Special Producers of adjustable floor support systems for terrace floors

EFFICIENT, INVISIBLE, AND CONVENIENT

FINE TUNING OF ADJUSTABLE FLOOR SUPPORTS IS A NEVER ENDING STORY

Marc Collings (Buzon - B)

Buzon in Belgium has been an authority in the world of terrace floor supports for over 30 years. Buzon employs about 20 people and achieves over 80% of its turnover in Europe, but you will find the company regularly on prestigious international sites. Here are some notable examples: the Apple Centre in the USA, the Shard Tower in London, Santiago airport in Chile, the BEI European Bank of Luxembourg, and Asterix Park near Paris.

Marc Collings, who works for Buzon in Herstel and is responsible for the Benelux and France, comments: ‘Our work area covers mainly the Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. We cover Belgium with an internal team, whilst abroad we join forces with agents and partners.’ Buzon, too, has noticed that the terrace market is growing strongly: ‘The question is whether that’s a result of the pandemic or that private individuals now attach more importance to a pleasant space. It takes nothing away from the longstanding work of our sales agents, but the circumstances have undeniably promoted this favourable development.’

‘At Buzon we’ve invested in nothing but quality products for over 30 years. However, the service provided is equally important as that quality. Our partners/agents are trained and informed in depth to make full use of the good equipment.’

At Buzon they’ve noticed how user demands have become increasingly varied. Various main strands stand out: ‘First of all, there’s the demand for more height, where we now even go up to one metre. In addition, clients are looking for more solutions in the area of wind resistance. To guarantee that a system remains firmly in place, we therefore offer an anchoring system with solutions to all possible problems. A third shaft is that of fire safety. Fire safety is a sensitive issue and it’s also essential to respond to all potential forms of legislation which can vary from country to country. Finally, we can’t ignore the ecological aspect. Therefore, we’ve produced floor supports in recycled polypropylene. That’s not all; our new offices are constructed in line with the passive building principle where there’s a great deal of attention to our ecological footprint. Amongst other things, we offset differences by planting trees and installing beehives on the company premises. What it boils down to is that we take working from cradle to cradle very seriously and we pursue it as strictly as possible.’

Finally, there’s obviously the supply of raw materials. From 1 June, Buzon had to announce a price increase, but they kept it to a minimum. ‘We’re fortunate to have worked with the same supplier for so many years and we’re therefore assured of the supply of high-quality basic raw materials. Due to market pressure and purchase prices, we had to make changes, as did other companies in the construction industry, but thankfully the price increases have been very modest.’

When you fit a wooden terrace, there are some elements which you barely see, if at all. Amongst other things, that applies to adjustable floor supports. They play an absolutely essential part in the creation of a splendid outdoor floor, but you no longer see them once the terrace is finished. These adjustable floor supports have to cope with a lot e.g. bear considerable weight, absorb gradient angles, be adjustable, help respond to diverse brand standards, resist the wind, and be easy to relocate. Then, there’s the fact that it should ideally be possible to re-use or recycle them later.

Floor support producers know what they have to do to launch their products on the market. We also note that these producers continually question their own equipment in order to respond as efficiently as possible to the needs and wishes of fitters and end users.

Weight and slope

If we consider the weight, we see that modern adjustable floor supports can cope with up to 1000 kg/pc, even for greater heights. As a rule, you can also reckon that on average at least three floor supports per square metre are used, so they can cope with a lot of weight.

We also note that they respond diligently to the degree of slope. It is standard for floor supports which can be adjusted in the height to have no problem whatsoever with a slope up to 5% (you only need 3 to 4% for a drainage slope). If a bigger slope is necessary, that, too, is no problem. The addition of a slope corrector will suffice for that purpose so that a correction of 10% can be achieved. There is also a very wide range of floor supports. These range from fixed supports for any sort of material whatsoever to the very latest bearers with self-levelling heads, which adjust the slope automatically. There are lots of benefits from this. There’s not only the quick and easy fitting, but also you have the opportunity to opt in one single product for a self-levelling or fixed head. That means you can control the stability in the most critical situations and along the perimeter of a terrace.

Height and adjustments

The question which we also need to ask is how easy it is, if necessary, to remove the planks after the fitting. What is certain is that the floor supports can be adjusted once the floor is fitted, if the planks are fitted directly onto the bearer. If that is not the case and the planks are fitted onto wooden or aluminium beams, the support structure has to be adjusted before the plates are fitted. And so, various factors mean that you have to consider in many cases that it is impossible or difficult to avoid damage if, for instance, only one plank has to be replaced. It’s interesting to note that the heights which can be achieved vary considerably. Thanks to modular systems, you usually start around 10mm, but you can go up above 1100mm. There are also rail systems on offer whereby it is possible to apply various shapes and materials creatively, such as ceramic tiles or wooden ‘boards’. That’s not insignificant in a world where designers and their clients increasingly want more freedom of expression, whilst the end result must still be a perfect flatness, something which was unimaginable with traditional fitting systems.

Ecological awareness is growing

Finally, it’s noticeable how most manufacturers stress that they are looking for and continue to go for (preferably light) materials which can be recovered or recycled to the full. What’s also noticeable is that they often go for synthetics in the shape of polypropylene, which is often already made partly from a recycled raw material. The quality of this polypropylene certainly guarantees impeccable resistance to bad weather conditions, ageing, ultra violet light, fluctuations in climate, and, in some conditions, wind. Some other specialists have their say:

Impertek

Impertek offers a wide range of supports for raised floor. Our modular system allows to reach heights from 10 to 1050 mm, to correct slope up to 10% and to install floors of different shapes and materials thanks to Rail System. Each pedestal can load up to 1000 kg. In a single support you can choose between the self-adjusting head, to automatically correct the slope up to 5%, or the fix head, to improve stability in the most critical situation or along terraces’ perimeters, guaranteeing a fast and easy installation. Our pedestals can be regulated from the top once the floor has been laid if the slabs are installed directly on the support or, where the project involves the lay on wood or aluminium joist, the substructure must be adjusted before the installation of the planks. The supports can be laid on waterproofing membranes without fixing or, thanks to the holes in them bases, can be also fasten mechanically in all the other laying surfaces. With our pedestal all wooden floors are no longer in contact with the ground but remain isolated from the its humidity, significantly increasing the life of the flooring. The lightness of the final floor makes this system perfect for all the renovations.

Pedestal adjustable de 18 à 955mm

CREATE YOUR TERRACE WITH PEDESTAL BUZON

Profilpas

With the supports for outdoor raised floors PP Level DUO® by Profilpas, there is the possibility to choose between fixed and tilting head in an instant, directly during the installation. A choice that can be made easily, thanks to the special converter Perfect Ring. Indeed, if you insert it between the head and the screw, the support becomes fixed. On the contrary, if you need to compensate the slope of a surface up to 6%, it will be sufficient not to insert the ring to obtain a self-levelling system. There is the possibility to reach all heights with just five supports PP Level DUO® thanks to the extension elements. Moreover, PP Level DUO® can be adjusted in height from the top thanks to the specific adjustment key. For the installation of single-format and multi-format ceramic planks, Profilpas has created a special double joist system for guaranteeing a greater stability and resistance: a system composed of two joists in natural aluminium that must be fixed on a special head, thus creating a rail for the positioning of the spacer. Progress Profiles

Progress Profiles has patented two new solutions to fit a perfect outdoor floating floor: Prosupport Tube System and Prosupport Slim System ensure a practical, steady and perfect realization of any kind of floating floors - screeds, smoothed concrete, wooden floors and old floors -, with 10 to 1000 mm heights, making sure to save working time and guaranteeing long-lasting results. Prosupport Tube System is an innovative pedestal composed of 7 elements in polypropylene (PP) and is equipped with a load resistance of 1,300 kg/piece. Matching Prosupport Tube System and Prosupport Slim System, the Italian firm also patented an additional modular system, Prorail System, which guarantees a steady and resistant substructure providing to the installer all the necessary elements for the work. It consists of 2 aluminium joists, Prorail and Prorail Ret, Prorail Ring, 2 cross spacers with removable flaps Prorail Spacer and one anti-noise and anti-slip rubber Prorail Rubber.

www.progressprofiles.com

Complete Transparency for a perfect installation.

The only one with 2 elements Save 3 pieces on intersections

Completley visible joint PATENTED

PATENTED

1407796 1424326 EP 2573296 B1 EP 2952652 A1

PROLEVELING SYSTEM

Laying Turn Remove Protection cap Remover

PROLEVELING WEDGE SYSTEM

PATENTED MULTISPACER

PATENTED

Photo – Buzon

Lay Tighten Remove Space and remove

IN LOVE WITH DECKING

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