FFI 119 November 2021

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° 119 November 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: Top Italian companies focused on export

CEO Parchettificio Garbelotto

Preview: Surfaces China

Special: Automation in the parquet industry Special Stair renovation

Advertorial: Dinachoc (F) Special Producers of Hungarian point and herringbone parquet (solid and multilayer)

Advertorial: Kerkhofs Parket (B)

The premium polymer of choice for your isocyanate-free flooring adhesives.

Want to know more?

Get in touch with us! www.kaneka.be

REDUCING IMPACT SOUND Bona U300

acoustic underlay mat that sits under the parquet, laminate or other floor covering can effectively reduce the impact of footfall sound and isolate vibration to improve the well-being of the residents. The Bona U300 decouples the pathway and reduces the transmission of sound. It is also useful for light stress decoupling to improve a construction with weak substrates.

With Bona’s underlayment U300 the impact sound is reduced, and quality of life is greatly improved.

bona.com/u300

A U300

ON B

With Bona’s underlayment U300 the impact sound is significantly reduced. An

M P E NI N

disturbing noises when living in a house or a flat.

OUND

DA

Footsteps, the dropping of an object, moving of furniture and laundry dryers are all

–S

G

UNDERLAYMENT WITH SOUND REDUCTION

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

Editorial

N° 119 November 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: Top Italian companies focused on export

CEO Parchettificio Garbelotto

“Demand is higher than ever.”

Preview: Surfaces China

Special: Automation in the parquet industry Special Stair renovation

2020 and 2021 have been very challenging years. That is the least we can say today. The effect of the pandemic is still very visible today, in our businesses but also in our everyday lives. Lockdowns have led to people wanting to invest more in their homes, resulting into a boost in DIY products but also in construction and therefore the flooring industry.

Advertorial: Dinachoc (F) Special Producers of Hungarian point and herringbone parquet (solid and multilayer)

The premium polymer of choice for your isocyanate-free flooring adhesives.

Advertorial: Kerkhofs Parket (B)

Want to know more?

Get in touch with us! www.kaneka.be

Floor Forum International n° 119 November 2021 Photo Kaneka

4 Inside news 5 Preview Surfaces China 8 Advertorial Kerkhofs Parket (B) 10 Special Producers of engineered floors 15 Special Stair renovation 19 Special Automation in the parquet industry 21 Special Combined lacquer and oil finishes: how do we do

this and who has these products?

24 Advertorial Dinachoc (F) 26 Special Producers of profiles with integrated LED lights 28 Special Producers of veneer floors 31 Special Producers of skirting boards 34 Special Sanding machines part II : the possibilities of rotary

sanders are developing in full swing 38 Special Producers of laminate, LVT, PVC & vinyl floors

With Viki Wouters, Sales and Marketing Representative at Kaneka Belgium, we talked about Sales and Marketing Representative Kaneka Belgium how they have experienced the last year and a half. “When the pandemic started in Europe and lockdowns were enforced, we saw a serious drop in demand. Almost all activities were stopped and productions had to close down. But then, after 3 or 4 months, the market picked up and demand now is higher than ever. Since the start of Covid-19, the entire supply chain has been disrupted and everybody is struggling to get the raw materials that they need. On the other hand, order books are full, which is good news of course. We hope that the situation will normalize on the short term so everybody can restart with their normal activities : developing new products that the market needs instead of looking for substitutes of missing raw materials.”

Viki Wouters

The parquet industry is a rather mature market. “The solutions that Kaneka is offering to the parquet industry with MS PolymerTM is very broad, already well known and adopted into the market. On the other hand, LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) adhesives based on Kaneka MS PolymerTM are not that common yet, but for sure has interesting features as well. Actually the advantages are the same as when you compare silane modified adhesives with other technologies, with the elasticity being the most important one. The biggest difference between the parquet and LVT adhesive is that wood is an easy substrate to adhere to, but the broad variety in different types of LVT’s is a much bigger challenge. The solution that Kaneka offers is still unique in the market.”

in XL format 41 Special What are the major benefits of silane adhesives?

44 Special Producers of Hungarian point and herringbone

parquet (solid and multilayer) 47 Special Maintenance and cleaning products for floors in

vinyl, LVT, and PVC 49 Industry news 50 Special Top Italian companies focused on export 58 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 Thomas Verschatse joins Lamett

(l-r) Isabel Slambrouck, Thomas Verschatse, Pieter-Jan Dendooven, and Elewout Decock.

In mid-August, Thomas Verschatse was appointed as sales manager for the Belux at parquet producer and distributor Lamett Europe. He will join the sales team in Belgium and, together with Elewout Decock and Isabel Slambrouck, further strengthen Lamett’s position.

Thomas Verschatse has already worked successfully in flooring. In January of this year, he left his position of country manager with the Unilin group (which includes Quick-Step) after over 20 years. After a short spell at US Floors (Coretec), he is now sales manager for the Belux at Lamett Europe. Thomas Verschatse already feels at home with Lamett: ‘At Lamett I see a highly ambitious company. The company stands for basic values such as respect and communication. Other basic features to extend the growth are also definitely in evidence, namely quality, service, and innovation. I thank all the colleagues for their warm welcome and I look forward to working with them.’

Pieter-Jan Dendooven, commercial manager at Lamett Europe, reciprocates that positive feeling: ‘Things clicked very quickly between us all. Both as a person and with his knowledge of sales and the industry, Thomas fits into our team perfectly. We operate with a simple structure in which Thomas forms an essential link with his vast experience.’

Husqvarna Construction launches next generation battery power cutter With K1 PACE, Husqvarna takes a big step forward and offers customers a high power battery cutter that can handle the heavy duty jobs. This is the first product to be launched on the company's new battery system, PACE. “What we are presenting today is a breakthrough in the market for power cutters. We are extremely proud to introduce a high power battery cutter that fully supports the transition to low-carbon economy the construction industry needs," says Mattias Holmdahl, Global Product Manager Power Cutters at Husqvarna Construction. With more than 60 years of experience as a power cutter manufacturer and with a leading position in handheld cutters, Husqvarna Construction has the expertise it takes to lead the development from petrol to battery powered equipment. With K1 PACE customers can expect power and performance equivalent to petrol-powered cutters with all the additional benefits battery powered equipment brings to both operators and the environment. “We see an increasing number of construction

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companies striving for carbon-neutral workplaces and as a leading supplier we feel a responsibility to contribute, together with our partners and customers, towards greater sustainability.”

The PACE battery system can be utilised for more machines as the battery-powered family expands. In addition to the power cutters and battery system, diamond blades in 12" and 14"/300 and 350 mm have been optimised for battery operation. The machine is also equipped with X-Halt® brake function capable of stopping the rotation of a blade in a fraction of a second for enhanced safety. K1 PACE is shown at World of Concrete in the US from 8 to 10 of June and for those who have the opportunity to try the machine, Mattias Holmdahl promises a whole new experience. “We know what it takes to do the high demanding jobs done, and we do not compromise on quality and safety. With K1 PACE, customers get a high-performance battery power cutter that provides zero direct emissions. They can expect lower vibrations, smoother cutting and that the machine's low weight and optimal centre of gravity help reduce the strain on their body.” K1 PACE will be demonstrated by Husqvarna Construction and the sales start will take place in stages during the second half of the year, starting in the Nordic countries. More technical data will be released at the start of sales.

Lindura by MEISTER: Innovative wood flooring in an innovative 3D-printed house Germany’s first ever 3D-printed house was recently opened in the North Rhine-Westphalian town of Beckum. The floor in the innovative building was sourced from local manufacturer MEISTERWERKE. The innovative Lindura wood flooring from MEISTER was chosen for the living areas and bedrooms in the recently opened first 3D-printed house in Germany, which was built entirely using 3D printing technology. The two-storey detached house with around 160 square metres of living space was not built using conventional means, but printed by the company PERI using a 3D concrete printer. The building was designed by a local engineering and architectural firm on behalf of Hous3Druck GmbH. “We are delighted that our most innovative flooring, Lindura, has been used in this pioneering house of the future,” explains Guido Schulte, Managing Director of MEISTERWERKE. Minimal walls meet natural floors The high-tech wood flooring, in the naturally oiled, rustic oak variant, is a perfect fit for the innovative house: the indent-resistant wood surface has a warm, natural effect and strikes a pleasant contrast with the

Preview Surfaces China

WHAT TO EXPECT AT SURFACES CHINA 2021 IN SHANGHAI THIS NOVEMBER SURFACES China 2021 will bring together 110+ leading manufacturers and suppliers showcasing the latest stone, tile, floor and wall covering products and services, with a focus on promoting innovative materials, new technologies and designs. Leading players such as Monalisa, Zhisheng Stone, Hongyu, Huida, Tofeno, etc., will be promoting a number of latest products, new technologies and services which represent the most leading trend of this industry.

30+ seminar sessions, conference and featured events will be taking place during the event, topics covering industry trends, interior design, hospital build, designer workshop, prefabricated interior technologies and solutions, business matching programs, etc., which provides a platform for clients to share, learn and network.

SURFACES China 2021 will facilitate the business meetings in an efficient way by introducing the Business Match-making Program, which helps to connect exhibitors with designers, developers, builders, remodelers, contractors, distributors, and other key decisionmakers with purchasing interests. The pre-qualified buyers will be invited to the event and joined the face-to-face meetings with the support from SURFACES China. Business Match-making Program helped suppliers and buyers to build new connections and development new business opportunities in a time-efficient way.

The Surface + Design Event China 2021 (SURFACES China 2021), is going to be held from November 30 to December 2, 2021, at Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai, China.

The Annual MUST-ATTEND Event for Industry Stakeholders - Meet with quality buyers, develop new business partners and generate new business opportunities.

- Build your brand and increase the profile of your product and brand in the industry.

- Showcase the latest products, technologies and services.

- Network and establish the relationships with industry stakeholders.

- Exchange information and keep up with the latest trends and developments in the industry.

Comprised of three tradeshows: SURFACES I StonExpo I Tile Expo, SURFACES China is a leading tile, stone, floor and wall covering industry event in the region, and it is the industry annual marketplace for architects, designers, distributors, developers, owners, contractors, associations and other industry stakeholders to source, network and do business.

SURFACES China will be held in Shanghai on November 30 – December 2, 2021.

To visit SURFACES China or join the Business Match-making Program, please register at https://www.imconlinereg.com/SUF21/exhibitionen/ pages/surfaces_register/?source=media For more information, please visit us at https://en.surfaceschina.com/

SURFACES China 2021 will present a comprehensive three-day exhibition and conference with leading manufacturers and suppliers showcasing the latest innovations, services and solutions, the conference will cover the issues facing the industry today and help the clients to develop their business in the emerging markets. The event will be co-locating with Asia Interior Prefabricated Decoration Exhibition 2021 (AIPD 2021), an event dedicated to prefabricated interiors products, services and solutions.

Exhibiting Enquiry: Informa Markets James Xiao T: +86 10 6562 3326 - E: james.xiao@informa.com Visiting Enquiry: Informa Markets - Grace Hao T: +86 10 6562 3332 - E: grace.hao@informa.com

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∂ Inside news Renzo Borgonovo and FNT-Trabattoni Stampi

Beautiful contrast: the warm Lindura wood flooring in naturally oiled, rustic oak forms the perfect counterpart to the modern, minimalistic walls. (Image: PERI)

minimalistic style of the deliberately unplastered concrete walls, which have a unique, layered structure. The aesthetic effect of the large-format planks (2600 x 320 mm) plays out to its full extent on both floors.

The Lindura wood flooring was laid in a floating installation. Thanks to its patented click system, there is no need for gluing. Meanwhile, MEISTER sound-absorbing underlay provides the corresponding sound insulation.

Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

THINK DIGITAL.

MMFA supports the "Fluthilfe" industry initiative

THE NEW DSB Twinhead Pro XM

Top-Features • digital saw blade detection • automatic block width measurement • automatic bearing monitoring • 12 inch multi-touch display for best usability

Digital, powerful, high-precision WINTERSTEIGER has made the high-performance thin-cutting bandsaw DSB Twinhead fit for the future: The new DSB Twinhead Pro XM heralds the next machine generation with digital solutions and a completely revised user interface. In addition, the band saw has been optimised for the softwood sector. wintersteiger.com/twinhead-pro-xm

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Renzo Borgonovo and FNT-Trabattoni Stampi 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!

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Members donated flooring materials for the victims of the unprecedented flooding in Germany The Multilayer Modular Flooring Association (MMFA) announced today that its members took part in the project "Fluthilfe" that aimed to provide material support to help renovate the houses that have been hardly hit by the flooding. Members were invited to donate floors that have been centrally distributed by an action committee in Euskirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia).

“It was with great sadness that we saw the terrible images of the floods in Germany. Our thoughts are with all the victims, their families as well as their loved ones and we share their pain. In the face of this disaster, the manufacturers of MMF flooring have wished to support the population to help them rebuild their homes. This is only a drop in the ocean, but it is our duty to help the victims.”, stated Carl Ruland (Novalis).

This initiative was originally launched by Rüdiger Dicke, Responsible for sales at Unifloor, and Günter Bochenek, Sales Manager at Holz-Zentrum Schwab – Hockenheim, to help the victims of the unprecedented flooding in some German regions. The goal was to provide manpower, machinery, and material to help renovate the houses that were still safe and habitable but damaged by the flooding. It proved to be a real success with people starting to line up from 6am and with 60 cars already queuing two hours before the opening time.

As a result, nine MMFA member companies – namely Egger, Forbo, Gerflor, Novalis, Selit, Tarkett, Ter Hürne, Tilo, and Windmöller

– supported the initiative by donating products which have been centrally distributed by the action committee on 12 September. The solidarity effort made it possible to collect and distribute more than 30,000 m² of floor coverings, 20,000 m² underlay, and about 30,000 linear in skirtings for a retail value worth one million euros.

A video of the solidarity action is accessible here: https://bit.ly/3CJ6cU3 On 14 and 15 July, the pouring rain resulted in floods in Germany which were responsible for the death of 188 individuals. In the 151 municipalities affected, thousands of people have seen their house destroyed by the water.

MADE EXPO RETURNS: THE CONSTRUCTION WORLD IS BACK IN MILAN

The relaunching of the Italian national system is being driven by the construction industry. In 2021 Italy is aiming for + 6% growth in GDP compared to the previous year.

Thanks to the construction sector, at a European level supply chain production in the first months of 2021 increased by 3.3% in the Euro area and by 3.8% in the European Union compared to last year (Eurostat estimates). With this in mind, Milan is preparing to welcome the world of building and construction.

In Italy, large international real estate developers are looking with interest above all at the redevelopment of new urban areas, while the latest challenges consist in catching the technological, social, environmental and regulatory trends that are pushing urban agglomerations and their associated industrial fabric to adapt to new collective needs. MADE expo, the point of reference trade event for the design, building and construction sector will take place at fieramilano, Rho, from 22nd to 25th November 2021 and it will be the opportunity to present an important evolutionary moment in the world of construction.

Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

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Advertorial

Kerkhofs Parket (B)

WE THINK SUSTAINABLY THAT’S WHY WE’VE ADDED THE EMISSION-FREE PRODUCTS OF OUR PARTNER VERMEISTER TO OUR WHOLESALE PARQUET RANGE From seventy to a thousand square metres of parquet per day. In 1993, with an intrinsic passion for wood, Willem Kerkhofs, together with his wife Petra, started a parquet factory and wholesale business in Peer (B). Kerkhofs Parket has grown from a small family business to a major player on the B2B market.

Like father, like son. Willem Kerkhofs is totally convinced of that. Willem’s great-grandfather was a forest developer and handed on his passion to his son, who started a sawmill.

Willem’s father had his own wood trade and planing mill where Willem himself spent many hours working and acquired his ongoing interest in wood. This passion laid the foundation for Kerkhofs Parket.

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No request whatsoever is too way out Initially, two people took care of the production. Today, Kerkhofs Parket comprises an enthusiastic team of eighteen people and they have a strong European network. Most clients are retailers, but no fewer than nine hundred are from all over Europe. ‘No request or idea is too much to ask. Nothing makes us happier than meeting everyone’s parquet wishes with our customised work.’

Bespoke flooring Kerkhofs Parket is well known for its customised floorboards. Strips, herringbone, Hungarian point, and Viennese point are a selection from the range. Moreover, their extensive assortment consists of various style panels such as Versailles or Chantilly. Furthermore, their wide range of 43 wood sorts leaves nothing to be desired. The wood specialists from Kerkhofs Parket like to help clients choose the most suitable wood sort: traditional oak, afrormosia, zebrano, hardwood, or softwood. ‘Oak is extremely popular in the Benelux. 90% of orders consist of oak, whilst the production of exotic wood amounts to a mere 10%. We choose each wood sort carefully with an eye to the PEFC label, the quality label for sustainable forest management.’

Growth and innovation Unlike its competitors, Kerkhofs Parket manufactures only solid parquet floors. Due to their unique experience and know-how, this is still a growing market for them. Kerkhofs Parket is not only growing as a manufacturer, but also they are making huge progress as a wholesaler. The parquet wholesale has a wide range of multilayer floorboards in diverse wood sorts and sizes and concentrates on all finish products to go on top of and under the floors. Lecol, Wakol, Osmo, Bona, Woca, and Rubio are some of the brands which they sell. Their range of finish products includes adhesive and skirting boards, but also air humidifiers and other products essential for the maintenance of wooden floors.

Innovation is vital for a company wanting to maintain a strong position in the market. Kerkhofs Parket replaces its machines and machinery within five years so that they always have state-of-theart machinery to help them deliver high-quality end products.

‘We strive for new synergies to help us constantly improve ourselves and our end product. For instance, we’re now working together with Vermeister, a specialist in ecological products. We think sustainability is absolutely essential, it’s a way of life. With our partnership with Vermeister we’re making our contribution.’

Vermeister Just like Kerkhofs Parket, Vermeister started as a small family business with the development of products for fitting, treating, and maintaining wooden floors. Vermeister soon developed into a global brand since they were the first ones in the world to launch an emission-free product of the highest quality on the market for the treatment of wooden floors. Due to the innovative nature of the product, they have won a place on the ‘Super compliant architectural coatings manufactures list’.

‘We’re proud that we, as the exclusive dealer in the Benelux, could stand together with Vermeister in September at the InCoDa (NL) trade fair. In the wood sector you have to work as sustainably as possible. That’s why the Vermeister products, and especially the “Zero Concept” product range, fit in perfectly with our corporate philosophy.’

ZERO CONCEPT Each product from the ‘Zero Concept’ series is made from sustainable raw materials and have very high mechanical performances. With the ‘Emicode EC1’ certificate, the products drastically reduce the emissions of solvents and other volatile organic substances in the living and working environment.’

Welcome to Patrick De Coker ‘We think it’s fantastic to meet people who are just as enthusiastic about wood as we are. That’s how Patrick De Coker has joined us. With over twenty years of experience in the parquet industry and his expert knowledge of abrasives and floor pads, he is a strong addition to the Kerkhof Parket team and joins us as agent for the Belgian market.

Welcome, Patrick!’

Contact: Kerkhofs Parket Ambachtslaan 1013, 3990 Peer Tel: +32 11 63 64 00 - info@parketkerkhofs.be

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Special

Producers of engineered floors

A HAND FULL OF ASSETS HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN TO CLIENTS WHY OPTING FOR MULTILAYER CAN AN ATTRACTIVE CHOICE?

Lut Dolphen (BerryAlloc - B) ‘We commit to running an efficient production, which happens to work very well. ’ We recently wondered, how does a major manufacturer such as BerryAlloc tackle the production of multilayer floors? And more specifically, what about the panels used in the product core? We wanted to know whether they experienced any problems due to a scarcity in panel supplies or if they decided to manufacture these themselves. We spoke to Lut Dolphen, Regional and Project Development Manager at BerryAlloc. BerryAlloc offers a wide range of interior solutions for residential and commercial projects.

Laminate is produced in Menen (Belgium), vinyl planks and tiles in Wielsbeke (Belgium), high pressure floors and walls in Lyngdal (Norway), and multilayer parquet floors in Meaulne (France).

‘Before I answer this question, I think I ought to elaborate a little more on how our parquet is produced,” Ms Dolphen explains, “BerryAlloc parquet is a multilayer wooden floor with top layers of 3.3 or 2.5 mm and is made at our factory in France. We use HDF (high density fibre board) as a core, which has lots of benefits: it has excellent stability, a high impact resistance, it’s suitable for floor heating, and it guarantees perfect joints. Our parquet floors are finished with Ultimtec®, an innovative varnish which protects our parquet floors without using solvents and chemical reagents. As such, we don’t supply any unfinished parquet and our main focus remains France and Belux.’

‘To answer your question about the panels, we don’t make them ourselves, but we purchase them. Manufacturing them ourselves is a solution, but we do not yet have a decisive answer for that. Sourcing panels has become easier recently and having a big stock enables us to supplement stock shortages. The biggest problem these days isn’t the panels, but sourcing people instead, especially workers in West Flanders. The unemployment rate is low, with a high level of demand within the industry at the same time.’

‘The biggest challenge in France is sourcing solid wood, although our problems are relatively small in comparison to those who are supplied by China. We use 70% French oak and 30% Eastern European oak. This means our clients won’t be deceived with rampantly rising container prices, which recently quintupled. We commit to running an efficient production, which happens to work very well.’

‘If everything goes as planned, we’ll be launching a new collection ‘Les Iconics’ in April. This will replace ‘Lodge’ and focuses specifically on handbrushed floors, Hungarian point, and herringbone.

I can already disclose that this will be a distinctly high-end and very exclusive collection. The top layer consists entirely of 3.3 mm of oak.’

‘I’d also like to point out the launch of three new High Pressure Floors collections: Original, Grand Avenue, and Grand Majestic.

These floors are produced in our factory in Norway and are made to cope with extremes, are incredibly strong, and, if I say so myself, incredibly beautiful. I can also reveal that our existing herringbone laminate Chateau collection has gotten an update and that we’ve created a new collection of vinyl planks and tiles made for everyday life. The latter is equipped with our licensed DreamClick® installation system and consists of decors with a wood or stone look. The collection was created with respect for the environment, as it is fully recyclable and is largely made up of recycled materials.

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For those ‘splash & dash’ moments.

ocean+.

Enjoy a 100% water-resistant floor in your home with our Ocean+ laminate flooring.

Capture the warm atmosphere and beauty of realistic natural wood designs in a floor that’s simple to look after, highly scratch-resistant, and guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Ocean+ is also safe for bathrooms and kitchens thanks to our revolutionary hydro+ technology. Our know-how was introduced to the market back in 2008, making BerryAlloc® the pioneer in water-resistant laminate flooring. Installed and appreciated in residential and commercial interiors for more than a decade, the innovation is your assurance that Ocean+ is fully equipped to deal with water.

www.berryalloc.com

water resistant laminate.

Special

Producers of engineered floors

In recent years, multilayer wooden floors have made spectacular gains.

Obviously, there are various reasons for that, although the main one is still the price difference with solid wooden floors, together with the much easier fitting. This article gives you a number of arguments which you can present to clients during an initial discussion so that they can make a well founded choice for multilayer parquet.

The first question which we need to answer is obviously what the difference is between solid wood and multilayer. The answer is quite simple: The former consists entirely of wood, whilst with the latter you usually only have a top layer in solid wood. It’s important to tell clients what is under the top layer, which is usually in oak. Here you can explain that two other layers of wood are fitted onto each other under the top layer.

Those layers consist of softwood or panel material such as multiplex or pressed wood fibre (HDF or high density fibre).

Great stability You can also unveil the benefits at once. By far the greatest benefit which you should explain is how multilayer parquet is highly stable and that the stability does not endanger the authentic look. This stability is obtained by the perpendicular glueing of the various wood layers. Various things ensure that the wood swells and shrinks less (or ‘moves’, to use consumer language) with changes in temperature or air humidity than with solid parquet. Even if the floor is fitted floating, the floor swells and shrinks less. And so, there is much less chance of a convex floor in the summer or the emergence of gaps between the planks in the winter.

Other benefits are that also a multilayer floor can be sanded several times because the top layer has to be 2.5mm thick to be called parquet, and that it is easier to fit. With the latter, a floating fitting is the easiest because the planks are clicked together. This is in contrast to the fitting of solid parquet which requires a lot more professional expertise and you can explain from your own experience how a solid parquet floor is fitted.

In today’s houses, certainly in new buildings, a good extra argument is that multilayer is also suitable for fitting on floor heating. Do mention here that parquet on floor heating should preferably be glued. If you fit a floating floor, this creates an extra layer of air which forms an insulation cushion to mask the heat from the floor. You surely don’t have to tell clients that that’s harmful to heat output.

Discolouration?

Since a multilayer also consists of wood, you should certainly consider the phenomenon of discolouration when you talk to consumers. All parquet floors become darker over time through the penetration of UV light. This discolouration will be most prominent with light-coloured parquet. It’s good to point out to clients that you can easily rectify that with a natural soap. If the client wants the floor to turn a little darker after the fitting, you should mention that it is best to opt for an oiled floor rather than a varnished one.

Look People still often claim that solid parquet has an authentic look, but they often fail to consider the wealth of choice now available. Does a client want a rustic look? That’s also perfectly possible in multilayer.

Several manufacturers now offer splendid multilayer floors, such as oiled oak with several gnarls, cracks, and even a manually distressed V-groove.

Main source: De Parketbijbel (Lamett).

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Some other specialists have their say BJ Parket At BJ Parket you find various sorts of multilayer parquet. The company produces the ‘Duo-Line’ itself. This is made with a top layer of 4 or 6mm on a highly stable birch multiplex base of 9 or 12mm.

There are four possible selections (Premier, 1 Bis, Rustic, and Farmhouse) in three different widths (15, 18, or 20cm). The parquet is mainly supplied raw, but on request it can be pre-finished. Apart from the ‘Duo-Line’, BJ Parket also offers the French parquet Cabbani and the Dutch parquet Solidfloor.

Design Parquet Design Parquet uses three types of supports for the manufacture of its parquet: the solid, the engineered Pro Loft (birch plywood), and the engineered (slat construction).

We recommend the Loft Pro engineered, in 2 layers of better quality. The birch plywood we are using provides better stability thanks to its multi-layers crossply structure. It is well known as being the most professional floor especially by the installation’s companies. Parquet Design sells more finished flooring compared to rough floors but both are possible. We offer several species (Oak, Acacia, ash, Walnut, Iroko, Jatoba, Merbau, Teak, Wengé…), in several dimensions (thickness x width in mm): 12 / 90-145-180, 16 / 90-180-220, 20 / 180-295. Loft Pro parquets are available in monoblades, Chevron, Herringbone or panels like Versailles style. Since 20 years, Design Parquet become parquet flooring expert and brings daily technical and aesthetic solutions to its customers from a wide range of species, colours, formats.

Garbelotto

pre-finished wooden floor, composed of a phenolic birch plywood and a layer of noble wood, available in 13 mm, 14 mm and 16 mm thickness for laying on boards, herringbones and Quadrotte of Creator® Line.

Thanks to its low thickness, Clip Up System® is suitable for both new buildings and renovations, helping to increase acoustic comfort. The polymer clip technology acts with vertical and horizontal traction on the slats, making Clip Up System® a new, revolutionary installation system, compared to glued and floating installation. Multiple awarded at the Domotex in Hannover, Clip Up System® has been chosen all over the world for the construction of important and prestigious locations.

Heinr. Krüger + Sohn (HKS)

Watch the video of Clip Up System®

Manufaktur deluxe – hand made individual 2-ply floorings in oak Heinr. Krüger + Sohn (HKS) based in Münster, Germany is a supplier of wooden flooring who established with its product line Manufaktur deluxe a range with huge variety in the market. In contrast to low budget products HKS developed an unequalled product range through the years.

CLIP UP SYSTEM® by Garbelotto – Quick and fast installation for new buildings and renovations The Clip Up System® installation is quick and easy: very few tools are required for installation and removal thanks to the use of special polymer clips resting on the flat substrate. Among the countless advantages, the possibility of replacing even a single board in any part of the room in less than a minute! Clip Up System® is a real

LUXUY PANELS, BORDERS, HERRINGBONE, STRIPS, TRADITIONAL PARQUET, DUO-LINE, END GRAIN, CUSTOMIZED, ...

B.J. Parket bv Industriestraat 44 - 9240 Zele - België Tel: +32 52 44 45 57 - Fax: +32 52 45 06 71 - Email: info@bjparket.be - www.bjparket.be

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Producers of engineered floors

Manufaktur deluxe is available in: - Planks - Herringbone 90° - Chevron 45°/60° This individual floorings with oak top layer live up to the highest usability expectations combined with a first class base of birch plywood.

Therefore it is possible to install it on water-based underfloor heating without any problems. A wide variety of designs arise through the use of advanced technology in combination with passionate handcraft.

A diverse use of stains, oils and wax ensures a visual and haptical sense of well being. Manufaktur deluxe was developed to realize your individual vision. Be your own designer, create your favourite flooring using the numerous options of 22 different finishes.

The range is produced exclusively for HKS and under steady control in Europe. www.hks1835.com

efficient. Solid parquet is less suitable for this. With solid parquet, you need to check the temperature and air humidity very carefully to prevent excess swelling and shrinking. The structure of multilayer parquet (layers glued directly to each other) ensures a stable product.

Lamett pre-finishes most floors with oil or varnish, so the floors ready for use after fitting and initial cleaning.

Solid or multilayer parquet, finished with oil or varnish – a choice with your head and your heart!

Meister parquet floors

Lamett Solid or multilayer parquet – a choice with your head and your heart!

Lamett is Europe’s market leader in the production of solid parquet, but they also sell multilayer parquet. Solid parquet still has that little bit extra in look and feel, whilst multilayer parquet is often a better option in combination with modern techniques.

There is a big demand for parquet which is compatible with floor heating. Multilayer parquet is a top class combination and is

Photo – BerryAlloc

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MEISTER natural olied Ambiente

Wood is a valuable material which should be treated responsibly and carefully. That‘s why MEISTER parquet floors do not consist of solid wood, but of three layers. The middle is a stable HDF layer above a veneer in spruce and the top layer (2.5mm) is in noble wood. This structure yields extra benefits. For instance, MEISTER multilayer parquet is considerably more stable in shape than solid parquet, so it doesn‘t warp in the heat or under fluctuating humidity. It reacts much better to mechanical pressure than a parquet floor with a standard middle layer in spruce. MEISTER parquet reduces sound development with a very simple principle: more mass means less vibration. Using an HDF middle layer increases the weight of the plank by about 50%. That results in less vibration, better acoustics, and more peace and quiet.

Special

Stair renovation

OLD IS REVIVED AS NEW HOW TO ADVISE CLIENTS SO THAT THEY MAKE THE BEST CHOICE Patrick Welscheit (Küberit – D) “The safety aspect cannot be stressed enough” Küberit is a German manufacturer of profile solutions for interior construction made of aluminium, brass and stainless steel. The brand Küberit has been a synonym for quality, customer satisfaction, perfection, innovation and has been around for almost 160 years. As such, this is a worldwide leading expert in staircase installation and renovation. In our interview with Patrick Welscheit, Export Manager with Küberit, we look at the main points of attention in 2021.

“Let me first describe our philosophy as a company”, Mr. Welscheit reacts. “Küberit is all about offering profile solutions for all kind of floorings and the most important things in our business are achieving the highest material and manufacturing quality when developing our profiles, ensuring our products have long service lives. At the same time, Küberit’s convenient and time-saving installation technique minimizes any possible errors during installation. We produce the stair nosing profiles in basic lengths of 5 m, from which we then also offer shorter pieces, such as 2.5 m or 1.0 m. The basic length of 5 m is still interesting for larger projects in order to have as little waste as possible.

We are one of the few stair nosing manufacturers who still produce 5 m profiles, which is always interesting for special solutions but always a challenge for logistics. Küberit offers a range of safety stair nosing profiles which are for public stair cases and are TÜV certificated.”

Renovation We first want to know what the main points of attention are when renovating stairs. Mr. Welscheit sees different things you have to take into account.

“First of all, you need to offer a lot of different kind of profiles, for all kinds of floorings. In our range, we have different profile solutions for different kinds of floorings, such as laminate, (engineered) parquet, lvt and all other kind of floorings”, he explains. “Renovating a commercial building is totally different from a private residence, so you need to have respect and make the right choice for the kind of environment that you have in front of you. Besides that, it is important to know the different norms in the different countries and to know what you need to comply to. Such as with antislip, for instance, which is extremely important in commercially built constructions.”

"We see how important it is to match the stair nosing profiles to the floor. That's why so many different stair nosing solutions are offered, for example for private houses, to match the parquet flooring in the living room with the same floor covering for the stairs. This is mainly solved with two-part profiles as a click system or screw system, elegant, cheap and easy to install".

It’s all about safety "And last but not least, it is also about the important topic of safety. That's why Küberit has further perfected the idea of step elements and rounded corners with new renovation profiles and finishing angles for rounded stair corners. Only this year we have launched several new models and these profile solutions are attracting more and more interest, especially to reduce the risk of injury on stairs".

Our interlocutor stresses once again how important it is to secure stairnosing to ensure safety.

“It is above all in commercial stairway treads that safety aspects and speed of installation play an especially crucial role. Outer corners are often produced using a normal mitre cut, resulting in a very sharp edge that can pose a risk of injury. This can be significantly minimized by using a 90° finished angle. Küberit’s new range of finished angles with rounded corners offers you complete step elements sized at 30 cm x 100 cm and 30 cm x 150 cm, in addition to the standard 30 cm x 30 cm. This allows you to save even more time with no loss of quality, and with all of the safety benefits the profile offers: by doing away with the need for laborious mitre cuts to

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be made on site, the corner elements reduce the overall time needed for installation. At the same time, sharp edges on the joints are also avoided, reducing the risk of injury. Our range of 90° finished angles offers you seven undrilled angle profiles that can be installed using a suitable adhesive.

This allows a specialist to lay stair nosing without any butted joints getting in the way. Beyond this, we can also produce made-to-measure or bored variants from aluminium upon request. This unique process is protected by a utility patent.

And in conclusion, I also invite the reader to discover our many different systems and solutions which have been made easily understandable thanks to several installation and information videos. Just surf to our website and discover the different links.” https://www.kueberit.com/en/service/videos

In the testimony with this article, our interviewee Küberit confirms not only that staircase renovation is still advancing, but also you hear what huge progress profiles have made. You could summarise the situation simply by saying, ‘The sky is the limit!’ In this introduction we keep it simple and consider specifically how you can best renovate a wooden staircase and we give you some tips to help you assess this work properly and explain to clients in advance what they can expect.

People renovate wooden staircases for all sorts of reasons. For instance, someone might simply want to restore a worn out staircase

to its former glory. It’s also perfectly conceivable that an owner might simply want to give the staircase a completely different look. What you do obviously affects the cost. Whatever the client chooses, insist firstly that he or she thinks carefully about the final objective. In particular, he or she should plan the works carefully and probably as part of other renovation works.

Sanding a wooden staircase Obviously, the first way of renovating is simply by sandpapering. This removes the dirt and any unevenness and restores the original colour of the wood. If a client only wants you to sandpaper, make sure that you prepare properly in advance. Is the wood still in good condition

N EW!

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VIDEO

with rounded edges

STAIR NOSING PROFILE 845 · easy to install · insertion for floors and carpets up to 3 mm · decor matching or contrast on stair nosings with the same or different coverings · suitable for advertisement or indications on stairs with our digital-printing technology

www.kueberit.com

and does the same apply to the riser? Can you see any woodworm or fungus?

There is a current trend to leave everything in its natural state, but it can’t do any harm to take some ‘measures’. For instance, you could mention that applying an oil or a stain is certainly worthwhile.

Staircase steps These days, using stair covers as a rapid means of obtaining a totally different look is very much in fashion. As the name suggests, you just fit new steps over existing ones. Before clients make their choice, point out that stair covers have a certain thickness, but there are various auxiliary materials (say something about them). Make it clear, too, that there are models for diverse stairs, such as stairs with a quarter turn, for which there are cover steps in wider sizes to be sawn to fit as required.

Sandblasting or erasing A technique which you can mention is sandblasting or erasing. Actually, this is more or less the same method as sandpapering because you simply ‘blast’ sand grains under heavy pressure. This loosens the dirt and paint to leave the wood visible and looking as good as new.

Sandblasting or erasing might be an attractive alternative to sandpapering as it is easier to access places which are difficult to reach. It is probably also easier for tackling ‘sculptured’ banisters. The drawback is that it generates a huge quantity of dust, so you have to be aware of that and take appropriate measures in advance.

To see all news visit us at our homepage www.Auer-Metallprofile.de or on Facebook and Instagram.

Küberit Smart and clever: the Küberit stair nosing profiles with round corners Time-saving installation and more security

Do remember that the wood has to have a certain degree of hardness for you to sandblast. This technique is fine for oak and other hardwood sorts, but it is not advisable for softwood sorts. The reason for that is obvious: There is a risk of causing grooves, and that affects the end result.

Varnishes or paints What you can also mention once you have assessed the staircase in question is that varnishing or painting can suffice. Obviously, the staircase has to be in good condition for that. It might not be a bad idea to point out that the current trend is to leave the wood grain visible.

Obviously, tell consumers that varnishing or painting won’t protect the staircase forever and that the more the stairs are used, the faster they will show wear and tear. Stress at the same time that it is best to sandpaper before applying varnish or paint in order to get better adhesion.

Main source: www.traplatenmaken.be

Some other specialists have their say Auer Metallprofile Auer Metallprofile offers the right profile for every staircase and every covering height, whether for a better slip resistance on a new staircase, for the occupation with a new surface or for the renovation of worn steps. Auer has for staircase renovation for instance two profiles out of stainless steel for flooring heights from 2-22 mm - insert profile with nose and inside corner. According to the manufacturer, these profiles are produced in individual insertion heights as well as for straight and round steps. The flooring is pushed against the inside corner from both sides - a brushed stainless steel decorative edge remains visible. With these two profiles, it is possible to present high quality flooring in a very exquisite design and in addition to that they score with their high stability and long service life.

Safety first, high quality and comfy workmanship these are three principles under which Küberit develops its innovations such as the stair nosing profiles with "round corners". The complete elements enable an installation without sharp edges. Where safety-relevant aspects and a fast processing technique play a significant role, the Küberit stair nosing profiles "round corners" are a preferred choice. In addition to the already known product highlight 845, the new stair nosing profile 847 for LVT/SPC floorings and laminate expand the range from now on. For both, external corners and end caps have been added to the range. The type 846 has also been completed with round corners.

The corner elements with and without connectors shorten assembly times, as mitre cuts on the construction site are superfluous. This installation method avoids sharp edges and substantially reduces the risk of injury. Küberit also realizes customized profiles on request. The process is protected by a utility model.

Progress Profiles In case of stair renovation, it’s essential to check out the quality of the material used and to choose profiles to protect stairs exposed to wear.

Progress Profiles offers a wide and extremely versatile range of stair nosing profiles, which represent a perfect solution for all applications.

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Topstairs

PROSTAIR ACC is a step protecting technical profile designed and conceived to make the step scales made of ceramic, porcelain stoneware and others nonskid and non-slip ones. PROSTAIR GRIP ACC, instead, is a shaped satined stainless-steel stair profile consisting of a punched flange, which ensures perfect anchorage to the substrate, of a horizontal visually exposed surface with the carborundum stripe insert and a vertical visually exposed flat surface. The most important accessory is PROGRIP, a self-adhesive carborundum adhesive strip. It consists of a plastic film plus abrasive granules with high resistance to wear and normally used to ensure safety on steps in public and private environments.

Packaging lines for wood flooring Our machines handle these kind of packs

And pack them according to your needs strap cardboard shrink foil

CSP Engineering bvba Stenehei 30/10 B-2480 Dessel (Belgium) 18

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

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Topstairs is the company making transfersteps of all brands PVC / SPC / LVT floors, whether these are from Moduleo, Coretec, Sense, TFD, Vivafloors, IVC or any other brand. By example Topstairs “made from” Coretec is available in not just a few designs !

From more than 200 Coretec floors Topstairs makes stairs.

No longer does a customer have to make concessions when choosing matching stairs. No matter what range of floors you already have in your business, now you can inform your customers matching stairs can be delivered at any floor by Topstairs. All is custom made, no additional costs. Steps are available in different styles and any size. The only thing that is standard at Topstairs is our competitive price. All you need to become a dealer is, a practical model Displaybox, you can easily take with you to your customers.

So, why Topstairs ? Topstairs is Raising the Standard …

For more information: www.topstairs.eu - info@topstairs.eu

Special

Automation in the parquet industry

JAN PEETERS (CSP): ‘EFFICIENT PACKING MEANS MORE THAN JUST BUYING A PACKAGING MACHINE.’

Photo CSP Engineering

What’s the best way of packing your products in the parquet industry? We put this question to some market players and in CSP we found the top specialist to explain to us how it all works. Manager Jan Peeters explains how everything revolves around working together with the client to look for the best solution and deciding together which packaging is the most suitable.

According to Mr Peeters, your basic principle has to be that efficient packing means more than just buying a packaging machine. On the contrary, you have to follow a certain plan so that in consultation with the client you arrive at the most suitable packaging line for your client.

Type of products and market ‘In a consultation with a client it’s best to start by considering the client’s type of products and market. You have to know that because it compels you to opt for certain forms of packing,’ Mr Peeters explains.

‘Transport, too, can be a parameter. Suppose you have a parquet manufacturer with limited capacity which has a showroom and a few teams of fitters. In this case the most important consideration for this company is being able to deliver the finished floorboards to the end client easily and without damaging them.’

‘In this example, strapping will usually suffice, so our other solutions from applying shrink film and including packing with cardboard ribbon are not necessary. However, if you hear that the team of fitters is going to store the floorboards at home first before fitting them at the end client later in the week, then you should at least consider packing the floorboards in shrink film, certainly if it are pre-finished floorboards.

This shows how various packaging methods are related to both transport and the producer’s market. You see fully fledged packaging with producers who export overseas in containers. Such companies will usually apply both strapping and shrink film and wrap full pallets in plastic, with extra strong straps being applied around the pallets.’

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DIY is different to the professional market Jan Peeters then explains how the professional market and DIY market have different requirements. For instance, for DIY the manufacturer strongly recommends using pre-printed cardboard ribbon around each pack (brand positioning) and bar packs on pallets. ‘random’ lengths per pack are typical for producers in the Benelux and France. The wood is utilised to the full in the length. Floorboards are collected and packed in length groups and then stacked onto one pallet per order.

The packs and pallets do not have a perfect ‘bar shape’. However, you need the latter for medium sized and big industrial producers. These firms produce in fix lengths and pack in fix lengths per pack.

‘If the production is in ‘random’ lengths, the packs consists floorboards of ‘similar’ lengths. To that end, we’ve developed the PAR-Scan packaging line controller, which measures the length of individual floorboards very precisely, registers the details in a database, and finally prints a label showing the exact content of that pack, including the wood, quality, and dimensions. If necessary, the label can display the client’s logo and/or a bar code. Since a control has measured the pack, it knows the geometry of the pack and can position each pack ready to be strapped. If you look at such a pack, you notice that the strapping positions are determined by the length of the upper strip, where the upper strip is often somewhat shorter than the lower one.

It can apply several straps, if necessary in combination with other forms of packaging such as cardboard ribbon and shrink film. For that matter, PAR-Scan can do a lot. Does the client want to get the average length per pack? Or a list with details of the packs per order? That’s perfectly possible and eliminates discussions between sender and recipient.’

‘Fix length packs’ or ‘combination packs’ Apart from the random lengths, Jan Peeters refers to both the fix length packs and the so called ‘combination packs’. With the latter, the total length of each layer in the pack is the same (fix), but there are

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different lengths combined in a pack. For instance, a package length of 220cm can have layers with two sections of 110cm next to each other and each mix of floorboards will together be 220cm long.

‘The fix length package is a typical way of working for the DIY and professional trade,’ Jan Peeters explains. ‘In those worlds no one works with random lengths, since the main thing is to work efficiently and stack everything optimally. If you print a label, this may include a code in which all the details are processed about the exact identification of the pack.’

cannot integrate. The list goes on. What it boils down to is that you, as a supplier, have to provide as much added value as possible and that you keep all factors in balance. For instance, does someone have some machines which can be integrated? If so, you calculate whether or not you will include them in the new narrative or whether you need to replace them. It is a consideration of many factors which we discuss with the client and we look for the ideal point between the investment sum and the efficiency achieved.’

Logistical handling Finally, we should also point out that with a packaging line you have to pay particular attention to the logistical handling.

Line set-up With the installation of a packaging line, it is essential to set up and integrate the diverse machines as efficiently as possible. That is certainly one of the great strengths of CSP. They work literally on demand with each client.

‘You always have to work out the best solution. You also consider the client’s various needs and several particularities. An example: The pack has to be stationary in order to apply straps. By contrast, with shrink film the pack goes through the machine in one smooth motion. The art of putting items compact in a line therefore means harmonising the packaging machines with each other.’

‘Furthermore, you also have to maintain perfect tuning to achieve a good capacity on the whole of the line. The specifications, speeds, and such like are harmonised nicely with each other. You also have to take account of the zero lines, which can be different from the machines in line. Moreover, you also have to know which machines you can and

‘The most simple solution is a so called outflow conveyor belt, where someone always stands nearby to remove packs from the belt.

Depending on the line capacity, the next step is to provide a buffer which bundles 10 packs so that the operator can then put them on a pallet. The latter is particularly attractive with short packing lines, such as with strapping. With long packaging lines it is once again advisable to provide a returning system in order to work efficiently and limit the distance covered by the operator as much as possible.’

‘I’d like to refer in this connection to our PAR-Stack, which stacks products automatically. The logistical handling is included in the debate about the quest for the ideal point between investment sum and efficiency.’

Years of experience Our interview briefly considers a special asset from his own company.

CSP has years of experience and that is absolutely essential for defining packing machines.’

‘Having a preliminary history is a big advantage. We’ve been familiar with the parquet market for years and hereby we’ve been able to develop modular blocks with which clients can develop in line with their own needs. This is possible because we know exactly how to intervene.

Photo – PAR-Scan - CSP Engineering

Photo – CSP Engineering

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The main thing is still to work together to look for the right balance between investment and efficiency and thereby look realistically at the near future. This means that you always have to consider what the expected development in capacity is likely to be in the next one to three years.’

Special

Combined lacquer and oil finishes: how do we do this and who has these products?

SANDING IS ESSENTIAL OIL GIVES THE WOOD A NICE DEEP NATURAL SHADE

Photo – Ciranova

Can you apply a lacquer finish to an oil-based product?

The answer to this question is quite simple: Yes, you can.

We should add here that you do need to take care and pay particular attention to the preliminary sanding. Therefore, this is more or less a job for the real expert.

You might already have guessed that sanding is essential for a perfect end result with such an application. The fact is that sanding is particularly important if you opt for a coloured version of an oil-based primer.

It is advisable to start with some rough sanding with a belt sander and an edge sander. You do this to remove old finish coats, unevenness, and damage.

Let’s explain more closely why you can’t treat an oiled floor with a lacquer without the necessary preparation. Consider on the one hand

the properties of oil and the properties of lacquer on the other. Oil, as the name implies, has an oil base, whilst lacquer usually possesses a water base. As all wood specialists know, it’s not so easy to combine a greasy base with a waterborne lacquer, simply because oil and water repel each other. And so, never apply a lacquer directly to an oiled wooden floor and remember the sanding tip given above. The same also applies to hard wax oil. Indeed, hard wax oil has a seal layer of wax onto which the waterborne lacquer cannot ‘grip’.

Sanding Generally speaking, wooden floors are then sanded up to and including grain P 100. After sanding the floor and removing all the dust, you then apply the oil-based primer with a buffing machine fitted with a pad.

This makes it easy to apply the primer very rigidly and without streaks.

This is a great advantage, certainly for coloured versions.

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Combined lacquer and oil finishes: how do we do this and who has these products?

Natural colours If we look at the systems on the market, we notice that producers are committed to offering diverse colours which are as natural as possible.

With the Loba trademark, for instance, we find an oil-based product which can be finished with a lacquer: Loba HS 2K Intensive A.T. This oil gives the wood a nice deep and natural shade and is available in 12 colours. If you opt for one of these 12, you get a very nice natural colour. The maker also points out the option of combining Loba HS 2K Intensive A.T. with Loba Pretone to create even more shades of colour. This water-based colour stain is applied under the primer and is available in five different colours.

Attractive cost price At Loba the system consists of only two coats: one coat of Loba HS 2K Intensive A.T. oil-based primer and a finish with just one coat of Loba 2K Invisible Protect A.T. with no intermediate sanding. What is also attractive here is that it costs less than a traditional lacquer system with three coats of lacquer.

What’s on the market ?

easier to maintain the wooden floor. Bona Traffic HD is a high-quality 2-component parquet finish lacquer for wooden floors which are prone to extreme wear or which endure very high traffic. Bona Traffic is waterborne, low in VOCs, and odourless.

Blanchon

Ciranova

Blanchon has several oils which can be finished with a varnish, but the most important one is their Solid’Oil™. This has yielded remarkable results for many years now and is greatly appreciated by parquet floor fitters. With several prestigious references, often in high-traffic locations, they offer a reassuring and enviable basis for interested project managers. Witnesses to that include various Printemps shops (in Paris and Île de France), Gant shops (men’s fashion), and such like.

The list is well nigh endless. This system is the same for maintenance and renovation as with glazed parquet. To that end there are lots of recommendations and products on the market which are all manageable. The use of high-quality sealers guarantees high durability. It’s worth knowing that the financial impact of this system is relatively minimal in comparison with oil or traditional varnish, and the result is quite remarkable.

Bona Bona Craft Oil 2K, a 2-component parquet oil based on vegetable oils, ensures fast drying and durable protection. It is the ideal finish for sometimes troublesome wood sorts like kambala, afzelia, and walnut.

It is also good for use on smoked oak and steamed beech. Bona Craft Oil 2K yields a really handsome surface which is waterproof and stainproof and is ready for use after a drying time from just eight hours (Neutral) to 12 hours (Colour Oil). It can be supplied as standard in 19 modern colours, which can be mixed endlessly so you can get any colour you want. If necessary, Bona Craft Oil 2K can be lacquered over (exclusively) with Bona Traffic HD water-borne parquet lacquers. This gives the parquet oil an extra protective coat, and that makes it

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In the Ciranova range it is possible to finish the one-coat oil UN1CO and the coloured Hard Wax Oil Magic with a lacquer, namely FORTICO 2C. In this system you can use the oil for colour and then apply two coats of the water-based and anti-scratch varnish FORTICO 2C. This combination is often also used if you want to get the best possible protection with low maintenance. By applying FORTICO 2C NATURAL to the oil, you preserve the natural look and feel of an oiled floor. If you want more gloss, you can apply FORTICO 2C matt or satin to the UN1CO. The oil and lacquer should be geared to each other to guarantee good adhesion between the coats. There are no special skills required for the application of this system, but it is important to respect the drying time for good adhesion and to use the dual-component lacquer.

For more information about the application of FORTICO on UN1CO and Hard Wax Oil Magic you can contact the Ciranova technical team.

Chimiver CHIMIVER SUGGESTED CYCLE: apply one coat of LIOS BIOIL Colorato and two coats of ECOSTAR 2K 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. Shake the product using a stick to

RIGO Verffabriek have a homogeneous mixture. LIOS BIOIL Colorato has to be applied to wooden floors that have been filled and sanded with 120 paper grit, than use High Pro felt disc to make the surface absorbs the product evenly. Apply LIOS BIOIL Colorato on the floor, working the product in order to help its penetration into the wood grain. After 15-20 minuts buff the surface using a buffing machine with a white pad and a cloth to remove the excess of oil and have an uniform and smooth effect.

After 72 hours it is possible to apply ECOSTAR 2K. ECOSTAR 2K is a two-component water-based polyurethane lacquer for wooden floors, characterized by high solid content, easy to apply, high pore wettability even on brushed woods giving a warm and pleasant shade to the floor treated. ECOSTAR 2K has high abrasion and sole marks resistances allowing its use for high traffic surfaces.

CERTIFICATIONS: SURFACE RESISTANCE TO COLD LIQUIDS EN 12720 AND CHEMICALS AGENTS EN 13442.

Determination of the Coefficient of Friction of floors- B.C.R.A Method (cycle ECOPRIME HS 120 + ECOSTAR 2K).

Stauf AKZENT LED-HARDWAX OIL TIME-SAVING AND EFFECTIVE A unique mix of oils, waxes, resins and additives makes AKZENT LED-HARDWAX OIL

by STAUF a revolutionary special product in the wood surface treatment industry.

The oil dries within seconds when exposed to LED light, allowing the work on site to be brought to a conclusion within a very short time. The wood surface is then immediately ready for use and is protected from dirt and moisture.

Another advantage is the significantly richer and more intensive colour of the floor that can be achieved with AKZENT LED-HARDWAX OIL. Furthermore, the product offers up to 20 different colours, to suit every taste. Heavily trafficked areas in particular benefit from the excellent properties, such as wear resistance, which also allows projectspecific use. The special LED drying method avoids the emission of harmful substances such as ozone. The easy care and natural appearance of AKZENT LED-HARDWAX OIL and the possibility of repairing local damage in the wood surface make this product a reliable partner in the field of surface treatment.

SKYLT Undercoat Oil 2K The RIGO Verffabriek master paint makers sought a way to preserve the untreated appearance of floors and surfaces. The result is SKYLT ORIGINAL, an invisible varnish for pure wood enthusiasts.

SKYLT can be combined with SKYLT Undercoat Oil 2K. Using this duo, you can create the appearance of an oiled floor with the strength and maintenance of a varnish.

With SKYLT Undercoat Oil 2K, you can stain wooden surfaces and then apply an invisible topcoat with SKYLT. As SKYLT varnish is truly invisible, the wood retains its natural appearance. You’re free to vary with colour shades thanks to SKYLT Undercoat Oil. When you opt for the appearance of an oiled floor, but for the convenience of a parquet varnish, choose SKYLT Undercoat Oil 2K. The oil is available in three different bases: Clear, White and Black. It can be tinted with separate colour pigments and can be coated with SKYLT directly after drying. Floors are easy to maintain after being finished with SKYLT.

Forbo Eurocol

UV-CareShield

UV

RESILIENT FLOORS permanent protection

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Advertorial

Dinachoc (F)

PUT A STOP TO POOR INSULATION! DINACHOC – THE TOP PARTNER FOR GOOD ACOUSTIC INSULATION

DINACHOC revolutionises the insulation market.

A lot of acoustic underlays are only effective for a short time. By contrast, with products based on recycled rubber from DINACHOC, you are guaranteed the prescribed acoustic gains on your site for the long term. They will bring you efficiency and serenity by simply complying with the acoustic obligations which all project managers have to consider.

As a professional, you have to follow up your clients’ instructions with due regard for the legal recommendations for acoustic insulation.

With renovation, it is no longer possible to replace a floor covering with another one without taking certain acoustic precautionary measures. Otherwise your clients or their neighbours will have plenty of complaints about the noise. DINACHOC offers clients, developers, and contractors an effective acoustic solution which suits their site and makes their work simpler. Whether we are talking about a public area, a new flat, a renovation, a house, a commercial area, or a place where music is played, the DINACHOC range is always suitable for the project.

RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS The acoustic programmes from DINACHOC are one step ahead of the current insulation solutions. DINACHOC rubber has been specially designed to make a strong, healthy, and durable insulation product.

Unlike most base underlays, the rubber used for DINACHOC underlays is made from regenerated products. Instead of taking new raw

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materials, which eventually contaminate the environment, DINACHOC re-uses existing materials (recycled tyres) to give those materials a second life. Moreover, the DINACHOC range is classified as A+, and that makes it one of the healthiest solutions in terms of volatile substance emissions.

Striving for performances without cutting ethical corners, being an integral part of the circular economy by preferring recycled products, and not harming the environment are the ambitions of DINACHOC.

SUSTAINABLE ACOUSTIC PROMISES DINACHOC offers efficient and effective solutions which can reduce impact sound by up to 40dB. DINACHOC insulation materials have a 50-year guarantee and offer maximum and long-term acoustic comfort. They are effective above and below a floor covering. They absorb the sound of footsteps, avoid resonance boxes, all impact sounds in low frequencies (the most disruptive sounds for the human ear), and also filter vibrations. Unlike customary insulation products, those of DINACHOC guarantee effective performances in the very long term. DINACHOC rubber is unchanging and will not shrink or fall apart, and very few underlays currently on the market can say that.

MEETS YOUR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS WITHOUT RISK With DINACHOC, you avoid the risks of a poor choice of material.

All professionals have an obligation to give their clients the correct guidance. If they fail to do so, they are responsible for the materials

which have been chosen and the acoustic results achieved. If those results do not conform to the legislation of the DTU directives, the site management is held responsible. With the DINACHOC range you can meet the legal acoustic obligations. By failing to fit a proper subfloor under a new floor covering or by renovating your floor without offering a sound insulation solution which is at least as effective as the previous one you run the risk of your clients and their neighbours taking you to court. This is a waste of time and money

which can nevertheless easily be avoided. Failing to observe acoustic regulations can be very costly, so don’t ignore them.

DINACHOC 170 RUE DE LA ROQUETTE - 75011 PARIS contact@dinachoc.com - www.dinachoc.fr Tel : 0033783020314

DINACHOC INNOVATIVE ACOUSTIC SOLUTIONS DINACHOC S801*

ACOUSTIC UNDERLAY FOR FLOOR AND WALL INSULATION UP TO 22dB

*

DINACHOC X3D

ELASTIC UNDERLAY UNDER THE SCREED (35dB) OR UNDER FLOORING (23dB)

DINACHOC S700

DINACHOC THERMO-ACOUSTIC SYSTEM UP TO 40dB

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Special

Producers of profiles with integrated LED lights

THE EFFECT DETERMINES THE CHOICE VARIOUS INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE CHOICE FOR LED STRIPS strips are available in all forms, sizes, and colours and are very flexible.

A LED strip works on 12V direct voltage and most LED strips are given a coat of adhesive on the back of the strip to simplify the fastening.

Another word of advice: There are some models available which are not watertight, and that’s not such a good choice for application on a profile. And so, be sure to check this.

A LED light strip is actually no more than literally a tape onto which dozens of little diodes are fitted. Obviously, the number of diodes varies depending on the length of the strip (up to four to five metres) and the model (a single or double row). You can also cut a LED strip into pieces so that it fits perfectly in the place where you want it. Note: Since LED strips also emit heat, it’s important to integrate them into a ‘cool body’ (aluminium profile). Such a cool body is an asset for maintenance since it protects the LED strip against dust.

Options

Formats and colours

As we’ve said, LED strips are available in all sorts of designs.

A summary: - Width: There’s plenty of choice in terms of width, from very thin to very wide. The choice depends mainly on the required effect. If you want a light strip, it’s best to choose a model from 0.5 to 3cm wide.

For indirect lighting, an invisible, constant, and wider light is a better choice.

- Colour temperature: The heat of the light is expressed in Kelvin (K) and varies from hot to cold. For instance, the colour temperature of very hot white light is about 2,700K. A somewhat cooler white light is about 3,500K. When the colour temperature is 4,000K, a fairly cool white is diffused.

- Colour rendering: Apart from the colour temperature, the colour rendering index (CRI) of LED strips is at least as important. The colour rendering index gives the extent to which this equates to natural light on a scale from 0 to 100. For attractive light you can count on a CRI of 80, but professionals prefer a CRI of 90.

- Watt per metre: If you are looking for warm soft lighting, a LED strip light of 5 to 10W (Watts) per metre is ideal. You can say that the stronger the light, the more Watts per metre the light contains (obviously with the related higher energy consumption).

- Different atmospheres: As with classic LED lamps, you can also opt with LED light strips for a dimmer model. The light varies from cool white to warm white. You can also opt for an RGB LED strip whereby the LED strip even changes colour.

- Price and quality: As you have surely noticed, there is now an almost infinite choice in designs and price categories. And so, ask for advice from your supplier to find out which type of LED lighting is best for the specific site which you have in mind.

Generally speaking, a LED strip makes it possible to provide illumination for your house and your profiles in an original and indirect manner. LED

Source: spaarlampen-info.be

Photo – Progress Profiles

In our previous article about profiles with LED lights we explained what LED lights actually are and we briefly considered the LED strip. We defined the LED strip as a product with various applications which you can use to apply light lines and/or highlights in a stylish manner. We also said that it’s about making choices: Do you want main lights or, on the contrary, highlights or sphere lights?

In this article we tell you about the various general points which it is best to know about LED strips and what the options are. This means you also know what is best for which use and on which floor it is most suitable. Remember the English abbreviation LED actually stands for light emitting diode.

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What’s on the market ?

FN Neuhofer

Auer Metallprofile In order to offer even more creative room design options, Auer Metallprofile, the profile manufacturer from Aue, has optimized its previous LED stair nosing with direct lighting in 2021 and at the same time enormously expanded its LED range to include an LED stair nosing with indirect lighting and 2 LED Skirting boards with indirect in the sizes 60x15 mm and 100x15 mm. In addition to their functional elegance, these three new design elements convince in modern room worlds primarily through their simplicity and their spacious cable duct, which enables accurate, neat installation. For individual room designs, the Auer LED profiles are in stock or can be produced in various anodized and RAL colors. Either equipped with your own 8mm wide LED strips or optionally selectable from Auer with subtle, medium or very strong LED illumination, the LED profiles with various accessories, individually as components, or, depending on the profile, as screw-on all-round carefree -Package available ready-made.

Carl Prinz

Skirtings with LED lights are trendy and can ensure safety too. They are used to generate special moods in a room or to spend small light on your nightly way to the bathroom. The FN LED-track is placed near the floor so it will highlight the wood grain in brushed floors. The FN LED light system offers a combination of fixing rail and LED ducting.

Any Neuhofer skirting up to 90 mm in height and fitted with a clip groove may be plugged on. You find many solutions on the market, for stairs and for skirtings. But the main application will be the skirting.

On stairnoses it`s a little complicated to get the electricity to each stairnose. Therefore you need a little more than common DIY-skills. But the application in the skirting is very easy, so most people use it there.

The floorboard thickness does not have an effect on the type of LEDlight. The installation is easy, so floor fitters can fit this skirtings by themselves. Such LED-lights are normally connected to the electricity circuit with a transformator because they are powered by low Voltage energy (12V or 24V).

Progress Profiles

At the moment, we have 5 different LED-Profiles in our range. Thanks to their versatility they cover more application ranges as it seems.

Especially the Prinz aluminium skirting board no. 358 can also be mounted on the upper side of the wall to create a discreet ceiling light.

Furthermore: depending on the wall construction, Prinz LED aluminum skirting boards can be fitted onto the wall, or they can be installed flush-mounted. The LED-duct "LUXline" can extend to any direction, thanks to its universal corner piece. Plus, it can be combined with any skirting board of choice - so the scope of design is almost infinite.

Our skirting boards are fastened by concealed clips, so no screws are visible after laying. As for the stair nosings, they have to be screwed onto the stairs for safety reasons. Buf for our latest item in the LED range, stair nosing, no. 219, the screw heads are hidden by the flooring afterwards. Besides one stair nosing, that is especially suitable for LVT dryback up to 3 mm, all LED profiles are suitable for all types of flooring, from thin design floorings up to ceramic tiles and solid parquet.

Visit www.floor-forum.com

When designing an interior environment, details are very important and even a specific profile can create a new modern and contemporary atmosphere. Progress Profiles offers a wide range of profiles that respond to the latest market requests and design trends.

PROLEDLIGHT System, for example, comprehends an extensive range of profiles for walls, stairs and skirting provided with LED lights to decorate spaces in a way far beyond traditional lamps and light.

PROSKIRTING GILED, created and patented in collaboration with the Architect Gilberto Toneguzzi, is provided with an integrated LED lighting; it can be used as skirting board or installed along the ceiling edges.

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Special

Producers of veneer floors

THE BENEFITS, NOT THE DRAWBACKS ALTERNATIVE TO BOTH LAMINATE AND HARDWOOD FLOORS HAS MORE AND MORE WIND IN ITS SAILS

Griet Fournier and Tim Hennin (Parky – B) ‘Forget rationality! Wood is emotion!’

Parky, based in Menen (Belgium) and a brand of Decospan, is a market leader in veneer floors.

Next to its production in Belgium, Decospan has 2 other factories where they produce multi-layer parquet. We spoke to flooring product manager Griet Fournier and group product manager Tim Hennin.

‘We’re often seen solely as a producer of veneer parquet, but that’s not quite right. For instance, we also produce engineered parquet in our own factory in Cabannes, near Bordeaux, France, under the name Cabbani. This is parquet with a top layer from 2 to 5.5mm on HDF or birch plywood. This collection is a custom-made parquet where you put together your own floor in five steps. There’s also a factory in the Czech Republic under the name Esco,’ Tim Hennin says.

‘Here we make solid and engineered 2- and 3-layer parquet. Within this product portfolio we’ve recently launched the brand The Twelve. Easy choice parquet, which is kept as simple as possible with a 3mm top layer on a spruce core.’

Eight coats of varnish What we’re particularly interested in is obviously the veneer floor. In that context we hear that Parky turns out no fewer than eight coats of super strong varnish.

‘The finish to our veneer floor has been completely renewed, and that has yielded greater durability and scratch resistance,’ Griet Fournier explains. ‘The rethinking of the product coincided with a complete rebranding. The result is that in fact we now fit the strongest wooden floor on the market, which corresponds to a usage class of 33. Whilst veneer floor used to be limited roughly to a bedroom floor, it is now a fully fledged alternative for the project market and commercial projects such as shops, offices, studies, etc.

Moreover, we made the surface waterproof for at least 12 hours, and we've revamped the look & feel: deeper brushing and a more matt finish yield a much more natural look.’

‘More and more clients are telling us that they regard veneer floor as the best alternative to solid and semi-solid parquet on the one hand and laminate and vinyl on the other,’ Tim says. ‘In the past, it was more of a niche product which no one knew or understood.

Veneer wood was a difficult product because everyone just assumed that a thicker top layer also yielded a stronger product. And so, we’ve worked rigorously on our product to make it even more efficient to launch a much better alternative to laminate and vinyl on the market which is just as strong and equally simple as regards fitting and maintenance, but which comprises real wood. Ecologically, too, this is the floor of the future, certainly now that wood is getting more scarce and people are grasping the narrative. And last but not least, we source our trees from sustainable managed forests and every board is 100% recyclable, participating as such in the circular economy.’

‘We continue to invest in improving our product and service,’ Griet adds. ‘For instance, we’re investing hugely in the finish department until we get a production capacity of about three million square metres. This is linked to investment of 12 million euros. In the next three years, we’re going to expand further in phases to meet the rising demand for veneer floor. At the moment, we’ve started to work out all the plans, whilst the start is planned for next year. We should reach the projected capacity by the start of 2023.’

New marketing strategy In Menen, during the almost full closure of the market during the pandemic, they worked particularly hard on a new marketing strategy.

‘We’re much more committed to sales points where we invest to involve them in our floor strategy and get more visibility,’ Tim explains.

‘Moreover, we want to get everyone on board digitally with digital marketing. What it boils down to is that we form a link between consumers and retailers. With an important note: no direct sales to end clients!’

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The strongest wooden floor Real wood A sustainable choice Usage classification 33 Waterproof surface more information www.par-ky.com

Special

Producers of veneer floors

For that matter this applies not only to Parky, but also to Cabbani and The Twelve. The three floor trademarks are perfectly autonomous, they each have their own USPs, but they are perfectly compatible and reinforce each other as one whole flooring concept. And so, they go from 0.6mm of veneer floor at the price of laminate to high-end custom-made parquet and in this way they cover the entire wooden flooring spectrum. The stores which enter into this partnership will be given extra support and activation online.

Finally, our interviewees emphatically stress the importance of follow up and therefore providing good service. The recruitment of Tim last year was no coincidence. He adapts the products, marketing, and digitalisation to each other with one aim in view, namely giving clients as few worries as possible and providing them with perfect assistance.’

It’s good to live on wood ‘If you’re looking for something in wooden floors, we’ve got it. We convert that into three distinct brands,’ they tell us. ‘Everything revolves around proving our motto: ‘It’s good to live on wood’. Wood forms a basis of pride due to its genuineness. Scientific research has shown that products with emotion make people happier and we’re working on that to the full!’

For a long time, veneer parquet was regarded purely as a rather costly alternative to laminate. The main USP was that veneer parquet meant a thin top layer (generally 0.6mm) of real wood so that it looked much more like a real wooden floor, but with a more attractive price.

In recent years, veneer parquet has gone to a new level and there are several reasons for that. Not only the rising price of wood and the ever greater yearning for sustainability play a part, but also certainly the technical development of the product itself which has resulted in it being applied as a worthwhile alternative in projects.

Natural product The benefits of veneer parquet are legion. For instance, as a natural product, it is strong and sustainable and people use only the most beautiful wood. That’s why veneer parquet constitutes the ultimate and more sustainable alternative for all wooden floor lovers, since you need less wood. Moreover, it’s also very easy for users to fit and maintain and has some hygienic assets. Vacuum cleaning and occasional mopping with a damp cloth will suffice. Moreover, just like solid wood, it is anti-static and hypoallergenic. Yet perhaps the biggest argument in its favour is that the use of wood creates a naturally warm look and feel when you walk on the surface.

Similarity with multilayer parquet What is the product actually? You can regard it as a sort of multilayer parquet which combines the warmth and unique design of real wood with the benefits of laminate, such as the easy fitting of laminate. Yet you don’t have the artificial imitation print, which is nothing more than a ‘paper’ decor layer. The look of veneer parquet is unique because the top layer really is genuine wood, a thin layer of high-quality wood veneer which is pressed onto an HDF. Due to the various layers, it also forms a highly stable product so that it is also suitable for floor heating.

Much thinner top layer You can already guess what the big difference is with multilayer parquet. The top layer is much thinner than the required minimum

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of 2.5mm, which is necessary to qualify for the title of ‘real’ parquet.

What happens with the production is that various coats of varnish are applied to create high scratch resistance. The top layer of real wood veneer may be thin, but it is highly resistant and, moreover, you don’t have to face cavities or ‘dents’ because the HDF panel onto which the veneer is glued is even stronger than the wood itself and therefore absorbs the impressions.

Finish Generally speaking, veneer floors consist of three different layers, namely veneer, HDF, and a counter layer in veneer for the stability, and they are given a number of strong coats of lacquer. This means that veneer parquet is also a good choice for a high-traffic floor. If we consider the approach of the Belgian specialist Parky in this sort of parquet, we see how they apply a finish with their own latest Titanium finish, which guarantees a usage class of 33, in combination with a thick fibre board core (HDF). This makes the floor stronger and more dimensionally stable than any traditional wooden or solid wood floor.

This creates a product which is also doing much better in busy places for commercial use, such as hotel lobbies, offices, or shops.

Obviously, at Parky they’ve also thought of watertightness. For instance, this producer uses its own Aqua Sealing Complete system which protects the floor surface and the grooves from damp for 12 hours. Furthermore, for the top layer, they use only wood which originates from sustainably managed forests and every plank can be recycled for the full 100%, and that contributes to the circular economy. For the production they draw on the resources of solar and wind energy and sawdust and waste wood from their own production facilities are used to heat the factory. This is how they contribute to a CO2-neutral world.

Improvement in air quality We can add to all this the fact that for the finish they use water-based products, adhesives with no volatile organic compounds, and solventless stains. This improves the air quality indoors considerably so that they can boast various quality labels such as the A+ quality label for all floors.

Special

Producers of skirting boards

THE SKIRTING BOARD HAS MATURED HOW DO I HELP MY CLIENTS TO FIND THE RIGHT SKIRTING BOARDS FOR THEIR FLOOR? Jeroen Janssen (Exclusive Decor – NL) ‘Skirting boards have become another persuasive sales argument.’

The range of skirting boards continues to expand widely. These once often forgotten accessories are undeniably making great strides and are emphatically demanding their own place in the house. Together with sales manager Jeroen Janssen from the Dutch skirting board specialist Exclusive Decor, we looked for some answers to a number of questions.

First of all, our interviewee tells us about his company: ‘We target mainly parquet businesses, tile traders, and home designers. They are companies with a store/showroom which fit floors for their clients. We’re not only a supplier; we can also supply end users on behalf of our clients and even do the fitting. That means we do a job for floor fitters which they often prefer not to do them-selves.’

When he considers the material, Jeroen notices how much ground skirting boards have won in recent years. They’ve gone from something which hardly anyone noticed to a fully fledged interior element.

Skirting boards provide the finishing touch ‘In the past, skirting boards were nothing more than a quick solution, but you notice more and more that they are getting more and more attractive and that they really do provide the finishing touch. What stands out is how we’re supplying Increasingly higher and longer models (up to 4.88 metres). That fits in with the trend towards a much more minimalist finish where fewer seams are on show at the same time.’

‘We respond to market demand by supplying a product in three qualities: the same fitted skirting board without lacquer, the prelacquered skirting board with one coat of lacquer (so that the painter only has to apply the top coat), and fully lacquered skirting boards with two coats of lacquer which can be fitted immediately. We do all this in any colour as required, with no limits, thanks to our own fully computerised lacquering lines and, where necessary, we spray by hand for special work.’

Emergence of white skirting boards Our interviewee points out particularly that skirting boards have become another persuasive sales argument in a sales interview. He also notes the advance of white skirting boards.

‘At present, skirting boards are included in every advisory discussion in a sales interview. In addition, we also note how fashionable white skirting boards are in present interiors. Black skirting boards are also fashionable, but to a much more modest extent. To help our clients assess the modern picture, we supply presentation boards in the store so that people can see what the combination of floor and skirting board looks like.’

‘Our message to professionals couldn’t be clearer: Don’t forget how easily you can sell skirting boards in the total package, certainly when it comes to somewhat more luxurious and higher class examples. This extra turnover makes a nice bonus and, moreover, you create eye catchers. It’s also important to take care of your clients’ concerns, certainly by supplying fully lacquered skirting boards. You provide them with a product which they don’t think of very often and, moreover, it’s finished in high quality and delivered so rigidly that people couldn’t do that for themselves.’

Waterproof MDF We mentioned that white skirting boards have become the standard. Technically, it seems that the use of waterproof MDF is the key to success.

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Special

Producers of skirting boards

‘Waterproof MDF with a hard press stands for high quality and can cope with damp much better. The applied coats of lacquer give a more rigid end result on this material and that finally determines the look and quality of your skirting boards. At the ‘lower end’ of the market they tend to use a totally different quality of MDF, which you can’t really call waterproof. We’re not in that market; our skirting boards are always better in quality.’

‘About 80% of our skirting boards are now designed in MDF. The rest of what we offer consists of hardwood skirting boards oak skirting boards, PVC, aluminium, and stainless steel so that our assortment is complete. One other interesting detail is that we see a clear difference in the market between Belgium and the Netherlands when it comes to aluminium and stainless steel. In Belgium they’ve clearly accepted it much more.’

Finally, Jeroen Janssen reveals a few details about the future of Exclusive Decor. It seems that they’re going to continue to extend their delivery service with both their own lorries and their own delivery vans for deliveries in both the Netherlands and Belgium. This is coupled to an internal quest for increasing refinement of production and products. All this is geared to one aim, namely thinking along with clients so that they can do the same with their own clients.

Web site: www.exclusivedecor.nl

As you can also read in the testimony, skirting boards were a hidden element of the interior for a long time. They were purely functional things which didn’t require much attention.

However, things have changed drastically over the last decade. Skirting boards have regained our attention and established their place as a fully fledged interior element.

What we can say is that skirting boards more or less form the basis of an interior. For instance, they have some particularly important practical functions, such as protecting walls from damage, neatly finishing the transition between floor and wall, and, if necessary, concealing wires.

Aesthetically, they mean the rise or fall of the look of a home.

At present, skirting boards are openly in line with trends. Yet what are the present trends and how do you choose the right interior element?

Below we give a summary so that, in turn, you can help your clients make the right choice amidst the ever more gigantic range of skirting boards.

Choosing the right height Before we go into more detail, we want to make it clear how varied the sorts and sizes of skirting boards are for all the possible looks, from old fashioned rural to the rigid modern. An example of the modern look?

Recommend a smooth skirting board which radiates serenity and luxury.

An area where many people go wrong is that they don’t choose the right height. Remember that the current trend is for increasingly higher skirting boards. These attract attention in the interior and give a classic look. Remember here that you shouldn’t exaggerate and that skirting boards are geared to the height of the ceiling and size of the room. The general rule of thumb is that the higher and bigger the room is, the higher the skirting board. And so, what it boils down to in the choice of a skirting board is that you have to consider the height of the walls so that the proportions stay in balance.

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Colour finishes What also stands out in skirting boards nowadays is how many colour options there are. Yet there is a clear trend in one colour, namely white! White is timeless and rigid and contrasts with other colours in the interior. At the same time, remember there’s also a slight rise in demand for (glossy) black, which you can use to make a statement in a totally different way and provide an elegant look.

Other market developments Obviously, there have been some other clear developments in recent years. In anticipation of finally being able to look at the product in real life at a trade fair, we highlight a few trends in skirting boards which have not yet been mentioned in this article. The first trend is that these days people are deliberately opting for skirting boards with the same decor as the floor. Those who make this choice opt for the creation of a serene look and opt, moreover, for a skirting board which makes the room look bigger. In that connection, you will discover that high skirting boards are particularly successful because they are timeless. For instance, they fit in perfectly with cast floors and they give the room a distinctly classic look. At the same time, classic skirting boards are back. This is the type of skirting board which does well, for instance, in renovations of houses from the 1930s. Think here of rooms with high ceilings and panel doors.

Finally, last but not least, a skirting board which has been doing very well for some time now is the skirting board with built-in LED lights. LED lights have long since ceased to be purely a functional element in a public area, but have conquered the whole interior.

Skirting boards with these LED lights are often made of aluminium and synthetics. Their most important function is to give an interior a subtle highlight and a modern look.

Some extra specialists Auer Metallprofile In addition to a multitude of stair nosings, connecting profiles and special profiles, Auer Metallprofile also has various skirtings made of stainless steel and aluminum.

From flat i-shape, via click-skirting, and then to edged and extruded L-shapes, to r-skirting boards to bump and push a variety of coverings, such as the 60 x 10 x 3,2 mm aluminum design skirting. This is suitable for bonding 2 to 3 mm floorings and adapts optimally in every room by the combination with the laid design floor. This skirting board is available in the anodized colors silver and stainless steel coloured as standard colours. Other anodized colours or with powder coating are available on request. Matching inside and outside corners can either be miter cut or manufactured as a 30x30 mm corner by us.

To see all news visit us at our homepage www.Auer-Metallprofile.de or on Facebook and Instagram.

FN Neuhofer With the increasing of LVT- and SPCfloors also skirtings have to be water protected.

Currently we offer PVC based skirtings with a decor matching surface to the designated floors. There are also made researches on new materials, that do not include PVC, that are more sustainable, to be able to replace PVC as base material. Skirtings are being used more and more as a design element, either in designs or in skirting board forms, in order to give the room a special touch. In general there are no limits to the design given digital printing methods today. It is possible to set design accents or to match the skirtings perfectly to the floor. We expanded our product portfolio on the sector of white skirtings and are now able to offer them in all kinds of base materials and surfaces. MDF, pine, spruce, beech, obeche with surfaces white foiled in different thicknesses to white lacquered in different grades of quality. We are currently increasing our production capacity for these assortments.

La San Marco Profili One of the primary aim of La San Marco Profili is offering its customers an all-round full service. In fact, what comes first is its constant attention to satisfy all customers’ requests thanks to a qualified staff and to the company spirit of innovation and product expansion idea. At proof of that, the company has just launched a new product catalogue full of different profiles, in MDF, solid wood, veneer, with

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attractive design and additional finishing and veneer surfaces that will satisfy the entire world markets. A definitely wide range of products that will capture customer’s attention and it surely will provide our clients all the necessary and more. We could say there are two main different trends nowadays regarding skirting boards choice. One is the minimal choice that refers to small, plain and almost basic skirting and the other one is the opposite that involves the choice of large and ornate skirting. Over these last years, in facts, trends in interior design are going back to more elaborate and higher skirting boards, which, in conjunction with other decorative mouldings help to give an extra design element to the room. In fact, today, many interior stylists are using the different style of skirting boards to add an artistic touch to the interior of a home. In this sense, the skirting is no longer considered as a simple detail, but it becomes a real design product.

Our Old Style skirting line perfectly represents this idea. A wide range of higher skirting with particular shape that easily combine past styles with a modern design touch of nowadays architecture. These skirting, together with all the entire production, are always available in stock for prompt delivery thanks to the company’s huge well-organized stock.

Furthermore, La San Marco, thanks to its flexibility, handles all special quantities or specific customized requests in a very short time. All products are manufactured in Italy.

Progress Profiles Skirting boards can definitely bring a fashionable touch to any environment, since they can match or be in contrast with the style and the design of the space.

For 36 years Progress Profiles has been producing a very wide range of skirting boards, offering the perfect solution to every request. Among the novelties, Proskirting LIST is characterized by a sharp edge and is available in silver or white color. Realized in aluminum in two heights - 40 mm and 80 mm -, it can be chosen in different finishes - anodized, polished, brushed, varnished -. Suitable for a minimalist environment, it furnishes private or public spaces. Thanks to its 10 mm width, it guarantees the perfect coverage of perimeters and protects walls from furniture rubbing; it can be fixed to the wall with adhesive or aluminum supports. Moreover, Promultiskirt Square and Promultiskirt Round are two new patented models equipped with pre-engravings on the back and front (not visible): they can be easily carved, choosing from different heights - 10, 8 or 6 cm.

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Sanding machines part II : the possibilities of rotary sanders are developing in full swing

IDEAL FOR EVERY JOB POSSIBLY THE MOST EFFICIENT SANDING PARTNER FOR PROFESSIONAL FLOOR FITTERS Jeroen van Oversteeg (Overmat Industries BV - NL) ‘Innovations still come under the motto: Time is money.’

When it comes to machines, you’ve probably heard of Overmat Industries BV from the Netherlands. Managing director Jeroen van Oversteeg and his company supply numerous rotary disc sanders to the parquet industry, and we talk about that specifically in this article. First of all, however, we take a brief detour to consider other machines which they’ve recently exhibited during Matexpo in Kortrijk (B).

‘Normally, we take part in lots of trade fairs, but, sadly, over the last eighteen months, there ha ven’t been any due to the pandemic. It was great finally to be able to exhibit at Matexpo,’ Jeroen van Oversteeg tells us. ‘The turnout was modest, probably because lots of people still have reserva tions about visiting mass meetings, but we still established some good contacts.

We were also able to demonstrate a lot of machines, such as for grinding concrete floors, preparing substrates, milling machines, stripping, and, the latest in the range, the introduction of the Conjet, a hydro-powered demolition robot, which runs up to about 3,000 bars to remove concrete in certain constructions.’

Plenty on offer Now, let’s consider the rotary machines. Which tools are on offer?

‘Let me just go over our assortment from the smallest to the biggest. We start with the single-disc machine, Woodboy, which has been well known for 40 years. As most parquet floor fitters know, Woodboy is a machine which you can fit with various drive discs for both substrate preparation and fine sanding and polishing wooden floors, so this machine is multifunctional.’

‘Then, there’s the somewhat heavier Repex 4D single-disc machine, which you can fit with various gear wheel drive discs for substrate preparation, in combination with diamond segments, or sanding parquet floors with the 4D drive plate. This machine is also used for buffing (hardwax)oils.’

Both of these tools bring us to the planetary driven grinding machines from Husqvarna. These are machines which, amongst other things, are well known under the former Swedish HTC trademark.

‘They operate with contra-rotating grind heads to guarantee a flat surface. The range begins with the Husqvarna PG series with a fixed speed and with working widths of 45 and 51cm. Then there are machines with a variable speed, including the Husqvarna HTC DURATIQ™ technique with a work ing width of 51cm, running up to a working width of 95cm. We choose the right machine, depending on the sector where our clients work. For example, if you want to save time on large project floors or sports floors, you use bigger machines, such as the Husqvarna HTC 950 RX with a working width of 95cm. You can also fit these machines with various sorts of diamond segments, abrasives, and pads. You choose the right segments, depending on the job.’

The big asset: versatility We then hear about the big advantage of the rotary disc sanding machines. Their great strength is that they are versatile. ‘Through the use of the different drive discs, diamond segments, or abra sives, you can use the machines for flattening cement covering floors or screeds, roughening up tile floors for good adhesion if parquet has to be glued onto them, removing old glue residue and coatings, sandpapering parquet and wooden floors, and buffing (hardwax) oil. They are all equipped with a floating cover, which ensures that you can sand dust arm or dust free in combination with the right vacuum cleaner. The big advantage of both the Repex 4D and the planetary driven grinding machines from Husqvarna is the huge time saving which you achieve with sanding from A to Z. Moreover, you always get a flat end result. Actually, there’s only one drawback. You have to take care if the wooden floor is curled or uneven. In that case you always have to sand the floor flat first with a traditional belt sander.

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What about the future?

‘We’ve ascertained that more and more wooden floors, tile floors, and textile floors such as PVC and carpet are being removed because floor owners want to fit new wooden floors. Various things have resulted in a strong rise in sales of floor strippers. For that purpose we sell machines from National Flooring Equipment with ride-on and walk-behind strippers.’

‘What we notice is that our suppliers are constantly working on the innovation of diamond seg ments and abrasives so that you achieve the required result faster. This is a quite logical progres sion, since for floor fitters, too, time is money! For that matter I’d like to point out that parquet floor fitters shouldn’t hesitate to contact us if they need more information about the bigger ma chines.

We have plenty of technicians in service who can answer any questions and give demonstra tions in our demonstration room or, if necessary, on site for the use of various machines and making the right choice in diamond segments or abrasives.’

40th anniversary Shortly, Overmat will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. What can floor fitters expect in connec tion with this milestone?

‘Around the holidays at the end of the year, we’re launching an incentive action. Our clients can benefit from this when they buy machines, Floor Service products, abrasives, and other accessories. We still need to work out the details, but we have decided to link various benefits to the amount of the purchase. For instance, clients will be able to save for a gift such as an iPhone.’

The rotary disc floor sander is a highly efficient partner for sanding (mainly large) wooden or concrete floor surfaces.

This machine is suitable for the light sanding or preparation of large surfaces of parquet or wooden floors. Moreover, thanks to its low number of revolutions per minute, it’s suitable not only for fine-sanding parquet, but also for oiling.

This floor sander is also the right choice for light sanding or preparing large surfaces of cement covering floors.

All round machine

We consider specifically in this article the three-disc machine and use the Lägler Trio to illustrate what this sanding machine can do. Before we do so, it’s worth mentioning that this is the sort of machine where there has been a lot of development with both the machine itself and the accessories, including in the areas of capacity, stability, and ergonomics.

A three-disc machine like this is suitable for fine sanding, intermediate sanding, and renovation of parquet, sanding cork floors, sand-cement covering floors, and other covering floors, rough-ening up subfloors, removing the remains of glue, carpet, and felt, applying wax and oil, and polishing surfaces. As is customary, it is fitted with an integrated vacuum cleaner (with disposable bags) for absorbing dust. Here, too, you see what all machines with this power should have as standard: it can be operated with little effort, has several brushes available (in this case three, whereby, for example, it is even possible to brush herringbone), and equipped with a LED lamp for maximum light on the work surface.

Sorts of rotation motions In describing the rotary disc sander, you can compare the sanding to what happens with manual sandpapering. With manual sandpapering, we usually make sandpapering motions in the length first with some rough sandpaper. We use one hand to push the sandpaper over the wood and we use the other one to apply pressure. Pressure, abrasive, and motion determine the result. If you then apply a finer finish, you apply less pressure, use a finer grain, and make a light rotation motion. This sequence corresponds to that used to sand parquet, where we use the belt sander first and then the rotary machine. With a rotary machine, it’s important to know the possible rotation motions. We identify three sorts of motions, namely rotation, eccentric motion, and oscillation. Rotation is the circular motion of a body around one (central) point of that body. An eccentric motion is a turning motion (rotation) combined with a motion up and down.

Oscillation should then be seen as a periodically repeated reversal of direction. We get combined motions by using several discs. We can reinforce the effect of the rotation by using (usually) three discs, which rotate in opposite directions. Strictly speaking, you then combine rotation and oscillation.

Now, let’s consider the Lägler Trio three-disc machine as an example.

You really can call this an all round sanding machine (motor: single phase alternating current with zero voltage switch, 1.8kW capacity and about 600 revolutions per minute), which is geared to use by professional parquet floor fitters. It has a diameter of 203mm per disc and a total diameter of 460mm. This means you can use this machine anywhere, even in a hall or narrow passage.

As extra specifications we mention an end result which you can rely on with the use of a three-disc machine. With this sort of machine (obviously, using the correct abrasives), you sand scratch-free (to the naked eye), even after applying a colour oil. In this specific case the manufacturer also states there are special abrasives for sanding the floor scratch-free.

Other two specialists have their say Bona Bona Flexi Sand 1.9 is a powerful 1-disc machine which can be fitted with different drive discs for a wide range of floor operations such as cleaning, polishing, oiling, and sanding (rough sanding-medium sanding-fine sanding). It is suitable for sanding to the bare wood and grinding concrete.

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Sanding machines part II : the possibilities of rotary sanders are developing in full swing Lägler

BONA PAD DRIVE: Apply oil / polish in / clean.

BONA POWER DRIVE: Unique drive disc multidirectional / Rough sanding / Medium sanding / Fine sanding / Sanding to the bare wood / Remove wood filler.

BONA POWERDRIVE NEB: 1 disc for sanding and brushing parquet.

Easy click system for switching between the traditional sanding discs and specially developed brushes.

BONA CONCRETE DISC: Grinds concrete flexibly for a smooth substrate.

Disc can be fitted with magnetic segments. Bona PCD Segment for removing thick adhesive residue, epoxy, and carpet foam – Bona Diamond Segment for removing sinter layers of for processing concrete surfaces.

DUST-FREE SANDING: Bona Flexi Sand can be connected to the industrial vacuum cleaners Bona DCS 70 or Bona DCS 25.

Lägler ® - Premium-Sanding-Technology Let‘s go! Seminar at our factory!

Since the beginning of August, we have again been offering our PST ® seminars for interested craftsmen worldwide.

The response to the new start was overwhelming and all dates were fully booked after a short time!

Take advantage of this opportunity now and make yourself and your team fit for the future!

You can find more information about our PST ® here : www.laegler.com

Brushing and structuring wooden surfaces is now more popular than ever! For this reason, Lägler has developed three different brushing discs especially for the TRIO three-disc machine. These can be used both for new installations and renovations. Depending on the type of wood and the desired degree of structuring, the appropriate brushing discs are used. Brush bristles made of abrasive nylon fibers are used for the structuring of softwood floors. If a hardwood floor is to be structured, this is possible with both the brass and stainless steel discs. The disc with stainless steel bristles, however, creates a much more pronounced structure compared to the one with brass bristles.

Brushing is done in a single operation, regardless of the laying pattern.

This makes it possible to process a wide variety of wood types and laying patterns.

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LIGNUM PURA : Extremely matt, noncolouring, single-component wood and parquet lacquer with high resistance to wear. Sustainable water-based, biobased polyurethane.

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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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Special

Producers of laminate, LVT, PVC & vinyl floors in XL format

DO YOU ALREADY HAVE THE BIGGEST? LARGE-SIZE FLOORBOARDS ARE ONE OF THE TOP FLOOR TRENDS IN 2021 Thomas Verschatse and Pieter-Jan Dendooven (Lamett - B) ‘Fitters, too, are turning more often to vinyl products.’

What is it that makes floors in LVT, PVC, vinyl, and laminate so popular in XXL size and how does Lamett see them developing in the future? Those were the main questions which we put to Pieter-Jan Den-dooven, sales director at Lamett, and Thomas Verschatse, the latest addition to the BeLux sales team.

Let’s be quite clear about this. We’re talking here to a trader which targets the specialty retail, ranging from parquet floor fitters and timber traders to paint and decoration stores. Obviously, our interviewees refer to the product which they themselves have launched on the market. Parquetvinyl is an extruded synthetic floor covering which is 100% waterproof and can therefore be fitted in any room in the home. Thanks to a convenient click system, including an integrated underlay, this floor can be fitted quickly and easily. The limited thickness and the opportunity to fit Parquetvinyl onto most existing floors makes it a very attractive product for renovations. They have extended their collection range to include both rustic and rigid floors, but also trendy herringbone floors or tiles in different sizes.

Decors and bigger sizes Pieter-Jan and Thomas want to talk primarily about the vast evolution and revolution in the look and feel within the product category of vinyl floors.

Thomas comments: ‘At Lamett we stress resolutely the further development and commercialisation of modern collections which have been savoured by a wide range of consumers. Thanks to thorough product and design development, we try to follow modern home and interior trends closely,’ Pieter-Jan adds: ‘Certainly with Parquetvinyl, this proactive approach plays a special part. Further to our recent range expansion earlier this year, for instance, we’ve been working very hard on products with an extremely low level of gloss, barely 2-4%, so that it’s getting increasingly difficult to distinguish Parquetvinyl from a “real” parquet floor. As regards colours, too, we note a progression towards natural shades. Thanks to big cylinders, we can commit ourselves fully to the highest possible number of different planks, up to 60 for one collection.’

‘In dimensions, too, we’re seeing a trend towards wider and longer sizes. Planks up to two metres are no exception and the XXL sizes within the tile formats are also much coveted. The absolute highlight within our Caldera series is clearly the 615 x 1230mm size by a long way. Thanks to its size, with this tile you create a trendy and modern interior.’

Future expectations When we ask about their expectations for the future at Lamett, it is clear that they are still highly ambitious. Apart from the further development of commercial collections, they are also committed to the ongoing growth of the organisation. In this context Thomas Verschatse has recently joined the company and at present they have a vacancy for a junior sales officer in Wallonia.

Recently, Lamett has invested heavily in its production site at Morava Wood in the Czech Republic, where they have purchased the surrounding land and production halls with a total surface area of 86,000m².

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One trend which has emerged in 2021 is the increasingly strong advance of large-size floorboards in what we could call ‘alternative materials’. In vinyl, PVC, LVT, and such like, too, there’s an unmistakable booming penchant for increasingly bigger sizes, both in planks and tiles. The main reason for this? The answer to that question lies in the technological developments.

Actually, this growing popularity is no surprise. Manufacturers tinker constantly with the way in which floors are made and that yields a revolution in the range. In that context, amongst other things, the advance of PVC or polyvinyl stands out clearly. This success is logical since this is an elastic floor made from a flexible material with a clearly softer feel than with laminate and certainly tiles.

Increasingly refined production methods Due to the increasingly refined production methods, not only is it increasingly possible to give more variety in ever bigger sizes, but also these floors have a nicely structured surface which equates increasingly to the look of real wood or stone. Moreover, more and more parquet floor fitters are becoming fans of this floor covering because this product requires more expertise with the fitting (certainly in larger sizes) than with classic laminate floors. It also gives you a better profit margin.

What stands out first of all with these PVC floors is how much the different manufacturers are committed to both long and wide planks and how they expand their collections strongly. That shouldn’t come as

a surprise. Fitting larger sizes takes less time and that’s always a nice bonus in a competitive world. Yet perhaps just as important is the fact the development of the product literally makes a room visually bigger with big planks.

If you fit these big sizes, be sure to respect the following tip: Do not fit them in rooms which are too small; the bigger the room, the better. If you use big planks in a room which is too small, you could be disappointed with the end result because the floor dominates the interior too much.

Colours and patterns Which colours and patterns are now in vogue in those large sizes?

Not surprisingly, wood imitations still score best by far. It’s precisely because these imitations are getting better in PVC that they are making their way into more rooms, especially on the residential market.

Light and moderately tinted planks are doing well these days. They give a room some ‘body’ and combine easily with most other colours.

Think, for instance of a dark oak cabinet or the recently fitted kitchen in Scandinavian tints. Note: This doesn’t mean that darker PVC isn’t in vogue. Certainly if you must look for a contrast, such as with light walls, a dark colour comes much more into its own.

Stone imitations We mentioned above the popularity of PVC tiles which imitate stone.

Yes, that, too, is one very clear trend because here, too, you get more and more options for creating highly realistic floors with increasingly bigger sizes.

The look of wood, the ease of vinyl.

Discover the herringbone, plank and tile collections on parquetvinyl.com

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Producers of laminate, LVT, PVC & vinyl floors in XL format

If we look at the sort of tiles, it is noticeable that PVC tiles with a concrete look still score best. The end result is usually very beautiful because you create a modern look without the drawbacks of real concrete. Moreover, these tiles can cope with knocks, they withstand high traffic, and you hardly have to worry at all about stains.

PVC tiles obviously give you more than just the concrete look. For instance, amongst other things, we are seeing the emergence of more slate to even particularly handsome imitations of flamed marble.

There is also one very special trend: The finish with the look of metal is gaining in popularity. If you want to make a statement with vinyl in a modern and contemporary home, this sort of tile is perfect.

Two extra specialists MeisterDesign Laminate: attractive, carefree and versatile MEISTER laminate flooring has been adapted to the latest trends and technical requirements. Since it is made up to 95% from natural resources (mostly wood), it is one of the most ecological floor coverings you can install in your home. Moreover, the “Diamond Pro” surface finish increases resistance against micro-scratches and abrasion. The “antistatic” feature protects the surface against electric charging and MEISTER laminate LL250 Pure castle oak thus attracts less dirt.

MEISTER laminate flooring is also colour-fast and heat-resistant so that its colours remain beautiful for years, even when exposed to the sun. All our laminate floors (except for the LC 55/LC 55 S collections and LD 55/ LD 55 S) are equipped with comprehensive protection against humidity, which makes them suitable for use in humid rooms, too. This is achieved thanks to the AquaSafe system (4 h) or the AquaSafe system + (24 h). As a result, laminate flooring is the perfect choice for every living area and is also suitable for commercial areas with a normal level of use (e.g. offices).

modern design, but also with antique or country home furniture. With the look of concrete or granite, floors in grey go together perfectly with white and wood shades and let colours shine. Floors in concrete and granite look authentic and natural. The tranquil surfaces form an exciting contrast with vivid wood structures and organic shapes which are currently enjoying a new lease of life due to the Midcentury-trend.

The accompanying accessories are luxuriant, with gold and messing colours at the forefront. There is an exciting interaction between the luxuriant mix of velvet, silk, and gold and the light shades of grey in the floor design. The Bauhaus look forms a stylistic counterpart with its rigid cube-shaped forms, bright geometrical lines, and reduced colours. White, grey, and black are the central design colours of this interior style and are stressed by strong colour highlights. Bright shapes and colours in modern understatement testify to a sense of style. Highlight colours such as yellow provide highlights and support the idea of modernism.Parador vinyl and laminate floors are also available in modern stone and tile optics. Granite, concrete, or tiles with a coloured design, there’s a suitable décor for all tastes. And what’s best about vinyl and laminate floors? They win you over with all the benefits of a modern floor covering because vinyl and laminate floors in tile-look are easy to maintain, slip-resistant and watertight, pleasantly warm on the feet, and easy to fit.

Parador Parador also in XL vinyl and laminate in a tile look Bleak and grey are consigned to history forever Vinyl and laminate with a look of tiles or stone bring the original beauty of natural stone or ceramic tiles into your home. Floors with the look of concrete, stone, or granite are authentic and natural. The tranquil surfaces form an exciting contrast with vivid wood structures and organic shapes. Can we add a little more? If so, choose vinyl and laminate floors which remind you of colourful vintage tiles and make a contemporary statement in each room. Grey is the perfect colour for any interior style. Grey fits in anywhere at any time and can cope with everything (cool or cosy, manly or feminine, romantically playful, or pure Scandinavian. The trend colour thrives on the combination with

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MEISTER laminate LB 150 Layer stone

Special

What are the major benefits of silane adhesives?

VARIOUS STRONG ASSETS A MORE EXTENSIVE LOOK AT THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES Viki Wouters and Jo Indesteege (Kaneka - B) ‘Silane adhesives are now a fully matured product.’

Silane adhesives have done well on the parquet market for many years now. Why are these adhesives so successful and what can they be used for best? Where’s the benefit for parquet floor fitters? We interviewed Viki Wouters and Jo Indesteege from polymer specialist Kaneka to find out more.

‘Silane adhesives aren’t really new anymore,’ Jo laughs. ‘Even though they weren’t available 15 to 20 years ago and everything revolved around hard adhesives, epoxy, and PU. If we go back 15 years in time, for instance, you note that in those days 75% of adhesives in Germany were still solvent-based. The fairly elastic silane modified glues yielded a relatively smooth transition, even though there were still two sides: On the one hand, you had those who advocated elasticity, whilst on the other hand there were those people who insisted that an adhesive had to be “hard” to keep the wood in place.’

Stricter regulations Both interviewees point out that the increasingly strict Chemical/adhesive regulations are indirectly giving silane adhesives a boost.

‘Think here of the legislation on the use of isocyanates on the shop floor and how skin contact and air quality are very strictly regulated,’ Viki replies. ‘Silane adhesives have presented themselves to be an excellent alternative.’

Jo adds: ‘What we do at Kaneka is provide more added value. To sum up, you can say that we go back to somewhat more rigid adhesives, but these are adhesives which aren’t as “rock hard” as in the past. The position is: Either you fix the wood so that it can’t move, as you do with nailing, or you retain the movement of the wood by looking mainly to avoiding the use of harmful products.’

Here Jo Indesteege points out one problem with silane adhesives. The reaction releases methanol. Although, is this really a problem?

‘We certainly shouldn’t exaggerate here. Adhesive producers have carried out tests in Germany to determine how much methanol is actually released and you can say that this is fully under control and meets the various regulations. The products have also been adapted so that the emission is negligible. To make this a little clearer, give me a choice between a room where PU has been used and another room with silane, then I will opt for silane with no hesitation.’

The future?

If we consider the future, the question is where parquet adhesives should advance. The answers show amongst other things that hard no longer has to mean ‘rock hard’, but the chief aim is to withstand harmful components as much as possible.

‘Softeners are an absolute culprit,’ says Viki. ‘Softeners are added to make it easier to spread the adhesive, but if those softeners escape or migrate into the parquet floor, the consequences cannot be overlooked.’

‘That’s why we provide softener-free solutions,’ Jo adds. ‘We advise clients to opt only for softener-free products in case substrates with quite high absorption are used.’

We return briefly to the development of the product and we learn here that there’s no real need to look for innovation in terms of performance, but the cost price does need attention.’

‘At Kaneka, quality is our top priority,’ Jo says. ‘It’s important to push down the cost price, but not at the expense of everything. Cheap parquet adhesives don’t guarantee quality. An example: MS polymer is also a sort of adhesive binder. If the concentration of the binder in the formulation is too low, the question in the end-product is what actually holds the “system” together. We don’t support that because we opt for quality as our priority.’

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What are the major benefits of silane adhesives?

‘Actually, there are two main criteria for us. MS polymer is a highly stable and consistent product and this means that we always supply clients with products of the same quality. Clients know perfectly well what they’re getting, and that’s not always the case with some of our competitors. In addition, quality in the end product is absolutely essential because we don’t want to give silane technology a bad name.’

LVT adhesives LVT adhesives are another innovation mentioned, apart from the established parquet adhesive market. With LVT, water-based acrylic adhesives have dominated the scene. The problem was that silane adhesives do have good adhesion on wood, but are usually not so good on PVC or vinyl floors. Since then, Kaneka has developed polymers which do exhibit great adhesion onto these substrates.’

‘This gives us an almost unique position on the market,’ Jo concludes. ‘The only problem is the difference in price with water-based adhesives, so we admit that this needs our attention for the future. We’re busy working on solutions to keep the cost as economical as possible. At the moment, our polymers appeal only to the premium market. The challenge for Kaneka now, is to develop our polymers at the same high quality at a better price that allows us to provide more material onto this market. That of tiles, for instance.’

The testimony with this article tells us how the management at Kaneka explain what makes silane adhesives so successful. Silane adhesives aren’t really new any more, but they haven’t been on the market all that long. However, it’s been clear for a few years that they have acquired a strong position on the parquet market.

Our interviewees also consider the various parts on which it is best to use silane adhesives. What we remember most of all is that these adhesives no longer strive for the age old ‘rock hard’ use and that there is a huge commitment to maximum environmental friendliness and care for both floor fitters and end clients.

relatively hard, although they need to have a certain flexibility so that they can absorb dimensional changes in wooden parquet floorboards (such as those caused by the weather). These adhesives have a flexibility of about 20% and this is sufficient to absorb the movements of wood (shrinking and swelling). The adhesive always stays more than hard enough to keep all sorts of parquet sufficiently in place so that hardly any joints can form between the parquet boards. In this category Wakol has launched MS 290 Parquet Adhesive on the market. This is a universal adhesive which can be used to glue all sorts of parquet.

Some other specialists have their say Blanchon

Another producer (Lecol) gives us some insight here into the diverse categories in which their solvent-free adhesives come in the parquet industry. According to them, there are three different categories: elastic, hard elastic, and impact resistant. Below we clarify further exactly what that means.

Elastic silane adhesives If we consider firstly elastic silane adhesives for parquet floors, these are defined as having a flexibility of 125% or more. Such flexibility is more than enough to absorb the movements of the wood (shrinking and swelling). At the same time, the adhesive isn’t hard enough to keep all sorts of parquet adequately in place without the formation of bothersome joints. And so, according to Lecol, you should limit the use of this type of adhesive, especially for the installation of multilayer parquet floors. These types of floors are highly stable due to the multilayer structure and wide joints between the parquet boards are limited.

The two elastic adhesives which they offer are Wakol MS 228 parquet adhesive which is ready for use and Wakol MS 230 Parket Adhesive.

Hard-elastic silane adhesives With hard-elastic silane adhesives we learn that they have a flexibility of about 80%. This means that these adhesives are suitable for fitting just about all sorts of parquet, except for solid traditional parquet floors (old Flemish style), for instance, or crosscut. Their range in this category comprises Wakol MS 260 Parquet Adhesive.

Impact resistant parquet adhesives Finally, this producer talks about the category of impact resistant parquet adhesives. This means that these parquet adhesives are

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The Blanchon range comprises four products: two spreadable adhesives, one adhesive in cordon, and one ‘ship deck’ seal. They all have an A+ rating: AB 2000: high-quality hybrid polymer adhesive for glueing solid parquet floors up to a width of 200mm and laminate floors up to a width of 400mm. Flexible and elastic.

AB 1300: high-quality polymer hybrid adhesive for glueing solid wooden floors up to 130mm wide and laminate floors up to 260mm wide. Flexible and elastic, with good adhesion on most floors.

AB 2000 and AB 1300 have an EC1R (GEV EMI CODE) and have been given optimised packing: 6kg aluminium bag.

Adhesive for glueing in cordon: hybrid polymer adhesive, supplied in an aluminium tube, to be used with a special gun. Ideal for vertical

surfaces, even used a lot for all cordon installations on floors.

Ship deck joint: black polymer hybrid putty, specially designed for the joint between parquet and skirting boards and for ‘ship deck’ joints.

Bona

and EMFIPARQUET PRO ECO as a spatula adhesive and EMFIMASTIC PS PARQUET for glueing in cordon. There is no such thing as a universal adhesive, so they prefer the term multifunctional to denote an adhesive which can be used to glue the most diverse sorts of parquet.

Stauf 20 years of competence in silane technology

20 YEARS COMPETENCE IN SILANE TECHNOLOGY

By using high-quality raw materials and their own unique formulas, Bona silane adhesives guarantee strong adhesion for wooden floors.

Bona Silane Parquet Adhesives are used on any type of subfloor. They ensure rapid initial adhesion and therefore the safe installation of the floor. Bona silane adhesives offer an ideal balance between strength and elasticity.

FEATURES: 1-component – no primers necessary on solid dry subfloors – rapid initial adhesion – excellent adhesive back – adhesive splashes on the floor are easy to remove – ideal balance of strength and elasticity – long-term performance – low emissions – suitable for floor heating - EMICODE : EC1-R-Plus The all round silane adhesive in the Bona range is the new Bona QUANTUM. This adhesive represents the new generation of Silane Parquet Adhesive, with Bona’s revolutionary Titanium Crosslinking Technology. The brand-new formula yields excellent strength which hardens in the course of time and ultimately gives maximum strength.

FEATURES: Parquet adhesive with integrated damp screen – Broad scope – Floor can be sanded after 12 hours – Improved tensile strength.

20 years ago, the German adhesive specialist, STAUF, launched a technology in the market that has fundamentally remained unchanged to this day: silane. Ever since they have been improving their silane products. Outstanding was the "pioneer" STAUF SPU 570, which changed the adhesive market altogether. Just recently they renewed STAUF S PRESS, a silane adhesive especially for ergonomic sticking of parquet.

An ideal parquet adhesive balances useful elasticity with high strength.

However, the individual mechanics of silane-based adhesives are very different. The parquet adhesive STAUF MULTILAYER for example has an elastic mechanism, preserves the subfloor and is suitable for all types of multi-layer parquet. STAUF SPU 460 and SPU 570 have well-balanced hard (elastic) mechanical properties. The subfloor is sensibly protected, the parquet does not tear off with the subfloor and the risk of dimensional changes is reduced – a perfect product characteristic for bonding solid wood. As a rule, no primer is needed. If the residual moisture is too high, STAUF SMP 950 or SPU 570 can also be used as a vapor barrier and adhesive in one.

Emfi

Thomsit

There are various subgroups in the silane technology family: MS®, STPE, SMP, STPU, SPU, etc. There is no generally accepted definition of elasticity (or flexibility), but on the basis of standard NF EN 14293 Emfi uses the term elastic/flexible or rigid to show how far the connection stretches when it is pulled. To put it simply, the more elastic an adhesive is, the more it follows the floor movements and the less it strains the base. It’s important to find the right balance because if an adhesive is too elastic, this increases the risk of warps and splits. Adhesives are not designed specifically for one particular wood sort, so maker’s specifications are merely sales talk. Emfi offers EMFIPARQUET PRO PLUS

Fitting parquet makes high demands of the performance of the floor fitter and the quality of the product used.

For ready-for-fitting parquet Thomsit presents Thomsit P 675 Elast, with its strong quality and competitive price.

By contrast, P 685 Elast Universal can be deployed more broadly and, amongst other things, is suitable for solid parquet. P 695 Elast Universal Strong is your master for all classes and is suitable for all sorts of parquet. These three glues all have the benefits of the FLEXTEC™ technology, which Thomsit itself has developed. These elastic glues absorb the movements of the parquet floor and that permanently reduces the tensile stress on the substrate. Moreover, they are strong and flexible and adhere to almost any substrate without the need for a primer. Apart from that, they also save you valuable drying time.

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Special

Producers of Hungarian point and herringbone parquet (solid and multilayer)

THE TECHNICALLY ATTAINABLE PAST SPECIAL FITTING PATTERNS HAVE LONG SINCE CEASED TO BE THE PRESERVE OF THE HAPPY FEW Various rooms in the interior show that people like looking back to the past. Floors are one of the elements which clearly betray this sense of nostalgia with their rich adornment which has been in evidence for a few years now. Ten years ago, very few people fitted a floor in Hungarian point or herringbone, but the tide has now turned completely.

There are several possible reasons for this shift. Obviously, you look primarily to (interior) architects, who like to explore different paths.

That desire from the purchaser was rather pricy in the past (solid wood is costly), but the development of various alternative floor products has put classic fitting patterns increasingly back in vogue. Here we think not only of engineered parquet, but also of versions in PVC, vinyl, linoleum, laminate, etc. Developments in production and fitting options have put such versions increasingly within the reach of consumers with a somewhat lower budget whilst developments in fitting methods mean those versions have become increasingly authentic.

price in check, so these fitting patterns are coming within the reach of potential clients who are no longer excluded by the excessively high price of both the product and the fitting thereof. However, we do need to point out that in recent times the price of wood as a raw material has risen considerably.

Multilayer has various assets These days, multilayer, which is on offer in two or three layers, has several assets. For instance, it can now be fitted a lot faster, the parquet is often available pre-finished, it can be fitted dust-free, and lower construction heights are available, so it is often suitable for renovation projects. Obviously, the ultimate asset is still that these floors have a noble wood as a top floor, so a longer lifespan is guaranteed and, in turn, the floor can be renovated at a later date, just as with solid wood.

What’s on the market ?

BJ Parket

The place of parquet floor fitters Parquet floor fitters like to be part of this story because to a greater or lesser degree there is still a need for professional expertise. Moreover, floor fitters can make good progress and ‘fit metres of flooring’ with a product which is more than just fitting one plank at a time. One thing is clear: When it comes to special fitting patterns, quite a lot of competent DIY lovers still have to give up because they don’t possess the necessary expertise.

We’ve already unveiled the history of Hungarian point and herringbone in previous editions. The question now is what is available and in this edition we consider the thickness of the strips.

Thicknesses and materials It is worth knowing that strips for herringbone are generally 6.2 or 9mm thick, although much thicker herringbone parquet is available, even up to 14mm. Furthermore, it is often supplied with tongue and groove.

You need two types of strips, a left one and a right one in professional jargon. And so, if the groove on one leg of the herringbone is on the left and the tongue on the right, the next one has to be the other way around because you work in a mirror image.

If we consider the materials, what is noticeable is that there seems to be no end to the constantly growing popularity of multilayer, supplemented by an extremely strong rise in interest on the part of manufacturers in alternatives such as vinyl, linoleum, PVC, or laminate (as we’ve already said). The reason why fitting patterns such as Hungarian point and herringbone are increasingly penetrating the market in multilayer is simple: The development of the product keeps the

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After herringbone, Hungarian point is also making strides. Whereas this fitting pattern used to be found mainly in mansions, it is now also trendy in private and commercial rooms. BJ Parket offers these floors in both multilayer and traditional 10mm solid wood. The company produces the latter itself and the dimension stability plays a crucial part. Indeed, the production is largely decisive for the quality of the end result. This fitting pattern is offered in various selections (Extra/ Premier/Bis/Rustic) and is available in an angle of 45 or 60 degrees.

In addition, various other distressed alternatives are possible: smoked, brushed, and/or beaten. One of the benefits of solid Hungarian point is that the lane width can be adapted to the room and this is calculated

by BJ Parket.

Design Parquet

Estaparket

A classic of French traditional floor parquet, as before dedicated to the Haussmanian houses, the chevron parquet is now most popular.

The fixed long strips are laid with an angle of 45° or 38° or other according to the customers needs.

The Herringbone pattern, is an another style of laying which offers elegant lines. The strips of similar dimensions are laid with an angle of 90 °. Specialist of parquet on request, Design Parquet proposes 1000 parquets in solid and engineered oak for Chevron and Herringbone installation. We present these two types of installation on all our range of Oak (range of colors : white, grey, brown, or natural), in different grades, sizes and finishings in laying either glued, nailed or floating. The installation of this design of parquets needs knowledge.

It’s very important to respect the angle so as no to have any difference at the end of the room. For a more pleasant aspect, think about asking for a technical layout.

Estaparket client’s demand for Herringbone pattern has increased more than 100% since 2020! The main trend is for 100-140 mm widths, to show the difference to the classical 70mm wide boards, everyone used to have decades ago. The natural oak color variation is well accepted in such pattern and adds additional unique look to the floor. Estaparket will receive a new Chevron profiling machine with very tight tolerance already in September, so new collection of floors will be represented at Domotex 2022. The idea is to show many lengths and widths from 100204mm. The base for Herringbone and Chevron is Birch plywood from Russia, which guarantees best construction strength.

Custom-made

Quality parquet

made for en by professionals

LOFT PRO

OPÉRA, Chevron Parquet Oak rustic/campagne A distressed aspect on the surface and slight black patina Grade : 16 x 90 x 500 mm Top layer 4,5 mm Colourless varnish Tongue & Groove - Square edge Semi-solid wood flooring (Birch plywood base)

www.designparquet.fr

“All products for the perfect floor”.

Exclusive distributor Vermeister.

T +32 11 63 64 00 M info@parketkerkhofs.be

Ambachtslaan 1013, 3990 Peer www.parketkerkhofs.be

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Producers of Hungarian point and herringbone parquet (solid and multilayer)

Garbelotto

Kerkhofs Parket

Watch the video of Clip Up System®

CLIP UP SYSTEM® by Garbelotto - The green revolution of the wooden floor. Clip Up System® is the patented and exclusive glue-free installation system for wooden floors of Parchettificio Garbelotto! Capable of increasing acoustic and thermal comfort, Clip Up System® is the multi-certified and award-winning installation system. EPD, FSC and A+ are some of the certifications that attest to its eco-sustainability and compatibility with the specifications of large projects for new and future green buildings, helping to raise the LEED, BREAM or WELL class. Clip Up System® is a real wooden floor 100% Made in Italy that is laid on any flat substrate with special recyclable polymer clips. In a short time, the floor is immediately walkable and it is suitable for any location, from private homes to offices and in any commercial space. Thanks to the countless advantages, Clip Up System® guarantees total inspection of the substrate and it is possible to remove or replace even a single board in just a few seconds. Clip Up System® is a Garbelotto pre-finished wooden floor available in different wood species, surface finishes and in all laying geometries.

Kerkhofs Parket has already enjoyed successful sales of patterns such as herringbone and Hungarian point in the cutting angle given by the client in both solid wood and composite boards. Oak is still the most coveted wood, but other sorts are available. There’s something for everyone. For instance, wenge, walnut, afzelia, and such like are growing in popularity.

Apart from herringbone and Hungarian point, Kerkhofs Parket also offers diverse design floors such as mansion weave, 3D cubus, and Vienna point in diverse wood sorts.

The possibilities here are endless. Kerkhofs Parket concentrates mainly on customised work to meet the client’s wishes.

This is possible thanks to their motivated workers and state-of-the-art machinery. The strength of Kerkhofs Parket is that their 30 years of experience gives them the required know-how and helps them surprise clients with their wide range of wood sorts. Do not hesitate to contact them. Their staff are ready to serve you.

Meister “MEISTER PS 500 Herringbone parquet”:

Heinr. Krüger + Sohn (HKS) Manufaktur deluxe – hand made individual 2-ply floorings in oak Heinr. Krüger + Sohn (HKS) based in Münster, Germany is a supplier of wooden flooring who established with its product line Manufaktur deluxe a range with huge variety in the market. In contrast to low budget products HKS developed an unequalled product range through the years.

Manufaktur deluxe is available in: - Planks - Herringbone 90° - Chevron 45°/60° This individual floorings with oak top layer live up to the highest usability expectations combined with a first class base of birch plywood.

Therefore it is possible to install it on water-based underfloor heating without any problems. A wide variety of designs arise through the use of advanced technology in combination with passionate handcraft. A diverse use of stains, oils and wax ensures a visual and haptical sense of well being. Manufaktur deluxe was developed to realize your individual vision. Be your own designer, create your favourite flooring using the numerous options of 22 different finishes. The range is produced exclusively for HKS and under steady control in Europe. www.hks1835.com

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MEISTER PS 500 Harmonic plain oak

The PS 500 herringbone flooring works well in both the country house style and modern interiors. The collection consists of 8 naturally oiled and 7 matt lacquered oak decors as well as 1 walnut decor in a matt lacquered version. It’s possible to combine the 8 naturally oiled herringbone floorings with the spacious PD 400 planks (2 200 x 180 mm) in the same colour or the matt lacquered herringbone floorings with the elegant PS 300 planks (1187 x 142 mm). This enables the customer to combine different parquet formats in one and the same colour. Besides the visual aspect, ease of installation was also taken into account. Thanks to the patented Unizip click system, it's no longer necessary to divide the flooring into A and B planks. In future, this parquet flooring will be able to be laid with one type of plank. For this customer, this increases the laying speed and reduces sawing waste.

Special

Maintenance and cleaning products for floors in vinyl, LVT, and PVC

ABOVE ALL, THE FLOOR HAS TO LOOK NICE A WELL-INFORMED CLIENT CAN GENERATE EXTRA TURNOVER As a parquet floor fitter, you might sometimes forget that work doesn’t stop once you’ve fitted a floor in LVT, PVC, and vinyl. On the contrary, parquet specialists must always be ready to give advice about cleaning and maintaining a newly fitted floor. An attractive floor will only stay in top condition with the appropriate maintenance over time. That plays into the hands of floor fitters because their clients will continue to contact them, if only to buy the correct cleaning and maintenance products.

Finally, one more thing which you really should tell clients is that there are some products on the market which they absolutely must avoid when cleaning a vinyl floor. This ‘black list’ includes scouring powders, brown soap, acetone or solvents, wax or varnish, oil-based products, and steam cleaners! It can also certainly do no harm to point out a number of items which help prevent the need for cleaning and maintenance. These include, for instance, putting a basic door mat by each entrance or applying caps to objects which stand on a vinyl floor.

Most manufacturers advise parquet specialists to give consumers extensive maintenance advice after the sale of a floor. That’s why parquet traders often supply bottles of maintenance product when the floor is delivered. This is literally an example of long-term thinking because clients may return later to place more orders once those products are used up. Obviously, what’s also interesting is that this may also yield subsequent fitting work, since the consumer might well want another new floor later.

At the same time, you should certainly advise clients to fit objects such as heating appliances at a certain height above a vinyl floor.

This all comes under the motto: Prevention is always better than cure!

Cleaning and maintenance in practice How do you take care of LVT, PVC, or vinyl floors? These days, you can assume that this really can be fairly simple. After all, the latest generations of these floors have generally had a special surface treatment to make them more resistant to scratches or stains. That means they require relatively little regular cleaning and maintenance.

You should certainly tell clients about the various sorts of cleaning.

These range from daily sweeping or vacuum cleaning to weekly cleaning with a damp mop and neutral detergent. The latter helps remove dirt and keeps a floor in top condition. Advise clients to use only a minimal amount of water.

Interventions with stains You should certainly stress the fact that it is best for clients to remove stains immediately. They can do this by cleaning the floor in patches with a nylon sponge and a neutral detergent. Stains should be removed from the outside inwards so that they can then be rinsed with clean water and mopped clean. Consumers must beware of oil, vinegar, or lemon juice because those items can cause discolouration.

It’s also best to remove ink, tomato juice and sauce, blood stains, and rust at once. Pen and felt pen marks can be removed with some turpentine on a cloth and then rinsing thoroughly.

Applying a protective coat There is a huge choice on the market when it comes to cleaning and maintenance products and lots of producers offer a total range. You will notice here that these products are generally water-based. These products are designed specifically for regular cleaning, intensive cleaning, and even for applying a protective coat. The latter is worthwhile if visible scratches have appeared. By applying a protective coat, clients ‘feed’ their floor and prevent premature wear and tear.

Visit www.floor-forum.com

What’s on the market ?

Blanchon Blanchon has various products for cleaning vinyl, LVT, and PVC floors. They offer a full range for glazed, oiled, and polished parquet floors. This range is designed for specialist parquet traders, cleaning companies, and end clients. First of all, there are two metallisers, namely the renovation products Métallisant Satiné (for satin or glossy parquet) and Métallisant Métamat (for matt parquet floors).

These metallisers are designed specifically for renovation since they also fill small cracks and freshen up the look of the glazed floors. Furthermore, they also have a detergent, namely Lisabril®. This product is used diluted and complements both metallisers perfectly. Due to its new formula, this product is ideal for large surfaces (e.g. restaurants, public spaces, classrooms, and parquet sports floors). Finally, there is another powerful detergent, namely ‘Décapant Dégraissant’ (new name for the cleaning agent ‘Suractivé’). This product is ideal for preparing the metallisation with no risk of damage to the glazing.

Bona Bona PREMIUM Spray Mop (renewed Spray Mop) is for tile, laminate, PVC, and other hard floors. The Bona Spray Mop has an ergonomic design and is easy to use, and can be set up quickly and refilled with the specially developed Bona Floor Cleaner Cartridge. Cleaning is easy: Spray and wipe. Forget the bucket with mop. With the Bona Spray Mop, you just spray and wipe.

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Maintenance and cleaning products for floors in vinyl, LVT, and PVC

Chimiver

FEATURES: For laminate, tile floors, PVC floors, and other hard floors – refillable cartridge – cleaning with no streaks – ecological, pH-neutral cleaner – the accompanying cleaning pad can be washed by machine (up to 300 times). Bona Power Scrubber 2.0: compact, powerful scrubbing machine for deep cleaning of all sorts of surfaces, such as also PVC floors, tiles, and other hard floors – removes stubborn dirt with ease in combination with the detergent for the right type of floor.

The two cylinder brushes, which rotate in opposite directions, ensure deep and effective cleaning.

FEATURES: Effective deep cleaning – easy to fill, empty, clean, and transport – powerful and easy to manoeuvre – absorbs fluid very effectively – wide range of surfaces: also for other types of hard floors as well as wood.

VELUREX LVT Cleaner is an intensive antistatic cleaner recommended for cleaning vinyl flooring.

The antistatic emulsion helps the absorption and prevention of dust build-up.

Furthermore VELUREX LVT Cleaner contains special nanoparticles which guarantee to the treated surfaces a deep cleaning and long lasting action. Rinse free, it does not leave halos, assuring a fresh smell/scent in the ambient.

Ideal even in the presence of pets. VELUREX Re-Pair is a polyurethane resinbased product suitable for the extraordinary maintenance of particularly damaged ad subject to heavy traffic resin and resilient flooring such as LVT, PVC and linoleum. If applied on UV varnished wooden floors it is recommended to carry out a preliminary test, and checking the adhesion. VELUREX Re-Pair grants the treated surface a new look characterized by the following properties: surface hardness, toughness and transparency.

DecoRad Systems UV CURING RENOVATION LACQUER FOR LINOLEUM FLOORS

Ciranova

Ciranova has a full range of maintenance products for varnished floors, vinyl, LVT, and PVC floors. Proper maintenance preserves the original look and protects against premature wear and tear.

For regular cleaning you should use HARD FLOOR FRESH. Hard Floor Fresh is a universal cleaning product which removes grease and cleans the floor. There’s also UNICARE X-MATT, a unique and universal water-based maintenance product which gives all floors an extra protective coat. UNICARE X-MATT provides an extra protective film and removes micro-scratches to preserve the original look of the floor.

Unlike with an oiled parquet floor, this protection doesn’t impregnate the floor. Also unlike an oiled floor, vinyl, LVT, and PVC are closed surfaces, so they don’t have to be fed. You can use the Hard Floor cleaner to remove old polish layers and stubborn stains and streaks.

Ciranova has a handy maintenance kit with the three products packed together conveniently. This is ideal for parquet traders and retailers.

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The maintenance of linoleum is a very large market.

Working with polymers on linoleum floors means placing three layers of wax on top of each other, this is a process of 10 to 12 hours. Those wax layers are stripped once or twice a year with an alkaline cleaning agent, so that the waste water enters the sewer and you discharge millions of liters of chemicals per year.

The alternative: Permanent protection of the floor by applying a water-based UV lacquer, followed by curing with portable UV light. The result is an immediately usable floor with an absolutely "like new" appearance that also lasts much longer: three to five years with only frequent dry cleaning and/or damp (flat) mop.

In the current society of sustainability, including solar panels, windmills and electric cars, it is logical that we have to say goodbye to an environmentally harmful and outdated technology such as polymers.

Benefit for everyone and the environment.

∂ Industry news FN Neuhofer Apartment building completed

will enable us to expand to our existing and new customers,” said Karin Falk, President, Construction Division. “In addition, the Blastrac team will bring extensive product and market expertise with these complementary solutions.” The parties aim at closing the acquisition by the end of 2020. The acquisition is subject to approval by relevant competition authorities.

Wintersteiger Digital, powerful, high precision: The new DSB Twinhead Pro XM thin-cutting band saw

The sustained growth of the successful family-owned and operated company FN Neuhofer in Zell am Moos – and the resulting steady stream of new hires – is one of the reasons why the company, led by owner Franz Neuhofer, has again decided to invest.

A residential building with thirteen rental flats has been built in the immediate vicinity of the company’ premises. This building offers staff members – in particular those who move here from further afield – attractive and sunny flats with a wonderful view of the countryside.

There is a choice of functional 2-room flats, charming two-storey maisonettes and spacious attic flats. The building spans three storeys, plus a basement level, and 26 car parking spaces have been created – 16 of which are covered. The property’s total living area is 1,075 m².

This residential building has been completed since August 2021 and the first tenants are already enjoying these stylish flats.

“We’re very pleased to be able to offer living space nearby, just a few minutes from our company”, explains Neuhofer, adding: “The building site is of special importance to me as my former primary school once stood there”.

Investments in an additional warehouse and a new planing plant “Our investments in an additional warehouse and a new planing plant (P 3000 Weinig) for solid wood production are further guarantees that we will continue to be at our customers’ side as a reliable partner with full performance and proven commitment”, says Franz Neuhofer.

Husqvarna Group is further expanding its offering in surface preparation through the acquisition of Blastrac Husqvarna Group’s Construction Division has signed an agreement to acquire Blastrac, a leading provider of surface preparation technologies for the global construction and remediation industry.

“The acquisition of Blastrac strengthens and complements our organic growth ambitions, as we are further expanding into complementary surface preparation solutions. This will enable us to provide customers with a complete range of solutions for any given surface preparation task,” said Henric Andersson, President & CEO, Husqvarna Group.

The Blastrac product portfolio includes high-quality and efficient solutions for shot blasting, scarifying, scraping, grinding & polishing and dust collection. Blastrac’s net sales during last 12 months amounted to approximately SEK 600m. The company has 380 employees globally with manufacturing and sales offices in North America, Europe and Asia with sales in more than 80 countries. “The acquisition aims to further build and expand our offering in the market for surface preparation. Blastrac's business fits well into our growth strategy and

- A thin-cutting band saw for very high capacity requirements - The basic version with two saw modules can be expanded to six modules - Modern solutions for more efficient production processes - Individual customization for the softwood segment Wintersteiger AG from Upper Austria has made the powerful DSB Twinhead thin-cutting band saw fit for the future: with its digital solutions and a completely overhauled user interface, the new DSB Twinhead Pro XM heralds the start of the next generation of machines.

The band saw has also been optimized for the softwood segment.

The new DSB Twinhead Pro XM with two saw modules is a thin-cutting band saw machine for industrial use where a large capacity is required.

The proven predecessor model has been optimized from various viewpoints. Andreas Ramsauer, Product Manager of Division Woodtech, explains: “This development project was all about incorporating advances in digitalization into a tried and tested machine to enhance it and exploit all available technical options for our customers. The result is the DSB Twinhead Pro XM, a future-proof band saw for high-quality thin-cutting of wood.”

The basic version can be extended to three machines in total – connected in series. This amounts to a total of 6 saw modules in one system. Thanks to the dual design of each machine, the DSB Twinhead Pro XM is also a space-saving solution.

Modern solutions for more efficient production processes.

Digitalization brings with it enormous opportunities and possibilities.

With so much data available for the cutting process, such as feed speeds for different kinds of wood, it is possible to think in terms of saw blade optimization. Andreas Ramsauer explains: “The last few years have shown us that digitalization has also reached the woodworking industry. So the logical next step was to take up this engineering trend.”

Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

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Top Italian companies focused on export

LAND OF DIFFERENT SPEEDS Interview with Renza Altoè Garbelotto (CEO Parchettificio of Garbelotto and president of the Wooden Floors Group of FederlegnoArredo / EdilegnoArredo) “Italy and Garbelotto are leading the way in demonstrating how wooden floors have become real pieces of interior design furniture” As a parquet country, Italy is known as a supplier of high-end wooden floors. An exponent for parquet flooring of the very highest level is Parchettificio Garbelotto. Garbelotto is an historic company with 70 years of experience and tailoring in the wood flooring sector, with wooden floors that are made entirely in the Province of Treviso. As such it is a more than worthy interlocutor to talk both about the company itself and wooden floors in Italy.

Floor Forum International interviewed CEO Renza Altoè Garbelotto during Cersaie (Bologna), where Clip Up System® was highlighted. Mrs. Garbelotto speaks both from her function as leader of her own company and as president of the Wooden Floors Group Edilegno/ FederlegnoArredo, National Associations of Wooden Companies.

You are currently presenting a very special product, Clip Up System®. What exactly is this product about?

“Clip Up System® is our patented and exclusive glue-free installation system for wooden floors that allows quick and easy installation with the possibility of replacing even a single board in just a few seconds. It is a revolutionary installation system, which goes beyond glued and floating installation and guarantees a perfect and simple installation with the polymer clips placed on the laying surface where the boards fit together. It is suitable for raised and inspectable floors, because the removal and replacement of a board is very fast, clean and requires only a few tools. Clip Up System® is enjoying great national and international success in the world of architecture, interior design and construction because it is totally eco-sustainable, recyclable and reusable.”

As this is a special about Italy, we would like to know where you situate yourself as a company in the market of wooden floors. How is this market evolving and what kind of special features do you as a company have to take into account to bring the right products to market?

“We are a leader in the Italian market, recognized for quality and reliability in the production of 100% Made in Italy wooden floors. All stages of the production take place entirely in Italy and within our factories.”

“The market leans towards two paths: on the one hand the choice of speculative and competitive products, on the other the quality product. Garbelotto has chosen to guarantee a high quality product, thanks to continuous investments in technology, research and human resources. We are convinced that the wooden floor is no longer considered a simple covering, but has become a real piece of interior design furniture. Our R&D department is constantly looking for technological and innovative solutions to propose new laying geometries and special finishes, making customization a fundamental element of production.”

Mrs. Garbelotto, you are also the president of the Wooden Floors Group di Edilegno/ FederlegnoArredo, National Associations of Wooden Companies. Could you elaborate a little on what this group does and in what direction you are steering its members?

“I was elected in July 2020 as Director in Charge of the Wooden Floors Group of FederlegnoArredo / EdilegnoArredo, the group that follows the specifications of the entire sector from the more technical aspects, such as regulations, problems and prospects of the national market, up to the practical for the enhancement and promotion of wooden floors in the national market with particular attention to the Made in Italy product. I am fortunate to collaborate with an exceptional team, made up of the president of FederlegnoArredo, Claudio Feltrin, the president of EdilegnoArredo, Andrea Bazzichetto, and many other collaborators. We are a proactive team, our mission is to share, enhance and protect the entire wooden flooring sector in Italy and around the world.”

“Europe is setting us the right path, as it is increasingly encouraging the use of wood. It promotes this 100% natural material in new buildings, with the aim of significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. Following the important European directives, the FederlegnoArredo wood flooring group is always at work sharing and disseminating updated reference information materials for the whole market and for professionals, such as the new installation manual: "PARQUET - From the project to the installation”, a reference manual for the whole market.”

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Top Italian companies focused on export

A question related to the previous one, but this time more in general directed at Italy as a country: what are the most important directions your country takes in the flooring business?

And how does Garbelotto relate to all of this?

“The theme of environmental and social sustainability is certainly the focus on which we are working, given the increasing attention paid to well-being, living comfort and the environment itself. We are emerging from a pandemic that has made us - and is making us - reflect on the importance and healthiness of the environments we frequent with a particular focus on the material component, the warmth and naturalness of wood. The whole wood-furniture supply chain supports the theme of sustainability and the sector of wooden floors certainly plays a fundamental and primary role.”

Clip Up System® by Garbelotto

“Garbelotto is very attentive to all aspects related to sustainability and is FSC certified for the procurement of raw materials from forests, subject to controlled and certified reforestation.

We are the first Wooden Floor Company in Italy that is EPD certified (Environmental Product Declaration), a certificate that attests not only the sustainability of the product in all its phases, but also the company in applying sustainable criteria, attentiveness to people and the environment in all its processes.”

Italy has always been known as a top design country. But how is Italy doing as a country on a manufacturing level?

“There is no other added value such as Made in Italy, whose strength is the continuous search for innovative solutions that respect both people and the environment. The availability of the raw material and the Due Diligence are linked to a regulated, traceable and certifiable path, that is an absolute guarantee of the product recognized internationally as an added value.”

“Italy is founded on small, medium and large companies that offer the market customized solutions that others are unlikely to achieve.

I am proud, together with my whole family, to lead a company in constant expansion, evolution and perspective. Riding the wave of Industry 4.0, Garbelotto has duplicated its production area, inserting the latest generation machinery without neglecting the historicity and professionalism of our wood masters, who finish and check the high quality of our wooden floors.”

IPERWOOD

MAZZONETTO WOOD FLOORS

Iperwood is the Italian company that, since 2004, studies and produces Novowood, a Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) with multiple uses for the outdoors. The company has considerably grown year by year, expanding on foreign markets and selling its products in more than 32 countries. The research on the material with the University of Ferrara cooperation, an advanced technical department and the production line based in Italy are just few of the characteristics that make Novowood a perfect partner for architects and building companies. A great recognition achieved by the company in 2021 is the ReMade in Italy® certification for its products; this prestigious brand verifies that at least 81,5% of components in Novowood are recycled, putting it on class A, among the producers with the highest value in the Circular Economy chain. +39 (0) 532 732737- info@novowood.it - www.novowood.it www.iperwood.com

Mazzonetto Wood Floors, based in the historic region of Venice, has been a leading Italian manufacturer of wooden floors for over 40 years. The company specialises in pre-finished engineered wooden floors (two-layer) in a large variety of wood species, customised wood floors patterns, luxury custom wood floors, and wood tiles. All the production is done 100% in Italy. Apart from residential and commercial projects, Mazzonetto is as well very active in the Hospitality, Luxury, Marine and Office Space projects. One big asset in the production is that it combines the benefits of technology with the work of knowledgeable craft professionals.

Care for the environment is also central in all that they do.

Mazzonetto is present in over 25 countries worldwide and is still looking for new partners who share the same values, passion, and appreciation of this trade; for instance, Japan, Canada, Latin America, USA and many other countries. The company is present on the following platforms: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and the web site: www.mazzonettoweb.it. +39 (0) 49 945 0488 - info@mazzonettoweb.it

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LA SAN MARCO PROFILI La San Marco Profili is an independent familyrun company founded in 1989. Its headquarter based in Treviso, Italy. With over 30 years of professional experience in developing and manufacturing skirting and outdoor flooring, La San Marco offers a full product portfolio of skirting and outdoor flooring and it serves clients around the globe thanks to its well-recognized products quality and services efficiency. In fact, thanks to our increased flexibility and our large and well-furnished stock, we guarantee optimum quality, offering a vast range of outdoor flooring such as Ipe, Teak, Angelim Amargoso, Iroko, Heat Treated Ash and all sorts of skirting for every need. Furthermore, our company’s FSC certificate guarantees a sustainable forest management. La San Marco’s key words are always excellent quality and excellent service. What distinguishes the company is its particular attention in working with details. Well knowing that small particulars make the difference, we are accustomed to search for perfection in small things that however stand out. Following this thought we created all our line accessories, both veneer and solid, in different woods and colours. La San Marco Profili exports its products to lots of countries above all in Europe, but it is always interested in finding new distributors in different countries all over the world in order to expand its already wide distribution network and fulfil its aim of products international widespread. +39 (0) 438 980106 - export@lasanmarcoprofili.com - www.lasanmarcoprofili.com

PARQUET IN Parquet In Srl was formed in 1970 and is based in the Italian city of Barletta. The company specialises in the production of exclusive parquet floors, which are ‘Made in Italy’.

Years of experience and well trained workers make the difference here. Wood is treasured and processed in accordance with the old processes. Parquet In supplies floors for all styles and interiors. Old traditions from marquetry are raised to new life in multicoloured and versatile variations. With the Elegant Collection, Parquet In combines wood with several marble colours. This is confirmation of the vibrant creativity of Parquet In. Apart from features such as satin gloss, Parquet In also presents for this collection a number of modern colours. Colour is also a central feature in the New Mosaics Collection. These floors give a totally new colour expression with black and white as prominent shades and grey as a mysterious background. Modern and functional! The new mosaic collection presents a huge range of material combinations (e.g. ceramics or glass mosaic). The whole philosophy of Parquet In can be found in the Old Chic Collection, the renaissance of old parquet floors in designs and brushed surfaces. The Old Chic Collection is brushed and prefinished with UV oil and is ready for fitting. The latest collection is the Capsule Collection by Samuele Mazza. Apart from its collections, Parquet In can also supply customised work perfectly well. +39 (0) 88 35 36 726 - info@parquetin.com - www.parquetin.it

CORÀ PARQUET Corà has been operating on domestic and international markets since 1919, procuring and transforming wood using both manual and industrial processes. Today it is the largest distributor of wooden products in Italy and has the widest range of wood available on the market. The company is at the forefront of environment protection by using renewable energy sources, FSC and PEFC Certifications, factory CO2 emission control system and sustainable forest management programs.

Corà Parquet, the wooden floor department started in 1993, features the same green attitude in producing and trading wooden floors, solid wood and composite decking, vinyl floors, engineered veneer. With more than 100 employees and a production capacity of 30.000m² per year, Corà Parquet stands out for its on-going developing range of more than 150 high-quality and design products, that meet all the demands of any building sector, from residential to large-scale contract projects. The main novelty for 2021/22 is the Miraggio Collection designed by Pininfarina, a really revolutionary product, that combines wood and stoneware or marble: through the perfect union of these two materials and floor continuity, Miraggio eliminates the boundary between indoors and out-doors, uniting the spaces in a single design. +39 (0) 444 372711 - info@coralegnami.it - www.coralegnami.it - parquet@coralegnami.it - www.coraparquet.it

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Special

Top Italian companies focused on export

IMPERTEK Impertek was founded in 1985 in the province of Venice as a family business for the laying of PVC sheaths and membrane. Over time it has transformed into a solid production reality specializing its market in two sectors: waterproofing and supports for raised floors. The most important line is Pedestal Line which, thanks also to the recent launch of Balance Pro, offers solutions for any height and a quick and flat installation of any flooring. The same range will soon welcome SteelMart, the new metal support with fire resistance class A1, which also complies with the latest safety regulations. Strengths are the research and evolution of products, the ability to process orders in 24/48 hours for 80% of the items in the catalogue and the attention to the customer provided by 30 collaborators and a network of 50 agents. These characteristics have proved successful also in international scenarios, favouring the growth of turnover and expanding sales to foreign markets such as the USA and Australia. +39 (0) 421 322 525 - info@impertek.com - www.impertek.com

TOVER Our main goal at Tover – we are a strong, close-knit team, ready for change and the integration of new resources - is to improve and facilitate the work of people who choose our installation, finishing and maintenance systems. Formulated in our laboratory, the products come to life on site, where professionals face concrete issues every day that require safe and efficient solutions. We are constantly listening to their needs and suggestions to seize new development opportunities. The well-established internationalization process has involved great open mindness and flexibility and now allows us to meet the specific demands of new markets, in compliance with the strictest regulations. We focus all our research efforts in order to minimize the environmental impact of our production, using energy from renewable sources, carefully selecting more sustainable raw materials and offering technically innovative solutions that respect our planet. +39 (0) 11 19878476- info@tover.com - www.tover.com

PROGRESS PROFILES For 36 years Progress Profiles, world leader Italian manufacturer of technical and decorative finishing profiles and fixing/laying systems including membranes for construction and interior design, has being developing and patenting over 15,000 technical & finishing products and 18 systems. With an Headquarter in Asolo (TV) and three branches in the USA, in the UAE and in Spain, it exports to more than 80 countries worldwide. The firm provides job to over 180 people, to a network of 200 employees around the world and has a 30 million m²/l capacity per year. It closed 2020 with increasing revenues (+2%) and with exports accounting for 40% of total turnover. Among the novelties there are Proshower System, Proshelf, Proshelf Design and Proheater, three solutions that make the bathroom warmer, more comfortable, and more functional. +39 (0) 423 950398 - info@progressprofiles.com - www.progressprofiles.com

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CARVER

Carver was formed in Milan in 1957. In 60 years, the company has developed into one of the leading companies in the field of products for wooden floors. In the course of the years, the company has extended its sphere of activity to include products for outdoor wood. In November 2015, Carver became part of the French group Blanchon, something which immediately gave Carver a sound international base and solid market support. The company profiles itself as a specialist in products for fitting, finishing, and maintaining wooden floors and all indoor and outdoor wood. The company offers top quality products with special attention to the health of users and respect for the environment. Recently, they have reduced their assortment by omitting all products which could pose a health risk. The top products are Epsilon and Omeg-Art, mono and dual-component waterborne lacquers respectively for wooden floors. As regards oil, Primol Plus is the best seller. In 2020 they have focused on Latin American markets with a number of innovative waterbased products. +39 (0) 29 50 01 71 - info@carver.it - www.carver.it

RAVAIOLI LEGNAMI Ravaioli Legnami was taken over the Bagnari family in 1985 and, by means of constant innovations, has grown from a small workshop specialising in wooden profiles to one of the most competitive businesses in the industry. Since 2002, they have concentrated on outdoor floors.

The machines which were used to make profiles have been used to process tropical wood. Today, the company specialises in outdoor wood for terraces and walls. Quality is a top priority from the selection of the raw materials to a sound after-sales service inclusive. Well trained staff and wood from sustainably managed forests (FCS) ensure that quality. The company is focused on innovation and every years presents new and innovative products, such as RhinowoodTM and Abodo and innovative fastening system such as RemoClip®. +39 (0) 54 59 27 309 - infora@ravaiolilegnami.it www.ravaiolilegnami.com

KARL PEDROSS SKEMA

Skema was formed in 1992 with a view to introducing laminate on the Italian market. Skema has always stood out for its new approach to the world of floor coverings, in particular multilayer floating floor solutions. Today, the company presents new technology combined with a refined taste. That is the result of constant innovations. Skema offers not only products, but also solutions in both floor and wall coverings. Creative design and quality go hand in hand. Moreover, clients can count on an extensive service (training, marketing support, and technical support). Skema employs 50 people. New products include the Outside Marina Real (WPC terrace boards) and Sintesy Star K (new generation LVT). Skema exports to Africa, Asia, and Europe. + 39 (0) 422 85 85 11 - info@skema.eu - www.skema.eu

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Founded in 1956

by South Tyrolean Master Carpenter Karl Pedross, the company transitioned to skirting boards during the 1970’s and thereby secured stable growth.

Today, along with KARL PEDROSS AG, the VICOVER Business Unit, Bürkle Leisten & Profile GmbH and Stucky Holzprofilleisten AG, the companies are among the world’s leading pioneers in the development, manufacture and marketing of flooring accessories and work tirelessly to inspire customers and partners every day. Approximately 230 employees produce 40 million running meters per year. As a full-range supplier, exporting on a global level and continuously tapping into new markets is key for PEDROSS. The group is highly customer-oriented, offering personalised and innovative quality products as well as a 360-degree solution to its customers. +39 (0) 473 722 228 - info@pedross.com - www.pedross.com

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Special

Top Italian companies focused on export

ITALPROFILI Italprofili is innovation and technological research in the accessories for construction industry Resisting over time is our creed, which has guided us since 1976 in the design and manufacture of each product. The whole process takes place in our factory in the province of Venice: design, production, quality control and shipping. Our range guarantees always a first-class service and stable performance during time and it develops into 4 business units: adjustable paving support systems for raised floors, roofing accessories, accessories for foundations, accessories for cementitious waterproofings and liquid membranes. For us, evolving means innovating, through the development of historical patents that we have led to be recognized on the Italian and world market, in which quality and typically Italian skills to improve make the difference. The numbers prove it, with an export share of 80% and the opening to the Asian market in 2021. We have grown as a company also thanks to the increase in visibility, enhancing in the recent years our marketing department and promotion activities which we believe to be a fundamental element in our evolution. The moment that the global markets are going through is not the easiest, but we are optimistic and convinced that the creation of new solutions and investment in research of opportunities will be able to keep our trend constantly growing. Italprofili, resistant to time +39 (0) 49 717110 - info@italprofili.com - www.italprofili.com

STATE OF THE ART PROFILES

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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RENZO BORGONOVO & FNT The companies Renzo Borgonovo (founded 1961) and FNT (founded 1948) have been working side by side till the very start, aiming to offer their customers excellence in special machines and embossing moulds for the finishing of products within the sectors of picture frames, small-to-big size panels, and parquet. The core business and what ties the companies together is the Hot Embossing machines series with the relative embossing rollers, used to distress the panel/parquett with different patterns in order to achieve an ennobled top surface with aged or modern or geometric looks. The two companies employ overall around 35 people and are focused on the customization of their products, in order to meet any customer’s process need.

Each year, new patterns are developed and designed, so to expand the range of available existing rollers, from which the customer can choose. Export is focused within the EU and the US markets, but a keen eye is always set also on the rest of the world, especially on the vast Asian and American scenarios. +39 (0) 362 90 13 47 - info@borgonovo.com www.borgonovo.com +39 (0) 31 621303 - rollers@trabattonistampi.com www.trabattonistampi.com

srl

WOOD - RESIN AND RESILIENT FLOORS EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE

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VELUREX® RE-PAIR Polyurethane resin-based product suitable for the extraordinary maintenance of particularly damaged and subject to heavy traffic wood, resin and resilient flooring such as LVT, PVC and linoleum. If applied on UV varnished wooden floors it is recommended to carry out a preliminary test, and checking the adhesion. VELUREX® Re-Pair grants the treated surface a new look characterized by the following properties:

Surface hardness

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Pontida (BG) | Italy

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info@chimiver.com

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∂ Product news CIRANOVA Ciranova has some new handy maintenance kits for oiled, varnished, laminate, and LVT floors.

The kit always includes three products, one for weekly cleaning, one for thorough cleaning, and one for extra protection. For oiled floors there is a kit for colourless maintenance and for maintaining white floors with a white parquet soap and maintenance oil. For varnished, LVT, and laminate floors there are two versions available, namely for matt and satin floors.

DECORAD SYSTEMS - UV CURING RENOVATION LACQUER FOR LINOLEUM FLOORS The maintenance of linoleum is a very large market.

Working with polymers on linoleum floors means placing three layers of wax on top of each other, this is a process of 10 to 12 hours. Those wax layers are stripped once or twice a year with an alkaline cleaning agent, so that the waste water enters the sewer and you discharge millions of liters of chemicals per year.

The alternative: Permanent protection of the floor by applying a water-based UV lacquer, followed by curing with portable UV light. The result is an immediately usable floor with an absolutely "like new" appearance that also lasts much longer: three to five years with only frequent dry cleaning and/ or damp (flat) mop.

In the current society of sustainability, including solar panels, windmills and electric cars, it is logical that we have to say goodbye to an environmentally harmful and outdated technology such as polymers. Benefit for everyone and the environment.

HARO STRIP PARQUET ADORNS THE BEHR`SCHE VILLA IN DRESDEN Prestigious reference project A new gleam has been added to the Behr`sche Villa located in the Government District of Dresden nearly 200 years after the building was completed. Architects have preserved many of the original building details and had a herringbone pattern of HARO strip parquet laid on the floors of the villa’s spacious offices.

Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

BONA With the Bona Concrete Disc, together with the easily replaced magnetic segments, grinding concrete is much more flexible and smooth resulting in a level substrate. Suitable for the singledisc sanding machine Bona Flexi Sand 1.9. and 1.5.

Bona Concrete Disc Unique drive disc for simple assembly of different sorts of sanding segments. The magnetic attachment means that various available segments (Diamond, PCD Split, or PCD Maxi) can be switched easily.

Diamond Segment The four Diamond Segments are fastened onto the Bona Concrete Disc for the removal of sinter layers and for processing concrete surfaces.

Other segments, for the same Bona Concrete Disc: The PCD Maxi Segment removes thick adhesive residue, epoxy, Paint, and carpet foam.

The Split Segment removes polyurethane, thin adhesive residue, and jute.

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

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Votre Spécialiste Acoustique

100% rubber TOP CLASS TECHNOLOGY - THE FRUIT OF RECYCLING Dinachoc S801 is the first rubber underlay to emerge from the circular economy. It is produced from recycled and re-used car tyres. These used products are not naturally biodegradable, so giving them a second life helps to protect the environment.

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OFTEN IMITATED, NEVER ECLIPSED Special binding agent and special granula�on of Dinachoc S801. This formula is the fruit of long-term technological research, including tests both in the laboratory and on site under extreme condi�ons. This gives it an excep�onally long life span and at the same �me it also guarantees you the best quality of air in the interior.

Thickness

INSULATION AND DURABILITY PERFORMANCES S801 is in classes A+ and EC1. It also complies with the criteria of the LEED and EUROFINS Indoor Air Comfort labels and makes it possible to aim for the HQE label. Guaranteed to provide 50 years of excep�onal insula�on with the use of already available raw materials makes Dinachoc S801 an excep�onal product.

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