Special Producers of small and medium-sized oiling and lacquering machines

THE OPTIONS CONTINUE TO GROW

PERSONALISED FINISH HIGHLIGHTS THE FLOOR FITTER’S EXPERTISE

For many years, the market was saturated with pre-finished parquet ready for fitting. A manufacturer made customised floorboards and ensured that they were completely finished before they were sent to the floor fitter (and the end customer). After that, the floor fitter’s work consisted mainly of ‘fitting metres of floor’. That trend has been modified for a few years now. As with all other things in life, these days, it’s all about supplying customised products to satisfy the customer’s personal taste.

To say it in the words of Willem Kloos, a Dutch poet: ‘Even on the floor we look for the most individual expression of the most individual emotion’. That quotation dates from the end of the 19th century, but could just as easily have been dated two years ago.

Displaying expertise

You can see the result of that highly advanced personalisation on the site. Customers want less pre-finished. And so, floor fitters or coating contractors display their expertise by finishing it in situ or in smaller batches whereby they deploy technology for their own benefit. And so, parquet floor fitters can deploy in situ or in their own workshops a small or even medium-sized oiling and lacquering machine, just as coating contractors do.

Obviously, the point here is that there isn’t a single manufacturer who would benefit from taking on very small finishes to be applied only in one place and all that, moreover, in dozens of wood sorts. Various things mean that the finishing gets passed on to floor fitters or coating contractors whom they can call upon. The work starts simply from the ‘bare’ floor and, after that, parquet floor fitters apply the finish themselves and display their expertise. That’s a huge benefit in comparison with the standard range, certainly in the area of colour.

Three parties

What we notice is that machine manufacturers with smaller and compacter oiling and lacquering lines target three groups, namely parquet manufacturers, parquet floor fitters, and coating contractors. Why do we list parquet manufacturers? We list them because there, too, such machines find trade because those compact machines can also be used to finish smaller customised orders alongside the ‘mass production’.

Coating contractors are also involved in this story because it is far from unusual for manufacturers to call upon such coating contractors (as they do with parquet floor fitters for that matter). For a long time, they, too, were accustomed to big jobs, but, as you will read in our other article about them, they have now been putting their hands to even very small jobs for a long time now. And so, to do that, they need suitable machinery with compact tools. Obviously, for us the most relevant point is what you as a parquet floor fitter can do with such a compact oiling or lacquering line. The main thing to remember is how to reconcile the benefits of the one with the other. Pre-finished parquet has the benefit that the parquet sections arrive ready for fitting and you can now largely take care of that, whilst nevertheless displaying your expertise.

From large …

What particularly stands out is the wide scope and possibilities of the various machines which have come onto the market. For instance, there are compact roller machines, which can also be used in a floor fitter’s own workshop and have the advantage that so much attention has been paid to making it easy to change and clean rollers, if necessary. A quick exchange is particularly important because obviously you want to change to a different colour or from lacquer to oil without wasting time.

… to very small

On the other side of the spectrum we see particularly small tools, which can certainly play a crucial part. Here you see processing tools which almost literally fit into the hand, but which you can use, for instance, to apply professional oil coatings for colouring and maintaining wooden surfaces. This guarantees a uniform and high-quality surface finish.

A specialist

Osmo

The tool for treating larger wood surfaces in indoor areas A time-saving method for treating interior wood surfaces is possible with Osmo HandXcenter. This tool is an optimal and efficient solution for larger wood surfaces. Osmo HandXcenter is suitable for colouring as well as maintaining and refreshing oiled wood surfaces. It is solely intended for use inside of buildings. Before treating wood with Osmo TopOil, the surface must be cleaned. Afterwards TopOil can be applied directly to the wood surface and distributed with the white pad attached to the hook-and-loop fastener disc. Through this work method, TopOil is optimally buffed into the wood surface. Five pads are included with the machine.