FFI 101 March 2019 by Media-Pact NV / FFI bvba

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

N° 101, March 2019 - 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: Ghana

THE ULTIMATE GENERATION OF HIDDEN FASTENERS

Preview: Ligna (D)

Review: BUDMA International Construction and Architecture Fair (PL)

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Special: What's trendy in Cork Country

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Advertorial: Esta Parket (EE)

+32 (0) 474 49 49 99 info@novlek.com I www.novlek.com

www.novlek.com

removable fastener kit

RemoClip is the ultimate patented fixing system with clips featured with removable wings, to strongly install and secure decking and cladding

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it lasts over time

it handle different board widths

from -20Â° up to +100Â°

both flooring start and end boards

simple and fast removal of single boards

it improves fastening

no raising while fastening the screw

it improves substructure aeration

www.ravaiolilegnami.com

Content 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° 101, March 2019 - 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

THE ULTIMATE GENERATION OF HIDDEN FASTENERS

Special: Ghana Preview: Ligna (D)

‘Manufacturers must think ahead constantly and dare to ask difficult questions in order to refine products in line with market demand'.

Review: BUDMA International Construction and Architecture Fair (PL)

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Special: Fastening systems for decking floors

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Special: What's trendy in Cork Country

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Advertorial: Esta Parket (EE)

+32 (0) 474 49 49 99 info@novlek.com I www.novlek.com

www.novlek.com

Floor Forum International n° 101 March 2019 Photo Növlek

4 Inside news 8 Advertorial Original Chapel Parket (NL) 9 Preview Ligna (D) 11 Review BUDMA International Construction and

Architecture Fair (PL) 13 Special Where can I find convector and

radiator grids in wood ? 15 Advertorial Giorio (I) 16 Special What’s trendy in Cork Country 18 Special Fastening systems for decking floors 24 Advertorial Küberit (D) 26 Special Flame-retardant lacquers and oils:

properties & legislation 30 Special Stair renovations 32 Special Producers of Cross-cut floors:

types and fitting methods 34 Advertorial Sherwin-Williams 35 Special Floors in combination with floor heating

and cooling 38 Advertorial Esta Parket (EE) 39 Special Packaging machines for the parquet industry 41 Special Mechanically sanding V grooves from wooden floors 42 Special Sports floor lines: who has these special paints?

At Archiwood, although they don’t really have figures to prove it, they are convinced that wood for outdoor use still has the upper hand over the alternatives. A spokesperson comments: ‘The euphoria of a few years ago with regard to those alternatives has now died down.’ Apparently, quite a few players who were offering such products had to drop out due to the mediocre quality. Manufacturers of quality products continued to achieve good results. It seems that consumers Mark Luypaert have come back in large numbers to (Növlek) wood and the ‘certainty’ which wood offers, and that has also been prompted by ‘disappointments’ in certain alternatives. Anyway, the terrace market is generally performing at a higher level in terms of quality. An ‘ode to technology’ is befitting here. This is particularly the case for digital technology, which, within architecture amongst other things, has led to a faster share and spread of ideas, innovations, concepts, and even culture. A spokesperson from Archiwood says: ‘What we’re seeing in architecture is also happening in other fields where technology has helped everything to progress. The development of natural materials and the extent to which we can process them has also moved on.’ At the same time, there is still a very clear need for craft and expertise. This period is also characterised by a combination of both elements, namely technology and expertise combined for the benefit of sustainable ‘beauty’. The entrance of that technology, such as fastening system technology, is certainly not happening everywhere at the same speed. In Belgium, there are a lot of supporters and demand is growing. In France they still swear by the classic fitting method. A spokesperson from Archiwood comments: ‘Invisible fastening systems have disappointed a lot of professional fitters, who were won over to those systems and spent a lot of money on systems of mediocre quality. Although there are now some very good systems, such as our Hardwood Clip, it is nonetheless difficult to win back those fitters.’ And so, the question arises as to how professionals can recognise a good system. There are lots of differences between the products which are present on the market, even if they do sometimes resemble each other because copies look very much like the appearance of the original. The only guarantee is the use of a system which is recognised and approved by an authorised and independent third party agency. They comment at Archiwood, ‘Our Hardwood Clip system, for example, is supported by three different reports from the FCBA from Bordeaux for tropical wood, hardwood (oak and chestnut wood) and Accoya.’ Agencies such as the FCBA and CSTB base their assessments in this context on the famous standard NF DTU 51.4, of which a new text came into force in December 2018. The main task for manufacturers? At Archiwood their conclusion is as follows: ‘Constantly thinking ahead and daring to ask difficult questions in order to refine products in line with market demand.’

44 Special Stockage of wood in extreme heat 45 Special Producers of skirting boards

with integrated LED lights 47 Industry news 48 Special Ghana 50 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 HARO References – Villscheider Farm

Villscheider Farm – an exquisite wine tasting room for exquisite tipples Rosenheim – No fewer than 1,980 bottles adorn the ceiling and an impressively long table dominates the room. Located in Bressanone, Italy, Villscheider Farm’s new stylish wine tasting room is the perfect place to enjoy the winegrower’s top-class tipples directly on site. Hamberger Flooring supplied the flooring for this stunning space. Set on a hill in Bressanone, 700 metres above sea level, lies Villscheider Farm, which has made a name for itself as a wine tavern and become famous for its exceptional wines. Over time, the agricultural farm has developed into a fruit-growing farm with a specific focus on apples orchards and vineyards. Since 2007, they have been pressing all their own grapes themselves and selling the wine on site at the farm. Boasting breathtaking views of Bressanone, the farm is ideally located for a holiday in the South

Ciranova SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH FIRST EDITION DOMOTEX USA

Tyrolean mountains since it is situated directly on the Isarco Valley Chestnut Trail, which connects Bolzano and Bressanone along 60 km of sunny slopes. This is a hiking enthusiast’s and nature lover’s dream come true in autumn. It is planned as a tour spanning several days enabling hikers to enjoy the perfect combination of trekking and feasting around Törggelezeit (the time when winegrowers celebrate the pressing of their grapes by inviting guests to taste their wines). Villscheider Farm also has a holiday apartment where guests can spend a wonderful time enjoying home-made South Tyrolean specialities, delicious juices from the farm’s very own fruit trees and fabulous wines. To ensure guests can take the holiday feeling home with them, the Hilpold family offer wine tastings, complete with a wine cellar tour and a traditional South Tyrolean platter of delicious savoury treats. The recently built stunning wine tasting room, which features HARO parquet flooring, is a real sight to behold. 1,980 bottles in the ceiling – HARO parquet on the floor The real jaw-dropper is the ceiling, created from no less than 1,980 wine bottles. As the entire room is a modern take on a cosy, rustic wine tavern, the flooring is of course also made from wood. The architects opted for HARO’s Plank 1-Strip American Walnut Markant in order to frame the table nicely. The wood’s expressive grain and knots give the room a timeless, natural look and a certain cosiness. The naturaLin plus surface creates a strong, natural impression but is fortunately easy to clean and maintain. The project’s coherent concept even landed the team of architects a nomination for the 2019 South Tyrolean Architecture Award. Villscheider Farm’s wine tasting room is proof that traditional and modern architecture can live in perfect harmony.

Solidfloor

A nice wooden floor finds its origin at the drawing board. And in our case, even a step before that. It starts with what we see around us, in the city, in fashion and in design. But our biggest source of inspiration is color and nature. The refreshing light, the mysterious dark, the earthy grays, the deep black or the bright white. It is amazing what it can do in combination with various interior styles. We identify, analyze and make connections. By looking Looking back at the very successful Ciranova reviews following and listening carefully, we Domotex USA and the launch of our new product PINK BLOCKER 2C determine each year how that was showcased on different wood samples, Ciranova once again the Solidfloor collection is built. The Dutch trade spirit is internatioproves their leadership in developing unique stains and natural finishes nally praised. It stands for decisiveness, daring, vigor, entrepreneurial that clients have come to know and trust. spirit and the commercial courage to engage in 'adventures'. It is

Floor Forum International 101

UniqUe by natUre

Every floor is custom made For commercial & residential use Sustainable produced in The Netherlands Easy maintenance

www.chapelparket.com

∂ Inside news something that is thought about in opportunities and possibilities. Unconventional, traditional or experimental, innovation comes first. This way of doing business is the Dutch brand deep in the genes, something that makes Solidfloor a very valuable retail partner that engages with the retailer. Solidfloor's creative team sees and understands what the consumer needs and knows how to translate this into a stylish and innovative design that fits into the interior of today and of course suitable for floorheating.

Iconic Wood Lido Hotel, built in 1930, is a page in the history of Bucharest. The building was designed by Ernest Doneaud, a famous architect from the period between the wars. The architecture of the building is embedded in the modernist current with Art Deco elements, and that gives it unique beauty and unrivalled historical value. The ground floor of Lido houses one of the restaurants, a place where you can try the top class traditional dishes. Since the hotel has live music and lots of dancing guests, the architect chose a solid wood floor in Chevron pattern made of oak. This put Iconic Wood in the limelight, since the company is well known on the market as a top producer of pattern solid wood floors. And so, this job was a new challenge for Iconic Wood, especially with the knowledge that the hotel will attract lots of visitors due to its history and the floors will be exposed to high traffic. And so, it’s also an attractive

reference for the company. For this project, the architect chose Rubio Monocoat Oil Pure 26 from Oil + 2C range, a high quality oil for high traffic areas, 0% VOC, and highly durable. Impressed by how Rubio Monocoat Oil + 2C bonds with the wood, the architect asked Iconic Wood to supply an extra quantity in order to cover and protect other wood areas like furniture or decor items.

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The innovative system for the shower.

PROSHOWER SYSTEM PROSHOWER SYSTEM is an innovative solution, which combines flexibility, functionality and design to answer to all requirements of the floor-level shower. Heart of the system is the PROSHOWER drain, that in only 85 mm at floor-level has multiple advantages. Flow: it is one of the few drains on the market with a 360° rotating siphon with patented watertightness junction which guarantees a 30 lt/min flow. Hygiene: the system has an inside slope for the outflow of the water towards the drain to avoid unpleasant smells; the siphon is easy to open and clean. Durability: it is the only drain treated with electro-polishing and passivation that guarantee an exceptional resistance in all environments (over 2000 hours test in saline mist). Modularity: it is the only modular drain; the drains can be assembled in sequence till the desired length.

P ROFILES & SY STEMS

Floor Forum International 101

∂ Inside news SPAČVA Decorating home, business space, restaurant or cafee you can affect on peoples emotions in the enviroment. Do you want them to feel luxury, relaxed, intrigued by interior design? What is the purpose of the space? Answering similar questions you will get idea of your future space. After minimalistic, light, modern designs, we are againg going back to the nature. Wooden elements have very strong character. They will connect you with uniqueness of nature but in the same time create luxury and relaxying environment. All that you can achieve with only one product, oak solid flooring. In Spacva we dedicate our production to creating beutiful surface finishes. Uniqueness of solid wood flooring is even more emphasized by brushed and oiled surface finishes. Beauty of rustic oak solid flooring will create perfect connection between nature, history and present. In the past it was reserved only for the richest. Today you can have a touch of historical important design

in your home, only today we have bigger choice of colors. This multiple choice allows you to be more creative. Don't hesitate to have oak solid flooring that everyone talks about. Spacva oak solid flooring is present in more than thirty countires. We are always searching for new projects. Visit our web site www.spacva. eu and contact us for new projects. We will help you to create unique home with our products.

NEW DEVO DISTRIBUTOR IN ROMANIA The Romanian company Iconic Wood, located in the heart of Bucharest, becomes official Devo partner and distributor for the complete Devo product range: parquet sanding machines, abrasives, primers and glues and parquet lacquers. In the coming months, people of Iconic Wood will be trained at the Devo headquarters in Antwerp (B), to be able to deliver the best level of service and technical knowhow. This new international partnership is part of the expansion strategy of Devomat Industries.

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Floor Forum International 101

Advertorial

Original Chapel Parket (NL)

ORIGINAL CHAPEL PARKET IN GERMANY Original Chapel Parket has been known for years as the founder of distressed and ready-to-use parquet floors and is still distinctive in the market due to the extensive range with endless possibilities and the unique finishing process. Original Chapel Parket is sold worldwide by Timberline International BV through a selective dealer network with focus on the middle and high-end residential, commercial and prescriptive market. Until 31/12/2018 Original Chapel Parket was distributed in Germany by a respected wholesaler. In good consultation it was decided that Timberline will arrange the German sales and distribution directly from 01/01/2019. To serve the German market on the best possible way, Mr. Bernd Riekeles has been appointed as Sales Manager Germany. Bernd Riekeles has been working in the wooden floor market for many years and is well-known in the market segment that Original Chapel Parket focuses on. Timberline International is convinced that this will significantly increase the market share of Original Chapel Parket in Germany. All the more reason to be present in January 2019 as an exhibitor with an Original Chapel Parket booth at the 2 major trade fairs in Germany, Domotex in Hannover and BAU in Munich. The visitors were introduced to the exclusive Original Chapel Parket floors in which the natural beauty of the wood is preserved as much as possible.

This new, direct approach to the German market fits well with the strategy of the Original Chapel Parket brand and vision of Timberline International BV.

Natural identity We use only the best European oak to create Original Chapel Parket flooring. We respect the natural variation in the wood; every tree is unique, and so are our products. Working and living on an Original Chapel Parket floor will add your own signature, making it even more beautiful. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we describe Original Chapel Parket as unique by nature.

Unique by Nature Stylish, with charm and a rare warm character. Each Original Chapel Parket floor is made to order, finished by hand, highly stain resistant, durable and easy to maintain. Produced from raw timber to finished product, for every interior, for domestic and commercial use.

Sustainability Made with respect for the environment Original Chapel Parket is all about making the most of wood: We use only wood from forests managed according to sustainable principles and with FSC and PEFC certification. In addition, our Bio energy plant ensures the manufacturing process leaves nothing to waste as all wood residues are processed into 100% green electricity.

Visit our websites for more information: www.chapelparket.com and www.timberline.eu

Floor Forum International 101

Preview Ligna (D)

LIGNA 2019 IS COMING

From 27 to 31 May, over 1,500 companies will be making their way to Hanover to develop a picture of the future of woodworking. Whether it covers digitalisation, computerisation, IT platforms, or combined systems, Ligna is always at the forefront of innovation displays on show on a large scale for the first time. The total surface area used by the show is no less than 130,000m² of stands where the latest machines and tools are on display. Exhibitors are coming from 50 different countries to the Hanover Exhibition Centre and will be presenting state-of-the-art solutions and applications for the entire forestry and wood industry. The biggest suppliers of innovative technology have all registered, so for a brief period Hanover will be the centre of the world for the wood industry. Dr Andreas Gruchow from the executive board of Deutsche Messe comments: ‘This show is absolutely unrivalled in terms of international character.’ Visitors can count on the ‘very latest’ in just about all the presented categories, such as forestry, furniture, and windows, but also tools, appliances, and surface technology. Moreover, there will also be demonstrations of fully fledged furniture production lines in action. The latest research and development projects will be covered and there is scope for visitors to take advantage of various opportunities for networking. Dr Gruchow comments: ‘Probably one of the biggest challenges is the growing demand for individual products, which puts designers and manufacturers under pressure to deliver customised work just as quickly and cheaply as standard products.’ There are three subjects: Integrated Woodworking-Customised Solutions, Smart Surface Technology, and ‘Access to resources and technology’.

Two of the exhibitors CSP Engineering CSP Engineering could not stay abscent on this edition of Ligna as world’s leading trade fair in the business. The machine constructor has decided on a stand in hall 17, addressed to ‘surface technology’. With the development of PAR-Filler® the Belgian constructor became the absolute specialist in filling machines. With its presence CSP wants to highlight once more their status as specialist on the field of the automatic filling technology and the new types of PAR-Filler® filling machines. Of course CSP Engineering still is your cooperative partner

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for other solutions to optimize your production. Our slogan remains Let’s create your solution together’. Do not miss out the opportunity to discover the possiblities and innovations and visit our stand A60 in Hall 17.

Wintersteiger Wintersteiger presents fireworks of innovation at LIGNA

Wintersteiger is introducing no less than 4 new products at LIGNA. As a comprehensive supplier of machines, tools and application expertise, Wintersteiger will be demonstrating its entire range of service on its main booth F60 in hall 27. In the area of timber repair and cosmetics (TRC), the team will be presenting a new type of fully automated filling machine as well as a new machine for surface finishing of rustic flooring. The 3rd world novelty will be a solution for the fully automated stacking of top layers. In the area of saw blades, Wintersteiger will be showcasing the new “DSB Prime” thin-cutting band saw blades for a significant increase in performance. As one of the largest saw blade manufacturer in Europe, Wintersteiger will be showcasing the entire range of band saw blades for all fields of application in Hall 25, stand E69.

Floor Forum International 101

www.spacva.eu

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Review

BUDMA International Construction and Architecture Fair (PL)

BUDMA. TRENDS, MEETINGS, BUSINESS! as part of the conference "BUILD SAFELY. Limiting hazards when working at heights." Partners of the BUILD WITH STEEL Program invited to the seminar, during which the topic of "Innovation in steel construction" was taken up by representatives of leading companies in this industry.

WinDoor-tech - technologies of the future

Nearly 50.000 professionals and 1.000 exhibitors, 43 products awarded with the prestigious MTP Gold Medal, over 150 market premieres, interactive events, and above all the power of business talks at the stands. This is how the BUDMA International and Architecture Fair, which took place on February 12-15, 2019 in Poznań (Poland) can be briefly characterized.

BUDMA architecturally During Design & Architecture Forum D&A architects and designers had the unique opportunity to listen to the lectures of such world-famous artists as Giuseppe Blengini, Emilio Nanni and Marcantonio Malerba. Moreover, nearly 100 architectural studios created an interesting review of the latest concepts for future investors under the name 1m / ARCH. The forum was also accompanied by an architectural debate entitled "Ecology, sustainable development, innovation. Architectural challenges in the 21st century”, in which the renowned Polish architects tried to answer the questions.

“Technologies of the future” was the main motto of this year's WinDoor-tech Fair. The organization of the event together with the BUDMA Fair gave the effect of synergy. In one place and time have presented their offer companies dealing with the production of construction joinery and suppliers of the latest technologies, solutions and systems, being the world leaders in this segment. For another year in a row, Poland is the most important window manufacturer in Europe. The WinDoor-tech Fair reflected the good situation in the industry, hosting a record number of exhibitors from around the world. The next edition of BUDMA Fair, the largest event for construction industry in Central and Eastern Europe, will take place already in 2020. www.budma.pl

Three of the exhibitors Eurotec We present 20 years of experience at Budma

Fair for professionals Professionals who came to Poznań for the BUDMA Fair were charmed by the exhibitors with hundreds of new products and market premieres, and the organizers and partners invited roofers, parquet fitters and assemblers of construction joinery to attend special events. One of them was Parquet Championship with an international cast – a unique opportunity to present the parquet art at the highest European level by masters of parquetry from Poland and abroad. The event was accompanied by presentations of the latest products and technologies used in the parquet industry, professional trainings, lectures and discussion panels. In special exhibition and workshop zones, every professional had the opportunity to try and test the advantages of innovative construction equipment, tools and materials in "working" conditions, as well as to obtain additional, valuable information directly from producers.

Conferences, presentations, consultations In a special Health & Safety on the construction site zone, experienced experts and exhibitors offering equipment and services in this area have addressed the most important issues for maintaining safety in the implementation of construction projects. This topic was also taken

Eurotec celebrates its anniversary: The company has been developing and producing fastening technology for the construction sector for 20 years. The medium-sized company supplies products for timber construction, deck construction and concrete fixing throughout Europe to specialized dealers, who take over the distribution to the specialists. From 12 to 15 February 2019 we attended one of the largest construction fairs in Eastern Europe, the BUDMA in Poznan, Poland. On our stand 80 in hall 6C our dedicated salesmen Lukasz Borkowski, Robert Hilaruk and Michal Wolnik exhibited among other things products from the timber construction and presented our new product series from the segment of timber connectors. Certified with an ETA approval, these products were specially developed for modern timber construction and serve to absorb and transmit tensile and shear forces. They are used in timber frame and solid timber construction. www.eurotec.team / info@eurotec.team

Floor Forum International 101

Rubio Monocoat

"Budma is the largest construction industry trade fair in Poland. Being present among 1000 exhibitors has enable to compare thousands of offers at the same time. It also gives a chance to meet face to face and make valuable connections. Huge interest of media and new trends presentations make this event more and more prestigious. As well as in previous years, also this time Rubio Monocoat has decided to participate in this show. Huge interest of visitors and many substantial connections would help us to become even stronger on the Polish Market. Rubio Monocoat Polska is a distributor of high-quality and environmentally friendly hardwax oils for wood protection. Our products are based on 100 % natural ingredients, 0 % VOC. The advanced technology of molecular binding makes our oils not only high-quality but also extremely economical and user-friendly. Protection in just one single layer, no overlaps, easy maintenance and wide range of colours make us very unique."

Polish Parquet Layers Association (SPP)

A FAMILY COMPANY FOUNDED IN 1883 120,000 M³ OF SAWN TIMBER IN STOCK NEW SPECIE ADDED TO OUR RANGE: CERTIFIED EUROPEAN OAK IMPORT AND EXPORT OF SCANDINAVIAN & RUSSIAN SOFTWOODS, AMERICAN SOFTWOODS & HARDWOODS, TROPICAL HARDWOODS COMPANY SPECIALTIES ROUGH SAWN – DECKING – FLOORING – CLADDING – UNDERCONSTRUCTION

BERGSTRAAT 25 | B-8511 AALBEKE | BELGIUM T. +32 (0)56 43 33 33 | F. +32 (0)56 43 33 34 GENEVIEVE@VANDECASTEELE.BE | DAVE@VANDECASTEELE.BE WWW.VANDECASTEELE.BE

During the BUDMA, Polish Parquet Layers Association (SPP) organized Workshops and International Parquet Layers Championships. In the area of nearly 1000 m2, parquet fitters from 4 countries competed in the Championships. Jury took into consideration design and difficulty, organization of work, precision of cuts, measurements and pattern routing, durability of the imposed pattern, diligence, time of completion and of course the final effect. After a long debate jury announced that Dzmitri Pisarau from Belarus won the competition, second place went to Krzysztof Ratka from Poland, and third place to Maksim Ananich from Belarus. Like every year, it wouldn’t be possible to hold this event without our great partners: Festool and Jawor-Parkiet (general sponsors), Mafell and Murexin (main sponsors), and others. During the fair, SPP also presented further progress and development of its projects: creation of parquet fitter profession and SPP – Parquet Service. For more information contact us!

Special

Where can I find convector and radiator grids in wood ?

DO CONVECTOR GRIDS STILL HAVE A FUTURE?NEW TECHNOLOGY SUGGESTS NOT, BUT WHO KNOWS?

Photo – BJ Parket

A final year interior architecture student could easily devote a final thesis to heating radiators. In terms of style alone, there has been an aesthetic revolution between the end of the 19th century and the present time. Radiators follow interior trends, and that has certainly been the case since the end of World War II when the first radiators appeared not only in ornate mansions, but also in ordinary homes. And so, it’s a story well worth telling. Convector wells are a completely different matter. In terms of style there’s not really much to say. Only the cover grid is actually visible in the interior. At present, there are still plenty of manufacturers striving for an answer to the renovation of such grids.

There is still a market Today, there is still a good chance of floor fitters being asked to fit a new wooden floor covering in a room with a space for a convector well. Two trends play a seemingly contradictory part here: one trend is the promotion of energy-friendly systems, a trend whose supporters would

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prefer to see convector wells disappear, whilst the other trend is that tumultuous growth on the renovation market whereby convector wells continue to exist at least for now.

The emergence of floor heating Central heating with radiators or convectors yields uneven heating. Central heating with radiators will heat the air mainly by means of convection air streams (and to a lesser degree through radiation heat). This means that warm air in a closed room with radiators will rise, whilst the lower layers of air will feel cooler. However, floor heating can solve this problem. The fact that floor heating operates at a low source temperature and thereby can also function on some alternative heat sources has fostered the switchover. You might then think that convector wells are doomed to disappear.

The growing renovation market The return to the city, the disappearance of ‘open space’, and the need for budgeting are causing more and more people to opt for renovation rather than new construction. It is logical that project managers

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Where can I find convector and radiator grids in wood ?

often come across existing convector wells in renovation projects. After all, they did enjoy great success for some time. Nowadays, the main rival to these wells is appearing in the form of floor heating because there, too, the source of heat is invisible and it doesn’t take up any space as such. With a new construction where you start from scratch, the energy-saving benefit of floor heating often proves decisive in the choice. However, with renovation it’s a different matter. If you consider opting for floor heating as part of a renovation project, that means breaking up the existing floor completely. It is precisely with a renovation project that people often choose to fit a new floor covering such as parquet on top of the existing floor. That preserves the existence of convector wells.

Types of grids The types We can identify four types as a rule. Standard grids consist of slats along the length or diagonally. The slats are connected and separated by ‘spacers’, which also determine the space between the slats. With the standard convector grid you have a choice of synthetic, wooden, or metal spacers between the slats. Metal spacers can usually be supplied in aluminium and gold colour. Wood spacers can be supplied in the most common sorts and treatments of wood. Synthetic spacers can be supplied in various colours, with dark brown, grey, black, and light brown being very common. Block grids are not put together with spacers, but consist of open wood strips mounted in a frame over the width. Length grids are made according to the same principle, but the (obviously much longer) grid slats run along the length of the frame. Luxury grids are designed completely differently. The individual strips running along the width are elegantly milled and are put alongside each other to construct a frame. The frame effect is obtained by the fact that the outer sides of the diagonal strips are wider than the inner grid section. Finally, a roller grid is manufactured with a spring instead of an iron threaded rod. That means it is possible to fold the grid double to gain access to the convector well.

Two 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.

Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs

Materials Standard well grids can consist of upright strips (profiles) in synthetics also connected by synthetic spacers. Aluminium is also a possibility. The metal look, which is still in fashion in the interior, is also doing well here e.g. anodised, bronze, aluminium, or stainless steel. Then you have wood! In many cases, and certainly with renovation, the old well grid is replaced by a grid produced in the same sort of wood as the parquet floor. It is then often the old synthetic or metal strips which end up in the dustbin. Almost all frequently recurring types of wood are suitable for making well grids. With just about all sellers we find oak in first place, often followed by beech, steamed beech, ash, jatoba, ruby, afzelia, kambala, merbau, walnut, cherry, and wenge. As regards the finish, suppliers offer this in a rough and untreated version so that floor fitters can finish them in the same colour and finish as the floor. Most producers also offer well grids treated with lacquer or oil, in colour or colourless. Finishes such as smoked or some form of distressed finish are also possible here.

Radiator cupboards Obviously, radiator cupboards are not convector well grids, but some suppliers offer them in the same types and materials as well grids. The decorative objective is obviously the same, namely to remove a heating appliance (e.g. a radiator or convector) from sight in an elegant and attractive manner. By furnishing radiators with a grid work in wood, for instance, you take away their often domineering role in the interior.

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Convector grids are available in various models and sizes, but Kerkhofs can also supply customised work. In both new buildings and renovation projects people regularly opt for heating via a convector, so that obviously requires a modern and attractive convector grid. If clients opt for an attractive parquet floor, they choose a convector grid in the same type of wood. This is usually oak, sometimes coloured. Production at Kerkhofs is geared to removable grids, and not grids which can be rolled up. Clients can choose from various coloured spacers. Correct measurements are absolutely vital for the thickness, width, and length. This needs the required precision from fitters. After that, Kerkhofs ensures in the production that grids are made to measure. Obviously, that makes the fitting easier. Kerkhofs often supplies these grids together with an ordered floor both in Belgium and abroad.

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Giorio (I)

GIORIO STANDS FOR ‘SEVERAL BRANDS UNDER ONE BANNER’ THE MAGIC WORLD OF THE INTERIOR IN A NEW DIMENSION Love of wood Allessandro Giorio’s passion is for wooden floors for domestic use, the sector in which his father operated and in which he has grown up from childhood. Two-layer parquet is the speciality, but also solid wood 22 and 15mm thick. Old fitting patterns and distressed designs including ‘smoked’ are specialities. In Italy, the company has its own lacquering and oiling line, where diverse finishes are possible, both UV dried and dried in the open air. What about the future? Solid wood will perhaps diminish somewhat, but Allessandro Giorio adds: ‘But it will never disappear! It’s still a tradition.’

Some specialities According to Giorio, the return of Versailles panels is due to a more general trend. Indeed, modern architecture is increasingly mixing elements from various spheres. Designers love combining classic styles with modern elements and vice versa to create an original habitat. Some of those trends are quite visible in the Alma collections.

Versailles panels

From parquet to interior design The Italian company Giorio conducts business in wooden floors, sports floors, interior design, architecture, and luxury furniture. The story began with the founder, Pierino Giorio, who had been an enthusiastic parquet producer and fitter since 1969. In the decades which followed, Giorio underwent a radical progression, which included diversification in activities and production. That led to the foundation of several subsidiary companies and brands.

Step-by-step vision The group has been in existence for over 50 years, but houses a number of companies and/or brands which are often younger. They include Alma, for instance, a brand of wooden flooring which came into being about eight years ago. Giorio Casa, a contractor specialising in interior design which trades mainly on the Chinese penchant for Italian design, was founded later. Two years ago, the group took over Terra da Bosco, a producer of wooden floors which was based in Hungary. Giorio also has Villusso, a brand of luxury furniture, and Adisport, a specialist in sports floors. What’s the philosophy behind the ‘several brands under one banner’ approach? Allessandro Giorio says: ‘When you set up a new initiative, you enjoy lots of scale advantages in elements such as space and personnel costs if you work within a group. Later, the initiative can develop further as a brand or company on its own.’

Design floors such as Versailles panels and also panels with other classic designs are back in fashion. All sorts of wood are suitable, although Giorio usually suggests oak or walnut. Designs can be made in accordance with the customer’s wishes. As regards dimensions, too, there isn’t really a standard, and most work is customised.

Distressed Distressed designs are in demand mainly for engineered floors. The floors are distressed with hammers which apply damage such as holes and scratches to give the impression that the floors really are old floors. Here, too, oak is often the chosen wood. The floors can be fitted in any interior style whatsoever. Thanks to the damage, they are ideal for big families with children and pets.

Herringbone and Hungarian point Alma by Giorio believes that Hungarian point and Herringbone are ideal examples of a successful combination of modern and traditional design. You get timeless elegance and a parquet floor to demand the lead role. The collection is available in various finishes and sizes and can be combined with any type of furniture. Experience is needed for the fitting. The size of the room is important, as is a perfect outline. Experience in glueing is also crucial. They offer both patterns in European oak, European walnut, and American walnut and in both solid wood and multilayer. The latter is two-layers of 15mm with a top layer of 4mm. Multilayer is sold most due to the simple fitting. More information on www.giorio.it

Floor Forum International 101

Special

What’s trendy in Cork Country

CORK MANUFACTURERS CAPITALISE ON ECOLOGICAL ASSETS A NATURAL PRODUCT WITH ENDLESS DECORATIVE POSSIBILITIES

Photo – Corkart

It cannot do any harm for parquet floor fitters to sell some ‘ backdrop’ from time to time. Consumers are the ones asking for it, so floor fitters look for solutions. Any ‘ecological’ arguments meet with increasingly greater appreciation. If it’s ecological, it must be good! Cork doesn’t require any tree chopping. The cork oak tree, the source of the cork, simply lives on. From its 25th year, it can be ‘ harvested’. The trunk of the cork oak tree is peeled every 8 to 10 years. What’s amazing is that this cork in pure form is eye-catching and fascinating, whilst that’s just the start of the decorative story.

Ecological in several respects Cork is a natural product with a ‘base’ which isn’t harvested, whilst the fruit is. You could compare it to picking any fruit from a fruit tree or a berry plant. Yet cork has another ecological feature as well.

Picked from the tree The cork oak tree is a tree from the beech family (Fagaceae), which is found in the wild in Southern Europe and North Africa. This evergreen oak is planted as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens. It

Floor Forum International 101

is grown mainly in Spain and Portugal and that cultivation is designed explicitly for the cork harvest. The tree can grow to a height of 20m. It has a dome-shaped and extremely heavy top with a tangle of arched branches. The bark of the cork oak is thick and rough and has a striking ribbed structure. The cork is light brown or greyish. If the tree has been ‘stripped’ of its cork, the trunk tends to be rather pink or red. The leaves are oval and pointed. They have five or six shallow and spiky lobes on both sides. A cork oak trunk is peeled every 8 to 10 years.

An insulation miracle Cork is a purely natural product and has a number of intrinsic qualities which make it unique as a raw material for use in construction. Cork owes these properties to its elemental structure. Indeed, cork consists largely of 14-sided cells which are filled with air. There are about 40 million cells or air chambers in one cubic centimetre of cork bark (source: Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet). Cork is a thermal insulator by nature. This feature gives cork two very useful assets as a floor covering: It absorbs the surrounding heat and retains it for a long time and, moreover, it also adopts body temperature very quickly. That’s precisely why it’s very pleasant to walk barefoot on a cork floor.

Ecological industry The entire cork industry is generally regarded as ecological. The durability of the production and the easy recyclability of cork products and the by-products are two of the most distinctive aspects. In contrast to the use of inorganic insulation materials (e.g. rock wool or glass wool), little energy is used in the production of ecological insulation materials. Moreover, the raw materials which are used are sufficiently available. And so, there is no depletion of energy sources.

after their star product was greeted with the following reply: ‘Our range is like a deep blue sky on a summer evening, rife with twinkling stars.’ Nevertheless, Nazaré, their first product, is still very much treasured.

‘Ecological’ and this may be seen! Not a trend, but a development You can print everything and you can also print on everything, including cork! In recent years, that has resulted in cork not necessarily having to look like cork. We have discovered that various vendors offer cork floors which are available in a wide range of wood sorts. These are offered for both glued or floating floors and for wall cork. Some floating floors equipped with a click system cannot be distinguished from laminate. People also speak of cork laminate. Furthermore, as is the case with laminate, there are imitations of stone, natural stone, or even polished concrete available.

Cork with vinyl One manufacturer offers another design which yields a solution for extremely high-traffic floors and with the cork floor given a top layer in vinyl or linoleum. We could ask the question: ‘In that case, why opt for oak?’ Surely you can just as well fit vinyl or linoleum? Nothing could be further from the truth. You could perfectly well call this a ‘hybrid’ floor covering. After all, it combines the benefits of different forms of floor technology.

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Back to the roots! This is certainly a trend for many people i.e. the return to cork ‘as cork’! The look of a cork floor is affected by various elements. For instance, there is a great variety of possible structures. The designs consist of various sorts such as ground structures, bark designs, or hand-made designs. One well known supplier of glued cork floors offers no fewer than 30 different designs in a colour range of over 60 different shades. Furthermore, the possible shapes and sizes open up even more decorative possibilities. Depending on the supplier (manufacturer), cork can be cut in different shapes and sizes, with or without a bevelled edge. Finally, those cork tiles also allow for a choice of several fitting patterns e.g. brick bond, semi-brick bond, wild bond, Herringbone, etc. C

A specialist Corkart

Cork is increasing its market share in the floor covering segment in MY some regions, but not in others. It is still an unknown and complex product which requires the necessary clarification from the vendor and, CY obviously, a lot of patience. Those who take the trouble to follow these CMY rules get their reward. Those looking for a short-term profit have less chance. A rapid sale of inferior products is not the way to promote K cork. Whilst most suppliers sell cork for the residential dwelling market, at Corkart they are seeing interest from the project market, partly as a result of cork’s ecological and technical features. Corkart has an extremely wide assortment with all types of cork floors. Light and natural colours are still the trend. In some countries, such as in Belgium, colour is extremely important and the range is wide. The standard sizes are still 900 x 300mm and 600 x 300mm. For 2019 Corkart is presenting new wall cladding and a number of new presentation techniques, which have attracted a lot of attention since the recent Domotex. A new print with a wood/brick effect has also proved popular. Our enquiry

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Fastening systems for decking floors

TERRACE CLIPS ARE ALSO A GUARANTEE FOR FITTERS THEMSELVES INVISIBLE FASTENING SYSTEMS REALLY ARE LOGICAL

Photo – DUOFUSE® by Plastivan

We often forget that those who deliver quality benefit from it themselves. In that respect invisible fastening systems for wooden and wood-related terraces serve not only the customer’s interest, but also the fitter’s peace of mind. Fitting wooden terraces in the traditional way means that all sorts of things ‘can’ go wrong within a short space of time due to the dependence of all the construction components, but an invisible fastening system offers much more certainty. In other words, this is better for parquet fitters as well.

What are the sales arguments? Terrace planks can bend. A wooden supporting framework can warp or at least can come under strain. All that is ‘typical’ of wood and the extent to which such things occur depends partly on the surrounding conditions, especially the weather. When the effects of those ‘features’ become all too visible, that’s bad news for the fitter. There’s no joy in it! However, a parquet fitter who uses an invisible fastening system provides for much more certainty. The sales arguments are obvious.

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The aesthetic argument When we examine invisible fastening systems closely, we might suppose that these systems turn out more expensive than the classic method with screws. Can we afford the extra cost? Yes, we can! If only for decorative reasons. We can compare it perfectly to the difference between a classic parquet floor nailed onto wooden beams of yesteryear and a fully glued parquet floor. Some people might have nostalgic feelings with regard to old wooden floors and their nail marks, but today, when we choose a wooden floor, we strive for absolute perfection. The same applies to terraces. And so, it is due to invisible fastening systems that we now speak of ‘outdoor parquet’, an extremely recent term.

The technical/qualitative argument A terrace with invisible fastening isn’t just more attractive at the start, but it also stays attractive much longer. If we fasten a terrace with screws, we actually damage the terrace from the very start. The screws are also a source of further wear and tear. By contrast, invisible fastening systems have the added value of allowing the wood to swell and

shrink naturally. Obviously, very powerful forces can exert pressure on the wood outdoors and pressure on the screws will invariably lead to cracks. In particular, the curling of the wood (which is inevitable in outdoor conditions, but is also tolerated) is hardly noticeable at all with invisible fastening systems.

The safety argument The way in which wood swells and shrinks involves an extra risk with the classic screw system. Possible damages or traces of wear can also be tangible. And so, splinter formation cannot be ruled out. This can lead to injuries, particularly with swimming pool boards when people run barefoot on them. With invisible fastening systems, the risk of splinter formation is well nigh non-existent (apart from due to accidental damage). The drawback of screws can be solved (largely) by using ‘invisible’ screws. They are screwed into pre-drilled holes which are sealed afterwards with a wooden tab.

Summary of systems As a rule, you can define an invisible fastening system as a system where the terrace parts are fastened not directly, but via a clip on the beams (support structure). This usually means that the terrace plank has to be fitted with a groove into which the clip fits perfectly. Most clip systems are designed to absorb the swelling and shrinking of the floorboards. They are designed in such a way that the wood can swell and shrink if due regard is shown for the correct distance between the boards. That’s why due regard is shown for the humidity level of the wood at the time of the fitting. Clip systems draw a distinction between wood which is dried in conclave and wood which dries naturally in

the open air. One advantage is that the fitter no longer needs to take account of wood swelling. The clip indicates how far the planks should be spaced out from each other. Existing systems require a groove (cut) in the side of the planks, a groove underneath the plank, or no groove at all. The latter case has the advantage that all planks in all sizes are suitable. That is not the case for systems with a groove.

The groove in the side With these systems a groove is made in the side of the planks over the entire length or at the point where the support beams are fastened. Almost all clips are fitted with ‘wings’ which fit into a particular groove. There are two possibilities for these systems as regards screws. The first possibility is that the clips are fitted into the groove and screwed vertically into the beam once the first floorboard has been fitted. After that, the next plank is slid into the ‘other wing’ of the clips and a second clip is fitted. And so, with this system no screws are fitted through the wood of the floorboard itself. As we’ve already said, the distance between the planks is indicated by the shape of the clips themselves. The fitter does not need to measure anything. Another possibility is that, after the first plank has been fitted, the clips are fitted so that the screw is screwed through the floorboard into the beam at an angle of 45°. This working method is derived from the principle of the ‘sunk nailing of parquet’. A screw is fitted on one side of the terrace board through the lower side of the plank and the next plank hides the screw head from sight. Both systems have the advantage of huge time savings. Another advantage which some vendors laud as a real ‘asset’ is the fact that in this system the planks can be used on both sides (ribbed or even) however the customer wishes. This is

The specialist for fastening technology

Building patios has never been so easy! Substructures and fastening systems

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www.eurotec.team/en International 101

Special

Fastening systems for decking floors

certainly possible when the groove is cut exactly in the middle of the floorboard.

The groove in the lower side Another system provides for a groove in the underside of the plank. This groove runs over the entire length of the underside of the plank. The clip system, which is designed with an upright ‘tongue’, is screwed mainly into the beam work. The floorboards can then be clicked easily into the clip systems by applying downward pressure. The big advantage of this system from a technical point of view is that the floorboards do not touch the beams. That drastically limits potential warping and swelling and shrinking under the influence of fluctuations in the weather. An advantage from an aesthetic point of view here is that the fastening system is completely invisible. Furthermore, there is not even a single screw head visible between the planks. A nice bonus is the fact that the planks can be removed individually without breaking up the entire terrace. As regards fitting, this method does certainly require somewhat more measuring work to determine the distances between the clips.

ended the monopoly of bangkirai. Apart from wood sorts with a high durability class, there are also some techniques to make wood ‘more durable’. The most well known and most commonly used technique is thermal modification whereby the properties of the wood are altered via heat treatment. Recently, there has also been Accoya wood, which was presented in the previous edition. A technical alternative is wood composite, which is composed of wood fibres, high-density polyethylene, UV stabilisers, dyes, and various additives to refine mechanical qualities. These are usually recycled wood fibres and waste wood and recycled polyethylene. And so, in many respects, wood composite is an ecologically responsible alternative to tropical hardwood. For a while now, we’ve been seeing the emergence of terrace planks which are made from synthetics and look like real wood.

Systems under the microscope ArchiWood / NÖVLEK®

For wood, composite, and the rest Invisible fastening systems can generally be used for various types of ‘outdoor parquet’. In recent years, apart from the many gorgeous sorts of wood, a number of alternatives have emerged. The possible choices for designing wooden or wood-related terraces have thereby increased vastly. In the first place, there is the availability of a highly varied number of wood sorts in the highest durability classes (I and II), which has

Hard Wood Clip® is the invisible fitting system which Archi Wood 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.

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B-Fix B-Fix presents a range of solutions for terraces and swimming pool boards. Since the launch of the system, it has already been used for millions of square metres. The assortment includes several types of invisible fasteners e.g. B-Fix One, B-Fix Black One, and B-Fix Border. Furthermore, the assortment also includes various accessories. The system itself is designed in stainless steel with memory effect so that the wood can act naturally and yet still stay perfectly in place. Each plank can be removed individually. The fastening system can be mounted onto different profiles and can be deployed on a wide range of wood sorts and composite. Thanks to the screws, the system adapts to various types of structures e.g. wood, aluminium, and layer structure. B-Fix can be fitted horizontally and vertically. These systems can be fitted much quicker than a classic system.

Carpentier

Carpentier offers several ingenious systems to make the fitting easier. The unique Quick Clip system guarantees rapid fitting (50% faster). The distance between the profiles is always perfect and that also yields a visually attractive result. Quick Clip is an invisible fastening system for pre-grooved terraces, wall planks, wall and ceiling cladding, gates, fences, etc. The fitting without screws or nails guarantees an end product with no splinters. The result is seamless thanks to the automatic lining. A bottom layer of insulation ensures perfect ventilation. The planks are fastened onto an aluminium substructure onto which the clips have already been pre-assembled by Carpentier at the correct intervals. The fitter only has to click the pre-grooved wooden planks into place. The aluminium substructure is perfectly fixed and stable over the entire length. Planks can be dismantled using special spanners.

DUOFUSE® by Plastivan Duofuse® composite decking boards combine lasting attractiveness and utmost durability as an alternative for bankirai or other tropical hardwood. Duofuse® decking is available in 4 timeless, attractive shades. Up to 6 to 8 weeks after being installed, slight variations in colour may occur, after which the colour will stabilise and stay the same for

the rest of the product’s life. Even after many years of exposure and use, your decking boards will still look as good as new. Duofuse® composite decking boards come in hollow as well as solid form, and they also come with various finishes: smooth brushed finish, wood grain, fine or rough ribbed or with different finishing on either side. The aluminium substructure guarantees an easy and fast assembly of the Duofuse® composite decking boards. With the Duofuse® aluminium substructure you will save at least 50% on installation time compared to traditional screwed systems. This system is particularly suitable for applications by which the substructure must be installed floating.

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.

La San Marco Profili La San Marco Profili offers a wide choice of materials and profiles, such as the traditional female/female lateral milling, the invisible profile and others. From Decking to Deck Tiles, for outdoors floor, we offer different

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Fastening systems for decking floors

Ravaioli Legnami – RemoClip

solutions to every need. Both standard and custom millings are available, along with all the necessary for installation. Furthermore, the company offers different methods of fitting that give many advantages to the customer; the most important advantage is to reduce time of installation. Among our systems, there is the “Easy change system”. The planks are supplied exclusively prepared for mounting with this patented system, a revolutionary installation system that speeds up the fitting process, reduces the fitting costs and eliminates the possibility of errors by giving the chance of removing only one plank in any point of the floor with just the use of a special key. Another solution we offer is the I-FLY clip, the smart decking clip that could be installed as the traditional clips of conventional installations. This special clip can be used with any kind of joists. As the easy change system, I-FLY clip allows you to easily remove and replace any planks at any point in the floor and it is incredibly quick and easy to install. These installation systems could be used for both wood and composite decking. Anyway, a general recommendation we should do to floor fitters, is to choose the right installation method according to material and place.

Proline PROSTILTadvance

OUTDOOR surfaces will become increasingly important in the years to come. With PROSTILT and PROSTILTadvance, PROLINE offers no less than two sophisticated systems. PROSTILT is suited to ceramic floorings in private applications, while PROSTILTadvance is a structural solution, which also meets the requirements of commercial applications. With PROSTILTadvance, you are using the best from two areas to build a permanent solution without fuss or quibble: Variable, ultra strong pedestal supports form the flexible and easy to handle basis of your patio. A support structure of aluminium sections is located on top. This results in optimum rigidity of the base as well as exceptionally high load-bearing capacity, which makes PROSTILTadvance ideally suited to commercial and public areas.

Floor Forum International 101

Ravaioli Legnami’s RemoClip is the innovative removable and strong fixing system for the installation of decking and cladding, adaptable to any type of board. The patented RemoClip fixing system revolutionizes the world of traditional decking and cladding installation. It is actually a joinable clip that adapts to boards of any thickness and material, both wood and WPC composite materials. It is also featured with special wings, allowing the simple and fast removal of single boards without needing to intervene on the whole flooring. RemoClip has additional advantages. Thanks to the fixing screw operating directly on the wing that blocks the boards, it allows for a better fastening of boards and a strong and safe installation of boards of different wood species, both resinous and exotic, as well as WPC composite materials. Moreover, thanks to the thickness of the clip base, that creates a space between boards and joists, the use of RemoClip improves the aeration of the substructure. RemoClip is manufactured with top quality materials: the clip components are in PA6, while screws undergo Keraplus treatment. The high quality of its raw materials confers RemoClip strength also with particularly adverse weather conditions, tested up to -20°C and +100°C. Additionally, the special ribbed edge on the wings improves boards stability in hot periods, especially for WPC, and in cold periods for wooden boards. There are three RemoClip fastener kits available: - Kit for wooden boards, composed of one big base and two wings, available in two different heights depending on board thickness; - Kit for butt joint of wooden boards, composed of one small base and one wing, available in two different heights depending on board thickness; - Kit for WPC boards, composed of one big base and two wings, available in two different heights depending on board thickness. RemoClip is the fixing system developed by Ravaioli Legnami’s technical staff, and it was created and designed according to the requirements of the recently published UNI 11583-2 Italian regulation on decking installation.

Solidor “TRENDSETTER IN ALL AREAS” Solidor has been providing a practical and affordable solution for a construction problem. Both twenty years ago and today. The adjustable terrace supports are better for water management, provides better connection near the wall or sill, and, in case there is a problem under the patio, the deck can be easily removed and replaced. SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION With the increasingly stringent building standards in terms of

sustainability, the environmental technical aspect is of growing importance. The cradle-to-cradle story is a great surplus value. Recycled materials are converted into a useful product, which in turn is reusable and recyclable. QUICK MOUNTING, LESS WORK Aesthetics are important, but so are the costs. You save the client a lot of hours, thanks to the easy mounting. In terms of labour costs, this makes a huge difference.

Vetedy The Softline® system from Vetedy has been around now for 19 years and has more than proved its durability. The Softline system is a fully invisible fastening system which allows you to fit the floorboards without

using even a single screw. The clip is fastened to the underside of the plank. This clip is produced from a composite material with a very high mechanical resistance and is fastened invisibly to the support structure. Despite its high resistance, the clip is still pliable, so it allows perfectly for the natural sideways movements of the wood. The fastening underneath provides perfect insulation between the floor ribs and planks so that the terrace planks remain fully protected from any rising damp. The Softline® system is guaranteed to offer a long lifespan thanks to the composite material which offers mechanical resistance and also allows you to replace a plank quickly. When choosing a fastening system, fitters should look mainly at the sort of wood, the drying method, and the expected sideways movements. As regards the cost price, it is 10% extra for material, but 10% less due to the rapid fitting. And so, it’s all the same really.

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More information on www.duofuse.com PLASTIVAN nv – Wantestraat 3, B-8780 Oostrozebeke +32 56 66 75 51 – info@plastivan.com

Floor Forum International 101

Advertorial

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ELEGANT CUSTOM PROFILES FOR THE NEW APARTMENT BUILDING

SoHo has not always been a good residential area in New York. It was only in the 1960s, as modern artists took refuge there, that it acquired its present charm: a popular, creative neighbourhood with narrow cobbled streets, numerous boutiques, exclusive furniture stores, galleries and restaurants. It has now established itself as a centre for art and culture. And here – at 565 Broome Street, on the corner of W. Broadway –the first residential building of a renowned Pritzker Prize winner can be found. With their rounded, floor-to-ceiling windows, the building’s luxury apartments offers magnificent panoramic views of the city and the Hudson River.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and high-quality parquet flooring needed a special profile It was a challenge to achieve an optically and technically perfect connection between the high-quality parquet flooring and the large window fronts with their rounded corners. Elegant flooring profiles had to be developed that could be attached without using either glue or screws and, at the same time, allow sufficient room for the wood

Floor Forum International 101

flooring to expand and contract. Within six months, Küberit, the globally recognised specialist for aluminium profiles, developed expansion joint profiles, profiles for the interior and exterior corners, and profile connectors that are specifically designed to meet these unusual structural circumstances. A total of 870 straight aluminium profiles and 300 aluminium profiles constructed to fit the round corner windows were installed, and more than 1,100 parts were milled in order to elegantly clad the mitre cuts and joints.

No screwing, no gluing, just clamping With its distinctive glass façade, the 30-storey building towers above the smaller industrial structures that are so typical of SoHo. They were built in the late 19th century as SoHo became the city’s textile district. The luxury apartment building’s architecture and materials not only augment the historical context but also are visually and technically sophisticated. Below the 20-mm parquet flooring, 10 mm of sound insulation ensures a quiet living atmosphere. At a meeting at the construction site, the site engineer explained the requirements of the architect team: the task was to develop floor profiles with an expansion joint that could be merely set on the flooring while reliably doing

their job. In this respect, the roughly 300 rounded corner windows posed a particular challenge. Moreover, a visually attractive solution needed to be found for the transitions between the adjacent profiles.

Neoprene expansion joints fitted by hand In accordance with these requirements of the architect team, Olaf Holtschmidt, head of development, created design drawings for the construction of mock-ups. For this purpose, the development team modified the Küberit angled profile 237 – matching it to the precise radius of the rounded windows. For the expansion joints, Küberit chose neoprene in order to satisfy the building's technical requirements. The neoprene joints were attached to the window frame in such a way that they would press against the frame when the parquet flooring

expanded and would fit securely without being screwed or glued on. Then, a visually attractive solution had to be found for the transitions and mitre cuts on the profiles. For this purpose, Küberit milled special aluminium interior and exterior corners as well as connectors that corresponded to the optics and engineering of the angled profiles. The Küberit team built a small device to enable the neoprene expansion joints to be quickly and cleanly attached to the straight and rounded profiles, but they had to be fitted by hand on the corner and connecting parts. The careful planning paid off – all profiles in this custom production fit precisely.

For more information please visit us on www.kueberit.com

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Flame-retardant lacquers and oils: properties & legislation

FIREPROOF FINISHES MUST NOT ‘STIR UP’ THE FIRE FLOOR FITTERS ARE NOT THE MAIN PLAYERS IN THIS ISSUE

Photo – Rubio Monocoat

In 1666, the city of London was ravaged by a fire. The Great Fire of London ruined over 13,200 houses and 87 church buildings, including St. Paul’s Cathedral. Although this ‘ disaster’ in the English capital resulted in only a few direct victims, it did condemn countless people to a life of poverty. The whole drama started with building materials which were a fire hazard. The houses were erected in wood; that wasn’t such a problem in itself, but the wood was bone-dry and was often given a weather protection treatment with highly flammable products (e.g. pitch or carboline), and that only made matters worse. That’s what this article is all about i.e. the extent to which products ‘contribute’ to the development and therefore the spread of a fire or not.

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The Great Fire of London This isn’t just a story, but is historical fact. It is worth relating it here because it really illustrates the entire article and the main issue. It’s about ‘wood’, wood inflammability, and wood treatments.

The fire itself The fire started in the night of 1 and 2 September 1666 in the house of Thomas Farriner, who was the baker of King Charles II. This house was situated in Pudding Lane on the site where a commemorative stone has now been erected. The cause of the fire is confirmed in several documents. It appears that on this occasion Farriner must have forgotten to put out the fire of his baking oven and it is thought that sparks from the oven ignited some firewood which was stacked near the oven. At around one o’clock in the

morning, one of Farriner’s servants noticed that the house was in flames and that the smoke had spread everywhere. Farriner himself, his wife, his daughter, and one servant managed to escape through a roof window and over the roofs of the adjoining houses. It was in Farriner’s house that the first person fell victim to the Great Fire of London, namely the housemaid who stayed in the blazing house, not daring to climb onto the roofs.

The spread of the blaze Medieval London was a city with mainly wooden houses covered with pitch and usually with straw roofs. Those buildings were a serious fire hazard and ignited instantaneously. With heavy winds blowing over London that morning, sparks flew everywhere and ignited fires wherever they fell. Sparks flew from Farriner’s house onto the yard of the Star Inn in Fish Street Hill. From there the flames assailed St. Margaret’s Church and spread to the then Thames Street. There were various warehouses in Thames Street which were packed with ‘fuel’ for the advancing blaze: oils, liquors, wax and candles, hemp, straw, coal, and such like. By about 8.00 a.m. next morning, it had become impossible to extinguish the fire.

The main lesson and the subject of this article ‘Medieval London was a city with mainly wooden houses covered with pitch and usually with straw roofs.’ The use of as many possible materials which contribute little or nothing to any fire is still an important goal on which science and the construction sector are working together.

Fire resistance and fire reaction When we talk about fire resistance, this refers to the function of a building material in the total construction and to the length of time that the material actually performs that function. In other words, the fire resistance (nowadays REI/formerly RF) of a building element is the time that the element retains its bearing function (for elements with a bearing function = Stability = R) and the time that flames do not spread to the unexposed side of the wall (for partition elements = Flame density = E) and the time during which the temperature does not exceed a certain thermal threshold on the unexposed side = Thermal insulation (I). The fire reaction of a material is partly the extent of the flammability 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’. Those fire reaction classes are specified in the standard EN 13501-1.

What about the legislation? Whilst all floors basically have to pass tests in accordance with the standard EN 13501-1, there are exceptions: Anyone who reports class F (fl) (the worst class or the class which indicates that the product has not been tested) is exempt and likewise anyone who offers a product which appears on the CWFT list (Classification Without Further Testing). For wooden floor coverings this is the European standards EN 14342 ‘Wood flooring – Characteristics, evaluation of conformity and marking.’ This standard contains the relevant requirements for CE marking and refers to suitable test methods. CLASS Class A1 Class A2 Class B Class C Class D Class E Class F

CONTRIBUTION TO FIRE No contribution Hardly any contribution Little contribution Big contribution High contribution Very high contribution Unspecified

FLAMMABILITY Non-inflammable Virtually non-inflammable Hardly flammable Flammable Strongly flammable Highly flammable Highly flammable or not tested

The classes can be supplemented with a division in the area of smoke development (S 1 to 3) and drop formation (D 0 to 2). The list of floors in table 1 of the CWFT (EN 14342) is about various types of wooden floors equipped with their finish. And so, in order to conform with the requirements of the standard, the floor, together with the finish, has to comply with the prescribed class. In other words, a compliant parquet lacquer must not adversely affect the fire reaction class. In the CWFT table the classes Cfl-s1 or Dfl-s1 are acceptable.

classification Bfl-S1

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FORTICO 2C NATURAL gives your wood a very matte and invisible finish with a superior protection.

Applied to steel Purely by way of example and to make absolutely clear the distinction between both terms, steel is a good illustration. Steel is non-inflammable. That observation is related to the fire reaction of steel. Does that make steel fireproof? Not really! Steel will usually (if not always) play a constructive role in a building. Firstly, we have to look at fire resistance; steel begins to lose its bearing strength from about 800°C. And so, a steel skeleton will soon collapse at the hands of a fully developed fire.

Wooden floor covering Wooden floor coverings such as parquet (solid wood or multilayer) have no bearing or separating function. And so, this isn’t a matter of fire resistance, but fire reaction. To make this completely clear, we can talk in isolation about a ‘wooden floor’. A wooden floor does have a bearing/separating function. In buildings subjected to fire regulations, fire resistance will certainly be a relevant factor.

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Floor Forum International 101

Special

Flame-retardant lacquers and oils: properties & legislation

However, the member states can impose higher demands, for instance, for public buildings. For example, in Italy they require class B(fl) for a public building for both the ordinary rooms and the fire escapes. In some countries they set higher demands in class (B(fl) only for the materials used for the evacuation routes. If higher demands are set, the products have to be tested in accordance with the standard 13501-1. Various producers have been able to demonstrate via tests that their lacquers do not adversely affect the fire reaction of materials in Euro class B(fl). And so, in contrast to fire-resistant paint, parquet lacquer does not extend to protecting the floor (e.g. by ‘swelling’), but rather ensures that the material does not help the flames to spread in the event of a fire. At present, there are systems being developed to help improve the fire reaction of wooden floors. Some producers already sell them.

no solvents and can cope with high traffic. It is classified in fire reaction class 1 (UNI 9796:2014) with only 120g/m². Moreover, it is anti-slip for sports floors in compliance with the UNI EN 14904:2006 and UNI EN 13036-4:2011 standards with 180g/m2. Adesiv Ice Sport Fire offers high coverage capacity with no streaks. The gloss is 15.

Protective measures

Bona

Now we know that the fire risk of materials is found at various levels, it is clear that the means to protect ourselves also differ. We discuss here three measures (tools) for ‘adapting’ the flammability or resistance.

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 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.

Flame retardants Flame retardants are used to reduce the flammability of the synthetics. This reduced flammability should increase the escape time (time for evacuation) considerably. Most flame retardants are processed into the known synthetics: polystyrene (PS and HIPS), polyurethane (PUR), acrylic-lonitril-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), and polyester. The popular PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is already more or less flame-retardant.

Flame-retardant coatings and/or fluids When we talk about fireproof parquet lacquer, we are entering the field of the fire reaction of a material. What do we expect from these lacquers? And so, in contrast to fire-resistant paint, a flame-retardant fluid does not extend to protecting the floor (e.g. by ‘swelling’), but rather ensures that the material does not help the flames to spread in the event of fire. The list of floors in table 1 of the CWFT (EN 14342) is about various types of wooden floors equipped with their finish. And so, in order to conform to the requirements of the standard, the floor, together with its finish, must comply with the prescribed class. In other words, a compliant parquet lacquer must not adversely affect the fire reaction class.

Flame-retardant paint A flame-retardant paint system is designed to improve the fire resistance of a building material (often steel, but also wood). It consists of a primer, a flame-retardant paint, and a finish coat. The specific properties of a flame-retardant paint mean that it protects substrates which are flammable, relatively flammable, or malleable at high temperature from the penetration of a potential fire within certain time limits and within certain temperature limits. The flame-retardant paint prevents the spread of the flames to the surface and has high thermal insulation strength. We speak of a swelling paint if a non-inflammable or insulation layer of foam forms in the event of fire or radiation heat.

What's on the market? Adesiv Adesiv Ice Sport Fire is a flame-retardant and anti-slip varnish for wooden floors. This polyurethane product is matt, waterborne, and easy to apply. It has two components and offers strong abrasion resistance, hardness, and resistance to chemicals. Adesiv Ice Sport Fire contains

Floor Forum International 101

Blanchon Blanchon does not sell any flame-retardant lacquers in the literal sense of that term. Flame-retardant lacquers are designed to make inflammable materials non-inflammable or delay ignition considerably by using certain additives. Blanchon lacquers are highly rated in the Euro classes and that is the result of the qualities of the products, not of

applied additives. Blanchon operates in all ranges of lacquers, including waterborne polyurethane in one or two components and traditional PU with 10 products in two classes. Test reports give the Belmont, Intensive, Polysolid, Polyplus, and SVP Aqua (on oak) a classification of Cfl-s1 and the Oceanic, Initial, and RA Aqua a classification of Dfl-s1. The classification of Cfl-s1 also applies to the oils Solid Oil, Oil-Wax, Oil-Wax SD, and Ecological Oil (always on oil).

Ciranova

flame neutral product has a European regulation/standard EN 13501. Most of these products can be used on paints with no problem at all and they behave normally. These finishes are often applied as a result of public building regulations. The regulation EN 13501 relates entirely to the building sections and their composition. These are then classified for self-reliance, high buildings, escape routes, and formations of components. With Hesse products the fire neutral standard does not have any effect on the preservation of their technical, chemical, and mechanical properties.

Rubio Monocoat 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, raw materials with different properties, compositions, and structures are often combined in the formulation for greater effectiveness. It is important to mention that no harmful substances(e.g. halogen) are used in the formulation. 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) on the basis of standardised tests and according to their contribution to fire. These tests are conducted by recognised institutes, and regarding 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 specifications 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.

Hesse There are several misconceptions about the definition of how burning materials behave. Basically, parquet and furniture finishes are not flame-retardant, but they can be tested as flame neutral. This means that the standardised product does not assist the spread of flames if a fire breaks out. Flame-retardant products or RF products foam up whenever they are exposed to fire. By nature, wood is actually partially self-sufficient; due to its chemical structural change during the charring process, it will partially slow down the burning process at a certain point. This proves that wood resists flames longer than steel elements and structures, for instance. The current label which is issued on a

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The Rubio Monocoat FR Oil System was the first flame-retardant oil system in the world to be granted a Bfl-s1 certificate on oak (top layer of 5mm). With an oak top layer of 2.5mm, the Rubio Monocoat FR Oil System obtained a Cfl-s1 certificate. Since this product is based entirely on their signature technology (in which a molecular binding is created with the upper fibres of the wood in a single coat), there is no layer build-up, in contrast to many existing systems. A flame-retardant oil has to limit the spread of smoke and provide as much fire prevention as possible. The RMC FR System consists of a flame-retardant pre-treatment with RMC FR Base and a finish with RMC FR Oil. This provides durable protection and colour via a molecular binding. Furthermore, researchers strive for a system which is extremely safe, durable, and economical. The RMC FR Oil system contains no salts, does not form a film, ensures only a limited spread of smoke, and is low in consumption. Basically, the system is particularly suitable for the project market. This is illustrated by the growing demand from architects for such products such as hotels, restaurants, and open spaces. And so, flame-retardant finishes are usually a must in those settings. Obviously, this is also a suitable formula for private projects where project managers consciously take account of the risk of fire and wish to reduce it to a minimum.

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Stair renovations

ANY FLOOR COVERING IS SUITABLE FOR STAIR RENOVATION THE ARCHITECTURAL ‘RENOVATION’ CIRCLE IS ALMOST ROUND All sorts of things are brewing in the world of architecture and ‘interior architecture’. Designers have sublime and often eclectic ideas, yet at the same time they have to face all sorts of clearly defined style demands and expectations from clients, project managers, and consumers. Then there’s the question of whether or not those expectations are technically feasible. The architectural circle comprises both technical and decorative aspects. Staircase renovation brings that problem to light again. Parquet, laminate, and design floors provide the solution.

What are the expectations? An increasingly evident phenomenon with new buildings is that on average we are building smaller premises. Obviously, there is less land available, so the price per square metre goes on rising. That’s a development which, logically, cannot be reversed. We see the same phenomenon in renovation. The available homes are getting smaller and smaller, especially when people look for a home in the city, something which now happens more and more. That development obviously goes against the grain of a well known natural human yearning i.e. the need for space, a view, and openness. What usually happens with the renovation of a housing unit with several small rooms is that lots of internal walls perish. And so, if we don’t really have much space, at least we create a feel of ‘spaciousness’. Several trends can be derived from that basic proposition.

Open rooms Let’s imagine we’re in a somewhat smaller row of houses in the inner city and we’re going to renovate the house. Type of home: 5m wide frontage, 12m depth, running into a small city garden, on the left the hall and staircase, running into the kitchen, on the right three consecutive rooms, separated by chamber height doors with ribbed glass. Does it sound familiar? If we demolish all the interior walls, and the lateral supports mean that is usually possible, we then get a room of 5m by 12m, which includes a staircase and looks out onto the garden. Now we can start designing and redesigning. The idea of a loft.

Open floors We strive for one single floor covering. After all, a threshold from one floor covering to another ‘breaks up’ the open character of the room. Each partition seems to be a ‘border of something’ which breaches the spaciousness, the loft idea. The same also applies to the staircase steps. After all, the staircase ends up in the living room. For the floor upstairs, intermediate floor, or upper room, people generally opt for the same type of floor as in the living room and furnish the staircase in the same way so that everything forms one whole.

character of the room. Here, too, the same rule applies to both the stairs and the floor covering.

Anything goes for the stairs Solid wood An old staircase hardly ever loses its stability or bearing strength. This means that an old staircase provides a perfect base for a new one. The furnishing can be done using a wide range of materials. To stay within the focus of a floor fitter, we mention here first of all solid wood, bamboo, and multilayer parquet. The new staircase steps are usually glued onto the old steps, which have been cleaned first. Profile manufacturers provide a wide range of corner profiles to finish the steps perfectly.

Laminate Laminate is an ideal solution for renovating stairs quickly, cleanly, and with little noise. This is due primarily to the material’s own intrinsic qualities. As regards the decorative aspect, we now know that laminate allows an endless range of decors. Apart from those decorative possibilities, the suitability of laminate is determined mainly by its exceptional technical assets. These include the limited thickness, its strength, and its anti-slip nature.

Flexible floor covering The same rule applies to design floor furnishing as for floor coverings i.e. the base (in this case the staircase steps) must be perfectly level. Any imperfections would be visible in the final floor covering. As regards types of flexible floor covering, anything goes. Cork is possible, as are linoleum, PVC, and vinyl. In their most flexible form, these floors will usually be glued onto the staircase steps (and, if necessary, onto the risers). Flexible floor coverings have excellent assets, even for stairs. They include the fact that the limited thickness of these floor coverings usually turns out nicely with renovation where you are often limited in terms of differences in height between connecting floors. That applies no less to stairs where the height of the parts helps to determine comfort and safety.

Kits ready for fitting We already know that floor covering manufacturers (either they themselves or in collaboration with profile manufacturers) offer all accessories in the same decors as the floor. The same applies to the design of stairs. All accessories as regards profiles, finish boards, subfloors, stair nosings, and such like are provided. Here, too, LED lights and integrated anti-slip are some of the possibilities. Today, a number of producers offer complete stair renovation kits ready for fitting. A good idea!

What’s on the market?

Various floor coverings, one decor

Auer Metallprofile

We can say with certainty that one floor covering is more suitable or less suitable than another one, depending on the function of the room. The fact that floor coverings are increasingly often a copy of each other means that combinations are possible without detracting from the open

Auer Metallprofile, which is situated in Aue, Germany, is a manufacturer of profiles for the floor area. This profile specialist has its product spectrum expanded since 1990 in the fields of aluminum, brass and stainless steel: These includes stair nosings, connecting profiles,

Floor Forum International 101

instance, the company offers a two-part stair profile for laminate. The lower and upper profiles make it suitable for all types of stairs. For floors with a thickness of 7-16mm there is Euro-Step Champion specially for high traffic. The advantage of laminate over real wood is the price and the fact that it is faster and easier for renovation.

Progress Profiles skirtings, stair rods, corner protection angles and much more. The product range was this year supplemented with wall profiles, a 50 mm extra wide APL edge profile for 7–15 mm flooring, such as for 3 and 5 mm floorings turnable stair side profiles and double insert stair nosings. In addition, Auer Metallprofile is characterized by fast delivery times as well as custom-made products to customer requirements, because individual living requires individual solutions. This means a special service beyond the normal profile that Auer Metallprofile offers, such as bending profiles suitable to sketch or radius; various surface finishes like burnished, engraved, special coatings like anodizing, powder coating or enamelling. There are endless possibilities.

Carl Prinz

With staircase renovation, the quality of the materials is of paramount importance to ensure a longer lifespan and better performances. The floor itself is vulnerable and has to be protected at the corners and at the end of the step. Anti-slip is necessary for the user. The profiles from Progress Profiles, both for in and outdoors, are specially developed for the ultimate combination of performances and decorative style. The new Promultifix System provides a special TOP with glue with a visible surface of 44.7mm in anodised aluminium or with wood effect. An important accessory for stairs is the Progrip, the self-adhesive strip in carborundum, anti-slip, and with very high wear resistance. This is available in six colours and widths in order to meet all technical and aesthetic requirements.

If staircase steps have to be designed in the same way as the floor, the profile also has to be adapted to the thickness. The floorboard has to be glued over the entire step surface. Stable corners are important and there are wide profiles for that purpose. Prinz offers renovation systems for various types of stairs and floor coverings. For vinyl floors from 4 to 6.5mm there is Design Step, which works with screws or clips. The designer chooses the system once the floor is fitted. According to Prinz, there are lots of arguments for renovation. Renovation saves both time and money and is less radical in the construction. Moreover, it is therefore possible to choose the same steps as the floor covering.

Küberit Küberit stair nosing and corner profiles are tools for professional staircase renovation. Diverse solutions with profiles, which are quick and easy to fit for the various floor coverings and their diverse thicknesses, mean that the renovated staircase steps are protected and safe. All profiles are easy to mount, even with winding stairs and landings and give the staircase a decorative and timeless overall look. At Küberit they believe that stair profiles are designed primarily to prevent accidents. And so, they have to be anti-slip. Moreover, they also have to form a contrast on each step so that they are clearly visible. To reduce the high number of accidents, Küberit offers an extensive range of stair nosing with the TUV certificate. For

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Producers of Cross-cut floors: types and fitting methods

EVERYONE FALLS FOR CROSS-CUT PARQUET A UNIQUE DESIGN FLOOR FOR THOSE WHO WANT ‘SOMETHING DIFFERENT’

Photo – BJ Parket

How do you create a little privacy on a sandy beach with thousands of coastal tourists who want to enjoy the sun and sea? Answering that question will still be fresh in the memory for many people. You put a windshield around your deckchairs to mark off your own section of beach. That protects you from the wind and other intrusions. The stakes which you drill into the loose sand are secured with a big wooden hammer. It has a short handle, a long reach, and it’s made of wood. The same hammer designed in iron would be difficult to handle due to its heavy weight, wouldn’t it? The fact that the hammer has survived years of labour illustrates the hidden power of ‘cross-cut’ wood.

Cross-cut and quarter-sawn Whilst wood for most panel or plank applications is sawn along the length of the wood grain, cross-cut is sawn across the wood grain. That’s the difference between quarter-sawn and cross-cut. That

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sawing direction renders cross-cut wood much harder and much more resistant to pressure than quarter-sawn wood. This is all because the wood fibres stand up vertically. In some respects these fibres in crosscut parquet are comparable to connected bundles of upright stakes. It is logical that the resistance to pressure on the ends is greater than on the sides. That also makes the final usable area of cross-cut objects much more wear-resistant and certainly more durable, as is the case with the wooden hammer on the beach. Floors produced from crosscut wood were formerly destined for use in workplaces where they had to withstand the pressure and force of machines and internal means of transport. Those types of floors were not only tough, but also they were perfect for absorbing vibrations. Despite that heavy application, they could just as well be made of deal or pine.

Architecturally In the world of architecture it often happens that a product or system developed for a particular application can be deployed just as well

or even better for a completely different application. We also see that phenomenon in interior design and even with decorative utensils. There are examples in abundance and, yes, they are more numerous than we think. For example, about 40 years ago, collecting old copper shells (yes, bombs!) was all the rage to re-use them as armatures for lamp shades. Mood lighting with a war history. Around that same period, coal became the most popular fuel somewhat in the background. In the previous century, every home had its coal bunker and the coal was next to the stove in decorative coal buckets. The coal buckets, which were also often made of copper and decorated with sculpture work made their way to the front door for a new life as, yes, an umbrella tub. It should come as no surprise that cross-cut wooden floors have made their way into the interior. The surface of a cross-cut wooden floor is a lively interaction of tree rings and gives a completely different look to that of traditional floorboards. The floor consists of several small, square, or elongated blocks and not planks. Sheer design and charming!

Form and wood sorts Cross-cut wooden floors are basically supplied separately in a ‘box of blocks’. With some suppliers it is possible to put together the crosscut wood in the required size in advance with a special film on the upper side. That obviously guarantees much faster fitting (except in rooms with lots of obstacles). Another application, especially for office buildings, is the prior fitting of cross-cut floorboards onto aluminium tiles, which then form the elements of a ‘system floor’. As regards wood sorts, there is nothing new under the sun. In the past, crosscut wooden floors were designed in pine, deal, or oak. Nowadays, and this is a result of the general development on the global wood market, we see a much wider range of wood sorts in which cross-cut wooden floors can be designed. Sorts such as merbau, kambala, and larch lend themselves ideally, both mechanically and visually to the creation of a cross-cut wooden floor. In other words, here, too, tropical sorts of wood are offering an alternative to oak. The fact that the nervosity of crosscut wood has inspired some to carry out some research in that area obviously comes as no surprise. Thermally treated wood has therefore made its entrance into the world of cross-cut wooden floors. The thermal treatment of the wood makes the floor much more stable and reduces the risk of swelling and shrinking.

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.

Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs

HOUTBEDRIJF

KERKHOFS Specialist in custom work!

Kerkhofs supplies cross-cut floor covering mainly in oak, pine, deal, merbau, and wenge. Obviously, here, too, oak is the absolute record holder. As regards the delivery method, anyone who orders a cross-cut floor covering from Kerkhofs receives the floorboards glued onto a net. This floor covering has to be fully glued with an MS polymer glue onto a sturdy substrate. These floors cannot be fitted floating. Strictly speaking, fitting this floor covering is similar to fitting other parquet floors, but it does involve more and heavier sandpapering. A point for attention for the client, the end user, is that the relative air humidity has to be monitored closely and, if necessary, adapted.

Devo and DevoNatural products are now available in Romania !

Official Distributor : PROFESSIONAL PARQUET PRODUCTS

Discover the DevoNatural product range :

www.devonatural.be/en/

ICONIC WOOD Bd. Banul Manta, nr. 18, sector 1, Bucuresti T: +4 0785 28 49 50 E: office@iconicwood.ro

Two specialists BJ Parket

DEVOMAT IS SEEKING INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS FOR ITS “DEVO“ and “DEVONATURAL“ BRANDS The DevoNatural range of professional parquet floor products meets the highest standards when it comes to treating parquet floors.

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

It is all about quality without compromise, developing products using the best raw materials and cutting-edge technologies.

Devomat Industries PLC - Florent Geversstraat 31 - B-2650 Edegem - Belgium T +32 03 450 94 70 - F +32 03 457 94 24 - info@devomat.be - www.devomat.be

Floor Forum International 101

Advertorial

Sherwin-Williams (B)

EXPERTISE OF SHERWIN-WILLIAMS BENEFITS THE INDUSTRY UV SYSTEMS COMBINE SPEED, DURABILITY, AND TOP QUALITY

The world has diminished considerably in recent decades. In this new reality the maxim ‘Think global, act local’ is now an indisputable basic condition for business success. The global mindset is thereby the key to the various forms of technology available worldwide. Finally, you don’t need to reinvent yourself 10 times over. Local action keeps a business informed of regional, local, or even individual clients. And so, you keep abreast of what is happening, and that will be different with everyone. Sherwin-Williams from the global coating industry is a classic example of this approach.

Solutions based on know-how Sherwin-Williams is a world class player in the field of coating products such as paints, lacquers, varnishes, oils, and fillers. On the paint market Sherwin-Williams is the absolute number one. In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa the focus is on professional coatings for industrial companies. Armed with a full range of innovative forms of liquid technology and powders, SherwinWilliams supplies high-quality coatings for all substrates such as metal, wood, plastic, and composites. The company can rely on 150 years of experience. Sherwin-Williams has solutions for surface treatment in various fields, including domestic and office furniture, kitchens, bathrooms, and various building applications. The company has local facilities all over Europe which specialise in personalised finish products and systems. Sherwin-Williams takes account of not only market needs, but also individual client expectations. This means that global know-how is geared to specific cases.

Your partner for UV curing ‘Personalised’ means ‘in line with client wishes’. Coatings are developed according to the required colour and gloss with the necessary physical and chemical resistance and with optimal adhesion to various substrates such as wood, glass, metal, and plastic. For pigment lacquers Sherwin-Williams guarantees optimal pigmentation, whilst stains and effect lacquers are geared to individual needs.

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UV systems – tailor-made! A company which wants to join the unstoppable march of UV curing usually knows what it wants. A major attraction and therefore a condition is obviously rapid execution. Systems should be suitable for use on a line of one production unit so that no space is wasted. Conveyor costs must be low and the quality simply top class. Obviously, lacquers have to meet environmental legislation. Technicians and laboratory workers from Sherwin-Williams come on site to examine the line and look for improvements. The structure of the UV system consists of three basic layers: The bottom layer provides adhesion with wood, elasticity, and good filling of the pores, the middle layer ensures high durability, and, finally, the top layer makes a coating resistant to chemicals and scratches.

Universal or specialised Depending on the formulation, it is possible to achieve a universally applicable coating, but it is also possible to apply specific qualities such as extremely high scratch-resistance, improved sandability, good filling power, and high brightness. The lacquers can be coloured according to choice. Using Excimer radiation can make the lacquer extremely matt without using matt resources. Sometimes, particular applications or even legal requirements can make additional properties necessary e.g. antibacterial in the health care sector, anti-static for informatics, or flameretardant in public buildings. Those extra demands are no problem for Sherwin-Williams. Sherwin-Williams UV oils have the same performance and processing speed as UV lacquers. The radiation is the same as with conventional air-dried oil. The binding agents used can be recycled. TELEPHONE US FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT!

For more informations visit us on: www.sherwin-williams.eu – sw.benelux@benelux.com

Special

Floors in combination with floor heating and cooling

WOODEN FLOORS AND FLOOR HEATING MULTILAYER IS BETTER THAN SOLID WOOD AND GLUED IS BETTER THAN FLOATING

Photo – Alma by Giorio

Stable wood sorts in solid form are perfectly suitable for fitting above floor heating. Qualitatively, multilayer parquet is regarded in any case as ‘stable’. And so, we’ve explained often enough that it’s perfectly possible to combine floating fittings with floor heating. The fact that glueing is better than a floating fitting is merely because with floating fitting you need a floor in between, and that inevitably affects the heat resistance of the whole structure. The message for parquet floor fitters: Arm yourselves with technical knowledge in order to give customers the right advice.

Has the myth been laid to rest? We start almost all topic or articles about floor heating with that same standard sentence: ‘The myth that floor heating cannot be reconciled with wooden floors has now been laid to rest.’ However, it would be better to say that this old fable ‘is gradually disappearing.’ The fact is that, like it or not, you still meet people every day who claim strongly that this form of heating technology certainly cannot be combined with wood. This misconception emerged from the knowledge that wood has a high insulation value, so people suggest that a wooden floor will actually hinder the produced heat from reaching the room. However, we now know that this combination can be ‘measured’ perfectly by taking

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account of the heat resistance of the materials with which the floor is constructed. However, it is still important that the customer can count on accurate information, including for guaranteeing the lifespan of the wooden floor covering. In a now ‘somewhat old’ (but still current) Technical regulation from the BBRI we find the necessary parameters which have to be considered.

Technical points for attention We mention a number of rules regarding the substrate, sorts of wood, fitting method, and structure. It is essential to follow these rules precisely. These rules are often related to a duty of information on the part of the floor fitter towards the customer.

Subfloor and conditions Floor heating means that the limit values for the mass moisture content of the screed are lower than with a normal design i.e. 2% for cement covering floors and 0.6% for anhydrite. It is preferable to work on a mosaic subfloor and a strong substrate. The rules for the ambient atmosphere at the time of the fitting are the same as for fitting without floor heating i.e. air humidity between 30 and 60% and the surrounding temperature around 20%. These values must be passed on to the customer. If those values are exceeded, the customer will have to moisturise or dehumidify.

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Floors in combination with floor heating and cooling

Wood sorts and sizes

What about floor cooling?

We know from previous editions that the heat resistance of the elements in the system is important. The heat resistance of the floorboards themselves can be limited by choosing floorboards which are no thicker than 22mm for hardwood and 15mm for softwood. Nervous wood sorts such as beech, maple, ash, and robinia can best be avoided. Wood sawn in quarters and semi-quarters enjoys the preference. Wood with an irregular grain or highly deviant grain should be avoided. Moreover, according to TV 218, the wood should be dried artificially up to 9 to 10%. As regards sizes, it is advisable with solid wood to limit the width in order to avoid big joints. Multilayer parquet is more stable in any case.

Whilst parquet floor fitters have been converted albeit somewhat reluctantly to the use of parquet or wooden floors on a screed with floor heating, they still show a certain hesitation towards floor cooling. However, if all the precautionary measures are taken, it is highly unlikely that anything will go wrong. In the case of floor heating, as we’ve already said, it is possible to fit an informer under the floor to trace whether or not any possible damage has been caused by an excessive temperature. In the case of floor cooling, the condensation monitor should provide security.

The floor construction Examples of a floor construction with floor heating are given in TV 218 and 179. Most systems are based on a floating covering floor in which the covering floor is fitted onto a thermal insulation. The thickness of the covering floor is at least 50mm for cement-bound screeds and 45mm for anhydrite screeds. The screed should be reinforced according to TV 189. This is best done with electrowelded wire mesh of 1m² and 3mm thick or 50 x 50cm in 2mm thick. If there are no specifications given, the latter is preferable.

What’s on the market ? Alma by Giorio Parquet and floor heating

Glued or floating The TV 218 explicitly recommends glued (or glued/nailed) fitting because this fitting ensures the best transfer of heat from the floor heating system to the room. Air layers (which you have with floating fitting) should be avoided because they have an insulation effect and therefore reduce output. Moreover, since sound insulation subfloors are generally used with floating fitting, this increases heat resistance as well. It should be clear that the higher the thermal insulation value of a subfloor, the less suitable that same subfloor is for use with floor heating. Nevertheless, there are plenty of combinations of subfloor and floor which meet the heat resistance rule: - Permitted heat resistance for floor heating as extra heating = 0.18m².K/W - Permitted heat resistance for floor heating as main heating = 0.14m².K/W

Starting protocol The starting protocol for floor heating is specified in the first appendix of TV 218. In practice, after the gradual increase and maintenance of a water temperature of 50°C for five days, professionals often recommend not turning the heating off until the parquet is fitted, but keeping it at a low temperature. A particularly important point here is the question of whether or not the surface temperature can be reconciled with the spreading and setting of the glue.

At Giorio they have noticed a considerable increase in the combination of floor heating and wooden floor coverings. The company repeatedly gets requests from parquet floor fitters about the possibilities and at Giorio they are well aware that the combination is perfectly possible, subject to due regard for clear guidelines. Here, they think that multilayer parquet is more stable and therefore preferable. Resistant wood sorts such as oak and teak enjoy the preference, thicknesses of 10 and 15mm are perfect, and a two-layer structure is preferable. If precautions are taken, all wood sorts from Giorio can be used. Some guidelines: 3cm screed above the system is necessary, a maximum temperature on the surface of 23 to 24°C must be respected, and the temperature has to be built up gradually for the implementation.

Chêne de l’est

A piece of built-in security For a few years now, parquet floor fitters have had at their disposal a simple control tool to use to detect any faults on the part of the project manager. This tool is a simple wafer-thin plate which is fitted under the floor and becomes discoloured if the water temperature is too high. If distortions or other damages to the floor emerge, floor fitters can use that informer to show that the user has not followed the guidelines and that the problems are not the fault of the floor fitter. This provides extra security which you really should ‘build in’.

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At Chêne de l’est they have noticed an increase in the combination of floor heating and parquet. Parquet floor fitters have questions mainly about the sizes of the chosen parquet and want advice on the best type. They also ask for advice about techniques and precautionary measures to be applied. They always insist on full glueing and advise

the use of a primer. Solid parquet can be combined with floor heating at a low temperature (electric 95W/m² max.) and up to a width of 130mm. Above that width they advise using multilayer parquet. The risk with floor heating is that cracks can appear between the floorboards. They also point out that the temperature on the ground must never exceed 28°C and the air humidity must be between 45 and 65%. Moisturising in the winter is recommended. Moreover, Chêne de l’est also recommends integrating a Fidbox.

Design Parquet Design Parquet also believes that floor heating can be combined with parquet. Their impression is that floor fitters are well aware of the combination. Solid wood conducts heat better, but is limited in width to 120mm. Wider floorboards are possible if the client opts for multilayer. What certainly must be avoided is a floor thicker than 17mm and nervous wood sorts (e.g. jatoba, ipe, or beech). It is necessary to monitor the heating constantly and keep the temperature below 28°C at all times.

Esta Parket Most floor coverings in Scandinavian countries are fitted above some or other floor heating system. Radiators are quite rare. The potential problems with the combination of wood and floor heating are more to do with damp than temperature. The temperature must not rise above 27°C. That is usually not a problem in new buildings, but it can be with renovations in colder periods. Problems arise mainly from excessive dryness. With forced ventilation, the air humidity can drop below 20% and that can damage parquet. The recommended humidity level is between 40 and 60%. For Esta Parket the danger zone is below 30%. Solid wood planks suffer more from the difference in moisture content between winter and summer just as some types of wood are more sensitive than others. Those who opt for broader planks (at least 130mm) and floor heating can best opt for multilayer parquet and avoid wood sorts such as beech and jatoba. And so, the message from Esta Parket is clear: For the combination of floor heating and parquet it

is necessary to keep an eye on the air humidity and, if necessary, use an air humidifier.

Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs

HOUTBEDRIJF

KERKHOFS Specialist in custom work!

Demand for multilayer parquet continues to rise. However, over time, Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs is getting more and more requests for good glue advice about multilayer parquet in combination with floor heating/ cooling. More and more people now choose floor heating instead of radiators and convectors, certainly in new homes. According to Kerkhofs, people opt too quickly for a cheap MS glue. That often results in complaints. Another problem arises with a permanently very low residual moisture in new homes/flats in combination with multilayer parquet. On average, this does not exceed 35 to 40%. And so, the top layers will have to be dried differently as a result. As regards fitting, floor fitters have to be well aware of several points for attention. For instance, they need the right equipment for measuring damp on the surface. Screed moisture measurement with floor heating is not easy. For more technical information there are norms issued by the BBRI and TCHN. Jatoba, maple, ash, and beech are a few wood sorts which should certainly be avoided.

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Fast track subfloor preparation Reduces installation time and costs Instant floor levelling Superb smooth finish For the immediate Overcomes many substrate problems glue-down of vinyl, linoleum, cork, rubber, carpet, etc.

EXPERTS IN SUBFLOOR SOLUTIONS Jumpax® is a product of Unifloor Underlay Systems BV +UK Toll Free: 0845 603 0906 - www.unifloor.nl/en

Floor Forum International 101

Advertorial

Esta Parket (EE)

IS GRADUALLY TAKING OVER THE WORLD AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE REFERENCES

ÅÑÒÀ ÏÀÐÊÅÒ ÓÊÐÀ²ÍÀ ESTA Sport floor at London Olympics

Esta Parket is the trademark for engineered parquet floors produced by company Technomar & Adrem, one of the biggest woodwork companies in Estonia. Armed with years of experience and know-how in the wood trade, the firm started in 2005 by producing multilayer parquet. By starting life from the beginning in a Scandinavian climate, Esta Parket knew how to meet demands for high quality from both clients and rivals. In the meantime, Esta Parket has won the hearts and minds of parquet traders worldwide.

Quality is the priority In 2005, Esta Parket built a brand new factory on the site in Tallinn which is now five times bigger. They do all the parquet production themselves, starting with drying and sawing the wood. Esta Parket employs a TQM (total quality management) strategy to maintain quality. They also consider the environment! Their parquet emissions are identical in the emissions present to natural wood and this is proven by the Finnish M1 certificate. Moreover the entire production is FSC approved.

Three-layer and two-layer parquet The main type of wood for the top layer is oak, followed by ash, walnut, and merbau. Ash can also be thermally treated. A standard design is 14mm with a 3.3mm thick top layer. The top layer is 6mm for thicknesses of 16 and 22mm. The middle layer is formed by cross-linked glued finger strips in softwood with a thickness of 9mm. The bottom layer consists of birch veneer for greater stability. The three-layer floorboards are more than 2 m long and 100-240mm wide. They are usually equipped with the licensed Uniclick system. Tongue and groove is also a possibility. With twolayer parquet, the top layer is glued onto a birch multiplex. This allows for variable thicknesses (10-22mm). These floors are even more resistant to indoor climate change. Two-layer floors come in thicknesses of 10-22mm and widths of 90-230mm. The two-layer floorboards are equipped with tongue and groove.

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ESTA 1-strip Oak at Marriott Athens

Pure design, even for the finish Esta Parket offers parquet in one, two, or three strips, with the one-strip floors in widths of 150-240mm. There is herringbone for floating fitting in 160 x 1120 mm. More than 90% of all 1 strip floors come in design finish, rather than transparent lacquer or oil. Esta Parket offers a choice of no fewer than 150 color shades. Moreover, the company also presents a lacquer finish that looks and feels more natural than oiled surface, identical to unfinished wood. As regards the oil, Esta Parket makes use of KLUMP UV oil. This oil penetrates into the upper fibres and preserves the natural look of the wood. Anyone who opts for a lacquer gets a finish with seven coats of UV lacquer, something which guarantees a long lifespan and protection against scratches and wear and tear for a long lifespan.

References – all over the world The list of references continues to grow. - Hotels in Europe: Hilton Tallin (Estonia), Clarion Helsinki (Finland), Rica Oslo and Radisson Lillehammer (Norway), and Marriott Athens (Greece). - A theatre hall (Mariinski) and the Economic University College in St. Petersburg (Russia). - Scores of flats in Stockholm (Sweden), including the highest building in the city (Kista Torn) and in Denmark, too, with the tallest building in Jutland (Horisont). - Blocks of flats in Toronto (Canada), including Young + Rich, X2 Condos, Charle Condos, and One Bloor (tallest Residential building in Toronto). - Istanbul University. - The Alba Takapuna Block of flats in New Zealand. - Planet Wellness Village (Switzerland). - Scores of sports floors in renowned sports halls, including the London Olympics Basketball Court (2012).

MEMBER

For more information please visit us on www.estaparket.eu

Special

Packaging machines for the parquet industry

PACKING IS PART OF THE FLOOR PRODUCTION PROCESS MANUFACTURERS EVEN HAVE A SOLUTION FOR SMALLER BATCHES

Type of product

Packing type

PAR-Scan® Variabel length

PAR-Strap® Straps

PAR-Pack® Fix length

PAR-Cardboard® Cardboard strips

PAR-Colli® Colli-fix packages

Logistic handling PAR-Collect® Automatic collection

PAR-Film® Shrink foil

PAR-Return® Automatic return

PAR-Stack® Automatic stacking

Photo – CSP Engineering

Packaging has taken on a whole new meaning, certainly for the parquet industry. About 30 years ago, anyone who wanted a parquet floor could choose the floorboard sizes, the sort of wood, and the finish. It didn’t matter where the parquet floor actually came from. Floor fitters ordered from their preferred manufacturer and the stacked floorboards were simply delivered to the site. Today, however, packaging has both a protective and communicative function.

Why wrap products? Protection In bygone days, a little scratch on a wooden plank at the time of delivery didn’t really matter. After all, the floor still had to be sandpapered and minor blemishes from during the transport would disappear with the sandpapering. Today, however, it’s a different story since more and more wooden floors are leaving the factory finished and ready for fitting. Floorboards need proper protection, just like any finished product. Whilst floorboards used to be packed mainly in cardboard, we now

see extra film packaging film. After all, cardboard protects against mechanical damage (e.g. bumps and dents), but not against damp. A combination of cardboard and film provides ultimate protection.

Marketing and communication As we’ve said, parquet makers (certainly smaller ones) have disappeared into the anonymity of their workshops. Nowadays, we’re witnessing a development where even parquet makers (certainly the bigger ones) work on branding. That development has been in progress for some years now. It also means that firms have to make their brand visible via elements like packaging. The packaging is now an information carrier, both information about product qualities (number of square metres, thickness, dimensions, finish method, etc.) and information required by law such as CE marking.

Packaging as the final part When packaging is done mechanically and by computer, it forms in some respects the last part of a series of ‘tasks’ for the production

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Special

Packaging machines for the parquet industry

of parquet, wooden, or wood-related floor. Computerisation can go a long way, from the raw plank to the packet ready for sale, you could say. Retrieving the initial work items (beams, panels, and strips) from the stock and supplying completely finished products to the warehouse usually proceed via a conveyor belt. Although the stacking at the beginning and the unloading at the end of the belt are still often done manually, that, too, strictly speaking, can be computerised. Within a computerised production line the floorboard dimensioning is entered and the strips or panels are sawn automatically. The computer calculates the most cost-effective way of sawing. All mechanical operations which the floorboards undergo are programmed in advance. Planing, sandpapering, and cutting tongue and groove are all directed by computer (CNC-controlled machines). If a click system needs to be applied, this, too, can be done by computer. The (mechanically) finished floorboards can now be given a finishing coat on an oiling or lacquering line, with or without UV drying. Some operations such as distressing techniques (e.g. brushing or scraping) can also be done by computer. Measuring, labelling, registering, and packing are all possible. The operator enters the raw floorboards into the system and retrieves them in the form of neatly packed flooring packages ready for sale.

What do you pack and how much? Whether we want to pack solid wood flooring planks, multilayer parquet, veneer floors, laminate, or LVT, most machine manufacturers tell us that it doesn’t matter at all. It’s all possible, often with the

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

after

same machine. As for quantities, machine suppliers have adapted to the market. After all, big production lines usually mean mass production. Elements such as the high purchase cost mean that machines have to operate continually in order to be profitable. Obviously, that is difficult to reconcile with the growing demand for smaller batches. However, with compact and user-friendly machines it is usually possible to switch over quickly to other settings such as dimensioning (sawing machine settings), processing (brushing or sandpapering), finishing (colour, oil, or lacquer) etc.

A specialist CSP Engineering Packing solutions in line….tailored to the customer! In the field of packaging automation CPS Engineering offers a few modular systems which can be put in line in several different set-ups. For each type of wood flooring the appropriate packing line PAR-Scan® For measuring, registering, labelling an packaging of parquet with fix and variable lengths, CSP Engineering puts the PAR-Scan® on the market. PAR-Pack® This machine is the ideal packaging-line controller for packaging packs of wooden flooring on fix length. PAR-Colli® The PAR-Colli® is the newest member of the CSP Engineering range and is customer-made to create automatically packages on fixed length with flooring boards of variable length. Types of packing: PAR-Strap® The PAR-Strap® fits seamlessly with the above options and is an automatic strapping machine for parquet. PAR-Cardboard® New in our range since 2018 is the PAR-Cardboard®. This machine folds a monochrome of pre-printed cardboard strip around the package with flooring parts. This way the packing result has a more professional look and highlights your brand name . PAR-Film® Also the PAR-Film® can be combined with the above options. Your parquet is entirely protected against dirt, dust and moisture. Several different solutions for logistic handling can be put on the end of the packing line. Visit www.csp-engineering.com for more information or technical specifications.

CSP Engineering bvba Stenehei 30/10 B-2480 Dessel (Belgium) 40

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

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Special

Mechanically sanding V grooves from wooden floors

SANDING BEVELLED EDGES MECHANICALLY – YES, YOU CAN! A HERCULEAN TASK IN A JIFFY Besides the fact that many people think a V-groove is aesthetically attractive, there’s not really much to be said in its favour. With a wooden floor or floor covering, the V-groove or bevelled edge is just about the biggest source of concern. With floor cleaning, a bevelled edge is no more or less than an extra point for attention. That bevelled edge attracts dust and dirt and sometimes it’s even necessary to go over it with the thin spout of the vacuum cleaner. Similarly, damp cleaning or mopping is not easy either. And so, what about renovation?

Why that V-groove? A V-groove is a groove which is visible between two floorboards. Looking from above, you see the slanting edge of one plank bevel into the slanting edge of the plank next to it. The V-groove is 1 to 4mm deep and 1.5 to 4mm wide. It only becomes a V-groove if two planks with a bevelled edge are fitted next to each other. The V-groove is also sometimes called a bevelled edge. A bevelled edge is a chamfered edge along the length sides of a floorboard. Sometimes the plank is planed on all sides, hence around a V-groove. The V-groove has emerged to reduce the amount of waste in floorboard production. If there is no V-groove, the plank has a very sharp edge. This edge gets damaged easily and is visible at once. If the edge gets damaged in the production, during transport, or during fitting, the plank really has to be discarded. And so, by planing a chamfered edge, we reduce the waste.

‘Seamless’ fitting Planks fit together seamlessly if they have no bevelled edge. In the days before high-tech planing machines, it was exceptionally rare to fit floorboards with V-grooves. And so, antique floors more than 150 years old don’t have a V-groove. The original landing floors of houses from before 1900 hardly ever had a bevelled edge. In the 1990s, wooden floor planks grew in popularity. From then onwards, V-grooves came more and more into fashion. Production was stepped up and people wanted to use the raw material wood increasingly efficiently. As we’ve said, planing a V-groove reduces production waste. Generally speaking, customers are happy with a bevelled edge, so almost all solid wood floor planks and duo-planks/multi-planks are now supplied with a V-groove.

Inconveniences People appreciate V-grooves from a decorative point of view, but they also realise that they do involve some daily inconveniences. We can illustrate this using yet another ingenious idea from the laminate sector. Some years ago, we witnessed the emergence in laminate of the so called Burgundy floors. Some trademarks deployed surface technology to create the ‘illusion’ of a bevelled edge, whereas in reality there was no such thing. And so, that was a purely optical illusion to keep the enthusiasts happy, but without the inconveniences.

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Renovating a V-groove Anyone who asks for help in the DIY world with sandpapering a bevelled edge is generally greeted with two standard replies, namely manual sandpapering or manual scraping. And so, you can sandpaper with a wooden block enveloped by sandpaper or you can scrape with a scraper which is kept razor-sharp. Thankfully, the DIY world is not the same as the professional trade. Here, more and more trademarks of items such as specialist parquet sanding machines now present one or more joint or bevelled edge sanders. Bevelled edge sanders make it easy to remove an old coat of lacquer or oil from a bevelled edge. These sanders can be adjusted perfectly to the depth of the bevelled edge and they stay nicely in the joint thanks to a sort of guide system. One well known trademark has a bevelled edge sander which is equipped with a sole plate which floats over the parquet floor and never comes into contact with the wood. The biggest advantage of this is that the machine never shoots out of the V-groove. Sanding work has to be done with the utmost precision, certainly with V-grooves in combination with tongue and groove.

A specialist Alvaket In 2010, tool trademark Wolff (also a trademark of the Uzin Utz Group) launched a V-groove cutter on the market. The Wolff Bevelled Edge Cutter has a sole plate which floats over parquet floors and never touches the wood. The big advantage here is that the machine never comes out of the V-groove because the Wolff Bevelled Edge Cutter runs through a three-point routing in the V-groove. Two conical wheels ensure efficient groove conduction and the third wheel provides the floating effect. Another plus point is that the Wolff machine cutting blade has six cutting teeth to ensure an easy and efficient routing pattern. Today, over eight years after the launch, clients are still lauding the Wolff Bevelled Edge Cutter, and that, plus the increased sales, shows that it is an outstanding machine which still meets all requirements. The tool is designed to be operated by hand and control of where the cutter runs is essential. That’s why it is not possible to work from a standing position. The cutter does run very smoothly through the joint. This is done without a conductor so that the joint can be cut quickly and efficiently without having to move the conductor each time (at least twice per groove). The cutter has a top angle of 90°, but a 60° angle can also be supplied on request.

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Special

Sports floor lines: who has these special paints?

THE FINAL COAT OF LACQUER PROTECTS SPORTS FLOOR LINES SPORTS FLOOR SYSTEMS FOLLOW A SOPHISTICATED STEPS PLAN

Photo – Blanchon

It goes without saying that sports floors get a protective top coat which can cope with lots of knocks. These floors are subjected to high traffic in just about every sense of the term. People tread on them intensely, jump on them, stop moving suddenly, and play on them in rubber soles, etc. Various producers have developed a finish system specially designed for sports floors. The construction of the system components is designed in line with a precisely specified procedure.

Sports floor requirements The EN 14904:2006 is the official European standard for indoor sports floors. It includes several demands as to how a floor has to match up to various sorts of pressure and situations. This standard considers the structure as a whole, with the slip resistance of the floor surface being one of the major parameters here. The slip resistance of a sports floor is determined largely by the finish. Just as the construction of a sports floor is a system, so, too, is the finish.

Technical qualities Amongst other things, the EN 14904 sets requirements for the floor’s sporting qualities. These are requirements concerning the contact between the floor and the human body. They include shock absorption, energy restitution, and the sliding coefficient, all features which relate to the health of the players. The elements which are referred to in the standard as ‘technical qualities’ obviously relate to the sport in

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question. These are features such as the bounce of the ball, reaction under rolling pressure, flatness, and such like. Finally, there are some other essential qualities such as the fire safety class and a number of environmental requirements.

The lines The selection of the wood is vitally important to the composition of sports floors. Indeed, the floor has to be a uniform whole in terms of colour, so the choice of wood usually falls to light sorts of wood so that markings or lines are clearly visible. As regards lines, there are various options, including applying the lines with a dual-component polyurethane lacquer. This system, apart from the excellent mechanical properties, has the big advantage of being available in virtually all RAL colours. The lines can therefore be marked out fully in line with the wishes or requirements of the sports federation. The standard says nothing specific about the lines, but since the lines are coated along with the entire floor after they are marked out, they automatically comply with the standard. Overcoating with the end finish is a must; after all, the lines are expensive and the protection which they enjoy from the finish obviously gives them a longer lifespan.

Colours Most countries give no specifications at all for sports line colours, except that some sports need lines in red, green, or black. Sweden, however, has recommendations based on the NCS Colour System. Unfortunately, recommendations in various countries often differ. For

instance, the mandatory colour for badminton in Sweden is black, in Germany it is green, and in England it is white.

Maintenance and renovation There is no doubt whatsoever that a sports floor has to be maintained. Professional maintenance extends the lifespan. Usually, manufacturers will present two products. The first product is used for cleaning lacquered wooden floors frequently. This is usually a concentrated (sometimes alkaline) cleaning product. A more powerful variant is deployed for the occasional cleaning of a sports floor. This powerful variant is usually specifically for removing stronger contaminants, body fats from the athletes, and footprints and black marks from rubber soles. With a full renovation of sports floors we speak basically of tabula rasa. Although there are known cases where new coats of lacquer and paint are applied to existing coats, the only professional way to renovate a floor is, as with all lacquered parquet floors, to sandpaper the floor blank. In fact, the whole start procedure is repeated.

What’s on the market? Adesiv Total Grip is an adhesion refinement base for wooden floor coverings. Total Grip is a dual-component waterborne base which can be used as a primer for lacquering sports floors or for improving the adhesion of coloured lines on pre-finished wooden floors. The product contains no solvents, dries quickly without streaks, and has excellent penetration. Colour Line is a waterborne dual-component paint for coloured lines on sports floors. The product has outstanding coverage and filling strength and can be painted over. Colour Line is available in several RAL colours.

Bona As we have said elsewhere, Bona has a complete system for finishing and maintaining wooden sports floors. Bona Sportive Primer is a mono-component and waterborne primer for use on wooden floors which will be used as sports floors before being painted over with Bona Sportive Finish. The long open time makes for easy application and gives the wood a smooth and natural colour. Bona Sportive Finish is a dual-component, waterborne, and 100% PU lacquer for treating wooden sports floors, whether they are solely for professional use or more general use. The lacquer complies with the slip-resistance requirements found in EN 14904:2006 and DIN 18032:2. Bona Sportive Paint is a fast-drying, mono-component, and waterborne paint for both applying lines and colouring zones on the playing field and the sides. Bona Sportive Paint is applied between two coats of Bona Sportive Finish.

Blanchon For many years now, Blanchon has presented a full and waterborne system for sports floor finishes. Their sport paint (‘peinture Tracés de jeu’) has been used for Olympic sports for over 30 years. The Sport® Blanchon glazers are waterborne and dual-components. These lacquers have a certificate of suitability for sport and Emicode EC1R. Marking lines can be applied to this parquet lacquer. For that purpose, Blanchon presents the new thixotropic paint Peinture Sport® Tracés, which is polyurethane and waterborne. This paint is supplied in two dosed kits (900g of lacquer and 100g of hardener), which have to be mixed when the product is used. The lines are applied in one coat. Thanks to the jelly-like viscosity, the lacquer never runs under the marking tape. That tape should be removed immediately after the application. The paint is available in the five European standard colours, namely white, yellow, red, black, and blue. Blanchon also offers the mono-component Peinture Sport® Surfaces for colouring zones in. This is available in seven colours and can be mixed extensively to make 14 RAL colours and 17 other shades. The paints and the lacquer take about one week to dry fully. For maintenance Blanchon offers its parquet cleaner Lisabril. This year, Blanchon is relaunching its Peinture Sport® Thixo Tracés, which is very much in demand amongst sport line marking specialists.

Plastor Wooden sports floors have to stand up to all sorts of aggression e.g. shocks, scratches, and scrapes. And so, the finish layer on such a floor is subjected to severe demands. For painting lines Plastor offers a dual-component solvent polyurethane paint. Thanks to its thixotropic texture, the paint does not run over between the marking strips. The paint PU35 meets the demands of NF EN 13036-4, the standard for indoor multi-sports floors. The dual-component formulation gives this paint excellent adhesion and strong resistance to intense use. Plastor advises you to apply two coats of primer first in order to reinforce the substrate. Plastor offers two technical primers for this purpose, namely ‘Fond Dur PRIM’H20’ and ‘Colmateur de Fond’. Fond Dur PRIM’H20 blocks up the tannins in the wood and is applied to prevent stains which could be caused by the tannins. Colmateur de Fond is deployed to give extremely porous types of wood a uniform absorption capacity. With the parquet varnish PUR-T® Sport, Plastor is completely in line with the grip criteria of EN 14904:2006. This lacquer is a dual-component parquet varnish based on polycarbonate resins for optimal impact resistance (250 x that of glass) and high transparency. It is available in silky gloss and high gloss.

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Special

Stockage of wood in extreme heat

HOW DO WE TREAT OUR WOOD IN EXTREME TEMPERATURES? HEATWAVES HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON WOOD STORAGE Most building materials expand under the influence of heat and shrink as they cool off. Heat does not affect the dimensioning of wood, at least not directly. Wood swells as it absorbs more moisture and shrinks as it dries. The temperature has an influence on the relative air humidity (of the surrounds). As for the implications for wood storage, we need to draw a distinction between the moisture content of wood in the ‘ dry phase’ and that in the ‘usage phase’. The one is a matter for wood wholesalers and manufacturers, the other for contractors or parquet floor fitters, for instance.

Wood moisture (Source: BJ Parket) Wood has a fibrous structure. With a live tree, nutrients and water are conveyed between the leaves and roots through these fibres. At that moment, the tree has a wood moisture content of over 60%. The water lies both between and in the fibres.

First dry phases After the cutting, the wood moisture content gradually evens out. Firstly, the water between the fibres evaporates, then the water in the fibres. This is an important phase because wood (especially oak) can discolour at this point. And so, this must be done in calmer conditions in the open air or in a drying oven. The latter gives you more control over the environment in which the wood dries out. With a wood moisture content of about 30%, the water in the hollow fibres starts to dry.

Below 30% moisture content The development curves show that the change in volume of moisture content is relatively linear up to 30%. This is an average percentage; it actually varies, depending on the type of wood, but fluctuates around this value. The wood does not change in size above a wood moisture content of 30%. The moisture content above which the wood no longer swells or below which it shrinks is called the fibre saturation point. When wood dries in the open air, it will eventually reach a balanced wood moisture content of 15 to 20%. From then on, it is necessary to speed up the drying process to deliver a wood moisture content level suitable for building.

winter the relative air humidity is about 35% with a wood moisture content which drops to 8%. Wood for parquet in Western Europe is dried to 10%.

Implications for storage Outlining the drying phases is important in this context because they illustrate which applications, wood moisture contents, and batches we are talking about.

Wholesaler: storage of raw wood Manufacturers and wholesalers who store newly cut raw wood keep a close eye on the drying process, whether natural or otherwise, and they intervene if necessary. We now know that with a wood moisture content of above 30%, nothing happens to the dimensions if the temperature fluctuates. After that, they usually dry the wood actively and store it under controlled conditions.

Construction wood, walls, and terraces These batches of wood can be stored for some time by intermediate traders (with the aforementioned wood moisture contents) either under controlled conditions in warehouses or in the open air. The fact is that the wood moisture contents are not as low as for parquet, for instance. The influence of fluctuations in temperature (as we know them) barely applies. Generally, a lot of attention is paid to stacking the piles and protecting them from direct sunlight.

Parquet and wood indoors Once the wood takes on the form of parquet, it stays indoors, strictly speaking, for storage. If a potential rise in temperature also leads to lower air humidity, it can cause the wood moisture content to fall, but, like a parquet floor already fitted, it will be kept under control by monitoring and, if necessary, rectifying the air humidity.

Balanced contents for building The following are average balanced contents for building: - Structure wood: at or below 20% - Wall cladding: about 14 % - Outdoor terrace: 14 to 18% - Parquet or stairs: 7 to 11%. Wood in a modern heated house balances out with the relative air humidity of indoor rooms. In the summer that is about 75% (relative air humidity) and a wood moisture content up to 13%, whilst in the

Floor Forum International 101

Photo – Scierie Leplang Frs sa

Special

Producers of skirting boards with integrated LED lights

LED SKIRTING BOARDS ARE NOW A PERMANENT FIXTURE FUNCTIONALITY AND SAFETY TAKE PRIORITY OVER SPHERE considerably. The quality of the electronics is also important.

Skirting boards with LED lamps It’s becoming a familiar picture: Staircases can be fitted step by step with sidelights and even floorboards (both indoors and for terraces) can be illuminated with built-in armatures. That option is available because the relevant armatures are extremely thin and very little in-built depth is needed. In this way illuminated skirting boards are on offer from a number of skirting board manufacturers with built-in armatures, but floor fitters don’t need special skills to do it themselves. Two editions ago at Domotex these skirting boards were on show in masses at the stands of almost all accessory suppliers (skirting boards and profiles). Virtually all armatures on offer comply with standard IP67 (dustproof and resistant to rinsing water) and can withstand pressure in excess of 250kg. Photo – Küberit

The alternative par excellence: LED strips

Why won’t light in or on skirting boards or skirting boards with integrated LED light disappear any time soon? The answer is fairly obvious: Aesthetic trends come and go and can even disappear completely, but products or systems which have a tangible value and contribute to safety are much less sensitive to trends. We’ve now discovered the safety aspect of illuminated skirting boards and staircase steps. The fact that such lights provide atmosphere and ambience is a nice bonus, but it’s certainly not the decisive factor.

Some technical details A LED (from the English term light-emitting diode) is an electronic semi-conductor component designed as a diode which beams light when power passes through in the current direction. This can be visible light in various colours, but also infrared rays or ultraviolet radiation. After their invention in 1962, LEDS were used solely as indicator lamps and signal transfer. Due to technical refinements, the light output increased and by the late 1990s it was possible to produce LED lights suitable as a source of light for normal daily use. Usually, a LED lamp is built into a small transparent casing which is a few millimetres in size and also acts as a lens. A LED can give many more hours of light than an energy-saving bulb before it expires. It is often stated on the packaging of a LED lamp that it should certainly provide light for 30,000 to 50,000 hours. What is crucially important with a LED lamp is that the heat is discharged properly. If not, the lifespan of the LED will shorten

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An alternative to built-in spots (or spots ready to be built in) can be found in the more recent market launch of LED strips. A major argument in favour of these strips is that they can be fitted universally. This is evidenced by a testimony from PPC boss Drees Klaassen regarding the boost of LED lights: ‘At the last Domotex, I saw that all suppliers were busy integrating LED lamps into their skirting boards. However, we have hundreds of different skirting boards, but we can’t make an illuminated version of all of them. And so, we’ve looked for a system which can be applied universally. And so, the idea of our LED strips, which you fit under the skirting board, has seen the light of day.’

Simple and ingenious The self-adhesive and watertight strips are five metres long and the accompanying diffusers ensure an even beam of light in white or colour (RGB). Since everything runs on low voltage, anyone can install the system. It is advisable to apply an aluminium strip first. This ensures a good discharge of heat and extends the lifespan of the LED light considerably. After that, the LED strip is glued to the wall on the underside of the floor, so that the skirting board is always five millimetres high. There are handy connecting pieces to join the strips together. When everything is ready, a synthetic finish strip is applied to make the bright LED light diffuse and pleasant. The system can be extended with an accompanying dimmer and remote control. To ensure that the strips don’t stand out when the light is off, the finish strips are available in milk white (for MDF skirting boards), matt grey, and brown. The LED strips run on 24 volts and have a very long lifespan of about 50,000 hours of use.

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Producers of skirting boards with integrated LED lights

What’s on the market? Carl Prinz

LED skirting boards can illuminate the entire room discreetly or act as safety lighting. Thanks to the rapidly advancing LED technology, the latter is developing rapidly. From a safety point of view in particular, LED skirting boards are ideal because they illuminate the floor. For decorative use it is mainly the colour tones which are useful. For stairs Prinz presents as its preference the illuminated stair nosing such as profile 218, which always illuminates the next step. And so, LED skirting boards are designed mainly for the wall, but the universal skirting board 358 can also be fixed to the ceiling. The thickness of the floor covering seldom plays a part because the skirting boards come up above it. For floating fitting with wider expansion joints, Prinz has Lux-Line. The skirting boards themselves are fitted in the same way as all other skirting boards. The LED strips have to be fitted by a specialist for safety reasons. Nevertheless, there are several plug & play solutions with no electric wires.

Küberit Küberit certainly sees skirting boards with LED lights as a trend. These skirting boards provide light from the floor and give the room a special effect. The first LED skirting boards to appear at the time on the market were real decorative objects. Küberit has developed a skirting board system for care and nursing homes with the lighting located in the skirting boards for safety reasons. This was developed in collaboration with a floor manufacturer, but production has only just started. The new range can be fitted anywhere for functional or decorative reasons. Küberit also offers a solution with LED for stair nosing. Strictly speaking, anyone can install this since the system uses 24V (low voltage),

but legislation in some countries makes it mandatory to use an electrician. At present, developers are working on a new version with an even more attractive light effect.

Progress Profiles

Innovation which is geared to market demand and with an eye for detail is a basic principle for Progress Profiles. The company has produced over 12,000 references in various materials. Processing LED lights into skirting boards is definitely a trend as a creative replacement for traditional lights. In public spaces they are deployed on the basis of safety considerations and in different ways. In residential dwellings they provide an elegant manner of creating an atmosphere in a minimalist fashion. Some successes from the assortment include PROLED System, PROSKIRTING GILED, which can also be used along the ceiling, and PROSTAIR LED, an anti-slip stair profile with integrated LED lights. These systems give LED lights a new, architectural, and functional dimension. As regards the fitting, any specialist who follows the relevant instructions for the chosen system can do it.

Hall E1 · Stand B01

26.–28.03 · 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

www.kueberit.com

∂ Industry news MMFA: Staying on the fast track of innovation MMFA focuses on quality criteria for modular multilayer flooring With modular multilayer flooring (MMF) currently booming and new types of product construction being launched all the time, the international flooring landscape has seen a significant change within a short space of time. Whilst sales figures are climbing, the wealth of products makes the market increasingly complex, necessitating more technical expertise when it comes Photo – ter Hürne to marketing. In its role as a European association, the MMFA wants to actively shape future developments and so is focusing on its own research projects and involvement with ongoing standardisation work. Carl Ruland, Convenor of the MMFA Market Development Committee, explained: “Sales figures for MMFA members continued to rise in 2018, and in 2019 we forecast continuing sales growth for all product categories and markets within the MMF segment. For MMF flooring with HDF core, the Association currently estimates that its members hold a world market share in excess of 90%. By 2017, MMFA producers had already achieved global sales in this category of almost 10 million m2, of which 80% were accounted for by Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 2018, the total quantity rose even further to 12 million m2. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR World Flooring Forum in Shanghai draws global audience Shanghai. One day before the official opening of its 21st edition, the organizers of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR along with China National Forest Products Industry Association are hosting the 5th international Wood Flooring Forum. The Forum will give wood and resilient flooring manufacturers, buyers and associations an overview of the opportunities and obstacles in the international wood and resilient flooring market addressing topics such as legal, trade and environmental issues affecting the flooring industry. Carrying the theme “energizing new growth drivers and forming new patterns”, WFF will promote industry networking worldwide along with the Chinese flooring industry. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided at all sessions of the Forum. A highlight of the conference is a global market overview presented by eight keynote speakers from Europe, the U.S., Australia and China. They will share their perspectives on the current status and future market trend of the flooring industry in China, Europe and North America. Speakers include Man WANG, Secretary General, China Forest Industry Federation (CFIF) and Executive President, China National Forest Products Industry Association (CNFPIA); Feng SHI, President, China National Forest Products Industry Association(CNFPIA), Bin LV, Secretary General, Flooring Committee of CNFPIA; Chris Zizza, Chairman, National Wood Flooring Association; Bruce Zwicker, Former

CEO, J.J Haines; Karl Scheucher, Managing Director, European Producers of Laminate Flooring Association; Xinjian LUO, Director, Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information (RIFPI); Jun DU, Purchasing Director, VANKE Group. The conference also includes four consecutive panel discussions. More than 400 top leaders from the biggest Chinese manufacturers and global distributors will get together to discuss market trends, technology innovation, material applications, distribution, and branding. Panelists include Ke LU, General Manager, Swiss Krono China; Xiaolong CHEN, President, Power Dekor; Zhiwen ZENG, General Manager, CFL Flooring China; Xuebin SHE, President, NATURE; Kai ZHANG, President, Treesum Flooring; Hongpeng YAO, President, DER Group. WFF is organized by the China National Forest Products Industry Association (CNFPIA), the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and hosted by the Flooring Board Special Committee of CNFPIA, the Research Institute of Wood Industry and VNU Exhibitions Asia. WFF also received official support from the State Forestry Administration and the Shanghai Municipal Government. For more information about the show visit www.domotexasiachinafloor.com

Susanne Büttner joins the Pallmann marketing team New international marketing manager at Pallmann Würzburg, March 2019 - Mrs. Susanne Büttner is supporting Pallmann-Marketing in Würzburg with immediate effect. Her areas of responsibility include in particular international marketing and online marketing/social media marketing. The marketing expert brings with her many years of experience from renowned German companies. Among other things, she worked for many years for one of the largest German e-commerce companies in the print sector and will support the marketing team with valuable know-how and practical knowledge from these areas.

Floor Forum International 101

Special

Ghana

THE GHANAIAN ECONOMY IS STILL GROWING STRONGLY THE GOVERNMENT IS WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY

Tackling poverty is a top priority of government policy in Ghana. Over 28% of Ghanaians are below the poverty line. The country has enjoyed constant economic growth over the past decade, so that should help reduce poverty over time. The government is also aiming to combat illegal wood logging. 80% of commercial logging destined for both the national market and for export is probably illegal. This fight is a hard balancing exercise since illegal trade does yield work for about 200,000 Ghanaians.

Geography Ghana is located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea a few degrees north of the equator and almost right on the meridian of Greenwich.

Floor Forum International 101

Ghana borders on Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Togo. With a surface area of 238,573 square kilometres, the country is about seven times bigger than a country such as the Netherlands. Ghana has a widely varied landscape. The south is mainly green and there are still patches of rain forest to be found. However, a lot of it has had to make way for agriculture. As you go further north, the landscape becomes flatter, open, and more savannah-like. All along the coast you find larger and smaller beaches, which are often fringed by palm trees. The highest mountain is Mount Afadjato (880 metres). Lake Volta is a huge and elongated reservoir in the east of the country. It is shaped like an inland delta. The source comes largely from the rivers White Volta and Oti (both offshoots of the River Niger) and the Black Volta, which has its source in the north of Burkina Faso; the

water flows from the lake via the Akosombo Dam and the River Volta to the sea.

Politics The present constitution, which forms the basis of the fourth republic, has been in force since 1992. Executive power lies with the president, who is elected directly for a term of four years and can be re-elected once. The president is also commander-in-chief of the military units. The vice-president is appointed by the president as well as the cabinet. The legislature consists of a parliament with 230 members, who are elected directly for a term of four years. The constitution provides for a state council, consisting of 25 regional representatives and members appointed by the president, and a National Security Council of 20 members, which is chaired by the vice-president. Both organs have an advisory function with respect to the president.

Successful democratisation On 7 December 2004, the country held its presidential and parliamentary elections again. Those elections proceeded peacefully and in an orderly manner apart from one minor incident. The international community, including the EU, declared the elections democratic and transparent. Ghana is rightly seen as a model of successful democratisation for the rest of Africa. The new parliament consists of 230 members, 128 of whom are from the governing party (the NPP), 94 from the biggest opposition party (the NDC), 4 from the PNC, 3 from the CPP, and 1 independent member. President Kufuor was sworn in on 7 January 2005 in the presence of several African heads of state and (western) government representatives.

A turbulent period During the party congress of the NDC in December 2005, Obed Asamoah, a leading party member, decided to form his own party, the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP). In March 2007, Ghana celebrated fifty years of independence. In December 2007, president Kufuor announced that huge oil reserves had been found and that his country would be an African ‘tiger’ (oil supplier). Presidential elections took place again in December 2008 and opposition candidate John Atta Mills became the new president. In July 2009, former USA president Barack Obama visited Ghana. In July 2012, president Mills passed away and was succeeded by John Mahama, initially on a temporary basis.

Today President Mahama won the elections in December 2012. The opposition cast doubt on the result, but the supreme court ruled in August 2013 that the result was valid. In December 2016, opposition candidate Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential elections. In January 2017, he succeeded the defeated John Mahama as president.

strongly deflated world market prices for cocoa and gold led to disappointing financial results for the government. Moreover, the inflated prices of oil imports also led to a strong rise in government expenditure. This combination of factors led to a badly diminished balance of payments in 2000 and 2001. In recent years, Ghana has once again benefitted from the rise in cocoa prices.

Structural changes Ghana has a long history of structural change. At the time of independence, Ghana enjoyed favourable economic prospects; the country enjoyed a relatively high standard of living. The Nkrumah government strived for a speedy industrialisation funded by the state with export income. However, insufficient planning and a fall in the world market price of cocoa threw a spanner in the works. This led to a rising budget deficit. Deficits were absorbed by the country’s own banking system, but that led to an overvalued cedi, shortages of currencies, high inflation, and therefore a drop in production. Not only did this have pernicious consequences for the export sector (in the early 1970s, Ghana still controlled one third of the world cocoa market, but by 1990 that share had fallen to 13% ), but also supplies on inland markets came under severe pressure. And so, during the course of the 1970s, it was necessary for Ghana to quadruple its food imports.

Reforms and restoration Apart from a few periods of relapse, Ghana has built up a good reputation in implementing these change programmes; generally speaking, the country has succeeded reasonably in meeting the set goals and time limits. Achievements include the complete liberalisation of trade and the exchange rate, reforms in the fiscal, monetary, financial, and public sectors, and the privatisation of state enterprises. As a result of this, the GDP achieved average real growth of 4.7% per annum in the period from 1986 to 1993 and inflation fell from 122% in 1983 to 40% in 1987 and 10% in 1992. Early in 2003, the final provisions were concluded for the definitive PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper), the government’s plan to tackle national poverty. In Ghana this plan is called the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) and it lists the priorities of the Ghanaian government in its fight against poverty in the country. In the meantime, the sequel, the GPRS II to cover the years from 2006 to 2009, was published in November 2005. Over the past decade, Ghana has done reasonably well to achieve substantial growth percentages. In 2011, the country enjoyed record growth of 15%, followed by growth of 7.9% in 2012 and 2013. In 2017, growth was 8.4% and, during that same year, the average income per head of population was the equivalent of 4,700 US dollars per annum.

Fight against illegal wood logging

The Ghanaian economy depends largely on agriculture, which contributes to just under 20% of the GDP (2017). Gold, cocoa, and wood are the major export products. The Ghanaian economy is extremely sensitive to drought, plagues, and international price fluctuations.

The European Union is aiming to tackle illegal wood logging by forming voluntary partnership agreements with countries which export wood. In 2008, Ghana was the first country to sign such a convention. The agreement is designed to promote legally logged wood and thereby to encourage sustainable forest management. The European Union is currently clearing the way to accept only legally produced wood and wood products from Ghana onto its market.

Cocoa farming and price fluctuations

A dilemma

In the 1960s, Ghana was the biggest cocoa producer in the world. However, Ivory Coast has taken over that position after cocoa farming in Ghana was plagued by plant diseases and inefficiency. The two major ports of Ghana, Takoradi in the west and Tema, near the capital Accra, still run largely on the transhipment of cocoa. Ghana also faced energy shortages, and, in 1998, this culminated in an acute crisis which resulted in both industries and families being rationed. In 1999 and 2000,

Forests are disappearing rapidly in Ghana due mainly to wood logging. This is commercial wood logging for export and for the internal market, about 80% of which is done illegally. Lots of people work in the wood industry; it is estimated that some 135,000 to 200,000 do so illegally. Unlawful wood logging without a licence or supervision is certainly robbing this country of its forests, but, at the same time, it is a major source of survival for thousands of rural families.

Economics

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Floor Forum International 101

∂ Product news ELEPHANT®: NOBLE AND DURABLE DECKING AND FLOORS elephant® supplies decking, fences and floors made of bamboo, wood, WPC and LVT. Our outdoor products are ideally adapted to withstand weather and other environmental conditions. They combine a beautiful appearance and a solid quality. For indoor we offer oak parquet and design flooring. Beside the robust quality, the choice of materials under ecological aspects contributes to the sustainability of our products: Our bamboo products help as an ecologically worthwhile alternative to hardwood to reduce the deforestation of tropical forests. Our elephant® representative in Belgium: Geert Swinnen, phone +32 (0)471/ 092748), E-mail: swinnen.geert1@skynet.be More information: www.elephant.de

SOLIDFLOOR SAVANNAH AND PRAIRIE With the new basic range Savannah and Prairie we offer an assortment which is a must for every entrepreneur. Fully focused on the latest trends with floors in an unfinished look or as unfinished available in different widths Solidfloor emphasizes the basic beauty of the real wood. A very special novelty can be found with the floors Solidfloor Alabama and Indiana. A very unique mix of mechanical treatments creates a real 'old barn' look. Every six floor parts are finished differently. As a result, each laid floor creates a very characteristic and unique atmosphere. In this case, in addition to no floor is the same you now also can say no plank is the same.

MEISTER PRESENTS ITS NEW STAIR NOSING With the new long-life stair nosing made of parquet, every specialist can now round off stairs perfectly with MEISTER parquet. With this product, MEISTER is reacting to the increasing trend of also building stairs in living areas. Here, it is very important for the consumer that the colour of the stairs goes perfectly with the colour of the parquet floor. This unique look is now ensured by the MEISTER stair nosing, which is available with an L and a U profile. The profiles are here coordinated with the surfaces of the Longlife parquet collections Penta PD 450, Cottage PD 400 and Classic PD 200. Elegant stair nosing for Nadura and Lindura There is now also an elegant stair nosing (Type 11) for the 11 mm thick Wood Powder floor. This is also available in the colours sand, stainless steel and silver.

HARO DISANO – THE FAMILY KEEPS ON GROWING DISANO by HARO: Now in tile styles Rosenheim – In the market segment of healthy living design floors, HARO has been one of the pioneers of 100% PVC- and plasticiser-free design flooring for years. For this reason, the company sys-tematically works to expand further and has added six new stone styles in a tile format to the DISANO Smart Aqua series. Modern, healthy living design floors like the DISANO series by HARO do not use PVC and harmful plasticisers. They combine an authentic look with exceptional comfort qualities. The healthy living feature of DISANO floors has been confirmed by the German environmental seal Blauer Engel (Blue Angel) and the seal of the testing group ECO-Institut. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

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N° 99, December 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

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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.

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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° 97, September 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

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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,…

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Special: UV/LED machines on site

Are you an installer of parquet floors or a timber trader, an importer, a distributor, a wholesaler, a carpenter with employees, an agent, an interior architect, an interior designer, a decorator, a manager of a shop specializing in decoration, an entrepreneur in the world of construction or a manufacturer…? If this is the case, our magazine is an exceptionally good source of reference for you.

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low-environmental-impact bicomponent adhesive

MS GOLD FLEX

high-performance monocomponent MS adhesive

since 1971

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Subscribe right away and become part of our family of professionals to stay informed about the trends and novelties in the sector of floor coverings and wood façades, deckings, finishing products,… Become part of the large family of the sector of the wooden floor coverings, vinyl and PVC and the wooden façade claddings, thanks to the most popular magazine in the sector in Europe. Take a subscription right away and enjoy our promotional price of 49 euros*. * 79 euros per year for dispatching outside Europe

Mega

uil

ONE

l i c i t y, S p e e

From now on, never apart Bona Mega ONE Bona continues to innovate the floor industry and redefine the rules of wood floor finishes with speed, simplicity and fantastic results. With great filling properties, no primer needed and fast drying between coats, Bona Mega ONE really is a contractorÂ´s best friend. Building on the DNA of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bestselling finishes, Bona Mega ONE offers fantastic benefits for professionals and floor owners in need of versatile wood floor protection. Bona Mega ONE - ONE promise, ONE partner.

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