in all respects to that of a real wooden floor. As soon as the floor is fitted, there is no possible way whatsoever of making a (visual) difference. Due to the techniques mentioned above with which veneer wood is cut or

Flexura has all exotic wood sorts and natural oak in veneer floors.

Within Flexuwood we find two collections of veneer floors. The Napoli collection includes wooden veneer floors with a top layer of 0.6mm of real wood, available in various sorts of wood. The Palermo collection includes wooden veneer floors also with a top layer of 0.6mm. This collection is available in three colours, namely Natural, White, and Grey. Flexura offers a guarantee of 15 years on its floors for normal use. Its veneer floors are fitted floating.

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MeisterWerke The top layers of MeisterWerke veneer floors are about 0.6mm.

The construction of the floors is that of most veneer floors. The top layer consists of the Duratec surface treatment, ttz, a sevencoat protection with a formaldehyde-free, viscoplastic, and UV setting varnish. Then the noble wood top layer of 0.6mm follows. The base is an HDF sheet with high stability and increased impact resistance. A multi-layer backing and a sound-absorbent cork layer (1.3mm) complete the floorboards. The total thickness of the floorboards comes to 8mm and the dimensions are 1.287 x 142cm. MeisterWerke presents various sorts of wood: Canadian maple, beech, oak, walnut, American cherry, pear, apple, and French and American walnut. The floors are fitted with the Uniclic click system. MeisterWerke gives a 5-year guarantee on living room floors.

Par-ky The construction of Par-ky floors consists strictly speaking of five layers. Eight UV-dried coats of varnish protect the wood. The top layer consists of 0.6mm noble wood. A dual component adhesive ensures excellent adhesion to the base via the high-tech. DSI (double sided impregnation) technique. The base is an HDF sheet, which guarantees high pressure resistance.

This sheet is fitted with a Uniclic joint for quick fitting.

A counter layer of 0.6mm is fitted underneath to ensure stability. In two of the four collections (Deluxe and Sound), Par-ky provides an integrated layer of cork of 2mm, which ensures the walking sound of solid wood. In its current range, Par-ky offers 19 sorts of wood in various collections, sizes, thicknesses, and finishes. Oak, for example, consists of eight different trendy colours. Moreover, in addition to the standard collection, Par-ky can make tailor-made colours for projects of at least 500m² and can offer no fewer than 160 sorts of wood in its different collections. The fact is that Par-ky is a product from the Decospan Group, European market leader in finishing veneer wood. The constant stock of all these wood sorts and the related flexibility are amongst the greatest strengths of Decospan and Par-ky.

PAR-KY, the specialist in veneer flooring, offers professional sales support by means of a practical display and a number of other Marketing tools to help you to promote our unique veneer flooring.

If you are interested in a dealership, call +32 56 52 88 40 or mail at info@par-ky.com and become our partner.

www.par-ky.com 8 layers of lacquer real wood 2 component glue HDF real wood backing 2 mm of cork for SOUND & DELUXE

Par-ky is a product of

Hall 9 booth C25

Aftershow Global Wood Mart ( Malaysia)

MTC Global Woodmart underlines its importance to the wood trade in South-East Asia The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) was well satisfied with the second MTC Global Woodmart. This wood trade fair was held between 4 and 6 October in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. The biennial fair for the wood sector should develop into the number one international event for the wood industry in South-East Asia.

Global interest “This MTC Global Woodmart formed an ideal platform for the wood trade in this part of the world. The fair won over the leading players in the wood industry and inspired and informed both exhibitors and visitors about the possibilities of wood in the context of product design, innovative technology, durability, certification, and export possibilities,� said Cheah Kam Huan, CEO of MTC.

was a boost for the company and its committed staff who had worked tirelessly for the exhibition.

We had showed case several different types of products at this show such as sawn timber, flooring (unfinished & prefinished), decking, yacht decking, gluelam products for kitchen counters, large slab Merbau table top and sports floors. Apart from this we also displayed Quarter Sawn Burmese Teak (for yachts), Teak Post & Teak Squares.

There were 22 different species of timber flooring on display eg.

Burmese Teak, Indian Laurel, Burmese Ironwood from Myanmar; Oak, Maple & Beech from Europe, Cypress from Australia; Jatoba & Angelique from South America; Sapele, Wenge, Padauk, Doussie, Iroko from Africa and not to mention Merbau & Keranji from Malaysia and many more species.

There were also 2 types of sports floors on the display at the show. The 1st was a Modular System which could be installed and disassembled by 1 person. An entire sports hall could be set up by 1 person in 2 hours making it very convenient & versatile.

For this show we had painted it green to resemble a badminton court. Likewise, it could also be used for other sports such as basketball, handball & volley ball.

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This trade fair was organised by MTC in partnership with American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and French Timber and attracted 118 exhibitors from 20 countries.

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Kaliman Timber Corporation The experience of being one of the exhibitors during the MTC Global Woodmart 2012 was amazing since the respond for the event was overwhelming and beyond our expectation. Malaysian Hardwood Sawn Timber and Decking were the two main products which we exhibited during the event. We discovered that those products which we showed were highly demanded within the international market. This high demand was due to our price competitiveness and the warranted quality, compared to other tropical hardwood products which are derived from the tropics.

Participating at this event, has granted us with enormous value and constructive experience. Meanwhile, it enables us to promote our company and our products worldwide and has expanded the range of our clients to more countries over the world.

Professional Surfaces This is the 2nd time Professional Surfaces has participated at the MTC Global Woodmart. It was a good show with many more leads and potential sales. Winning the Best Presentation Award for Shell Scheme category was an additional bonus. This truly

The 2nd system was a Pro-Sport II System which has EN certification and is currently being used in Denmark, Norway, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Philipines for school halls as well as sports facilities. The primary difference between the 2 systems being that the latter is a fixed system. During the show, we had displayed this system using Beech. We could also offer several options in Hevea, Maple, Oak & Ash. During this show, we had guests from the Midddle East, South Africa, Eastern Europe as well as local visitors. This would not have been possible had we not participated in the MGW 2012.

Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB) The Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB) from Canada took part for the first time in the Global Wood Mart fair, which was organised by Timber Council from Malaysia. The QWEB was

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N W TIO e NE RA Europ NE de in GE Ma

accompanied by delegates from three companies from Quebec, namely Mr Louis Laneville (Cambiumex), Mr AndrĂŠ Montigny (Bois PĂŠladeau), and Mr Jean-Jacques Bourbeau (Primewood Lumber).

All members of the QWEB are companies which are capable of providing stocks with hardwood from North America. And so, the fair in Kuala Lumpur was an excellent opportunity for them to display their wares and familiarise themselves with the needs of companies in Malaysia.

HIDDEN DECK FASTENER

WITH STAINLESS STEEL REINFORCEMENT for wood decks and sidings

TARTERET PHILIPPE SA sawmill

• Boards screwed down into the joists • Symmetrical groove proďŹ le for use of either board face • 3 sizes for guaranteed proper spacing between boards • Adapted to most wood species (AD or KD)

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A R DS I N T O OF BO THE

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TEAM The Timber Exporters’ Association of Malaysia (TEAM), an exhibitor of MGW 2012, promotes its members’ and their export products ranging from Sawn Timber to Plywood, Mouldings, and Furniture. TEAM has been in existence since 1955 and our members; currently numbering 400, are actively represented on Government bodies deliberating on timber products, i.e. MTIB and MTC. It also periodically participates in overseas missions to determine market conditions and promote Malaysian timber exports.

TEAM’s Directory 2012-2014 with members’ detailed information was recently distributed. TEAM’s quarterly newsletter, TEAMber Business, provides latest information on trade issues. Further information is obtainable from our website.

THE INSTALLING OF DECK BOARDS REINVENTED

SC RE WI

This sawmill, which is located at Estissac in France, between the attractive regions of Champagne and Burgundy, specialises in large volumes of trunks in OAK and other hardwood sorts.

First French sawmill certified as: • ISO 9001 in 1999 • PEFC in 2003 Thanks to its capacity to saw 20,000m³ of wood every year, the company is capable of supplying all sawn products in line with the European norms : panel wood, sheet wood, timber, rustically sawn planks, and other volumes according to each client’s wishes.

Tarteret Philippe SA sawmill, accompanied by the nearby situated Parqueterie de Bourgogne, is specialised in in providing top class parquet floors.

Sawmill TARTERET PHILIPPE SA and Parqueterie de Bourgogne can meet all demands for French oak.

STA

CE INLES FOR S STEEL REIN

info@hardwoodclip.com - www.hardwoodclip.com

Hendrik Deruyck appointed as new CEO of Balta Group Since 1 October 2012, Mr. Hendrik Deruyck took over management of Balta Group, a major European producer of floor coverings. He replaces former CEO Jules Noten, who left the company in August to pursue new challenges.

With a 25 year service record, Hendrik Deruyck is very well acquainted with the Balta Group. He contributed to the growth and knows the company, its employees and the industry through and through.

In 2001, Mr. Deruyck left Balta Group and bought into Jaritex bedding where he achieved good results. After this successful turn-around, he sold his share in the company.

Hendrik Deruyck is pleased to be returning to the company where he started his career at 25 years of age and says, “My task will consist of safely guiding the company through the turbulent times the carpet industry is experiencing today caused by uncertain economic conditions and rising competition from low-wage countries.”

Floor Forum International 56

SUPER-FAST APPLICATION

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Litewood is now exclusive terrace board agent for FSC CIMAL IMR and GRUPO RODA franchises Early in September, Grupo Roda and Cimal IMR concluded an agreement with Litewood about the agency for FSC terrace floors produced by Grupo Roda and Cimal IMR. Litewood is now the European agent (but not in the UK) for the terrace boards, which are produced in Bolivia from the FSC Cimal IMR and Grupo Roda franchises .

CIMAL IMR / GRUPO RODA was one of the first forests to receive the FSC certificate (FSC COC number 034). The group has over one million hectares of FSC approved franchises in Bolivia, eight sawmills, and 32 drying ovens with a capacity of 3500m³ a month. The vast amount of FSC approved forest franchises ensures the clients top quality for many decades. The forests are processed with up-to-date machinery and tools of the highest standards for grading, processing, and control.

EAS advertentie EN 190x65,5.pdf 2 quality 19-03-12 15:00

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Industry news

> Industry news Philip Buisseret appointed the new Secretary General of CEI-Bois Following the decision of Filip De Jaeger to leave CEI-Bois by end of this year the Board of CEI-Bois has appointed Mr Philip Buisseret as new secretary general of CEI-Bois as from 1st January 2013.

Mr Buisseret (50), of Belgian nationality and lawyer by education, joins CEI-Bois from the steel packaging organization APEAL where he is holding the position of managing director. He has a long career in representing and managing industry associations in Brussels, both at national and European level in the services and beverage sector.

In order to guarantee a smooth and efficient transition of the duties Philip Buisseret will start in the CEI-Bois office 1st December 2012 and work in parallel with Filip De Jaeger during the month of December.

UNILIN announces agreement to purchase Pergo UNILIN is pleased to announce the agreement in principle to acquire Pergo. As we welcome Pergo into the UNILIN group, of which Quick•Step® is a well-known brand, we believe that the synergy between the two strong companies will greatly contribute toward creating the most innovative and comprehensive laminate flooring product offering and expand businesses were there is currently limited presence. This cooperation, which brings together UNILIN’s world-class laminate, engineered wood and Vinyl technology and Pergo’s intellectual property and manufacturing technology, will create a business with a unique focus on design, innovation, quality and service that will enable us to deliver an unrivalled flooring experience to our customers. In commenting on the acquisition, Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum, chairman and CEO of Mohawk Industries Inc, stated, “Pergo is a leader in laminate flooring in the U.S. and Nordic countries with premium value added strategies. This acquisition complements our specialty distribution network with Pergo’s strength in the U.S. DIY channel.

In addition, Pergo leverages our geographic position and provides opportunities to enhance UNILIN’s patent portfolio. The combination of the entities offers significant opportunities to optimize the assets of both companies and enhance the design and product performance of both brands”.

Easydek floor protection EASYDEK SPECIALIZES IN TEMPORARY FLOOR PROTECTION DURING CONSTRUCTION, REMODELING AND MAINTENANCE.

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LITTLE WASTE / DISPOSAL

Multi Cover Premium is a double layered protective non-woven with a unique anti-slip undercoating. The strong top polyethylene film prevents spillage, scratches and other types of damages.

Newly laid or treated wooden floors Multi Cover Breathable is the solution for protecting newly laid floorings.

It is vapor transmitting and allows the floor to breath, whilst being waterproof from the top! Multi Cover Breathable is very strong and protects wooden floors against scratches, dents and discolorations. The anti-slip undercoating creates a safe and professional working environment.

MORE INFO: WWW.EASYDEK.COM/FLOORFORUM

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Oak still leads the way with good reason Some connoisseurs dare to compare a wooden floor with a good wine in that they both mature with age. Obviously, a wooden floor develops more character as the years go by.

In this respect, we can jump ahead from the start by means of distressing techniques. Different clients may have different reasons for doing so: some simply wish to enjoy the gentleness and warmth of a ‘vintage’ look, whilst others choose a distressed floor to give the impression of exclusivity. This article once again outlines the most popular techniques and considers what makes oak so special for this subject.

• Genuine old floors: very rare and very pricey.

• New floors made of old wood: less rare, but also very expensive.

• Distressed new floors: available anywhere at a normal price.

Free of worry for life Besides the warm and cosy atmosphere and the feel of centuries of history and reliability which emanate from distressed parquet floors, they also have other major strong points: they are userfriendly and do not give their owners any worries. What about a scratch from a chair or table on a distressed parquet floor? On a new wooden or parquet floor that is often a mini-drama to direct your thoughts towards repair and maintenance sooner than hoped. A distressed parquet floor has a tawny and weathered appearance so that a scratch or other traces of wear do not have any impact at all on the floor’s general appearance. An important point here is that distressed is not synonymous with damaged.

A distressed wooden floor has a seasoned appearance, but artificial traces of wear are applied cleverly and give the floor an authentic feel. And so, strictly speaking, a distressed floor needs no renovation.

Why distressed floors?

The look of an aged and seasoned wooden floor is simply beyond compare. The warm look of the olden days gives a really ‘homely’ feel and makes the interior even more pleasant.

Unfortunately, genuine aged floors gradually become worn out.

Castles, monasteries, old mansions, and old trains are either dismantled or protected! Those which are available seem to be getting more and more scarce. Of course, one of the laws of economics says that the more scarce a product becomes, the more expensive it is. It becomes stylish and exclusive. This has created a need for techniques to make floors look older i.e. distressing techniques. This development is precisely the same as the trend in ageing furniture at a time about 30 years ago when ‘antique’ was synonymous with pricey. Skilful craft workers trod a very fine line between ‘openly creating an old look ‘ and ‘deliberately falsifying’. However, whereas traders in the furniture and antique industries often operated with deceit, this hasn’t been such an issue in the world of parquet. Here, ‘distressed’ is offered openly and honestly as one of several possible finishes for parquet. Distressed floors have become a successful ‘segment’.

We can summarise the balance of ‘vintage’ as follows:

Distressing techniques Strictly speaking, we subdivide distressing techniques into three groups: mechanical distressing, distressing by smoking, and distressing by colouring. In many cases we get a combination of different techniques. For example, a hand-scraped floor is usually distressed, ‘however’, in combination with smoking. The techniques in a nutshell are as follows: Mechanical distressing The most well known and popular mechanical distressing techniques owe their origins to the furniture industry. We ‘damage’ the wood in some way or other by lashing, beating, brushing, scraping, hand-scraping, and such like. The application of woodworm holes is usually combined with the other methods.

Colour distressing If we use special dyes or coloured oils, it is possible to make a new parquet floor look old. White and grey tints are extremely popular for this purpose. We speak of a white wash or even a super white wash. With the latter, the floor is brushed lightly first.

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Floor Forum International 56

BJ Parket

Special producers of Distressed Floors

Distressed floors retain their charm

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Special producers of Distressed Floors

If you then carry out a white wash, you get a matt and slightly chalky floor. Extremely dark colours can also contribute to an old appearance.

Smoking Smoking floors is one of the most popular and attractive distressing techniques. It is a process whereby a reaction is triggered with the tannin in the wood. Many wood sorts have no or insufficient tannin to generate a distressed colour. However, oak has enough tannin, especially in the form of European oak and American oak.

A Russian or Chinese oak has a lot less tannin and can only be smoked lightly at the most. We will return to this point later.

Why oak?

No one need be surprised that people mention oak in the context of distressed floors. Moreover, we’re not talking merely about ‘a little’ oak. Almost all those who offer distressing techniques or distressed floors limit themselves largely or exclusively to oak.

This is due to three essential factors, namely an economic factor, a historical factor, and a technical factor.

A technical factor All wood sorts can be distressed mechanically or by means of colouring. This is not the case for smoking. As we have already said, it is mainly oak which responds favourably to smoking since it contains a good quantity of tannin. Most other wood sorts have no or insufficient tannin so that smoking simply isn’t an

option. Seeing that smoking is the most appreciated distressing technique and the result is always the most authentic, it is once again logical that we end up opting for oak. Smoking gives oak a dark, seasoned colour. This colour doesn’t lie on the surface, but comes from inside the wood.

Essential to the range Distressed floors are more than simply a trend. As we have already said, they have developed into a ‘segment’. That people generally appreciate the phenomenon of the distressed look of wooden floors is proved by the fact that parquet manufacturers offer it in just about all their floor types, in solid wood and multilayer floors and also in the ‘old fitting patterns’, which, in a distressed version, exude the atmosphere of times past. The fact that laminate makers also create decors from distressed (oak!) floors is also a clear sign. An interesting finding is the fact that people appreciate distressed floors irrespective of the interior.

These floors find a place in both traditional or even nostalgic interiors and in hypermodern, rigid, and minimalist homes. And so, there can be no doubt that parquet floor fitters ‘must’ offer distressed floors if they are going to avoid losing a lot of good business.

French oak Exotic species Finished and unfinished Custom made in Belgium Just-in-time delivery

Solid and engineered flooring

Picking out the finest wood...

Oosterlinck NV Schaapsdreef 8b B-8750 Wingene (Belgium) Tel: 0032 51 65 75 41 info@oosterlinck-hout.be

www.oosterlinck-hout.be

Visit us at DOMOTEX Hannover Hall 8 – stand A24

creative

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

flexible

reliable

A selection from the market range: BJ Parket

BJ Parket has had an outstanding reputation for several years for its solid wood parquet floors. The company is without doubt an authority when it comes to traditional parquet, including old fitting patterns and inlay parquet (e.g. Versailles panels). They have a particularly varied range: small herringbone, large herringbone, strips, Hungarian point, Old Flemish style, home-made style panels (the company’s own standard patterns as well as patterns requested by clients), wooden floors in 14 and 20mm, and, finally, the composite parquet floors (BJ Parket is also a dealer of Solidfloor, Timbertop, and Europlac). Basically, BJ Parket can distress any sort of wood, but oak is the only sort of wood requested by clients. Due to its unique structure, oak is absolutely ideal for processing, colouring, and, therefore, also for distressing.

Beating the parquet floor is the most common method of distressing parquet. It is also possible to brush or structure the floor in combination with beating, if necessary. Smoking the parquet (ammonia fumes which work their way into the tannin present in the oak) is often the next step in the distressing process.

Bruno Srl BELLE EPOQUE Pre-finished solid wood parquet floor, with tongue and groove on the four sides. This product is bevelled on the four sides so to allow adjustments due to little movements typical of solid wood flooring.

Belle Epoque planks can be brushed or hand planed and brushed or saw cut and brushed, with oil effect finishing.

These features give to the floor a used and old aspect typical of ancient parquet flooring.

Dimensions: Thickness: 15 mm, Width: 120 mm, Length: 600/1200 mm Woods: Oak, Iroko, Doussié, African Teak, Asian Teak Design Parquet

B.J. Parket BVBA I NDUSTRIESTRAAT 44 9240 Z ELE – BELGIUM

Design Parquet has an ultra-modern factory and deploys the latest technology to finish its floors. They have an ultra-modern finishing line, which varnishes, oils, colours, and brushes floors. The company has solid parquet, multi-layer parquet, and veneer

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, smoked and structured’)

> continued from page 29

floors. Oak is used for distressed floors. They distress floors by treating the sides and, sometimes, the surface.

Special producers of Distressed Floors

FB Hout FB Hout offers distressed floorboards in oak. This collection, which is called Old Floor Collection, is supplied immediately from the stock in six colours and three widths. FB Hout has its own distinctive method of distressing to stand out from their rivals. They must do of the work by hand to give the product a more natural look instead of an artificial one.

Despite all these intricate processes, FB Hout is still able to supply its products immediately from its stock at very competitive prices. Basically, FB Hout can distress any sort of wood. This is partly because the company controls the entire process from the tree to the finished product which the client receives. Naturally, oak is still the product most in demand.

Fetim Professional Fetim presents an assortment of multi-layer floors. Distressed designs are on offer in various sorts of wood, especially in oak, larch, ash, and hevea. The company performs this process, which they prefer to call ‘refining’, in various manners. They apply mechanical damage by brushing, hand-scraping, and weathering.

Floor Forum International 56

Flamingo Parket Besides wood sorts available on order, Flamingo Parket has various wood sorts in stock: European oak, American walnut, white hard maple, afzelia doussie, merbau, kambala, and jatoba. The company does 99% of its distressed finishes in oak, but they can also use some softwoods. At Flamingo Parket they distress floors in a distressing drum.

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Lalegno Lalegno limits its range of manually distressed floors to its range of oak floors of 15mm (top layer 4mm) and 21mm (top layer 6mm). The untreated hand-scraped parquet 15-CLASSIC-260BRUT-GHV and its oiled counterpart, the 15-CLASSIC-260MEURSAULT, are very popular both with floor fitters and the general public, particularly because the planks are extra long (2200mm) and wide (260mm) and therefore approximate to a genuine castle floor. New is the 15-CLASSIC-189-PINOT BLANC. This character floor has been smoked and distressed manually and then treated with white oil. The sandblasted RELIEFOAK is also extremely popular. As well as the untreated version, there is now also a recently launched 15-CLASSIC-189-RELIEF-PINOTBLANC, which has been treated with a No-Visible varnish. Furthermore, Lalegno also has an extensive range of light, medium, and deepsmoked floors, which are available in thicknesses of 10/2.5, 15/4, and 21/6mm.

Lite Wood Lite Wood has a particularly wide range of distressed floors, which makes the company a leading player on the market.

These are multi-layer floors on a hevea bottom layer with a top layer which is distressed manually and in the traditional manner. Various treatments and colours are available. These include brushed, smoked or semi-smoked, hand-scraped, rounded edges, tool marks, and nail marks. There is a very wide choice of oak floors, but also a choice of ash and smoked merbau or iroko.

In addition to its already very extensive range, Lite Wood is now also launching two new collections, namely the Castle and the New Antique collections with various trendy colours and styles.

The sizes vary from 145 to 290mm in width with top layers of 3.5 and 6mm and lengths of up to 213cm. These floors are available with a 5G click system from Vaelinge or a tongue and groove connection and they are finished with an extra matt oil or varnish according to choice.

Mardegan Legno Mardegan Legno produces both two and three-layer floors. 42 people work at Mardegan Legno and it has to be said that they are all expert professionals. The company can boast several decades of traditional craft, experience, and, especially, pleasure and taste in working with wood and enjoying its beauty. The employees possess the skills to make ‘something special’ of every floor. Therefore, it is no surprise that the most significant design of distressed floors is hand-scraped.

Mardegan Legno also distresses floors on oak wood.

Oosterlinck

visit us at www.floor-forum.com

Oosterlinck has solid wood and multi-layer floors. The company makes its own solid parquet, whilst its multi-layer floors are partly its own work and partly imported. Distressed floors are offered exclusively in oak, and preferably French oak because French oak yields a better colour effect, especially with lye stains.

This is due to the tannic acid content, of course. The planks are beaten or put on a line where they are dented and damaged on the periphery.

Stile The multi-layer floors from Stile are constructed from a solid hardwood top layer which is glued onto a birch plywood base using emission and formaldehyde-free glue. The floors are finished with eight coats of a highly resistant acrylic paint with no solvents. The thickness of the wooden top layer varies from 4 to 6mm. Stile also offers distressed floors in oak. In the Stilart distressed collection the planks are brushed so that they stand out.

Gnarls, traces of resin, filled holes, flamed texture, and other irregularities such as light scratches give these floors a distressed and used appearance.

Trap Trap offers solid wood floors in thicknesses of 14 and 20m and multi-layer floors in 15 and 20mm. Trap offers mainly oak for its

distressed floors, although a number of harder coniferous sorts such as oregon and larch are also possible.

Trap deploys a combination of distressing techniques: smoking, deep brushing, and mechanically damaging in its own drum machine. The Vulcano range includes a design which is brushed out by hand.

Zabolak Zabolak specialises in processing/finishing floorboards. The company can distress all types of floorboards in various ways.

Whether we are talking about solid wood/engineered from 4 to 30mm, Zabolak can distress any floor as long as the length does not exceed 2650mm. If longer sections are offered, various distressing techniques are possible, but there is a restriction for beating. Since Zabolak is not a wood trader, most of the wood is supplied by the clients. If necessary, the company can provide assistance with logistical elements such as purchase/transport/storage. Generally speaking, oak wood is what is offered/requested.

Apart from oak, other wood sorts also offered for distressing include walnut, wenge, ash, and douglas. Beating is the most common distressing technique. Basically, all wood sorts are suitable, but it must be said that due to product properties the look for each type of wood can be different.

An emotional journey...

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WE ARE LOOKING FOR AGENTS/DISTRIBUTORS FOR: AUSTRIA, FRANCE, EAST EUROPE AND FAR EAST

Special producers of Distressed Floors

Parador Parador has both laminate and parquet distressed floors. The Trendtime 6 Oak History collection, made from real old oak beams, is older. Now, there is also the Trendtime 8, a collection of floors finished by hand. The manually treated planks convince us with their authenticity and dignity. Parador offers them in both variants, Hand-scraped and Elephant Skin. In the Hand-scraped variant, the plank surfaces are planed separately by hand to remind us of ‘the good old days’. For Elephant Skin specialists work on each surface separately by hand to bring out the features of wood specially such as grains, gnarls, or cracks.

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Floor fitters must prove themselves We don’t intend to enter into debate any more about the minimum thickness of the top layer whereby, in the case of wooden floors, we can speak of ‘parquet’. This is a sensitive issue and in our use of terminology we will stay within the limits prescribed by the standard, namely a minimum thickness of 2mm. Above that, thicknesses vary between producers. However, the general rule is that the thicker the top layer, the longer the lifespan of the floor and the thinner the top layer, the more ecological the floor. In the wooden floor market as a whole, multi-layer parquet has now acquired a surprising share.

The benefits explain the revolution According to the latest FEP figures (2011-12), multi-layer parquet has a 78% share of the wooden floor market. Solid wood floors still have 20%, whilst mosaic accounts for the rest. We have to say that this has been a historic victory for technology, when we consider that floor fitters have been laying traditional, solid parquet for centuries. The success of multi-layer parquet lies in its inherent and intrinsic numerous benefits, quite apart from the above-mentioned ease of fitting.

Guaranteed stability By glueing and nailing (traditional parquet) a solid wood floor to a wooden subfloor, we aim to absorb the wood’s natural movements caused by fluctuations in air humidity. In other words, wooden floors with several layers have much greater dimensional stability. It seems a logical to make this structure in the production phase. Indeed, assembling bottom, middle, and top layers in a factory ensures an ‘always identical’ and calculated stability. We say ‘calculated’ since industrial settings are designed to eliminate human error. This industrial guarantee also applies to all phases of the production process which, with solid wood floors, used to be done by floor fitters: subfloor, construction, sanding, and the finish.

Comfort and health Ecological reasons There can no longer be any doubt that in recent years consumers have developed an ostentatious ecological awareness within a very short space of time. All of us now realise that the planet requires our protection. We see this in the clear shift in mentality: we take account of CO² emissions from our cars, we choose ‘economic’ heating systems, we take the mandatory sorting of waste seriously, and we recycle. Technical arguments have put paid to the doubts which consumers had for a long time about the quality of multi-layer wooden floors. Obtaining that same (visual) end result with a top layer of 2 to 3mm as with a solid wood plank of 15mm has won over end users for good.

A selection from the range For trends in wood sorts, colours, and finishes, we let suppliers have their say.

Alpha Floors Alpha Floors stresses that customs have imposed a minimum limit for the top layer of multi-layer parquet at 2.5mm. Anything less means that as far as customs in Europe are concerned we are then talking about veneer floors. Alpha Floors has an extensive range of multi-layer parquet and offers a choice between multi-layer on a multiplex base or an actual three-layer floor. For the bottom layer they use birch or poplar.

The (Russian) oak top layers vary between 2.5 and 6mm. Alpha Floors offers two collections, namely the Nordic collection and the Pacific. The Nordic collection also includes floors with a specific finish (hand-scraped, smoked, and carbonated). For the finish Alpha Floors use the industrial solutions from Woca.

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Floor Forum International 56

Let’s make things easier!

The history of work on site followed an entirely different course.

In the past, floor fitters started by studying the base. They received from a parquet manufacturer a set of (more or less) rough, tailor-made floorboards and they had to make do with that. They fitted a subfloor with the most appropriate glue.

Then, the first sandpapering; the glueing (and sometimes nailing) of the final parquet floor; various sandpapering tasks; filling in holes. After the fine sanding, they could finally apply the client’s preferred finish. That was, and still is, sheer craftsmanship.

However, in the case of multi-layer floors, producers have taken over many of the required steps. Preparation, sanding, and applying a finish are now (largely) in the hands of producers, who carry out these tasks in advance. Multi-layer floors can be glued or fitted floating, and nowadays they even have click systems.

This is how to make things easier and, in particular, generate more turnover.

Special manufactures of Multi-layer parquet

Multi-layer scores well across the board

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Special manufactures of Multi-layer parquet

Bassano Parquet Bassano Parquet offers both two and three-layer parquet floors. The two-layer floors consist of a top layer in a noble wood on a birch multiplex. The three-layer floors have two cross-linked glued layers in spruce and a top layer in a noble wood. At Bassano Parquet the ‘standard’ for the top layer is at least 4mm thick. The floors are on offer in an extensive variety of wood sorts, including acacia, walnut, elm, European oak, Asian teak, doussie, beech, iroko, larch, European walnut, wenge, and mutenye, to name but a few. Many of the floors are supplied pre-finished.

Bruno Srl Teknomaxi Elegant wooden floor suited to all kinds of settings Teknomaxi is the maxi size three- layer pre-finished panel with tongue and groove jointing on the four sides.

It is suitable for all areas which need high resistance to wear and tear and require minimal maintenance such as homes, shops, and showrooms.

Teknomaxi is easy to lay and immediately ready for use, it is ideal for premises that need to be fitted in a hurry.

It is available in several finishes such as pre-smoothed, brushed, bleach, slate, antique style,and pickled.

Dimensions: thickness: 15/16- mm, width: 150/195 - mm, and length: 1000/2400- mm.

Floor Forum International 56

Bolzan Srl

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Bolzan offers both two and three-layer parquet. The bottom and middle layers are made from spruce. The scores of wood sorts include Canadian maple, oak, iroko, doussie, steamed beech, teak, afrormosia, American cherry, wenge, American walnut, and so on. The twolayer floor collection includes various top layer thicknesses. Teorema is 11mm thick and has a top layer of 5mm hardwood. Teorema 90 has a top layer of 4mm. Super Teorema and Maxi Teorema are 14mm thick and have a top layer of 5mm of noble wood. Teorema Plus is 16mm thick with a noble wood top layer of 7mm. In three-layer parquet Bolzan offers the Teorema 3, with a total thickness of 16mm, a width of 190mm, and lengths of 1500/2000mm. 80% of the floors are supplied completely finished.

CombiWood At CombiWood they supply a parquet top layer of 3mm.

CombiWood can glue any sort of wood as a top layer onto birch plywood. The client chooses the thickness of the birch plywood from the thicknesses on offer at CombiWood, namely 9, 12, or

15mm. The standard thicknesses of the top layer are 3, 4, and 7mm. CombiWood has four types of duo planks as standard in its range, namely 3/9 (3mm top layer and 9mm birch plywood), 4/12 (4mm top layer and 12mm birch plywood), 4/15 (4mm top layer and 15mm birch plywood) and 7/12 (7mm top layer and 12mm birch plywood).

Any other combination is also possible because CombiWood supplies the duo planks at its own production plant at Oldenzaal in the Netherlands. The proportion of unfinished and finished floors is 30% and 70% respectively.

CP Parquet CP Parquet has had an excellent reputation for its exclusive parquet floor production for over 30 years. The company has both two and three-layer floors. The three-layer floors are designed as a sandwich structure with a thick top layer, with a choice of a varied range of wood sorts. Three-layer floors are finished with tongue and groove on the four sides and with waterborne varnish. The two-layer floors also have tongue and groove and six UV coats of varnish, which contain no formaldehyde or solvents. The distressed finishes are crafted manually in the traditional way and have an exclusive look. For example, the woodworm holes and other damage to the Antico Asolo Millennium are applied manually by experienced professionals. CP Parquet also offers a stunning, two-layer Hungarian Point. With its Antico Asolo parquet floors, CP Parquet presents a fine example of sustainable and ecological production. The company takes care of the entire production process (from the drying process to the finish) on its own premises in conformity with the strictest environmental standards.

Design Parquet Design Parquet offers solid wood parquet, multi-layer parquet, and veneer floors.

The added value of multi-layer floors lies in their high stability. The thickness of multilayer floors varies between 16 and 20mm, with a top layer of 4.5 to 5.5mm and a base in birch. The same wood is used for the counter layer as for the top layer. In the loft pro range, Design Parquet offers oak, American walnut, afrormosia, bubinga, doussie, wenge, and many other sorts of wood. The floors are offered in three widths (180, 220, and 295mm). Design Parquet offers six natural finishes: varnish matt, varnish satin, natural oil, colourless varnish or oil, and Vernis Roc for high traffic.

Fetim Fetim believes that the definition of a multi-layer parquet floor is parquet which consists of several layers of wood, especially a construction with backing, base, and top layer or a construction with a plywood base and a top layer. Fetim has a minimum thickness of 3mm hardwood for the top layer. There are various

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Heywood Vloeren Heywood Vloeren specialises in two-layer parquet floors which consist of a top layer on a waterproof glued birch plywood base. The most important wood sorts which they use are European oak, American oak, American walnut, wenge, jatoba, merbau, afzelia, curupixa, maple sucupira, ash, and, upon request, many other sorts. The assortment is composed of birch multiplex in 10, 12, and 15mm with top layers of 3, 4, and 6mm respectively. The widths vary from 90 to 400mm and lengths are possible up to 4,500mm. A good 70 to 80% of the floors leave the company treated, whilst the rest are supplied untreated. Most floors are oiled.

Haro Haro has been producing two and three-layer parquet since 1950. For the 3000 Series, which has a top layer of 2.5mm, Haro uses an HDF plate for the base and for the 4000 Series (top layer of 3.5mm) solid wood spruce strips. The three-layer floors for floating or glued fitting or for fitting with Comfor Tec are composed of five layers from top to bottom. This is a finish with Permadur (natural matt) or with bio-Tec oil/wax or with natural in plus (natural oil) to protect the floor. This is followed by about 3.5mm of noble wood. The middle layers are solid wood spruce strips. The bottom layer consists of softwood veneer. As an option, a Silent Pro luxury layer of insulation is also possible or the Cofor Tec self-adhesive bottom layer. Haro offers more than 20 different sorts of wood, including beech, oak, smoked oak, African oak, Canadian maple, ash, larch, and American cherry.

The floorboards appear in various designs and for different fitting patterns.

Inpa Parket Inpa Parket has a wide range of multi-layer floors in various designs. The Oak Eco Plank consists of a top layer of 1.8mm of solid oak noble wood glued onto 8.5mm thick HDF and has the look of a wooden floor. The Duo Plank Chaco Wood is composed of a

Lalegno Lalegno believes that the term ‘multi-layer parquet’ can be used for floors with a top layer of at least 2mm. Generally speaking, Lalegno floors have top layers of 2, 2.5, 4, or 6mm. Lalegno floors are available in (European or Chinese) oak, bamboo, and tropical wood sorts (wenge, doussie, merbau, teak, and walnut).

The floors have thicknesses of 10mm (top layer 2.5mm), 15mm (top layer 4mm), or 21mm (top layer 6mm). Most of the company’s products are 1.860mm long, but you can also choose extra long planks of 2.200mm or even 4.500mm long. There is also a choice in the width: the options vary from 127 to no less than 320mm. The floors can be fitted with tongue and groove or with a click system. Lalegno has untreated, oiled, varnished, smoked, and distressed parquet. All together in its standard range, Lalegno offers about 100 different parquet floors. In addition, there are also several options in sizes of the clients’ choice.

Leplang Leplang offers a multi-layered wooden floor with a French oak top layer in two varieties, either natural oak (Bois Blanc) or distressed wood. The finish can be applied according to the customer’s wishes, e.g. untreated, lacquered, oiled, or (hard) waxed.

These multi-layer planks are available in three thicknesses, namely 10mm with a 2.5mm solid oak top layer, 15mm with a 4mm solid oak top layer, and 18.5mm with a 5.5mm top layer. The substrate is birch plywood (4 to 8 substrates), which is glued warm.

This warm glueing ensures faster processing and better stability, partly through the combination with the plywood. When it comes to aesthetics, the top layer in French oak ensures a prestigious effect.

Special manufactures of Multi-layer parquet

Flamingo Parket Flamingo Parket uses only waterproof glued birch plywood as a bottom layer. 80% of the top layers are oak wood, but after that the most popular sorts are American walnut, maple, merbau, wenge, and afzelia. However, basically, Flamingo Parket can produce almost any sort of wood. The company makes one type of multi-layer parquet. They use birch plywood with a thickness of 9, 12, or 15mm as the base. A hardwood top layer with a thickness of 3, 4, 6, or 8mm is glued onto this. Apart from multi-layer parquet (55%), Flamingo Parket also presents solid wood (20%), traditional parquet (20%), and a number of other types of floor. The finish products are Floor Service, Monocoat, OSMO, and Woca. It is possible for clients to provide their own favourite (hard wax) oil, and then Flamingo Parket will apply it.

12 or 15mm indelible multiplex and a 4 or 5mm noble wood top layer. The Duo Plank Exclusive consists of a 12mm indelible multiplex and a 4mm solid wood top layer. The Project Plank is composed of a 15mm indelible multiplex and a 6mm solid wood oak top layer. These floors are high quality and stable products and are ideal as consumer and project floors. Apart from its two-layer floors, Inpa Parket also offers the Tri Plank. Tri Plank is a threelayer floorboard with a 4mm solid oak top layer and a fir wood intermediate layer and a poplar base.

Litubel Litubel is something of a maverick. The company offers a two-layer floor in 100% oak wood. A solid wood top layer of 6mm is glued onto oak strips. This structure provides a floor of very high quality. The thickness of the total floor amounts to 14mm, whilst the width is 180mm. These floors are offered in various designs, namely Castle, Rustic, Burgundian, and Prime. Litubel floors are usually supplied sanded, filled, and ready for oiling. The floors can be oiled on request. For finishes Litubel uses mainly Rubio Monocoat and Woca.

Lite Wood Most multi-layer Lite Wood floors consist of a bottom layer of hevea brasiliensis and a top layer of oak or another sort of wood.

In addition, Lite Wood also offers a multi-layer floor with three layers of oak wood. The hevea multi-layer floors from Lite Wood are made on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The company also

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Floor Forum International 56

possibilities for the structure. The bottom layer can consist of birch, poplar, meranti or hevea. The intermediate layer can be designed in strips of poplar or softwood or of plywood (poplar or birch). For the top layer Fetim offers a choice of oak, larch, ash, and hevea. Fetim supplies only finished floors (except for floors which have to be oiled oxidatively after the fitting).

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Special manufactures of Multi-layer parquet

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fetches from there hevea or rubber wood which serves as the bottom layer. Hevea is a recuperation wood from rubber plantations and is therefore environmentally-friendly.

The combination of hevea with a noble top layer of oak wood, for instance, results in a highly stable floor, partly because Lite Wood manages to give both layers an equal level of moisture (7%). The parallel voluminous mass of hevea and oak ensure an equal level of swelling and extra stability. Lite Wood offers an extensive choice of thicknesses for the top layer and various plank widths and wood sorts.

Mardegan Legno Mardegan Legno sells both two and three-layer floors.

The two-layer floors are available in thicknesses of 10 and 14mm, whilst the threelayer floors exist in sizes of 15 and 20mm thick. In the area of wood sorts, Mardegan Legno offers a choice of oak, walnut, elm, black acacia, and cherry

wood. With the three-layer floors they use the same sort of wood for both the bottom and top layers. The intermediate layer consists of softwood. With the two-layer floors we get a top layer from one of the above-mentioned wood sorts on plywood. At Mardegan Legno the number of roughly finished floors is negligible. Practically 99% leave the factory completely finished and coloured. Mardegan Legno uses Henkel adhesives for glueing and ICA varnishes for the finish.

MeisterWerke The three-layer floors from Meister are constructed from top quality materials with top quality HDF as the middle layer. This produces a durable floor, which, thanks to its exceptional stability, is suitable for fitting on floor heating. The thickness of the noble wood top layer at Meister is 2.5mm. Meister offers threelayer parquet in one strip or three strips. The bottom layer of the floorboards is a veneer layer, made from Norwegian spruce. The middle layer is HDF and the top layer is chosen from a rich range of wood sorts: oak, larch, beech, Canadian maple, ash, American elm, douglas fir, American cherry wood, and American walnut. All Meister floors are pre-finished.

Oosterlinck Oosterlinck first of all offers its own production with a top layer in French oak and exotic wood sorts. The construction is birch plywood 15mm + top layer 6mm and plywood 12mm + top layer 4mm. In addition, the company also imports multi-layer parquet directly from China. The construction is poplar plywood 11mm +

Quick•Step® With the Quick•Step® parquet range, Quick•Step® has developed a new generation of engineered floors.

Depending on the individual taste in style and atmosphere, Quick•Step® presents an extensive range of parquet floors in four collections: Palazzo, Castello, Villa, and Compact. Thanks to the revolutionary Uniclic® Multifit

installation system, the floor can be fitted in no time at all. The floors are available in 12.5 or 14mm. The core of the parquet floors consists of hevea (recycled rubber wood) or HDF. The bottom layer consists of certified veneer wood. The top layer is available in various sorts of wood such as oak, ash, walnut, merbau, and jatoba. All floors leave the factory completely finished.

Trap The multi-layer parquet floors (Multrifloor) from Trap always have top quality birch plywood as the bottom layer. This results in a highly stable product, as testified by the certificate of compatibility with floor heating (N FB 54-008). The Multrifloor always has tongue and groove on the long sides and on the heads. Trap multi-layer floors are available in various thicknesses.

The thicker the floor, the thicker the top layer will be. The standard thickness of the top layer is 3.8mm with the Royal floors. This multi-layer parquet has a total thickness of 14.8mm, which consists of an 11mm bottom layer in birch plywood and a solid wood top layer of 3.8mm. The Project version has a total thickness of 12/12.5mm with a top layer of 2 or 3mm. This parquet has a slightly thinner top layer, so it is ideal for bedrooms or rooms with little traffic. Majestic parquet has a total thickness of 19.5mm with a solid wood top layer of no less than 5.5mm.

MULTIPLANK KNOTTING HILL Innovative features of KNOTTING HILL are: • The natural rough look • The untreated open gnarls which are ‘higher’ • The visible strokes of the belt saw.

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Heywood Vloeren FFi54_HeywoodVloeren.indd 1

Scheldestraat 30 5347 JD Oss (NL) Tel +31 (0)412 65 74 28 Fax +31 (0)412 65 19 71 info@heywoodvloeren.com www.heywoodvloeren.com 11/06/12 15:52

Special manufactures of Multi-layer parquet

top layer 4mm and plywood 7.5mm + top layer 2.5mm.

The company buys the Chinese parquet unfinished/ rough and finishes it in Belgium. The reason for this is that the development in colours is not standing still and a finish in Western Europe is usually of better quality. At Oosterlinck the rough/pre-finished ratio is 50/50, but this balance is expected to tilt further towards pre-finished in the future. The wood sorts used are mainly oak (about 85%), but also some exotic sorts such as afrormosia, afzelia, teak, jatoba, wenge, iroko, merbau, walnut, and padauk.

Zabolak: Your partner for all sorts of parquet finishes “Creativity, expertise, and flexibility make the difference.”

Advertorial Zabolak

Nowadays, consumers are spoilt for choice with parquet in the most diverse colours and styles of finish. The rapid speed of innovation in this field means it is not always easy for producers or parquet floor fitters to respond quickly and efficiently to market needs. Zabolak has over 40 years of experience in this field and deploys its expertise and specialist production successfully to assist its clients quickly and flexibly. Clients at home and abroad acknowledge and appreciate those qualities.

Floor Forum International 56

All sorts of finishes The diverse trendy finishing methods for parquet do not always make it easier for parquet manufacturers and fitters. That’s why it is an excellent idea to do business with Zabolak. The company from Helmond, the Netherlands, is a genuine specialist for all wooden floorboard processes: distressing, smoking, brushing, and sandpapering, but also treating with lye, colouring, oiling, varnishing, and staining. For all these finishes the company has a wealth of experience going back over 40 years.

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Henny Jacobs, director of Zabolak says: “As a result of the major trend towards customisation, clients sometimes want a number of special treatments for their parquet floors. Those treatments are usually difficult to do on site and, in some cases, even involve some risk because you don’t always have all circumstances under control on site. That is why it is best to give floorboards the required treatment in advance. Then, you only have to fit the floor on site. That saves working time and also reduces inconvenience for the clients. For everyone who makes this obvious choice, we are a favourite partner.”

experience and expertise. That gives clients greater certainty of a colour finish of their choice. We link that to flexibility. All sorts of wood are possible and clients choose for themselves the finish which they prefer. As regards sizes and types of floorboards, we can cope with just about anything. We can process planks in the most diverse thicknesses, widths, and lengths.”

“We also have our own developments and can offer clients or interior architects a full spectrum of colours. Since we apply the finish in our own workshops, we have everything perfectly under control. This ensures that the finish is applied perfectly evenly.”

Diverse projects “We advise floor fitters, who still try to do everything themselves, to make a transition and consider working in partnership. The fact is that there are no bounds or limits. This can involve both small quantities and large numbers of floorboards. We have our own lorry, so we can collect and deliver the materials ourselves, but, if clients prefer, they themselves can come to us to collect.

At all events, we look forward to talking to new floor fitters and manufacturers.”

Flexible expertise “We’re familiar with all sorts of wood finishes and for each assignment we also give our clients sound advice, based on our years of

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Harrogate flooring show internet access – were free of charge to all with a business/professional interest in the flooring industry.”

The show’s attendance was bolstered by a substantially increased marketing programme that saw 45 advertisements placed across 16 respected journals in the trade press, as well as direct mail, inserts, online advertising, email marketing and support provided by a number of exhibitors through their own marketing channels.

A full programme of seminars and demonstrations took place, with more than 30 individual sessions and presentations featured.

In addition, the Flooring Show hosted the first Commercial Flooring Conference, with participants including Altro, Flowcrete, Gerflor and Interface, plus the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) and the SATRA Technology Centre.

The opening day – Sunday 2 September – and much of the second day saw vibrant and busy halls and strong footfall throughout the exhibition.

“It was gratifying to see the support for the show from all sectors of the industry, and we are thankful for the loyalty shown by the core group of major exhibitors who have helped to ensure a highly successful event,” says Wendy Adams, the show’s Event Director.

“Visitors also appreciated the fact that this year attendance at all elements of The Flooring Show – the exhibition, seminar programmes, networking events and even car parking and wireless

The Flooring Show 2013 Now planning begins in earnest for The Flooring Show 2013, to be held at the Harrogate International centre in September 2013. “We are delighted to have seen a high level of rebookings and many positive comments from exhibitors,” says Paul Stott, Marketing Director. “We introduced several new elements to the event in 2012 and will be continuing to adopt new initiatives to ensure that next year’s show is bigger and better and is organised to top international standards to reflect well on the highly important industry it serves.”

Broadoak The name in timber products Broadoak Timber Ltd is a family run business specialising in the production and sales of timber products. The company was recently selected as one of the top 20 exhibitors at The Flooring Show 2012. With many years experience, Broadoak Timber Ltd are able to offer an extensive range of high quality timber products, to both the retail and trade markets. The range includes solid and engineered flooring, skirting boards, doors, architraves, fresh sawn beams and joinery timbers and we stock quantities of Ash, Douglas Fir, Oak and Larch.

We specialise in UK produced engineered flooring, manufactured to the highest standard using home grown timber. Our UK produced engineered flooring is available in widths up to 300mm.

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Floor Forum International 56

The Flooring Show has yet again thoroughly earned its title of ‘the UK’s national flooring exhibition’. Held at its traditional home at the Harrogate International Centre, the fiftieth edition of the annual show attracted 127 exhibiting companies from 12 countries occupying some 3,000m2 (net) floor space across four halls.

Total attendance at the show was just over 3,000, including almost 2,400 trade visitors from 25 countries, a very healthy level of participation given the pressures facing the flooring sector this year.

“We see the Harrogate show as being very much a fixture in the flooring year and in spite of indifferent trading conditions it was, once again, very much a success” said David Cormack, Marketing Director of Cormar Carpets. “We launched a new range – Primo Choice – at the exhibition and got an extremely good reaction. This year’s business seminars were well received – as was the free parking for the duration of the show. And we saw retailers from all over the UK and Ireland, with Sunday being one of the busiest days. So overall, at Cormar, we were very satisfied!“

Aftershow Harrogate Flooring Show (UK)

Harrogate flooring show defies market conditions

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Aftershow Harrogate Flooring Show (UK)

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One of our premium products is our 300mm wide, home grown Douglas Fir engineered flooring in lengths of 4.5 – 5m.

We have a wide selection of solid and engineered oak flooring available along with our joinery timber and fresh sawn beams.

Whether it be a beautiful oak floor or constructional oak beams, Broadoak Timber Ltd have a product to suit your requirements.

For more information, a quote or to order, please contact Broadoak Timber Ltd. F. BALL “I was encouraged to see a large cross section of the flooring community in attendance at this year’s Flooring Show, in Harrogate.

From manufacturers and contractors, to designers and retailers, it is a positive indication that the industry is thriving.

A highlight for F. Ball was premiering its innovative iBall Player, an extensive support library of demonstration videos available to flooring professionals. The technology was well received, and we look forward to this becoming an established tool within the industry.

As well being a place to showcase new products, Harrogate remains the perfect opportunity to network, to discover new trends in the flooring market, and ultimately, how F. Ball can help accommodate this.”

Lalegno HARROGATE FLOORING SHOW: a huge success for Lalegno Lalegno’s engineered flooring proves that attention to quality at affordable prices is the way forward for the flooring industry. The brand’s international success lies in the high quality of their extensive range and the important stock they have of over 100 different Lalegno floors.

The 50th edition of the Harrogate trade fair was the ideal opportunity for Lalegno to put the newest products on display. It soon became clear that the new Signature-collection in French oak and wide boards like the MEURSAULT and FUISSÉ finishes will become widely popular in the UK.

Furthermore, the many visitors were given a sneak preview of the 2013 collection, which focuses on exclusive contemporary finishes and accents. www.lalegno.be Tramex

At the beginning of September the Tramex team, once again had the pleasure of taking part in The Harrogate Flooring Show – The largest exhibition for the flooring industry in the UK. During the show we presented to the visitors our range of invasive and non-invasive Moisture and Humidity meters, including The Tramex Hygro-i Flooring Inspection Kit – A 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 and relative humidity problems in post installation inspection/testing. As usual, the show was a great success and we are looking forward to the next year. For more information on Tramex Products please visit www.tramexltd.com

Subfloors with floor heating Heat resistance determines suitability

Heat resistance (RM value) = Material thickness (m)

Heat conduction coefficient (lambda) Heat resistance is expressed in m².K/W Here is a rule of thumb to determine the suitability of a subfloor for floor heating: permitted resistance for floor heating as extra heating = 0.18m².K/W permitted resistance for floor heating as main heating = 0.14m².K/W

Mac Lean

Another point for attention Another point which partly affects the suitability of a subfloor is the reaction of the used material at high temperatures (underheat performance). Indeed, some materials lose key properties at high temperatures due to the structure, composition, or density of the materials. For example, certain materials with a low density (PU or PE) can lose their properties in the long term at high temperatures. Since they lose thickness and impact resistance, this can affect their sound insulation qualities.

Specifically for floor cooling 0.09 m²K/W is often recommended for floor cooling. Moreover, it is advisable to provide a condensation scheme. Condensation monitoring is designed to prevent the occurrence of condensation in the floor. Since the floor surface temperature is always higher than the temperature of the water in the cooled pipes, condensation could never occur in or on the parquet. If this did occur, it would mean that the cooling was set much too low (faulty design or a malfunctioning installation!) and there would be a risk of the floor structure being saturated with moisture.

Condensation monitoring can be applied in various ways. The simplest way is to fit a sensor on the coolest part of the installation, which switches off the cooling if it detects any condensation (resistance reading is affected by a film of condensation on the sensor) or shuts off the main supply of cooled water in the installation.

Parkettfreund

Specifically for floor heating For some time now, it has been easier for buyers, architects, interior designers, or floor fitters to ‘calculate’ the suitability of a

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Floor Forum International 56

Heat resistance takes priority The subfloor plays an important part in the floor’s energy performances. Its suitability is determined by two important factors: the heat conductor coefficient and the thickness of the floor. Good heat conduction contributes to the spread of energy and therefore to the efficiency of the heating system. The subfloor needs to have a higher heat conduction coefficient than the final floor. Good values for heat conduction are 0.05W/m-k or higher for wood and laminate and 0.04 w/m-k for vinyl. Another important factor is the thickness of the material. Even good conductor materials can have an insulation effect if they are too thick. Thicknesses above 3.5mm are usually not recommended because the final heat resistance would be too high. The heat conduction coefficient and the thickness of the material together form the heat resistance:

Special Underlay (part 3)

The Scandinavian countries constitute the major market for ‘building wood’. We are talking here about both timber construction, solid wood, or timber frame and the use of wood finishing products such as parquet and wooden floors. Those same Scandinavian countries also constitute the major market for floor heating. This discovery means we can rid ourselves once and for all of the myth that the two are incompatible. It is true that we have to take some additional measures with floor heating, but that applies to wooden floors and other floors.

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> continued from page 41

subfloor for use in combination with a floor heating system. In fact (in view of the heat resistance), producers have several subfloors for use with floor heating. Recently, due to the success of the combination of both, makers have also developed subfloors specifically for floor heating. This is stated explicitly on the pack.

What’s on the market?

specific sound reduction properties or meet a higher standard of compression resistance for creaking or elastic floors. The thickness varies from 1.6mm for Isoheat green to a maximum of 3.5mm with Isorubber TÜV 10dB. With all these products the heat resistance is lower or even considerably lower than 0.043m²K/W. This means that they meet the preconditions for main heating in all possible situations with laminate or wood engineered parquet.

Special Underlay (part 3)

Balterio At Balterio they also point out the importance of heat resistance.

The heat permeability or, in other words, the insulation value determines whether or not a floor is suitable for floor heating. In the final analysis, you need to consider the combination of subfloor and laminate together when assessing suitability. The combination of the Balterio laminate floors (7mm = 0.056m²K/W /8mm = 0.054m²K/W/9mm = 0.057m²K/W) and the Balterio subfloors (Comfort Sound Base = 0.06m²K/W/Comfort Sound Plus = 0.081m²K/W/Comfort Sound Pro = 0.01m²K/W) is always suitable, but the Comfort Sound Pro has the best scores. An additional condition is that the water pipes are at least 3cm under the floor and the contact temperature never exceeds 28°C. Fair Packaging Fair Packaging has been in existence for a good 10 years and is a specialist producer and distributor of polyethylene products (packaging, insulation, floors and building products, and sports articles). The company works together with leading producers in the automotive, electronics, furniture, and health and food industries.

Fair Packaging endeavours to offer solutions to assist the production processes of its partners.

All those partners are treated individually. This means that Fair Packaging supplies ‘customised’ solutions. In this context they like to present ‘Warm Sand’, a subfloor based on polyethylene and ideal for floor heating. This perforated subfloor is made from high density polyethylene. The subfloor is highly resistant to stress and moisture and has excellent acoustic qualities.

The subfloor Warm Sand is available in thicknesses of 2 and 3mm and is always 10, 15, or 25m long.

Floor Forum International 56

Mac Lean

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Mac Lean has some special subfloors in its range for floating floors in combination with floor cooling and floor heating: Isoheat green, Isoheat red, Selitflex gold, Selitac, Selit-pro, and Isorubber 10 dB. In addition to the correct heat resistance, these subfloors also either have

Pregis/Envoy Flooring Pregis has clear basic principles in this matter: for anyone wanting to combine floor heating with the luxury of laminate or parquet, the choice of the correct type of subfloor makes a world of difference, especially for an efficient use of the floor heating.

It is best to choose a subfloor which spreads the heat evenly and has low thermal resistance. It is best that the entire floor, subfloor plus laminate, does not exceed 0.15m²K/W. Various companies have successfully used Envoy Flooring technology for years in combination with floor heating.

For example, Envoy Thermo is a product which is designed specifically for floor heating. Thanks to the intelligent perforations, Envoy Thermo produces an excellent spread of the heat as well as a considerable reduction in sound. However, the combination of polyethylene foil and polyethylene foam has more than proved its worth as a subfloor with floor heating. The Envoy Duo range offers various types of subfloors with low thermal resistance of up to a mere 0.03m²K/W. Moreover, all Envoy subfloors protect laminate floors against the destructive effects of moisture. They smooth and even out the substrate and, in particular, muffle the sound in the room itself and in that of the neighbours below.

Parkettfreund No matter what kind of application you are looking for, Parkettfreund’s new assortment of underlays offers installing solutions for the most different requirements.

The range covers a high quality choice of underlays for floor coverings which are clearly structured into four product groups: “PROFI PLUS”, “PROFI”, “NATURAL” and “BASIC”.

Besides environmental awareness, low emission and toxicologically harmless products Parkettfreund also puts the emphasis on excellent room acoustics, noise reduction and warmth insolation. Most of the offered underlays are even compatible with floor heating systems and are approved by building authorities.

Learn more about Parkettfreund and its range of underlays and

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Roommade As a general rule, if the heat resistance of the subfloor plus the top floor together does not exceed 0.15m²K/W, the combination is suitable for floor heating.

A combination of three factors determines which subfloor is the most suitable: the chosen floor (parquet or laminate), the covering floor (fixed concrete floor, floating concrete floor, or a layer of wooden beams), and the sort of floor heating (a traditional system, an electric system, or a geothermal energy system). Here we list solely the subfloors with a traditional system.

With laminate that is Thermosound (for flats with a fixed concrete floor) or Silencio (homes and commercial premises with a fixed concrete floor). For multi-layer parquet Silencio is also a good choice for homes and commercial premises with a fixed concrete floor. Roommade has an excellent overview of the various subfloors and their applications.

NEW:

Prime Old Grey I V X

Unifloor Unifloor offers various solutions for combination with floor heating. Heat-Foil® has been developed specially for use on traditional floor heating and/or floor cooling. With its limited thickness of 1.2mm and density of 150kg/m³, Heat-Foil® easily passes on the heat. Heat-Foil® is composed of a PE foil of 200mμ with an overlap combined with a stable PE layer of foam. HeatFoil® is used on floor heating and/or floor cooling in combination with various sorts of floating fitted floor coverings such as click laminate, click veneer, wood-engineered parquet, and PVC click. If it is used with floor cooling, you must always also fit a condensation monitor. Heat-PaXX Traditional is a combination of Heat-Pak® and Heat-Foil® and has a thickness of 8.2mm. The Heat-Foil® is 1.2mm thick and consists of a PE foil of 200mμ with overlap combined with a foam layer with a density of 150kg/m³. Heat-Pak® is composed of high quality MDF material and consists of a 3mm bottom plate and a 4mm top plate. Both plates are fitted with an interactive adhesive, which connects the plates to make one stable system. Heat-PaXX Traditional is ideal for glueing vinyl, linoleum, PVC strips, carpet, and cork directly in combination with traditional floor heating and/or floor cooling. If it is used with floor cooling, you must also always fit a condensation monitor. Heat-PaXX Traditional is the ideal choice for floor heating due to its levelling capacity and very low RM value of 0.061m²K.W.

NEW

Plinth corner

Plinth corner Create a perfect 90º corner.

Plinth inner- or outer corner can be made easily by using 3 clips.

Prime Old Grey gives a weathered appearance to oak.

The possibilities and variations are numerous by finishing the floor subsequently with one of the 27 standard colours of the Floorservice Hardwax-oil Classic, Pro of Profiline.

Prime Old Grey V

Prime Old Grey X

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

Mac Lean Products B.V. Moerdijk Holland info@macleanproducts.nl - www.macleanproducts.nl

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Floor Forum International 56

Available in several colours.

The water-based product Prime Old Grey offers very attractive market possibilities for both industrial and manual application.

Prime Old Grey I

Special Underlay (part 3)

ask for the informative sales brochure including descriptive presentations and technical details.

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Mapei: a partner for parquet projects all over the world World class player in industrial chemistry celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

The basis of the company’s success is their unremitting ambition to continue to invest in more user-friendly, efficient, and ecological products. 12% of the Mapei staff are occupied with the quest for new product development and 5% of Mapei’s turnover is invested directly in Research & Development. Today, no less than 70% of that development budget is invested in sustainable product development and climate-neutral technology. The company is also fully committed to working as closely as possible in technical support with contractors, architects, and engineers.

and provides efficiency together with extremely low VOC content, and remarkable ecological qualities. The Ultracoat products do not contain any NMP, EC1 labelled, and have a ‘Fire Resistant certification B fl S 1 and C fl S 1’.

Mapei Ultracoat: Mapei top technology for wooden floors Floor fitters will see Mapei’s ingenuity and earnestness for new developments reflected amongst other things in the Mapei Ultracoat line. The company has developed this diverse range of finish products on the back of the finest know-how from its R & D division

Crowne Plaza Hotel in Liege This five-star hotel (total surface area 13,000m²) in the centre of Liege is the fruit of the alteration of two historic 16th century buildings with a rich history which were joined together. We’re talking here about the Hotel des Comtes de Méan and the Hotel

The countless projects which Mapei assists worldwide and for which its technology is selected also include several sites with a parquet floor. We selected just a few of these projects to give a summary.

Floor Forum International 56

Advertorial Mapei (I)

Mapei was formed 75 years ago in Milan. The Northern Italian industrial chemical giant has been operating on the international markets for over 50 years and always endeavours to provide solutions in each country to meet local market needs and usages. They’ve succeeded, too, for today Mapei has subsidiaries in 68 countries. Their 59 production plants are spread over 27 countries and five continents.

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selected the Mapei Ultrabond P902-2K. They also fitted a splendid new parquet floor in other places as well, including the salon, the brasserie, and the restaurant. These were glued using Mapei Ultrabond P990-1K. New Chicago University Research Library For a change of scenery we took a look across the Atlantic Ocean, namely Chicago (USA). The project workers deployed Mapei technology to build the new Chicago University Library. The library consists of an 18-metre deep archive cellar with a computerised archive and retrieval system. On the ground floor level they have built a large reading room with a glass dome roof to provide as much daylight as possible. The architects chose parquet for the floor. To separate the residual moisture in the subfloor from the wooden floor completely, they opted for a Planiseal EMB epoxy moisture barrier. It was also important to prepare the extremely absorbent subfloor for 15,000 square metres of parquet. As extra protection for the subfloor and also to reduce sound, they fitted a levelling subfloor onto which they glued the floor using the Ultrabond Eco 995.

Floor Forum International 56

Galeries Lafayette in Nantes The Galeries Lafayette have been one of the leading shopping centres of the metropolis of Nantes in Western France. A few years ago, with the help of Mapei technology, they fitted over 3000m² of multi-layer French oak parquet floor. After the removal of the old floors, the old concrete subfloor was prepared using Mapei Primer G to guarantee strong adhesion once again. This primer does not contain any solvents and is EC1 certified. After that, the workers applied the primer Mapesol 3 so that the floor was prepared optimally for glueing the parquet. To this end, they chose the Ultrabond P997 1K.

Advertorial Mapei (I)

Sélys-Longchamps, which are both listed buildings in Wallonia.

The large ballroom (almost 400m²) was garnished with a magnificent new oak parquet floor in Hungarian Point. The floor fitters from Eurobel were responsible for the project and they opted for the reliable and efficient products from Mapei: as a moisture barrier they chose the 2K epoxy primer MF, for the glueing they

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Floor Forum International 56

Special Sanding machines (part 2)

Sanding machines for all jobs

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Rotary disc sanders are used at every stage.

Whilst the belt sander is undoubtedly the ‘most robust’ machine in the floor fitter’s armoury, the edge sander is the ‘most precise’. What can we say about rotary sanders?

Maybe we should say that they are the ‘most versatile’ of all sanders? There is little doubt about that: rotary disc sanders are used at every stage of the parquet floor fitting process.

This article gives an update on what sanding machine manufacturers have to offer.

Devomat

Applications Rotary disc sanders are essential for a qualitative parquet finish. They are deployed from the preparation of the substrate to the polishing of the parquet floor, if applicable, and even for some maintenance jobs.

In the preparatory phase, floor fitters use their rotary disc sanders to sand the screed in order to remove glue or paint residue or to level the surface. The rotary sander makes way for the belt sander in the first major sanding, after which the belt sander marks have to be removed using a rotational movement. The rotary disc sander is deployed for the following fine sanding and for intermediate sanding between the various coats of varnish. It is also possible to use a rotary disc sander with success to apply oil or hard wax oil, provided that the operator uses a pad. Finally, a rotary disc sander is the auxiliary tool par excellence for major maintenance or renovation. A jack-of-all-trades, without doubt.

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The Bona Flexisand has been developed specially for wooden floor professionals. The functionally designed Bona Flexi Sand has a powerful two-speed motor, a switchable disc system, and an ergonomic design.

The machine has a strong frame with an integrated suction channel and a powerful twophase motor. The Flexisand handle folds up to save space during transport. The large wheels make it very easy to transport the machine. The machine’s diagonally adjustable handle ensures a comfortable working posture, irrespective of the user’s height. Moreover, the Flexisand also has ergonomic carrier handles. The Flexisand can be connected to the Bona Dust Care Single 70. Moreover, the use of anti-static sanding material (Bona sandpaper series 8300) prevents the sanding dust from sticking to the sanding discs.

Devomat Industries The new Woodboy 4000/32-2 is the workhorse of Devomat Industries in every respect! The new 1500 W motor has 50% more capacity than the previous Woodboy model! The oilfilled cog wheel housing ensures perfect conveyance. The result of this is a strong and versatile machine with several applications for parquet floor fitters, carpenters, landlords, floor traders, carpet fitters, odd job workers, cleaners, and so on. The machine is fitted with an easy fastening system for assembly of various accessories.

Each accessory transforms the Woodboy into a different machine.

It is also possible to equip the Woodboy with a dust suction system or a water tank, depending on the chosen application! By putting a weight of 10 or 20kg on the machine, you can improve its performances considerably. The new Woodboy model is also fitted with an ATC system (‘Automatic Torque Control’). This is an electronic setting to absorb peaks and troughs in the power supply. If there is no variation in the power supply, the motor capacity will remain constant! Devomat offers various solutions in the area of dust suction. Devomat industries also has the Clarke 3 DS in its range. The Clarke 3DS offers the ultimate in sanding technology with three rotating discs and an efficient dust suction system. The machine is ideal for fine sanding and smoothing of parquet floors such as mosaic, herringbone, decorative parquet, and such like.

Janser Janser presents first of all the TRI-VARO 430 three-disc sander.

This rotary machine can be deployed for all sorts of tasks, partly due to its adjustable speed from 300 to 980 revolutions per

Kunzle & Tasin Single disk machine The range of single disc machines by KT has enlarged after the introduction of the upgraded version of the New Golia PLUS, available in three models (1500W/150rpm 1850W/150 rpm - 1850W/250 rpm). This version, as well as the other models (RT58 and New Golia) can be used for wood treatment (finishing, oiling, waxing, distressing etc.), for stone treatment (grinding and polishing) and for subfloors treatment (concrete screed levelling, concrete smoothing, concrete/ceramic/stone scratching, glue removal etc.).

For a dust free sanding, all the machines by KT can work either with a vacuum unit on board (equipped with disposable dust bags) or directly connected to an industrial vacuum so to work in a no-dust job place.

Special Sanding machines (part 2)

Bona

minute. TRI-VARO 430 is an all rounder, not least due to its compact design. It is a professional machine for heavy jobs such as sanding and polishing the subfloor (concrete and covering floor), sanding and levelling, removing adhesive residue, removing paint and other finishes, and sanding parquet and pre-finished parquet.

The TRI-VARO 500 also has a variable speed and has a working reach of 500mm. Finally, Janser also offers the Speedtronic single disc machine. This, too, is an all rounder and you can increase its sanding power by using the supplied weights.

Klindex At Klindex they have the Timba. The Timba is a light sanding machine, which, unlike most belt sanders, requires little explanation, training, or experience. The operator can work quickly, easily, and economically. An improved suction system ensures that this machine hardly leaves any dust behind. The Timba can be deployed for all sanding jobs related to fitting parquet or other wooden floors. Timba has been developed to do the work that usually requires the use of 3 different machines introducing the planetary technology in the wood flooring business. Timba is the only machine in the market that can be used for: Floor preparation, Wood sanding and wood polishing and finishing.

The operator only has to equip the machine with the right tools and handle the machine just like a single disc rotary machine.

We can use the Timba for smoothing or levelling the floor, provided that we use grain 24. We then use grains 36 and 40 for sanding in that order. The Timba’s ‘scraping’ function soon seals any open holes and gaps. The floor can be polished between coats of varnish using a pad or grain 220. The Timba also has

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The range: an update

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various accessories for preparing the substrate. For example, the ‘Carborundum’ is an excellent aid for levelling cement covering floors in preparation for fitting parquet.

Overmat

Special Sanding machines (part 2)

The Woodboy 4000/30 is a rotary single disc machine which can be deployed on various sorts of floors for jobs such as sanding, cleaning, buffing, intermediate sanding, polishing, and removing carpet residue. As an option, you can make the Woodboy machine 12.5kg heavier to raise its output. The machine is supplied as standard with a dust suction kit for connection to the dust suction unit Vac-1. This Vac-1 Unit is a professional and durable dust suction unit with bypass cooling, including a tube.

Overmat is the exclusive dealer in the Benelux for the quality label HTC. The planetary sander HTC Greyline 450 is suitable for sanding both concrete and substrates and wooden floors. The machine is easy to dismantle. The machine diamonds are very easy to change

due to the EZ Change™ system. The vacuum cleaner HTC Greyline 25D has been specially designed to assist the single phase Greyline sanding machines such as the GL 450. The sound and sturdy construction, fitted with HEPA 13 filter and anti-static tube, makes for a practical and reliable machine of top quality.

Tover Tover RC1 sanding machine is extremely versatile.

Its system of orbital magnetic discs combined with the speed variator enables an excellent level of finishing (fine sanding) but also a really efficient grinding and brushing. Thanks to its good stability, it is possible to drive it with only one hand, without effort and in total safety. The vacuum system has been improved with a powerful turbine which drastically reduces the quantity of dust during the working time; the site is thus healthier for the installer and the abrasives used remain clean; consequently their action is optimized.

Demonstrations on site can be organized by our staff to show the multiple qualities of the machine.

TIMBA & MINITIMBA

The complete system for wooden floor treatment!

Planetarium System

ing e look we ar ealers d for Easy Transport

NEW Spherical Wheels

Counter-Rotating Head 4 Hp Power

Spherical Wheels

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Dust Extractor

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1,5 Hp Power

Work in tight spaces

KLINDEX s.r.l. s.s. 5 Tiburtina Valeria, Km 209+200 65024 Manoppello (PE) Italy tel: +39 085 859 546 fax: +39 085 859 9224 mail: info@klindex.it web: www.klindex.it

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Laminate as a problem solver Laminate manufacturers offer an amazing choice. They all have their own surprisingly extensive range and all those assortments give ‘oceans’ of floor solutions which even nature itself could not bring forth. The creative intelligence of mankind! Laminate producers have been able to upgrade their ‘product’ in a masterly fashion. Whilst technological innovations have ensured better quality and easier fitting time and again, producers have carried on creating new decors and designs. The result: an endless source of inspiration for clients and a market share for laminate producers of about 14% of the total flooring market. solution, affordable, and fitted very quickly. When she eventually leaves, the laminate floor will be removed just as quickly as it was fitted. And so, laminate is a problem solver!

Balterio

Some market developments We’ve said it before in this magazine: if you can copy wooden planks, you can copy everything.

That is precisely why the ranges and collections on the laminate market continue to grow. Every creative idea leads to a new collection. We went in search of some trends.

Floor tiles Laminate floor tile development varies strongly from producer to producer. Some see this market as a niche in the laminate range, whilst others are seeing growth.

Shares in total sales vary among makers from barely 3% to over 15%. Some makers are seeing growth here. The most popular sorts of stone seem to be natural stone, sandstone, and concrete tiles.

Trends in wood Oak continues to scale the heights amongst almost all producers.

In the field of decors there is a clear demand for authentic looks.

Amongst other things, this is achieved with matt designs. As for colours, grey tints (and black and white) continue to do very well.

Distressed floors are also still popular, but not so much the ‘damaged’ decors as the ‘vintage’ designs. One producer has noticed a penchant for modern floors combined with vintage furniture.

Some ‘curiosities’ Balterio In the area of decors, Balterio has seen a clear trend towards matt authentic decors. Balterio takes advantage of this in the collections Infinity, Xperience plus, and Dolce by offering an extensive range of pale and dark decors in a matt finish. Moreover, thanks to True-to-Nature technology and 3D-Wood effect, these

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Floor Forum International 56

The problem solver Without taking anything away from the laminate as a fully fledged floor covering in its own right, our purpose here is to show how it can provide a conciliatory solution whenever various problems arise. Here’s an example from everyday life. My daughter Julie has gone to live in student digs at Leuven. After searching for some weeks and visiting about 50 available digs (slums!), she finally found the dream nest, which stole her heart. The room is in an old ordinary dwelling with space for ten students. Julie has a room on the ground floor, looking out into the garden. It couldn’t be better. We’re talking here about roughly 25m² (believe me, that’s big), split between two adjoining rooms. She has cooking facilities. And so, what’s the problem? The room has an antiquated tile floor. You know the sort that I mean: fired tiles with patterns in all colours of the rainbow. Valuable and pretty in its time, but now seemingly useless. The floor simply doesn’t go with the choice furniture, decorative objects, and works of art which Julie has assembled. The owner will not permit any changes. The only way to solve this problem without breaking the rules was to use laminate. All the strong points of laminate proved the answer to her prayers: a decor and pattern of her choice, a temporary

Special Laminate floors (part 2)

And an infinite range of decorative possibilities

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Special Laminate floors (part 2)

decors look like real wood! Amongst the long planks, the most trendy collection is the Infinity range, with a pallet of eight modern decors of dark to virtually sheer white with matt finish and 3D-Wood effect. As for standard planks, the most trendy collection is Xperience plus, with, amongst other things, pronounced trendy decors such as Alaska oak and Kalahari oak. Within this collection the super matt and authentic looking Dakota Iep and Butterscotch Iep will definitely appeal to a broad public.

Quick•Step®

Haro

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Haro specialises particularly in wood reproductions and to a lesser extent in tile imitations. Most floors have the shape and appearance of parquet. Oak continues to be the most popular sort of wood, especially in a distressed version. The Gran Via selection from Haro offers an attractive range of noble and natural wood designs. In addition to three oak designs, Nordic Ash with its light colours and Colonial Pine are very popular. All together, Haro offers at least 180 references in the field of laminate. This means that everyone is sure to find something to their taste in this range.

If we have to mention one particular star product, Gran Via seems to be a real hit.

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production process. With Floor Up Kaindl offers architects, designers, and fitters a splendid decorative option. The laminate floor can be pervaded partially or fully on the wall. Why not?

Kaindl For several years, Kaindl has been one of the leading players in the world of laminate. One of its strong points are the authentic and natural surface structures. Kaindl Classic Touch combines traditional wood decors with a tangible structure. Kaindl Natural Touch is also based on synchronisation technology, which harmonises the surface structure and the decor. Kaindl Soft Touch adds classic and creative designs to laminate: the HDF sheet can be coloured immediately with any pattern whatsoever via a patented

At Quick•Step®, too, distressed is still a trend, and this can be seen clearly in weathered decors and saw cuts in the laminate designs. Oak is still the wood sort which scores the highest.

Quick•Step® offers laminate tiles in two of the nine collections: Arte and Exquisa. Arte is promoted as the most trendy collection around today.

Marmer Carrara, Versailles white oiled, Concrete polished naturally, Leather tile light or dark are some of the gorgeous decors in the Arte collection. The tiles have a subtle V-groove. Exquisa offers popular tile decors with a tangible structure. Ceramics in white, light, or dark, slate in dark, black, or black galaxy, and Tivoli Travertin are some of the decors most in demand.

MeisterWerke

MeisterWerke is now preparing for its home trade fair in September 2013. At this most peculiar time, there are not so very many innovations.

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They are working on a range, which concentrates on prevailing trends, colours, and wood decors. Softwood, distressed floors, and grey variations are definitely in the mix. The most trendy collection which MeisterWerke presents is the LD 300/20 Melango, a wooden floor in cottage style with rustic charm. Even experts usually require two attempts to distinguish high quality laminate floors from a wooden floor. This also applies to the floors from this collection, which look like natural matt country house floorboards. An item such as a continuous decor image gives an authentic impression on each of the planks, which are over two metres long. Characteristic of LD 300/20 Melango is the wide choice of oak designs.

Parador Parador is turning out a completely new laminate range, specially developed for young families. The new range is on the market under the name Eco Balance Play!

It includes three authentic wood decors and two creative fantasy decors to tempt both parents and children. This environmentally-friendly range meets strict ecological principles, offers an extremely childfriendly design, and is connected to the launch of a new plank size. The feature Endless Beauty Look opens up totally new interior perspectives. The company has launched this range on the market with a blaze of publicity.

Witex Flooring Products Witex has an assortment of 204 trendy decors. Tiles account for a good 5% of them.

Witex uses the colours to tap into current trends: limestone and black slate for the tiles, and taupe, grey, and warm pastel tints for the wood decors. The most trendy collections are the ‘piazza’, ‘marena maxi’, and ‘grande’.

However, they are not only trendy, but also of excellent quality. These are premium floors.

Technically, these floors score very highly, but they are also noteworthy for their ecological qualities. Apart from the fact that the raw materials are FSC approved, Witex also has a take-back system. These floors are DPL and therefore extremely resistant. Thanks to the Aqua Protect core plate, they can also be used in damp rooms.

The whole world of carpets and floor coverings under one roof Carpets and floor coverings shape our living space – they play a major role in creating the style and ambience of interior design.

Come to DOMOTEX and experience fascinating international trends and innovations from all over the world.

The World of Flooring

GLOBAL FAIRS NV · Tel. +32 16 73 45 51 · info@messe.be

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The Northern Italian company Chimiver Panseri, specialist in producing chemicals for professional parquet floor fitters, is opening new premises and an ultra-modern computerised production line for waterborne parquet varnishes. The parquet chemical specialist believes that its investment will promote international growth, amongst other things with the development of new green products.

Brand new company premises Anyone who visits the Chimiver Panseri. headquarters in Pontida (near Bergamo) cannot fail to be impressed by the construction work. At present, contractors are working at full stretch to build new company premises and a new production hall. Internally, too, Chimiver is upgrading its operation. The company is committed to active international expansion and in recent years has developed a completely new range of products which are effective and take full account of human health and the environment. The successfully launched Ecostar range of varnishes and Lios hard wax oils are part of this new corporate philosophy.

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Advertorial Chimiver Panseri (I)

New future perspectives for Chimiver Panseri

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Investing in production and research The construction work is extremely comprehensive. It includes a new state-ofthe-art production line for waterborne varnishes, but also new laboratories for product development and new warehouses. All together, the company is erecting new premises covering a surface area of 2400m². They hope to start using the new infrastructure in the spring of 2013.

More efficient and export-oriented This new production unit will also make it possible to work more efficiently and take better advantage of the requirements on markets where Chimiver operates.

Moreover, the company can also pursue an active strategy to increase exports to international markets. In all this Chimiver will continue to focus strongly on its speciality, namely the world of glued fitting of wooden floors. Chimiver products will continue to lead the field when it comes to health, safety, and ecology.

Ecostar As regards varnishes we are talking about the Ecostar range, which has recently launched some new additions: The Ecostar 2K Natural is a 2K polyurethane varnish which gives wooden floors an ultra-matt and natural wood look. This varnish has a high share of permanent components and gives the wood a light and warm tint. It is ideal for very high traffic places and is resistant to marks from black soles. The Ecostar 2K Antibatterica is a waterborne 2K polyurethane varnish, which blocks out for 98% the development and spread of staphylococco and Escherichia coli bacteria.

Outdoor Line In addition, Chimiver has also developed an interesting and extensive line of products for outdoor wood. For example, there is a solution for those who want to bring back the original colour of the outdoor wood, namely LioS Grigioff.

Amongst other things, there is also an anti-slip oil, LioS Sundeck Wood Oil No Slip; there is an outdoor oil which has a flameretardant effect (LioS Sundeck Wood Oil Ignifugo), a waterborne impregnation oil (LioS Sundeck W Oil), a nutritional and thorough cleaning soap (‘Soap’), and also a Unisil Outdoor glue with MS technology.

New effective and ecological products The products launched recently by Chimiver give a clear indication of the company’s direction. They aim to sell products which are excellent in performance and which, at the same time, are ecological and provide extra added value for professional users i.e. parquet floor fitters.

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Floor Forum International 56

LioS Hard wax Bioil 90 and MS glue Unisil Another new product is the LioS Hard wax Bioil 90, a natural hard wax oil which Milan University has acknowledged as environmentally friendly. The same university has also recognised Unisil, the new Chimiver glue with MS technology, as ecological.

Unisil is a 1K glue with silane technology and does not contain any water, solvents, amines, tin, isocynantes, and epoxy resins. This adhesive is ideal for fitting readyto-fit parquet on various subfloors: marble, tiles, ceramics, or a screed. This glue is EC1R and noise reducer certified.

Advertorial Chimiver Panseri (I)

This is very useful in places where extra hygiene is required. Another new product is the Pulipar W, a detergent for parquet floors which are finished with waterborne varnishes. For the same purposes has been developed the cleaning agent VELUREX Cleaner Star Super Azione Battericida. Both products have achieved antibacterial certification.

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For Challenges in Life Bona Wave – Premium finish for living floors For public floors with moderate traffic density, Bona introduces yet another highperforming innovation – Bona Wave, a premium 2-component finish that offers outstanding chemical and wear resistance with an exceptionally low VOC level of less than 4%.

Ideal for areas such as libraries, conference halls and offices, Bona Wave preserves the clear appearance and the natural beauty of durable wooden floors.

bona.com/wave

Elastic adhesives: an update

Opting for glue Although we outline elsewhere in this edition how, at least in Europe, multi-layer floors have overtaken solid wood floors by a long way in terms of volume, solid wood still has a 20% share of the parquet market and is therefore still an important segment.

Obviously, you can glue both full solid wood floors and multilayer parquet. Some adhesive producers have noticed a rise in demand for parquet glues, and whilst other producers have not seen that rise, demand has certainly not fallen. And so, the situation looks fairly stable.

Perfectly glued!

What exactly is perfect glueing? Let’s call it a sort of symbiosis.

The above-mentioned ‘mass’ is a composition consisting of several structural elements: there is the building construction itself, the screed or covering floor, the subfloor or intermediate floor, the finishing floor, or the actual parquet floor. In addition, there are also nails or staples, the adhesive and the adhesive bonding, and, finally, there is the finish. All these elements are applied to one whole, which is designed to stand up to the ravages of time.

The threats? They are of a mechanical nature as a result of use by the occupants (e.g. furniture, footsteps, and damage) and/or as a result of climatological conditions (e.g. temperature and air humidity). Would anyone still dare to suggest that glueing parquet is something ‘simple’?

The moving parts It is obvious that the composition of various elements has to be as solid as a ‘rock’. However, don’t forget that all parts of the whole system ‘move’. Moreover, they all move in their own ways: the steel of nails, the concrete structure, the screed, and the wood. Of all these materials, wood is the most sensitive to fluctuations in the surrounding temperature and air humidity (which are closely related anyway). Moreover, as we have already said, in the past, we limited ourselves to oak, whereas all combinations are now possible. And so, parquet glue must have a dose of versatility. According to one producer whom we consulted, the market is moving towards hybrid polymer glues to the cost of all other technology. Time will tell.

Elasticity of the glue A glue is expected to have a certain ongoing flexibility in order to absorb the movements of the building materials. In recent years, developments on the adhesive market have been dominated by the level of elasticity of parquet adhesives and the quest for the perfect balance. The highly elastic adhesives on the market today can generally be divided into two main groups: silane adhesives (SMP) and PUR adhesives. Under silane glues we make a distinction between the MS polymers (modified silanes based on the prepolymers of Kaneka), SPUR (silane and polyurethane), STP (silane terminated polyurethane), and STP-E (a variant of STP).

Today, hybrid glues are classified according to three grades of elasticity: hard elastic, soft (or high) elastic, and balanced elastic. We encountered several approaches towards demarcating the fields of use.

Methods of approach One French producer makes a distinction on the basis of the standard NF EN 14293 (requested by the DTU 51.2), which states that a ‘rigid’ glue (hard) has an expansion capacity of under 2mm.

We speak of a ‘flexible’ adhesive if the expansion capacity exceeds 2mm. According to that same producer, an expansion capacity of 2mm means a ‘balanced elastic glue’. One German producer operates on the basis of a standard such as the DIN 281.

Hard elastic adhesive has high resistance to sandpapering, is minimally elastic, and reduces the risk of joint formation as a result of climatological factors. Soft elastic glue aims to protect the subfloor from the movements of the wooden floor. Balanced elastic adhesives offer high pulling strength, combined with the required elasticity. “The best of both worlds,” this producer assures us. Finally, one Italian producer classifies elasticity as follows: it is hard elastic if the elasticity of the glue is below 150%, soft elastic if it exceeds 300%, and balanced elastic between 150 and 300%.

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Floor Forum International 56

There is a Dutch song about trees and woods (‘bomen en het bos’), which has become a drone. Certainly, ‘obscurity’ is king in the world of glue. Now why is that so? Because technology has advanced at lightning speed in this industry in recent years and this is once again a logical consequence of developments on the wooden flooring market. In times past, the structure of a parquet floor was quite simple: you had oak for the subfloor and oak as the main parquet floor. A simple combination. Nowadays, you have a multitude of substrates, a whole series of wood sorts, including tropical sorts, and a heap of regulations related to ecology. It’s high time for a convenient arrangement.

Special Elastic adhesives

No turning back on the road to hybrid glues

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What do the makers offer?

Special Elastic adhesives

Adesiv ADESIV produces two types of elastic adhesives, a silane based MS with Kaneka polymer in 15 kg. package that can be considered a hard and elastic and a one-component polyurethane unlabeled, in 15 kg. package, too and in 600 ml. sausages balanced elastic.

Both adhesives are suitable for engineered and solid, mediumsize wooden floors. For bonding large dimension parquet on non-absorbent substrates such as ceramic or marble, we always recommend the use of epoxy polyurethane adhesives.

As for floating floors, in Italy the market is marginal so, the glue is still widely used and required by our customers (especially always the bicomponent one) in the other 36 states where ADESIV is present the percentage of floating floors is various but not in such a way that have an impact on the quantities of adhesives therefore we believe that there is still margin for growth in our industry sector. ADESIV Let’s glue head!

Bona Parquet glue Bona R850 is an elastic single component silane parquet adhesive. Just like traditional glues, the set glue is capable of withstanding the pressure whilst wood swells, whereas its resistance to shrinking is minimal. Parquet glue Bona R844 is an elastic 1-component parquet adhesive pursuant to EN14293 (soft) for dimensionally stable Multi-layer parquet. You should use the less elastic Bona R850 for floors like multi-layer solid bamboo. These glues reduce the pressure on the subfloor. It is not usually necessary to use a primer. The glues bind by means of a chemical reaction with the air humidity.

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Emfi Emfi recommends its hybrid polymers for glueing all sorts of parquet. The company’s ‘star product’ is Emfi Parquet Pro+, a parquet glue based on silanated polymers and suitable for the full glueing of all types of parquet. Thanks to plentiful research and development, Emfi Parquet Pro+ meets the strictest environmental norms: this glue does not contain solvents, silicones, or isocyanates. This adhesive is suitable for glueing very wide oak floorboards. It sticks very quickly and is very easy to apply.

Emfi Parquet Pro+ is a single component glue. Its high resistance to moisture and temperature fluctuations make it ideal for fitting parquet on top of floor heating. Emfi Parquet Pro+ has the CTBA certificate (Wood and Furniture Technical Centre), which is awarded on the basis of the standard NF P 63 202.

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Lecol Lecol presents the MS250, MS290, and MS220. Lecol Parquet glue MS250 is a hard elastic MS polymer glue which has been specially developed for glueing chipboard or industrial mosaic subfloors, solid parquet up to 16cm wide, end grain parquet, mosaic parquet, distressed Burgundy traditional parquet, and multi-layer ready-to-fit (wood-engineered parquet) on absorbent and non-absorbent subfloors. Lecol MS290 is the parquet glue which is particularly suitable for the full glueing of multi-layer parquet with a tongue and groove construction. Finally, Lecol MS

220 is a chip-resistant parquet adhesive which is suitable for all sorts of standardised parquet, wooden intermediate floors, and cork floors, all sizes and wood sorts, and is therefore universally applicable. In addition, this glue has all the well known benefits of an MS glue. You can use Lecol MS 220 parquet adhesive to glue all sorts of parquet. Since this glue is not as chip resistant as, for example, the dual component polyurethane adhesive Lecol PU 240, the wood is only able to move minimally during swelling and shrinking so that joint formation and curling are kept to a minimum. The MS220 does not contain any softeners.

Lechner Spa Lechner presents SMP Bond Silane Terminated Energy Elastic Adhesive For Wood Flooring.

Years of experience in the offer of wood flooring adhesives brought to the formulation of this product, combining the best features of both silane and PUR adhesives technologies. It is the very first one-component adhesive with energy elastic and quick setting adhesive ridges. By implementing an innovative bonding hybrid technology, entirely new standards were set for key application criteria such as ridge hardness, spreadability and quick drying time. The result are technically and perfectly layed surfaces with a sophisticated and homogeneous appearance.

SMP BOND is suitable on cement and calciumsulfate screeds concrete, chipboard V100 - dry screed elements, warm-water underfloor systems, Lechner self levelling compound for wood flooring. Its most important advantages are best ridge hardness, excellent spreading properties, excellent aging resistant, no adhesive interactions with sealers, long laying time, rapid grab, high filling capacity, it can be smoothed as early as 12 hrs following the application, it is suitable for all wood flooring types, adhesive residues are easyly removable, it is solvent- and water-free SMP BOND is a low VOC product, classified EC1 by the German Institute GEV. It has also passed the tests according to LEED norm EQc4.1 SCAQMD rule 1168 (2005), which allows it to be used in the ecobuilding industry. Moreover, SMP BOND has obtained DIBt ( Deutsches Institut fur Bautechuik) certification nr.

Z-155.10-99 necessary to seel adhesives for the building industry on the German market. For any further information please download relative TDS from Lechner website www.lechnerspa.it Mapei Mapei offers three elastic adhesives.

These three are all 1-component glues. The Ultrabond P990 1K, a single component polyurethane glue, does not contain any solvents and provides elastic glueing for all wood sorts. Ultrabond Eco S945 1K is suitable for wooden floors and all types and sizes of multi-layer, pre-finished materials. Ultrabond Eco S955 1K is also for wooden floors and pre-finished and laminate materials.

These glues are suitable for several types of substrates: cement covering floors, subfloors to which Mapecem, Mapecem Pronto, Topcem, Topcem Pronto, or similar products have been applied, old wooden floors, marble, ceramic tiles, and anhydrite subfloors. This adhesive can be used for glueing floors on top of floor heating.

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Pallmann Pallmann presents its single component STP adhesive ‘Pallmann 5’. This glue combines the elasticity of a polyurethane glue with the benefits of state-of-the-art STP technology. This glue is extremely easy to apply without any risk of swelling, since it does not contain water. Pallmann 5 is suitable for just about all sorts of wooden floors, including exotic sorts. This adhesive does not contain solvents. The Pallmann has 5 has an excellent filling capacity and a long open time. Glue residue is can easily be removed.

Recoll In the field of elastic adhesive the Italian company Recoll offers its Silane Block SM. Silane Block SM is promoted as the number one solution for glueing all sorts of wooden floors with tongue and groove. Silane Block SM is therefore Recoll’s star product. This glue is the only silane-based glue in the range and is balanced elastic. Epoxy polyurethane adhesives account for about 70% of Recoll’s sales, whilst silane adhesives cover over 10%.

Soudal NV Parquet floor fitters will be interested in the modernised SMX 30P, which will continue life as SMX 30 Plus. This high-end parquet glue guarantees extremely quick and strong glueing of just about all sorts of parquet on all substrates. If necessary, it is possible to sandpaper just 12 hours later! The new version has a somewhat longer open time of 35-40 minutes to provide more comfort in terms of usage time. SMX 30 Plus is also in the highest class for VOC emissions and therefore also has the EC1 Plus label. Naturally, this glue retains all its outstanding processability and floor fitters can count on a pleasant spread in combination with an optimal adhesion capacity of the adhesive grooves. This guarantees a perfect transfer of glue.

Stauf Stauf offers several solutions in all sorts of elastic glues. The PUK 450 is a hard elastic polyurethane adhesive for glueing wooden floors. This is a ready-for-use premium product, which is suitable

Tover Tover proposes different types of elastic adhesives; indeed in its range can be found a twocomponent pure polyurethane adhesive (Tovcol PU2C), a single-component pure polyurethane adhesive (Tovcol PU/F1) and a MS polymer glue (Tovcol MS) available both in buckets and aluminum bags. These elastic adhesives have many advantages due to their extreme versatility: they are suitable for small size parquet as well as for big dimensions planks, following the wood movements, on any sub-floor and they are particularly recommended on under-floor heating systems. Moreover, they have a long working time and a good sound proofing action. Tover also offers non-elastic hard adhesives based on epoxy-polyurethane resins in an economic version (Tovcol T.A.) for building projects, a low solvent content version (Tovcol TP2C) and a solvent-free odorless one (Tovcol TP2C SF) ; all of them have excellent tear strength and an extremely long working time. That is why they must not be considered as second or lower quality adhesives. In conclusion, Tover gives its customers the opportunity to make their own choice regarding the typology of adhesive they prefer to use on sites.

Special Elastic adhesives

Floor Service SMP110 is a strong, ready-foruse parquet glue with no water or solvents which is based on advanced polymer technology and does not contain any silicone.

This glue is ideal for glueing just about all sorts of parquet, including solid wood floors, traditional and mosaic parquet, ready-for-use parquet, and wood-engineered parquet. In addition, the Floor Service SMP 110 can be used for glueing the most common subfloors onto various substrates such as concrete, sand-cement covering floors, anhydrite pouring floors, stone, wood, OSB, metal, epoxy membrane floors, and non-absorbent or low-absorbent substrates. Technological developments have ensured that the SMP110 spreads even better and thereby is easier to use. This adhesive also has a darker colour so that it blends in better with the wood. In addition, there is less product waste as a result of the new pack, which also gives longer storage after opening. A real improvement in use and efficiency!

for glueing all sorts of solid wood planks. There is no risk of damage to the subfloor or finish through softeners. PUK 450 does not contain any water or solvents and has Emicode EC1-R (very low emissions).

Amongst Stauf’s hard elastic glues we also find SPU 545, SPU 570, and PUK 445.

Stauf SMP 930 is a soft elastic glue. Finally, with the SPU 460, Stauf has started a new range of adhesives which combine the proven safety and benefits of a single component PU adhesive with the benefits of silane technology (SMP), especially in the area of safety at work. This glue makes it possible to glue all sorts of wooden floors, even the most demanding types.

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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Floor Forum International 56

Overmat

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UV coating: industrially or manually?

Special UV lacquer range

The result is always better protection Until recently, UV coating in the parquet world was reserved for industrial applications. Its emergence is one of the reasons why pre-finished floors have been given a boost in recent years. UV drying machines and coating machines developed for use on site were initially looked upon with Argus eyes. In some respects this is amazing when we think that manual UV drying appliances have been used in various industries (e.g. dentistry and car bodywork). Its entrance into the parquet industry is a fact, but what about the quality?

Radiation drying Radiation drying coatings are spreading in all corporate branches at lightning speed. We have seen the introduction of UV drying products in car repair coatings and construction, but also in dentistry and nail care shops. Once the coating is applied, the material is exposed to the light rays of a lamp and it dries. You wonder why there are still materials on the market which dry in a different way; which have to be mixed in advance, dry at raised temperatures, or dry slowly through the penetration of oxygen from the air. Paints can be dried with various sources of rays and have been developed mainly to dry rapidly. At the present time, they are used especially to meet the stringent environmental demands regarding air and water pollution. The different sources of rays which can harden a coating are UV light, electron rays, infrared light, radio waves, and microwaves. The fact is that the UV setting coatings are the most advanced and are being used increasingly on a large scale. Other sources of rays have the big disadvantage that the drying apparatus used is cumbersome and expensive.

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All paint can be UV paint If a paint consists of monomers together with a photo initiator, once the coating is applied and exposed to UV rays, it dries in seconds. As monomers have low viscosity, you don’t need to use solvents or make any dispersions in water. And so, there is no evaporation of solvents or water. Monomers are the base for most paint binding agents e.g. an acrylate binding agent contains various monomers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, or styrene.

Basically, polyurethanes and epoxies go together with photo initiators. This means any UV light drying paint can be made from any paint with no pollution from solvents or water.

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Blanchon

The way to the site Although, in times past, only flat sheets and paper were treated with UV coating since the coating was poured and dried immediately using UV light, the past ten years have revealed many more possibilities thanks to portable lightweight lamps and robots which can apply the source of light to the surface. For example, as early as 2009, on the occasion of a surface technique congress in Budapest, a Dutch company introduced a system to help painters supply painted windows and doors quickly. The paint is applied to doors, window frames, or other objects using a brush, roller, or spray to be dried using lamps. Paint can be applied and

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formulation can be done on the producer’s own machine line. For example, it is possible to adapt the viscosity in order to achieve an optimal result on that specific lacquering line. Floor fitters can proceed on the basis that the UV paints which they are going to apply on site also possess some outstanding properties.

UV in the parquet industry The entrance of UV drying and the use of UV coating in the parquet industry are still relatively recent occurrences. Actually, this technique was introduced by laminate producers (for drying the finish), but wafted over to the pre-finished parquet market. Even more recently, since ‘yesterday’, it has become possible to apply UV drying on site (see also our previous edition). From now on, parquet floor fitters can use this technology in three ways:

Quality of application The biggest benefit of an industrial application is still the industrial application itself. After all, an industrial process always takes place under controlled and identical conditions. Those conditions relate to the operations carried out: the sequence of operations, the speed of operations, the ‘corner’ in which the work is done, and so on. However, even the surrounding conditions are always identical and controlled in an industrial process. Such elements include temperature, air humidity, draught-proof, dustproof, and so on. Strictly speaking, you can say that when all the parameters of a production process are identical, the end product and the properties or qualities of that end product will also be identical.

As soon as ‘humans’ start to play a part, there is no guarantee of identical parameters. However skilful floor fitters may be, their operations will never be identical. Furthermore, you can also say that the surrounding conditions on a work site can never be identical, so you can easily tell the difference between manual and mechanical labour. In an industrial environment, we ‘create’ optimal conditions, whilst on a work site we ‘try’ to work as efficiently as possible under the existing conditions.

Industrial versus manual When we consider the tests to which pre-finished floors are subjected to be admitted to a certain class, we have to face the facts: with UV paints, pre-finished floors provide excellent protection for medium and high traffic floors. UV paint brings about a strong cross-linking (binding) to create a sealed elastic coat. It is often combined with aluminium oxide to make it even more durable. The question arises as to whether the quality of industrially applied UV paint is better than that applied manually and, if so, whether the difference lies in the paint or the industrial process.

Of course, the truth is always a bit of both. One conclusion we cannot avoid is that humans are always the weakest link in any production process.

Quality of the paint UV paints are high quality coatings, which can be reinforced with all sorts of additional properties. Depending on the formulation, even very specific properties can be added. For example, it is possible to enrich the paint with anti-bacterial properties to reduce the customary quantity of bacteria in a home. Old people’s homes and hospitals, of course, see this as a great benefit. The difference between paints which are deployed industrially and those which are used on site lies in the area of qualities and properties. With industrial paints certain (practical) applications to the

UV FLOOR CURING EQUIPMENT for vinyl and wood

Final conclusion UV technology is a blessing for the parquet industry. This technology makes it possible for pre-finished floors to thrive and obtain visibly better quality surface protection. At industrial level, UV has proved its worth beyond doubt. The application of UV paint on site may not guarantee the same perfection, but it saves floor fitters lots of time. Floor fitters who tend not to fit pre-finished floors and regard their own traditional fitting methods as a benefit (the ‘craftsmanship’) can nevertheless deploy this modern drying technology thanks to portable drying appliances (robots). In other words, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Our thanks are due to Blanchon, Ciranova, Chimiver, Hesse Benelux NV, Lecol, Milesi, and WOCA for the supplied information.

Finally I found the solution for my workload!

PETE JOHNSON Floorfitter

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

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Floor Forum International 56

• They can buy pre-finished parquet and fit it for their clients.

• They can treat their (raw) parquet as they see fit via coating contractors.

• They themselves can make use of UV drying technology in their workshops or on site.

Special UV lacquer range

dried irrespective of the weather, and that’s a big advantage, for example, with blocks of flats where hundreds of doors, windows, and frames have to be treated. Moreover, in the past, it was only possible to use white paints, but over the past ten years it has now become possible to supply all colours, even in UV coating.

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Special Italy Top Exportminded Italian Companies in a Nutshell!

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Italians simply love wood Parquet industry holds firm in a waning economy Many people still regard Italy as the most beautiful place on earth. The country has us dreaming of magnificent landscapes, olive and lemon plantations, sun, beaches and sea, and an inestimable wealth of national historical heritage. Once the home of the ‘lords of Europe’, it is still a popular destination. Besides its world famous culinary traditions (the country is strewn with delicacies), there is also the ‘Made in Italy’ label, which says a lot about the peninsula. After all, Italy is also synonymous with ‘design’ and ‘style’. The latter shows itself in the Italian way of life, fashion, and interior trends. Little wonder that various Italian parquet makers regard ‘design parquet’ as a star product. This article gives an introduction.

Obstacles and growth factors Generally speaking, we can say that the Italian economy faces several structural problems, which are holding economic growth below the EU average. The ongoing weakness of Italian products on export markets (too little high-tech and too much price fluctuation) is indicative in this respect. A report from the Dutch consul in Milan neatly summarises the obstacles and growth factors.

The major weaknesses • The small scale sphere of corporate life. Business in Italy is characterised mainly by small and medium Enterprises in traditional industrial sectors. There is talk of increasing competition from low-wage countries.

• The modest level of innovation in Italian businesses. Investment in research and development amounts to about 1% of the Gross domestic product, a figure well below the EU average of 2%.

• Faulty infrastructure (e.g. roads, railways, and ICT), especially in Southern Italy.

• Lengthy and laborious bureaucratic procedures and complicated legislation and regulations.

• An inflexible labour market. Despite recent job market reforms, employment agency work and part-time work are still not very common. Economists expect forthcoming legislation to make the job market more flexible.

The major strengths • A number of large companies and several medium-sized ones (especially in the ‘made in Italy’ segment) show outstanding figures. These companies are unusually inventive in making full use of local knowledge and partial outsourcing of part of the labour-intensive process.

• Italy has 232 typical ‘made in Italy’ areas with specialist production systems (light industry), 156 of which are officially recognised industrial districts. Such production systems or districts have companies which produce the same and/or related products and thereby cover the entire production chain. The districts play an important part in the national economy: they produce about a quarter of the Italian GDP and provide work for 20% of the labour force.

• Small and medium Enterprises are characterised by a high degree of creativity and flexibility.

• The Italian banking sector is consolidating rapidly, and that’s an important condition for a healthy financial sector.

Italy and parquet European parquet market is growing The latest report issued by the Federation of European parquet producers (2011) shows that the European parquet market is continuing to recover. There was a slight increase in global production. Production rose by 0.58% as compared to 2010. The industry appears to have survived the big relapses of 2008 and 2009’. There was also growth back in 2010. The FEP estimates that the growth quoted above was smaller than the real growth.

Several producers have made the strategic choice of transferring their production to European countries which are not members of the FEP. Perhaps we can talk of a real growth of two to three per cent. In 2011, the total parquet production amounted to 70,713,000m² as opposed to 70,300,000m² in 2010. Parquet consumption dropped slightly in 2011 by 1.65% to 91,475,000m² as compared to 92,945,000m² in 2010.

Production in Italy Italy is in eighth position as regards the production of parquet. In 2011, the country accounted for over 5.48 % of all European parquet production, good for 3,875,000m² of parquet. That was almost the same as production the previous year (3,803,000m²). In terms of (growth in) parquet production, Italy can be compared with ‘the average’. Whilst production in Germany, Sweden, Spain, and France has fallen slightly, we see that most other countries have increased their share a little.

Consumption in Italy It is not surprising that consumption in Europe fell slightly (-1.65%) in 2011 when we consider that this figure rose considerably (6.81%) in 2010. A certain relapse was only to be expected.

Italy is still in fourth place as regards parquet consumption after Germany, France, and Spain respectively. The country’s share in parquet consumption is the same as in 2010 (10.33%). Seeing that general consumption in Europe fell slightly, that obviously applied to Italy as well. In 2011, Italians purchased 9,449,000m² of parquet as compared to 9,601,000m² in 2010. Similarly, as regards consumption per head, Italy scored the same in 2011 as in 2010: ‘every’ Italia, fits 0.16m² of parquet.

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Figli di Nando Trabattoni s.r.l.

Via delle Marcite, 1 - Z.I. 22030 Castelmarte (Co), Italy Tel: +39 (0)31 621303 | Fax: +39 (0)31 620618 info@trabattonistampi.com | www.trabattonistampi.com contact person: Matteo Trabattoni, mobile +39 3458441335

WOODWORKING MACHINERIES

Renzo Borgonovo s.r.l.

Via Comasina 125 20050 Verano Brianza (MI), Italy Tel: +39 (0)362 90 1347-8 | Fax: +39 (0)362 90 5901 borgore@tin.it | www.borgonovo.com contact person: Luca Borgonovo, mobile +39 3355296736

Special Italy Top Exportminded Italian Companies in a Nutshell!

> continued from page 60

A presentation of a number of Top Export parquet producers of which several are looking for distributors in different countries:

for the day when all those floors need renovating. At all events, Adesiv is fully convinced that wooden floors have a great future.

Adesiv, looking for distributors in the countries of Northern Europa and Scandinavia.

Adesiv Adesiv was formed in 1971. The company produces adhesives for various industrial sectors and has established a fine reputation thanks to its ongoing product development. The company has always set great store by quality, image, and care for the environment. It has its own network of distributors to ensure that its clients always receive excellent service. Its clients are wooden floor fitters who purchase products from dealers.

Adesiv exports a lot of products, and export figures are rising each year. The company is well known for its high quality adhesives, but in recent years has also made significant progress in coatings and wooden floor maintenance products. Adesiv focuses mainly on Europe and would like to have a greater presence on the British market, but the company also has its eyes on the Far East. Given that pre-finished wooden floors are becoming much more popular, Adesiv is ready with its varnishes

Bruno Srl

“More than 75 years of activity has made of BRUNO Srl a high qualified and professional company.

On top of the high quality products, Bruno Srl is also characterized for giving attention to their clients through logistic and aftersale services, and research and development in order to respect forests and environment.

Choosing a BRUNO parquet means to choose a guaranteed product, the result of a tradition which has made the most of a natural resource such as wood.

BRUNO’s range of products offers a wide choice: from Lamparquet to Maxi-strips, from traditional raw material to prefinished engineered wood flooring, with a great variety of species and many different propositions to meet each kind of interest and living necessities.

BRUNO wooden flooring gives the environment a warm and welcome feeling, as well as providing a note of refined elegance to both domestic and public settings, and it also looks good with all kinds of furnishing styles from the minimalist to the antique, from the exotic to the rustic.�

Bruno Srl is looking for distributors throughout Europe and Russia.

Bassano Parquet

Bassano Parquet started life in 1832 as a producer of wooden elements and a sawmill. Nowadays, this Italian company produces multi-layer pre-finished floors with an exquisite and prestigious look. The experience which the company has built up over the years shows itself in technically perfect products, which are made using the most sophisticated production techniques.

The core business is the production of two and threelayer parquet. The major wood sorts are American walnut, European walnut, and oak. New features for 2012 are the European, American, and African walnut in extra wide planks.

Bolzan Srl

Over the past 60 years, Bolzan has acquired an outstanding reputation for its traditional, solid wood parquet floors. The details and finish are of the highest quality. The company produces traditional floors using high-tech machines in an extremely ecological production process. In recent years, Bolzan has also developed two and three-layer parquet and design floors. By constantly investing in innovation, which is geared partly to personalisation, the company aims to keep in close touch with its clients’ needs.

Bolzan floors are made entirely in Italy. In addition to compliance

with the prevailing standards, Bolzan is also committed to the Parquet Transparency Code. Amongst other things, this means that clients can follow the production cycle of their floors, from the raw material to the finished product. 2012 has been a year of further innovation for Bolzan, including the introduction of new high-tech machines. The launch of Teorema 3 (three-layer parquet) is just one innovation. The company is also changing its logo this year.

Chimiver Panseri Spa

Chimiver Panseri S.p.A. is a family business company with more than 45 years of experience in making varnishes, glues and related products for parquet floors. The company was started up by Giovanni Panseri and is now still runned by him and his 2 sons Oscar and Nevio. Key-words for this Italian company based in Bergamo are a strong work ethos and excellent customer service. Other concerns in the company are the environment and quality through research. Nowadays Chimiver employs 53 people. The company is based on 11.000 m2 of surface and has a capacity of 40.000 kg of glue production per day on 2 different plants and 10.000 liters of varnishes in 1 plant.

Special Italy Top Exportminded Italian Companies in a Nutshell!

Pedestals deck sytems for sloped roofs

Timber decking systems

Architects

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Contractors

Landscapers

Roofers

Builders

Floor Forum International 56

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

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

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Special Italy Top Exportminded Italian Companies in a Nutshell!

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Chimiver takes a company slogan “Il Mondo del Parquet” (The world of parquet) very seriously offering the widest range of products for parquet from primers, adhesives, lacquers, oils and any kind of maintenance products both for indoor and outdoor wooden floors. Apart from traditional parquet products, thanks to long experience, since more than 20 years Chimiver offers on the market also a wide range of UV products supplying the Italian and European leading producer of pre-finished or engineered parquet. Chimiver can satisfy any need in the UV line and its actual range is including fillers, primers, finishing lacquers and complete UV treatment of UV-oils. As Chimiver values the environment, its range includes also a complete UV water-based treatment. Chimiver has excellent lab technicians who watch over the quality of the products and who try to develop them even further. Each Chimiver product is a mix of several factors: from the exhaustive research into how it functions to the investigation of any aspect that could make it more effective and longer lasting. This is the way of thinking and research that leads Chimiver into choosing components to use from among all the raw materials available, and into taking notice of suggestions from users. Chimiver is recognized as the biggest player in Italy for parquet products and is now trying to focus even more on export. At present 65% of the company’s turnover is made in Italy and 35 % abroad. The aim is to get to a 50% - 50 % balance for export in the next coming years. Chimiver already exports all over the world from Europe to South-America.

WPC W P C

Protective hydro-oil-repellent product, specific for WPC (Wood Plastic Compound).

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www.prn-agenzia.it

Floor Forum International 56

Protective water-based, water-repellent treatment for WPC (Wood Plastic Compound). It avoids formation of unaesthetic and persistant stains due to the absorption of oil substances and dirt.

CHIMIVER PANSERI S.p.A. PONTIDA www.chimiver.com info@chimiver.com

Florian Legno

The history of Florian Legno goes back to 1950 and is comparable to the history of many other family businesses on the international wood market. Florian Group focuses sharply on specialisation and internationalisation. The group consists of 10 companies, five of which are located in Italy, and employs a total of 560 people. Florian Group sells its products all over the world.

Despite a general relapse on the markets, the group is doing well due to the fact that their brands stand out clearly as ‘high quality’. Since 2004, Florian’s European oak has been FSC approved, something which gives considerable added value. Gradually, other wood sorts have followed such as beech, maple, cherry, and American walnut. Today, the company is also setting its sights on the multi-layer floor market, in particular with European oak and beech. In recent years, the company has developed some production plants for this purpose. Economically, the group is doing very well. Its capacity is at least 70,000m³. In 2011, the company’s turnover was about 80 million euros. 55% of that was achieved via export. The company is aiming to grow mainly via exports and its goal is to export 70% of its total production.

Garbelotto Great success for Garbelotto and Master Floor at MADE Expo 2012 in Milan: many visitors have been attracted not only by the new products, but also by the elegance of the stand and by the richness of materials. For the companies it’s very important to communicate that all the products are Made in Italy in their plants, granting a perfect quality. Many new products have been presented: Gli Antichi – antique boards handily restored, Le Murrine di Creator, Venice murrine glass insert in the wooden square, Graffiti line, you can decorate your floor printing with anything you want on the surface of the parquet; and the new UV oil line that increases the natural oil resistance and permits an easy and perfect restoring.

SCUDO WPC ! w e N

Giorio Srl

Giorio Srl is an Italian company specialized in the wood flooring production and distribution of engineerd floors and complementary accessories. The company was founded in 1969, mainly to meet the demands of local customers . As for the best tales this was only the beginning of a long and rousing adventure. Today Giorio is acknowledged all over the country as one of the most representative wood flooring producers. The company is the exclusive distributor of the “Alma floor” brand which is one of the best trademarks of the Italian market. A series of collections of natural floors Made in Italy, combining the modern manufacturing techniques and the old craft tradition. For more details, visit the websites www.giorio.it and www.almafloor.it .

La Brenta Srl

After being trained by several companies, Galante Marco set up ‘his’ La Brenta in 2004. He wanted to express his passion for wood through the creation of inlay parquet. To do this, he created the brand Essenze. He set up the team from Esssenze’s Creative Boutique to assist designers, architects, and fitters.

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Lechner Spa

Lechner is a national and international referent in the production of adhesives for parquet, PVC floorings and coverings, rubber, textiles, linoleum, synthetic grass, and for the finishing of hardwood floorings. The wide range of products for the preparation of substrates, such as primers, levelling and smoothing cement compounds complete the offer of the company. Lechner has business relationships around the world, but it is still strongly rooted in its territory, where since 1920 maintains its production factory and its headquarters, thanks to more than 50 employees, a productive capacity of approx 6,500 tons. A relevant part of the products in the catalogue are accredited by the most important international certifications that identify them as “Environmental Friendly”, and are widely used in various applications in both residential and contract, not to mention the demanding shipbuilding sector where Lechner is identified as a strategic partner for professional installers. With the occasion of Made 2012, organized in Milan from 17th to 20th October, Lechner will introduce to its loyal customers, for the first time in Italy and abroad, a very important new product for outdoor floorings.

Progress Profiles

Progress Profiles is a specialist manufacturer in profiles and skirting boards from the region of Veneto with offices abroad in Moscow, Dubai and U.S.A.. In just over 25 years, the company has become market leader in Italy and owes its rapidly rising turnover and growth to successful exports, including to the Middle East and Russia. The recipe for this success is the highly extensive range, the quality, price/quality ratio, and efficient logistics. The width of the range of profiles is one of the plus points. Applications for combinations with parquet and laminate are important and extensive, but it goes without saying that they also have an extensive range for ceramic and design floors.

Recoll started out in 1987. The company aims to produce the best glues and paints for wooden floors. To achieve this goal, Recoll uses the most advanced technology. Over the past ten years, Recoll has reached the top of the market, amongst other things by taking advantage of new applications. Recoll International has a prominent presence on this market in Italy, but also in Southern and Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. The country owes its success to its clients’ faith in the consistent quality of the products. The star product of Recoll is undoubtedly Parquet 0160 Eco, an epoxy polyurethane adhesive. In 2011, the company achieved a turnover of four million euros. The company employs 10 people and the annual capacity amounts to 5,000 tonnes.

Today, export accounts for 35% of turnover. The company aims to increase this figure to 50% by 2014.

Renzo Borgonovo and Trabattoni Stampi

From 1961 Renzo Borgonovo and FNT Trabattoni Stampi collaborate in supplying of equipments for wood decoration. In the last years, they improved technology of wood embossing applied to the parquet industry. The embossing machines Renzo Borgonovo and embossing rollers from FNT operate with the technique of “pyro-engraving”. By means of pressure and temperature the designs engraved on the cylinders recreate onto the wood the most variegated structures; everything with the only use of one machinery and interchangeable embossing rollers. Architects from any part of the world use the experience of these two firms to create structures and finishes new and trendy, required by a market more and more demanding.

Special Italy Top Exportminded Italian Companies in a Nutshell!

Recoll

Tover Tover was founded twenty years ago and is now known as one of the most important Italian manufacturers of chemicals for the laying, finishing and maintenance of wooden floors. The continuous and huge investments in research and development, innovation as key strategy enable the Company to offer a complete range of environmentfriendly products in compliance with the most restrictive European norms and safe for human health. Advanced technologies have been optimized for the formulation of elastic adhesives like MS glues and sealants, low VOC waterborne finishes, natural high performance zero VOC oils. Also the modern style, customer oriented, the high flexibility made the success of Tover in Italy first and now in many countries: export will represent this year 35% of the total turnover. Top quality products combined with competitive conditions convince more and more customers that Tover is the reliable partner for a long-term cooperation. Tover is looking for distributors in the following countries; Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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Floor Forum International 56

Their core business is creating inlay parquet through the combination of various materials. Each floor is a unique project, which is geared to the fantasy of a particular client. The latest collection shows unique floors in which wood alternates with other materials side by side. This collection is classic and modern at the same time. In 2011, La Brenta achieved a turnover of €1,500,000 euro and employs 10 people.

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> Product news Bona Deep Clean System — reviving wooden floors Bona introduces a new innovation that revives floors instantly, bringing dull wooden floors back to life. With the all-new Bona Deep Clean System, full freshness is restored between renovations. Shortly after renovation, wooden floor surfaces become tired and dull from wear and dirt that quickly builds up. To bring back that beautiful natural luster, Bona has developed a unique system designed specifically for wooden floors.

Using the Bona PowerScrubber machine together with specially formulated Bona Deep Clean Solution, you can reach deep down into the wooden surface and remove even the toughest dirt, grime and scuff marks. With no need to vacate the premises, it secures a fast working process – all in less than a day’s work without a costly process. The combination of machine and deep clean solution surely have become a unique offer and is an extended service offer that opens up new business opportunities for the flooring craftsman. For more information, please contact: Håkan Lindell, Strategic Product Manager Professional products Phone: +46 736 557 559, E-mail: hakan.lindell@bona.com

Product news

Lite Wood International

launches two new collections of distressed floors: UNIQUE New Antique’ and ‘Castle’ - VISUAL and TECHNOLOGICAL TOP QUALITY! The Indonesian producer which Lite Wood represents is extending its wide range of distressed multi-layer floors with two splendid new collections, namely Castle and New Antique.

The Castle collection is available in top layers of European oak, completely hand-scraped in a thickness of 14.5mm (3.5mm top layer) and 22mm thickness (6mm top layer). The width of the Castle series is 290mm. However, a bevel is applied manually to the surface at various intervals to create the so called Burgundy effect after fitting. Castle includes the design variants Alhambra, Castelvecchio, Balmoral, Charlottenburg, Fontainebleau, and Windsor.

The New Antique collection is also distressed manually and is available in thicknesses of 14.5 (3.5mm) and 22.0mm (6.0mm) in the design variants Grampians, Caucasus, Pamirs, and Apallachian. Finally, both collections are finished with an extreme matt (industrial) oil from Klumpp, Germany.

Renzo Borgonovo and Trabattoni Stampi From 1961 Renzo Borgonovo and FNT Trabattoni Stampi collaborate in supplying of equipments for wood decoration. In the last years, they improved technology of wood embossing applied to the parquet industry. The embossing machines Renzo Borgonovo and embossing rollers from FNT operate with the technique of “pyro-engraving”. By means of pressure and temperature the designs engraved on the cylinders recreate onto the wood the most variegated structures; everything with the only use of one machinery and interchangeable embossing rollers. Architects from any part of the world use the experience of these two firms to create structures and finishes new and trendy, required by a market more and more demanding.

Floor Forum International 56

YEPP

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At Yepp they endeavour to divide up the floors in the same way as the division according to the EU standard. Consequently, multi-layer parquet floors come under the standard EN13489. This standard prescribes that the top layer has to be at least 2.5mm or thicker. With Yepp’s own generic brand, this difference is clearly visible: all multi-layer floors with a thick top layer (above 2.5mm) are classed under the name Multidesign, whilst floors with a thin top layer are classed under the name Finidesign. Yepp offers both two and three-layer floors. There are two types of two-layer floors. Floors with a solid wood top layer on a plywood base are sold under the name Doubly. In addition, there is the Topfloor, a Multi-layer floor with a solid oak top layer on solid oak strips. For its threelayer floors Yepp has three makes: Thrice, Thrice Plus, and Quick-Step Parquet. Thrice is a multi-layer floor with a solid wood top layer on wooden strips with a veneer counter layer underneath. Just like Quick-Step Parquet, Thrice Plus has a similar construction, but is also fitted with the Uniclic Multifit click system.

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

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

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

Isocyanate free & solvent free

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

Removable without leaving stains

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

Excellent storage stability & multiple use without waste

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

No black fingers

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

UET Q R E PA OME H T AND YOUR H E NEW! IN T LIK US IS J

Cleaning

Waxing (neat)

Waxing (diluted)

Waxing

De-waxing

A range of products to clean, maintain and give better protection to parquet From the Mapei research laboratories, following the success of our surface finishing systems for parquet, we now also offer Ultracoat systems for cleaning, maintaining and protecting parquet in any size of room. Products which respect both man and the environment.

I sistemi Ultracoat, semplici nell’applicazione.

Discover the world of Mapei: www.mapei.com

Y EASSE! U TO

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