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° 115 March 2021 - 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: Singapore
Advertorial: Husqvarna Belgium Special Providers of extra wide and long parquet / wooden floors
Advertorial: Tarkett Advertorial Bona (SE)
HIDDEN FASTENERS, TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES FOR TIMBER DECKING & CLADDING Advertorial Janser (D)
Advertorial Lägler GmbH (D) FCBA N° 2010.461.1208 FCBA N° 2018.387.1177 DT FCBA N° 216.511.2348
info@novlek.com, +32 (0)474 49 49 99
www.novlek.com
Five generations of timber trading
Our investments for engaged partnerships
Post Brexit: we set up a company in the UK – Vandecasteele Timber LTD to facilitate our collaboration with UK partners
Using timber tackles climate change
Huge stock in certified timber: 120,000 m3, more than 140 different species.
2025 – our aim is to trade in Certified timber only from 2025 onwards
Contact Bergstraat 25 8511 Aalbeke Belgium vandecasteele.be
genevieve@vandecasteele.be +32 56 43 33 00 dave@vandecasteele.be +44 15 94 83 43 32
Content
Editorial
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° 115 March 2021 - 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: Singapore
Advertorial: Husqvarna Belgium Special Providers of extra wide and long parquet / wooden floors
Advertorial: Tarkett Advertorial Bona (SE)
HIDDEN FASTENERS, TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES FOR TIMBER DECKING & CLADDING
“NÖVLEK® : PROFESSIONAL SOLUTIONS FOR WOODEN TERRACES AND WALL CLADDINGS”
Advertorial Janser (D)
Advertorial Lägler GmbH (D) FCBA N° 2010.461.1208 FCBA N° 2018.387.1177 DT FCBA N° 216.511.2348
info@novlek.com, +32 (0)474 49 49 99
www.novlek.com
FloorForum_cover_159x223_2021.indd 1
22/03/21 23:04
Floor Forum International n° 115 March 2021 Photo Növlek®
Photo –
4 Inside news 6 Advertorial Husqvarna Belgium 8 Special Producers of skirting boards with LED or other
forms of built-in lighting 10 Special Staircase renovation 12 Advertorial Tarkett 14 Advertorial Bona (SE) 16 Special Providers of cross-cut wooden floors 18 Special Packing machines 20 Advertorial Lägler GmbH (D) 22 Special Colouring wood 25 Special Benefits of the new sanding method with rotary
disc machines
For almost 20 years, Növlek has developed and manufactured ingenious, simple, and efficient solutions for securing, protecting, insulating, and fitting planks and supports in wood for terraces, wall claddings, and other outdoor works. NÖVLEK® is a Belgian brand, Made in Europe, with products and parts made locally in approved factories. The company devises and develops its own products down to the last detail. They test them extensively in laboratories and on the site itself because they are convinced they have to be approved by the users. Customers and users have always taken centre stage in the daily activities of the NÖVLEK® teams, who make every effort to provide immaculate service and products. NÖVLEK® is the brand which offers the satisfaction and professionalism which you deserve. They work with products which have proved their value, with a simple application, without any compromise on quality and safety, a perfect and durable result and personalised and precise service!
27 Special Who has waterproof laminate floors? 31 Special Range of ride-on machines for removing old tiles,
natural stone, wooden floors, carpet, etc… 34 Advertorial Janser (D) 36 Special Providers of extra wide and long parquet /
wooden floors 39 Special Providers of 3D decorative wooden wall panels 41 Special Who has chemical products for distressing
wooden floors? 43 Special Who has special cleaning and maintenance
products for wooden floors? 45 Special Fastening systems for terrace floors 48 Special Singapore 50 Product news
Editing & advertisements FFI bvba PO BOX 29 9870 Olsene, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)475/44 20 77 sales@media-pact.com www.floor-forum.com
Advertising & subscriptions Filip De Ridder sales@media-pact.com Adriana Dascalu info@media-pact.com Hilde De Ridder floorforum@telenet.be
Publisher Filip De Ridder
Editors: Jan Hoffman Ludwig Janssens † Jean Paul Talbot Filip De Ridder Jacques Legros
Lay-out: Be-able Communication www.be-able.be
Subscriptions to Floor Forum International: Mail to info@media-pact.com
Production: Lowyck - Oostende
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 Renzo Borgonovo Srl and FNT-Trabattoni Stampi Srl
for pop-up spaces. Sales of Chipps are thriving. For instance, the agent in Italy has completed sales from Padova and Turin to the far south in Sicily. The colleague responsible for stand construction and the event sector has also been busy during the pandemic. Once things get going again, he can draw on a wealth of ideas. At the time of going to press, managers Romina De Giorgi and Roel Geraerts have five agents in Italy and three in the Netherlands. There are now 16 showrooms or sales points in their own country. They range from interior finish companies and parquet stores to timber businesses. For more information visit us on www.chipps.be
MEISTER
Renzo Borgonovo Srl and FNT-Trabattoni Stampi Srl would like to bring the spotlight onto the 60th anniversary of the company Renzo Borgonovo Srl! The company was founded in Verano Brianza, Italy in 1961 by Mr. Renzo Borgonovo. Step by step, the new brand got itself a name in the field of linear profiles and picture frames finishing, where it quickly became a point of reference. By the years, with the changing of the markets and the opening of new opportunities, Renzo Borgonovo Srl developed new machines and new models, and became an active player also into other sectors, such as the Parquet Industry one. Now led by Mr. Luca Borgonovo, the company is at its second generation and it is happy to celebrate with you this important landmark: 60 Years of Quality, Reliability, and Know-how!
Chipps Early in May new at Chipps: ‘I do believe in Fairies’ The previous edition introduced Chipps, the new Belgian product for on the floor or against the wall and/or the ceiling. Chipps, made on a base of OSB panel, completely revamps this material and turns an everyday product into a trendy statement. Chipps is currently divided into six collections with a total of over 40 different designs. They are busy with the launch of a new collection called ‘I do believe in Fairies’. This new creation is being launched on the market early in May. It draws inspiration from the magical and floral and looks forward to the end of the pandemic. Like all other designs, ‘I do believe in Fairies’ responds to seasons and refers explicitly to the design of hospitality rooms and accommodation on camp sites and beach bars. And so, it’s attractive
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Old denim oak 4304
“Cladding is a thing of the past”: MEISTER presents new panel range Under the brand name MEISTER, MeisterWerke not only markets innovative hard floor covering; panels, too, are part of its extensive product range – which is 100% made in Germany. MEISTER is now expanding its product portfolio of wall and ceiling coverings with numerous new products. The general rule of thumb: functionality meets stylish and modern aesthetics. Cladding is a thing of the past! MeisterPanels. style: Sound-absorbing acoustic panels with felt As well as an elegant aesthetic, the new MeisterPanels. style SP 800 collection with high-quality felt offers real added value. The acoustic panel absorbs 35% of noise (absorber class D as per DIN EN 11654), providing a pleasant room atmosphere in modern living environments, in which curtains and other textiles are used sparingly. Partial covering of the wall or ceiling is enough for the sound-absorbing effect to make itself felt. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news
Pallmann Spider now with light Spot on for the all-rounder Pallmann Spider Since its market launch over 5 years ago, the Pallmann Spider wood floor sanding machine has become an indispensable part of the wood floor installer's daily routine when it comes to sanding, polishing or structuring. Unlike any other machine, it revolutionised hardwood sanding with its innovative three-disc technology for direction-free work, even right up to the edge. Together with the machine specialists from Wolff and in close cooperation with partners in the wood
∂ Inside news flooring business, Pallmann has continuously developed and optimised the machine over the past years. Year after year, the machine evolves, with new accessories and new applications. The Pallmann brush set for structuring wood floors and the diamond segments for removing particularly stubborn old and hard coatings have been a great success. Now the German company is going one better. Fans of the Spider wood floor sanding machine can look forward to new, attractive features: from January a new power LED light with 360° illumination and improved wheel hubcaps will be standard on the equipment. Direction-free sanding also requires wide spectrum illumination, the integrated light illuminates the working area and clearly makes visible the sanding pattern and any irregularities left in the floor. This new LED light will enhance working conditions especially in poorly lit areas and ensures the optimum result in sanding patterns. The light ring will also add additional weight to the machine to ensure a smooth operation during screening and polishing. A new enhanced hubcap design will protect door frames, walls and baseboards from unwanted scratches. Both can be installed on existing machines. Further upgrades to the machine will follow in later 2021.
MEISTER
6414 MeisterDesign Ambiente
Design flooring MeisterDesign. next: A new flooring standard! “Vinyl flooring without the vinyl” has become a firm fixture on the market since its launch in 2018. Now, MeisterDesign. next design flooring (edition M7) has arrived in the MEISTER product range, as the next generation of sustainable, PVC-free design flooring for healthy living. Eight authentic decors offer plenty of variety! The new design flooring has an innovative, modular construction built
for comfort, with an integrated sound-absorbing cork cushion and a special swell-reduced AquaSafe board, made of renewable raw materials. The additional AquaStop edge impregnation and tightly sealed, patented Masterclic Plus fold-down click system guarantee water resistance for four hours. As a result, MeisterDesign. next is suitable for use in living rooms and bedrooms, as well as hallways, kitchens and bathrooms (including over hot water underfloor heating). With a high wear class of 23/33, it is also suitable for commercial areas. The compact planks (format: 1287 × 220 mm with an 8 mm thickness) are safe and easy to install. The Puretec® Pro surface is a particularly innovative feature. The new, soft PUR special film provides a vivid and authentic decorative image for the perfect combination of look and feel, especially on the three decors with special pore effects. Low decor repetition (nine different plank designs) makes MeisterDesign. next extremely rich and varied in appearance and sets new standards in aesthetics. Like all “Vinyl flooring without the vinyl”, MeisterDesign. next is 100% PVC and plasticiser-free, is fully made in Germany and bears the Blue Angel environmental seal. One particular plus for hygiene and healthy living is that the surface is naturally antibacterial (tested bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) – completely without additional coatings.
HARO design floor family adds new member WaveAqua – the robust HARO design floor for healthy living and durability You would have to look long and hard to find another design floor on the market that stands for healthy living, comfort and durability in the way that HARO’s design floor family does. A new member has now been added to the product range with WaveAqua, a modern, uncomplicated entry-level design floor that sets new standards particularly in the area of robustness. For HARO retail partners, the HARO WaveAqua design floor is an attractive floor covering that offers customers the perfect point of entry to HARO’s high-performance design floor world, a world that is completely free of PVC and plasticisers. And, of course, it bears the German Blue Angel environmental seal and the ECO label. According to Klaus Trautner, Head of Product Management at HARO: “The rigid core board of the WaveAqua is made of natural materials, a feature that makes it especially dimensionally stable and pressure resistant. The floor creates an extremely authentic look thanks in particular to its special surface quality. The visually perfect plank character is accentuated by the bevelled edges on four sides. WaveAqua is ideal for use in wet areas owing to its construction and moisture-repellent PowerWave rear side.” These make great sales arguments for HARO retail partners – particularly in consideration of the excellent value for the money that makes the new Disano WaveAqua so interesting. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news
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Advertorial
Husqvarna Belgium
‘SHAPING GREAT EXPERIENCES’ HUSQVARNA CONSTRUCTION IS NOW A ONE-STOP PARTNER FOR ALL FLOOR WORK DUE TO VARIOUS TAKEOVERS
Husqvarna, a native Swedish company, has long been a top player in floor preparations and finishes. In the last three years, the company has completed several takeovers and can now profile itself more than ever as a floor treatment all rounder. Its solutions range from the very outset, the preparation of loose ground, to fully finished concrete floors. The aim is crystal clear. Husqvarna Construction presents itself to customers as a ‘one stop’ company which does more than just supply top class machines and diamond tools. It is also fully committed to supporting anyone who trades with it. Husqvarna aims to live up to its philosophy constantly, namely ‘Shaping great experiences’ or offering the best possible experience. They don’t ignore the framing either. They provide literally everything that customers can expect and considered thought and maximum innovation take centre stage. They provide professionals with extra tools to enable them to work with maximum efficiency. We think of various apps such as the fleet app, which makes it possible to track connected products remotely or the tool selector app, which helps customers select the right products in the various stages for processing concrete floors.
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Acquisitions Kris De Rudder, country manager for Belgium, and Stijn Verherstraeten, vice-president for concrete surfaces & floors at the head office in Gothenburg for Husqvarna Construction, explain how various things came about. Firstly, they tell us about the various Husqvarna takeovers from recent years. Stijn Verherstraeten: ‘A few years ago, we worked out a deliberate strategy to offer our customers a comprehensive solution in fitting and finishing concrete floors and walls. We start literally with loose ground and end with a perfectly smooth concrete floor, with offers for customer solutions every step of the way. The whole programme starts with the offer of compaction machines to fill in the ground using vibratory plates, beaters, and rollers. We took over this range of light compaction machines and concrete processing machines from Atlas Copco in 2018.’ Kris De Rudder: ‘The next step is levelling and finishing the concrete with manually operated modular or double vibrating beams and trowels. This is now under the auspices of Husqvarna thanks to the acquisition of Atlas Copco and Wacker Neuson products in concrete surfaces and floors. Using poker vibrating heads and vibrating beams seals concrete with vibrations to extract air bubbles from it and yield
an extremely level floor. Then there’s the trowel machines (so called trowels) which polish the concrete, and then you put joints in the concrete using a saw. Make sure no cracks appear in the concrete once it’s poured; this means you make controlled cuts in the concrete yourself to reduce the pressure. There are two options: Either you work in fresh concrete with a Husqvarna Soff-Cut® early entry floor saw or, once the concrete has set, you use classic floor saw machines to saw through the concrete.’ ‘The next step takes us closer to the aforementioned takeover of HTC. If you want to finish a rough concrete floor neatly, there are various applications. For instance, you can grind with diamonds to yield a level floor which can be of a different kind e.g. industrial, commercial, Super floor™, etc. Stijn Verherstraeten: ‘You can even give the latter the look and feel of natural stone. That’s precisely why HTC is included in the group. HTC offered customers a highly extensive range for grinding and polishing concrete floors. To make sure that the floor-grinding proceeds safely, the loose-flying dust must be discharged efficiently. The takeover of Pullman Ermator meant that the market leader in industrial vacuum cleaners also joined the group. All these machines are now on the market under one brand name, namely Husqvarna, so that customers know where to go for all their needs.’
Complementarity The most recent takeover was that of Blastrac early this year. Blastrac is a leading supplier of surface preparation technology for the global construction and sanitation industry. Stijn Verherstraeten: ‘Blastrac adds a lot of complementary products to the range and offers better solutions, in this case particularly with renovation. Besides a wide range of milling machines, there are strippers which are absolutely ideal for removing wall-to-wall carpet or other floor covering on concrete floors. Another example are shot blasters, which remove elements like glue or paint from the floor, but which can also roughen up concrete. In other words, this acquisition means we can always offer various techniques for preparing concrete for both renovation and new construction.’
Experience Centre for all our European customers. It’s a centre where customers not only see all our machines, but also familiarise themselves with all our solutions via demonstrations, training sessions, etc.’
More innovation After both men have stressed how and why Husqvarna Construction have put everything under one and the same umbrella (and therefore one brand name) after the takeover of various brands, they explain the company’s commitment to further innovation. As well launching new products, this means, for instance, a full commitment to digital solutions. Husqvarna has launched various apps on the market in recent years. The tool selector and the fleet app appear to be the most important ones. Stijn Verherstraeten: ‘The tool selector has proved its worth particularly in the selection of the right diamond tool. For instance, you have several different diamonds for various applications where the app helps customers select the right tool under any circumstances.’ Kris De Rudder: ‘The fleet app is equally handy because it connects all our machines. And so, owners can see the location of machines, how many hours they’ve worked, they help with trouble shooting, etc. This app is a perfect example of how Husqvarna sees the future. It’s not just about machines, but rather a total solution where we can stand out with innovative services due to the competence in our own company.’ Stijn Verherstraeten: ‘The ultimate aim is to help customers work more safely, sustainably, and productively and thereby together with our satisfied customers promote concrete floors.’
It’s not just the machines We can summaries the moral of the story told by both men quite easily. The range was already quite extensive for three years, but it’s now virtually complete. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road. After all, it’s about more than just machines. Stijn Verherstraeten: ‘It’s also a story of innovation and ongoing investment. The guiding principle is that we’ve invested in order to make ourselves better suppliers for our customers so that they can contact us for any machine whatsoever in the entire process. In that respect it’s vitally important that we also provide service to go with the necessary competence. If customers need support to obtain an assignment or have a technical question during the execution of an assignment, they can always contact us. Furthermore, we also regularly organise “academy training” for both our own staff and customers. This isn’t just about the use of machines, but the entire theory and practice on how to finish a concrete floor in the best possible way.’ Kris De Rudder: ‘When our representatives visit customers, they offer solutions in all categories, not just hardware. We’re also fully committed to ‘customer experience’. In Ath in Belgium we have a brand-new
For more information visit their web site: www.husqvarnacp.com
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Special
Producers of skirting boards with LED or other forms of built-in lighting
HOW LED REACHED MATURITY FROM PURE FUNCTIONALITY TO ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR CREATING ATMOSPHERE problem whatsoever. It is certainly advisable in damp rooms such as bathrooms to opt for a LED strip (see below). To all this you can add an exceptionally long lifespan. In practice, there is talk of at least 20,000 to 40,000 hours. That’s much more than old light bulbs and even ‘eclipses’ saver lamps and the TL tube. Until about ten years ago, LED lamps had a bad reputation of falling out too often, but those teething problems have long been a thing of the past. Moreover, we note that LED lights over time diminish in spread of light very slowly, and over their entire lifespan this is currently estimated at less than 30%. What makes LED lamps even more attractive is that they can now be dimmed, something which is useful from a practical and decorative perspective. Moreover, and possibly most important of all, LED lamps are very limited in size, so they can be integrated into all sorts of shapes and designs. This means they are suitable not only as main lights, but also they can serve in all other ways.
Led strips A skirting board is attractive, but what if it doesn’t have any built-in lights? In that case a led strip makes a nice solution. It is good to realise that such strips can be used universally, so not just under skirting boards but also under kitchen units or on stairs. Moreover, they are easy to install because everything works on low voltage.
Photo – Auer Metallprofile
Skirting boards with lights have been prominent in the interior for several years. Whilst these lights were launched initially on the market for functional purposes (such as lighting up the corridor of a darkened cinema), we note that these skirting board lights have now made their way into the interior as not only as functional, but also as decorative elements. Moreover, these elements are very easy to install as you don’t need to be an electrician to do it.
Waterproof and chip resistant The product which has made it possible to integrate such lights into skirting boards in an unobtrusive manner is obviously the well known LED lighting. This technology not only allows you to integrate lights into a skirting board at a low mounting height, but also you can do it in absolute safety because a LED lamp hardly gets warm and is resistant to vibrations and shocks. You can assume that a good skirting board light is also 100% waterproof and chip resistant. This means that daily activities such as moving furniture or vacuum cleaning form no
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We discovered a good example of such strips with a product which the Dutch company PPC developed and launched on the market five years ago. This company noticed that everyone was starting to integrate LED lights into skirting boards, but since the company itself had hundreds of different skirting boards, it was not possible to make an illuminated version of all those skirting boards. The solution came in the form of LED strips, which are fitted under the skirting board. What they came up with were self-adhesive and watertight strips (5m long) with accompanying diffusers providing an even light bar in white or colour (RGB). The fitter can install these lights with a minimum of dexterity. PPC advises customers to fit an aluminium strip first. This provides a good heat discharge and extends the lifespan of the LED lights considerably. The strips are then stuck to the wall at the height of the underside of the floor so that the skirting board is always 5mm higher. The strips are joined using connectors and when everything is ready, you stick a synthetic finish strip to make the bright LED strip diffuse and pleasant. This system can also be extended to include an accompanying dimmer and a remote control. This illustrates how functionality is moving increasingly towards a handy decorative element.
What’s on the market ? Auer Metallprofile
Auer Metallprofile - something for every taste. In 2021, the previous LED stair nosing with direct lighting (309) was updated and at the same time the product range was expanded to include an LED stair nosing (513) and two LED skirting boards (514/515), each with indirect lighting. The indirectly illuminated LED skirting boards are 60x15.8 mm and 100x15.8 mm. These are available in the colors silver anodized and powder-coated according to RAL. For a neat installation solution, both skirting boards have a shaft for laying cables and one for the LED strip. In addition, Auer Metallprofile offers accessories such as corner connectors for LED strips, cooling strips for easier laying of the LEDs, as well as a translucent cover that can be pushed into the baseboards. In order to be able to combine it with other product groups even more flexibly, AMP now also offers the option to purchase individual LED components. You can find out all details in the new catalog and in the AMP news flyer 2021.
Carl Prinz
products are installed to reassure patients, whereas in hotels’ hallways are used to show the way in the dark as well as to enrich spaces with a fancy touch of design. PROLEDLIGHT System is the ultimate LED range of profiles suitable for walls, stairs and skirtings, created and projected by Progress Profiles. This system reinvents the concept of profile and transforms light into a bright and creative solution for a new way of fitting-out and living in private and public spaces in an aestheticemotional dimension. Designed by Arch. Gilberto Toneguzzi, Proskirting GILED can be fitted along the ceiling as a contemporary fitting-out or to decorate walls; Prostair LED, instead, is a non-slip stair-nosing profile with an integrated LED lighting system.
The most important effect that skirting boards with LED ducts achieve is indirect lighting of the rooms. Compared to point light sources, a completely different atmosphere is created in the room. In addition to the design function, there is often a better orientation and user guidance up to escape route security. This is possible, for example, with the aluminium skirting board 357 by Prinz. It provides an LED duct with horizontal light emission, which is closed by a translucent flap (LED diffuser). If necessary, the flap can be easily opened so that the LED strip is accessible at all times. The skirting boards can be placed on top or installed flush. Surface mounting is particularly suitable for solid walls in combination with comprehensive door frames as a side closure. Alternatively, the skirting boards can also be processed undercut using plasterboard. Depending on the thickness of the plasterboard (9.5 mm or 12.5 mm), the skirting boards are flush with the wall.
Progress Profiles Lighting in skirting boards is quite a trend in interior decoration, since it’s a creative solution to replace traditional lamps and lights. Of course, each space has specific requests: in the hospitals, for example, these
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Staircase renovation
THE SECRET OF THE TRANSITION STEP A NOW FULLY FLEDGED MATERIAL HAS TO BE CONSIDERED Guido Hop (StairSolutions - NL) on staircase steps in laminate StairSolutions Traprenovatie is a family business from Bunschoten (NL). For almost 25 years now, this company, which is centrally located in the Netherlands and employs about 50 people, has concentrated solely on staircase renovation, including with laminate, and takes care of all operations itself. At present, StairSolutions is led by father Tim (purchasing and development) and sons Wouter (planning and production) and Guido (marketing and Sales support). Guido Hop says: ‘We believe laminate is an excellent choice for a staircase renovation with attractive benefits for end customers. In the past, people often chose marble, but the emergence of HPL laminate means there are now lots more alternatives, which, in my opinion, look better.’ ‘Laminate is available now in a vast number of colours, which have a lot more depth than in the past. In the past, laminate was normally printed using a 300 DPI printer, but that’s 600 with HPL. The vast range of colours and designs is exactly what you gain with staircase renovation. Moreover, HPL is highly resistant to wear and tear and scratches. What’s also interesting is the variation which you can give a staircase, such as, for instance, a pattern of Corten steel on the steps and black at the sides.’ ‘The installation is just as attractive for fitters. At all events they don’t have to look out for too many things, except when it’s not a standard staircase. Now, certainly in 90% of the cases, you have a standard staircase, but that doesn’t take away the fact that renovating more difficult staircases is usually also possible, such as with steel and concrete stairs.’ Time saving and lower cost price ‘The reason for opting for transition steps in laminate is quite obvious. You save huge amounts of time and therefore the price is much more competitive. Demolition easily takes up at least a week of work, but with our product you can reckon on barely one day. And another advantage: you make a lot less mess on the customer’s premises. If the weather is nice, you can even saw outdoors, and that means little or no nuisance.’ ‘A tip for professionals? Don’t forget the accessories. I’m thinking here of items such as LED lights, bannisters, and landings to the hall.’
Demolishing an existing staircase in a building and replacing it with a new one is very often a complicated job. Not only does it take considerable time to demolish and replace it, but also in many cases you also have to tackle other problems as well. They might include relaying (part of) the floor. And so, staircase renovation is an attractive alternative. There are various materials available for this, but in recent years one of them has improved considerably in quality, namely laminate. It’s easy to see why laminate scores highly. Quite simply, it has improved beyond recognition. About 20 years ago, it was little more than a good-quality replacement for wood for customers with limited budgets. Yet manufacturers tinkered with their products to remove the various drawbacks as much as possible, whilst affordability continued to play a part. We think here of drawbacks such as wear and tear, the
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annoying sound of footsteps, safety, and decors which didn’t look natural.
Transition steps Staircase renovation with laminate is specifically about the use of transition steps. Transition steps are staircase steps in hard materials, with wood or PVC as well as laminate (PVC is glued to an MDF or HDF base and should not be confused with PVC which is fitted directly to an existing step). These transition steps are first cut to size and then fitted over the existing steps, often with a closed staircase. The choice here is now virtually endless. From natural wood decors to the most individual patterns, there is certainly always something suitable to give the surrounds the right look. The whole thing may or may not be finished with a profile. However, what makes laminate furnishing most interesting
is the progression which the material has gone through. Years ago, laminate was actually nothing more than a floor covering to help people with limited budgets, but things are different now. The reason for that lies with the material itself. Initially, stair case renovation involved mainly DPL (Direct Pressed Laminate), but that did have a big drawback. There were certainly plenty of options, but the top layer was wafer-thin and therefore less durable. That’s exactly what you want to avoid in a staircase; no one likes to see signs of wear and tear on stairs within a short space of time.
CPL en HPL CPL (Continuously Pressed Laminate) or HPL laminate (High Pressured Laminate) are better choices. CPL are essentially very similar, but the difference between both lies not only in the fact that CPL is produced in rolls, but also in the top layer, which with CPL is not as thick as with HPL. And so, CPL has a thicker top layer than DPL (CPL is usually 0.6mm thick) and often has a thicker base in comparison with DPL, but is still behind the more durable HPL, which has a top layer 0.8mm thick. With that same HPL the base is also usually in HDF instead of MDF (such as with CPL). An HPL transition step is also equipped with a very strong anti-slip top layer, which is indicated by an R-digit. The top layer with HPL consists of several separately pressed melamine layers and is thereby more chip resistant and more resistant to falling objects. Add to that a trend towards a thicker structure and the option of virtually endless decors and the link to the success story is established.
HPL laminate is usually glued onto a base consisting of an MDF panel, and this means that adhesive residue may be left on the staircase. Another benefit is that there’s no need to fill or flatten any unevenness in the existing staircase stairs.
An overview MEISTER MEISTER presents its stair nosing: With the Longlife 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.
Progress Profiles Laminate is a good choice when the customer desires to recreate a specific material, down to the last detail, when renewing a staircase. Of course, in case of renovation of fitting a new staircase, it’s important to pay attention to using high-quality materials. Progress Profiles range of step nosing profiles is very wide: every solution is perfectly designed to bear heavy loads and frequent traffic. Profiles can be chosen with a non-slip surface, provided with LED lights; reversible steel stair profiles are available as well. Progress Profiles doesn’t have a proper renovation system, but has patented a new performing laying solution, Promultifix System: it’s composed of a special TOP with adhesive, covered with wood-effect film or in anodized aluminium, to join floors at the same level or to connect those at different levels, to cover joints and also to finish the flooring along the perimeters. The TOP can be fixed to the floor with the hotmelt self-adhesive peel; with nylon anchors inserted into the TOP; with a support provided with removable spacers in the desired height. Fixing is also possible by inserting a “flatten down base” into the TOP.
Q-Stair
www.q-floor.com • sales@q-floor.com • +32 16 90 45 15
O-Floor O-Profile O-Panel Multilayer Parquet
Solid renovation steps : If you want to replace an existing staircase, you should think carefully, as it is a major renovation to dismantle it. As long as the load-bearing capacity and stability are maintained, you can opt for renovation. Nowadays, stairs are an eye-catcher in a living space. Often in combination with parquet flooring, they connect other spaces, mezzanines and floors. An existing staircase can be covered with 7 to 9 mm solid oak steps in a U-shape. The special feature of these solid renovation steps is that they also finish off the bottom of the staircase. Q-Stair takes into account the fact that every staircase is different and therefore only made to measure. Stair treads and steps can be finished in the wide range of colours of our Q-Floor flooring and in different qualities. Concrete stairs can be covered with wood in newly built houses. Q-Stair offers you different models from L-step to Z-step in thicknesses of 20 mm and 32 mm, finished or unfinished.
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Advertorial
Tarkett
TARKETT REVEILS ITS NEW ULTRA-REALISTIC MODULAR VINYL COLLECTION, ID INSPIRATION
Tarkett and Studio 5*5 revealed recently the new ultrarealistic modular vinyl collection, iD Inspiration in the Atelier of Paris. Reimagined for a rapidly changing world, iD Inspiration harnesses the power of nature to create feel-good interiors. Tarkett’s unique high-definition digital printing technology captures the beauty of wood and stone, revealing the most subtle details in grain, texture and colour. iD Inspiration will be available across Europe from May 2021 onwards. iD Inspiration stands for design finesse and precision. The curated collection of colours and themes offers designers a natural palette of unrivalled breadth, from contemporary to classic and from soft to striking. Elaborately designed to make the flooring creation process easy, iD Inspiration comprises 100 decors and 7 formats to allow agile transformations of space. Combining the design finesse of high definition printing with an ultra-matt effect and exceptional resistance and durability provided by Tarkett’s breakthrough PU technology TEKTANIUM™.
Tarkett Human Conscious Design™ iD Inspiration exemplifies Tarkett Human-Conscious Design™. Developing a circular economy, innovating with good materials and
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exceeding indoor air quality standards are essential elements of the company’s pledge to stand with present and future generations. Inspired by nature, iD Inspiration has been designed to improve wellbeing by deepening the connection between the outdoors and the interior spaces. Designed and made in Europe, iD Inspiration is phthalate-free and printed with water-based inks and achieves enhanced environmental and indoor air quality standards. As well as this, iD Inspiration delivers ultra-low VOC emissions for optimal indoor air quality. The collection has also been designed with the circular economy in mind: glue down tiles contain up to 40.7% recycled content and all iD Inspiration installation offcuts can be recycled via Tarkett’s ReStart® recycling and take-back programme. Clickable planks and tiles of the new collection can also be recycled post-use through ReStart®.
Three design families Three design families - Naturals, Authentics and Classics - employ digital printing, embossing in register and rotogravure respectively to produce the most ultra-realistic modular vinyl flooring in the market. Every design in the Naturals collection is scanned directly from a meticulously selected specimen of wood or stone to share the wonder
of natural imperfections and nuances before being digitally printed an unprecedented milestone in the design of modular vinyl. While traditional tiling is typically limited by the use of repeating patterns (3m² for traditional rotogravure printing), iD Inspiration Naturals boast ultra-realism through no-repeat designs up to 12m2, which is the equivalent of 50 unique planks (20x120cm). Every plank is unique in texture and grain, enabling highly realistic and stunning renderings.
Ultra matt effect, high performance and ease of installation
iD Inspiration features Tarkett’s ground-breaking and unique TEKTANIUM™ PU coating, which combines unequalled resistance and an ultra matt finish. This finish is consistently visible from all angles, ensuring that iD Inspiration tiles and planks appear highly realistic and less reflective of light. The TEKTANIUM™ protection shield also delivers unmatched resistance to scratches, abrasions, wear and stains for excellent durability. iD Inspiration is the only product on the market to feature this ground-breaking innovation in vinyl flooring. iD Inspiration is available for moderate, heavy and very intensive commercial use for maximum durability. Demonstrating the technical precision and high performance of all Tarkett products, it is ideally suited to hospitality, education, residential, retail and workplace
interiors. The collection is quick and easy to install, available in gluedown or with a click system on selected designs, making it an ideal choice for agile new build projects and flexible refurbishments. With iD Inspiration Click Solid, Tarkett has reinforced the rigidity of iD Inspiration Click 30 & 55, moving from resilient to semi-rigid characteristics. The rigidification grants extra stability to products and offers the option to place them directly over existing flooring and ceramic tiles using tight joints.
About Tarkett With a history of 140 years, Tarkett is a worldwide leader in innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, with net sales of € 2.6 billion in 2020. Offering a wide range of products including vinyl, linoleum, rubber, carpet, wood, laminate, artificial turf and athletics tracks, the Group serves customers in over 100 countries across the globe. Tarkett has more than 12,000 employees and 33 industrial sites, and sells 1.3 million square meters of flooring every day, for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields. Committed to change the game with circular economy and to reducing its carbon footprint, the Group has implemented an eco-innovation strategy based on Cradle to Cradle® principles, fully aligned with its Tarkett Human-Conscious Design™ approach. www.tarkett.com
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Advertorial
Bona (SE)
BONA POWERDRIVE CONNECT UNPARALLELED POWER FOR SANDING, BRUSHING AND STRIPPING OFFERING EVERYTHING FROM COARSE, MEDIUM, FINE AND EDGE SANDING TO WOOD BRUSHING AND RESILIENT STRIPPING – THE BONA POWERDRIVE CONNECT IS TRULY VERSATILE AND UNIQUE
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Using an exceptional direction-free sanding and brushing technique, Bona PowerDrive Connect combines excellent performance with easy operation. Mounted on the Bona FlexiSand, it can sand the floor down to bare wood, replacing the need for conventional belt sanding in many situations. Its click-on mount enables you to switch between disc and brush within a minute. The drive plate is easy to manoeuvre in confined spaces and can be used regardless of the direction of the wood.
edge sanding sequences by 90 %, it truly simplifies the everyday working day for the contractor.
Bona FlexiSand and Bona PowerDrive Connect represent a great companionship for all floor contractors who are working with wood or resilient floor surfaces. With the addition of two new, revolutionary tools, this sanding machine and drive plate continue to offer timesaving, powerful and ergonomic solutions for the flooring contractors. To an already impressive range of applications possible with the Bona FlexiSand, Bona is proud to offer upright edge sanding for wood floors, with the Bona ErgoEdge, as the world´s first. Reducing the traditional
Both of these new tools are designed for easy click-on and off mount onto the Bona PowerDrive Connect - the new drive plate to be run with the Bona FlexiSand.
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The second innovation, now introduced for the Bona FlexiSand are the Bona Diamond Blades. This potent tool takes stripping of resilient surfaces to new heights. With no need for chemicals, the Bona Diamond Blades speed up the stripping and preparation process ahead of the renovation of various resilient floors, using the Bona Resilient System products and processes.
An uplifting edge sanding experience Edge sanding is an integral part of all sanding. Special edge sanders give you the right reach and control of corners and edges, but edge sanding is often time-consuming, as well as a gruelling, with a lot of
time spent kneeling. With Bona ErgoEdge, a normal working day with 3.5 hours spent crouching on the knees can now be reduced to a mere half an hour, transforming a gruelling process into an uplifting and effective sanding experience that you can enjoy. With Bona ErgoEdge, sanding not only becomes less demanding, but also simpler and faster. In fact, an estimated 90% of all edge sanding can be covered while standing up, making the job both easier and more ergonomically. The wider 178 mm discs also enable more surface to be covered in one go, thereby reducing the number of turns needed for a perfectly abraded surface.
Bona offers the most comprehensive range of sanding solutions. You will find an entire system of compatible products and solutions that deliver unparalleled performance, allowing you to work with efficiency and speed, without compromising on quality. You can rely on Bona for the best possible selection of tools and products for the job. Now, with the versatile Bona FlexiSand and Bona PowerDrive Connect as basis, you can expand your capacity by working on more surfaces, including resilient floors. For more information visit us on www.bona.com
One of the keys to the unique performance of the Bona ErgoEdge is the system philosophy of the Bona FlexiSand Family. The Bona ErgoEdge is developed to be mounted onto the Bona PowerDrive and attached to the Bona FlexiSand 1.9 for maximum power and performance. Together, the Bona FlexiSand Family brings you the force and control needed to secure a simple, secure, and speedy sanding process.
A breakthrough for resilient floor renovation Resilient stripping just got better and faster with Bona Diamond Blades. Never content with the present, the Bona Flexisand keeps expanding in versatility, with this safe and effective surface preparation of resilient flooring. With one flexible machine as a basis, you can now prepare and bare strip wooden, resilient and concrete floors, as well as create stunning effects through brushing, buffing and polishing. To speed up the stripping process, Bona Diamond Blades are the right choice. The innovative discs enable a bare strip of a resilient floor that is up to 60% faster than the standard process. They offer a safe and straightforward method, free from chemicals while requiring less water. Bona Diamonds Blades – simply breaking barriers! Constructed not to warm up the heat sensitive resilient surface, they are pads mounted with diamond coated blades instead of classic abrasive discs. The blades double as integrated cooling fans throughout the abrading process and the stable surface temperature enables the floor to be abraded without the problem of clogging that normally can be the case. Their unique form and coating mixture of the metal and diamonds G100 make it possible to strip resilient floor surfaces faster, smarter and without clogging.
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Special
Providers of cross-cut wooden floors
‘THE SPECIAL ONE’ CONTINUES ITS ADVANCE THIS ORIGINALLY INDUSTRIAL FLOOR IS COVETED FOR ITS DURABILITY Guy Wittock (BJ Parket - B) Guy Wittock from BJ Parket has worked in the parquet sector for years, three decades to be precise. During that time, he has seen the popularity of cross-cut wood ebb and flow in waves. It never disappeared completely, but always came back into fashion. Now is such a period, when cross-cut wooden floors are all the rage and architects are certainly thrilled with them. Guy Wittock explains: ‘The success of cross-cut lies in its variation, if you compare it to all plank designs. It provides some relief in the character of the parquet which is fitted. Cross-cut is not just about planks, but creativity. Its success doesn’t surprise me at all. In terms of strength and dynamism, it’s simply the best there is in terms of durability. Moreover, you can also apply some splendid highlights.’ ‘You have cross-cut in different forms, roughly in terms of tripartite versus single part. Tripartite consists of three sawn blocks against each other, and after that you fit the other blocks to form a chessboard. Single part is the one which sells best here in sizes of 70 by 70, although 50 by 50 is also available. Various thicknesses are also possible, but from 12mm onwards it is thick enough to comply with the regulations. Other dimensions? Obviously, that’s possible, but remember that cross-cut takes a long time to dry. This should be done naturally and calmly, otherwise you get some distortion later. You have to see it rather as a rose which opens and shuts.’ ‘Note, cross-cut wood is not cheap and belongs in the upper segment. You should expect to pay roughly twice the price of average solid parquet. However, you do get plenty of benefits in return, starting with parquet which is virtually indestructible. This is for people who see its real beauty and take the time to fit it. In short, cross-cut wood is designed for parquet artists!’
The so called cross-cut wooden floor is a very special floor. It was originally an industrial floor, but in recent years it has embarked on an unstoppable march into the interior. With such a floor, inter-connected wooden blocks are fitted with the blocks with the annual rings/fibre direction fitted at right angles to the floor surface. The result is a very strong floor, which literally seems made for eternity. The most prominent feature of a cross-cut floor is that it is strong. This is the result of using the ends, the hardest part of the wood. Obviously, the hardness differs from wood sort to wood sort, but the strength also depends on the way in which the wood is processed.
Pine wood in herringbone pattern It will come as no surprise to learn that the history of this floor goes back to the world of industry. It was mainly cross-cut pine wood which was used for older company floors. This was often done in herringbone pattern with blocks 4cm wide, about 10cm long, and 3cm thick. These blocks were pasted to concrete floors using hot liquid bitumen. At the sides of the floor, an expansion seam of about 1.5cm was kept open and later filled in with hot liquid bitumen. Floors exposed to damp were also topped with hot bitumen and fine sand was sprinkled on top to create a sort of asphalt layer. It’s no surprise that cross-cut wood was used in industry, if only for its unique resistance to vibrations and pressure, precisely what you need when heavy machines are in use. To cut a long story short, cross-cut is
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simply a lot stronger than planks sawn lengthwise, so it is suitable for intensive use.
With thanks to architects The current generation of architects have helped cross-cut to make its way into better interiors. They see a product which spurs people to greater creativity where a cross-cut floor is used for highlights, even on a staircase. This highlights ‘the special one’ and yields a surprising interior experience. Moreover, people are daring to look to more than just the previously used pine, deal, or oak, which have been replaced by other wood sorts. What architects also greatly appreciate is how cross-cut wood has an insulating effect. The only drawback, a vulnerability to swelling or shrinking due to wood, is accepted with a pinch of salt. People often opt for top quality wood, preferably with no gnarls, so as not to make the pattern more crowded than it already is and to avoid the greater tendency in that case for splits and cracks. As we’ve already stated, cross-cut is highly durable and requires little maintenance. We have to see the reasons for this in the light of the sawing method whereby the wood is sawn across the tree trunk. This means that any growth rings may be visible, something which isn’t the case if you saw along the length of the trunk (quarter-sawn).
Future? The key question is whether or not cross-cut wood will continue to appeal. Whichever way you look at it, the price is above average, mainly
because it involves more work and it makes great demands of the parquet floor fitter’s knowledge. The latter plays a crucial part in sales of this floor. If floor fitters can explain the creative benefits to end customers and don’t ignore the fact that the fitting is labour intensive and the sandpapering more difficult, this floor will continue to be popular.
Elastic glueing Another tip: Before you ask for a cross-cut floor, always ask for information from the adhesive producer and remember that it is advisable to glue using a 1K PU elastic adhesive. Moreover, don’t forget to check the substrate, due to the much greater force which is developed. Remember that cross-cut doesn’t have any shear strength as a plank, but it goes ‘to and from’. That immediately explains clearly why it is advisable to use elastic adhesive. It is precisely that adhesive which makes it possible for the wood to rise up from the screed and swell and shrink slightly.
Some specialists BJ Parket with a thickness of 15mm and square edges 60 x 60 mm delivered in bulk or factory pre-assembled. End Grain is sensitive to hygrometric variations, glued laying is imperatively realised with a specific End Grain glue. Finishing on site (oil or varnish) after sanding must be realised after the laying to avoid a possible recovery of moisture in the End Grain. This flooring is incompatible with underfloor heating.
Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs
BJ Parket believes that oak, teak, and merbau are the most suitable wood sorts for cross-cut floors. Cross-cut floors in oak are the best-seller. The best-selling cross-cut floors are in oak, partly because exotic wood is hardly available these days and because it takes several years to get beams dry enough to make cross-cut wood of them. Exotic wood is usually left ‘damp’ so it can be used to make terraces. The floors are supplied in separate pieces or on a foil. The biggest asset of these floors is the greater durability. Floor fitters require a sound knowledge and experience of sandpapering. These floors are not suitable for floor heating.
Design Parquet After decades and styles come back again. Formerly used in streets, now we find End Grain in wood flooring. Instead of being cut in the longside, tree is cut in a cross-cutting way, in small tiles. Our End Grain Mosaic offers an original esthetical and an incredible resistance. End Grain is appreciated for its long life. In solid support, End Grain is renewable. Design Parquet has 2 types of End Grain. In strips of 72x24mm assembled with a thermoplastic net on the top player (tile of 432x432mm with 13 mm thichness) or in individual pieces
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Photo Nick Decombel / Location James Ensorhuis
In cross-cut parquet, rectangular blocks with sides facing upwards are glued directly to the flat and dry covering floor. The sides of the blocks remain visible to give the parquet a splendid effect with growth rings of all blocks visible - perfect for intensive use. As a parquet wholesaler, they sell cross-cut wood from 10 to 100mm thick in various sizes. The most commonly used wood sorts are oak (smoked, if necessary), larch, and pine, but special sorts such as wenge are also possible. The cross-cut blocks are glued to a net in brick pattern, parallel, or even in three-strip chessboard pattern. The sizes vary (45 x 75mm / 58 x 90mm / 23 x 69mm / 70 x 70mm) and even customised work is possible.
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Special
Packing machines
FIXED LENGTHS OR NOT? SPECIALIST GIVES TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE IDEAL PACKING MACHINE IN THE PRODUCTION HALL Type of product
Random length boards
PAR-Scan®
Packing type
Straps
PAR-Strap®
Logistic handling
PAR-Collect® Product buffer
Cardboard strips
PAR-Cardboard®
PAR-Return® Automa tic return
Fix length boards
PAR-Pack® Shrink foil
PAR-Film®
PAR-Stack® Automatic stacking
Photo – CSP Engineering
We rarely think about it, but the packaging of a product is often one of the reasons why potential buyers either choose or reject it. Obviously, that applies to parquet as well. In this article we consider how a packing line is put together with a production line which operates solely in fixed lengths and another production line where the production varies between fixed and variable lengths. To obtain more information, we consulted CSP Engineering from Dessel (B), a specialist in this field. They introduced us to various systems, including in this case their PAR-Pack for parquet with fixed lengths and their PAR-Scan for parquet with fixed and/or variable lengths. To give customers an idea of the options and sizes of an established packing line, we refer to a configuration tool on the CSP Engineering web site. There visitors can make a choice from systems for measuring, registering, and labelling floorboards of equal and/or variable lengths per pack, a choice of possible packing methods, and they can choose from the solutions for logistical handling of the packs.
Fixed length production If you produce with fixed lengths, it is advisable to opt for the PAR-Pack as the first module of the packing line. PAR-Pack controls the packing
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machines in the line. The automatic packing then proceeds in various steps. What happens is that the floorboards on the PAR-Pack supply lane are lined up neatly in each pack, and after that they are packed professionally by at least one packing machine with no manual intervention. This company develops technology and builds machines for the production of wooden floors. A spokesperson comments: ‘The PAR-Pack lays the foundation for the fully automatic packing of parquet and achieves a high production capacity. We should refer to other machines here because the PAR-Pack connects easily to the products PAR-Strap, PARCardboard, and PAR-Film, where the names clearly indicate the function. Moreover, the machine can also be connected to many other packing machines.’ We also hear that the combination PAR-Pack and PAR-Label takes care of packing and labelling automatically. A label is printed for each pack and stuck automatically onto the pack, and after that the products are packed. The labels can be amended per language, unit, with or without logo, and with or without bar code. You can change from one product to another with just a few mouse clicks. A pallet list is drawn up for each pallet so that the product data is immediately available for the customer’s administration.
We also learnt how this system is linked to what is called PAR-info. This module automatically attaches an information sheet (flyer) to each package. The manufacturer can print all sorts of useful information on the information sheet, such as, for instance, storage and maintenance regulations, fitting instructions, guarantee conditions, CE symbols and specifications, a logo, and a brand name.
Production with fixed and/or variable lengths How do you approach packing where the machine has to cope with floorboards of both fixed and variable lengths? In this case you need a modified control system, with this producer that is the PAR-Scan. The machine automatically measures, registers, labels, and packs the parquet of fixed and/or variable length. ‘PAR-Scan gives you much more than an ordinary parquet packing machine. In this case PARScan measures the length of each floorboard in a pack, the number of square metres, and the number of parts in the pack, and all this pack after pack. The measurement details, supplemented by the width, thickness, wood sort, quality, surface, and such like, are printed onto a label and applied automatically to the pack. That label is available in different languages, with English units also being a possibility. Moreover, it is also possible to add a logo or bar code. The information from each packet is saved, a pallet list with details is printed, and all the details are made available digitally for the customer’s administrative software.’ What’s nice is that measuring, registering, labelling, and packing involve no human Intervention. This eliminates expensive measurement, written, and calculation errors and the packing proceeds with super efficiency. In particular, we see how the parquet with fixed or
variable lengths in one package consists of a maximum of ten layers per pack and up to three floorboards in one layer. Each square metre produced is measured and charged correctly. Here, too, the PAR-Scan can be supplemented by the PAR-Stock for stock management and order picking. Moreover, here, too, the aforementioned PAR-info can also be added for the automatic application of a folder for each pack.
A specialist CSP Engineering Our packaging machines are specifically aimed at the parquet industry. CSP Engineering supplies packaging machines that have been specially developed for packaging wooden floor parts. CSP packaging machines are modular building blocks that are compactly integrated into today's packaging line. In addition, our machines are configured to be easily and quickly converted for other dimensions. In addition to the packaging machines themselves, a contemporary industrial packaging line has a controller that controls the packaging line. Depending on your needs, you can choose for the controller to also measure, register and label the floor parts. The correct configuration of your packaging line is also determined by the intended capacity, the number of packs of floor parts to be packed per day. On our website you can go through the indicated steps to see which setup is most suitable for your organization. https://www.csp-engineering.com/en/packing-solutions/
Quality Parquet
FOR PROFESSIONALS
Promoting sustainable forest management
“Every product you need for a perfect �loor.” Tel: +32(0)11 63 64 00 - www.parketkerkhofs.be
CSP Engineering bvba Stenehei 30/10 - B-2480 Dessel (Belgium) Tel: +32 14 37 77 52 info@csp-engineering.com - www.csp-engineering.com
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Advertorial
Lägler GmbH (D)
EXPERIENCE FLOORS IN A COMPLETELY NEW WAY STRUCTURING WITH THE TRIO ADDED VALUE FOR NEW INSTALLATION AND RENOVATION
Nowadays, it is the individual solutions that score points with customers. With themes such as sustainability and naturalness, which are more in vogue than ever. Why replace an old wooden floor, for example, when you can easily give it a completely new look instead?
place of the regular sanding discs in just a few simple steps. Their application is very simple. The brushing discs are supplied in a practical systainer and come with detailed instructions. The procedure is explained step by step in six different languages.
Now every craftsman can offer his customers structuring both for a new installation and in the course of a renovation. This gives the floor a unique character - makes it more tactile and makes it stand out visually. In this way, the craftsman creates real added value, which he can naturally pass on to his customers.
For softwood floors, Läger recommends the version equipped with nylon bristles. This allows the structure to be gently worked out with convincing results. When brushing floorboards, for example, you can use it to emphasise their rustic character even more impressively. Different hardwood floors require the use of matching materials. That is why both brass and stainless steel brushing discs have been developed for this purpose. Depending on the desired intensity of the structuring, either the brass or the much more aggressive stainless steel brushing discs are used for processing. This creates surfaces that inspire!
Even more possibilities That is why Lägler has been offering its customers even more options since 2020! Three different brushing discs have been developed especially for the three-disc sanding machine TRIO, which can be fitted in
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Brushing discs for every floor
Colouring and structuring Colouring wooden floors is a special challenge for the craftsman. The condition of the surface to be coloured is of central importance, because every sanding defect or scratch becomes extremely visible through the colour pigments. The TRIO is the perfect sanding machine to achieve the highest quality sanding result required for this purpose. A structured wooden floor can of course also be coloured. The colouring of pre-structured wooden floors creates a unique look. The grown grain of a floor appears in a completely new light. This effect cannot be achieved by regular sanding alone. With the new, integrated LED work light of the TRIO, the quality of the surface can now already be inspected during processing. Any necessary corrections can thus be made directly.
Is the purchase worthwhile?
Since last summer, the manufacturer of floor sanding machines has successfully offered its online format Lägler TV live. In March * on 13.04.21 in German * on 15.04.21 in French * on 20.04.21 in German (with Duch translation) one-hour online seminars will be held specifically on the topic: "Structuring surfaces - live with the TRIO!" Craftsmen can experience online how Lägler application technicians structure softwood and hardwood floors live with the TRIO and thus get an impression of the application possibilities of the TRIO brushing discs themselves. Interested parties can secure their participation directly via this QR code*.
Lägler brushing discs are characterised by efficiency, long service life and durability. Their application is very simple. Feedback from customers who already use the brushing discs is consistently positive. With these accessories, the craftsman can expand his range of products in an appealing way and thus stand out from the crowd. He can thus generate more sales without having to dig too deep into his pocket. The purchase of TRIO brushing discs is therefore a good investment in the future!
Online to more structure Who, if not Lägler, succeeds in always being close to its customers, even in difficult times?
* Each participant will receive a Lägler T-shirt. For more information visit us on www.laegler.com
Floor Forum International 115
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Special
Colouring wood
WHAT TO DO AND NOT TO DO WHEN APPLYING A COLOUR LACQUER TO OAK GOOD PREPARATION IN DIALOGUE WITH THE END CUSTOMER IS MORE THAN HALF THE JOB Koen Willems (Williams & Koch - B) Koen Willems is the manager of Williams & Koch Europe. This company produces customised colour systems and colour applications for the woodworking industry. The company was formed in 2005 and chooses consciously for products which contain only natural raw materials and are free of elements which are toxic, irritating, and harmful to the environment. ‘The parquet industry is by far the leading buyer of our products. That’s logical, too, as floors take up the biggest surface. After working previously in the paint industry, I came into contact with the pioneers in Flanders and the Netherlands in the field of distressing and ageing parquet planks. Since the paint sector had paid little attention to this, I myself began to develop alternative wood colouring agents.’ ‘Colouring generally belongs in the upper segment and appeals mainly to architects and customers who want a unique look. This means that samples always have to be made in advance, so that we can continue looking until everything is fine. That can be a long process which takes weeks or months, but it is ideal if we can be involved in a project from the planning phase.’ ‘It’s important to draw a distinction between colouring with dyes and colouring agents on the one hand and chemical colouring on the other. I don’t immediately protest vehemently against the latter, as chemical colouring doesn’t necessarily mean toxic or bad, but in the final analysis it’s all about the acid-base balance.’ ‘With colouring you have to realise that it’s easy to start with a light wood sort and make it darker, but that the other way round is often very difficult. European oak is still the most popular wood sort by a long way. This wood sort is ideal because it is ring-porous, absorbs well, and usually contains enough acid. ‘ ‘Lacquering over colour? Until 25 years ago, there was only lacquer and floor polish. Then system oils and soaps came over from Scandinavia and you got results which were really much appreciated by architects due to the oil system, which was often too sparse. The problem is then the maintenance and that’s why there’s been a lot of demand for lacquer finishes in recent years. It’s also worth knowing that in Europe it has been obligatory since 2001 to finish using a waterborne lacquer if the wood is anchored in the building. If you have a waterborne colouring agent, you have to take care that the colour doesn’t dissolve in the lacquer, even though there are now solutions for that. Be sure also to read the maker’s instructions! Some lacquer systems have to be given a synthetic primer first in order to prevent them from leaking components or water stains!’
In our previous edition we outlined the various techniques for colouring wood. We concentrated mainly on preparation (sandpapering and polishing) and we briefly summarised the various methods for colouring the floor. These include colouring with stains, floor polish, oil, hard wax oil, lacquer, and even paints. In that article we stated that not all wood sorts are equally suitable for colouring. Good old oak still proved the most popular sort for colouring by far, although other mainly European sorts are suitable. Dark and tropical wood sorts are certainly less suitable and sometimes
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not at all. That’s logical with dark wood sorts. They are naturally dark, so the use of coloured products often has little effect. In this case the parties usually switch to chemical colouring.
Lacquering oak It is interesting to note how you approach what is by far the most popular wood sort, namely oak. First of all, we consider lacquering, which is still the main treatment, after the sandpapering is done, of course. After that, the most important of the treatments, namely lacquering, oiling, or a treatment with hard wax oil consists of more than delivering a good-looking result. This is also designed to protect
against damp and dirt. To that end, there are even specially coloured maintenance products which can also be used on lacquered floors to eliminate or suppress any discolouration, for instance. Why would you opt mainly for lacquer? In answer to that question we came across an interesting assertion from the Dutch company Woodstep which makes it absolutely clear why lacquering is a job for professionals. After all, when lacquering, you have to know your product well and, moreover, you must have the techniques under your control, starting with dustless sandpapering. Obviously, once they have said how important it is for the oak to be sealed from dust and dirt, they also say that lacquer protects the wood completely so that no stains can penetrate it. The lacquer treatment is meant for wooden floors with the heaviest traffic where that lacquer is offered in various finishes. They can be matt, silky gloss, or high gloss.
Two coats will suffice for household use In answer to the question about the why of lacquer, we set out a number of benefits. For instance, lacquer is practical to use and makes the floor more durable. Moreover, it also has a big asset for the person applying it; waterborne lacquer generally dries very quickly, so it is possible to walk on the surface again within a short space of time. Moreover, in most cases two coats will suffice. Therefore, maintenance is not required frequently and that maintenance is simple; a vacuum cleaner and a mop will literally suffice, in combination with an accompanying maintenance product (polish). Warding off so called ‘acute dust’ is also a must.
Some specialists Blanchon Blanchon presents a full range of products for colouring, decorating, or distressing parquet and wooden planks. There are two ranges of tints, one range of distressing materials, and several reagents for specific effects on the floor. Aquateinte 2K is a 2-component tint in a watery phase which is perfectly stable when exposed to light and has been made and developed specially for parquet floors. It is very easy to apply. This serves for the immediate cover of any finish in the watery phase (without excessive damp), six tints of wood and six tints from pure white to deep black. Wood colour is ideal for small rooms (rooms, offices, etc.). It dries quickly and leaves no odours. Here there are 12 tints of wood, white, and black and five tints of grey. Aging Wood yields an exceptional aged wood effect by highlighting the grain. This product serves for all sorts of wood and the creation of endless patinas and spheres, which are mainly in harmony or on the other hand in contrast to the Blanchon Oil-Waxes. There are 10 shades available, six of them grey.
Moreover, the quality of lacquers nowadays is such that you also get good results from a waterborne lacquer, whilst there is no hindrance from annoying odour distinctions and no health worries. If you choose to fit oak, you will soon notice that this sort of wood easily absorbs colour treatments so that you can use all colours which are available. We learnt another important point from producer Lecol. They pointed out that, certainly when applying oil-based primers, you should make sure that the relative air humidity isn’t too high and that the primer is polished firmly into the wood. They also noted that you should allow for sufficient drying time before you apply the coats of lacquer.
Dialogue with consumers Above all, don’t forget this one thing: If you’re going to colour a floor, make sure that you discuss everything with the customers first so that they are well aware what they can and cannot expect. It is therefore a good idea to make some samples of exactly the same wood from the floor which is new or to be renovated. That means that for a floor which is to be renovated, you can also make a sample in a corner or under the couch. At all events, remember that if there is a complaint, an expert will ask for the approved sample of at least 1m²!
Stained, smoked, acidified, steamed, heated, lye-treated…with Williams & Koch products, all these effects are within reach. We have more than 20 years of experience in a variety of ageing products and -techniques.
When making this sample, make sure that you sandpaper and pretreat the wood in exactly the same way as you will later be doing on the floor. If necessary, let customers sign for the sample to avoid any discussions later. There’s one golden rule which all parquet traders have heard ad nauseam. Wood is (and remains) a natural product which surprises people time and again. And so, take full account of possible colour deviations and tell your customers that in advance!
Williams & Koch Europe bv Het Dorlik 11 A, B-3500 Hasselt, Belgium T: +32-11-933 112 M: +32-473-340207 E: info@williams-koch.com www.williams-koch.com https://www.facebook.com/Williams-Koch-Europe
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Colouring wood
Chimiver
LIOS BIOIL Colorato is a colored natural oil treatment for wooden floors with easy application, very durable and soft effect on the surface. LIOS BIOIL Colorato is available in 20 different colors, miscible together to make a wide range of new colors.
DevoNatural® For pre-colouring parquet and wooden floors, Devomat offers clients two lines of products: DevoNatural® Easy Colour (a vegetable colour stain) and DevoNatural® Reactive (a reactive distress product with smoked effect for ‘oak’ parquet and wooden floors). In addition, DevoNatural® Floor Paint is a covering universal water-dilutable adhesion primer based on
Lignum a r u P
vegetables. It can be applied to various substrates such as wood, stone, concrete, synthetics, etc. DevoNatural® Floor Paint serves as a covering primer and can be finished further with any DevoNatural® varnish. Since the launch of DevoNatural® Easy Colour, Devomat has noticed that, despite the convenience of the product, more floors are once again being coloured. There is a growing demand for unique colour combinations e.g. the floor is distressed with DevoNatural® Reactive and then finished with a coloured DevoNatural® High Solid Oil. For DevoNatural® Easy Colour Devomat also offers the option of creating customised colours. Both product lines can be applied on site, in the workshop, or in the factory. DevoNatural® Easy Colour gives a deeper colour to the entire floor, whilst a colour oil will highlight mainly the grain and only to a lesser extent the surface. DevoNatural® Reactive is a reactive product and cannot be compared to a colour oil or another colouring product. The distressing effect depends on the tannic acid content and thereby differs from plank to plank. This gives a unique look to each parquet floor. Both products can be finished with any DevoNatural® finish product (lacquers, oils, or beeswax).
Williams & Koch
INVISIBLE
WOOD
PROTECTION üExtremely matt üFast-drying üNon-yellowing üDurable
LIGNUM PURA : Extremely matt, noncolouring, single-component wood and parquet lacquer with high resistance to wear. Sustainable water-based, biobased polyurethane. BLACK LABEL BY
PROFESSIONAL FLOOR PRODUCTS
Devomat Industries NV - Florent Geversstraat 31 - B-2650 Edegem - T +32 03 450 94 70 - info@devomat.be - www.devomat.be
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Stained, smoked, acidified, steamed, heated, lye-treated… with Williams & Koch products, all these effects are within reach. We have more than 20 years of experience in a variety of ageing products and -techniques.
Special
Benefits of the new sanding method with rotary disc machines
POWERFUL ALL ROUNDERS IDEAL FOR USE IN LARGE ROOMS WITH FEW CORNERS OR EDGES If there is a job where the right tool is absolutely essential, it’s sandpapering a wooden floor. In some cases a rotary (or eccentric rotary or oscillatory) sander will prove to be the correct choice. The most important thing here is to know precisely how each machine affects the surface or base to be sandpapered so that you can decide in advance which is the best choice. Actually, we need to start by covering a few aspects in sequence. Firstly, there’s the pure rotary disc machine, which is closely related to two variant versions, namely the eccentric rotary disc sander and the oscillatory machine.
Vibrating and rotating motions Obviously, there are drawbacks as well. Eccentric sanding motions make it very difficult to reach into corners, so this machine is less suitable for that. Note also that eccentric and oscillatory sanders can be expensive. That’s mainly because they make both vibrating and rotating or oscillatory motions.
Three specialists Bona
Rotary, eccentric, and oscillatory When we consider a rotary disc sander, you can say that this is the tool which you use to sandpaper particularly large surfaces quickly. This rotary disc sander differs from the much used surface sander in that the underside of this machine doesn’t vibrate, but rotates. If you need to sandpaper large quantities of wood, you will usually opt for the eccentric sander. This is a tool fitted with a round sole which not only rotates, but also moves eccentrically. The sanding sole rotates freely around its axis. Also for larger surfaces there is the oscillatory machine. This tool periodically alternates the direction of movement to obtain combined rotations with several discs. It is possible to reinforce the effect of the rotation by (generally) using three discs which rotate in opposite directions. Strictly speaking, this combines rotation and oscillation.
After the heavier sanding Generally speaking, you can say that rotary machines are ideal if you have used a belt sander first. And so, once you’ve completed the heavier and rougher work, it’s time for lighter rotations which provide a finer finish. These rotations immediately also remove the traces of the powerful straight movements of the belt sander (lanes). It’s worth knowing that an eccentric motion is not a round circular motion, but you go over the wood in a more elliptic shape. This yields a double sanding effect so there are hardly any marks left behind, something which can be the case with other machines which yield annoying circular shapes. The type of motion also means that you don’t need to take account of the wood grains. Another benefit of the round sanding sole is that you can also use the machine to sandpaper round surfaces. You use an eccentric sander, for instance, to sand door posts, staircase steps, or doors. If you want to sandpaper quickly, the eccentric sander is the ideal choice. Indeed, it removes a lot of material in a short space of time. Moreover, the dual sanding motion also means you can achieve a sleek finish later. Note: Take care how you absorb the dust. Dust extraction is no luxury!
Bona Flexi Sand 1.9 is a powerful multifunctional machine for all floor operations from sanding down to the bare wood over rubbing oil in to grinding concrete. The Bona Flexi Sand 1.9 can be fitted with various drive discs for various tasks, such as sanding down to the bare wood, fine-sanding, applying and rubbing in oil, and grinding concrete. Thanks to its powerful 1.9kW motor and its sturdy construction, the Flexi Sand is always easy to use. The system is compatible with the unique Bona Power Drive (CONNECT), a drive disc which can sand down to the bare wood powerfully and freely. It can be connected to Bona DCS for maximum reduction of dust. FUNCTIONS: POLISHING • Applying oil / rubbing in with the standard disc, Bona Pad Drive. CLEANING • SANDING • with the Bona Power Drive (CONNECT) + Rough sanding: Bona 8700 / Medium sanding: Bona 8300 abrasives. • Finesanding: Bona Diamond Abrasives • Medium sanding + parquet filler kit removing: Bona Net discs. BRUSHING OR SANDING WOODEN FLOORS (down to the bare wood) to obtain an attractive, brushed, and structured floor. With the Bona Power Drive CONNECT: 1 disc for sanding and brushing. Simple click system for a simple exchange within 1 minute between the traditional sanding discs and specially developed brushes. GRINDING CONCRETE for a smooth substrate. Accompanying segments: Bona PCD Maxi Segment for removing thick adhesive
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Benefits of the new sanding method with rotary disc machines
residue, epoxy, and carpet foam / PCD Split Segment for removing polyurethane, thin adhesive residue, and paint / Diamond Segment for removing sintered layers or for processing concrete surfaces. NEW! – Bona Diamond Blades: for stripping elastic floors.
Devomat Industries
been refined to meet the latest safety guidelines. The Woodboy 4000/32-3 is the Devomat Industries work horse in every respect with its powerful 1500W motor. It is supplied as standard with a dust extraction kit for connection to an extraction unit/source extractor. The Woodboy 4000/32-3 is a strong and Versatile machine. Next in line is the Devo Master 3D, the three-disc parquet sander which sandpapers parquet rapidly and scratch-free and removes old adhesive residue. The Devo Master 3D is a fully refined version of all similar systems on the market and is simple to operate. It moves over the floor (with no counter-pressure) gently and easily, but powerfully and yields top quality sanding with great precision.
Pallmann Spider now with light Spot on for the all-rounder Pallmann Spider
The first rotary disc sander under the spotlight is the Woodboy 4000/32-3 for sanding, oiling, waxing, polishing, etc. The renowned Woodboy has a motor with a separate control unit and the handle has
Structuring surfaces - live with the TRIO Your advantages:
✓Only one work step required ✓Suitable for laying patterns with different wood grain directions ✓Brushing close to the wall ✓Efficient suction power ✓Quick and easy conversion from sanding to brushing discs ✓Suitable for both hardwood and softwood floors. On our completely redesigned website www.laegler.com you will find everything you need to know about our live events - topics, dates and registration options!
+49 (0) 7135 98 90 0 26
info@laegler.com
Floor Forum International 115
Since its market launch over 5 years ago, the Pallmann Spider wood floor sanding machine has become an indispensable part of the wood floor installer's daily routine when it comes to sanding, polishing or structuring. Unlike any other machine, it revolutionised hardwood sanding with its innovative three-disc technology for direction-free work, even right up to the edge. Together with the machine specialists from Wolff and in close cooperation with partners in the wood flooring business, Pallmann has continuously developed and optimised the machine over the past years. Year after year, the machine evolves, with new accessories and new applications. The Pallmann brush set for structuring wood floors and the diamond segments for removing particularly stubborn old and hard coatings have been a great success. Now the German company is going one better. Fans of the Spider wood floor sanding machine can look forward to new, attractive features: from January a new power LED light with 360° illumination and improved wheel hubcaps will be standard on the equipment. Direction-free sanding also requires wide spectrum illumination, the integrated light illuminates the working area and clearly makes visible the sanding pattern and any irregularities left in the floor. This new LED light will enhance working conditions especially in poorly lit areas and ensures the optimum result in sanding patterns. The light ring will also add additional weight to the machine to ensure a smooth operation during screening and polishing. A new enhanced hubcap design will protect door frames, walls and baseboards from unwanted scratches. Both can be installed on existing machines. Further upgrades to the machine will follow in later 2021.
Special
Who has waterproof laminate floors?
DAMP IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM LAMINATE FLOORS ARE NOW FITTED JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE Robert Siewes (Egger - D) Waterproof laminate is a hot item in the flooring industry. Yet what can we expect specifically from waterproof laminate? In other words, what can it really cope with in terms of damp? Robert Siewes, sales manager for EPF Benelux with the Austrian floor specialist Egger, which recently launched the Pro floor collection 2021+, considers various aspects based on the company’s own Pro laminate Aqua+ and another development, Design Green Tec. ‘The question first of all is where you set the border for laminate. If you are talking about a pure wooden product such as with Aqua+, you have to talk about water-resistant and not waterproof. It is still a wood product, so there are limits. Although we can withstand swelling very well as a result of the resins used, with us the swelling of the floor is comparable to the thickness of an A4 sheet, so you don’t see it with the naked eye.’ ‘We had the product tested using the American Nalfa test. It emerged that we can guarantee 72 hours of damp-resistance with minimal distortion. And so, the water does not penetrate the floor during that time. And so, the floor can be cleaned with lather, and that is a fine performance for this floor which is fitted floating with a click system, certainly when you realise that Egger gives a high priority to ecological performance and we only use natural materials with full attention to recycling.’ ‘If the floor has to be waterproof and behave more like plastic, then there’s our Design Green Tec, which is in class 34 and can also be glued. This floor is suitable for most high-traffic floors, such as in a hotel lobby. Strictly speaking, this product isn’t 100% laminate, but it is made with due regard for the strictest environmental regulations.’ ‘The future? I think a large part of the laminate produced will be damp-resistant as standard in the near future. We’ll also be looking beyond just recycling and striving for a circular economy.’
We now know what laminate is. This product comprises a basic plank of pressed panel material which is usually made of HDF (High Density Fibre board). HDF serves as a base material and ensures the necessary stability. A layer with a decor print is pressed on top of this under high pressure. A durable top layer of melamine protects the entire structure. The opposite side of the floor underneath is waterproof and provides stability. It ensures that the panels stay straight and solid and prevents warping. Thicknesses are usually between 6 and 12mm with various lengths and widths. We used to think that laminate was anything but waterproof and usually had only modest resistance to damp. Yet is that still the case? According to manufacturers, this is hardly a problem any more and there is a product for just about any application.
HDF panel The first thing we have to consider is the HDF panel itself. These highly sealed fibre plates have a closed surface and high density, but it is best to take account of various features. Generally, you can draw a distinction between the following three classes: HDF in a standard design, HDF with waterproof edges or anti-damp treatment, and HDF with a damp stop.
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With the class with waterproof edges or anti-damp treatment we see that there is a special layer of wax at the edges. This prevents moisture from penetrating the material from above. On the other hand, with an anti-damp treatment the entire panel is treated. If a damp stop is used, the entire base is completely protected through the addition of special means.
Scratch and stain resistance It is now generally known that the latest generations have reasonably good scratch and stain resistance. Laminate has also made huge strides in terms of maintenance. Moreover, most laminate has now been even more waterproof for several years. For instance, several manufacturers refer to unprecedented waterproof products, even into the joints for a sealed surface so that water can no longer penetrate into the floor. A traditional laminate floor which is exposed to water can swell up and show mounted edges. We now notice that there has been sufficient progress so that little if any damp can penetrate so that the floor is not only more durable but also has a longer lifespan. How is this achieved? We notice that the floors are treated over the entire surface, even into the joints, so that water, dirt, and stains,
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Who has waterproof laminate floors?
remain on the surface where they can easily be removed. The fact that the floor is waterproof means that there is no swelling or mounted edges, something which often leads to ageing and premature wear with traditional laminate floors.
Why make a floor waterproof? Obviously, the key issues are under what conditions you should make laminate waterproof and how far you should you go. At present, we see how manufacturers are not only considering the more damp rooms in a house, but also they are aiming resolutely for commercial projects. This should not come as a surprise since laminate floors which are easy to fit and maintain provide an attractive and affordable alternative. Then, there’s the high anti-slip feature and durability, plus the fact they can be fitted in combination with floor heating.
Photo – BerryAlloc
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And so, nowadays, you often find laminate in places which you would never have dreamed of a short time ago. We’re talking here not only about traditional bathrooms. Did you know that even hotel lobbies and entrances to busy shops are now fitted with waterproof and ultraresistant laminate?
What’s on the market ? BerryAlloc
BerryAlloc has launched Ocean+: its latest water-resistant laminate collection with stunning real wood designs, but also carries the legacy of its innovative hydro+ technology. Hydro+ was introduced to the market way back in 2008, making the company a pioneer in 100% water-resistant laminate.Hydro+ is a hydrophobic coating that is applied to all sides of the plank during the laminate manufacturing process. This water-resistant technology makes Ocean+ an easy-maintenance floor for both general residential and commercial use. A highly scratch-resistant surface fights off the signs of daily life and the collection holds a lifetime warranty for residential use. The new collection features impressively natural, matt wood and lifelike stone designs, offering a choice of modern and classic styles. The highlight here is the real wood structure with a matt finish, of which the natural aspect is barely discernible from the look and feel of real wood. The collection also boasts a number of designs with a deep wood structure, an ultra-deep embossed texture and super-matt finish that brings the knots and cracks of grain patterns to life for a true recreation of nature. Water-resistant, stable, fade-free, scratch-resistant, beautiful to look at and simple to look after, it ticks all the boxes of a floor made for modern life.
For those ‘splash & dash’ moments.
100% water-resistant floors, fully protected thanks to our pioneering hydro+ technology. Back in 2008, BerryAlloc was the first company to bring this innovation to laminate flooring. Our Ocean+ collection contains authentic, lifelike wood designs and realistic embossing, with high levels of abrasion and scratch resistance. Available in two sizes and thicknesses: something for everyone.
www.berryalloc.com
water resistant laminate.
Special
Who has waterproof laminate floors?
EGGER EGGER Aqua+ & Design Green Tec
Aqua+ laminate flooring EPL169
flooring is the same as how you would install any common laminate flooring. It must be installed with its respective click system, always on an insulating base made of recycled rubber foam, called ¨underlay¨. Our waterproof laminate flooring features the most innovating designs and shades. In fact, there is no distinction in design between a standard laminate flooring and one that is waterproof.
MEISTER EGGER has been one of the leading suppliers in Europe of woodbased floors and has two waterproof types of floor in its range: the popular all-round Aqua+ laminate floor and the high-quality and sturdy Design Green Tec floors. Laminate is quite rightly a very popular floor covering. Egger’s laminate floors will win you over due to their great functionality, durability, and optic inviting designs for each interior style. Farewell to cold tiles! Opt instead for a floor which is warm, sustainably produced, and easy to lay. Thanks to the waterproof Aqua+ core plate which is perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, corridors, and commercial use with regular cleaning. Their Aqua+ laminate floors are easy to maintain, even with steam cleaners. Their Design Green Tec floors combine comfort and functionality splendidly for a pleasant and natural feel without PVC. Thanks to the innovative wearing layer, their Design Green Tec floors are sturdy, resistant to tiny scratches and stains, and easy to maintain. Moreover, they are waterproof for up to 72 hours thanks to the special product structure with watertight surface, Green Tec core plate, and close-fit CLICit!-installation system. Unlike conventional vinyl floors, our Design Green Tec floors use no PVC. 100% of the wood comes from regional certified forests. The integrated layer of sound insulation is made from recycled cork.
Faus International Flooring Laminate floors have improved in terms of their resistance to humidity, especially those known as ¨waterproof resistant¨. These are designed to withstand possible spills in residential and commercial use. However, it should not be confused with outdoor flooring. In the case of FAUS, we offer the Aqua-0 technology, a combination of a low absorption water-repellent board, hermetic anchoring system, the JointGuard technology protecting the joints and a special water-repellent paraffin applied to the edges. Making our floors suitable for any area, including kitchens and bathrooms. The installation of waterproof
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LD 250 light field oak 6843
MEISTER is offering laminate floors which remain water-resistant for between 4 and 24 hours. This means that all MEISTER laminate floors with a minimum thickness of 8mm are suitable for bathrooms. The MEISTER laminate floor Aqua Safe system comprises several elements which protect the floor against moisture penetration: a watertight melamine surface, new Aqua Stop edge impregnation, a refined joint seal, and a swelling-enhanced base plate. Both the LL250 (S) and LD 250 collections are 10mm thick and therefore have an exceptionally stable product structure and, according to the definition of the European and American laminate sectors, remain water-resistant for 24 hours. The LD150 stands out for its price-quality ratio. The excellent technical features, combined with splendid designs, mean that this 8mm laminate floor with four V-grooves and a water-resistant character for four hours is absolutely ideal for the bathroom.
Special
Range of ride-on machines for removing old tiles, natural stone, wooden floors, carpet, etc…
ELECTRIC STORY CONTINUES TO ADVANCE RIDE-ON FLOOR STRIPPERS ARE GETTING MORE AND MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR PARQUET FLOOR FITTERS Olaf Janser (Janser GmbH - D) Janser GmbH in Germany Ehningen is a family led business, established in 1961. Janser is a specialist in professional flooring tools, machines and equipment that does more than just manufacture machines. Janser is represented with subsidiaries in 10 countries as well as distribution partners throughout Europe. CEO Olaf Janser points out how important it is to make the right choice with ride-on machines: “Think about your Return on Investment when you decide to buy such a machine. In doing so, you need to answer two central questions: the first one is if you really need a ride-on or if a walk-behind suffices. When you have made the choice for a ride-on, a second question arises: what type do I choose?” “When people think about giving an answer to both questions, I urge them to calculate the possible profit, in relation to the normal assignments they get. Don’t forget you may quadruple your profit per hour if you opt for a ride-on, because you can cover a lot more ground, more quickly. If you are worried about the price, it starts with the price of a normal car, around 20,000 euros. A car that costs you money, while this machine makes it for you. The only thing you as a user have to do is calculate the possible ROI and see if you can use this machine regularly enough.” “The message I want to give to potential buyers out there: feel free to approach us. We can help you determining what you really need as a contractor. This goes together with maximum service and even on the job training for staff members, so the machines are used in the best possible way. Of course, maintenance makes part of this total package as well.” “Don’t hesitate to contact us and discover how revolutionary these ride-ons are and what evolutions they have made. Working all day on the same battery pack, for instance, or the reduction of the weight by half of what ride-ons weighed five years ago. The result is that a small machine can easily be transported in a normal van.”
There are various options for stripping floors, but they obviously depend on the size and type of surface to be stripped. Highly popular are so called ride-on floor strippers. They’re handy to use, the operator works from a sitting position, akin to cutting the grass with a ride-on mower.
There are lots of options with this equipment and ride-on machine sizes are going in all directions. Appliances are divided up by weight and capacity and in terms of weight come in several shapes. For medium and heavier appliances you see weights of 50 to 100kg, whilst for heavier work you find lots of weights of 160 to 200kg for
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Range of ride-on machines for removing old tiles, natural stone, wooden floors, carpet, etc…
machines which could weigh a tonne. Floor fitters won’t need such big machines every day. That’s why we first ask about the smaller ride-on machines. What stands out is that the total mass of those smaller ride-on machines has diminished considerably in just a few years. Sometimes, the total weight has fallen by hundreds of kilogrammes, something which means that the machines have become much easier to transport in an ordinary delivery van.
Electric is already the future With all that, you can almost ask the question: What about this equipment if it’s all about electricity? Now that a lot of equipment is becoming a lot greener, the same applies to ride-on machines. Batteries are growing steadily in popularity. Moreover, existing battery packs appear to be powerful enough to last a whole day so that there’s no need for irritating stops to charge or replace batteries. Moreover, an extra benefit with these same battery packs is that they also have their weight distributed low on the ground. That is nothing but a benefit for the stability of ride-on machines, something which is an extra favourable point as compared to classic walk-behind machines. If we convert that into figures, you could say that working without interruption for 10 to 12 hours has already been feasible for some time. If you charge everything at night, you can work all day the next day. If we deduce here that cables are completely a thing of the past, that would be going too far. It’s clear that a 230V cable still proves its worth because it has at least two major advantages. Firstly, you can continue to use it. If you work non-stop on a site for 20 hours, a cable is the most convenient solution. Secondly, there is an advantage which is unjustly perceived to be a drawback. Working with a cable is actually not such a big problem, certainly if you have to cover large rooms. The fact is that those sorts of rooms will the most common ones if you have to work (almost) round the clock.
Photo – Janser
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Propane is also popular If we switch to bigger machines, we note that electricity is used much less. Workers tend to rely on classic fossil fuels, certainly when it comes to outdoor work or works in large indoor halls. A striking development is that there is a trend towards machines with propane gas as fuel. This fuel makes it possible to drive a machine quickly and powerfully, but it is meant mainly for certain non-residential sites. Think of sports halls, for instance. Actually, the use of fossil fuels is dictated by one all-embracing legal principle: To what extent can emissions be tolerated and, as a result, what about ventilation in the work place?
For whom is it designed? Are those really heavy machines for stripping floors something for parquet floor fitters? We would dare to suggest that the answer will (almost) always be in the negative in comparison with the light and medium ride-on machines. In this case it will tend to be big contractors or project developers who use them. There are lots of companies which now specialise in stripping large floor surfaces.
A specialist Janser Adhesives for floor coverings have been improved regularly over the past years. This has meant that the removal of floor coverings has become more difficult and in many cases, conventional handheld or electrical strippers could not be used efficiently. This was the reason why JANSER had already started 15 years ago to offer Ride- On strippers, first the 230 V cable version and later the battery version. Today,
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a few hundred of these large ride-on strippers are used every day in Europe in order to remove various glued floorcoverings with maximum stripping performance. Because of their weight and dimensions, these machines are mainly used by larger floor laying companies, contractors and specialists. JANSER introduced in 2018 with the JUNIOR Ride-On a smaller ride-on machine to fill the existing gap in the market. The JUNIOR is significantly lighter and smaller and above all more affordable. Smaller and medium sized companies in our industry are now able to use this machine efficiently with maximum effect.
PRODESO® DRAIN SYSTEM is an innovative and patented membrane of last generation for the draining and waterproofing. The ‘’air chamber‘’ created under the tiles, facilitates a microventilation that allows a drainage of water and a quick drying of the adhesive especially in case of large sizes. PRODESO® DRAIN uncoupling and vapor management features allow its application on not perfectly cured substrates. Easy and quick to install, it has an overall thickness of only 5 mm, less than any other system. Versatility is an essential quality of this product. It guarantees long life to the flooring both outdoor and in the indoor humid environments, such as wellness centers, SPA and pools. An innovative technology that perfectly combines with a simplicity, speed and effectiveness of installation.
Professional Flooring Technology
t classes! Floor Scrapers in suitable weigh German Quality
Power-Stripper 14 kg
Ride-on ADB HS 1180 kg
COSMO IV 39 kg
MASTER MOBIL III 105 kg
Ride-on Electro 565 kg
Ride-on ADB 950 kg
JUNIOR Ride-on 420 kg
STRATO MOBIL IV 190 kg
Your projects - our equipment - your success!
Janser GmbH Böblinger Straße 91 D-71139 Ehningen www.janser.com
Tel.:
+49 (0) 7034/127163
Emai: daniel.buscaglia@janser.com 33 Floor Forum International 115
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Janser (D)
INNOVATIVE PERSPECTIVES, RIDE-ON FLOOR SCRAPERS FROM JANSER Adhesives for floor coverings have been improved regularly over the past years. This has meant that the removal of floor coverings has become more difficult and in many cases, conventional walk-behind stripper machines could not be used efficiently in commercial jobs.
designed for a long life under severe conditions. The total weight of 1180 kg ensures best performance and consistant removal rates. With the weights being removed the machine can be transported at a net weight of 800 kg.
This was the reason why the JANSER Company had already started 20 years ago to offer Ride-On strippers, first the 230 V cable version and later battery versions. Today, JANSER manufactures in Germany the widest range of Ride-On Floor Scrapers and supports their customers throughout Europe with the service that is needed in that specific market.
The economic battery machine version operates at a speed of 37m/min exceeding the average eight-hour working day. The front angle plate can be set manually to suit various job site conditions. Including additional weights the machine weighs 950 kg. The on-board built-in charger system has the versatility to plug into any outlet.
The Janser line of Ride-On machines consists of two versions of battery powered machines, two type electric/cable machines as well as a gas driven machine operated by propane. While all machines do the same basic thing, remove all type of surface coverings from carpet to ceramic and everything in between, each machine has been designed for specific job site conditions as well as contractor needs.
This machine has been re-designed in 2019 after having been on the European Market for about 15 years. The working speed of 37m/min is a „game-changer“ compared to walk-behind machines, increasing the production rate multiple times. A net weight of 470 kg at a gross weight of 700 kg allows the machine to be transported in a van, together with other equipment needed. The electric 230 V cable offers advantages over battery operated machines in case of permanent working times needed.
Ride-On All-Day Battery, High-Speed (ADB-HS) The latest generation of the industries work horse is the most powerfull battery powered ride-on scraper from Janser with a run time of 8-12 hours at a speed of 61 m/min. The included hydraulic front angle plate allows blade angle adjustment while being on the machine. The new battery managment system protects the batteries and increases their life-time. The machine chassis and control handles have been
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Ride-On All Day Battery
Ride-On Electro Version
JUNIOR Ride-On Over several years and numerous conversations with customers, JANSER realized that the ride-on stripper market required an economical, compact, versatile & powerful 230 volt electric powered ride-on scraper. It was required to be light, but powerful, easy to load
into vehicles, and non-reliant on batteries. In addition, it needed to be used in any location whether on the ground floor or in a high-rise building. After three years of development JANSER introduced the JUNIOR in 2017 ! The Junior's Features include a forward leaning design which places the centre of gravity onto the tooling, giving you optimum performance, normally only achieved by larger heavier floor scrapers. A working speed of up to 37m/min, results in the removal rate greatly increasing, particularly when removing soft flooring like carpets and vinyl's. The extension pole fitted to the Junior allows for efficient removal of ceramic tiles and timber flooring. The Junior rider weighs 420kgs with the ability to remove over 80 kgs of weights. This allows easy mobility and the capacity to go where the larger battery riders cannot access. Optimal maneuverability in tight spaces with its front swivel castor and zero turning radius, markedly increases productivity and performance. Battery operated machines can work for up to 12 hours whereas recharging would take 8-10 hours. Electric Cable machines can be run permanently with 230 V Power being available and the operater controlling the cable which is part of the instructions. Gas driven machines offer also permanent operation by replacing the propane tank. Fumes are limited but not allowed in several commercial job sites. Gas machines are a good option in outdoor areas, like parking decks or sport facilities. The selection of the best suitable blade or chisel is very important, but also the set angle of the blade towards the floor. Blades are available in various widths and thicknesses and also with side-wings to selve-score various type of floorcoverings and coatings. Hardened Blades increase the lifetime and productivity as well as carbide tipped chisels do. Additional weights on the Ride-On machines can be removed for transportation for example in elevators with weight limitations. Janser offers Ride-On Scrapers from 420 – 1180 kg in gross machine weight to match various needs and sizes of vans.
For more information visit us on www.janser.com
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Providers of extra wide and long parquet / wooden floors
DO YOU ALSO WANT THE BIGGEST? TREND TOWARDS EVER GREATER AND WIDER IS UNDENIABLY ON THE MARCH The family-run company BIEHRER, located in the northern Black Forest, Germany, is one of the world’s leading specialists for wood flooring. It enjoys worldwide renown for its high-quality in multilayer and solid wood floors made from wood which comes from sustainably maintained indigenous German forests. Anton Biehrer comments: ‘Our creed: “Design follows nature.” gave us the desire to show the whole structure of the tree. By producing very long and wide planks, we highlight the natural growth of the wood with our products.’ BIEHRER offers extremely long lengths and wide widths. Every product can be configured individually according to the wishes of the customer and the respective room setting. ‘The longest length we’ve produced in the past was no fewer than 17.35 metres. In the standard portfolio of floors widths of up to 500 mm are possible, whilst widths of up to 1.10 metres can be produced in the accessory section (kitchens, furniture, and further interior design). Thicknesses are between 19 and 35mm. We also offer various surface options. With more than 400 formulas we are able to create any desired colour. In addition to the colour, one can also choose among nine possible surface structures that characterize the haptic of the floor and seven different grades.’ explains Anton Biehrer. Almost all BIEHRER flooring boards are fitted on floor heating (95%). The dimensional stability of the planks, which is created through complex gluing, allows BIEHRER to release areas of up to 1000 m² without any expansion or construction joints. The prerequisite for this is a technically correct execution of the fitting. ‘To cut a long story short: as we consider every room or project as unique, the design of the floor has to be perfectly in harmony with the wishes of our customer and the accompanying sphere. We create each floor design individually and thus set no limits to the creative possibilities.’
Just like other interior sectors, the flooring industry cannot escape from trends. For instance, key words like durability, circularity, recyclability, or naturalness will surely sound familiar. Now that we’re always talking about these things, it should come as no surprise to see that there has been a trend for some years towards increasingly wider and longer planks for both wooden floors and furniture. In the case of floors, this is about planks which can be solid wood or composite.
Wide floorboards Whilst old wooden floors used to consist of narrow slats almost by definition, that is now much less the case. Although such authentic wooden floors possess a certain charm, more and more people now appreciate floors with very wide and long planks. Wide and long planks reflect strength, character, and audacity whereby the home looks sturdy and the room grows visually in stature. Certain Interiors do lend themselves more readily to such large-size or XXL planks. They will come into their own mainly in minimalist and
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modern interiors where you likewise find large-size tiles which have been highly popular for years, although other more traditional fittings are not being ignored. Think, for instance, of a trendy renovated mansion or a home in rural style. If we consider lengths, we can say that at present there are no limits. Or are there? The limit is that which the natural product (i.e. the tree) indicates (something which you also read in the testimony with this article). There are actually no standard sizes with long and wide, but with various vendors we did find floor planks of 3.5 to 4.5 metres long, with varying widths of 24 to 36cm. Obviously, we think here primarily of oak, but actually lots of other wood sorts are possible. What is also striking is that with long and wide we don’t have to think solely of the classic straight fitting. For instance, herringbone, another very trendy fitting method, also proves a success in very large size. Usually, people opt for this XXL herringbone parquet for the measure of tranquillity which this radiates in a room.
It creates a unique image What’s particularly nice with solid wood planks is how vendors who aim for something purely natural sell products which can originate from a single tree and from several trees. That has consequences for the image created on the floor. No two planks have the same grain and pure and wide oak planks with few gnarls can lie side by side with rustic planks which, by contrast, swarm with gnarls. Another logical consequence of this working method is that the widths of the planks are not necessarily the same. Planks which have been sawn from the middle of the trunk supply wide and robust planks, whilst planks which are cut from closer to the bark are simply narrower and ensure a slim image. The result is still suits modern interior lovers who are prepared to pay a higher price for their unique products. The natural look of the room comes first.
What’s on the market ? Design Parquet In order to maximize the volume of wider rooms and underline the depth of spaces, larger and longer strips are appreciated. Extra large strips are available only in engineered wood flooring. The largest strips of Design Parquet are 220 and 295mm like our XXL wood flooring. This kind of strips is offered only with manufacture LOFT PRO : semi-solid wood flooring on birch plywood base because this base offers a better stability. Design Parquet strips are available from 1meter to 5 meters long. Our XXL model is produced with an oak underlayer to ensure its stability and offers the possibility to lay in floating, glued or nailed
laying. Extra large and long strips are in Oak and you can select the colours effects and finishing, which offers a large range of possibilities. We can supply other species : Walnut, Wengé, Iroko, Merbau and other sizes like 350 or 400 mm on demand.
Custom-made Discover design. Enjoy quality. Live responsibly.
SOLID
LOFT PRO
HAUSSMANN PARQUET Solid : 14x130 - 20x180 mm. Engineered oak Loft-Pro : 12x145/180 - 16x180/220 - 20x180/295 mm. Brushed, Satin varnish 1063. Tongue and groove. Available in Chevron and Herringbone laying.
www.designparquet.fr
Photo: Jens Weber
Tel: +49 7641 46037-0 info@biehrer.com www.biehrer.com
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Providers of extra wide and long parquet / wooden floors
Forestry Timber
narrow 1-strip or even 3-strip parquet. ESTAParket produces these wide boards both on 3-layer engineered construction with click or T/G and on birch plywood with T/G. We recommend to fix the wide boards to the subfloor or to the concrete with glue, but we also have customers who install the floor floating.
MEISTER Hightech meets nature: Lindura wood flooring
Demand for extra wide and extra-long planks is on the rise, and for good reason. Longer and wider planks look impressive, are modern and accentuate the wood’s natural grain. Using Forestry Timber’s unique engineered planks with Hevea Core means that floors with planks up to 400mm wide and 3,000mm long remain stable and are less prone to cupping or buckling. Sourcing trees that yield such exceptional widths can be challenging. In addition to using Western European oak, Forestry Timber has started using Douglas Fir, an evergreen conifer species in the pine family Pinaceae; native to North America. Forestry Timber has created a more textured look to give these beautiful Douglas Fir planks more character and depth. The trend is to have these planks in natural white hues with widths of 340mm and lengths of 3,000mm – 4,000mm with a tongue and groove installation. See how this floor will look in your space with our Room Visualizer. Hardwood flooring engineered for living. Designed to Impress.
ESTAParket ESTAParket produces parquet boards in maximum width of 240 mm. In this width we offer Oak and Ash. In width 204 mm we can offer also Walnut. Parquet has a standard wear layer of 3,2 mm, but we produce also veneered floors on birch plywood with 0,5 mm wear layer in Ash, Oak and Walnut. These extra wide boards are possible only thanks to tight wood moisture control and engineered construction. On solid wood such widths are not stable and even the engineered construction requires controlled climate conditions and acknowledgement of the indoor relative humidity. Taking the parquet production history, such widths are somewhat new and therefore look more attractive than the
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Lindura wood flooring HD 400, Rustic oak 8410
Lindura flooring has elegant and untreated surfaces, stronger brushing textures, resulting in expressive, deep structures. This collection boasts 26 surfaces; 15 are naturally oiled and 11 are matt lacquered. With extraordinary planks of 2600 x 320 mm and 2200 x 270 mm, Lindura is particularly effective in larger rooms. These wooden floors can be restored: naturally oiled surfaces can simply be re-oiled and matt lacquered variants can be treated with the Bona Recoat System. Lindura is produced using innovative wood powder technology, which transforms a simple floor covering into high-tech wooden flooring. Wood powder is a mix of materials, including fine wood fibres, mineral components, and other natural additives. It is fused to a real wood covering layer, an HDF middle layer and a backing layer under high pressure and heat. This creates planks that are resistant to pressure, pleasantly warm to the foot, durable and easy to maintain.
Special
Providers of 3D decorative wooden wall panels
IT’S NOT JUST PAINT WHICH APPLIES HIGHLIGHTS WOODEN WALL COVERING WITH RELIEF IS ON AN UNSTOPPABLE MARCH IN THE INTERIOR
Photo – HWZ International AG / The Cigar Lounge in Washington DC
Photo – HWZ International AG / The Cigar Lounge in Washington DC
Photo – HWZ International AG / The Cigar Lounge in Washington DC
Photo – HWZ International AG / The Cigar Lounge in Washington DC
Highlights on one of the walls has been a fashion in interior decoration for many years. A room painted largely in a neutral colour has one wall painted in a special colour to give the room a section which inevitably catches the eye. A recent phenomenon has been the use of wood instead of paint or wallpaper. The wood is fitted as panels or strips on one of the walls. That wood is a highlight, but with one big advantage over paint: You give the wall a structure with literally a 3D effect. What does all that have to do with you as a parquet floor fitter? More than you might suppose! These elements simply create more items which you can use to stand out creatively. Whether you fit a floor horizontally in the traditional way or by contrast you plan to fix 3D panels to the wall, the principle in the final analysis is more or less the same. The big advantage on top of this is that you not only show the customer that you’re a master on the floor, but also you create some surplus turnover.
Even against outside walls Such 3D walls come in all shapes and sizes, but the most important thing is to consider carefully in advance how something will suit the
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interior. And so, you thereby no longer limit the statement to simple panelling, but you use a natural material like wood on the wall or even the ceiling and you make it trendy. Remember also that such 3D effects have long since extended beyond the interior. If you look around you, you will also see them on outside walls. The number of wood sorts which you can use indoors is well nigh endless, but it goes without saying that we all tend to opt for oak, coloured or otherwise. Softer wood sorts are also possible, of course, with the benefit that you often don’t have to be quite so meticulous as you do when fitting a floor. You also see with such wall panels that not only is it normal to use reclaimed wood a lot, but also wood sorts are often mixed, such as chestnut with highlights of processed oak. Or you will see the outside in weathered beams with a mix of wood sorts such as elm, oak, and chestnut. This may or may not be fitted onto a base such as birch or fireproof MDF.
Ecological, insulating, and acoustic material Why are these 3D walls so popular at the moment? Actually, the reason is quite obvious. Wood is a renewable raw material, so it fits in nicely with ecological ideology which is gaining in popularity and striving for a circular economy. Make sure that you opt for wood panels
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Providers of 3D decorative wooden wall panels
or wood strips with wood from a verified source such as FSC. There’s one more practical benefit which might get forgotten: Such panels can be fitted perfectly without damaging the wall. If customers are tired of their walls, it will be comforting to know that changing them is quite easy. Moreover, wood has other qualities as well. One of the most important ones is that it provides insulation. Then, apart from its aesthetic function, it can also help to improve the acoustics.
Use in many places Where do we use these panels? The answer here, too, is quite obvious: You use them anywhere! Whether you are talking about the living room, the head of the bed in a bedroom, or a highlight wall in the kitchen, it’s all fine. Obviously, you take special measures in special rooms. A bathroom is a damp room and requires a different approach than a study. Your experience of fitting floors will serve you well here as an extra benefit.
Three specialists Forestry Timber BAROQUE COLLECTION
structure, surface and pattern, wood is the ideal material for creating a creative and individual look. In addition to giving the wall a distinctive look, this decorative wood panelling also offers excellent acoustic results. Wooden wall panels can be installed in the living room or bedroom, in offices, hotel lobbies, restaurants, airports, schools, ... As a producer of oak parquet and oak panels, we have chosen to produce our 3D wall panels (Q-Wall) in oak and heat-treated oak. We strive to produce environmentally friendly products and to reuse our sawing residues. Would you like to know more about our 3D wall coverings? Don't forget to visit our website www.q-floor.com
MEISTER
3D walls are in demand, being a way to add warmth and bring a touch of nature to any room. Forestry Timber’s Baroque collection of wood panels are carefully handcrafted from white oak or walnut, using eco-friendly and legally harvested raw materials. Each panel consists of bespoke, hand-shaped 3D pieces of wood that are glued together, ensuring easy installation. Our wall panels are mounted as tiles, pieced together to create a stunning focal point in any space. We have six patterns in varying sizes: brick off-set, blocks, checkers, hexagonal 3D cubes (walnut), prisms and windmills. Colour choices include a natural raw finish, semi-fumed or smoked – and every panel is coated with a formaldehyde-free UV urethane lacquer and glue. To try out these panels visit our Room visualizer or view and download our catalogue from the resource centre. Engineered for living, designed to impress.
Q-Wall The use of wood in your interior is once again totally in fashion, you see more and more natural products as the basis of an interior. Covering the walls with 3D wall panels makes the room much more lively and immediately creates an atmosphere. With its many variations in
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Old denim oak 4304
“Cladding is a thing of the past”: MEISTER presents new panel range Under the brand name MEISTER, MeisterWerke not only markets innovative hard floor covering; panels, too, are part of its extensive product range – which is 100% made in Germany. MEISTER is now expanding its product portfolio of wall and ceiling coverings with numerous new products. The general rule of thumb: functionality meets stylish and modern aesthetics. Cladding is a thing of the past! MeisterPanels. style: Sound-absorbing acoustic panels with felt As well as an elegant aesthetic, the new MeisterPanels. style SP 800 collection with high-quality felt offers real added value. The acoustic panel absorbs 35% of noise (absorber class D as per DIN EN 11654), providing a pleasant room atmosphere in modern living environments, in which curtains and other textiles are used sparingly. Partial covering of the wall or ceiling is enough for the sound-absorbing effect to make itself felt. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news
Special
Who has chemical products for distressing wooden floors?
MODERN NOSTALGIA TREND IN DISTRESSED FLOORS IS STILL ALL THE RAGE
Photo – Chimiver
Distressed floors are still hugely popular. The range of methods for artificially giving a new floor an aged appearance is therefore legion. In this article we consider how something like this can be done manually on site and look at a number of distressing processes for oak. We outline how each of these processes leads to specific and unique properties and looks in an interior. In the introduction we mentioned the distressing of oak, but in fact you can assume that distressing other sorts of wood presents few problems, if any. This treatment is always possible, whether we are talking about herringbone in oak or something like pine solid parquet floors.
Diverse methods What’s particularly important is that there are several possible ways of distressing a parquet floor. With distressing, the surface of the plank is often given a so called ‘scourging’, whereby the plank is damaged artificially with various tools. Here is a list of some of the methods: - Beating wooden floors: Here the parquet is treated with gravel, sand, and stones in a drum. This process gives a floor an extremely aged look. As the name suggests, planks are put into a big drum. As the drum rotates, nuts and bolts in the drum put extra dents in the floor. - Planed: Sections of the plank are planed to highlight the structure of the wood and make it look more rugged. - Scraped: Sections of the plank are scraped manually. - Sawing: The parquet floor is sawn lightly. This results in a lot of little marks in the floor. - Sandblasting: The planks are sprayed and/or sandblasted with sharp sand.
- Edges of the plank are processed (similar to scraping): Since the edges of planks were finished to a lesser extent in the past than they are today, you have to pay attention to them. To create this effect, you scrape edges to make it look as if the floor was treated years ago. Note that these are just a few of the possibilities. Moreover, you shouldn’t forget that it is also possible to combine the various distressing techniques.
Reinforcing the effect You can also give the distressed look various elements at the same time. It is good to realise that it is possible to reinforce the effect slightly or more severely. If you want a weathered, grey colour, it is possible to treat the floor with lye stain before the floor is oiled or lacquered. If you treat the floor with floor oil in combination with a colour which you choose yourself, this reinforces the distressing effect and creates an authentic and weathered look. The benefit is that traces of use will be much less noticeable precisely as a result of this distressing. This makes it an ideal method for treating floors in high-traffic open rooms such as shops, cafés, or restaurants.
Some specialists Blanchon ‘We’re shifting from white to a “measured” look.’ The French company Blanchon is a top player amongst specialists with products for distressing wooden floors. The company has been a specialist since 1832 in wood finishes and a partner for parquet floors, industrialists, painters, or carpenters. A spokesperson comments: ‘After a decade of big demand for white or “broken white”, we’ve noticed a shift towards purer shades which denote the past and which
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Who has chemical products for distressing wooden floors?
testify to a “measured look”. These very light colours very often go together with the processing of the wood via saw cuts, for instance. Apart from that, we’re also seeing a modest return to darker shades, such as smoked oak or giving a look of exotic wood sorts such as ipe or teak, which you get easily if you work with oak.’ ‘It’s important when distressing and colouring wood to remember that not all wood sorts are equally suitable. For instance, tropical wood sorts do not bear any colouring whatsoever based on white. Moreover, the range of vivid colours, which make up a very small part of demand, comes out much better on wood sorts which contain resin and you must be sure to remember that oak in particular plays a prominent role in the quest for a trendy look. In all this, the specialist professional should use products which do not give rise to any visible streaks on the entire surface. We have a huge range of products to that end so that we can meet the decorative wishes of the most demanding customers.’ ‘For use on the site we offer parquet floor fitters two ranges of wood shades in a watery phase. One is a mono-component, the other a dual-component, with few pigments. Apart from that, there’s our distressing range, which consists of three ranges, which have a purely decorative purpose and have to be finished after the distressing with a glazer or an oil which may or may not be coloured.’ ‘I also want to say that in various countries you have to comply with increasingly stricter legislation regarding hazardous substances. And so, we commit ourselves daily to an ongoing quest for products with as little impact as possible on the user or the environment. Public health is our main concern!’ www.blanchon.com
Bona
With the Bona Brush Technology, cylindrical brush heads rotate in opposite directions to brush away the soft wood to highlight the wood grain structure and create attractive effects. These range from two-colour contrasts to striking and modern two-colour effects with the parquet oil and parquet lacquer from Bona – the possibilities are legion. The Brush Technology from Bona comprises the 1-disc sander Flexi Sand 1.9 equipped with the drive disc Bona Power Drive CONNECT (formerly NEB). A steel brush is connected first of all to the Power Drive CONNECT (formerly NEB) for the initial brushing. After that, a nylon brush set is fitted to brush away the hard wood and give the wooden surface depth and texture. This ensures the colour oil can soak into the grain to create a two-dimensional effect and improve the natural pattern of the wood.
Chimiver
The R&D laboratory in CHIMIVER has developed a new ad innovative range of reacting solutions for ageing your wood: OLD WEST. The use of OLD WEST allows to obtain a large variety of effects imitating the old weathered woods. OLD WEST is different from classical stains or dyes which are coloring the wood hiding its grain structure; OLD WEST enhances the natural beauty of wood standing out color differences into the wood grain. The OLD WEST reacting solutions are clear and pigments free; the natural wood color is changed through the reaction of the solution with the tannin or resins contained in the wood. Consider that the final results can change based on: - Quantity of product - Possible dilution of product - Reacting solution overlap - Humidity and temperature during working and drying. Drying conditions in between the coats - Wood preparation (sanding, scraping, brushing etc..) - Application method - Tannin and resin content - Country of origin of the wood - Chemical nature (water or solvent-based) of the fixing prymer.
DevoNatural®
Bona subjects all its products to the strictest tests to ensure that they emit fewer or minimal volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air. Furthermore, Bona is committed to healthy indoor air quality with innovations to products and machines. To give a parquet floor an aged look, Bona has special ‘Brush Technology’ which stresses the natural character of the wood and gives existing wooden floors a new look.
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Reactive 300-600-1200 is a reactive distressing product with a smoked effect for ‘oak’ parquet and wooden floors, doors, windows, furniture, etc. The product is an ecological mix of hexa hydrates and does not contain any harmful or irritating substances or ammonia! Reactive 300-600-1200 can be applied only to oak! DevoNatural® Reactive is a distressing product which is available in three concentrations, namely 400, 600, and 1200. The higher the figure, the stronger the reactive distressing. On oak wood DevoNatural® Reactive gives the wood a naturally aged look. The effect can vary, depending on the area of growth, the sort of oak, and the diversity of the oak wood. The tannic acid content of the oak determines the colour effect!
Special
Who has special cleaning and maintenance products for wooden floors?
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE ARE ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR CUSTOMERS TO KEEP AN OAK PARQUET FLOOR IN TOP SHAPE damp and a little natural soap added to water. Natural soap is added because it protects the floor from water. The water evaporates, the soap is left behind, and the floor is protected from both dirt and damp. How often should you do this? Mopping twice a month with natural soap for a floor with normal traffic should suffice.
Maintenance oil
If we consider the oil finish, you must realise that the oil has to be ‘sealed’ after the fitting. After that, it should be treated with a maintenance oil at least once a year. Here, too, it’s best to consider how much the floor is used and how intensively. If, for example, it is used by a family with young children plus at least one domestic pet, it’s best to do this twice a year due to the intensive use of the floor.
A wooden floor only retains its unique charm if you clean and maintain it properly. In this article we consider how you should maintain an oak parquet floor finished with an oil which may or may not have a colour pigment added to it. With the aid of some useful tips, we try to give some guidelines to help you advise customers so that their floors will still look great long after the fitting.
Oil penetrates into pores The main thing is to make it clear to customers how oil works into the wood. Oil penetrates deeply into the pores of the oak wood to protect the floor from dirt and damp. This inevitably means you cannot recommend just any maintenance at random. It sounds like a contradiction with a wooden floor, but the best thing is to tell customers that good cleaning means regular mopping. We must also add at once as a matter of urgency that you mustn’t just throw water on the floor. You must limit the use of water if possible and pools of water must be avoided at all costs. The mop should be only slightly
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Using this maintenance oil firstly removes the previously applied layer of soap together with stubborn dirt. For this purpose it’s best to use an intensive detergent and, we repeat again, you must not allow the floor to get too wet when mopping, and the floor must be able to dry properly after the mopping. Once this is done, the maintenance oil can be applied. A maintenance oil should be shaken thoroughly before use, certainly if it is for use on a floor with a colour pigment. Once the maintenance product is applied, you should let it soak into the wood for about five minutes. Then you can polish the floor with either pads or soft cloths. After this treatment, you can dab away surplus oil with cotton cloths. Allow the oil to dry for four hours and do not tread on the treated floor with shoes for at least 24 hours.
Avoid grains of sand
Don’t forget to advise customers that the adage of prevention being better than cure also applies to wooden floors. Sand in particular is a sworn enemy of oiled parquet floors because the grains have an abrasive effect on the layer of soap. And so, you should advise customers to provide a doormat and be sure to tell them that it’s better to vacuum clean once too often than once too few. The moral of the story: Both the oil and the wooden top layer stay in good condition longer, the floor has a longer lifespan, and the amount of maintenance oil required reduces.
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Who has special cleaning and maintenance products for wooden floors?
Some specialists Blanchon Lagoon® is the ideal solution for people in a hurry. Spray the product and mop the parquet using the mop with micro-fibres and the parquet is clean and ready for use. This product is sold in a kit and can also be used with glazed or oiled parquet floors. It can even be used on laminate or PVC floors. For glazed parquet there are both the Metallic Satin Renovator (‘Rénovateur Métallisant Satiné’) and the Metallic Ultra-matt Renovator (‘Rénovateur Métallisant Métamat®’). The former is suitable for glossy parquet, the latter for matt parquet floors. These products are designed mainly for renovation. There’s also Lisabril®, an all-round detergent. This is used diluted and relates perfectly to both products which we’ve mentioned above. There’s also a super strong detergent, the Anti-ageing Detergent (‘Décapant Dégraissant’). For oiled parquet floors, their universal maintenance oil is perfect for maintaining all oiled or oil-wax parquet floors. The product preserves the matt look of oiled parquet and is applied easily using a micro-fibre mop. For deep and intensive cleaning they have an intensive cleaner, which is ideal for preparing the floor surface for applying a new coat of wax.
Bona
lacquered or oiled. Here is the Bona range of maintenance products for lacquered parquet floors: - Regular cleaning: Bona Cleaner (soluble), Bona Spray Mop & assortment (ready for use and for daily use). - Deep cleaning: Bona Deep Clean (for mechanical use, with the Bona Power Scrubber). - Protection: Bona Polish, Bona Polish D509. For oiled floors Bona has the following: - Regular cleaning: Bona Oil Soap (intensive cleaning), Bona Spray Mop & oil assortment (for daily use). - Deep cleaning: Bona Deep Clean (for mechanical use, with the Bona Power Scrubber). - Protection: Bona Oil Care (maintenance oil), Bona Hard Wax Oil (waterproof and dirt-proof).
Chimiver VELUREX Cleaner Star is an intensive multiuse cleaner, recommended for maintenance of lacquered wooden floors. It also efficiently acts on PVC, linoleum, melamine, marble, etc… removing dirt, black heel mark, various stains; it doesn’t leave halos and perfume the environment. VELUREX Cleaner Star is a neutral cleaner with addition of special nanoparticles which guarantee to the treated surfaces a deep cleaning and a long lasting action, even in the presence of pets. LIOS Soft Balm is a cleaner suitable for ordinary cleaning ad nourishing of oiled wooden floors (natural oil treatment, UV curing or urethane treatment). Thanks to its formulation based on maintenance oils it cleans and nourishes at the same time. Used regularly, LIOS Soft Balm helps to keep a natural and uniform appearance of the wooden floors.
Devo®
All floor owners need to look after their wooden floors. Regular maintenance is necessary to keep floors looking good for years. Bona offers all the necessary high-quality maintenance products for all lacquered and oiled wooden floors. Their maintenance range includes products for professionals and consumers. To choose the right product, the first question is whether the floor is
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Devomat presents the following DevoNatural® products. The DevoNatural® Soft Cleaner is a cleaner for the regular maintenance of varnished parquet, bamboo, cork, vinyl, and laminate floors. This product leaves no residue. DevoNatural® Polish is a water-repellent and protective maintenance product for varnished parquet and wooden floors, cork, and bamboo. Finally, the DevoNatural® Intensive Cleaner is a powerful cleaner for removing old layers of soap, layers of polymer, polishing, and degreasing heavily contaminated wooden floors, tropical wood sorts, etc. Devo® also includes the Devo® Softclean, a neutral domestic Universal cleaner and the Devo® Strongclean, a powerful degreasing universal cleaner.
Special
Fastening systems for terrace floors
THE BENEFITS OF NON-DESTRUCTIVE FITTING INVISIBLE SYSTEMS GIVE YOU MAXIMUM HONOUR FROM YOUR WORK
Not so very long ago, fitting a terrace was a job which parquet floor fitters only did sporadically, if at all. However, that has changed vastly over the last decade, partly due to the rise of invisible fastening systems. Those systems make a terrace look much more like indoor parquet and these professionals can turn out an end result which you can unashamedly describe as ‘outdoor parquet’. It really shouldn’t surprise us to learn that invisible fastening systems have continued to rise in popularity for many years. Since you can give better wood (mainly exotic wood) the finish which it deserves in a non-destructive manner, this creates a delightfully charming end result. You get the maximum honour from your work mainly because there are no visible screws fastening the wooden structure to its base. Moreover, what makes it even more fun is that manufacturers tinker with their products year by year, so technical perfection is a key concept. This means there is now less and less substandard ‘junk’ on offer and you provide added value through quality. You should use that as one of the main arguments whenever you want to persuade customers to accept your services.
clips. In other words, the terrace boards do not touch the underlying beams directly. Since terrace planks are now fitted with a groove almost as standard, you immediately have the ideal place to apply these clips, taking account of the swelling and shrinking of wood by absorbing it. Caution: Take account of the humidity level of the wood! When fitting you have to draw a distinction between wood which dries naturally and wood which is dried in a drying chamber because most clip systems are based on one or the other. That, in turn, makes the fitting easier because the clip itself already indicates the distance which has to be kept between the floorboards.
A joyful sight to behold
Clips on a support structure
The most important reason for using invisible fasteners has already been given above i.e. it simply makes the job easier. Yet there’s an extra benefit which should not be underestimated: The fitting is also easy on the eye. There are no screw holes or damage, so the end result looks perfect. An extra benefit is obviously that this makes maintenance much easier and the wood retains its beauty for much longer. There is also a solution for the eternal problem of crack formation, and the wood curls much less than with a traditional fitting.
If customers opt for an invisible fastening system, what exactly is that? A very simple workable definition is that it’s a system where the various terrace boards are fastened to the support structure via a system of
Then there’s a safety argument. There’s no damage, so there’s little or no risk of splinter formation. If you walk on a terrace with invisible
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Special
Fastening systems for terrace floors
fastening, you hardly need worry at all about doing so barefoot, provided obviously that you have chosen a suitable wood sort. That’s obviously a benefit when there are children around, certainly with a terrace which forms the boards of a swimming pool.
onto the support structure (concrete floor, joists, pedestals, etc.) A tile can be removed without having to dismantle the whole layout, and without damaging the connector.
B-Fix
The choice is yours As we’ve said above, inferior fastening systems have been disappearing more and more from the market. That gives you as a professional more and more opportunities to choose material which you yourself prefer to use. Make sure you ask the different manufacturers in advance what the various benefits and drawbacks are and at the same time make an estimation of the price. That price is probably lower than you might initially think, whilst the benefit of time saved is undeniable!
What’s on the market ? ArchiWood / NÖVLEK®
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. NÖVLEK® develops and manufactures ingenious, simple and effective solutions to fix, protect, insulate and install wooden boards and supports for your decks, cladding and other outdoor structures. DURABILITY, STABILITY AND BEAUTY GUARANTEED HardWood Clip® is the most advanced, effective fastening system on the market for timber decking and cladding, thanks to its exclusive and outstanding technical characteristics. HardWood Clip® brings a real revolution to the field of invisible fasteners for timber decking. The innovative technique involves both the unique 45° screwing process, and the use of two, high-performance materials together ensuring greater strength, rigidity, absorption capacity and durability. The invisible HardWood Clip® fastenings (fasteners) ensure complete stability over time, along with their superb looks and unparalleled durability. The quality of each of the components of the HardWood Clip® fastening system help to make the work of users easier, while saving at least 40% of the time needed for laying (apart from the structure), compared to traditional methods. The invisible SoftWood Clip™ fasteners are designed especially for decking and cladding, in stable modified timber: heat-treated pine, heat-treated ash, Accoya®, Kebony®, bamboo, etc. SoftWood Clip™ fasteners ensure complete stability over time, along with their highend aesthetic and unparalleled durability. Easy to install and to dismantle, the Square Clip™ allows the assembled decking or flooring tiles to be endlessly reorganised and rearranged. The tiles are fixed firmly to each other, with no risk of shifting. The Square Clip™ connector can be placed or screwed directly
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Eurotec
The perfect deck with Eurotec products! Eurotec offers you a wide range of high-quality fastening systems and aids that help realising the deck project. For fixing decking boards or stone slabs, you will find various products for visible or non-visible fixing in the range. Especially with the multifunctional Stone System
from Eurotec, the construction of the deck is reduced to a minimum. With this system, products from the categories of patio supports, substructures and fasteners are put together to build a stable deck. The Stone System proves to be extremely advantageous – enormous economy, time-saving and uncomplicated installation is ensured. A wide variety of combinations of stone slabs with e.g. wood or WPC decking boards are possible, whereby the longevity of the deck is basically assured. Eurotec has many years of experience and know-how in the field of deck construction and will be pleased to support you in the planning phase as well as in the realisation of your deck.
between different dimensions of the clips with gaps of about 3, 5 or 8 millimetres and obtain almost invisible fixings. The advantage of most of our fixings is that the clips can be easily unscrewed in order to remove a single stave and make all the maintenance operations needed. This fastening system is very versatile and can be also used in wall cladding solutions with NOVOWOOD®.
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 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.
IN LOVE WITH DECKING
NOVOWOOD® NOVOWOOD®: FASTENING SOLUTIONS FOR WPC TERRACE FLOORS The italian Wood Plastic Composite NOVOWOOD® has been designed to be a durable, practical and aesthetically appealing solution also for outdoor floors. Therefore, the company R&D department has put a lot of attention in the choice of the fastening system provided with the WPC material. NOVOWOOD® uses nylon and stainless steel clips that allow a quick and easy installation of the WPC staves on the aluminium joists of the subconstruction framework. This solution offers a lot of freedom to the customers, who can choose
WOODEN FLOORS FOR OUTDOORS
LA SAN MARCO PROFILI SRL Viale Europa 63 - 31010 Soligo, TV - Italy Tel. +39 0438 980106 r.a. - Fax +39 0438 980176 info@lasanmarcoprofili.com - www.lasanmarcoprofili.com
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Special
Singapore
WESTERN BUSINESS IN THE EAST CITY STATE FORMS AN ATTRACTIVE HUB FOR THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN MARKET
After our visit to Malaysia and our article in the previous edition, we stopped in nearby Singapore. And so, we moved literally from a country with a clear South-East Asian character and the necessary social bustle where people are not so strict with public space to a literal enclave in this region. You can almost literally eat from the floor in Singapore and former British influence still clearly stands out. Singapore is actually a fairly large city and island state. Its official name is the Republic of Singapore and it comprises a group of 63 islands separated from Indonesia and Malaysia by the Strait of Johor. The population consists mainly of ethnic Chinese (76.8%), Malays, the original inhabitants, (13.9%), and Singaporean Indians, mainly Tamils (7.9%). Singapore has four official languages (Malay, English, Mandarin, and Tamil), although the government encourages the use of English as the lingua franca.
Geography The Strait of Johor is very narrow and the Strait of Singapore forms part of the Strait Karimata and the Southern Chinese Sea. The main
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island, Singapore or Pulau Ujong, is connected with the mainland of Malaysia by a dike in the north and a bridge in the north-west. A few surrounding domestic islands are also connected to the main island via fixed lines. Most people usually arrive in Singapore via the international airport (Changi). Changi Airport lies 17 kilometres north-east of the city centre in the far east of the main island of Singapore in the district of Changi. In 2016, with 59 million passengers, this airport was the seventeenth biggest airport in the world and the seventh biggest in Asia. As a freight airport (this is measured in tonnes of freight), Changi was even ranked 13th worldwide in 2016; that in itself illustrates the importance of the city state as a trading centre. The feature of Singapore par excellence is that masses of people have to live next to each other in the tiniest of spaces and the country is continually occupied with land reclamation to accommodate the population and create more space for business. In contrast to many other Asian centres, but similar to Hong Kong, the result is that use of public space is monitored strictly. Never think lightly here of throwing something away in the street; a fine for throwing even a cigarette end on the ground can be high.
Name in Sanskrit: Lion City A glance back into history explains a lot about this outsider in South-East Asia. For instance, the written history of Singapore actually goes back at least as far as the 13th century when it was known as Temasek (‘Sea City’) and as a port and as a fortified city. Archaeological research has shown that Singapore was a reasonably important trading centre even in those days. The city was given the name Singapura in the 14th century. It is generally accepted that Singapura means Lion City in Sanskrit. Legend has it that the then king saw a beast resembling a lion emerge from the sea, hence the change of name. What certainly is odd is that there are no lions to be seen at all in the wider area, and that’s why other sources claim that the name is derived not from ‘singa’ (lion), but from ‘sing’ (Sanskrit for rock). That could mean that the name stands for ‘rocky area’. If we jump on a few centuries, we really must mention the year 1819. In that year, Singapore was colonised by the United Kingdom. The Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founded a trading post and thereby laid the foundations of the modern Singapore. Due to its location at the southern point of the peninsula of Malacca, Singapore formed a strategic base for the English to conduct trade in Southern and Eastern Asia. Another key date was 1942, when the Japanese occupied Singapore after the British were forced out. The Japanese occupation of Singapore lasted until September 1945 when the British repossessed it. Then we fast forward to 1959. In that year, Singapore gained its independence in almost all areas except for foreign policy and defence and Lee Kuan Yew was the prime minister of the new city state. After a referendum in 1963, Yew took Singapore into the Malaysian Federation with Sabah and Sarawak. However, shortly afterwards on 9 Augustus 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. The country became an independent republic, but it remained a member of the British Commonwealth. In 1967, the British announced their intention to reduce their military presence even further, and that actually provided the catalyst for the vast economic growth which Singapore has enjoyed since then. For instance, the then prime minister Lee, with the help of the USA, managed to prolong the British presence and agreed to take over the biggest part of the British port facilities. After that, he had those facilities converted for commercial purposes.
If we consider the main industries in Singapore, we see they comprise mainly production of chips, shipbuilding, computers, machines, oil refinery, metal, chemical industry, and textiles, but the country also trades in wood. That wood trade is represented by the Singapore Timber Association, which is the only trading association for the wood trade in Singapore. The size of Singapore itself makes it clear that there is hardly any export of locally cultivated wood, if any at all. To that end you have to look to the neighbouring countries, whilst Singapore concentrates mainly on the trade of finished or unfinished products. Another interesting point is that Singapore is committed explicitly to a further greening of its own environment and sustainable enterprise. That makes it a pioneer in the wider region. For instance, no fewer than 30 million Singapore dollars (about 18.5 million euros) have been set aside over the next five years for various initiatives related to the introduction of electric vehicles. That is accompanied by ambitious infrastructure works whereby the country is striving for the installation of 60,000 public charging stations by the year 2030.
Politics Let’s also say a word about how the country is governed. Singapore is clearly a parliamentary representative democratic republic (not without an authoritarian touch) with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of a government in a multi-party system. By far the biggest party is the PAP or People's Action Party. It won last year’s elections with a huge majority in parliament and has the Workers’ Party (WP) as its main opposition. Sources: Wikipedia, Singapore Timber Association, The Straits Times, and Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.
Trading centre All that sets the tone for the explanation as to why Singapore is known mainly as a trading centre. We cannot ignore the influence here of a Dutch economist, Albert Winsemius. In 1960, the United Nations asked him to lead a mission to give economic advice to the government in Singapore and he fulfilled that role until 1984. It is also worth knowing that this helped the country to focus more on the west and less on the neighbouring countries. The fact that so many multinationals operate there is partly a result of the above because the country literally opened the door to working together with them. The urge to trade with the west was so strong that investment centres were set up with the aim of attracting foreign investment to Singapore. This helps to explain how Singapore transformed itself from a poor third world country to one of the most prosperous countries in the world. As an illustration, the Port of Singapore is second only to the Chinese Port of Shanghai in the rankings of tonnage or the number of containers. The income per head of population in Singapore is comparable to that of western countries.
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∂ Product news RENZO BORGONOVO SRL AND FNT SRL Renzo Borgonovo Srl and FNT Srl, along with their new hot embossing machine Borgore 500/ ITI, would like to highlight here the three roller’s patterns visible in the printed advertisement. The Ancient Wood and the Wide Criss Cross pattern are rustic designs, which mean to bring the people living that space to a relaxed, wild country side atmosphere. The Wide Criss Cross, new of 2021, is a elaboration of the classic circle sawn pattern, with the addition of cuts crossing the main cutting direction, to give something extra to the design and break the homogeneity of the original drawing. The Arabesque design, instead, is something completely different, which takes inspiration from the Middle-East art. It is a gentle and elegant floral decoration, which, used wisely, can ennoble and enrich any chosen space. For more info, make sure to contact us!
PALLMANN - STABLE IN EVERY JOINT: PALL-X FILLER Fibre-reinforced and patented wood filler The new fibre-reinforced joint filler Pall-X Filler performs well, even on wide joints. The water-based, fibre-reinforced joint filler closes even large joints without shrinking. The reason for this is the innovative fibre technology developed by Pallmann, patented in December 2020. The joint filler with a long working time enables even very wide joints to be filled in just one work step. It has an ample working time and excellent stability in the joint. Low shrinkage, non-clogging formula when abraded, and neutral colour complete Pall-X Fillers’ key features that ensure success for any wood flooring project. Little colour change in use ensures a uniform visual appearance when oiling or lacquering the wood floor surface.
IMPERTEK - A NEW LIFE FOR MANIFATTURA TABACCHI IN ROVERETO (IT) THE HEARTH OF THE STRUCTURE UNDER A RECORD RAISED FLOOR REALIZED WITH IMPERTEK’S SUPPORTS The redevelopment of the ex Manifattura Tabacchi in Rovereto commissioned by Trentino Sviluppo agency is directed to the restoration of the archaeologic industrial zone, but also to the local economy development. The structure, as a matter of fact, will host a lot of local companies, which will find space inside a strip of land covered with greenery and crossed by a long-raised floor. For its realization, the developers used the supports for raised floors by Impertek company. The raised floor is composed by big-format stone tile and long wooden boards supported by the Rail System structure. This system is made up of height-adjustable supports, on which aluminium joists Rail are hooked. Upside these joists, the Top Rail AS heads finds place and supports the components of the flooring. All these components are made with recycled material and are in turn recyclable. Rail System is part of the big product family PEDESTAL LINE of Impertek to realize raised floors. To find out more, visit the website: www.impertek.com
BONA Line-marking sports floors requires good knowledge in making precise measurements and applications. In Sweden, the authority for municipalities provides guidelines on the size and format of the courts for different sports, as well as on what colour (NCS) the line-marking can have. In there are guidelines for international and national game play, which will be based on directives from the sports federations, as well as drawings on mini courts for local adaptations. In the Bona SuperSport System, the line paint is integrated as an intermediate layer and is as a standard overcoated with a layer of lacquer for extra protection; the major benefit being that line repairs are rarely or ever needed. Used on its own, it may wear off, particularly if handball is played on the court, as strong chemicals and aggressive pads are often used to remove handball resin. For adhesion, the floor must be thoroughly cleaned prior to application. Make sure to use good quality tape and press the tape down firmly.
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GREAT SURFACES FOR GREAT GAMES Bona SuperSport System for sport surfaces Great games come from great performance. With a long track record in sports floor treatment, Bonas complete range of solutions continuous to grow, to beat the increasing challenges of floor care with top performance. As the Official Technical Partner of FIBA, Bona plays an important role in ensuring the highest standards in sports floor performance. From national top leagues and enduring multisport halls to engineered wood basketball courts and resilient handball surfaces – Bona SuperSport beats industry requirements and exceeds expectations.
bona.com/supersportsystem
THE MOST EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE UNDERLAY TODAY
DINACHOC S801 The insulation underlay Dinachoc® S801® offers a solution to neighbour noise and other noise which you might possibly cause. It absorbs both incoming and outgoing sounds and stops them spreading. Thanks to its composition of 100% rubber (from recycled used tyres), it provides insulation properties and an acoustic comfort which is unique in its sort. The S801 underlay is one of the few which can boast the classification A+, GEV EMICODE EC1, LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN LEED 4-1, and EUROFINS CERTIFIED PRODUCT INDOOR AIR COMFORT. In short, this is an underlay with very low emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), and that ensures ideal air quality in the interior. It ensures peace and quiet for your neighbours, a considerable improvement in the acoustics in your interior, and at the same time ideal ecology because the DINACHOC products form an integral part of a circular economy with use of materials which are recycled infinitely. Nor should we forget a price/quality ratio which puts paid to most other solutions on the market because it unites performance, stability, immutability, and convenient fitting. The Dinachoc experts advise you to fit the S801® underlay on your floors and walls. It absorbs the sound of footsteps and airborne noises (floors and walls), circumvents sound boxes and all impact sounds of low frequency (the most frequent disruptive sounds), and improves the acoustics of your rooms considerably.
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170 rue de la Roquette 75011 Paris - contact@dinachoc.com - www.dinachoc.fr - Contact : +33 7 83 02 03 14