FFI 94 March 2018 by Media-Pact NV / FFI bvba

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INTERNATIONAL trade journal f or impor t , expor t , dis tr ibution and lay ing of par que t , laminate, cor k f loor ing and r elated pr oduc t s

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N° 94, March 2018 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept , Nov, Dec) Of fice of deliver y 9099 Ghent X , P911092, BC 31359 - Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Special: Top Dutch companies focused on export Preview: Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

Top Parquet Show

EFWEX EUROPEAN FLOOR & WALL EXHIBITION

14|16.03.2018

Company visit: Kerkhofs Parket (BE)

Special: Where can I find wooden convector grills ? S O L U T I O N S

F O R

T I M B E R

D E C K I N G

Special: Producers of 3D decorative wood for walls Special: Producers of indelible/water resistant floors in laminate, vinyl, LVT and PVC

www.novlek.com

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Introducing the first 1K oil that works like a 2K In case you missed it at Domotex, we proudly present WOCA Diamond Oil Active – the first 1K oil that works like a 2K. Perfect for those who appreciate an incredibly high level of quality when oiling wooden floors. Find out more at wocadenmark.com/DiamondOilActive

WOCA Denmark A/S · Tel.: +45 9958 5600 · info@wocadenmark.com · www.wocadenmark.com

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INTERNATIONAL trade journal f or impor t , expor t , dis tr ibu tion and lay ing of par que t , laminate, cor k f loor ing and r elated pr oduc t s

Editorial

N° 94, March 2018 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept , Nov, Dec) Of fice of deliver y 9099 Ghent X , P911092, BC 31359 - Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Special: Top Dutch companies focused on export Preview: Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

‘Innovation is essential for the survival of a market. However, innovations must at least provide performance and quality guarantees.’

Top Parquet Show

EFWEX EUROPEAN FLOOR & WALL EXHIBITION

14|16.03.2018

Company visit: Kerkhofs Parket (BE)

Special: Where can I find wooden convector grills ? S O L U T I O N S

F O R

T I M B E R

D E C K I N G

A N D

C L A D D I N G

Special: Producers of 3D decorative wood for walls Special: Producers of indelible/water resistant floors in laminate, vinyl, LVT and PVC

www.novlek.com

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Floor Forum International n° 94 March 2018 Photo Novlëk

4 Inside news 8 Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE) 19 Special Producers of indelible/water resistant floors in

laminate, vinyl, LVT and PVC 22 Company visit Kerkhofs Parket (BE) 24 Special Where can I find wooden convector grills ? 26 Special Cross-cut floor producers :

types and fitting methods 28 Special Epoxy moisture screens 32 Special Providers of entrance mats : a must for any project 34 Special Producers of 3D decorative wood for walls 38 Special Flame-retardant lacquers and oils :

properties & legislation 42 Special New trends in cork floors 44 Special Fastening systems for deck flooring 48 Special PVC, vinyl and LVT floors:

extra business for floor fitters 51 Special Stair renovation with laminate 53 Industry news

Whilst ‘wood in the construction sector’ is still being used increasingly, wood is gradually being used less for wooden terraces on site. However, the market is still important and wood is standing its ground well against the alternatives. According to Marc Luypaert from ArchiWood, the advance of composite wood has had its day, not least due to lots of clients being disappointed as a result of the modest quality of some products. Marc Luypaert comments: ‘Within that segment, there is a sort Marc Luypaert of natural selection, which favours (ArchiWood) those rare quality products.’ As regards invisible fastenings, Belgium still seems to be a good client. However, Marc Luypaert thinks it is a great shame that some less scrupulous ‘cowboys’ make their way onto the market with less sincere motives and, especially, with dubious systems and substandard copies of existing systems. ‘It’s more important than ever before to stimulate clients to ask critical questions and urge them to work only with serious and sustainable companies. It may be important for them to ask companies to provide performance references or quality labels approved and certified by recognised (European) institutions,’ Marc Luypaert says. They deny that invisible fastening systems have inflated the price of terraces. For example, a time saving in the fitting of no less than 40% (as is the case with the ArchiWood system) has had a major impact on the final cost price. Moreover, a qualitative invisible fastening system guarantees a much longer lifespan for the terrace. Then, obviously, there’s also the ‘safety’ aspect. Marc Luypaert says: ‘But obviously you only get all those benefits from a qualitative system.’ The French standard (NF DTU 51.4) does not cover invisible fastening systems, but only the design and completion of terraces in wood which are made in the traditional way. This means that manufacturers of invisible fastening systems have to take the initiative to have the conformity of their products approved by a recognised ‘third party’. And so, in choosing a fastening system, fitters must primarily consider the manufacturer’s seriousness, sustainability, and expertise. The system itself has to be designed to take account of the wood and the effects of the weather. And so, fitting a wooden terrace also requires a knowledge of how the various types of wood react to diverse weather conditions. A traditional parquet floor fitter who has such a knowledge can fit a terrace with no trouble at all.

54 Special Top Dutch companies focused on export 58 Product news Editing & advertisements 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 Publisher Filip De Ridder

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

Lay-out: Be-able Communication www.be-able.be Production: Lowyck - Oostende

Advertising & subscriptions Adriana Dascalu info@media-pact.com Hilde De Ridder floorforum@telenet.be Filip De Ridder sales@media-pact.com Editors: Jean Paul Talbot, Ludwig Janssens, Filip De Ridder Jacques Legros

Translation: Michael Robinson www.glossa.be Floor Forum International is a publication of FFi bvba.

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.

∂ Inside news Devomat Industries strengthens its position on the French market with its brands Devo®, DevoNatural®and Woodboy®.

In the first phase, the focus is mainly on the regions in Northern France and Ile de France. From 11 to 13 April Devomat will participate in the fair NordBat in Lille. In collaboration with Flanders Investment & Trade, Devomat wants to get a solid footing in France this year! Christophe Hainaut, who has been responsible for the French-speaking clientele of Devomat for years, will lead these activities with passion and availability!

technical and decorative aspects proved decisive. This award has made it possible to highlight the know-how of these professionals and the quality of the work which they have carried out with the products and systems of Plastor. These sites were in breathtaking residential and commercial surrounds. For this 9th edition the three prizes rewarded sites which used various techniques and bearers: - 1st prize: The Théodore Deck et des Pays du Forial Museum in Guebwiller (68), a project completed by the company AD PARQUET. - 2nd prize: The boutique Comptoir des Cotonniers in Colmar (68), a project completed by the company IDEAL PARQUET (75). - 3rd prize: An architects house in Saône-et-Loire (71), a project completed by the company RENOV SOLS in partnership with AD LUCEM.

1st prize

2nd prize

3rd prize

Trafil MULTISYSTEM skirting-board

MAPEI : ULTRACOAT SOFT TOUCH FINISH The Mapei Ultracoat soft touch finish lacquer gives your parquet floors maximum protection. This 100% waterborne polyurethane lacquer with an EXTRA MAT (Gloss 2) finish gives durable protection and increases wear and scratch resistance. This parquet lacquer is ideal for public and commercial premises, which are subjected daily to high traffic (e.g. public offices, shops, etc.). This 2-component lacquer is easy to apply with a roller and, after drying (12 hours), gives a nice natural top coat which feels very soft. This lacquer gives the same result as impregnation products such as oils or waxes and is for indoor use only. Always read the technical data sheet.

Plastor For this new edition of the Glazing Trophies Plastor has awarded prizes for the sites completed in 2016 by its partners, professionals in fitting parquet and polished concrete. For the choice of the laureate the

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MULTISYSTEM is suggested for all floors, also for the pre-finished ones thanks to its base width. The particular flexibility of the material makes it suitable also on curved and imperfect walls. It is particularly recommended for the do-it-yourself, easy to cut and place. Multisystem is not just a skirting board, but is as well a cable feed-through base. We recommend to apply MULTISYSTEM by using the special clips with interlocking snap. This patented system allows a quick and safe application of the skirting board allowing you to remove it without damaging the anchorage system. We suggest to apply a clip every 25/50 cm, it depends on the type of wall. The accessories are available in the same colour of MULTISYSTEM: external and internal angle, right and left terminal and joints. MULTISYSTEM is available in standard colours, dignified colours that reproduce exactly the wood, marble and aluminium effects and embossed colours with raised pore that reproduce the natural grains of wood.

plastics in the best shape

SPRAY-WAX High quality oil-wax finish – especially developed for professional users! > Clear or pigmented, various gloss levels, for interior use recycl able materials an ecologically sustainable production

> Highly recommended for stairs, furniture, worktops > Spray-Wax is stain-resistant, water-repellent and abrasionresistant, and results in a surface that is pleasant to the touch.

italian qualit y production

Via Peschiere, 52◦10040 Osasio (TO) ITALY T. (39) 011.97.93.103◦F. (39) 011.97.28.605◦info@trafil.it◦www.trafil.it

www.osmo.de/en

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∂ Inside news BOOTH 8435 - HWZ International AG

EFWEX 2018: VISITORS GET THE VIP TREATMENT! HOW COME?

Photo – Bona

Everyone knows by now that the range on show at EFWEX 2018 for professionals is as ‘complete’ as it is ‘essential’. Anyone wanting to keep pace has to be there! That doesn’t have to be a sacrifice, since visitors get VIP treatment in various ways. The fact that the show takes place in HALL 3 will only help to improve the atmosphere. Closer contacts at the show ensure more intensive links afterwards. Admission is free and those who register via www.efwex.eu will also get a free ticket for the musical event W-FESTIVAL from 16 to 19 August 2018 (value €140). A nice bonus?

IMP. No. 07

HWZI is part of the Kuratle Group, a family business formed in 1955 and now the biggest wood and building material trader in Switzerland. With 750 employees in Europe and South Africa, the group achieves a turnover of about 500 million euros, including 45 million euros from HWZI. HWZI was one of the first companies to start distributing vinyl floors. In 2017, they imported over 1800 containers. The whole of Europe is supplied from the central warehouse in Germany. SLY is a new standard in vinyl, with widths of 220 and 300mm and three different widths in one pack. There are 20 handsome designs. Herringbone and tiles (60 x 60mm) are the latest products. In 2017, they started on the distribution of INDO 3D decorative wall panels in teak, walnut, and driftwood. There are now 34 standard designs in stock. DIAMOND 100% root teak is undoubtedly the

best-seller. Delivery within two to five working days in Europe. DOING BUSINESS WITH HWZ International means: Swiss reliability – Financially very strong -.Quality products – Big stocks – Very fast carriage paid delivery.

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EFWEX 2018 There are also prizes to be won. Everyone has a chance to win one of the many Bona Spray Mops! Do you need more? No problem! On 15 March, exhibitors and visitors will be treated to an evening of dance and entertainment. The central bar will be supplemented with one extra bar. Moreover, the catering is still completely free of charge. Be there at Flanders Expo on : - March 14th from 10.30 a.m. till 6.30 p.m. - March 15th from 10.30 a.m. till 10.00 p.m. (with dance and entertainment) - March 16th from 10.30 a.m. till 6.30 p.m.

YOUR KEY TO NEW MARKETS

EXISTING CLIENTS Long-term relations must be maintained.

NEW CLIENTS EFWEX is the best meeting forum with potential clients. Photo – Bona

EXISTING PRODUCTS Show off all your references once again …

NEW PRODUCTS

HOUTBEDRIJF

Specialist in custom work!

… And tell people what’s new; highlight your innovations!

Overlay Solid Engineered Pattern flooring And many other products ! For more information contact us via sales@media-pact.com, +32 (0) 9 385 80 40 or www.efwex.eu

WWW.PARKETKERKHOFS.BE

INFO@PARKETKERKHOFS.BE

+32 11 63 64 00

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Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

EFWEX 2018 A MUST FOR PROFESSIONALS EVERYTHING ABOUT PARQUET, DESIGN FLOOR COVERING, AND FITTING ACCESSORIES

Photo – Booth Floor Forum International at EFWEX

Why should you go to EFWEX 2018? Perhaps simply because ‘not going’ isn’t an option? This trade fair is organised by the top publisher of trade journals in the parquet and wooden flooring industry and has all the ingredients to be a roaring success. Anyone wanting to keep up with current trends, techniques, and technology simply has to be there. EFWEX 2018 will be another fine meeting of ‘supply and demand’ on the wooden flooring market and so much more. It is a rendezvous full of suppliers, clients, and rival colleagues.

Floor Forum International 94

Enough reasons for being there … ‘EFWEX 2018 – a window view of the sector’ EFWEX may be regarded as a ‘time to take stock’ in a rapidly changing world. Flanders Expo will also be a meeting place where specialists or purchasers can carefully take stock of the possible novelties, where they can ask questions, compare systems, etc. The exhibitors primarily include manufacturers, importers, dealers, and wholesalers from the following sectors: parquet, laminate, vinyl, LVT, bamboo floors, floor chemicals (e.g. glues, lacquers, oils, and maintenance products),

EFWEX 2018 YOUR KEY TO NEW MARKETS Order your FREE ADMISSION TICKETS via www.efwex.eu EXISTING CLIENTS

NEW CLIENTS

Long-term relations must be maintained.

EFWEX is the best meeting forum with potential clients.

EXISTING PRODUCTS

NEW PRODUCTS

Show off all your references once again …

… And tell people what’s new; highlight your innovations!

Discover the Future of Floor & Wall solutions For more information contact us via sales@media-pact.com, +32 (0) 9 385 80 40 or www.efwex.eu

Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

wooden wall cladding, wooden terrace floors, and professional tools for floor fitting and carpentry. Apart from producers and dealers of machines for the wood sector and parquet production and finishing, various specialists in computerisation and efficient woodworking and floor production are also taking part in the show. Then, obviously, there are the certifying agencies and the media in the sector.

They’re comi ng from ‘abroad’, too! The international dimension of the show has been a goal since the very first EFWEX. They’re looking at us from abroad and vice versa. Many international enterprises now regard Belgium as a ‘gateway’ to the heart of Europe. You can’t get more central than that! It’s no wonder that major European institutions and a number of global organisations such as NATO are based in Belgium. Logistically, Belgium is in excellent shape! Four airports, with Brussels being the main one; a location and traffic infrastructure which have given the country a major transit function; then there are the sea ports, with Antwerp the second biggest in Europe and Ghent-Bruges a logistical miracle. The international profile was a conscious choice from the very start on the part of the organisers of EFWEX and a number of leading players from the sector. This choice will become even more prominent for the forthcoming third edition. Testimonials from various exhibitors show in particular how important the Benelux market is for suppliers from neighbouring countries. Surely a nice bonus?

Overview of some exhibitors Abetech-Abrasives ABETECH-ABRASIVES is one of the leading actors in the manufacture of abrasives and products for renovation, maintenance and soil treatments (parquet, wooden floors, concrete, natural stones…) in Belgium. We put our experience and know-how acquired over the years, serving professionals to advise you the best way possible and give your floorings a brand new life. Our full range of products including our new professional line and our FLOORTECH machines coupled with our own making workshop provide you flexibility and answer to any of your issues. Visit www.abrasif.com / www.abetech.be for more infomation. Visit our stand: 8513.

Abriso /Spea

For atmosphere and ambience – 10 out of 10! The show takes place in Flanders Expo on 14, 15, and 16 March. Prominent and even leading names from the chemical industry and, obviously, from the parquet sector will be there. Exhibitors and visitors can enjoy some evening entertainment and a dance on 15 March. Demonstration stands and a room for architects bring trends and techniques closer to the visitors. The central bar will be supplemented by two additional bars in the corners. The catering will still be free of charge.

EFWEX 2018 – say it with music! The organisers are rewarding visitors to EFWEX 2018 with a warm and musical welcome. Everyone who registers on the web site under ‘visitor/entry ticket-request’ will, upon entry at EFWEX, receive a free ticket (to the value of €140) for a 4-day visit to the musical event W-Festival, which takes place from 16 to 19 August 2018 inclusive at Kluisbergen (Belgium). Now there’s a nice gift!

SPEMI® is the trademark of the company Abriso LC , which specialises in laminating PE foam and transforming XPS foams . Abriso subfloors such as HD®, HDR® and Duo Act® , are known for their efficient contact sound insulation of Lin 10 dBa or higher and Lw 21 or more . All this under stress conditions , in accordance with the standards EN ISO 10140/ and 717/2NL. Other versions such as Spemi® 100/2 , Spemi® 200/3 or Abrifoam® 20/2 also reduce the walking sound considerably . Spemi Duo Act® is a material based on XPS with a density of about 100 kg/m³ and a limited Thickness of about 1.7 mm . Due to the mechanical strength the click joint is put under less stress and is therefore less likely to crack . With its limited built – in Thickness , it is suitable for floor heating and cooling . Due to the micro-perforation there is no extra vapour barrier. This product is supplied on sheets of 50/100 cm and is handily packed per 16 m². Visit our stand: 8807.

EFWEX 2018 is there specially for you!

Basin ChemEco

Are you a professional operating in the flooring or wall sector? Does your core business include selling, fitting, or buying wooden floors, bamboo or cork, PVC, and vinyl tiles, or other similar interior activities? If so, it’s time for a ‘lucrative’ break! Take some time away from your PC and look for some products and solutions! Let that urgent price quotation wait for a day! No building site visits today! Perhaps you’re thinking: ‘I can’t do that now!’ Nothing could be further from the truth! One visit to EFWEX 2018 is all you need to enhance your knowledge of the market. Existing or new partners or suppliers are just raring to give you an impression of today and tomorrow. And as far as your competitors are concerned, don’t worry! They’re doing exactly the same. They’re flocking to Flanders Expo simply because they know that from 14 to 16 March that’s the only place to be!

From the 14th until the 16th of March, BASIN will be represented at the European Floor & Wall Exhibition in Flanders Expo Ghent, at booth nr. 8833! With spring in sight, we would like to present you the renewed AQUADUX range, which is suited for (re)treating your garden

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furniture, cladding and other weathered wood. Swing by our booth and discover what BASIN, besides producing quality products, does to help nature. Give us a like on Facebook during your visit and receive a free hoppy beer made with our own honey, produced by our 500.000 bees, as a gift. BASIN, the brand with the bee: a dynamic future-oriented company with an environmental commitment. We are looking forward to meeting you at our booth! Visit our website www. basin.be and take a look on Facebook to be updated on all our latest news. Visit our stand: 8833.

Bichemie Coatings

High-quality finish with the lacquers and oils of Trae Lyx Everything that you can expect from the essential top protective coating of wooden floors is realised with the Trae Lyx products. Whether it concerns oil or lacquer, ultra matt or gloss, domestic or intensive use, a natural or vibrant colour, Trae Lyx always has the right product. At the EFWEX trade fair, you will find the Trae Lyx products at stand 8113 of Bichemie Coatings. In addition to products, the traelyx.nl website provides a handy wood index that leads you step-by-step to the product for your specific application. Visit our stand: 8318.

Bijlard International

industrial parquet supplier. After the successful launch during the last editions of the new 1-coat oil UN1CO and the innovative lacquer range FORTICO with the oil-lacquer system UN1CO-FORTICO( application of the anti-scratch lacquer FORTICO on top of the 1-coat oil UN1CO), Ciranova will present this year 8 new colours in REACTIVE STAIN NT (New Technology). These 4 warm smoked stains and 4 grey aged stains are achieved by a completely new and unique concept. Reactive Stains NT are the perfect balance of chemistry and reactive dyes to work with the composition of the wood and the wood fibres, to give the wood an accelerated aged appearance. The full Ciranova range will be presented as well as demonstrations of the UV oil in combination with new industrial stains which enable us to achieve unique industrial finishes. We hope to welcome you on our stand N° 8327. In order to receive free-entrance cards, please register yourself on the website : www.european-floor-and-wall-exhibition.eu.

Cosma– Borstelfabriek Holland Technology for wooden floors by Cosma

Bijlard International presents itself in Ghent In recent years, the adhesive manufacturer from Zoetermeer has been making a name for itself at home and abroad in order to give their FLOOR range the broadest possible exposure to the market. In addition to existing products such as MS FLOOR, Plintenkit (Skirting sealant) and Nadenlijm (Seaming glue), the range was expanded last year with: FLEXX FLOOR, which ensures creaking floors now are a thing of the past; GAP FILLER FLOOR, which quickly and easily resolves the hollows under glued flooring; and, since last January, the MS FLOOR BOOSTER. A revolutionary environmentally-friendly, superfast activator, which can be used by the professional and customer alike, resulting in huge time savings. By adding the activator to the MS FLOOR, drying time is reduced to 45 minutes. Floors can be glued in the morning and furniture returned to the room in the evening. In addition, the activator also ensures better/stronger crosslinking of the adhesive. Bijlard aims to develop products that add value to the professional parquet floor layer. With the arrival of three new products in the past six months, huge strides have been made to achieve that goal. Visit our stand: 8812.

Structuring, sanding, applying and spreading oil or stain and LED drying. No matter which surface treatment or treatments you need, Cosma can help. We offer a range of modular machines and specialist brushes, which can process any product down to the finest detail. All our machines and brushes can be customized to suit your specific requirements. Since 1948 Cosma – Borstelfabriek Holland has been developing and manufacturing brushes for the full range of industrial surface treatments for wood, plastic and metal. Today, the third generation is at the helm of this family business. Visit our stand 8729.

CSP Engineering

Ciranova For more then 80 years, CIRANOVA’s knowlegde and expertise has established our reputation in the field of treatment and maintenance products for wooden floors and exterior wood. Thanks to our complete range, Ciranova is a leading supplier for the parquet layer and

Visit www.floor-forum.com

CSP Engineering will also be present on the 3rd edition of EFWEX with a stand. As developer of technology for the production of wooden flooring, the company is a certitude in Belgium, but also in several other European countries. Thread in everything that CSP Engineering

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Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

does, is pro-active thinking together with the clients. Our internal Research & Development Center allows to create solutions which answer the specific and individual needs of producers of wood flooring boards. These are issues concerning the production, packing, stacking even up to the automatic filling of knots and cracks in parquet. Our slogan: 'Let's create your solution together!' Visit our stand: 8804.

Chimiver Panseri

Chimiver the undisputed market leader in Italy as manufacturer of adhesives, lacquers, oils, outdoor and care maintenance for wooden floors will be present at EFWEX Ghent (B). It was in 1965 when Mr. Giovanni Panseri and his wife Franca established Chimiver, a small laboratory producing coatings for wood and parquet floors. And nowadays well known in Eurore and worldwide. Chimiver is run by the two sons Oscar and Nevio who, with their distinctive but complementary skills have brought to the company new development, strategies and ambitious goals. Today Chimiver produce complete lines of products for different types of flooring: parquet, resilient, resin and outdoor. Innovative solutions and continuous investments have enabled Chimiver to be present today in more than 60 countries all around the world. CHIMIVER IS LOOKING FOR AN IMPORTER AND DISTRIBUTOR FOR THE BELGIUM MARKET. Visit our stand 8625.

Cezar

Visit our stand 8822.

De Somer With the WOOD 4 U collection you bring the authenticity and warmth of reclaimed wood into your interior. WOOD 4 U offers a variety of boards, mosaics and slates with 3D effect in different types of wood. All wall coverings are handmade and no chemicals are used out of respect for our environment. For projects, customized solutions are possible and together we look for that unique look for, for example, store or restaurant chains. Characterful Barnwood planks and multi-layer panels suitable for numerous interior applications complement the collection beautifully. Visit our stand: 8325.

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Decorad On-site UV & Conveyorized LED UV

In the different flooring segments like wood, resilient and concrete, the market of on-site UV is rapidly growing. Based on the advantages (downtime reduction, top quality, eco friendly and easier to clean) a rising number of floor owners recognize these big benefits. Many projects lend itself to use the Time saving on-site UV systems, like hospitals, shops, shopping centers, schools, warehouses, airports, restaurants, hotels, bars and others. DecoRad is specialized in on- site UV curing equipment and offers a complete range, however you can also contact us for conveyorized units, where we focused towards LED UV curing. DecoRad has been taken over by MvE Invest bv under which Cimar Electronics bv operates as well. In order to improve the operational effectiveness, DecoRad has moved to the same building where Cimar is already situated: Kruisboog 39 B, 3905 TE Veenendaal, the Netherlands. Your direct contact is Mr. A.J. Maatkamp, product manager. Visit our stand: 8814.

Devomat Industries

Devomat Industries puts the spotlight on her renewed professional product range: DevoNatural®. With its EFWEX participation, DevoNatural strengthens its established value for the parquet professional, in Belgium and abroad. Next to the DevoNatural line, Devomat Industries presents its complete Devo® product range: parquet glues, primers, sanding materials and sanding machines. Our stars of the show are the well-regarded Devo Master 3D sanding machine, Devo DustMaster, Devo Geardisc and Devo Fiberpad. In addition, Devomat will introduce some innovating new products on EFWEX! Visit our stand: 8635.

Exclusive Plint

Our young and fresh organization responds to the market by supplying an exclusive and high-quality product, where convenience and service are central. Our skirts, 22 models and 92 sizes, are available in MDF, Hardwood, Pine, Meranti and Oak. We also produce costum work. All our products are primed twice, prepainted and finished in all possible RAL colours, and up to lenghts of 4.88 meters! For more information you can always contact us or visit us at the trade fair ‘EFWEX’ in Ghent, Belgium on the 14th, 15th and/or 16th of March. Visit our stand: 8619.

Flamingo Parket

At the EFWEX we will be showcasing our standard collections along with all new additions to our very popular Raftwood series. These new additions are based on reactive stains which are then finished with high quality oils. The result is a collection with very on-trend colours. When these processes are applied to our Raftwood floors, it creates an unparalleled appearance which is entirely new to the market. During the last year Flamingo Parquet have invested heavily in a number of production upgrades including a start –of –the –art spray machine which guarantees an extremely high quality of finish and workmanship. Visit our stand: 8423.

FSC Belgium The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management. The FSC label guarantees that a timber product is coming from well managed forests that are managed according to strict social, environmental and economic criteria. Worldwide close to 200 million ha of forests are FSC certified and over 55.000 companies have FSC certification. The availability of FSC certified timber products is continuously rising. At the booth of FSC Belgium, you can get information on certification and the opportunities this can bring. Visit our stand: 8618.

Floor Forum International At this edition of EFWEX, too, the Floor Forum International stand will be present for both visitors and exhibitors! Typically ‘Belgian’, you could say, a term which for many people evokes a whole series of typical features. Indeed, the Floor Forum stand symbolises a typical Belgian pub where you can chat to others over a refreshing glass of Leffe and a freshly cut slice of Italian ham. This is the place to make plans and conclude deals, yet in a sphere slightly detached from pure business. Of course, no Picture Lamett Europe one will be surprised to hear that there will be an exquisite floor on show at the stand of your trade journal. This floor will be laid by Lamett Europe, the Parquet Vinyl ‘Amazon Valley’. Well worth a visit! Visit our stand 8655.

Hesse Lignal Hesse Lignal was founded in 1910 and today, it is a worldwide player within the world of coatings. Innovation has always been Hesse’s drive while developing products, already for more than a century. Those years of know-how contributed to the fact Hesse has specialized as no other company in the fields of wood and glass finishing products, targeting both the modest entrepreneur and the major industry customer. By means of our tried systems, we offer every customer solutions that are made to measure. Also in the field of parquet finishing, we are pioneeringly active by means of our systems and for several decades already, we have been striving to produce and bring to market environmentally friendly products. That is why we want to put the spotlights onto a number of novelties – besides our well-known parquet finishing products – during the coming EFWEX days. Besides our new selection vintage and cottage colours, that boasts a multitude of finishing possibilities, we will also present our new innovation product “the invipro oil” to the interested target audience.

Filling technology for wood flooring MACHINED FILLING OF KNOTS IN PARQUET before

after

Visit us at the EFWEX Floor Fair, Booth 8804

CSP Engineering bvba Stenehei 30/10 B-2480 Dessel (Belgium)

Tel: +32 14 37 77 52 info@csp-engineering.com www.csp-engineering.com

Floor Forum International 94

Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

We are at your disposal during this edition of EFWEX to guide you in our world of pioneering finishing possibilities. You find us on stand 8829.

Gascogne Bois

Gascogne Bois is one of the main French manufacturer of decorative wood solutions for interior or outdoor. Specialist in solid Maritime Pine wood, Gascogne Bois offers a wide range of panelling (unfinished & decorative) but also, a large choice of flooring parquet (unfinished and decorative). Outdoor products are also available with a premium quality decking range (terrace boards). Gascogne Bois offers a range of qualitative, innovating and sustainable products. Gascogne Bois has its own facilities to integrate and control the whole production process: from forest management, saw milling, planing/profiling up to surface finishing. The entire range is certified PEFC/FSC. Visit our stand: 8821.

HWZ International THE NATURAL APPEAL OF WOOD, THE CONVENIENCE OF WALLCLADDING The INDO collection from HWZ International AG, presents innovative wall claddings hand-made from 100% recycled Indonesian wood.

Visit us at the Floor Fair EFWEX (B) Hall 3 - booth 8423

Floor Forum International 94

INDO wall claddings apply for both residential and commercial design; the ideal interior solution for a beautiful kitchen backsplash, a feature wall that stands out in a bar, high-end restaurant, or hotel reception area. The wall claddings are maintenance free, provide better acoustics, and can be placed horizontally or vertically. INDO is presented in four collections: The FSC Line (Teak & Bangkirai), The BEACHWOOD Line (Teak, Hevea, Tasmanian Walnut), The DRIFTWOOD Line (Driftwood Hevea & Slimwood Hevea), The TEAK Line (Teak Elegance, Diamond 100% Teak Root, Teak Classic). Featuring 34 stunning designs from light golden-brown hues of high-end grade teak to weathered natural grays and smoky dark surfaces. Our wall claddings add a stylish touch to your interior. Visit us at EFWEX Booth 8435.

Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs regards EFWEX 2018 as a vitally important trade fair for reaching clients from the Belgian, Dutch, and English markets, where they achieve most of their turnover. Where they are still

very strong is in manufacturing customised parquet. Think here of herringbones, Hungarian points, style panels, and plank floors. And so, they plan to exhibit this extensively at the show. Their stand will certainly be worth visiting. Apart from the production of traditional parquet floors, they can also supply composite parquet in various thicknesses, width sizes, patterns, and types of wood. They can also manufacture terrace planks and supply all related articles from their wholesale business. Visit our stand: 8523.

Hapax Fixing Pro Hidden fastening system for wooden decks

Our hidden fastening system, Hapax Fixing Pro, is the reference among the fastening systems for wooden decks. Totally invisible and ultra-resistant! This innovative system is recommended by the majority of professionals because of its quality and durability. Moreover, Hapax Fixing Pro is completely invisible, aesthetic and, above all, quick to use. Thanks to a thickness of 13 mm, there is excellent ventilation between the boards and the beams of the deck so that deformation of the wooden boards is virtually impossible, even with climate changes. Hapax Fixing Pro is the only system that can be flexibly and universally used thanks to the 3 separate zones, for decking boards with a width of 90 to 200 mm and a height of 19 to 40 mm. In addition, it is possible to replace one faulty board without having to dismantle the entire wooden deck. Hapax Fixing Pro is supplied together with stainless steel C2 screws. Visit our stand 8320.

Plinten en Profielen Centrale Everything for floors under one roof – happy to deliver! PPC has floors in wood, laminate, and PVC, edge finishes, and fitting, finish, and maintenance products. In short, PPC is a complete supplier with excellent service. Over 10,000 articles can be delivered from the stock and ordered 24/7 online via www.plintenenprofielencentrale.be. Everything is packed per order, delivered free of charge on set delivery days, and there’s a good

returns policy. Do you prefer to order by telephone? No problem! Our staff are ready to take your call on + 31-(0)343-432-321. Visit the stand, which has skirting boards, profiles, and stair renovation! Visit our stand: 8723.

Koti – Nabo We make it all | Brushes for all industries For half a century the KOTI name has guaranteed the most advanced product development in industrial and technical brushes. From sweeping brushes and machines to moulded rollers in the food industry. Apart from standard brushes the focus lies predominantly on specific, tailor-made brushes for a range of industrial uses. Thanks to a large automated machine park, the KOTI brush plant produces a comprehensive package: from moulding and welding to die-casting and melting. KOTI brushes are always focused on solutions and absolutely indispensable in many different production processes. KOTI-NABO from Hamont-Achel, Belgium is part of the KOTI Group and is a family company that has become an ISO-certified company with some 650 employees and 14 branches worldwide. www.koti-eu.com. Visit or stand 8742.

Lamett Europe Visit the Lamett stand and discover ParquetVinyl. ParquetVinyl is a floor that combines all the benefits of wood, laminate and vinyl. This floor looks like real wood, but enjoys the benefits of vinyl, namely the ease of maintenance and water resistance. Moreover, this floor overcomes the limitations of a traditional vinyl flooring thanks to its ultra-strong and rigid carrier, transparent wear layer and excellent matt PU top layer. Thanks to the rigid carrier, ParquetVinyl will not deform at high temperatures, and therefore is perfectly suitable to install in verandas. Stand 8606.

Osmo 140 Years’ Experience in Wood and Wood Finishes EFWEX 2018: Osmo also focus on an (international) fair presence in their anniversary year Ghent, March 2018 – (fpr) from the 14 to 16 March, the EFWEX in Ghent, Belgium will open its doors to visitors. Osmo Holz und Color GmbH & Co. KG will also be presenting at the European trade fair for flooring and walls as one of the leading vendors in this area. As a strong partner for the industry and tradesman, Osmo impresses with

Floor Forum International 94

Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

production process. Made in Belgium by Plastivan NV. Plastivan is recognized by PEFC Belgium as a PEFC certified company. Visit our stand 8806.

Profilpas

their finishing systems that protect high-wear flooring and furniture sustainably and are fast in application. At Stand 8418, the specialists for wood and finishes present their wide product range for interior and exterior use. Clear live demonstrations show, in particular, the countless possibilities to treat wooden flooring. Whether Polyx®-Oil Original or one of seven tinted variations, Wood Wax Finish or Wood Wax Finish Clear Extra Thin – hardly any limitations are set on individual design. All products in the Osmo range are integrated with each other: the customer gets everything they need for professional wood surface treatment from one source. Visit our stand: 8418.

PEFC The PEFC label on wood products Any wood products can potentially be labelled with the PEFC logo which certifies that the wood of which the products is made originates from sustainably managed forests (i.e. a forest management which is simultaneously environmentally, economically and socially viable). The PEFC certification system enables the traceability of the timber and wood flows, from the forests to the consumers. Controls are made by independent third-party auditors in the forests as well as in the companies transforming the timber. There are almost 20.000 PEFC certified companies in the world today, of which more than 480 in Belgium www.pefc.be . Visit our stand: 8732.

The originality of a space is often a result of the attention to details such as finishes like profiles and skirting boards. Profilpas, thanks to the innovative digital printing technology PDS (Profilpas Digital System), is able to reproduce any decor or motif on the basis of a sample provided by the customer. Over time, thanks to the use of this system, Profilpas have increased its database with more than 250 decors which are already available and ready to be reproduced on the Alcrom Plus film. The whole process is done in-house, from the scanning to the digital printing till the covering of the skirting board and the profiles with the film. Customers can choose the decor that looks like their floor or, provide a reproducible sample, in order to get any other decor. Visit our stand 8626.

Product-Proof

Plastivan/Duofuse® DECKING IN FENCING IN WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITE Visit our stand 8711

Rigo Verffabriek SKYLT, matchless since 15 years

Duofuse® is a mix of wood flour and plastic, this means the warmth and look of solid wood combined with the unique properties of plastic. This durable material is ecological and maintenance-friendly and available in a tradional wood colour and in modern shades of gray. The extensive garden range includes decking in various sizes, colours and Designs. To separate your garden or patio you can chose out of different screens that are all modular and can be combined with each other. The production in Belgium is fully integrated from raw material to finished product so there is full control over the entire

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Today's consumer prefers a most natural look for her (or his!) parquet floor. A treatment with wax or oil is often advised, but an oil or wax finish does not give the same level of protection and ease of care as a lacquer finish. SKYLT invisible parquet lacquer saves

the natural radiation of the naked wood and gives an excellent protection against wear and stains.By its lightly pale and unique ultra-matt aspect, SKYLT gives a fine natural radiance. The floor looks untreated, just sanded. In the Netherlands, SKYLT has been a household word for many years. For a true untreated look the professional's choice will be SKYLT by RIGO Verffabriek. Half way the seventies of the previous century RIGO Verffabriek (founded 1938 in IJmuiden, the Netherlands) started the development and production of water-based Polyurethane floor lacquers. As a result of this pioneer work, RIGO introduced back in 1978 their RIGO PU Parquet Lacquer and RIGO PU Cork Lacquer, the first water-borne PU lacquers on the international market. Visit RIGO Verffabriek and SKYLT at the EFWEX fair and convince yourself. Visit our stand: 8825.

new colours which will be a great addition to anyone's catalogue! Make sure to visit us at the Silvafloors stand. Visit our stand: 8816.

Sika Belgium

Sustainable solutions for elastic adhesives for parquet flooring Sika systems for bonding wood flooring consist of innovative products that contribute towards sustainable construction solutions in countless ways. Sika always strives for the best solutions and has developed a comprehensive system for bonding wood flooring that exceeds the strictest requirements of various legal regulations and eco-labels. Moreover, the impact on the environment, such as increasing demands for energy, can be significantly reduced. Visit our stand 8842.

Rubio Monocoat Rubio Monocoat King of Colours, soon at EFWEX

STAKI floor factory

KING OF COLOURS

Rubio Monocoat is the King of Colours; that is an indisputable fact at EFWEX. The booth is immersed in an explosion of all our available colours on wood, on various types of wood and with various types of finishing, for both interior and exterior applications. Make sure to visit our large demo table and extra demo booth, where our experts have lots of tips to share with you and where you can find out for yourself how easy it is to use our products. Or are you particularly interested in that other innovation: the Rubio Monocoat LED Oil? We are excited to show you the on-site options for instant curing of the RMC LED Oil, using the accompanying LED-curing units. Enough talk: we’ll see each other soon at EFWEX, booth 8321,Hall 3.

Silvafloors Silvafloors specialises in supplying treated parquet flooring. We distinguish ourselves with our exclusive colour options, which can fit in any home or interior setting. All of our parquet floors are colored and treated using professional methods to ensure their strong durability. As a result, the maintenance requirements are much less for the end customer! Silvafloors uses composite parquet flooring on birch plywood, always with a top layer of either 4 or 6 mm. We can apply this on planks from 18 to 30 cm - on herringbone, Hungarian point or Versaille panels. At the Efwex trade show, we will be introdcuing our

Visit www.floor-forum.com

Staki oak floor comes to the Efwex fair with tradicional solid oak flooring, a two-layer engineered parquet and with the Top Quality Product – TOP-LAYER parquet. TOP-LAYER flooring is the best choice for underfloor heating! It is very thin, wide boards and super stable parquet! TOP-LAYER is an engineered parquet made exclusively from oak wood – the first layer is 6 mm oak lamella and the second layer is a special construction made of oak too. This construction is made in such a way that the wood expansion in all directions is a minimum. This gives them an opportunity to be installed in the room, where is a higher relative humidity from 30-70%.TOP-LAYER is eco-friedly product - it is used a very small amount of glue without formaldehyde in their production. Choose your dream floors from wide selection of Staki oak flooring.Staki oak floor booth no. 8621. www.staki.lt

Thomsit A powerful brand in floor technology Thomsit has been one of the most well known trademarks in floor technology for over 70 years. With a wide range of products from preparation of the substrate and levelling of the floor to glueing and fastening the most diverse floor covering materials, Thomsit offers professional users

Floor Forum International 94

Preview The Parquet Fair EFWEX Ghent (BE)

optimal performances, reliability, and safety. Moreover, Thomsit partners also benefit from perfect support in planning and completing projects. The basis of good advice is permanent sharing of experience with floor fitters and traders. In practice, proven, innovative, and extensively tested systems always yield perfect results. The staff from Thomsit are coming to EFWEX in the hope of meeting floor and parquet fitters. That will give them the opportunity to explain how Thomsit can support floor fitters with their 70 plus years of experience and high-quality flooring systems, which ensure a perfect result. Visit our stand: 8519.

Trivec

There is much attention for the various wood preparation techniques from the Trivec surface program at the EFWEX. The surface program includes a range of machines for creating effects such as a scraped effect, sawn effect, vintage effect and brush effects. Trivec also presents the reactiv stain sprayer and the Experience and Premium roller coater machines from the Trivec Coating program. The Trivec modular machine concept (TMC) makes it possible to start with a compact machine line that can develop with the growth of your company. Visit our stand: 8605.

Tover Tover L’Olio 100%: 100% solid, solvent free, endless chromatic effects High yield, endless customization opportunity, oil-lacquer finishing cycle in only two coats. Formulated from natural oils and vegetable hard waxes, solvent free, L’Olio 100% is a 100% solid coating which guarantees high technical and aesthetic performances.

Floor Forum International 94

Available in thirty-two colors, it can be used alone in one coat or to complete the finish of floors treated with the water-based coloring system Belle Epoque, creating infinite chromatic combinations which enhance the natural wood shades. For a major protection of high traffic surfaces, L’Olio 100% is overcoatable, if additivated with Oil-Linker, with a two-component water-based lacquer, offering the advantage to combine the chromatic and touch look of an oiled floor with the resistance of a varnished one, and the possibility to choose the finish gloss. Visit our stand 8420.

Professional stair renovation from Mex Form

Van Dijk Postforming & Vlakverlijming BV offer under the Mex Form label a wide range of durable products for professional stair renovation. With the wide range of decors and colours suitable for interior styles, you can give your clients excellent service. The choice of material and processing give the product a long lifespan. It is scratch and wear resistant and easy to maintain, so it is ideal for stair renovation. All development and production is carried out in a hyper-modern machinery centre at Weert in the Netherlands. You can visit them at stand (8419) and on their web site www.mexform.com Visit our stand 8419.

Yepp Over the years YEPP has been a reliable partner for the timber and flooring specialist and this for a complete range of high quality wooden floors and their accessories. For this reason YEPP has chosen for high quality and innovative partners. Besides our own brands in parquetry such as Doubly, and solid ORIGINAL we also distribute the Swiss BAUWERK, and the laminate- parquetry- and vinyl flooring of QUICK-STEP and PARADOR and M-FLOR. Since a few months we also distribute the innovative product CORETEC . In accessories we have a complete range of finishing products and UZIN and STAUF glues and also abrasives and lots of skirtings and PARKETTFREUND profiles. Since last year we have expanded our range with solid oak stair steps and panels fabricated on demand and of course also wooden exterior wall cladding with different profiles and solid decking. We can also offer 3D wall panels WOWood and Starwall ! Come and discover our range and possibilities on our stands 8535!

Special

Producers of indelible/water resistant floors in laminate, vinyl, LVT and PVC

FLOOR COVERINGS FOR WET ROOMS LAMINATE AND DESIGN FLOORS ALSO TAKE UP ARMS AGAINST DAMP

Photo – Lamett Europe

What are ‘wet rooms’? They are rooms for activities which cause damp and thereby raise the relative air humidity. This defines the extent of damp in a room. It gives a true reading of the extent to which the air is saturated with steam at the prevailing temperature. The most common wet rooms are bathrooms, toilets, and (big) kitchens. For a long lifespan and hygienic and healthy surrounds the design requires a suitable choice of material and a proper finish of the surface materials.

Building materials and damp The statement that some building materials cannot be reconciled with damp is a premise which needs to be modified strongly. All building materials contain a certain percentage of damp. The ambient air contains a percentage of damp. There’s damp everywhere. In this article we describe once again the types of damp and the degrees to

which damp can occur. Let’s start first of all by debunking a myth. We’ve been saying for years that damp is ‘the arch enemy’ of wood. We sometimes forget that the drakkars of the Vikings, the Roman galleons, and medieval frigates were all wooden ships which travelled at sea for years, as if ‘bathing in the water’. In the 19th century, plenty of those sea vessels were found at the bottom of the sea, some of them in particularly good condition. There was a time when people bathed in wooden baths. Rain barrels were made of wood, whilst wine casks are still made of wood. In other words, wood certainly does react to moisture. The point is that if we are going to use it for construction, we have to take account of that reaction.

Humidity The amount of water in the ambient air results from an interplay of damp, air pressure, and temperature. This means that humidity is a phenomenon related to seasons and regions; humidity is different in

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Producers of indelible/water resistant floors in laminate, vinyl, LVT and PVC

summer or winter and is different in Scandinavia to that in Indonesia. Apart from the normal fluctuations to which building materials have long been subject, it is fairly constant. In a room which is completely closed, the relative humidity drops when the heating is turned on because the absolute quantity of damp in the air stays the same and the warmer air could contain much more damp. If the heating is turned off, the relative air humidity rises again. Ventilation doesn’t help to counteract low humidity because once the cold air from outdoors reaches room temperature it is much drier, since relative humidity falls as a result of heating. Apart from outdoor humidity, other forms of damp are also found in a building. We outline them briefly below and give the ‘remedy’.

Damp risks and their ‘solution’ Buildings contain other forms of damp, apart from outdoor humidity. We outline them briefly and also give the ‘remedy’. We concentrate specifically here on floor coverings, since they can ‘come into contact with’ just about all possible forms of damp.

Damp from below Damp can emerge from below in two forms: rising damp from the base or residual building moisture from concrete or the screed. Whilst rising damp represented a constant damp threat in many building works several years ago, nowadays this form of damp will usually occur only as the result of a construction error (protection between foundations and the rest). Building ‘on open ground’ must be avoided at all costs. The second possible source of damp from below is residual building moisture; water which evaporates from building materials affects all materials. The biggest threat to floors is certainly the damp in concrete panels or the screed, but water from walls (constriction) also builds up since humidity influences a source of risk. A fixed basic principle for all coverings: if there is a risk of damp from below, moisture-repellent protection will always be needed prior to the fitting, even if some materials are 100% waterproof. Damp from below will not endanger the material, but it does increase the risk of mould, bacteria, and nasty smells between the subfloor and the floor material.

Atmospheric damp For damp in the ambient air there is greater security in using materials which are largely waterproof. One material is more waterproof than the other, that’s for sure. There is even a difference in waterproof character (permeability) between types of wood themselves. The way in which the wood is sawn also plays a part here. Producers of bamboo and cork laud their materials as being more waterproof than wood. Composite floors where HDF is included in the composition are fitted with waterproof HDF for damp rooms. As far as the waterproof character is concerned, the more synthetics which are used with composites, the more waterproof the floor. Floors which are produced entirely from synthetics have nothing to fear from water.

Damp from above A major source of damp from above is surplus domestic damp or accidental damp. Using too much water or spilling water is extremely dangerous for various building materials. This is certainly the case if the water can seep through to the underside. Finally, the biggest cause of damp is direct, long-term, and excessive feed. We think here of the interior furnishing of shower cabins. Although there is a lot of contact with water, the risk is quite small since it is a choice made in advance and account was taken of it at the time of fitting. Floors can be protected by a sealant top layer. The presence of such a top layer means there is no direct contact at all between water and

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material. Another possible option is to fit a resilient joint (in synthetics or rubber) between the floorboards. Such a flexible joint absorbs the movements of the material (wood or HDF) and it restores itself after those movements. The joints can be supplied in strip form by the manufacturer, fitted on site with a kit, or integrated into the floorboard. The latter ensures extremely rapid fitting at the same time. The combination of a sealant layer and a resilient joint seems to be the most reliable solution, certainly for wood.

What’s on the market? COREtec® USfloors Inc., based in Dalton, GA, United States, is a leading maker of high-quality floors and has developed a new category of floor. COREtec® click floor is the latest revolution in waterproof, durable, and hard floors. This entirely new category of hard floor is applied in all residential and commercial projects. COREtec® click floor is licensed worldwide under US Patent No. 9,156,233. These click floors are made from recycled wood, bamboo, limestone, and pure PVC. The backing consists of a cork layer which, for instance, gives very good sound insulation and a warm and cosy feel. COREtec® click floors can be fitted in any domestic or business setting quickly and easily. Rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, verandas, and pool houses, but also hotel rooms get, thanks to COREtec® click floors, the look of a natural wooden plank floor, absolutely ideal for intensive use.

Forbo Flooring All Forbo Flooring vinyl floors are waterproof. They are Allura LVT, Novilon cushion vinyl, Eternal design vinyl, Step anti-slip vinyl, Sarlon acoustic vinyl, Sphera uniform vinyl. Forbo Flooring offers ‘Sure-step’ (for general use and in rooms with an increased risk of slipping), ‘Safe-step R11’ (for rooms with an increased risk of slipping due to constant soiling of the floor), ‘Safe-step R12’ (for light industrial use), ‘Sure-step Laguna’ (specially for areas where people walk both barefoot and with shoes on, such as changing rooms), and ‘Safe-step Aqua’ (a floor specially for wet rooms where people mainly walk barefoot such as in showers and swimming pools). The Flotex floors are also waterproof. Flotex is a unique textile floor covering which combines the strength, durability, and facility benefits of a flat resilient floor with the warmth, comfort, and acoustics of carpet. Flotex also offers safety through a very high degree of anti-slip.

Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet

Amongst other things, Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet presents the waterproof floor Hydro Cork from Wicanders. Hydro Cork is a thin (6mm) and waterproof product with a simple fitting system (Press Fit), which is ideal for renovations in both residential and commercial properties. Furthermore, Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet also presents Qualycork Aquafit floors. The product is ‘water-resistant’ due to the composition. The floor is waterproof and can be fitted in kitchens and in certain bathroom projects. It cannot be fitted in the shower under any circumstances. As this floor is for floating fitting, it is important to fit an expansion joint. This is done by fitting skirting boards and filling them with silicone. Since the floor is waterproof and not watertight, it is not fully resistant to damp from below. howroom Lokeren Showroom Waregem

vinyl floors are 100% waterproof and therefore even suitable for the shower. We can call some laminates and multi-layer parquets water-resistant to frequent contact. Rising damp is never good for a room. Even if the floor is waterproof, rising damp can yield adverse effects such as bad smells, mould, and such like. Rising damp is pernicious for parquet and laminate. We can say that each product can undergo swelling or shrinking. Depending on the type of floor, this will vary and may even be extremely limited. An expansion joint is always best. This is cushioned by a skirting board and, in the case of bigger rooms and/or thresholds to other rooms/floors, profiles are deployed to conceal this joint.

Viligno®

Rigid vinyl planks from Viligno are ideal for damp rooms. Their waterproof character is due to the material, since they consist of PVC for 100%. Let’s make things absolutely clear: The floors are waterproof, but, Showroom Diest obviously, the click connection Lamett Europe dustriezone E17/2003 Zuiderlaan 73 Hasseltsestraat 89 means they are not watertight. olfsakker 3 • B-9160 Lokeren B-8790 Waregem With Parquet B-3290 Diest The floor reacts to differences in +32(0)9 348 15 77 • f. +32(0)9 349 04 40 t. +32(0)56 60 96 04 • f. +32(0)56 60 99 48 t. +32(0)13 32 56 90 temperature. And so, you have to Vinyl, Lamett a. tot Do. 8-12 en 13.30-17.30 Di. Woe. en Zat. 10-12 en 14-18 Ma. en Di. 13.30-18 the necessary expansion has . 8-12 en 13.30-16.30 • Za. 10-12 en 14-18 Do. op afspraak • Ma. enlaunched Vr. 14-18a Woe. Vr. en Za10-12 en provide 13.30-18 joints which are finished with floor which accompanying skirting boards combines all the Picture - ©Viligno and threshold profiles. benefits of parquet, v_210x146_Floorforum_NL.indd 1 Wicanders Hydrocork laminate, and vinyl. Hydrocork is Notwithstanding a low the vast thickness technical floating know-how which Lamett possesses, they worked on this new floor for solution with two years. Parquet Vinyl looks like real wood, but has the low a core board maintenance and waterproof character of vinyl. This floor surpasses made of the limits of vinyl by means of an ultra-strong bearer, a transparent composite durable layer, and a high-quality matt PU top layer. The rigid bearer cork that can means that Parquet Vinyl retains its shape at high temperatures and be placed in is therefore ideal for installation in verandas. Thanks to the simple any indoor click system, this floor is very easy to fit. Bruno Descamps, manager at space Lamett, says, ‘In my 23-year career in the flooring sector, I’ve never without launched such a good product on the market in these ideal boundaries. conditions.’ It’s 100% waterproof and incredibly stable, while maintaining the resilient properties and unmatched comfort provided by cork. Due to Yepp its unique set of features: waterproof, only 6 millimeters thick, a very Yepp offers lots user-friendly PressFit vertical system and visual aesthetics in of options in harmony with the latest market trends in interior design, Hydrocork is one of Wicander’s best sellers. The product is composed by an waterproof underlay, for a balanced structure, an agglomerated cork composite floors and in several core, that guarantees all the benefits associated with the use of cork, different and a decorative material with a protective wear layer. This multilayer structure is composed solely by waterproof materials, which makes applications: Hydrocork 100% waterproof. Thanks to this unique feature, the Laminate, LVT, and even product can be used in all rooms of the same house, including areas multi-layer like kitchens or bathrooms, thus creating a uniform look and allowing parquet floors its users to live these spaces carefree. It also withstands unpredictaPicture - COREtec® get an extra ble situations, like rising damp, without swelling or shrinking and protective layer to make them more waterproof. The waterproof nature without altering the product’s characteristics. For more information comes from the material itself and a top layer seal. Floors such as visit our website at www.wicanders.com

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Floor Forum International 94

Company visit

Kerkhofs Parket (BE)

FOUR GENERATIONS OF KERKHOFS – MADE OF THE RIGHT STUFF FAMILY BUSINESS FROM PEER CONTINUES INVESTING IN TOP QUALITY There can be no doubt that the Kerkhofs family from Peer has a strong affinity with wood. The Kerkhofs family business is in its fourth generation and its history speaks for itself. The founder back in 1906 was a forest exploiter for the mining industry. His son opened a sawmill and, in turn, his son set up a timber trade and production facility. Today, there is ‘Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs’, a specialist in solid parquet wood flooring. With a brand-new Chevron machine, the firm now offers Chevron in solid and engineered boards; which is entirely in line with the range of exclusive parquet floors they would like to offer.

Top quality in parquet Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs is not the place to go for mass production. The company concentrates solely on producing and selling top quality parquet floors. As a wholesaler, Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs offers a full range of wooden flooring for parquet specialists, think of: Overlay, traditional parquet, solid wood, engineered boards, end grain blocks, distressed floors, etc. They sell their wooden flooring in different grades, thicknesses, widths, and lengths. They produce everything with the utmost care in accordance to wishes of the costumer and using state-of-the-art planer and sawing machines.

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A wealth of wood The concern for top quality end production obviously begins at the start. The raw timber undergoes a strict entry control. Oak is the star of the show at Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs, but the firm also presents over more than 50 other wood species, ranging from afrormosia to zebrano and a whole series of less well-known species. Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs has its own drying facilities for drying the timber or to re-kiln the material, something which can be very important for parquet floors in combination with underfloor heating systems. All wood is stored in an acclimatised warehouse. Moreover, the floors can be delivered quickly due to extensive stock level and through the strong relationships with several other raw timber suppliers. Depending on availability, it is possible to supply within one to three weeks after receiving the order.

Dream parquet Anyone who visits the ballroom of the prestigious Versailles Palace cannot, but be impressed by the sublime design floor, which was laid in order of King Louis XIV. It is just about the ultimate beauty which you can achieve with a wooden floor. The creation of such an ultimate parquet floor is one of the specialties of Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs. Think of Versailles, Chaumont, Chantilly, herringbone parquet, Chevron, and many more other gorgeous patterns. To achieve such parquet

floors, Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs invested a lot over the last few years in a high-tech CNC-guided sawing machine and other machinery. That ensures tip top and perfectly finished solid wooden pattern floors. Last February 9th of 2018, they extended their array of machinery to include a Chevron machine, which will be used specially for producing Chevrons in both solid wood and engineered boards.

Working together with ‘colleagues’ The ingredients of the Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs success formula includes a well-designed production facility, storage capacity, hyper-modern machinery, and a staff of about a dozen well trained workers. In addition, the company also works closely together with external partners, who are selected meticulously. This means that Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs also supplies solid wood parquet planks to prestigious parquet markets and specialists in distressing wooden floors. They also work closely together with various finishing/treatment companies to finish parquet. Think of finishes like brushing, smoking, distressing, Band-sawing, oiling, lacquering, or even special colouring on specific request.

Kerkhofs as a ‘partner’ The Wholesale market constitutes a major part of the activities of Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs. Apart from the production of its own quality range of solid parquet, the parquet specialist from Limburg also offers a wide range of other high-quality wooden floors from associated manufacturers. Together with their own range of solid parquet, this gives clients a full range of floors (engineered boards, pre-fab

traditional parquet, end grain blocks, etc.) for parquet specialist businesses. However, for subfloors (chipboard and mosaic) and all accessories (glues, oils and lacquers, moisturisers, skirting boards, and other accessories) you are also at the right address. Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs works with brands which are synonymous with quality. Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs has chosen consciously not to have its own trademark, but the idea is that all products they offer has the quality of a top-class trademark. Amongst other things, Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs offers the following top-class trademarks: Woca Denmark, Bona, Lecol, Loba, Mapei, Osmo, Tover, Wakol, Sia Abrasives, Rigo, Devomat, Karbosan, Royal Plint, and Fid box.

Clients take centre stage Over the years, parquet businesses, parquet floor fitters, and parquet dealers in Belgium and clients and companies from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France have seen that Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs stands for outstanding quality and, moreover, has competitive prices. Another major benefit for Dutch clients is that they have an external collection point / warehouse in Amsterdam. Their special philosophy as regards quality, a strong client focus, and a flexible operational climate are the reasons for that. And so, for instance, they can respond flexibly to a request for the manufacture of customised floors such as for joints and other repairs. This, combined with a good aftersales service from Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs, also helps to build up a list of loyal clients. That’s what partnerships are about! For more information visit us at www.parketkerkhofs.be

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Where can I find wooden convector grills ?

BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR CONVECTOR GRIDS HERE, TOO, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FLOOR FITTERS Heating appliances are certainly not the most attractive interior objects, so we’re perfectly happy to conceal them if we can. Especially if a full glass window provides the transition from living room to garden or terrace, a convector well does offer some benefits, if only because it doesn’t obstruct the view of outdoors. That ‘ invisibility’ and saved space are two things which convector wells and floor heating have in common. The fact remains that we’re still mainly in the realm of renovation.

They’re still with us! We haven’t found any real market figures for the sales of the various types of heating. However, we have managed to establish that if we go looking for convector wells and all the accessories, the range really is quite impressive. And so, they’re still with us, and presumably not just for renovation. Yet that is a little surprising in some respects. Obviously, renovation project managers sometimes encounter existing convector wells. They’ve enjoyed great success for a while. As we’ve said in the introduction, competition for these wells appears mainly in the shape of floor heating because there, too, the source of heat is invisible and doesn’t take up any space. With a new building where you start from scratch, the energy-saving benefits of floor heating often play a decisive role. It’s a completely different story with renovation; if you consider opting for floor heating as part of a renovation project, it means you have to demolish the existing floor completely. The choice with renovation often falls to fitting a new floor covering (such as parquet) on top of the existing floor. In the case of a convector well the choice is completely different; either you seal up the well to replace it with radiators or you also renovate the convector well. From that point convector grids once again play a leading part.

The ‘positives’ of convector wells

Photo – Kerkhofs Parket

Floor Forum International 94

What are the positives of those ‘concealed’ convectors? Or should we say: ‘What were the positives?’ The past tense is because over the years the benefits of the past tend to get superseded by elements such as new technology. It should be obvious that a convector well saves space. Furthermore, as we’ve said, the aspect of ‘invisibility’ is also a major asset. Heating appliances certainly aren’t (or weren’t) the most attractive interior objects, so we’re perfectly happy to conceal them if we can. Especially if a full glass

window provides the transition from living room to garden or terrace, the convector well does offer some benefits, if only because it doesn’t obstruct the view of outdoors. In combination with that same glass window, convector wells also offer major heating benefits. The strips of the cover grid direct the warm air flow towards the window and, as it were, put a veil of heat all over the cold glass surface. This counteracts the penetration of cold air. In contrast to floor heating, which offers the same decorative benefits (invisibly), but needs more time to warm up, convector wells generate a curtain of heat very quickly.

Let’s renovate! We fit parquet onto an existing floor and we want to keep our convector well. In many cases the first purchase will be the convector frame, into which we’re going to fit our convector grid. Convector frames, just like grids, are supplied customised by various suppliers. The convector grid is also replaced since it is ‘decoratively outmoded’ and doesn’t match up to our beautiful parquet. And so, we need a grid. What are the main types?

Standard grids Standard grids consist of strips of wood fitted lengthwise or diagonally. The strips are joined to and separated by ‘sleeves’, which determine the intervals between the strips. With the standard convector grid there is a choice between synthetic, wooden, or metal sleeves between the strips.

Three specialists BJ Parket At BJ Parket, too, convector grids are still in demand for renovation, but for new constructions that is increasingly much less the case. The reason for that is the growing success of floor heating, which is rendering convector wells superfluous. There is mainly a demand for wooden grids, especially customised work. BJ Parket makes fixed open grids and grids with a cover strip. BJ Parket makes grids in the same type of wood as the floor. This is also possible in distressed versions. BJ Parket makes grids in frame shape, open, or with a cover The fitting doesn’t requires special skills from the fitter.

Kerkhofs Parket

A roller grid is manufactured with a spring instead of an iron threaded bolt. This means it is possible to fold the grid double to gain access to the convector well.

Kerkhofs Parket, too, still has clients asking for convection grids. The company sells a grid almost every week. In the Netherlands these grids are used a lot with parquet renovation. In Belgium they are still used in new buildings. Convection wells act as extra heating in combination with floor heating as the main heating. At Kerkhofs Parket convector grids are usually ordered in the same material as the floor with the same finish. It is certainly possible to offer grids in different materials (standard grid, block grid, elegance grid, and tress grid). Kerkhofs Parket supplies only fixed grids.

A nice accessory!

Yepp

Block grids and length grids Block grids are not composed of sleeves, but consist of upright wooden strips which are mounted in a frame along the width. Length grids are made according to the same principle, but the grid strips run along the length of the frame.

Elegance or luxury Elegance grids, sometimes also called luxury grids, are designed completely differently. The individual strips, which run along the width, are milled elegantly and developed into a frame next to each other. The frame effect is obtained since the outer sides of the diagonal strips are wider than the inner grid section.

Roller grids

Convector wells are often associated with dust and dirt receptacles and are hard to clean. Dust and dirt (and toys!) creep not only between the heat strips, from where they are difficult to remove, but also under the convector so that they are often inaccessible. By fitting mesh under the convector well grid, you can stop all sorts of items from falling through the grid strips and into the well. That’s handy, for instance, for when children drop everything into the well! Fitting a mesh seal will not affect the flow of heat at all. It is still easy to get under the mesh into the well if that should prove necessary. Mesh can also be ordered tailor-made.

What’s on the market? Apart from producers and suppliers of accessories in the context of the floor covering and heating sectors, we also found various parquet manufacturers who sell customised convector grids, which might or might not be in the same type of wood as the floor covering.

Demand for convector grids at Yepp has diminished considerably. The company believes that the explanation for that lies in the advance of floor heating. Moreover, convector grids are requested almost exclusively for the renovation market. At Yepp there is some demand mainly for wooden grids in the same type of wood as the floor. The grids can be fixed or can be rolled up. No special skills are required on the part of floor fitters. However, they must be able to measure perfectly.

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Cross-cut floor producers : types and fitting methods

WHEN AN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION TURNS INTO A ‘DESIGN’ CROSS-CUT FLOORS ARE ON THE UP IN ARCHITECTURE are important (e.g. in homes, hotels, or shops), whilst in other cases it is the hardness of the floor which takes priority (e.g. in workshops and ateliers). For architectural applications it is best to choose a floor which is highly stable and therefore swells and shrinks as little as possible.

Pinewood is possible sometimes For workshops it is possible to opt, for instance, for the much cheaper pinewood because there it doesn’t really matter if the floor were to display some cracks in the winter or in other dry periods. With almost all types of wood, cross-cut wooden floors will almost certainly display some small cracks in the winter, which close up again in the summer. Anyone who doesn’t like that can best avoid cross-cut wood. Unlike other parquet floors, cross-cut wood swells and shrinks in all directions since it is much more sensitive to damp and temperature fluctuations than plain-sawn wood.

Oak and tropical sorts

Photo – BJ Parket

For cross-cut wood in the interior oak is still the most popular wood sort. That takes nothing away from the fact that tropical hardwood sorts have made some gains. Wood sorts such as merbau, kambala, and larch are popular in this domain. Larch scores well due to its gorgeous shades of colour.

Thermally treated Some floors arise from the need to provide strength to stand up to extremely high pressure and intensive usage, such as in ateliers and workshops, for instance. Moreover, over the years, some of those floors have developed into trendy design floors which are much coveted in the interiors of private homes or commercial premises. This is precisely the case with cross-cut parquet; the industrial look of crosscut wood is greatly appreciated by interior architects for its special appearance. The fitting does involve some special points for attention.

Dazzling and really strong Whilst traditional parquet sections and wooden plank floors are sawn along the length of the wood grain, cross-cut wood is sawn diagonally across the wood grain. Hence the distinction between plain sawn and cross-cut. The surface of a cross-cut floor is a vivid play on growth rings and gives a completely different look to that of traditional floorboards. The floor consists of several small and square (or elongated) blocks, not planks. Due to the saw direction, cross-cut wood is much harder and much more resistant to pressure than quarter-sawn. These floors are amongst the strongest wooden floors in existence. Various wood sorts are possible, and the choice is influenced by the intended use for the floor. In some cases the look and the vivid colour shades

Floor Forum International 94

Another development has been the emergence of thermally treated wood. The thermal treatment ensures primarily that the nerves of the floorboards are tempered considerably, but, above all, it also offers attractive aesthetic results.

Separate or assembled Just as with lots of other pattern floors or inlay work, cross-cut floorboards can be acquired separately or borne by some or other medium. We identify three different methods. The dimensions of the sections of cross-cut wooden floors are highly varied. As regards shape, they are either square (70 x 70mm or 90 x 90mm) or rectangular (35 x 70mm or 90 x 55mm). Cross-cut floors can be fitted in every imaginable fitting pattern. The smaller sizes are particularly suitable for fitting in rooms with lots of obstacles.

Separate blocks In this case the floor fitter receives the wooden blocks in bags of at least one square metre. The floor is glued and the blocks are simply pressed into the glue and knocked into place. Nails are not used.

On sheet, mesh, or paper Subject to a higher price, some suppliers offer to put the cross-cut wood together in the required size in advance with a special sheet. That obviously guarantees a much faster fitting (except in rooms with

lots of obstacles). At BJ Parket they advise clients not to put cross-cut wood on mesh because there is a risk of the mesh pattern becoming visible as the floor swells and shrinks.

In tiles or on a panel A typical floor application for offices is to fit cross-cut floorboards onto aluminium tiles in advance. Those tiles (in a baking tin) are fitted with an MDF panel on the base onto which the cross-cut wood sections are glued. The tiles can still be dismantled if, for instance, it is necessary to fit (or remove) wires for computers, telephones, or electricity.

Fitting aspects Some aspects of fitting cross-cut wood require special attention, namely the substrate preparation, glueing, sandpapering, and finish. As far as the substrate is concerned, there are two aspects which require extra attention: damp resistance and the flatness. The substrate has to be dry for the fitting. If there is no guarantee that the subfloor will stay dry, it will be necessary to fit a damp screen. In some cases a screed reinforcement can also be necessary or a combination of screed reinforcement and a damp screen. The forces which are generated by the swelling and shrinking of cross-cut wood are so great that a weak screed can be torn loose. Cross-cut wood is glued. The blocks are pressed into the glue without nailing. Cross-cut wooden floors should be glued with a glue which not only guarantees excellent adhesion, but which also offers the greatest possible elasticity. After the glueing, the surface is sandpapered a few times using an increasingly finer grain. After the sandpapering with the belt sander, the surface is sandpapered using a disc sander. The final finish session is done using a mesh disc grain 120. And then the finish: specialists generally recommend an oil finish for the floor. A lacquer or varnish finish carries the risk of the surface displaying cracks as the wood swells and shrinks. By contrast, an oil finish does not leave a sealed film on the surface and allows the wood to move and settle as required without damaging the finish itself.

MANUFACTUROR OF SOLID AND ENGINEERED WOODFLOORS Style panels, end grain, distressed floors (different ageing techniques ‘sanded, brushed, tumbled, smoked and structured’): Customised work on simple request!

A specialist BJ Parket

BJ Parket believes that oak, teak, and merbau are the most suitable wood sorts for cross-cut floors. Cross-cut floors in oak are the best-seller. The best-selling cross-cut floors are in oak, partly because exotic wood is hardly available these days and because it takes several years to get beams dry enough to make cross-cut wood of them. Exotic wood is usually left ‘damp’ so it can be used to make terraces. The floors are supplied in separate pieces or on a foil. The biggest asset of these floors is the greater durability. Floor fitters require a sound knowledge and experience of sandpapering. These floors are not suitable for floor heating.

B.J. Parket

BVBA

INDUSTRIESTRAAT 44 9240 Z ELE – B ELGIUM TEL: +32 52 44 45 57 FAX: +32 52 45 06 71 EMAIL: INFO@BJPARKET.BE WWW.BJPARKET.BE

Special

Epoxy moisture screens

EPOXY DOESN’T LET A SINGLE DROP THROUGH! THE BEST PROTECTION AGAINST PROBLEMATIC DAMP

Photo – BASF/Thomsit

It goes without saying that not all damp is ‘problematic’. On the contrary, damp is indispensable. Water gives life and brings life. We find water everywhere. In the construction sector we are confronted with diverse forms of damp/water. For some building products it is necessary to add water to make those products fit for use (read: pliable). Afterwards, that water (largely) has to be discharged again. Apart from added water, we are surrounded constantly by damp. Some forms require special attention, certainly when it comes to working with wood.

Floor Forum International 94

What is ‘problematic damp’? Everything contains a certain percentage of water, depending on the type of material and the weather conditions. We speak of a ‘damp problem’ when the actual damp percentage in a material deviates strongly from the normal damp percentage. The atmosphere contains between 50 and 65% damp, at least in our part of the world since the ‘normal’ damp content of the atmosphere differs depending on the location in relation to the equator, for instance. Wood has a ‘normal’ damp content between 7 and 11%, once again depending on the type of wood and its origin. A cement covering floor also has an ongoing damp

content which we call ‘normal’ (see the next paragraph). A deviation from that damp content one way or the other is problematic. And so, this brings us to the damp problems for which epoxy damp screens provide a solution (residual building moisture i.e. the water which we have added to a mixture of sand/cement to make the screed and of which the biggest proportion has to disappear again by means of evaporation).

The hazard of residual building damp Residual building damp constitutes a threat to parquet floor fitters in two ways. Firstly, the setting of the materials (whereby damp is discharged) can cause an increase in humidity in the room so that there’s too much humidity to fit parquet. There’s no cure for that; all you can do is wait and, in some cases, provide extra ventilation. The most hazardous form with the most radical consequences is residual building damp which rises from the screed. According to the BBRI, the maximum permitted residual damp percentage of the screed is 2.5%, and 2% with floor heating. That percentage is 0.60% for an anhydrite screed. If that percentage is exceeded, you either have to postpone the fitting or take protective measures.

damp screen is applied as a rule in two coats. In many cases (but not all), the second coat is sprinkled in with quartz sand.

Epoxy shield For covering floors with a residual damp content of above 4.5% it is possible to lay a high-quality epoxy ‘shield’ in a single coat. Here, too, these are dual-component products which must be mixed carefully. For these damp screens the makers usually advise clients to apply them with a notched trowel. It is also essential that the damp screen is applied over the entire floor and along the walls a few centimetres upwards so that the damp barrier, as it were, forms an impenetrable pit.

Important points for attention Obviously, the makers offer a quality guarantee based on the application limits. However, floor fitters are still responsible for the correct application of these products. The greatest precision is required, certainly for the application of a damp screen. Common causes of damage are faulty application and, in particular, slipshod mixing of the components.

Floating or glued?

The role of quartz sand

There are some other forms of ‘problematic damp’ such as accidental damp, excessive humidity, rising damp, etc. We’re not going to cover those forms in depth in this article. There are both ‘mechanical’ and ‘chemical’ solutions to counteract residual building damp.

Sprinkling a coat of quartz sand may be necessary to improve the mechanical adhesion (anchoring) of the parquet glue. Most qualitative primers/glues already offer high chemical bonding with the right combination (with parquet glueing within 36 hours) so that in many cases there is no need to sprinkle in quartz sand. At all events, sprinkling in quartz sand will ensure better adhesion.

For floating floors For fitting floating wooden floors or laminate the best solution against the risks of damp is to fit a screen. The best screens usually consist of synthetics. Popular synthetics for damp screens are polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyisobutylene (PIB). The screens are available in rolls of different widths. They have to be fitted with overlaps of 30cm and run up the wall at the edges up to 2cm above the final height of the floor. Any damage to the screen must be repaired or otherwise the entire subfloor becomes pointless (like a leaking bucket, you could say).

For glued floors One point to note in advance: Obviously, solutions for glued floors can also be deployed for floating floors, but in most cases not the other way round. There are various chemical treatments to protect the substrate. We draw a distinction here between primers and epoxy screens. Amongst primers, the most common ones are those based on polyurethane. Some of those primers are primarily screed reinforcement, but, if they are applied in two coats, they can act as a damp screen. Apart from those PU primers, there are also damp screens based on emulsion. The best guarantee against excessive residual damp is still an epoxy damp screen.

Epoxy as a damp screen There can be no doubt that epoxy as a damp screen offers an excellent solution. Important benefits (properties) are the uniform and sealant film, good adhesion, and outstanding combination with dual-component glues.

Scope It is difficult to express the scope of epoxy in general in terms of residual damp limits. A certain amount of conjuring takes place with the permitted residual damp percentages, which vary in the producers’ technical data sheets from ‘up to 4%’ to ‘up to 9%’. For (cement) covering floors with a residual damp percentage of a maximum of 4.5%, the

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Epoxy moisture screens

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the market?

substrate crosswise to each other. Distribute about 2kg/mÂ˛ Thomsit of quartz sand into the last coat (thickness 0.3-0.7mm). The processing time is 30 minutes. This time is shorter at higher temperatures, and longer at lower temperatures. Setting depends on the surrounding temperature and relative air humidity.

Adesiv Adesiv offers Adesiv Primer HE as a damp screen. This Primer HE is a solventless dual-component epoxy primer. Primer HE works as a refinement resin on dusty cement covering floors and offers excellent protection against residual building damp. The product is also suitable for the impregnation of subfloors in chemically aggressive environments. For the glueing they advise using the Adesiv dual-component glues. The substrate may not contain any more than 3 to 4% residual damp. The substrate to be treated must not have any loose pieces. Any possible damage must be repaired first.

BASF/Thomsit Thomsit R 755 is a dual component epoxy damp screen to treat porous mineral substrates, especially where intensive use is expected. This damp screen is also suitable as insulation against capillary rising damp or residual moisture in concrete or cement floors, up to a maximum of 6% and can be used for floors with floor heating. To block capillary rising damp or residual moisture, apply two coats of R 755 to the

Bona Bona presents a dual-component epoxy resin to act as a damp screen on concrete or cement-bound subfloors with a maximum of 5CM% (or 90% RH) damp. This epoxy resin can also be used as a primer for PU or silane glues, levelling agents, or as a light reinforcement for weak subfloors. It can also be used as a primer for Parquet Glue Bona R770 and Bona levelling agents. When diluted with Dilutant Bona S100, it is also suitable for penetrating substrates deeply. The resin is suitable for tackling capillary rising damp or residual damp, offers excellent adhesion on most substrates, and reinforces the subfloor. It is applied with a roller, brush, or spatula.

Ultimate performance on the ground.

ADHESIVE TECHNOLOGY www.stauf.de

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Chimiver

layers. This primer continues to do its work throughout the entire lifespan of the wooden floor.

PRYMER SF 1105 Two-component water-based epoxy primer for subfloors preparation PRYMER SF 1105 is a two-component water-based epoxy primer developed for dusty subfloor, with a multi-layer application, it works as a moisture barrier. It is resistant to the inverse hydrostatic pressure according to the law UNI 8298 part 8. PRYMER SF 1105 is suitable for consolidation of subfloors on radiant heating. It is also recommend as a promoter of adhesion for anhydrite subfloors.

Devo® Devomat presents two epoxy primers, namely Devo® Primer HE 2C and Devo® Primer Hydro Block 3C. Devo® Primer HE 2C is a solventless 2-component epoxy primer to insulate cement covering floors from residual damp. This primer can be deployed for a residual damp content of up to 6%. The product guarantees rapid drying and offers excellent damp insulation. It is applied in a single coat. Devo® Primer Hydro Block 3C is a 3-component primer which is highly waterproof. It is also suitable for non-absorbent floors such as marble, old tile floors, etc. Due to the combination of high-quality epoxy binding agents and the hygrophobic properties of quartz powder, Devo® Primer Hydro Block 3C possesses exceptional waterproof properties and gives excellent adhesion. Devo® Primer Hydro Block 3C can therefore be used for applications where other primers fall short. Devomat offers a quality guarantee for all those products with respect to application limits. However, the fitter is responsible for the correct application of the product, something which is vitally important with damp primers.

Lecol Lecol doesn’t have an epoxy damp screen, but it does have another damp screen. Wakol PU280 is suitable for applying a primer to absorbent and non-absorbent substrates and reinforcing damaged covering floors. It’s also suitable for capillary rising damp and higher residual damp up to a maximum of 6CM% in cement-bound covering floors without floor heating, and up to a maximum of 3CM% with floor heating. For Wakol PU280 and Wakom Z615 leveller Lecol also has Wakol Quartz Sand S28.

Rubio Monocoat Rubio Easy Primer 2C Epoxy is a high-quality 2-component waterborne epoxy primer. This primer can be used in one coat to reinforce screeds which are in poor condition. This product acts as a damp screen from the second coat. Rubio Easy Primer 2C Epoxy can be used up to a residual damp value of 8%, but that obviously depends on various criteria (the substrate: editor’s note). When an epoxy primer is used in two layers, it is essential to apply glue within 24 hours. It is possible to sprinkle in sand to delay this process. This also creates more adhesion points for the glue. Quartz sand is sand which is dried by fire and contains no residual damp, so it is ideal for this application. The lifespan of an epoxy damp screen depends on several factors which affect it. The rule is that the protective effect is not endangered as long as there are no cracks in the damp screen.

Stauf STAUF VEP 195

Emfi Emfi presents the Emfiprim Epoxy for damp floors. This polymerised product is completely impervious for water or damp and therefore forms a solid damp screen between the substrate and the floor. The Emfiprim Epoxy can be deployed for residual damp percentages up to 10%, although caution is advised because the damp can rise via the walls with very high residual damp percentages. Therefore, Emfiprim should also be applied to the wall to a height of 20cm. If it is glued, quartz sand is also recommended. A sealed damp screen is achieved with 500gr in two to three crossed

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This solvent and water free primer is especially well suited as a moisture barrier on subfloor with a high residual moisture level. The maximum residual moisture permitted for this successor product is 5 CM-% for cement screed and 6% by weight for concrete. The 2K primer is an all-round talent in things concerning subfloor: It sticks to a variety of materials, even non-absorbent or very smooth subfloor. This also makes it suitable for use with stone, ceramics or tiling. In combination with quartz sand, VEP 195 becomes an effective repair mortar, with which you can fill recesses and holes.

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Providers of entrance mats : a must for any project

DOORMATS ARE A ‘MUST’ WITH PARQUET FLOORS ENTRY MATS, DOORMATS, AND ENTRANCE MATTING AS PREVENTIVE PROTECTION

Photo – Romus

Parquet is not immune to damage! Just one little nail or pebble is enough to make a nasty scratch on parquet protected with the strongest lacquer on the market, which is designed specially for high-traffic floors. And so, it goes without saying that heavy dust and dirt can scratch and damage wooden floors just by people walking on them in shoes. Shoes off, slippers on! That’s the lesson, or, alternatively, you have to ensure that people wipe their feet before treading on wooden floors. A small investment, but it soon repays itself.

Far-sighted individuals? Far-sighted individuals are a rare breed. That is to say that people look ahead only so far. In companies and organisations people usually look

Floor Forum International 94

ahead in detail. Checklists are used with each project within the operational management. Obviously, some things follow naturally from the fact that in a business there is a ‘responsible person’ for each project or function. Let’s take investment in a new meeting room as an example. The choice of tables and chairs will be determined partly by ergonomic elements, but also by possible seating arrangements (configurations) for the meetings (e.g. U-shaped or classroom). We call that ‘being far-sighted up to a point’. Then there are the details i.e. a flip chart with the requisite supply of paper, a beamer which is compatible with all types of PC and preferably wire-free, a magnetic whiteboard, and, especially, the correct pens for use on the board. The responsible person ticks off his or her checklist. Whenever private individuals buy dinner sets, it is questionable whether or not they are also going to buy lobster forks or escargot pincers. We buy those things ‘as the need arises’.

Mats as an investment

Mats for private clients

If ‘private clients’ opt for a lacquer finish for their parquet floors, it will probably not be very difficult for floor fitters to persuade them to go for a ‘strong lacquer’. That strong lacquer (for high traffic, for instance) has a direct effect on the lifespan of the floor covering. Private clients are on board up to this point. The lacquer finish is part of the ‘cost price’ of the floor covering, and the ‘more expensive’ lacquer has to be regarded more as an ‘investment’. Private clients tend to regard floor mats as things which belong in the category of ‘design’ or ‘decoration’. By contrast, companies and organisations regard them as part of the project for several reasons: the durability of the floor covering, the reduction of maintenance costs, and the safety of staff and visitors. They are within the domain of the ‘facility manager’ and, as we’ve already said, private clients don’t have a ‘facility manager’ at home. Nevertheless, doormats are perfectly comparable to that ‘more expensive lacquer’ and they should be regarded as an investment rather than an expense.

Very often, injudicious visitors cause damage to wooden (lacquered) floors or cause them to age faster. The best remedy for this is a matting system. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a 3-zone system, but a 2-zone system certainly makes sense. A front door mat outside the home and an entry mat in the foyer or hall can save a lot of woe (and cleaning). It goes without saying that floor fitters can earn some extra business here. Offering at least a limited range would appear to be a ‘must’.

Business for floor fitters This point brings us back to the theme of ‘supplementary business’. Parquet floor fitters can tap into various extra sources of income ‘on the periphery’ of fitting parquet or other wooden floors. Whether we are talking about a simple doormat or a sophisticated system of entrance matting, floor mats are a perfectly justified extra in that context. Indeed, there is a direct causal link between the prevention of damp and dirt on the floor and the lifespan of the floor covering. Let’s not forget either that in many cases maintenance involves a little bit of wear and tear. The range of available solutions is highly extensive in terms of both functional and decorative options. Here, too, private clients can learn something from the solutions deployed in the business world without having to take on those measures which would be excessive for an ordinary home.

Third time lucky In view of the above, you can simply buy a doormat in any interior design shop or you can arrange a system. Parquet floor fitters can recommend, sell, and justify such systems perfectly well to clients.

3-zone theory The 3-zone theory (source: Emco) is an ingenious concept which absorbs the various types of dirt (mud, fine dust, and damp) by means of complementary mats. And so, the theory assumes that you remove mud primarily with a solid mat and then a second mat accounts for less troublesome dirt. After that, it is still possible to wipe the feet dry on a (washable) doormat. For zones 1 and 2 traders generally present more sturdy functional inlays (e.g. brush or coconut) in profiles in which the mud is removed and falls in the layers between the profiles. The entrance mat has special hollow fibres to absorb the last dust and damp.

Clean and safe A system of consecutive mats in rooms open to the public ensures that the floor of the shop or office, for instance, stays clean. That certainly has an effect on its appearance, but also, and especially, on the lifespan of the floor. Moreover, there is also a safety aspect; since entrance mats also absorb damp as much as possible, this also keeps the floor dry and thereby helps to prevent slipping. And so, the investment in these mats more than repays itself. Apart from the aforementioned durability of the floor, there is also the considerable saving on cleaning costs.

Two specialists emco Most choice with emco high-quality matting zones Apart from high-quality entry mats, emco also supplies a wide range of matting zones with eleven exclusive series. These matting zones have recently been extended to include four more series: CONTURA, PRESTIGE, INNOVA, and CARE. With each series you can choose from special patterns and reliefs and lots of colours. This means even more design freedom, more application possibilities, and a choice of quality and durability. The matting zone is a well thought out and high-quality product technically and for design. It is suitable for use, for instance, in shopping centres, hotels, public buildings, offices, and health centres. Thanks to the high quality, most series are also suitable for wheelchairs and walking aids. Furthermore, all these series conform to the slip sensitivity DS according to EN 13893 and fire classes Bfl-s1 or Cfls1 according to EN13501-1. The matting zone can be cut to fit into a frame as required or put separately on the floor as a carpet mat with a finished edge. The roll widths vary from 100 to 200cm. Moreover, the matting zone is ideal as a third zone in the effective three-zone matting system for entrances. Thanks to the many possibilities and high-quality look, that gives the entrance the finishing touch! You can draw inspiration from www.emco-bau or order the new sample box.

Romus The Romus range of entry mats is extremely wide and also complies with diverse criteria. The mats counteract dust and dirt as soon as anyone enters the building. Since these mats are customised, they can be adapted perfectly to the interior. The mats conform to the ERP ‘accessibility standards: They are anti-slip and reduce the risk of a fall. Moreover, they can cope with high traffic. Some models can be incorporated into a laminate floor with a finish frame. Three major models are the ROMAT (frequent traffic = 500 p/day), ROMAT GT (2000 p/day), and ROMAT REVERSE (5,000 p/day).

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Special

Producers of 3D decorative wood for walls

PARQUET FLOOR FITTERS CONQUER THE WALL 3D WALL CLADDING OPENS UP A NEW WORLD Manipulating the room Wall decoration makes it possible to manipulate the room, that’s for sure. For example, the more you apply wallpaper with geometrical figures horizontally or vertically, the shorter, longer, or higher the wall becomes. Recently, with some producers, we have seen the emergence of wall panels made from different materials to be painted over, sometimes in harmony with the rest of the interior. We find gypsum panels with diverse geometrical shapes. There are panels in synthetics, MDF, wood, etc.

Dominant or discreet Panels can be incorporated into the interior as cladding for a whole wall or simply as a highlight. In that respect they can be dominant or discreet. The patterns also appear in different styles (e.g. sober or boisterous), but it is noticeable that mainly geometrical shapes are used for special effects e.g. circles, oblongs and derivatives, diamonds, tile shapes in various patterns (blocks, brick bond, etc.).

3D is even stronger With a three-dimensional image you can ‘manipulate’ the room even more. Where does the 3D effect come from? The shapes usually have different (varied) dimensions and different thicknesses (depths), so you certainly get a three-dimensional effect (length x width x height). Wooden floorboards on the wall, just like strip parquet and in scores of possible designs and patterns, take on a three-dimensional shape if the strips have different dimensions and different thicknesses.

Wall parquet The latter scenario brings us entirely within the floor fitter’s domain. Obviously, the possibilities here are endless, albeit due to the number of wood sorts available and the countless possible dimensions.

Panels or customised? Wooden wall cladding is also available in the form of panels, but floor fitters who relish a challenge can just as easily fit the cladding on site. The different thicknesses don’t make the job any easier as regards finish and sandpapering. With panels designed in waste wood from the woodwork (parquet production or other waste wood), it is also possible to create attractive mosaic effects.

Different ‘fitting’ patterns Photo – HWZ International

Parquet on the wall? Why not? Obviously, it once again extends the floor fitter’s sphere of operation to include the wall cladding as well as the floor covering. Wooden floorboards on the wall, just like strip parquet and in scores of possible designs and patterns, take on a threedimensional shape if the strips have different dimensions and different thicknesses.

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All this makes any pattern imaginable possible. All the classic fitting patterns can just as well be applied to the wall in virtually all types of wood e.g. strips, mosaic, or end grain blocks. You can get a unique effect by designing a 3D wall in cross-cut wood. As regards shapes, it is equally possible to create any geometric figure, although we have noticed in the (still limited) range that manufacturers who have discovered this niche tend to stick either to ‘classic patterns’ or real ‘puzzles’.

Fastening systems Most manufacturers offer both separate parts (strips or boards) and pre-designed panels. There are various fastening options for both

Decorative wall panels

Special

Producers of 3D decorative wood for walls

separate parts and panels. For example, separate parts or panels can be glued or screwed. Some offer a blind nailing system. A striking phenomenon is the range of self-adhesive strips or boards or even self-adhesive briquettes in various thicknesses. A really fine option is the licensed installation system under the trademark of ‘The Magnet’. This can be deployed on all surfaces. The system requires no screws and means that each panel is accessible. And so, you can access any pipes, something which is an advantage as compared to other permanent systems.

An overview Lite Wood International Furnishing walls with wood, especially old wood, is a trend. This is not only due to the warm look, but also because it has acoustic benefits as sound is muffled much more. Wall panels are fitted in all sorts of styles to create different looks; it can be flat, it can be somewhat structured, and also in 3D. It can also be horizontal or vertical and fitted in different colours. The wood strips (resembling stone) spring to life. Or the wall furnishing is designed in the same type of wood as the floor, or not in some cases, it depends on the project. Sometimes people don’t want it, so that things don’t resemble each other too much. All Starwall 3D panels are made from recycled teak wood, old beams, window frames, doors, etc., which thereby get a second life. Lite Wood International has a supplier where even the collection of the wood is done under supervision from the FSC, so that supplier has an FSC Recyled certificate on the panels. Fastening is possible, for instance, by glueing with a high-tech glue. The panels don’t need to be finished further and can also be delivered from stock in ‘greyed’ or ‘carbonised’ colour. See www.Litewood.nl for the different models and more information.

Floover World Wall furnishing has always been an important market for Floover World. Nowadays, clients are looking for harmony in the colours of floors and walls. Customised wall furnishing is the top trend. Thanks to digital print technology, they can replicate every imaginable floor design with no problem at all. According to Floover World, ‘flexibility’ is the main trend, partly because trends vary strongly from region to region. Floover sells wall

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furnishing on soft paper, silk paper, vinyl, and woven bearers. They don’t use wood. Wall furnishings are glued.

Gascogne Bois For Gascogne Bois there has been something of a decline in panelling. Nevertheless, the company has a unique wall covering to go along with today’s 3D trend. This is a self-adhesive wall furnishing in three different tints (Mo Ma, Metropolitan, and Guggenheim). This product is all the rage due to the current decor style, the relief, and the colours. The fitting is really simple in three steps, thanks to the self-adhesive elements. This wall furnishing is both creative and contemporary and enables everyone to construct their own wall furnishing.

HWZ International At HWZ International they see a rise in demand almost daily for INDO 3D Wall & Ceiling Panels, the speciality of INDO. The wall furnishing is hand-made from INDO Teak and driftwood which is not immediately earmarked as floor covering. INDO recycled wood is used for the INDO FSC Teak. The Teak FSC Recycled programme is very special. Recycled materials such as old doors or floors are used, some over 200 years old, for the production of wall furnishing. This gives the wood a second life. HWZ International recommends two-sided self-adhesive Elastillon for fixing the wall furnishing.

La Fabrique de Parquet Classic panelling has gone somewhat out of fashion, and the use of wood for walls has entered a new era. This has made wood a completely separate

interior object. ‘Panelling’ has changed to ‘decorative wall strips’. The application has developed along with the name. Enthusiasts who make this choice do so due to its aesthetic look and look for local applications, although according to La Fabrique de Parquet some people do want major wall projects. Rough surfaces and rough wood are appreciated. We also find brushed finishes at La Fabrique de Parquet. Several sizes and 3D effects are also in demand. Stickwood is the wall furnishing trademark; this consists of thin strips of solid wood (3mm) and is self-adhesive. Based on the Stickwood products, FPPIParqueterie Berrichonne has created some unique top-quality wall furnishings. All classic finishes are on offer.

Ô MUR The extension of wood to include wall furnishing is definitely a trend. That’s exactly why Ô MUR has developed and successfully launched its own system. Warm interiors with natural materials are in fashion. The accessories in the Ô MUR system make it possible to renovate or decorate a wall easily. Very much in fashion are the Scandinavian styles with light wood shades, but a darker rustic style in oak is also much coveted. To obtain a really natural interior, many people have a preference for rough wood. Structure also gets the upper hand on flat surfaces and 3D is now in the lead in that respect. Most users of Ô MUR seem to have chosen a different colour for the wall than for the floor. Here they advise clients to harmonise the wall covering with the purpose of the room and to take account of that when choosing a floor. The fastening system is offered in a Combo Pack with all the requirements for a wall of 3m². The parts are also available separately in bags for the completion of customised work. Ô MUR can be deployed on all substrates. For a perfect result they recommend planks of no more than 30cm wide and between 6 and 16mm thick.

Parqueterie de Borgogne

BLANC

These parquet producers have been wanting to expand their range to include wooden wall cladding for about two years. Since the range of products is very attractive, demand has also risen. 3D is clearly the top trend, whether we are talking about pre-made panels with strips of different thicknesses or individual strips which fitters apply to their liking. There aren’t really any rules and the range of possible types of wood is extremely wide. Even panels with different types of wood are available; they offer attractive

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contrasts in colour and structure. As regards fastening, we see panels which are glued or screwed, but also self-adhesive strips. At Parqueterie de Bourgogne the thinnest strips are 5mm thick, but that can obviously differ for 3D. As for design, there are various options such as brushing, sandblasting, or scraping. As regards finish, there is colour, oil, or lacquer.

Vetedy The Techniclic® system from Vetedy, world's patented invisible fastening solution for wood cladding, is an ingenious and highly flexible product. Indeed, the system allows hundreds of different designs thanks to the three widths of planks, 4 different spacings that it proposes and the fact that the direction of installation can be done horizontally as well as vertically. Thanks to the mastery of the production from A to Z, the system is also available for walls with 2D or 3D effect. The Techniclic®system also allows the embedding of LEDs for an even more exclusive and trendy effect!

Wonderwall Studios Wonderwall Studios is a creative studio which designs and makes wooden panels for all sorts of surfaces. Since the start in 2010, they have noticed that more and more people (private and business clients) have discovered the versatility of these panels and have used them to enrich their interiors. Rhythm, lines, and geometry are the three concepts which cover present trends, according to Wonderwall Studios. The most popular panels have structure and depth to make them exciting and give them character. Whilst Wonderwall Studios put the focus on a powerful ‘Lumber Jack’ look in the first collection, the new collection is precisely a highly elegant play on lines. The wall doesn’t need to be designed in the same wood as the floor. Almost all the projects have an existing floor of stone or concrete, but also of wood such as pale oak, for instance. That goes together perfectly well. At Wonderwall Studios they believe strongly in community and respect for people and environment. The company uses only recycled wood. The wood comes from abandoned houses, disused sheds, old floors, trees which have already been felled, and surplus production. The idea of the collection is that anyone with or without experience can fit these panels easily with a good wood kit. You don’t need a special fastening system for that. In most cases the panels are not given a protective coating to preserve the natural character of the product.

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Special

Flame-retardant lacquers and oils : properties & legislation

FIRE SAFETY IS SELDOM THE FLOOR FITTER’S PROBLEM FIREPROOF MATERIALS ARE THE MAKER’S RESPONSIBILITY Parquet floor fitters who rarely, if ever, concern themselves with major projects and are quite content to limit themselves to fitting parquet and other floor coverings in private dwellings are never confronted by fire safety. After all, the fire safety legislation rarely, if ever, legislates for ordinary private homes. It’s a different story for tall buildings (flats), public buildings, commercial projects, and various operational or business premises where rules are legion. Those rules relate to both active and passive fire safety.

The great paradox Safe in the traffic? When the first motorised vehicles appeared on the roads, they were regarded as a pleasant attraction for which you had to step aside now and again. There was no distinction between the footpath, cycle path, and road and you crossed the road ‘whenever the coast was clear’. Nowadays, the traffic situation on the roads is somewhat different. The issue of mobility largely dominates public life and the organisation of traffic largely determines the ground rules of urban planning. Traffic has become a jumble, complicated, often cluttered, and, yes, hazardous to life. Traffic regulations are designed to protect us from that danger and that protection isn’t based on voluntariness, but on obligation. We are deemed to be familiar with the traffic regulations and at a certain stage of our participation in that traffic we even have to take an examination.

What about fire? Let’s consider a few figures from a small country. About ten years ago, Belgium numbered about 135 fatalities and 3000 injuries from fire each year. Damage from about 25,000 open hearth fires was estimated at 900 million euros per annum, 0.3% of GDP. Almost half of fires occurred in private homes. In those days, a good 2.5% of the building cost was meant for fire safety, and for Belgium that meant an annual investment of 750 million euros a year. The proportion of investment in fire safety as a part of the total building cost rises according to the risk attached to the building (schools 1%, sports halls 1%, hotels 7%, car parks 8%, and shopping centres 9%). In 2006, over 150 companies worked in ‘fire safety’ in Belgium. They employed about 5000 people. However, the great ‘unknown factor’ in all this seemed to be the citizens themselves. ‘Fire’ only ever occurred in the news, in different regions to ours, and, mainly, far from our front door. Citizens hardly had any theoretical knowledge with regard to fire (e.g. pictograms, fire escapes, and fire service authority). There was, and still is, a great need to raise awareness, provide education, and even perform practice drills and, as is the case for traffic, perhaps we need at some point to arrive at some European ‘fire regulations’.

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Active or passive? Traditionally, we speak of two ‘types’ of measures to improve the fire safety of a building, namely active and passive fire safety.

Active measures For the sake of simplicity, we state that so called active fire safety relates mainly to fire extinguishers (this isn’t a strict 100% distinction!). In other words, active fire fighting ‘steps into action’ once a fire has broken out, irrespective of the phase. And so, this can be in a very early phase, as is usually the case with sprinkler installations. These fire fighting means are designed to extinguish a fire or to prevent it from spreading.

Passive measures These measures relate to the construction and the materials used. They are present from the very start and are deployed to prevent a fire and, if necessary, ‘to enclose’ it. In an ideal world we would use only fireproof materials, something which obviously isn’t feasible. Measures such as ‘fireproof doors which close automatically in case of fire’ to create smaller compartments lie somewhere between active and passive.

Fire resistance versus fire reaction It is obvious that the fire safety of building materials comes into the ‘passive fire safety’ category. Fire resistance and fire reaction are key words in that field. The distinction between those terms has been clarified several times in detail. We reiterate the essence because contributions from manufacturers would be completely incomprehensible to readers who don’t have a good grasp of those terms.

Fire resistance Fire resistance relates to the function of a building material in the total construction and the time during which that material actually fulfils that function. In other words, the fire resistance (now REI/formerly RF) of a building element is the time in minutes that a building element meets the following criteria simultaneously: - Stability (R): time that the element retains its bearing function (for elements with a bearing function). - Flame resistance (E): time during which flames do not spread to the non-exposed side of the wall (for partition elements). - Thermal insulation (I): time during which the temperature on the non-exposed side does not rise above a certain thermal threshold. Wooden floor finishes (e.g. parquet or laminate) do not really have a function, except for a decorative one. Wooden bearing structures (e.g. beams and trusses) obviously do have a function. They can be protected effectively by ‘flame-retardant paints or coatings’ so that elements such as their stability improve. These flame-retardant

paints (swell paints) create a protective coat of insulation if a fire breaks out.

SVP Aqua a classification of Cfl-s1 and the Oceanic, Initial, and RA Aqua a classification of Dfl-s1 (always on oak).

Fire reaction

Bona

The reaction of a material to fire is partly the extent of combustibility of that material and partly the extent to which that material contributes to the spread of the fire. Fire reaction is expressed in seven ‘classes’. Fire reaction classes are defined in the standard EN 13501-1.

The European standard for fire safety EN 13501-1 stipulates seven classes for fire resistance, ranging from A to F, with A as the best and F the worst. The general designation is usually the following Afl-s1: A = fire classification, fl = floor – indication for floors, s = smoke – smoke development class ranging from s1, which is the best, to s2, the worst. The entire floor construction is tested i.e. glue, type of floor (e.g. wood, stone, or PVC), and finish. Even if a wooden floor were to get a test result good enough for class A, it would nevertheless be put automatically in class B, since class A is reserved for inorganic materials such as stone, metal, and concrete. Several Bona lacquers have been tested on this, applied to a Bfl-s1 chipboard (subfloor panel) in conformity to a European standard and have all been awarded class Bfl-s1, the best possible grading for organic materials. Note: This means that their lacquers do not make the floor any more combustible, but they don’t make it less combustible either! If the subfloor had been

CLASS

CONTRIBUTION TO FIRE

COMBUSTIBILITY

Class A1

No contribution at all

Non-combustible

Class A2

Very limited contribution

Practically non-combustible

Class B

Limited contribution

Hardly combustible

Class C

Some contribution

Combustible

Class D

High contribution

Highly combustible

Class E

Very high contribution

Highly flammable

Class F

Not established

Highly flammable or untested

The classes can be supplemented with a division in terms of smoke development (S 1 to 3) and flame droplets (D 0 to 2). Normally, floors must be tested for their fire reaction according to the test methods in the standard EN 13501-1. However, the standard EN 14342 (CWFT: Classification Without Further Testing) summarises a number of common types of floors which don’t have to be tested and are put either in class Cfl-s1 or Dfl-s1. If some legislation imposes a higher class (e.g. in hospitals or care homes), a further test will be carried out on the floor in combination with the finish.

What does the market have to say? Blanchon Blanchon does not sell any flame-retardant lacquers in the literal sense of the term. Flame-retardant lacquers are designed to make flammable materials fireproof or to delay the combustion considerably through the addition of certain additives. Blanchon lacquers show up well in the European classification system, but that is due to the qualities of those products, not any inserted additives. Some fixed additives can have an adverse effect on the transparency of the finish and have a whitening effect. They can also adversely affect abrasion resistance. Blanchon operates in all ranges of lacquers, including waterborne polyurethane in one or two components and traditional PU with seven products in two classes. Test reports give the Belmont, Intensive, Polysolid, and

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Flame-retardant lacquers and oils : properties & legislation

given a class C or D, then the final test result would also have been in that class. According to information from Bona, the following standards apply in Belgium: Cfl for public places, Bfl for fire escapes.

Ciranova Flame-retardant coating products have the function of slowing down or even suppressing the burning process. This is achieved through the elimination of at least one of the elements (fuel-oxygen-temperature) necessary for causing and/or perpetuating a fire. Since both physical and chemical effects have an impact on the fire cycle, products with different properties, compositions, and structures are often combined in the formulation for greater effectiveness. It is important to mention here that they do not use any harmful substances (e.g. halogen). For wooden floors the certification is cited in the CE label (EN14342), especially in the section ‘reaction to fire EN13501-1’. The products are divided up into classes (Euroclass)

WS Sealer FR | Fire-retardant sealer

on the basis of standardised tests and according to their contribution to fire. These tests are conducted by recognised institutes, and as regards floors the most important one is the ‘radiant panel test for flooring EN ISO 9239-1’. A detail which is not insignificant in this context is the fact that the entire composite is tested, not just the coating itself. And so, the Ciranova products (UN1CO, a one-coat oil, and Fortico 2C, a PU 2-component varnish) are put in fire class Bfls1 (fl for flooring & s1 for minor smoke development) when applied according to the technical regulations and on a substrate which is produced to comply with the standard EN 312:2010-P2. FORTICO is an on-site product and can therefore be applied on site.

Chimiver ECOSTAR RF 15T Two-component water-based polyurethane flame-retardant lacquer for wooden floors ECOSTAR RF 15T is a two-component water-based polyurethane flame-retardant lacquer in line with the D.M. 6 Marzo 1992 following the UNI 9796 norm. ECOSTAR RF 15T is suggested for the treatment of wooden floors and wooden materials only for flooring purposes. The class of reaction to the fire is italian 1. ECOSTAR RF 15T has been formulated in order to meet the highest anti slip standard requirements or sportive wooden floors. ECOSTAR RF 15T is in conformity with European standards for sportive wooden floors meeting EN14904 standard's requirements.

Fire-Proof

Active fire protection: Reduces smoke formation. Decreases spread of fire.

WS Sealer FR – the 2-component flame-retardant sealer for parquet and hardwood floors. Achieves a fire-resistant surface (EN 13501-1 class Cfl-s1). Reduces smoke formation by almost 90%. LOBA – the surface specialist for parquet and hardwood floors

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www.loba.de/en

Treating wood to make it more flame-retardant is the core business of Fire-Proof. BURNSTOP is a flame-retardant liquid based on ecological phosfates. It can be used to treat absorbent materials efficiently, so that also includes parquet or wooden floors in general. BURNSTOP IM Wood Plus is the flame-retardant liquid par excellence for impregnating wooden and parquet floors, stairs, MDF, etc. How it works is related to the components of the fire triangle: Oxygen is isolated from the

flammable fuel by the chemical reaction which is generated as a result of the rise in the ignition temperature. This is particularly through the production of nitrogen and/or other non-inflammable gases, which dissipate the oxygen. The first generation of flame-retardants which Fire-Proof sold were based on halogen. However, those flame retardants had the drawback that that they could emit toxic smoke if there was a fire. That’s why Fire-Proof now sells halogen-free flame-retardant products. These are flame retardants with phosphate compounds, especially poly-ammonium phosphates. It does mean that all fire safety tests have to be repeated (this consumes time, energy, and considerable financial resources). Recently, Fire-Proof has obtained two new certificates: Bfl s1. All BURNSTOP products are supplied with certificate Bfl s1 or Bfl s2. The best procedure is to incorporate the treatment into the production of the floor itself. At present, there are very few manufacturers who give this matter the necessary attention. Existing floors can be treated with BURNSTOP IM-Wood Plus.

Loba WS Sealer FR: Sleep Safely with Active Fire Protection by LOBA Reduces smoke formation and spread of ﬁre, without yellowing effect

lacquers give people more time to leave the building safety in the event of a fire. The properties of these products are the result of the correct choice and combinations of raw materials whereby, apart from the standard properties for parquet lacquer, selections are made on the basis of combustibility and reaction to fire. In Germany parquet lacquers are permitted only if they have a DIBt permit. This permit includes a fire safety test. Hesse parquet lacquers all have a DIBt permit. These can be recognised by the Ü. Another label, which is required in ship building, is the IMO label, recognisable at the helm. Parquet lacquers on board cruise ships, for instance, must have this IMO permit. Hesse is the only supplier of parquet lacquers to supply a parquet lacquer with the IMO permit, the Pura One. These lacquers are available for both on site and in parquet factories. It is worth recommending the use of these products as standard; after all, safety is the top priority. However, application requires special attention in utility buildings and public buildings, where lots of people are present and must be able to find a safe haven in the event of fire.

Rubio Monocoat

LOBADUR® WS Sealer FR provides safety through preventative fire protection – combined with an excellent finish. The transparent 2-component sealer actively increases the fire performance of parquet and hardwood floors without negative effects on the appearance. It complies with fire-safety regulations while requirements for surface layer and minimum total floor thickness do not apply. WS Sealer FR reduces the amount of smoke formation on wooden floors by almost 90%. Its flame-retardant properties decrease the spread of a fire by more than 50%. Floors treated with the LOBA fire-safety system are not required to comply with regulations for minimum total floor thickness. The waterbased sealer makes parquet and hardwood floors with a raw wood density of ≥ 0.47 g/cm3 (e.g. beech, oak, merbau, wenge etc.) fire resistant – as per DIN EN 13501-1 Class Cfl-s1 – when used in combination with the tried and tested primer and finish by LOBA: One coat of WS EasyPrime is followed by two coats of WS Sealer FR. After intermediate sanding, a top coat of WS 2K Duo (any variant from glossy to anti-slip formula) is applied. In spite of this specialised functionality, WS Sealer FR is easy to use in the LOBA standard system.

Hesse When we speak of flame-retardant lacquers for wooden floors, we mean lacquers which do not aid the spread of a fire and which, in the event of a fire, do not produce poisonous smoke. Therefore, these

With the RMC FR Oil System, Rubio Monocoat claims to have presented the first flame-retardant oil system in the world to achieve a Bfl-s1 certificate on oak (5mm). The Rubio Monocoat FR Oil System has achieved a Cfl-s1 certificate with an oak top layer of 2.5mm. Since this product is based entirely on the signature technology of Rubio Monocoat, where a molecular binding is created with the top fibres of the wood in one single coat, no layer is built up, in contrast to many existing systems. The RMC FR System consists of a flame-retardant pre-treatment with RMC FR base and a finish with RMC FR Oil. This yields durable protection and colouring via molecular binding. Rubio Monocoat has also endeavoured to produce a system which is extremely safe, durable, and economical. The RMC FR System has been tested according to the standards EN 13501-1, EN ISO 11925-2, and EN ISO 9239-1. The fact that Rubio Monocoat has achieved a Bfl s1 here is an absolute first, since the B grading is the highest achieved so far by any oil system. The s1 stands for a considerable limitation of the spread of smoke, something for which they are striving consistently.

Floor Forum International 94

Special

New trends in cork floors

CORK TAKES OVER THE ENTIRE HOUSE THE WARM AND SILENT SOLUTION FOR FLOORS AND WALLS Cork is a purely natural product with some intrinsic qualities which make it unique as a raw material for use in construction. Cork owes those properties to its element structure. Indeed, cork consists largely of 14-sided cells filled with air. There are about 40 million cells or air chambers in one cubic centimetre of cork bark. This means that cork always has a pleasant feel and it absorbs sounds and vibrations. However, that also makes it extremely light, an added plus point in construction. Due to its unique properties, cork is widening its range and taking over the entire house.

Comfort properties Cork possesses an exceptional number of intrinsic properties which make it suitable for building purposes in general and are regarded as ideal assets for renovation in particular. To sum up, cork is ‘thin’, ‘silent’, ‘warm’, ‘impressionable’, and thereby ‘soft’. It also offers infinite decorative options in its original ‘grain form’, via digital print, or as a part or base of other floors. Private clients are won over mainly by those extensive decorative options and the vast domestic comfort which cork offers.

Comfortable and warm Cork has a number of properties in common with wood. For instance, cork provides outstanding heat insulation, which, amongst other things, means that cork extracts heat from the atmosphere and holds onto it for a long time. This means that a cork floor always has a comfortable feel, even if you walk on it barefoot. And so, it is no surprise that cork floors are much coveted as a top floor for bedrooms, children’s rooms, and playrooms in private dwellings.

Acoustics Cork also provides excellent acoustic insulation i.e. cork reduces sound (it reduces impact noise by 16dB) and improves resonance (less reverberation of sounds).

The ‘semi-soft’ floor Obviously, cork doesn’t have the soft feel of carpet, but neither does it have the hardness of wood or laminate. Cork has the remarkable property of being impressionable. We can press cork in up to 35% of its thickness. When the pressure is released, it returns to its original shape. Walking on a cork floor almost imperceptibly gives the impression that the floor ‘gives’ slightly.

Hygienic and healthy The anti-static nature of cork means that a cork floor repels dust. This makes a cork floor ideal for patients with allergies and, at the same time, it is also easy to clean wet or dry, so you always have a hygienic floor. These are all elements which are greatly appreciated

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in children’s rooms, but which are also vitally important in nursing homes and care homes.

Computer-friendly The anti-static nature of cork also makes the material suitable for rooms where informatics materials are set up (such as in offices) or, for instance, there is medical equipment (such as in hospitals and care homes). Yet computers and other informatics equipment are found with increasing frequency in private dwellings in this digital age.

Types of cork floors Now that cork (apart from countless other uses in daily life) has made its way into the construction sector, it has immediately set out on an impressive development in that sector. Just as with other types of floors, new types have appeared on the market for more and more applications as regularly as clockwork. Today, we can identify three main types:

Glued cork Glued cork is still doing well on the market, especially on the renovation market. For glueing cork it is essential to make sure that the subfloor is perfectly level. After all, a cork floor to be glued is a soft floor covering (cf. vinyl, linoleum, or wall-to-wall carpet), which adopts the state of the base. In other words, flaws in the base will be visible in the cork floor. Cork floors to be glued usually have a thickness of 3.2 or 4mm. Very occasionally, we see cork of 6 or 8mm. The most common sizes in cork tiles are 30 x 30, 30 x 60, and 15 x 60. Cork floors are glued by glueing both the tiles and the subfloor. They are knocked into place with a rubber hammer.

Floating cork Cork can also be fitted floating, just like parquet and laminate. These floors generally have a click-system, which means they can be fitted quickly and easily. A frequent size for the floorboards was (and still is) 30 x 90cm, but some manufacturers turn out much longer planks. The number of available sizes has increased considerably in recent years. Most cork floor tiles and planks for floating fitting are finished with different coats of lacquer in the factory. It is possible to apply additional coats of lacquer provided that the cork floor is lightly sandpapered.

Wall cork For wall tiles, too, both the tiles and the wall are glued. After the fitting, it is necessary to remove any dust from the walls and, if necessary, varnish can be applied. This is certainly recommended in bathrooms in order to seal the tile joints so that no water can penetrate. Cork is lacquered using a lacquer specially made for that purpose. The cork lacquer is extremely flexible and gives with the cork. Wall cork usually has a thickness of 2, 3, or 4mm. Wall cork is available in tiles or rolls.

Santana

Trends in cork Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet Like many materials, cork, too, can be digitally printed. This means that various wood and natural stone patterns and concrete looks can be applied to a cork layer before the floorboards are finished with various coats of durable varnish. New print techniques with resolutions above 1000 DPI mean that Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet can present new prints with a clarity never seen before. Obviously, these cork floors, which are ready for fitting, can be fitted either floating with a click connection or glued. The latest generation of digitally printed cork floors can even be fitted with profiles which evoke thoughts of a brushed wooden plank. This feel ensures that even the greatest lovers of real wood are convinced. Demand for cork on the walls has risen considerably in recent years. That comes mainly through the bigger range of patterns and colours, combined with the product’s good thermal and acoustic properties. The natural cork look and the solid cork bark are very much back in fashion. More and more interior architects are opting for the original look of cork in their interiors. The rough patterns also form a nice contrast with other building materials and fit perfectly into any room. Moreover, a cork wall has that typical warmth and pleasant look. Pure natural beauty!

Meister At Meister they have noticed that cork sales have stabilised, but there has been a shift towards more trendy cork floors. Meister has gone along with that trend with the Puro. Meister has now served up the cork floor in the elegant long-plank size (2120 x 240mm). Inspired by natural beauty and ageless in beauty, the cork floor Puro offers the proverbial real home comfort. Its huge elasticity is nice for the joints, whilst its pleasant warmth is a delight to the feet. Cork offers good sound insulation in any case. This makes cork the ideal material for living rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms, but not just there! The eight harmonic surfaces in natural and timelessly modern colours round off the entire package and make cork floors a perfect trend and wellness floor. The natural oil treatment allows the cork surface to come into its own absolutely beautifully and gives it an extra soft and matt look.

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The growing success of cork for both residential and commercial applications is due to two factors. Firstly, there is the natural and ecological nature of the material cork, and, secondly, there are the new design options as a result of digital print technology. Santana offers click and stick cork floors, cork wall cladding as an adhesive application, and staircase furnishing for the renovation of existing stairs with or without a riser in a click application. The latest trends are: cork floors and walls which display the natural character and typical structure of cork, cork floors and walls with trendy designs (concrete, wood, stone, and retro) on a cork underlay, and cork tiles in bigger sizes. Major innovations for 2018 are a concrete print on a cork substrate (Authentic Concrete Collection), the 100% natural cork wall (Maximo Collection), the Styled Cork floor and wall tiles, which leave the typical structure of cork on display and, finally, cork tiles for the renovation of existing stairs. This stair furnishing can also be applied to the floor so that floor and stairs form one attractive whole.

Wicanders The fact that cork is a renewable natural product means that it fits in perfectly with the need for sustainable construction. The unrivalled natural properties provide exceptional comfort in each room and strong sound insulation. Visually, too, cork fits into any interior, either residential or commercial. Wicanders offers a varied range of cork visuals. The floors are constructed in several layers and contain various layers of cork so that the technical properties such as silence, thermal insulation, resilience, and such like come into their own. Wicanders offers floors in four usage classes. Cork Go is the budget-friendly solution, but it doesn’t compromise on the look. Cork Essence is the ‘green solution’ par excellence. Cork Resist + is the solution for high-traffic rooms, and Cork Pure is Wicanders’ floor for glueing. These floors are available in different colours and sizes so that there is a floor covering for all interior styles.

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Fastening systems for deck flooring

INVISIBLE FASTENING SYSTEMS ARE GAINING GROUND CLIENTS ARE PREPARED TO PAY FOR TOP QUALITY

Photo – ArchiWood / NÖVLEK®

Invisible fastening systems will seal the demise of the classic installation with screws, that’s for sure. If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, it certainly will in the near future. As for look, a terrace fitted with an invisible fastening system is incomparably better than a classic terrace with visible screws, but the look is only one thing. Technically, too, an invisible fastening system is infinitely better than a system with screws. Yet do clients also want to pay more? The indications are that indeed they do.

Demanding consumers When companies or public organisations invest in certain building works, the work proceeds according to a project plan which is followed up and checked perfectly. That’s quite logical. Usually, everything

Floor Forum International 94

runs according to plan and very few problems arise or, if they do, they are soon dealt with. Things can certainly turn out differently when it comes to private clients. Deviations from or changes to original plans are a common occurrence, certainly with renovations where ‘unexpected’ obstacles often emerge with which professionals have to cope with creatively. That’s just one of the reasons why some professionals are somewhat reticent about working for private clients. Private clients are extremely demanding, irrespective of the circumstances. Some of them examine the work with a magnifying glass in search of possible flaws, and rightly so, at least within reason.

Clients want to pay Consumers are demanding, but they are also prepared to pay for quality. That’s a general phenomenon which is evident in scores of

product categories. The upper segments in various sectors (even food, non-food, and decoration) generally do well. Obviously, there are still entry-level products, but the middle segments in various sectors simply fall in between the two. This is a phenomenon which has also clearly been noticeable on the laminate market in recent years.

Types of systems

People are also very demanding with terraces. We search for more expensive types of wood or technological alternatives and we set aside the necessary budget. In the editorial of this edition we hear from a specialist in this field. The question as to whether the wooden terrace market is growing is greeted with the answer that ‘the market has matured’ and that it is mainly the invisible fastening system market which is gaining ground. Moreover, that is precisely because clients are prepared to invest in quality and durability.

The number of available systems has increased considerably in a relatively short space of time. This means we are now in a position to classify these systems in a number of types. What do they have in common? They are virtually all equipped to deal with the swelling and shrinking of the wood and also take account of the damp content at the time of the fitting. Most systems have a milled groove in the sides into which the wings of a special clip fit. The clips vary in form and type of material, but the principle is the same. With some systems it is no longer necessary at all to screw through the floorboard itself, whilst with others it is necessary, but then invisibly (diagonally downwards in the side of the plank). Other systems provide for a clip underneath the plank into which the plank is clicked. Below we give an outline of the various systems. We only mention those systems for which we received the necessary documentation.

Wood ‘under control’

What’s on the market?

Terraces ‘ditto’

Depending on the class in which they are put, wood sorts are sensitive to the weather conditions (read: the fluctuating damp and temperature conditions) to a greater or lesser degree. This subject has been covered amply in previous publications. The issue of the fastening is that important. As soon as we ‘fix’ a wooden floorboard, we are exerting a certain influence on the wood’s ability to move. Wood swells and shrinks; we all know that. However, it is important to realise that wood makes those movements with a virtually unrivalled force. We’ve said before that the force of swelling wood is even enough to demolish a castle wall, if necessary.

Classic fastening With the traditional fastening with screws, considerable force will be exerted on the point around the fastening screw and on the screw itself when the wood swells and shrinks. It is then certainly possible that the screw itself will weaken or that cracks and bursts will emerge around the fastening point. Moreover, the place where the screw penetrates the wood is always a weak spot. Extra damp can also seep in there to stimulate swelling and shrinking of the wood. With most invisible fastening systems, it is no longer necessary to fasten a screw into the floorboard itself, whilst with others it is still necessary, but in that case the fastening is ‘concealed’.

Invisible fastening Modern invisible fastening systems take account of those natural movements of the wood. With various systems we can speak of ‘intelligent clips’ which adapt to the selected type of wood and which even take account of the way in which the wood has been dried. Wood which has been dried naturally behaves differently to wood dried in a drying oven.

Total system The extra attention (read: extra investment) paid to a terrace covers not only the fastening system itself, but also the total stability of the terrace. A crucial point here is the substructure or, you could say, the foundation of the terrace. In that area, too, we’re increasingly seeing how the classic systems and materials are making way for greater efficiency. The wooden frames onto which terrace boards are fastened should gradually make way for other structures, including aluminium frames (or bearers). The wooden pegs of yesteryear, which are a permanent fixture in the carpenter’s arsenal, are making way in terrace construction for synthetic adjustable pedestals. It goes without saying that invisible fastening systems also take account of this new reality. Screws in wooden beams or in aluminium bearers are not exactly the same.

ArchiWood / NÖVLEK® Hard Wood Clip® is the invisible fitting system which ArchiWood has developed for wooden terraces. The stainless steel fastening clip (in a top-quality synthetic casing) is fitted into the grooves (sides) of the floorboards and screwed into the beams through the floorboards at an angle of 45° with self-drilling screws (SPAX in high-quality A2 stainless steel). Hard Wood Clip® is available in three types (3mm/5mm/7mm) to guarantee the correct distance between the floorboards, irrespective of the type of wood, the degree of damp at the time of fitting, and the weather conditions. This system is particularly discreet thanks to the black matt finish (non-reflective) and the antique brown colour of the screw (coloured all over). Hard Wood Clip® can be combined with the ventilation spacer NÖVLEK®, which ensures perfect ventilation for the planks and also reduces the risk of warping, swelling, and shrinking. Soft Wood Clip® is virtually the same fastening system as Hard Wood Clip®, but it is meant solely for Thermowood or thermally treated wood sorts. The Soft Wood Clip® is available in two sizes (5 and 7mm). Square Clip ® is a simple and efficient system for fastening terrace tiles invisibly. The system is efficient and universal. The Square Clip® can be fitted or screwed onto any flat base. There is not a single special tool required. The system also enables you to dismantle the tiles, change the tile configuration, or replace a tile. The tiles never come into contact with the base. An integrated system of discharge channels on both sides of the base ensure good drainage and ventilation, and that is obviously good for the lifespan. Square Clip® is designed to allow the wood to behave naturally. The clip adapts to all wood sorts, dimensions, and composite. The system is completely invisible.

B-Fix B-Fix presents a range of solutions for terraces and swimming pool boards. This system has been applied to millions of square metres in the 10 years since its birth. The assortment includes a number of types

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Fastening systems for deck flooring

of invisible fastenings: B-Fix One, B-Fix Black One, and B-Fix Border. The assortment also includes several accessories. The system itself is designed in stainless steel with a memory effect so that the wood can behave naturally and yet stay perfectly in place. Each plank can be removed individually. The fastening system can be mounted on various profiles and can be deployed on an extensive range of wood sorts and composite. The system adapts to different types of structures thanks to the screws: wood, aluminium, or low structure. B-Fix can be applied horizontally and vertically. The fitting means a time saving of 40% as compared to a traditional system.

Eurotec The solutions from Eurotec provide for a durable fastening of terrace boards with no ribs in solid wood or composite. The big advantage is obviously aesthetic, but there are also technical benefits as well. For instance, the distance from the support structure guarantees better ventilation and drying thanks to the conductors, something which extends the lifespan. The special design also ensures that screws cannot come loose. The Eurotec system is mainly very flexible. The fastening can be used on the classic wooden structure, but also on EVO and HKP aluminium profiles. The system provides for the natural movement of the planks and is ideal with planks of 80 to 155mm wide and 20 to 30mm thick. The screws can be adapted to special conditions such as marine environments and replaced by A4 stainless steel. At Eurotec they estimate that the cost price is about 15% higher than with a classic fitting with screws due to the more intricate fitting and more expensive materials. However, if you consider the effect on the lifespan, that extra cost should be considered negligible.

such as on a rod for fitting per three terrace boards or pre-mounted on supporting beams (La Stabila) in treated wood (class 4) and is available in various thicknesses. With the Rail System (‘Système Rail’) it is possible to fit both wooden floorboards and tiles on one and the same system.

Hecmar The Aslon® Terrace Base Construction System has been specially developed for a universal, simple, and rapid assembly of wood composite, synthetic, bamboo, and hardwood terrace boards, which are fitted with a groove at least 3.5mm high and 8mm deep. The system consists of an aluminium girder and a height-adjustable fibre-glass reinforced synthetic clip with a concealed stainless steel screw and nut. Diverse simple assembly elements ensure rapid assembly of the beams and since there are three types of beams, there is always a solution for the most common applications. The major benefits are that the system can be used universally and can be fitted 50% faster than other systems and at competitive prices. The fitter can re-use the material which is left over for the next terrace, so there are never any superfluous clips and beams left over. The same clip fits all three types of beams and that is obviously a must for the fitter. Last but not least, with the Aslon® Terrace Base Construction System clients have a 10-year guarantee. You can find more information on: www.hecmar.nl

Hapax Fixing Pro

Grad decking With the grad™ trademark, Architecture du Bois presents a pioneering innovation in the world of terraces in the form of the Perfect Rail! Since 2006, over 800,000m² of terraces have been fitted in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria with the now renowned clip JuAn®. The level of satisfaction is 100%! Thanks to the ‘harpoon shape’, the clip wings can resist tensile forces up to 300kg per clip, depending on the type of wood. The big assets: no visible screws, perfect insulation and ventilation, perfect alignment of the floorboards, the wood is neither drilled nor milled, and the fitting is no less than 70% faster. The clip JuAn® has won several gold medals. It is available in various forms

Floor Forum International 94

Hapax Fixing Pro is a wooden terrace fastening system which is completely invisible, innovative, and, in particular, can be fitted quickly. It contributes to the aesthetic beauty and lifespan of your terrace.

A thickness of 13mm means there is excellent ventilation between the planks and supporting beams of the terrace, so it is almost impossible for the wooden planks to warp, even with changes in the weather. Hapax Fixing Pro can be used for planks with a width of 90 to 200mm and 19 to 40mm high. The Hapax Fixing Pro fitting accessories facilitate a speedy and easy fitting. Hapax Fixing Pro is supplied with stainless steel C2 screws. Hapax Fixing Pro is the only system which is hugely flexible in use with various plank thicknesses. The system is designed in such a way that it can easily be dismantled at the fracture zone. The standard width is 140mm, but thanks to three separate zones it is suitable for planks with a width from 90 to 200mm and 19 to 40mm high. Moreover, it is perfectly possible to replace one broken plank without having to dismantle everything.

Outdoor Wood Concepts® Outdoor Wood Conceptsj® stands for contemporary wood solutions for outdoors. Some years ago, the company

developed a system of invisible fastening for its wooden terrace boards in padauk and ipe. The system works with connectors. The connector is galvanised and is supplied complete with screws. The biggest asset is the invisibility. The whole structure looks much better aesthetically; one reason for that is that it is much harder to line up screws with visible fitting.

Vetedy The Softline® system from Vetedy is now a known product in the world of decking with invisible fixation. The renowned quality of the product is well established but even with that, Vetedy continues to innovate to offer the best product, the best service and the best reputation to its customers. The world is evolving so why not the terraces too? Several tests are currently underway and beautiful products will soon be unveiled. Vetedy, a pioneer in the invisible fixation systems for decking and cladding.

DENDERWOOD J.Cardijnstraat 3 9420 Erpe-Mere Belgium Tel. +32 (0) 53-73 74 74 Fax +32 (0) 53-73 74 75 E info@denderwood.com Web www.denderwood.com

Tropical hardwood importer Durable, stable and innovative solutions for exterior applications - Decking (traditional screwing or clip system) - Underconstruction - Wall cladding (slated cladding and open structures) Large range of different sections, profiles and species (Padouk, Iroko, Afzelia, Afrormosia, Ipe, Teck, Yellow Balau) Picture ©Outdoor Wood Concepts® MarQuise Greenline Primeline Floor Forum International 94

Special

PVC, vinyl and LVT floors: extra business for floor fitters

ANYONE WHO CAN FIT PARQUET CAN FIT ANYTHING PARQUET FLOOR FITTER’S SHOPPING TROLLEY GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER

Photo – Wicanders

We’ve often said that a parquet floor fitter’s career development is characterised by a constant extension to the number of possible floor coverings. ‘Traditional’ parquet floor fitters who focus solely on wooden floors are becoming a rarity. There are two indisputable reasons for this. Firstly, there is the conclusion that the increased popularity of various floor coverings has provided stiff competition. Then there is the simple fact that the parquet floor fitter’s professional expertise makes it perfectly possible to fit those types of floors.

Typical skills What exactly are those typical skills which parquet floor fitters have? We’re not talking here about fitters who fit only multi-layer parquet

Floor Forum International 94

with a click system or other similar floors which, inspired by laminate syndrome, can often be fitted easily by seasoned odd-jobbers. We mean traditional, ‘classically trained’ parquet floor fitters who grew up on the colour, feel, and smell of solid wood. These are parquet floor fitters who fit solid parquet ‘starting from scratch’ with a shabby substrate onto an equally solid subfloor. Those floor fitters can fit ANYTHING. They measure, saw, prepare substrates, glue, sandpaper, re-sandpaper, finish, maintain, and, several years later, renovate. They are familiar with physics and chemistry and know better than anyone else about the freakish whims which wood sometimes has. They are familiar with just about all the tools, machines, and accessories and can handle them properly. Those are the floor fitters we mean. As we’ve already said, they have good reasons to fit all those other sometimes ‘reinvigorated’ floors because they have the ability and to ensure that

they don’t lose clients to the often excellent floor solutions which rivals offer.

Simply more work There’s one conclusion no one can deny: All those ‘other’ floor coverings on which we also report regularly in this publication are selling very well. Multi-layer parquet, veneer floors, laminate, cork, bamboo, vinyl, linoleum, and PVC, plus some ‘re-invented’ types, have all established themselves on the market. All those floors have their own typical characteristic and therefore specific added value. Features such as ‘outstanding sound reduction’ or ‘completely waterproof’ are more than welcome in lots of homes. When floors with such added value adopt the outward appearance of ‘wood’ and do so in countless types of wood, this really threatens a parquet floor fitter’s basic product. 100% waterproof PVC with the look of oak strip parquet is an excellent example of that. Those floors are taking over bathrooms and kitchens. The conclusion is obvious: Offering more types of floor means taking over more rooms in the home and, therefore, more work!

PVC. In the course of the years, ‘linoleum’, too, has developed greatly. It’s no longer the floor covering which we associate only with hospitals. That ‘lead role’ was given to linoleum due to its antibacterial properties and its vast durability and wear resistance. These floors are extremely easy to maintain and, in their fully glued form, have outstanding acoustic properties. Today, linoleum is available in lanes, strips, and tiles. The possible choices as regards decors and colours are virtually endless. Here, too, producers have discovered the click system.

What’s on the market? Floover World

Today’s assortment We’ve covered the various floors at some point in the past. They are quite numerous, with some floors consisting of wood or derived from wood and others produced from completely different materials, natural or otherwise.

Wood or wood-related Everything starts with ‘solid parquet’. The chief part of fitting a traditional parquet floor is being enacted on the work site. The older generation of parquet floor fitters were generally dismissive of innovations or products and systems which deviated from tradition. And so, changing to ‘multi-layer parquet’ was, for them, a big step. Obviously, that change is now history, but it required parquet floor fitters to ‘deviate from the normal system’ to a new working method in no time at all. The most shocking occurrence for parquet floor fitters was undoubtedly the emergence of ‘laminate’. In those early days of laminate, few parquet floor fitters were willing to ‘degrade themselves’ to fit such an imitation floor. Nowadays, we find premium laminate floors in the upper segment and parquet floor fitters in their masses have come on board. And so, if laminate is regarded as a fully fledged alternative to wooden floors, the same obviously applies to ‘pre-finished floors’. Then there was ‘cork’. Cork appears in two forms in its original style, namely cork for glueing and cork floors for floating fitting. In addition, we also have cork as a wall cladding. ‘Bamboo’, thanks to proven production techniques, lends itself perfectly to making wooden panels from which floorboards can be produced. As regards type, the various bamboo floor furnishings are the same as what the wooden flooring market offers. And so, that’s something for the parquet floor fitter, too.

Vinyl, linoleum, and PVC A ‘vinyl floor’ is a resilient synthetic (PVC) floor covering, which consists of several layers: the base or back, a protective glass-fibre layer, the design, and the top layer. The durability of vinyl depends on the thickness of the top layer and the solidarity of the base structure. An extra protective layer increases scratch and wear resistance. There are big differences in price and quality within the range. Vinyl is available in tiles and planks. ‘PVC’ is also an outstanding material for the production of floors. The material is waterproof and thereby suitable for damp rooms. Floors made of PVC for 100% are even suitable for use in showers. It has high durability thanks to the reinforcement PU coating. PVC floors appear nowadays in a very wide variety of decors. In recent years, we’ve also seen the emergence of click systems so that these floors can be fitted floating quickly and easily. We call that variant Click

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Vinyl floors can be used in all properties, both residential and commercial. It is the ideal product for parquet floor fitters to offer floors in damp rooms. Floover has an explicit preference for vinyl with a click system because the fitting is quick and easy and because those floors can also be dismantled, if necessary. Vinyl floors are a solution for anyone looking for a good-quality affordable product with good acoustic properties and an extensive choice of decors. These floors are complementary for parquet floor fitters. The floors are also suitable for projects or commercial rooms and Floover also offers wall furnishings. This offers the fitter lots of possible extra business.

Viligno The new generation of vinyl floors can be used for both residential and commercial applications (if the top layer is suitable). Since they are waterproof, they are also ideal for use in bathrooms and kitchens. Vinyl planks are a supplement to the more traditional floor coverings such as parquet, laminate, and carpet. Tiles with click system are becoming more and more popular. Viligno

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Special

PVC, vinyl and LVT floors: extra business for floor fitters

sees these floors as competition for laminate. The shift from laminate to vinyl means that parquet floor fitters can hardly ignore this product. If the top layer is suitably equipped, these floors are also ideal for the project market. Vinyl floors with a click system correspond to the more expensive sorts of laminate in terms of price. The best-seller at Viligno is the tile collection in three contemporary colours with matt finish.

Yepp

professionals and end consumers. Among these new characteristics, the most revolutionary it’s its waterproof condition that allowed Hydrocork to enter all rooms of the house, including kitchens and bathrooms, thus creating a uniform look. This versatility comes from a multilayer structure, with an agglomerated cork composite core that also ensures a more flexible and durable performance. The well-known four benefits that the Corktech technology brings to Wicanders’ products - silence, natural thermal insulation, walking comfort and impact resistance - are now concentrated in planks with just 6mm of total thickness. This makes the product particularly useful for renovation and interior design projects. Since it’s very thin, but nonetheless strong, Hydrocork can be applied on top of pre-existing hard surfaces, with no need to remove skirtings or cut doors, which represents significant savings in terms of time and costs.

Picture - YEPP & MOODS

There is an extremely wide range of options for design floors, from projects to private homes. This type of floor is often recommended by its properties, namely its waterproof character, durability, easy fitting and maintenance, and such like. At YEPP they have seen a big increase in possibilities and products in this genre. The biggest growth of type of floor covering is provided for. It’s a chance for fitters to take advantage and increase or maintain their options/turnover. For YEPP these floors don’t lead to cannibalism within the fitter’s range, but are more of a supplement. Clients are often looking specifically for special applications and the one who has it in his or her range sells it. All the brands from YEPP are also suitable for commercial use and meet all project demands! The fact that these floors are also reasonably priced is also a plus point. As regards best-sellers, YEPP has several ‘stars in the sky’. The product which is lighting up the sky at the moment is CORETEC (multi-layer vinyl floors with a click system), but also ‘moods’, M Flor, and Livyn from Quick-Step are doing well.

Wicanders

Hydrocork has been Wicanders’ biggest success in the past few years. Uniting wood and stone visuals with the most advanced technical properties, it now has innovative characteristics much appreciated by

Floor Forum International 94

Photo – Viligno

Special

Stair renovation with laminate

FURNISHING STAIRS LAMINATE LENDS ITSELF IDEALLY TO RENOVATION Restoration Restoration is an option worth considering if you have a staircase with exceptional extra decorative value. That extra value may be due to a valuable type of wood or the authentic style of the staircase and the banister. Restoring an existing staircase or demolishing it and fitting a new one share some inconveniences e.g. dust, extra damage, noise, and odours. Those elements are often simply not feasible in a home which is occupied.

Renovation

Photo – Egger

Furnishing stairs with some or other floor covering is a commonly applied practice in both new construction and renovation. In a new construction this will usually be a brick/concrete staircase which has to be finished with a furnishing. That furnishing can be chosen from just about any common floor furnishing. Renovating concrete steps then actually means renewing the furnishing. With the renovation of wooden stairs, furnishing the staircase is an option which is usually chosen when restoration isn’t the best solution.

What should we do with an old staircase? This article concentrates mainly on renovating existing homes rather than building new ones. In the context of renovation, you can hardly ever tell if an existing staircase has ‘expired’. Obviously, you can do that in dilapidated houses, but not in average homes picked up for renovation. Staircases have been a sturdy part of the home since time immemorial. They are designed in solid materials and can usually match the lifespan of the building. Furthermore, demolishing a staircase and fitting a new one is seldom the best solution. Fitting a new staircase in an existing home means first ‘demolishing’ the existing staircase and all that this entails. In older houses, demolishing an existing staircase almost always means extra damage and unforeseen extra work. This almost always includes repairing the staircase walls, brickwork, and plastering. For wooden staircases we can restore or renovate.

For a staircase which looks ‘dilapidated’ or which no longer fits in with a renewed ‘open’ interior, the simplest, cheapest, and perhaps most attractive solution is to refurbish the staircase with new steps. There’s no demolition or sandpapering, if we use a pre-finished furnishing material, and also no bad smells from finish products. Furnishing an existing staircase can be done quickly without much noise and the staircase is ready for use again more or less at once. Laminate lends itself ideally for this.

Furnishing with laminate Laminate is an outstanding solution for rapid, clean, and silent staircase renovation. This primarily due to the material’s intrinsic qualities. Decoratively, we know that laminate allows an infinite range of decors. Apart from those decorative options, the suitability of laminate for staircase renovation is determined largely by its exceptional technical assets. These include its minimal thickness, its strength, and its antislip character, to name but a few.

Technical assets The limited thickness of laminate floors usually works out nicely for renovation where you are often limited as regards differences in height between connecting floors. That applies no less to setting foot on stairs where the height of the sections also helps to determine comfort and safety. For working with solid wood (or multi-layer) to furnish staircase steps it will always be necessary to watch out for thicker floorboards. The strength of laminate is a plus point! After all, the scratch and wear-resistance of the top layer is decisive for the lifespan of a floor, certainly if that floor cannot be renovated. Obviously, that feature is also important for stairs. Whilst a smooth floor normally implies a risk of slipping, most laminate floors are equipped with an anti-slip top layer. In that respect, this is obviously important for staircase steps.

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Stair renovation with laminate

Steps and accessories We already know that laminate producers offer all accessories in the same decors as the floor (either directly or in co-operation with profile makers). The same applies to stair design. All accessories as regards profiles, boards, subfloors, stair nosing, and such like are provided. Here, too, LED lights are an option. Nowadays, some producers offer full stair renovation kits with everything included.

Training

staircase. An old staircase is made new with a wide choice of decors. The system is available in the so called ‘Overall decors’ of the EGGER PRO Laminate, Comfort, and Design range. The steps are designed in solid laminate. Obviously, the system includes all the adapted accessories.

Van Dijk – Producer and supplier of professional stair renovation products

The fact that staircase renovation is definitely a current trend is clear from the fact that one well known supplier of accessories organises training sessions in this connection for floor fitters on different dates. During these sessions, trainers explain everything about the sale and correct fitting of stair renovation from specific trademarks for various materials. These sessions are highly popular.

Two specialists Egger

Egger presents the EGGER PRO staircase system, a stair renovation system which can be executed easily and is extremely affordable. The system is a modular system of steps and a stabilising profile which makes it possible to achieve safe and attractive stair furnishing. Everything can be adapted individually. The EGGER PRO staircase system is highly flexible for both renovating and remodelling an old

Stair renovation is a system with which new staircase steps are fitted above existing ones. Just about any staircase is suitable for stair renovation, irrespective of whether it is a straight, revolving, or open staircase. Wood, natural stone, concrete, and even some steel staircases can be renovated. One condition, obviously, is that the base (the bottom step) must not be rotten or badly designed. Stair renovation is a durable solution whereby you give the existing stairs a new outward appearance with a special look. The reset stairs from the Mex Form collection consist of an HDF core onto which a CPL top layer is glued. This is a highly durable laminate (AC4; consumer class 32). This choice of material and process mean that the product has a long lifespan, is scratch and wear resistant, and, above all, low maintenance, so it is ideal for stair renovation. With the Mex Form reset stairs, the drawbacks of wood are easily overcome. The stairs will be highly durable, so there are no traces of footmarks. Van Dijk gives a guarantee of twelve 12(!) years here. The reset stairs contain an aluminium alloy with an antislip effect to improve safety. The assembly with the special Mex Form PU glue ensures a sound insulation effect. The stairs and the risers are obviously the most important elements. Depending on the situation and the client’s wishes, it is then possible to choose various parts/accessories.

Hall E1 · Stand B01

20.–22.03 · Shanghai

Euro-Step® Star – multi-purpose laying solution for LVT-floors · patented and safety certified by TÜV 2-part stair nosing profile system · for LVT-floors from 4 – 9 mm · based on the award-winning Champion-technology 52

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www.kueberit.com

∂ Industry news CSP Engineering expands the range of logistic systems CSP Engineering has developed in the course of time an extensively range of logistic systems for the parquet production. On the field of automatic stacking and unstacking CSP disposes over the in-house developed PAR-Stack®. Now robot technology is added to this. Applying robotics in the production of wooden flooring offers a lot more possibilities in order to answer the needs of our customers and offers our clients furthermore a very universal solution. In the meanwhile the first reactions on this expansion are very positive, so the first projects with robotics are already sold.

Einar Gottskalksson new President Global Flooring Alliance Earlier this month, the members of the Global Flooring Alliance (GFA) voted Mr Einar Gottskalksson (company Egill Árnason, Iceland) as their new President. He Newly elected GFA President Einar Gottskalksson (left) shakes hands will succeed Mr with predecessor Carlo Cavinato Carlo Cavinato (company Cavinato S.p.A., Italy) who served as President for a number of years. Mr Matjaz Stefan (company Alpod d.o.o., Slovenia) stays on as Treasurer and Mr Jos Krijnen as Secretary. Mr Einar Gottskalksson was unanimously elected as President by the participants in the last meeting of the GFA in Hannover on January 14th, 2018. The election of Einar Gottskalksson as GFA President is very special. Fifteen years ago, Einar’s father Gottskalk Eggertsson also served as President. For the first time therefore, the second generation now joins the board of the association. During the meeting, which was held simultaneously with the Domotex fair, several topics were discussed. GFA was impressed by the high standards and the quality of the products that were shown by the exhibitors at Domotex 2018, as well as the upbeat mood at the fair. The quality in its view ranges from ‘good’ to ‘exceptional’. Marketing will therefore be a key success factor in the trade. GFA noted that, given the increasing number of exhibitors in this segment, LVT products continue to play an important role in the flooring trade. GFA membership is open to one parquet importer/distributor per country to avoid conflicting national interests. Global Flooring Alliance organizes two meetings per year. One at the Domotex trade fair in Hannover and one in the country of one of the members. The aims of the association are to promote hard surface flooring products in general and to exchange product, market and technical information in the broadest sense. The

members also give each other mutual assistance in strategic purchasing opportunities. The next GFA meeting will be in Finland, June 15th, 2018. More information can be acquired via the website www.globalflooringalliance.com

From “floorcloth” to LVT Elastic floorings – an excursion through three centuries Creative spirit of discovery, mere chance and economic necessity were the driving forces for the invention and development of elastic floorings. Over the centuries, diverse products have been created, each with new material recipes and textures. Since the 2010s, MMF floorings have been experiencing a real boom. Manufacturers are continuously updating the success story of modern LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) floorings on the markets with innovative product developments. The search for the origins of elastic flooring development opens up an interesting journey in time through three centuries. Floorcloth – the first elastic flooring In 1763, the Englishman Nathan Smith patented his “Floorcloth” invention. Resin, tar pitch, beeswax, linseed oil and “Spanish brown” pigment as a chalk-like filler formed the ingredients for this worldwide first elastic flooring. The raw compound was pressed onto a fabric substrate by passing it through an iron roller heated by fire and turned by hand. The monocoloured sheets could then be block printed manually for decoration. Smith founded the first floorcloth fabrication in the country in Knightsbridge, London, and laid the cornerstone for the market success of his product lasting for two and a half centuries: The floorcloth continued to be produced by various manufacturers in Europe and America up to the start of the Second World War.

Trafil PVC profiles are self-extinguishing, environmentally-friendly and recyclable. High resistance against water and humidity. The special consistency and flexibility of the material makes it suitable for all surfaces. Easy to cut and place. It is possible to use these profiles as: plinth, hygienic connection (scotia) between two walls or between floor and wall, waldable shelled skirting board, shelled subfloor (recommended to place it under the floor to round the angle between walls and flooring). Recommended applications: hospitals, food and chemical industry (butcheries, kitchens, laboratories, bathrooms, etc.).

Floor Forum International 94

Special

Top Dutch companies focused on export

THE DUTCH ECONOMY CONTINUES TO THRIVE EXPORT-ORIENTED COUNTRY, BUT SOME PARQUET HAS TO BE IMPORTED In a relatively short space of time, the Netherlands has developed from a predominantly agricultural country to an industrial and internationally oriented nation. In general, the Dutch economy is stable and that stability is preserved partly by regular intensive consultation between the government, the business world, and trade unions, the so called polder model. All those factors have ensured that the Netherlands is one of the biggest global economies. For 2018, too, the barometer reads ‘ favourable’.

Economic basis The Netherlands is a prosperous country with an open economy, which leans heavily on foreign trade, especially with Germany. The economy is characterised by stable relations, modest inflation, a conservative financial policy, and its important role as a European transport artery. In every respect, the Netherlands belongs to the world’s 20 biggest economies, after ‘super powers’ such as (the order is arbitrary) Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and such like. Germany (24.5%), Belgium (11.1%), the United Kingdom (9.3%), France (8.4%), and Italy (4.2%) are the Netherlands’ major export partners. Germany (14.7%), China (14.5%), Belgium (8.2%), the United States (8.1%), and the United Kingdom (5.1%) are its major import partners.

Agriculture and horticulture After the United States, the Netherlands, despite its small surface area, is in absolute scope the second biggest export country in the world in the field of agricultural and horticultural products (2015). Certainly just 4% of the Dutch working population works in the intensive and mechanised agriculture and horticulture, but the sector produces huge quantities of food for the food industry and export. Greenhouse farming is highly extensive and represents almost half of the total European capacity. Bulb cultivation with the renowned bulb fields (including tulips) is vitally important. In this field the Netherlands is the leading producer for the European and North American markets.

Economic accents The food and luxury goods industry, chemical industry, petroleum, and metal are the major industrial sectors in the Netherlands. Other important parts of the economy include international trade and the banking sector. Amsterdam is the business and financial centre of the Netherlands and in 2008 the city was still amongst the top ten business centres in the world. The Amsterdam stock exchange is the location of the Amsterdam Exchange Index (AEX) and is now part of Euronext. The euro has been the only official currency since 1 January 2002. The Dutch guilder was the currency before that.

Transport as ‘trump card’ The transport sector is vitally important to the Dutch economy. The Port of Rotterdam is the biggest in Europe and one of the biggest in

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the world. Other major port areas are Amsterdam, Eemshaven, and the Zeeland ports.

Waterways The hinterland of those ports is supported by an extensive network of rivers, canals, and other waterways. Inland and maritime shipping therefore play a major part in the Dutch economy. The rivers Rhine, Meuse, and Scheldt, which flow in from neighbouring countries and run into the North Sea, have made the Netherlands a junction for European inland shipping for centuries.

Airports Schiphol is the main airport and one of the world’s biggest international airports. Eindhoven Airport has been the biggest regional airport in the Netherlands since 2006, whilst Rotterdam The Hague Airport is the second regional airport in the country and also serves as a place for Royal and diplomatic receptions.

Road and rail infrastructure Partly as a result of its high population density, the Netherlands has tightly packed road and rail networks. However, the motorway and rail networks are increasingly struggling to cope with the volumes of traffic. There is an extensive road network of motorways and dual carriageways with a total length of about 116,500 kilometres. Just about all roads are toll-free, with the exception of some cross-river connections.

Bright figures! The Dutch economy has grown this year by 2.1%, and will grow next year by 1.8%. The Central Plan Bureau (CPB) has calculated those figures. For the period from 2018 to 2021, the CPB has also forecast favourable results with an average growth of 1.7%. With the most recent medium to long-term estimate in September 2016, the CPB assumed a surplus of 0.9% of gross domestic product (GDP), about seven billion euros, in 2021. Those figures have been used for the calculations of election programmes. However, the surplus has now been readjusted to 1.3%, a figure which comes out at 11 billion euros.

Debt below 60% Due to the economic growth, government debt in 2017 was 58.5% of GDP, a figure below the European norm of 60% for the first time since 2010. In 2018, debt is expected to fall further to 55.5%. Pillars of the expected economic growth in 2017 and 2018 are export and corporate investments, but household goods, home investments, and government expenditure will also contribute.

Budget surplus A budget surplus and a fall in unemployment are expected in both years. In 2017, the surplus was 0.5% of GDP and that figure is even expected to reach 0.8% in 2018. The rising surplus is being generated mainly by taxation and falling expenditure on unemployment benefits.

The falling returns from natural gas are having a braking effect. Unemployment was expected to fall to 4.9% in 2017 and will come out at 4.7% in 2018.

Inflation is rising Rising inflation has nevertheless curbed spending power. Inflation in the Netherlands rose by 1.6% in 2017 and is expected to rise by 1.4% in 2018. This means that spending power rose in 2017 by a mere 0.1% and is expected to rise by 0.3% in 2018, whilst during last year there was talk of a rise of 2.7%. Moreover, it is only the spending power of the working population which is rising; spending power for senior citizens dropped in 2017 and will drop again in 2018. The rest of the euro zone is also facing rising inflation as a result of the higher energy prices and the prices of raw materials.

Forestry in the Netherlands The Netherlands does not have a lot of forest area. In 2013, a mere 8% (about 300,000 hectares) of the country’s surface area was forest, whilst that figure would now be above 9%. The woods consist for about 60% of coniferous wood. The province with the biggest surface area of forest is Gelderland, followed by Northern Brabant and Overijssel. Woods are found mainly on the poorer soils. There is, however, also a tendency to plant woods on better soils. Apart from supplying wood, the forest is also important for recreation. Pollution, especially in the form of acid rain, is a serious threat to the forests. Originally, the Netherlands possessed a large forest surface area. Over the centuries, people have gradually replaced the original woody land with stable semi-natural landscapes such as heaths, bluegrass fields, and other

infertile soils, reed lands, and chalk hill grasslands, whereby the variety of vegetation has increased. Many land managers are now rejuvenating the forests naturally and are planting more and more native sorts. An example of this are the Royal Loo Forests at Apeldoorn, which are now managed naturally. Other examples of semi-natural woods in Southern Limburg are the Savels Forest and the Petit Gravier.

A small parquet country About 1.2 million cubic metres of wood are harvested from the woods and landscape each year. 50% of Dutch wood is used to produce paper, cardboard, and panel material, 40% for sawn wood, and the other 10% goes to other applications such as stake wood, clogs, firewood, and biomass.

What about parquet? With 2.33% of European parquet production and 2.79% of consumption, the Netherlands is still languishing around the bottom of the European parquet market. With 2.33% of the total production in the FEP zone, it is in the third from last place ahead of Czech Republic and Belgium. In 2011, Dutch producers made 1,647,612m² of parquet. In 2012, the Dutch share fell to 2.01%, but the country was still third from last. In real production terms this meant 1,372,149m², almost 280,000m² fewer than in the previous year. In terms of consumption, the Netherlands is towards the bottom of the FEP list with a share of 2.70% in 2011 and 1.80% in 2012. Consumption in 2011 was 2,469,825m², whilst that figure in 2012 fell to only 1,575,162m², a drop of no fewer than 900,000m². Only Hungary and Czech Republic consumed less.

BASF- THOMSIT

TIMBERLINE INTERNATIONAL

BASF (the Badische Anilin- & Sodafabrik) was formed on 6 April 1865 and started life as a producer of colours and inorganic substances necessary for producing colours. Since then, the company has developed into a multinational with five segments and a total of 13 divisions. The Functional Materials & Solutions segment includes the ‘Construction Chemicals’ division, of which PCI is part. The core business of PCI is the production of industrial chemical products, including the floor systems from Thomsit. BASF chemicals are used in just about all industries. BASF combines economic success with social responsibility and environmental conservation. Thomsit has been a specialist for over 70 years in high-quality floor systems, including primers, glues, and levelling agents. In addition, Thomsit also offers professional expertise with high-quality service. The main product is Thomsit XXL Power, a premium dust-free levelling agent with great compressive strength, fracture strength, and tensile strength, a very smooth surface and excellent flow properties. In 2016, the company had a turnover of 57.55 million euros. About 114,000 people work in the company. In 2018, Thomsit is launching a new cement-bound project levelling agent for levelling up to 10mm in one work session. The levelling agent is self-flowing and pumpable and has great end strength (C30/F7) and an ultra-smooth surface. +31 (0) 162 476 678 - www.thomsit.nl - www.thomsit.be

Timberline International BV is a subsidiary of Houtindustrie Schijndel BV, which has been a woodwork specialist since 1952. For 20 years, the company has also specialised in the production of wooden floors, which have usually been put on the market under the Origineel Chapel Parket and Avance Floors trademarks. The core business consists of producing and selling those wooden floors in 60 countries. In addition, they also produce private label floors for international clients. The company stands out for its combination of top quality and a professional organisation which endeavours to provide clients with exceptional service. The floors are timeless and trendsetting and suit any interior from classic to modern. They are highly suitable for commercial rooms such as hotels, shops, restaurants, etc. Generally speaking, grey floors are the best-sellers worldwide in widths of 185 and 245mm, but wide planks of 385mm are also selling well. Some new colours will emerge in 2018. Timberline exports all over the world from America to Australia and everywhere in between. +31 (0) 73 611 06 06 - www.timberline.eu / www.chapelparket.com / www.avancefloors.com

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Floor Forum International 94

Special

Top Dutch companies focused on export

FLAMINGO PARKET The company was formed in 1967 under the name Europa Parket for private sales, but is now one of the biggest parquet firms in the Netherlands. Later they formed a wholesale business, the present Flamingo Parket, and also opened their own factory. In 1992, they took over a German top layer factory, which has developed over the years into a fully fledged modern parquet factory. This means Flamingo Parket has two parquet factories of its own where they make everything from traditional parquet and twin planks to solid wood floorboards. Flamingo also has at its disposal a modern finish line which can carry out any possible operation. They do all their own buying and drying, so they can always guarantee high quality. The star product is the Twin Plank in the Raftwood design. The firm’s core business is producing all sorts of wooden floors, such as 6 and 8mm traditional parquet, 20mm solid wood floorboards, and twin planks. Flamingo Parket sells about 400,000m² of parquet each year. All together, the firm employs about 65 people in Barneveld (the Netherlands ) and Dömitz (Germany). In 2018, Flamingo Parket is launching a collection with Reaction Stains, and they also have plans for a number of investments with a view to improving both capacity and quality. +31 (0) 342 404 221 - www.flamingoparket.nl

LITE WOOD INTERNATIONAL VINTAGE C2C RCLM TEAK WALL PANELS

Brute

Ancient Slate

Ancient Grey

Ancient Patina

Lite Wood International B.V. was taken over in 2016 by its present owner and continued life thereafter as a supplier of Starwall 3D teak wooden wall panels. They are specialists in that business and what is unique is that they can supply almost thirty different models directly from stock. Their panels are fairly sturdy and glued to be waterproof. All panels are also made from recycled teak wood, so they have a warm look, and one of the product lines can even be supplied with an FSC Recycled Certificate. Lite Wood International B.V. is growing strongly and is growing with the current trend that wooden walls are completely in fashion. The company outsources its storage and distribution and the current owner takes care of the sales. New in the assortment in the course of 2018 are the Starvintage wall planks (see picture). For export they are still looking for dealers in areas such as Germany, Scandinavia, the UK, and Southern Europe. +31 (0) 162 769 013 - www.litewood.nl

MUTREX INTERNATIONAL The origins of the present company probably date back to before 1900. The company was lost during the bombardments in World War II. In 1940, one of the employees (J. van Tol), brought the company back to life. J. Muusz, cork cutter at Cats, went to work for J. van Tol in 1956 and this firm continued, although it was originally geared to producing and cutting bottle cork and floats. In 1965, his son (C.J. Muusz) joined the company. He soon accepted responsibility for the company’s daily management and changed the company’s name to Rotterdamse Kurkenfabriek B.V. Due to the company’s steady growth and the emergence of new products such as laminate, Solida Holding B.V. was formed in 1989, with two subsidiaries: Rotterdamse Kurkenfabriek (RKF) B.V. for all cork-related products and Tresmila B.V. for laminate floors and subfloors. Solida International B.V. came into the picture in 1995 to ensure the company succession. Finally, M.J. Muusz, son of C.J. Muusz, set up Mutrex International B.V. in 2003 and took over and continued the activities of Solida, whereby the focus was entirely on cork in the broadest sense of the word and they adopted the trade name The Cork Company. Four people work at Mutrex. The company supplies products in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Canada and is interested in Scandinavia and the USA. +31 (0) 10 298 82 82 - www.mutrexinternational.com

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OVERMAT INDUSTRIES For 36 years Overmat Industries is the specialist for treatment, finishing, maintenance and cleaning of floors. Our specialization is the Floorservice Hardwaxoil in a wide range of colours and effects, for manual, professional and industrial use on wooden floors, and the corresponding cleaning and maintenance products. Every year at least 5 million square meters of wood are being treated with Floorservice products. Supporting this assortment of products a perfect range of machines and accessories are available. Like the Woodboy® and Floorboy machines. Besides that Overmat is exclusive Benelux dealer of the well-known brands HTC, Airtec and National Flooring Equipment, who provide high quality machines for treatment of concrete and natural stone. For example you can find the best concrete scarifiers, concrete grinding machines, Twister diamond pads, strippers for the removal of parquet, tile floors, carpets and PVC, and other maintenance machines for different types of floors at Overmat. At Overmat you can take advantage of our many years of experience and first class know-how. Our employees have the knowledge and provide the best service for all kinds of projects and forthcoming problems. Our products are known for a perfect price/quality ratio, safety, environmental responsibility and lifespan. Overmat has got clear ambitions for the growth of the brand Floorservice. National as well as International. Therefore Floorservice is open minded about all countries and markets were Hardwaxoil is being used or benefits from a growing popularity. +31 (0) 416 317 784 - www.overmat.nl

BOERE MACHINEFABRIEK In 1942, J. Boere started a woodwork machinery company in Waddinxveen. Initially, this woodwork industry centre was devoted to the repair of machines used mainly for the production of furniture and toys. However, the market was also demanding new machines, a challenge which Boere took up in 1946. The company developed frame cramps, carcase clamps, and router machines. Later, they added small sandpapering machines such as centreless belt sanders, profile and edge sanders, and stair handrail and disc sanders. In 1952, J. Boere developed and built the machine which was later to determine the future path of the company, namely the wide belt sander. Boere wide belt sanders are renowned within the flooring industry for being machines which are reliable and geared to client needs and which sandpaper all sorts of differently produced floors perfectly well as required. The client’s product always takes centre stage. On the basis of this product philosophy and the demand from this market, Boere has now also introduced the Select X-Line cross sander and structure machines with success on the international markets. The renewed Select X-Line structure brushing machine can now be equipped with a special programme. Apart from creating certain structure brushing programmes for regularly recurring operations, it is also possible to supply a programme which can be used to make arbitrary scarf patterns. This is very simple to set on the touch screen, but it is also possible with a laptop to make the patterns in advance which can then be entered into the PLC of the machine so that those scarf patterns can be applied later to the panels to be processed. This means that the surface is geared to the client or end user’s own personal taste. In combination with structure brushing afterwards, the result is a powerful, rustic, and unique look for the product! Boere also operates in the metalwork industry, since the grinding or scouring solutions are also suitable for grinding and brushing steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, and such like. Developments in materials and product processing don’t stand still. Every day, new possibilities are examined and tested in the Boere test and training centre on the many (new) materials which clients want to process. And so, Boere thinks along with clients and provides high-quality solutions in line with client wishes. +31 (0) 182 614 400 - www.boere.nl

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∂ Product news CHIMIVER

CHIMIVER PANSERI S.p.A. Product's range of MAINTENANCE Find your ideal products for the treatement and maintenance of your floor.

It was in 1965 when Mr. Giovanni Panseri established Chimiver, a small laboratory producing coatings for wood and parquet floors. Today, Chimiver has become the undisputed market leader in Italy in the sector of products for gluing, treating and maintaining wooden floors. All this has been achieved thanks to the passion, tenacity and many sacrifices of Mr. Panseri and his wife Franca who's always being by his side supporting him. These days Chimiver is ran by his two sons Oscar and Nevio who with their distinctive but complementary skills have brought to the company new development strategies and ambitious goals. Customer focus, an immediate response to market needs and synergy among the staff are some of the ingredients that have motivated Chimiver to produce complete lines of products for different types of flooring: parquet, resilient, resin and outdoor. Innovative solutions and continuous investments have enabled Chimiver to be present today in more than 60 countries all around the world.

CSP ENGINEERING: NEW INDUSTRIAL COLOURS AVAILABLE On request of its customers, CSP Engineering developed 2 new colours of CosmetiWood® in 2017. These new colours are CRD 'Cream Doré' and OMD 'Oak Medium Dark'. As from now Cream Doré can be delivered directly from our stock. The colour OMD will be available from stock as from May 2018. With these recent developments brings CSP Engineering the total amount of available colours in industrial wood filler on 8. Send to info@csp-engineering.com and request for more information on CosmetiWood® !

OSMO: SPRAY WAX IN NEW COLOURS Spray Wax creates a durable, low-maintenance and wear-resistant surface on stairs, flooring etc. Along with various gloss levels, e.g. matt or glossy, Osmo now offers two new colours: Black and Natural. The colour Natural produces a wood surface that looks as if it were untreated; with opaque Black, dark, elegant surfaces are produced. The wood finish is suitable for use with cup spray gun, Airless/Airmix and HVLP. For untreated wood, two coats must be carried out with Spray Wax; for renovation works, normally one coat is sufficient.

SPAČVA: SPAČVA'S NEW COLLECTIONS OF SOLID WOOD FLOORING – NATURAL PERFECTION THROUGH SOLID WOOD FLOORING Unique Slavonian oak from Europe's largest integrated forest of white oak (Quercus robur Slavonica), contributes to the superb quality of Spačva’s flooring. Each floor is a definition of uniqueness, just as well as any tree from which it is derived is unique. In addition to the standard oils that can be found in floors throughout Europe, Spačva decided to invest in even more oils that are manifested through the appearance of modern, yet easily adaptable surface treatment. It resulted in creating our new collections of solid wood flooring: Casual, Tender Touch, Rich Character, Delight, Simply Pleasure. Combining quality and modern design, our collections are offering a choice for every taste. The range of colors, can turn ideas into reality, bringing a personal touch to undeniable charm and elegance in any room.

TRAFIL: BASIC SKIRTING-BOARD BASIC skirting-board is PVC expanded, self-extinguishing, lightweight and flexible. High resistance against water and humidity is one of the main features. The particular flexibility of the material makes it suitable also on curved and imperfect walls. It is particularly recommended for the do-it-yourself, easy to cut and place. BASIC skirting-board is paintable with standard wall paints. BASIC is available in standard colours, dignified colours that reproduce exactly the wood, marble and aluminium effects and embossed colours with raised pore that reproduce the natural grains of wood. BASIC is versatile and is suitable for all types of environments and fits all types of flooring. Thanks to the wide range of colour, BASIC can be placed in schools, public and domestic environments.

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INTERNATIONAL trade journal f or impor t , expor t , dis tr ibu tion and lay ing of par que t , laminate, cor k f loor ing and r elated pr oduc t s

N° 92, December 2017 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept , Nov, Dec) Of fice of deliver y 9099 Ghent X , P911092, BC 31359 - Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Special: Top Belgian companies focused on export EFWEX: Your key to new markets !

UNILIN sets new standards for

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INTERNATIONAL trade journal f or impor t , expor t , dis tr ibu tion and lay ing of par que t , laminate, cor k f loor ing and r elated pr oduc t s

Our magazine, that is distributed all over the world, targets professionals from the floor coverings sector and the wooden façade claddings. Floor Forum International, that from its start focussed on parquet floors both indoor and outdoor, every year aims at informing its readers about the newest trends and novelties. In it, among other things, you read all about trends and innovations for parquet floors, and this in all kind of wood species, vinyl, LVT, PVC, wooden façade claddings, glues, varnishes, subfloors, deckings,… For more than 11 years already, Floor Forum International is appreciated by all the major players in the sector, who help determine the contents of the magazine thanks to their novelties that are accompanied by the necessary explanation. In every edition, the magazine singles out one particular country. In doing this, the readers not only discover the sociopolitical history of that country, but at the same time are also informed about the economic potential for what wood is concerned.

N° 91, November 2017 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept , Nov, Dec) Of fice of deliver y 9099 Ghent X , P911092, BC 31359 - Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Special: Top Italian companies focused on export Preview: Domotex Hanover (DE)

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BO N A IN S PIR ATIO N

New looks for beloved floors

Want to know more? Have a sneak peek here. All styles made in close cooperation with internationally acclaimed trend specialist Cay Bond.

Nordic Shimmer

Garden Atmosphere

Malibu Dreams

Touch of Grace

New Modern

That’s good news for your renovation business 2018 will be the year when new flooring trends could take your renovation business to a new level. Look out for Bona Inspiration, including our creative seminar coming to you soon. Follow us on Facebook for the latest news!

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• Discover new opportunities to grow your business • Watch the latest floor styling trends • Try new looks, tools and techniques