FFI 120 December 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° 120 December 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 Belgian companies focused on export Special Issues related to colouring and the solutions offered by the producers forestrytimber.com

Special: Who has lacquers specifically for wooden staircases ?

Special Renzo Borgonovo/ Figli di Nando Trabattoni (FNT) (I)

Special Who produces metal/aluminium skirting boards and with what finish?

Special Laminate, PVC, LVT, vinyl and Design floors : click systems examined

Forestry Timber’s

Heritage Collection With the characteristics of 18th century reclaimed French Oak floors and a wide range of colours and finishes, our engineered hardwood is sure to appeal to your most discerning clients in their search for something extraordinary.

Hardwood flooring engineered for living

Designed to impress.

TRUE WOOD FEEL

RAW EXPERIENCE, TRUE PROTECTION Bona Traffic HD Raw – Creating ultra matt floors with great durability Bona Traffic HD Raw brings a uniquely true wood experience into the world of lacquered floors. Offering an ultra matt floor surface with a high level of protection, Bona Traffic HD Raw creates a soft haptic feeling of untreated wood.

A pleasure to walk on with high slip safety makes Bona Traffic HD Raw great for homes with both children and pets, as well as commercial floor surfaces. Bona Traffic HD Raw - the raw experience of wood, protected.

bona.com/trafficHDraw

Content

Editorial

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

N° 120 December 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 Belgian companies focused on export

“Forestry TImber's New Heritage Collection Reflects Who We Are”

Special Issues related to colouring and the solutions offered by the producers forestrytimber.com

Special: Who has lacquers specifically for wooden staircases ?

Heritage Collection

Special Renzo Borgonovo/ Figli di Nando Trabattoni (FNT) (I)

With the characteristics of 18th century reclaimed French Oak floors and a wide range of colours and finishes, our engineered hardwood is sure to appeal to your most discerning clients in their search for something extraordinary.

Special Who produces metal/aluminium skirting boards and with what finish?

Special Laminate, PVC, LVT, vinyl and Design floors : click systems examined

The effects of COVID-19 have had a profound and lasting effect on the world at large, and in myriad ways.

Speaking strictly from a business perspective, the knock-on effect of people working from home, reducing socialising and recreation activities, and curtailing travel has led to a marked increase in the online purchase of consumer goods. That surge in consumer demand then led to a massive demand for shipping goods overseas, leading to container shortages and an exponential increase in the cost of freight.

Forestry Timber’s

Hardwood flooring engineered for living

Designed to impress.

Floor Forum International n° 120 December 2021 Photo Forestry Timber Anna-Marie Pampellonne

4 Inside news

General Manager Forestry Timber

8 Advertorial Renzo Borgonovo/ Figli di Nando Trabattoni

(FNT) (I) 10 Special Issues related to colouring and the solutions

offered by the producers 15 Special Who has lacquers specifically for wooden

staircases ?

17 Special Who has lacquers which apply a finish in one coat ?

19 Special Sanding machines : part III 22 Special Laminate, PVC, LVT, vinyl and Design floors :

click systems examined 25 Special Producers of levelling agent :

which thicknesses can we apply in one treatment and what about the drying time ?

28 Special Who produces industrial parquet ?

31 Special Subfloors : part III 33 Special Who produces metal/aluminium skirting boards

and with what finish?

37 Special Producers of ecological adhesives 40 Special Who sells LVT, PVC, vinyl or design floors for the

project market 42 Special Top Belgian companies focused on export

Service industries – travel, entertainment, hospitality, etc. – have suffered greatly and are slowly starting to recover. With travel severely limited and people working from home there has been a huge increase in people renovating their existing homes or building new ones. More time at home gave people time to really notice their environment and, depending on the size of their household, they’ve decided to upsize, downsize, or reconfigure their spaces to better suit their needs. These home works have led to an increase in demand for wood flooring.

As a company – and industry – we have been fortunate to have maintained, and increased, our business during COVID. The biggest issues we have encountered are freight-related – and that’s been an issue worldwide. Although at times frustrating, and requiring a whole new level of agility, we have managed to continue operating and will not complain.

Freight issues are one of the main reasons we will not be attending Domotex 2022.

Instead, our top priority is working to ensure that our clients’ shipments go out. The logistics of trying to send people overseas, not to mention shipping samples are too complex and it’s not worth risking being at the show with nothing to display. While we will sorely miss participating, we will be there in spirit and eagerly awaiting the next opportunity.

In the meantime, we have been busy adding more than 100 new products to our collection, not least of which being our newest line – and one we’re very proud of – the Heritage Collection.

Marrying past and present, the Heritage Collection reflects the opulence and grandeur of magnificent manor houses and palaces from centuries ago. In texture, grain, and finish, each board exhibits the depth and dimension of reclaimed 18th century French Oak flooring. Our artisans have used their outstanding skill to create 35 stunning flooring options. Boasting cupped and distressed edges, well-worn, uneven surfaces, pronounced knots, and planks of varying widths and lengths available in a wide range of colours and shades – your customers will be spoilt for choice.

Each plank of our engineered hardwood flooring is made of 70% plantation wood. We ensure the timber we use is legally harvested and our planks are 100% environmentally friendly with zero emissions and meet worldwide compliance standards.

49 Industry news 50 Product news

Forestry Timber is a family owned and operated business, committed to bringing highend, luxury products to the flooring market, worldwide.

THE ENTIRE FLOOR FORUM INTERNATIONAL TEAM WISHES YOU ALL A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A SUCCESSFUL 2022!

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR MAGAZINES IN 2022!

Hardwood flooring engineered for living, Designed to Impress.

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 DecoRad Systems

Rapid curing for a faster return to service (What do industry experts say about On-site UV technology) Fast return to service is a key factor in many projects. UV-curable PUDs enable rapid on-site curing with a portable UV lamp. Two to three coating layers can be applied in a single day and the coating system is ready for sanding immediately after curing. From start to finish, this technology is three times faster than conventional one-component (1K) and two-component (2K) coating systems. After the last topcoat is applied and cured, floors are ready for regular traffic, without further downtime, which results in significant savings in time and costs.

Diverse substrates ranging from plastics to wood and concrete can benefit from site-applied, UV-curable resins. Our UV PUDs are excellent, versatile binders that offer sufficient flexibility when formulating low-VOC coatings. Additionally, UV-curable paint conforms with the German VOC regulation (AgBB) on indoor emissions from construction products.

Source: website Covestro - DSM Neoresins. Covestro and DSM use and recommend DecoRad portable UV equipment

7 - 16 mm. Thanks to its innovative click technology, the profiles are easy to install and provide the perfect transition or finish to adjacent floor coverings. Simple mounting thanks to the concept: Click and done! "We have seen considerable sales increases with our sheathed profiles in 2021," says Anna Sondermann (Export). "For some international customers, our decor offering is an important milestone for establishing and expanding business relationships. In addition, our customers also benefit from our large warehouse with over 7.000 items." On the SONDRO® decor sheathing machine, orders are also produced as a service for third parties, provided that machine utilization permits. "Our know-how impresses our customers, who benefit from our range of services," adds Anna Sondermann.

FN Neuhofer | Delivery of High-Tech Machinery & Sustainability in Zell am Moos High-tech and sustainability at FN Neuhofer

SONDRO®’s strong appearance with its own decor-sheathing Sondermann Profile GmbH, which was founded in 2015 and produces profiles for floors, stairs and walls under the brand name SONDRO®, has expanded the range of décor sheathing for aluminium profiles.

With the investment into the expansion of the sheathing technology, the wooden decor portfolio has now been expanded to 18 options. The color palette ranges from light maple and beech decors to a variety of oak shades as well as walnut and a trendy slate-grey. "Our top priority are the wishes of our customers. We design our own decors and sample them with digital print. We set trends and are constantly expanding our range," says Managing Director Frank Sondermann. Furthermore, SONDRO® has access to over 25 different cross-sections in various lengths from its own profile production: Edge trims, angle-, transition-, compensation- and T- profiles. This results in a variety of self-adhesive aluminium profiles with wood decor look, which are available at any time. In addition to the one-piece profiles, SONDRO® also offers a sheathed profile system. The SONCLICK profile system, which is patent pending and meanwhile protected by a utility model, is available sheathed in any wooden decor in addition to the usual anodizing colors.

This profile system is suitable for floating floors between 3 - 7 mm or

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The site of the FN Neuhofer family business in Zell am Moos is barely recognisable. Where two years ago there was a small wooded area at the company’s entrance, today a modern new building impresses – consisting of an office building and production halls. These are currently being filled with the latest high-tech systems, without, of course, losing sight of the idea of sustainability.

The multi-million euro investment can now be seen from afar. The buildings are standing, the facades are finished, the surface areas are asphalted. The delivery phase of the latest high-tech systems and machinery has begun, and our teams are already working on their installation so that the first trial runs can start in coming weeks: Including with the following machinery/systems:

For any professional, the right product – simple surface treatment and long-lasting care with Osmo.

One wood care system for all interior surfaces treated with Osmo coatings.

Or with:

www.osmo.de/EN

Maintain surface with:

∂ Inside news - Double band saw for efficient production - Planing line for MDF and solid wood with 11 spindles for optimal processing - New wrapping line - Automatic cutting saw - Automatic infeed of MDF/solid wood using robots for separating the boards for the cutting and band saw - Robots for automatic stacking of the finished skirting bundles (now up to 6 m possible) - Lacquering systems These and other high-tech systems will ensure that FN Neuhofer can continue to delight its customers with products of absolute top quality and maximum efficiency in the future and thus continue to grow successfully together with them.

Trivec Experience Days 2022 Participating in international fairs in the current climate? A difficult decision. “At the start of the new year we will do things differently”, Jeltje Nijdam states, marketing manager at Trivec. “We will be organising an ‘in house’ event with regards to Parquet Finishing. A workshop with theory and practice within the safety and comfort of our very own Trivec Experience Centre.” No large groups, just personalised attention to their customers and partners. By cooperating

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PERIENCE TRIVEC TESTfinishing & TRIAL DAYS Workshop parquet (theory/practice)

Work with all finishing machines Including lunch and dinner Tour and overnight stay in the lovely city Dokkum

Trivec presents: The Trivec and your team with all paint/oil manufacturers, TrivecWe willinvite give you demonstrations Experience Days 2022 from the for an extensive workshop day. using products that the visitor has experience with.

Furthermore, 24th of January until the 31st of Your paint supplier is also invited. the maximum size per day to a maximum of 4 March 2022. group As an alternative to is limited A special day, just for you. fairs, Trivec chooses to give personal people, including representatives from the paint/oil manufacturer. in the safe environment Thestay following techniques willthe Byattention combining the visit with an overnight and tour through of our Experience Centre. Focus will be covered: brushing, scraping, cosy city Dokkum, there is plenty of time to delve deep into the be on all aspects surrounding roller coating, cross cutting, subject offinishing, finishing,theory machine technology, andspraying, production efficiency, parquet & practice, aging, curtain coating & tricks getting hand-on and drying. fartips more thanand a short stop at a fair. The Trivec Experience Days experience with various machines. can be planned on a day of your choice within the period from the Check Book your Trivec 24th of January until theour 31st of March. Applications can be made booking calendar Experience day through the special Trivec Experience Days 2022 page, starting today. For more information, contact Trivec by mail or phone.

Hanover, Germany. DOMOTEX will not take place in January 2022 Solcamastraat 25 Sumar | The Netherlands www.trivec.eu | info@trivec.eu | +31 (0)512 510035

PAROUET

PERIENCE TRIVEC TESTfinishing & TRIAL DAYS Workshop parquet (theory/practice)

Work with all finishing machines Including lunch and dinner Tour and overnight stay in the lovely city Dokkum

Trivec presents: The Trivec Experience Days 2022 from the 24th of January until the 31st of March 2022. As an alternative to fairs, Trivec chooses to give personal attention in the safe environment of our Experience Centre. Focus will be on all aspects surrounding parquet finishing, theory & practice, tips & tricks and getting hand-on experience with various machines.

Check our booking calendar

We invite you and your team for an extensive workshop day.

Your paint supplier is also invited.

A special day, just for you.

The following techniques will be covered: brushing, scraping, roller coating, cross cutting, aging, spraying, curtain coating and drying.

Book your Trivec Experience day

Solcamastraat 25 Sumar | The Netherlands www.trivec.eu | info@trivec.eu | +31 (0)512 510035

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This was announced by Deutsche Messe AG as organizer of the leading trade show for carpets and floor coverings.

"We have been fighting for DOMOTEX together with the exhibiting companies until the very end, and have been in daily communication with the industry for months," says Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director DOMOTEX, Deutsche Messe AG. "DOMOTEX is particularly affected by the impact of the Corona pandemic, as the vast majority of DOMOTEX exhibitors and attendees come from abroad. However, given the current pandemic situation, international business travel is not expected to recover in the short term," adds Wedell-Castellano.

Just over a month ago, the organizers wanted to stage DOMOTEX in the southern part of the Hannover exhibition grounds in a compact format

∂ Inside news as a Re-Start event in three halls, thus giving the industry a chance to meet physically after almost two years of pandemic. Wedell-Castellano: "What was considered a realistic and promising Re-Start scenario a month ago, and was also well received by the market, has proven to be no longer feasible in recent days." The organizers are looking into a DOMOTEX date later in the 2022 calendar year.

HARO ranks among the best companies once again HARO satisfies its customers with its expertise Year in and year out, the Deutschlandtest conducted by the magazine Focus Money critically assesses companies’ performance. The expertise of well-known flooring manufacturers was evaluated for the first time this year. HARO ranks among the best brands that Germany has to offer in this category as well. Rosenheim – HARO is considered to be particularly skilful – Germany’s No. 1 parquet manufacturer emerged once again as one of the award winners of the Deutschlandtest that was published in edition No. 41 of Focus magazine on 09/10/2021. The market analysis by Focus Money that was conducted by the consulting and analytical firm ServiceValue singles out the best companies in Germany each year. This year, the wide-scale survey focused on the issue of expertise: Which providers do consumers consider to be especially skilled and trustworthy in individual market segments?

HARO ranks at the top once again In this year’s Deutschlandtest, analysts examined one question: What sort of experiences did consumers have with particular companies and brands over the past two years. The market researchers from ServiceValue calculated an exact “expertise score” from the more than 1,000 surveys about each individual company. The questions focused on such areas as the knowledge level and expertise of employees, product quality and consumers’ service experience. HARO achieved a top score, earning the ranking of “highest level of expertise” both in the category of flooring manufacturers and a cross-industry brand.

HARO well ahead in terms of product quality and service HARO has ranked highly on the Deutschlandtest for years now.

HARO considers the company’s latest high score to be evidence that customers value its clear commitment to quality: “Healthy living is becoming increasingly important to our customers,” says Bernd Reuß, the company’s press spokesman. “We design our line of flooring to meet these needs. Our success shows that we are right on track. A parquet floor, a premium laminate floor or a design floor from HARO represents an investment by our customers in healthy, tasteful living that will pay off for many years to come.”

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

Forbo Eurocol

UV-CareShield

UV

RESILIENT FLOORS permanent protection

Floor Forum International 120

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Advertorial

RenzoBorgonovo Borgonovo// Figli di Nando Trabattoni (FNT) (I) Renzo

“THE ART OF HOT EMBOSSING”

Mr. Matteo Trabattoni of FNT Srl (left) and Mr. Luca Borgonovo of Renzo Borgonovo (right)

Placed on the northern edge of the Po River Plain, the most developed industrial region of Italy, not far from the major cities of Milano and Como, the companies Renzo Borgonovo and Figli di Nando Trabattoni (FNT) have developed, during their 60 years of partnership, a strong collaboration based on mutual respect and appreciation which has made possible the constant evolution of the hot embossing technology offered and popularized by the two brands.

Founded in the late 50s and early 60s of the last century, FNT and Renzo Borgonovo moved their first steps within the sector of frames and linear profiles finishing, where they enjoyed outstanding results, supplying all over the world mainly cold embossing machines (among other machinery) and embossing moulds to engrave the products with the help of wood pulp. Following the changing of the international markets, the machinery manufactured and the technology exploited started to evolve, and the two companies began to focus more on units able to process wider work-pieces and to operate with the use of a heating source.

This brought to the creation of the first Hot Embossing machines, which made use of methane or propane gas for the heating of the

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embossing roller, which now needed to engrave directly onto the wood, without any intermediary agent. The first hot embossing machines, developed in the late 60s and still working on a width no bigger than 150 mm, were featuring a heating system made by Bunsen burners, and may look fairly rudimental in the eyes of a current day customer.

The burners emitted open flames that directly hit and thus heated the embossing roller, and, despite being very effective, the system had not real control over the roller’s temperature and was probably not so energy efficient and surely not up to the current safety standards.

With the years, the machines grew wider and sturdier, being able to accommodate work-pieces as big as small panels, but the real evolution came with the changing of the burner, passing from an open flame system to a gas limited and controlled heating system.

This change was a great step forward for the safety and quality of the machine, since it allowed the control of the embossing roller’s temperature and, starting from these models, the machines got equipped with a HMI software, and thus a Touch Screen. While in later years the machine became bigger and reached even 1300 mm of working width, the unit preferred and most purchased within the parquet and flooring sector remained, throughout the years, a middle size unit, with an embossing capacity of up to 500 mm in width.

This same unit is, for about four years now, available with a heating system run by electrical lamps: this last update, which has quickly become the favorite and most-purchased version of the hot embossing machines, made possible the overcome of many technical and safety issues, since the unit features no gas usage whatsoever.

The current version of the model targeting the flooring sector is thus an electrically heated machine, with an embossing roller with a working-width of 500 mm, a touch screen to operate most of the machine’s parameters, a transport system with inverters which automatically synchronize the upper and lower dragging rollers, and a user friendly embossing roller changing device, which make it possible to uninstall a roller mould and install back a different one in about 10 minutes. This latter feature optimizes the versatility of the machine, which is able to engrave different patterns by changing the upper embossing rollers. The manufacturing know-how and the quality of these essential tools have done giant leaps over the years, as well.

Starting from basic linear frame drawings, the design has evolved, pushed by newer and more complex demands, and by exploiting more and more technologically advanced instruments, Renzo Borgonovo and FNT are now able to replicate on roller the negative of extremely complex patterns, which, when used to engrave on wood, result in outstandingly accurate natural patterns, modern and geometric drawings, and aged-wood looks.

Other than the hundreds of patterns already available, the two companies develop new rollers every year, and provide the service of designing patterns from the scanning of real material, if customers have in their hands something they wish to replicate. The art of ennobling wood profiles, flooring planks, kitchen and wall panels at an industrial level as always passed through machinery: with the technology manufactured by Renzo Borgonovo and FNT the customer will obtain a sturdy and versatile companion, capable of handling successfully the most demanding tasks.

For more information : www.trabattonistampi.com / www.borgonovo.com

Renzo Borgonovo Srl Factory

FNT Factory

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Special

Issues related to colouring and the solutions offered by the producers

A WORLD OF EXTREMES COLOUR CHOICE IN 2022 WILL LOOK FOR TWO EXTREMES OF THE SPECTRUM Bart Defrancq (Rubio Monocoat - B) ‘Molecular binding yields (colour) oil with lots of assets’ When it comes to wood protection products, Rubio Monocoat in Izegem is a global reference. Moreover, when colour is involved, clients like to call on this Belgian company. The pioneer from West-Flanders was the first in the field of tackling Volatile Organic Compounds and deploys the advanced technology of molecular binding.

First of all, business manager Bart Defrancq outlines the role which the company plays in the entire colour story. He also considers what parquet floor fitters have to gain by working together with Rubio Monocoat, more precisely via the use of the specific colour product Oil Plus 2C. King of Colours ‘We like to call ourselves the “King of Colours”. Our logo, a coloured lion, also reflects that,’ he laughs. ‘What we notice is that a colour is determined by the end client and that then the parquet seller chooses what has to be applied to the floor as a finish. Therefore, we make sure that we have the broadest possible standard range of colours at our disposal.’

‘What’s very special about us is that we can protect all sorts of wood indoors with one type of col-ouring. That is our Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C, which you can use to finish not only a wooden floor, but also all other sorts of wooden items such as furniture or stairs in one fast-drying coat. We’ve developed this oil on the one hand so that it’s as strong as possible and therefore can be applied to floors, but also on the other hand so that it’s ecologically optimised, with a minimal consumption. You can apply our oil by hand or industrially, so it’s fairly unique in the world of coatings. Besides, we don’t just have an oil for indoors, we also have a wide range for outdoors, such as with wooden walls and terraces.’

Molecular binding All communication from the company refers to molecular binding. What does that mean exactly? We hear the following reply: ‘You have to see everything in relation to the way in which oil pene-trates into the wood. With a molecular binding, the oil reacts to cellulose, a module of wood. The oil penetrates into the wood, but due to a reaction with the cellulose, unlike traditional oil, it doesn’t sink deeper and deeper into the wood. This means that the maintenance of our atypical coating looks more like varnish than oil.’

‘The most important thing with a good colour oil is that there are no overlaps. That’s precisely where we are the most unique with our molecular binding. Everything depends on the binding of the oil. You can’t do the binding twice because you’d get overlapping and you can never repair in patches without it being seen. With molecular binding, everything is right from the first time so that you can carry out repairs in patches perfectly well. This is a huge asset, certainly for projects. If architects have projects with high-traffic floors, architects continue to ask for varnish, but thanks to our oil that’s not necessary. Not if you weigh up the pros and cons against the option of repairing in patches.’

‘The pharmacists’ During trade fairs, people sometimes sarcastically refer to Rubio Monocoat as ‘the pharmacists’. After all, at their booths there are lots of unusual and small packs. Why do they do this? ‘You always have to test a colour, certainly if you use a transparent finish as we do.

To make that testing easier, we sell tests in packs of 20ml so that you can easily try them out on the wood and you see exactly which colour you will get. Let people call us ‘the pharmacists’. I see that lots of users pick up our little pots, which they find really convenient.’

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Oil Plus 2C › › › ›

Protection & colouring in 1 layer Choice between 40 colours Low consumption & ecological User-friendly www.rubiomonocoat.com

Special

Issues related to colouring and the solutions offered by the producers

Solvent-free since 2005 Durability and ecology are most certainly in fashion these days. Bart Defrancq points out here that Rubio Monocoat has always been a pioneer. ‘Ever since the launch in 2005, our oil has never con-tained any solvents and that put us a long way ahead of our rivals.

Many of these competitors had problems in 2010 and later following the introduction of the new solvent legislation. We’ve long been in possession of several certificates to prove our rooted ecological awareness. For instance, Rubio Monocoat is the first company in the wood treatment sector to hold the ‘Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort Gold’ label, which illustrates how much we focus on quality and a healthy indoor environ-ment. Lots of other certificates reinforce this impression. Let’s list them briefly: Ü Label, A+ label, Toy Safety, Food Contact Compliance, and M1.

For that matter, we see durability as a very broad concept. For instance, it’s no coincidence that we aim for super low consumption.

After all, that has benefits not only for users and floor fitters, who no longer have to ride back and forth to a site because everything can be done in one coat, but also for external factors. Think here, amongst other things, of the greatly reduced need for transport for our products. Obviously, there’s also the general health aspect. Since Rubio Monocoat oil does not contain any water or solvents and is based on natural ingredients, the products couldn’t be safer for both users and their environment.’

In previous articles on colouring, we considered mainly the practical side of the matter. Now, with the end of the year in sight and when the trendwatchers are ready with their analyses and forecasts, we’re going to focus on trends for once. Which colours can we expect in the interior in 2022 and, if you take account of that, how can you use that knowledge to your advantage?

The main thing to remember in the new year is that people will be looking for two extremes in terms of colour in the interior. Either they will opt for calm and serene colours or they will explore the other extreme end of the spectrum and go for really lavish colours.

Calm and serene?

On the ‘left flank’, that of calm and serene colours, white clearly plays a lead role. You’ll see white emerge in all sorts of varieties, such as snow white, cream, off-white, etc. What’s remarkable here is that these colours will be supplemented with greyish and brownish shades such as sand and rust. Note that the neutral earthy shades are here to stay, so you’ll see them emerge in the so called Japandi home style which has done so remarkably well in 2021.

Or an explosion of colour?

On the ‘right wing’ we’re going to be bombarded with such an explosion of colour that it will almost be blinding. Actually, that exuberance of

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colour shouldn’t surprise us after eighteen months of our own company in our own interiors. There is clearly a need for change and some positive thoughts and that’s why you’ll see particularly flashy colours emerge. Think here of shades such as grass-green, pastel yellow, bubblegum pink, lavender, or cobalt blue, though not necessarily on the floor. It’s good to remember that you’ll see this wide range of colours emerge in more ‘artistic’ interiors where not only items of furniture, but even floors can serve as eye-catchers.

Whilst we’re talking about trends, it can’t do any harm to put colours in a broader context. Even in homes in general, we’re seeing a number of clear developments which it’s good to consider briefly.

Other developments You can describe an initial trend as that of design which is embedded into the interior as (affordable) artwork. Art and design blend into each other and stand for an artistic style of home. The reason for this is probably the fact that art has become more accessible with a lower threshold. What’s also striking is the constantly growing attention to hand work and traditional craft.

A second trend is a yearning for organic forms and therefore natural beauty. The pandemic has helped us to rediscover nature and this is reflected in our living rooms. Landscapes, waves, the reflection of light onto a water surface and such like have inspired interior design.

Then, amongst other things, we also have to mention a particularly high caressability factor. Since the start of the pandemic, our interiors have not only had to radiate cosiness, but also to help us feel really cosy. That means, for instance, super-soft fabrics for the furniture to facilitate full relaxation.

Spring and summer 2022 will be extravagant and vivid.

A good yardstick of the colour preferences in both the fashion world and the interior are the trend colours which the renowned American Pantone Color Institute publishes each year for the spring and summer of the following year. In 2022, we’ll be encountering a number of splendid shades which radiate extravagance and vividness. One very special colour is what is designated as popcorn. Popcorn is described by Pantone as ‘a bright and cheerful shade of yellow which radiates warmth to everyone who embraces it.’ You either love it or loathe it, but it can’t do any harm to know what you might see in flooring products.

Sources: Pantone Color Institute, in-house.nl, Interior trends Sofacompany, Pressloft, and Francq Colors.

Het Dorlik 11 A 3500 Hasselt +32-11-933 112 info@williams-koch.com https://www.facebook.com/Williams-KochEurope

Colours that speak for themselves (And you don’t have to understand Flemish)

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Special

Issues related to colouring and the solutions offered by the producers

Other four specialists have their say Blanchon The main requirements for obtaining the ideal colour of oil or varnish are the ease, comfort, and safety of the application.

A lot of professionals avoid colouring floors because they are afraid of undesirable effects or disappointing results. It is necessary that the applied stain is lightfast in order to prevent premature and unsightly discolouration when furniture items and carpets are displaced. As a producer, we present related systems (stain + sealer, with or without sealer, distressing agent + oil, or even tinted oil + sealer; this system, which is highly innovative, is technically very safe), which guarantee the durability of the work. Blanchon organises training sessions and practice sessions during its Technical Days. A large part of the activities consist of the application of products which give colour, to take away any anxie-ty which the participants may have.

Training sessions in the regions and even in companies can be planned.

Bona

2-component parquet oil Bona Craft Oil 2K gives the natural and ‘light’ look of an oiled floor, but if the surface needs more protection, it can be lacquered over with one of the Bona Traffic parquet lacquers to provide extra durability! It is suitable for most wood sorts, even difficult types such as jaboty, cherry, and walnut. Floors treated with Bona Craft Oil 2K are ready for light use after just eight hours and, if necessary, can be lacquered over after 12 hours. 2-dimensional effects: Bona Nordic Tone helps to highlight the unique character of the interior with the traditional Scandinavian colour treatment. Bona Rich Tone gives the floor the deepest colours and gives the interior an unmistakable dash of elegance. You can intensify the effects even more with Bona Mix Colour.

Chimiver LIOS BIOIL Colorato is a colored natural oil treatment for wooden floors with easy application, very durable and soft effect on the surface. LIOS BIOIL Colorato is available in 20 different colors, miscible together to make a wide range of new colors.

The Bona Oil system gives you the freedom to create an almost infinite range of colours. The complete Bona oil range is made from vegetable materials and contains exceptionally low levels of VOC. The high content of oil combined with a minimal content of solvents guarantees a higher level of saturation and thereby healthy and highly durable floors.

These natural wood protectors have outstanding drying features. The

Williams & Koch Europe Colours that speak for themselves

Photo – Rubio Monocoat

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Special

Who has lacquers specifically for wooden staircases ?

CHOOSE THE RIGHT STEPS PLAN YOU CHOOSE THE TYPE OF LACQUER DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION OF THE STAIRS AND THE EXPECTED TRAFFIC

Photo – Plastor

Finishing a wooden staircase isn’t as easy as it might seem. A staircase has to cope with several elements and also wears differently to a wooden floor in the living room.

Amongst other things, we wonder how you start to lacquer a staircase, how many coats you apply and when, and how you make the finished staircase as scratch-resistant and scratch-proof as possible.

As always, we must stress the importance of good preparation. In this case, this means inspecting the wood for holes or other flaws and doing any required repairs properly. Apart from that, the main thing is to consider whether or not the wood has already been treated. If the wood is new, you will need to apply a coat of primer, something which is often not the case with previously treated stairs. If you discover that an acid or moisture-curing lacquer has been applied in the past,

you should sandpaper the wood completely bare before you apply any lacquer.

How do you choose a suitable lacquer for a wooden staircase? It’s crucial to consider the location of the staircase and the expected volume of traffic. If you expect a lot of traffic, you should choose a dual-component lacquer. If you want to make the staircase ‘heavier’, you should consider applying an anti-slip lacquer. Obviously, you also think of the look, which can be matt or glossy.

Opaque or transparent?

We’re not going to cover the preparation here, but we’ll go straight to the lacquer itself. To sum up generally, you have two options, namely opaque or transparent lacquer. How do you use them both?

Suppose you’ve opted for an opaque lacquer, which doesn’t retain

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Who has lacquers specifically for wooden staircases ?

the wood’s natural look, but gives the staircase a non-transparent colour. You could then opt for paint, but it’s not a good idea because it doesn’t provide any protection against wear, stains, or dirt. If you use a staircase lacquer, this gives the wood colour on the one hand and combines it with a protective coat. However, if you prefer to leave the wood (and the grain) visible, there is a choice between a lacquer with silky gloss or a matt finish. Remember that transparent colours come best into their own on a softwood staircase. Note: Do you want both transparent and anti-slip? If so, look for special lacquers which are available for this purpose. These are lacquers with a colourless anti-slip grain.

‘fill the wood pores’ more distinctly than others.

Blanchon is acknowledged as a specialist in the use of polyurethane resins, which are highly effective and resistant and which offer professionals great ease of application.

Several Blanchon sealers deploy this technology, whilst others are formulated with resins of biological origin.

Applying the lacquer We said above that you have to go to work differently with new wood than with wood which has previously been treated. Here’s a steps plan for finishing with lacquer:

Bona

With new wood: - Clean the wood and remove all grease first.

- Sandpaper the wood along the grain. Make sure that the bare wood is free of dust.

- Apply three coats of lacquer.

- Sandpaper the wood lightly between coats and always check that the wood is free of dust.

With treated wood (stain or paint): - Start by rough-sanding the staircase (P80-P120) to remove opaque coats of paint or stain and any damaged parts.

- Then, sandpaper the bare wood to a medium texture (P150-P180/ P220) and make the wood dust-free.

- Remove grease from the intact transparent coats of lacquer and stains.

- Sandpaper again to a medium texture (P150-P180/P220) and make the wood dust-free.

- Apply two coats of lacquer along the grain. Sandpaper lightly between coats and make the wood dust-free.

Cleaning tips for clients Here’s another tip for clients after the finish. Remember to tell clients that they should clean the staircase properly. Periodically, they should also clean the coat of lacquer with a soapy detergent and a damp cloth.

It’s also important to vacuum-clean regularly to remove dirt before it causes scratches. Also important is regular cleaning with a dust pan and brush, together with a damp cloth or mop. In all this, stress that it is essential to avoid using aggressive detergents.

Main sources: parketlak.nl and Cetabever.

What’s on the market ?

Blanchon Blanchon doesn’t sell a specific varnish for hardwood or softwood, since a varnish has to have the widest possible scope. If professionals can use two and sometimes three different varnishes for different applications, they don’t express a preference for one of those varnishes for soft wood sorts. If the finish is suitable for hardwood (oak and exotic sorts), it will also be suitable for softwood. A lot of professionals use a hard varnish as a first coat, but that can be for technical reasons (adhesion to old floors), financial reasons, or due to the rapid drying. It tends to be on this point that the choice can vary. Soft wood sorts often absorb more than hard wood sorts and some hard primers

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Bona Traffic HD Anti-slip is a 100% polyurethane, 2-component, and waterborne lacquer which gives wooden floors outstanding durability and protection. Bona Traffic HD Anti-slip has been developed to meet the highest standards for slip resistance on work floors and other situations where floors may be damp. With its greater friction, Bona Traffic HD Anti-slip is the ideal choice for stairs, care homes, kitchens, and comparable locations. Outstanding durability and chemical resistance. Not susceptible to shoe marks. Excellent adhesion. Does not turn yellow ECR1 certified (very low emissions). Meets standard DIN 51 130 – R10.

Chimiver 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).

Special

Who has lacquers which apply a finish in one coat ?

IT’S POSSIBLE, BUT THERE ARE LIMITS HIGH DURABILITY IS IMPOSSIBLE OR UNLIKELY WITH JUST ONE COAT

Photo – Blanchon

Is there such a thing as a lacquer which finishes in one coat? Your immediate instinct says it’s not possible, but it seems that that’s not entirely correct. We scoured the market and asked a producer all about a lacquer in one coat.

To give the answer in a nutshell, yes, it is possible to finish in one coat, but there are several factors to consider.

Our readers have probably heard of Blanchon. A spokesperson from this French company outlines firstly the history of lacquers in one coat. Indeed, it seems that they are not a recent phenomenon.

A fashion in the 1980s ‘We have to go back to the 1980s. In those days, varnishes with just one coat did catch on for some time. However, they soon fell out of fashion because the quest for a rapid and therefore economical finish clashed with the harsh realities of life: Wood is something which reacts whenever it is ‘treated’ with a fluid, whether that’s water, a solvent, or a greasy substance.’

‘Wood pores swell up and that’s particularly important during the first coat. And so, various factors mean that one-coat lacquers are

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possible, but this does mean that this one coat has to be applied on top of a coat of primer. That primer, in turn, often dries quickly because long drying times are not the soulmate of economic gain.

With one coat, the composition of the lacquer itself has to provide good coverage because high durability is absolutely essential.

Moreover, you also need to ensure perfect application comfort. Since you only apply one coat, the fact is that any shortcoming and any application mistakes will be exposed mercilessly and have an adverse effect on the finished floor.’

Some contradictory elements Obviously, therefore, we want to know the cases where one coat is the best choice. However, perhaps there’s another more important question: When is it best to avoid it?

‘Here, you have to consider that the two elements contradict each other. If you want a visually perfect finish which is also highly durable, your best choice in all cases is to apply three coats. Two coats can suffice, but then you need a hard base. It’s only if your choice is governed by the need to save on costs or by speed of application that you will opt for a finish in one coat on a hard base.’

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Who has lacquers which apply a finish in one coat ?

Not ideal for high traffic

Bona

Is it possible to achieve a perfect and durable finish in one coat?

‘Once again, to answer this question, I need some more precise definitions. For instance, it depends what you mean by ‘durable’. In any case, it would seem completely ill-advised to apply such a finish in high-traffic rooms such as offices or shops because the applied single coat can hardly claim to be durable. On the other hand, I could certainly imagine that it is possible to offer ‘one-coat’ varnishes for what we call ‘family and household use’ via the use of varnishes with a high dry extract (editor’s note: something formed by the coat of varnish after drying and setting), which are made specially for this purpose (and which therefore contain resins with very high mechanical and chemical properties). And so, in that case it’s about floors with limited traffic and therefore low to average usage strain.’

‘To deliver high performances in “one” coat, the resins obviously have to deliver good to very good performances. Then you think almost automatically in the direction of dual-component polyurethane lacquers. If you use them, a perfect finish in one coat is possible, even with a waterborne product. You do have to consider the details mentioned above.’

If we consider specifically what Blanchon sells, we refer specifically to their Renovation seal.

Our spokesperson concludes: ‘We always recommend applying three coats of our lacquers for specialised floors or two coats on top of a hard primer. As the name suggests, the Renovation Seal has been developed for the renovation of most parquet floors (lacquered, oiled, on site or in the factory, etc.) and it is applied in just one coat to a prepared surface without prior sandpapering.’

Source: Blanchon

Some specialists Blanchon

Bona Mega ONE – waterborne 1-component, polyurethane lacquer An all-in-1-partner for the treatment of wooden floors. It dries rapidly, is easy to sandpaper, and has excellent coverage.

Bona Mega ONE simplifies work for professionals for faster and easier work with great reliability. It gives a nice warm wood colouring and at the same time provides durable protection for wooden floors in living rooms and commercial environments with minimal strain. It has a crystal-clear and non-yellowing formula.

Features: - Primer and finish in 1 - parquet primer is not necessary in most cases - Bona Mega ONE can be applied directly to bare wood.* - Mixing is not necessary – no waste and it saves time.

- Rapid drying – intermediate sanding is often possible within one hour.

- Abrasive material does not slip during polishing.

- Ideal for light wood - A nice warm colour, even on tropical wood sorts - Good coat structure, good coverage - A durable parquet lacquer - For use in homes and for low-traffic commercial floors - Does not turn yellow. *IMPORTANT - Bona always advises you to apply 3 coats of lacquer (8-10m²/litres = 120-100g/m² per lacquer coat). This determines the final strength and durability of the top coat.

Chimiver

Consider whether or not it is possible to achieve a perfect and durable finish in one single coat. The answer depends entirely on what you mean by ‘durable’. One single coat seems inadequate to provide a finish for high-traffic rooms such as in catering establishments, for instance, since the applied (single) coat can make no claim on durability. On the other hand, it is quite possible through the use of a varnish with a high dry extract, which is put together specially for this purpose, to offer ‘single-coat’ varnishes for ‘family and household use’ (which should mean normal to average strain). The resins will yield strong and even very strong performances. Obviously, this also includes the 2-component polyurethanes. We refer specifically to the Renovation Sealer, which has been developed for the renovation of most parquet floors (sealed, oiled, on site or in the factory, etc.) and which is applied in just one coat on a prepared surface without prior sandpapering.

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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) .

Special

Sanding machines : part III

UNDERVALUED WORKHORSES AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR THE FINER FINISH IS DEVELOPING ON VARIOUS FRONTS

Photo – Lägler

In the series ‘essential tools for the parquet floor fitter’ sanding machines are clearly in pole position. One machine of the less spectacular type is the so called corner sanding machine, sometimes also called a triangle or delta sanding machine due to its triangular sanding surface. Such a corner sander might be less dazzling, but nevertheless it has its place in any professional arsenal.

The corner sanding machine comes into its own when the rougher work is finished. It has been specially developed for sanding small wooden surfaces and is deployed for thin edges, small corners, narrow recesses, and places which are hard to reach. Actually, apart from its triangular sole, the corner sander is exactly the same as the surface sander, where the sole is mounted on an eccentric mechanism. The sole makes a sanding motion via this mechanism. There are bigger and smaller soles available, but generally speaking these sanding machines are most suitable for finer finishes.

Dust suction - ergonomics A delta sanding machine is usually one of the smaller types of machines which you can hold comfortably in one hand, although that isn’t a general rule. After all, you sometimes need more weight, even in corners and along edges.

Corner sanders have developed in all sorts of ways. Apart from the weight, there is particularly the highly developed dust suction and the use of LED light for maximum illumination of the working area.

Then, most remarkably, manufacturers strive for the best possible ergonomics with no compromise in terms of sanding pressure, final smoothness of the sanding pattern, and capacity.

If we consider the weight first of all, we notice that the heavier models stand out for their sturdy casing, with sanding attachments in various designs for jobs like sanding under radiators. We find them in weights around 10kg, but with lighter versions of 5kg and below. Those latter ‘lightweights’ serve mainly for sanding staircases on smaller sites. The

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Sanding machines : part III

really light hand-tool weighs barely 1kg, something which is logical if you expect users to sand overhead for long periods and with ease.

This tool has also been made ideally compact and often makes use of control electronics to guarantee a constant and powerful speed, together with a quest for a higher sanding capacity.

Well considered details With the dust suction, we also see substantial developments in the form of well considered details. For instance, designers pay attention to better integration of dust bags or the efficient use of an adapter for a vacuum cleaner. With dust bags, we see elements such as the use of an extra durable and re-usable fleece.

Other developments include making the sanding operations as ergonomic as possible. Here we notice, amongst other things, that designers have paid a lot of attention to the sorts of handle used, with soft grip inlay, and optimal versatility of felt sanding discs, which fit several machines. They’ve also paid extra attention to the edge protection so that less post-processing is necessary and the avoidance of both vibrations and sound without adversely affecting the final sanding result is clearly a top priority. Obviously, designers have also considered how the machine capacity is transferred as ideally as possible to the work piece.

Then, there’s the sort of drive. Basically, you find that all these corner sanders are powered by electricity, so you obviously need a socket, but even that is now a thing of the past. Indeed, just like in other sectors, more and more machines are battery-powered and the batteries have become highly efficient for short term use.

Three specialists Bona Bona has a wide range of sanding machines for parquet floors, from belt sanders and single-disc machines to edge sanders.

The latter category includes the Bona Edge UX, the most recent edge sander in the range.

Photo – Lägler

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An extremely powerful and highly manoeuvrable edge sander with new flexibility and safety features.

The Bona Edge UX has a completely unique and modern design to yield an extremely safe and user-friendly edge sander. The machine can be used with sanding discs fitted from a central hole or Velcro (felt) discs and has extremely effective dust suction. The machine is fitted with LED light technology for a perfect view of the work area. The sanding arm can grind up to the wall. The refined construction makes the operation really simple.

FEATURES: ∫ Extremely wide view due to 16 LED lamps ∫ Reaches the wall ∫ Less risk of sanding errors ∫ Ingenious multimeter ∫ Lower sound level ∫ Safety: if the machine falls, it stops automatically (so called ‘dead man’s handle’) ∫ Can be connected to the industrial vacuum cleaner Bona DCS (model 70 or 25).

For sanding parquet floors, Bona also has a wide range of abrasive material for every sanding challenge.

Devomat Industries The Sideboy NS 1750/16 is a highly effective disc sander for sanding edges and small surfaces. This machine is designed for professionals and offers the power required for the toughest jobs! It is a userfriendly sanding machine with a pressure switch and an optional disposable paper dust bag for safe and handy use on any job. The

Lägler The processing of the corners of wooden floors, e.g. with a random orbital sander, is usually very time-consuming.

However, with the FLIP® corner attachment, this work can be done in a very short time.

motor with four brushes and permanent self-cooling function for heavy duty loads will not jam or shut down in a loaded condition whilst sanding with sandpaper with coarse grain or whilst removing old surface finishes and deposits of wax and dirt. The edge sanders Devo Speed XL 150 and Devo Speed XS 150 are also two extremely manoeuvrable tools available with a long and short lip. The Devo Speed 150 is a light edge sander designed specifically for lighter renovation works which don't always need a heavy machine. The 150mm diameter discs are compatible with machines such as the Devo Master 3D and Rotex. The edge sander Devo Sprinter is also ideal for sanding edges and small surfaces.

Holistic support for you - for every application!

A construction site places special demands on you?

You don‘t know if you can handle them with your machine?

We‘ll sort it out for you!

Just visit the application area of our website: https://www.laegler.com/en/applications

The advantages at a glance: - processing within seconds and thus great time savings; - extremely high removal rate, even of very stubborn coatings; - very good extraction performance, virtually dust-free; - cost-effective accessories, no separate machine necessary; - quick and easy change of velcro disc and attachment.

Four attachments are currently available for the FLIP® edge and corner sanding machine: short, long, corner and milling attachment.

By simply changing the attachment - which can be done in less than two minutes - the machine can be quickly adapted directly to the individual construction site conditions. This makes the FLIP® the perfect solution for processing corner and edge areas - for both rough and fine sanding!

Lignum a r u P

INVISIBLE

WOOD

PROTECTION üExtremely matt üFast-drying üNon-yellowing üDurable There... ✔ you will find out which application possibilities you have with our machines and the corresponding accessories. ✔ we explain in numerous videos what you can achieve. ✔ you will find interesting pictures and informative flyers. ✔ you get to know all the product details.

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

BLACK LABEL BY

PROFESSIONAL FLOOR PRODUCTS

Lägler - Intelligent solutions for clever craftsmen! +49 (0) 7135 98 90 0

info@laegler.com

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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Laminate, PVC, LVT, vinyl and Design floors : click systems examined

IT’S CLICKING BETTER AND BETTER John Rietveldt (i4F - B) "In the world of flooring, we literally discovered the Holy Grail" i4F may be very young in the flooring world, but in less than eight years, it has gained a worldwide reputation for locking systems. These systems have revolutionised the world of laminate and various synthetic floors and are now conquering the world of engineered wood thanks to a host of unique features.

The man behind the company is Dutch CEO John Rietveldt. Rietveldt started in late 2013 without even having his own office. What started with one highly experienced technical colleague, Eddy Boucké and, somewhat later, four people in a rented building in Eindhoven is now a company that is active worldwide, with a headquarters in Belgium. A head office that will move to a brand-new building in Turnhout at the end of 2022.

"Belgium is a real flooring country, which provides the necessary credibility for your company," he says. "We bought a building in Hamont-Achel, with accompanying R&D space, but growth is continuing so we had to look for a place where we could build a much larger R&D centre, where we could do extrusion as well as develop other technologies. We found it not so far from Antwerp, in Turnhout, on the Eindhoven-Antwerp motorway. We are still waiting for the permit to start building, but it is certain that the space will be ten times bigger than what we have now. We expect to be operational around October, November 2022.

One piece drop-lock At the very beginning, i4F launched a one piece drop-lock. This turned out to be a direct hit, especially since the rise of the various synthetic floors started just then. The i4F solution solved a major problem: it was a perfect system for easy floor installation and it eliminated the need for a plastic strip in the profile.

"Our big breakthrough was that we were the first to develop a one piece vertical locking system that passed all tests. In the world of flooring, this was literally the discovery of the Holy Grail, because it enables you to produce not only efficiently, but also in a far more sustainable way. The market needed such a vertical locking because it is much easier to install. A great stroke of luck for us was that new materials such as LVT or PVC were starting to gain ground when we launched. These were the very types of floor coverings that were turning the market upside down. Our installation system proved perfect for these new materials, which are much thinner than what we were used to. Being thinner has an impact on your locking and our drop-lock system worked much better than other locking soltuions. Internally we still call this 'the perfect storm', this was just about the most important development in flooring solutions since 30 years."

Water-resistance An important element in floors is how water-resistant they are. In this respect, John Rietveldt points to the company's own 3L TripleLock® and Click4U®.

"In the US, NALFA sets the requirement that laminate flooring must virtually not swell at all when water is on it. That's where our 3L TripleLock® and Click4U® come in, both for synthetic and laminate locking."

"With synthetic floors, this is almost a non issue. Because these are derivatives of petroleum, you hardly ever have a water problem.

And with 3L TripleLock and Click4U, all requirements are met and surpassed with flying colours. With laminate, it mainly comes down to the fact that you don't want any water under the floor or in the profile itself. This is why we developed i-Click4U® within the product portfolio. Thanks to the adaptation of the profile, we developed a water-resistant system for wood and laminate that is the only 'one piece' drop-lock system that is truly water-resistant. We announced this locking system this year and will continue to promote it next year, including during Surfaces in the US in February."

Parent patent with many brothers and sisters As was clear from the above, there is no one type of locking system for all the listed material types. What makes i4F so strong is that it actually starts from one 'mother patent', from whom numerous derived 'siblings' emerge.

"You have to make a 'big basket' within your patent portfolio you can use for herringbone, tiles, laminate, wood, etc. and even different thicknesses," John Rietveldt explains. "We strive for technical perfection and work in a continuous process, almost 'made to order', but

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then specifically for the locking profiles. We always succeed in defining the right, specific locking and this is largely due to our own two locking experts, who continue to work on this with their team."

Commercial applications Finally, we should also take a look at the commercial applications. After all, it is precisely there that further growth seems possible with specialised locking systems.

"This is indeed an ideal product for projects, especially for synthetic floors, and we see a clear shift there. You used to see almost nothing but 'glue down' but, step by step, people are coming back to this because installation systems have become much better. Modular products are increasingly seen in public spaces, even in airports. The product has improved so much in recent years that it is taking more and more market share. It may not be the cheapest, but the other advantages are enormous. Just think, for example, of noise reduction or the elimination of moisture problems. In this context, I would also like to mention wood and laminate.

These are increasingly moving towards drop-lock. Especially in the case of engineered wood, we have noticed that it is attracting a completely new generation of users because of its ease of installation."

One of the big advantages of floors in laminate, LVT, PVC, or vinyl is that they are very easy to fit. Nowadays, most of these floors are fitted floating (i.e. without adhesive) and thereby deploy one of the many click systems available on the market.

What are the requirements of a good click system?

To start with, we can best draw a distinction between laminate and the other floors which we’ve listed. Click systems may be comparable, but the products themselves are not. Indeed, you can define laminate as ‘wood-based’, whilst the other ones are based on oil. In our opinion, the biggest difference is the thickness of the plank.

Tensile strength is crucial With laminate, we’ve noticed over the years how a multitude of refined decors and hyper-protective top layers have been developed. However, the big advantage of laminate (just as with vinyl and the like, as we see below) lies with the locking systems used, which have led to scores of patents over the years. At present, those patents are owned by just a few companies, which issue licences to the various manufacturers.

What is particularly noticeable is how the various click systems are becoming more and more like each other. The biggest point for attention is the tensile strength of the systems.

This tensile strength is particularly important because we are talking about floating fitting. With laminate, the core material (MDF or HDF)

Installs so fast it’s like having an extra pair of hands

Powered by Click4U® and 3L TripleLock®

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contains wood fibres which, depending on the season, can absorb more or less moisture, and that brings us to the relative air humidity.

As all parquet floor fitters know, air humidity means that floorboards either swell or shrink. Tensile strength is important to the extent that it has to ensure that gaps do not appear over time in the laminate joints.

Other factors Is tensile strength the only main factor? No, it isn’t! What has stood out mainly in recent years is how producers have set out to make floors as ‘portable’ as possible as well as making them easy to fit. With the click systems currently on the market, we notice how they deploy both pressure (horizontal + pressing) and spiral motions (vertical + lowering). Moreover, we cannot ignore how much attention is being paid to making floors waterproof, both with laminate and the other floors which we’ve mentioned above. Moreover, at present, we’re even seeing that there are drop-lock installations built into the system itself so that extra chemical sprays or seal products are not necessary.

PVC, vinyl, and the others And so, what about vinyl, PVC, or LVT, floors which closely resemble each other as regards make-up. Actually, you can say that click systems basically do the same thing, but with a much thinner material which is ideal for renovation.

Why do consumers finally choose a product like click vinyl, for instance? Apart from the price, the easy fitting will certainly be a primary reason. As a random example, we take the Dream Click by BerryAlloc, a click system for vinyl planks which is available in the Pure and Style collections. Here, everything is literally designed in such a way as to make the fitting as easy as possible. Adaptation is also possible to your heart’s content so that you yourself choose the planks and/or tiles which are clicked together. You don’t need any heavy equipment; a simple cutting knife will suffice. And so, you don’t need a saw and you also avoid creating any dust in the room.

According to the manufacturer, you can fit up to 12m² within half an hour. We haven’t done any comparisons with other traders, but they would probably have similar figures. Moreover, rapid fitting goes together with a number of other elements which are also key. To name just a few: maximum durability, great stepping comfort, powerful sound insulation, and surprisingly easy maintenance.

Other specialsts have their say BerryAlloc DreamClick: the fast & easy installation system Fast. Easy. Creative. Our innovative DreamClick installation system in three words. Available for our Pure and Style luxury vinyl planks & tiles collections, this intuitive system is your solution to a fast and user-friendly installation. This floor installs twice as fast as any other traditional installation system. In fact, you can finish up to 12 m² in just 30 minutes. And if you pair up and start in the middle of the room, things can go even faster. Easy. No sawing, no dust. All you need is a simple cutter knife to cut your boards to the right shape. Plus, you can combine the planks or tiles any way you want thanks to our 360° interlocking system. Create your dream floor with DreamClick. Define your personal style and mix and match different planks, tiles, colours, and patterns. Want a herringbone pattern? No problem. Would you prefer to combine wood and stone? Sure! Click our vinyl planks and tiles any way you want. Get inspired, and get creative, thanks to DreamClick.

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CLASSEN Megaloc aqua protect makes the difference Megaloc aqua protect is CLASSEN’s new water resistant fold-down installation system for laminate floors. and the world's first waterproof laminate flooring with a quick installation system. It enables protection against edge swelling and ensures a durable floor to enjoy. Daily use, cleaning and splash situations can consequently no longer damage the floor. CLASSEN passed the NALFA test with its megaloc aqua protect laminate flooring with flying colours in comparison to competitor products. The NALFA stipulates that the laminate does not swell by more than 0.3 millimetres on average after 24 hours of water exposure on the surface. The test result from the independent EPH Institute certified less than 0.03 millimetres. The NALFA test requires a visual assessment of the swelling behaviour of the surface that has dried back after 24 hours. Here, 5 classes are distinguished. According to EPH, the CLASSEN megaloc aqua protect laminate flooring is rated class 1, the best category.

Find out more about how megaloc aqua protect works: https://megaloc.de/

i4F If we look at the market, we notice amongst other things i4F’s droplock technologies, powered by its patented 3L Triplelock and Click4U systems, being used worldwide. This is a one-piece drop-lock floor installation which, unlike other ‘fold-down’ systems, does not need an extra insert on the short side or any special tools. Obviously, that has advantages such as the achievement of a higher productivity level, cost reductions, and a lower carbon footprint. i4F’s system is easier and up to 30% faster to install than other installation solutions. And it works on all materials - laminate, luxury vinyl tiles, expanded polymer core, solid polymer core and wooden flooring panels. i4F also launched i-Click4U® (impermeable-Click4U) - the world’s first ever water-resistant, one-piece, drop-lock flooring installation system, complementing i4F’s leading Click4U technology. Water-resistance is built into the installation system itself, so no extra chemical sprays or sealants are needed. i-Click4U has passed tests from independent institutes in France, Germany and the US, and exceeds all NALFA requirements related to water resistant flooring. www.i4f.com

Välinge A company which can be regarded as a trendsetter on the market is the Swedish company Välinge, which pioneered mechanical click systems in the 90s and licenses out a wide range of locking technologies such as 5G Fold Down, 5G-i Push Down and 2G Angling. Here we can hardly ignore their 5G® Fold Down, which is ideal for both vinyl, wooden and laminate flooring products, with thicknesses from 4mm to above 22mm. The secret of this technology is its integrated plastic insert that gives the distinctive, reassuring “click” during installation and secures the floor panels horizontally and vertically.

Incorporating further improvements, 5G® Dry™ is a premium, water-resistant fold-down system, taking everything great from 5G Fold Down and adding next-level water-resistance. 5G® Dry™ is the only two-piece system effectively blocking water and other liquids from penetrating the joints — not only does it contribute to water-resistance, it also contributes to a worry-free life.

The 5G technology continues to prove its versatility with new features such as 5G Climb, making it possible to quickly and easily install floor panels both on floors and walls, and 5G Herringbone, Välinge’s gold-standard classic pattern 5G® system.

Special

Producers of levelling agent : which thicknesses can we apply in one treatment and what about the drying time ?

USE AS AN END LAYER IS POSSIBLE, BUT THERE IS A BUT INDUSTRIAL LOOK WITHOUT FITTING A FLOOR COVERING IS GAINING IN POPULARITY Stephan Berckmans (Lecol) ‘It’s all about reducing drying times and increasing layer thicknesses.’

Lecol, which is part of its parent enterprise Maiburg, is a specialist amongst other things in levelling compounds. Just as with its lacquers, panel materials, impregnation oils, and abrasives, one element completely dominates its own philosophy: in everything that the company does, the impact on the environment and the health of the products take centre stage, so only those products which stand out are given a Maigreen label.

Amongst levelling compounds, Stephan Berckmans (Lecol Belgium) refers immediately to the cement-bound and low-stress product Z610 from WAKOL, which covers in one layer.

Z610 can boast such an Maigreen label and is both solventless and low in emissions.

‘This is a very good flowing levelling compound which you can use for a rapid and superrigid end result. With a maximum thickness of 5mm, the substrate can be walked on after just six hours or is ready for fitting any type of flooring. An absolute plus point is that you can apply very thick layers all at once,’ Mr Berckmans explains. ‘In terms of health, you have to consider mainly the amount of dust emitted during mixing. This has been reduced by no less than 90%, something which is good not only for user health, but also for the cleanliness of the work place. For that matter, you can go to layer thicknesses of 20mm if you don’t use quartz sand and 30mm if you do. Such a thickness is already a lot, but if you need more, you can equally well fit a screed. I should also mention Z680 for the project market. At project level you can go to a maximum of 10mm thick and you also have very little dust. The project market usually levels with grey compounds.’

‘It’s worth noting that this levelling compound can be lacquered over, that it’s no longer necessary to sandpaper after pouring all at once if you fit parquet on top, and that due to its great bend strength and compression strength it can also be used perfectly well as a main floor, and therefore a top floor. We note that this is already being done regularly; indeed, it suits the popular industrial look. One more point about sandpapering: if we’re talking about soft floors, this will obviously be necessary.’

Lifespan isn’t an issue When we ask about the lifespan, our interviewee looks rather surprised: ‘The lifespan? Actually, you just have to say: for as long as the floor covering is there. If you use it without a floor covering, you apply a new lacquer from time to time and that definitely good for ten years in a project setting, but virtually twice that for homes.’

Obviously, we also want to know about market trends. What are the biggest factors?

‘Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s all about reducing drying times and increasing layer thicknesses. At the moment, we’re purely at 20mm, extended to 30mm, and, finally, that has to suffice. In my opinion, we might well be able to add another 10mm in the near future. The technology is there, it’s just a question of being able to sell it for an acceptable price.’

‘I’d like to say a little more about the question of “dustless”. It should be said quite clearly that we’ll never achieve a state of completely dustless, as even the slightest move in a house creates dust. What is certainly true is that we have reduced the quantity of dust vastly, so a cloud of dust is something long gone. Moreover, we even have a special dust suction tool to fit to the edge of the bucket, so the little remaining dust is literally sucked away!’

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Producers of levelling agent : which thicknesses can we apply in one treatment and what about the drying time ?

We’ve outlined the function of a levelling compound on various occasions. You use a leveller on the floor in order to level the substrate, and then you fit a new floor covering. However, what we haven’t yet covered is the (relatively) new trend of using a levelling floor simply as a finishing floor.

Using a levelling compound as a finishing floor is clearly a hype, and you can also read about that in the interview with our guest speaker.

In that interview you read that the trend is not only towards (virtually) dust-free work and ever shorter drying times, but that there’s an undeniable trend towards no flooring on top. We note from the interview with the guest speaker that this is far from being an insurmountable problem, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to bear a number of things in mind.

We’ll leave the question open as to whether or not it’s a good idea to use a levelling floor as a top layer. That has to be decided individually with each fitting. What we can say for sure is that it does involve some element of risk and that, if you want to play safe, you can also opt for a real cast floor based on resin, with a choice of polyurethane, epoxy, or acrylate. This has the advantages not only of being low maintenance, but also it is guaranteed to be crack-free and it comes in a range of finishes.

Some specialists Bona

Make it flat and smooth With a levelling compound, you should remember firstly that this is a layer which gets particularly hard and adheres strongly to a base once it is applied. After that, it is possible to finish with a new floor covering. That can be parquet, but also much thinner floors such as laminate, vinyl, or cork.

If you want to use the levelling compound as a finishing floor, you have to consider a number of things and, in particular, you mustn’t forget that there are a number of steps to be respected. Firstly, you have to clean the substrate completely and it has to be compression resistant and tensile. After that, you fill in any potentially deeper cracks or holes with a filler and provide adequate ventilation in the room because you have to avoid air holes in the levelling compound at all costs.

Then, you consider using an adhesion primer before you apply the levelling compound to the substrate (this can be highly versatile and ranges from concrete and tiles even to wood). You also make sure that you don’t make the levelling floor too thick. As regards the thickness, we advise you to read the maker’s instructions, since the dimensions given vary. However, what is usually repeated is that you think of a thickness of 1 to 2mm, with an average drying time of one day per millimetre of thickness (here, too, the figures vary, so check what the maker says). Finally, you also apply a special coating to the levelling compound to make the surface durable. The result should be a floor with an industrial and flat appearance, usually in a grey concrete shade. You can change the shade of that grey by adding pigmentation powder.

Risks The end result might already look sturdy, but several sources do warn that not everything that glitters is gold. They point out that levelling is meant primarily to make a substrate flat and that there are a number of risks involved in using a levelling compound as the end layer.

The first thing to note is possible crack formation. It seems that a cement-based levelling compound can be susceptible to cracks.

Moreover, there’s also the possibility of stains. And so, it is vital to pay special attention during the fitting because any possible irregularity can remain visible, even after the finish with a coating. Finally, you must make sure that the levelling floor is completely flat. What you certainly want to avoid, for instance, are stains from used tools or, even worse, little ‘craters’.

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The Bona range includes 3 levelling agents and 1 repair mortar. These products are suitable for floor heating and have low emissions (Emicode EC1 Plus).

Bona H600 Cement-bound, acrylic polymer reinforced levelling compound.

Self-levelling – Fitting can start after 12 hours. Compatible with primers Bona D510, D520, or Bona R590. Fill unevenness and bigger holes with Bona H610.

For use on: ∫ mosaic, engineered, multilayer, and solid parquet ∫ Also on elastic floors, textile floors, and solid cork tiles ∫ Layer thickness: 1-20mm.

Bona H605 Calcium sulphate levelling compound: Based on Alpha hemihydrate.

Yields flat and absorbent bases ready for floors to be fitted.

Self-levelling – Low tension. Compatible with primers Bona D510, D520, or Bona R590.

For use on: ∫ elastic floors ∫ Textile flooring ∫ Also for parquet glued with Bona silane adhesives ∫ Layer thickness: 1-20mm Bona H660 Cement levelling compound. Like Bona H600, but takes a little longer to dry.

Treat the base with a suitable primer, such as Bona D510, D520, or Bona R590. Fill unevenness and bigger holes with Bona H610.

For use on: ∫ mosaic, engineered, multilayer, and solid parquet ∫ Also on elastic floors, textile floors, and solid cork tiles ∫ Layer thickness: 1-20mm Bona H610 Cement-bound repair mortar: A fast-setting and fast-drying waterproof mortar for indoor repairs. Bases should be treated with primer Bona D510, D520, or R590.

Application: ∫ Ideal for filling holes and cracks in covering floors ∫ Repairs and renovates concrete stairs and risers ∫ Repairs and renovates sand-cement screeds and concrete floors ∫ Repairs around pipes, doors, and window frames ∫ Layer thickness: no limit.

Chimiver RASOCHIM TOP is a grey powder for internal use consisting of special cements with rapid hydration, with graded silica sand, resins and special additives. RASOCHIM TOP can be used only indoor. RASOCHIM TOP mixed with water becomes smooth, fluid and easy to apply with high bonding strength and fast-drying. It can be laid down up to 20 mm thicknesses onto cement subfloor, concrete, tiles, marble etc. RASOCHIM TOP after drying has high compressive and flexural strength, no shrinkage, cracking or crazing. RASOCHIM TOP is resistance to caster base chair. In accordance with European EN13813 it is classified CT-C35-F7- B2,0. Also suitable for heated subfloors.

RIGO Verffabriek SKYLT Sealer

RIGO Verffabriek investigated the demand for a suitable finish for self-levelling concrete floors with an industrial look. In addition to a seamless appearance and a high degree of water resistance, a finish should also retain the matte look of the self-levelling concrete layer.

The masters of lacquer crafting at RIGO Verffabriek looked for and found a way to retain the untreated appearance of finished surfaces

over 15 years ago: SKYLT. SKYLT protects the treated surface and strengthens its original appearance. With a SKYLT finish, wood keeps its pure, wooden appearance. Thanks to the introduction of SKYLT Sealer, this untreated look can now also be applied to mineral surfaces.

SKYLT Sealer #5030 is a functional primer that negates the hydrophilic qualities of the mineral surface through a thick, high-build coating that initially discolours the surface. With a second coat of SKYLT Sealer, the protective layer is practically waterproof. Once sealed, the surface can be finished seamlessly and without any issues with two coats of SKYLT Original, resulting in the desired, untreated appearance. The discolouration will disappear without a trace. SKYLT Sealer is also highly suitable as a finish for walls. SKYLT Sealer has been available at wholesalers since 19 October 2020.

Lecol

Is it possible to work on a levelled floor after just two hours? Yes, it certainly is! It’s possible with the new rapid-flowing levelling agent WAKOL Z610, the queen of all levelling agents. This yields a super sleek end result rapidly. Really unprecedented! The substrate can be walked on after two hours and is ready for fitting any floor covering (wooden floors, PVC/vinyl, cork, linoleum, rubber, carpet, etc) with a maximum thickness of 5mm after six hours. You can also apply very thick layers in one go. The flow of this product really is unique in terms of beauty. It yields a beautifully flat and sleek end result. Is health a priority for you?

This solventless levelling agent has 90% less dust when mixed with water, so there’s hardly any dust on the floor or in the worker’s lungs!

That’s a lot healthier! You also keep the work area clean. This puts a smile on everyone’s face, especially with private house renovations. In partnership with the finish specialist Loba, Wakol has also developed the connected systems. For WAKOL Z 610 Levelling Agent (dustless), we therefore offer a system for lacquering a levelling agent with a matt lacquer. Firstly, you apply the Lobadur® Factory Base primer, then the Lobadur® Factory Style matt lacquer with a high anti-slip value. This enables us to respond in an excellent manner, for instance, to the current trend of cast floors and concrete ciré floors. By lacquering a levelling agent, you can also approximate to the looks of these types of floor simply and economically.

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Who produces industrial parquet ?

STATEMENT FOR DESIGN LOVERS DURABLE, STURDY, AND A UNIQUE LOOK MAKE VERY STRONG ASSETS Arthur Hoetelmans (INPA Parket - NL) ‘Clear growth in turnover of our exotic wood sorts for industrial parquet’ INPA Parket specialises in Latin American wood. The company is based near the Belgian border in Bergen-op-Zoom in the Netherlands and is a concept in the world of parquet. Led by Arthur Hoetelmans and Ella Roosenboom, this Dutch enterprise gathers its wood from its own forests in Bolivia and Paraguay and also processes it there. Over the last two years in particular, INPA has witnessed a considerable increase in its turnover of industrial parquet. Arthur Hoetelmans explains: ‘Industrial parquet is important to us. That’s why we only sell wood from our own forests in Bolivia, and that wood is also processed in our own factory there. We’re seeing clear growth in demand for industrial parquet. The processing of our Latin American exotics, which are 100% FSC approved, might be labour intensive and the transport is quite expensive due to the distance, but nevertheless we’ve seen a growing demand, partly because more and more manufacturers in Europe are stopping with oak. If I have to put it in absolute figures, you can say that there’s been an increase in turnover of 30 to 35% as compared to 2019.’

Mainly in the commercial sphere ‘What’s noticeable is that it’s still a floor mainly in demand in the commercial sphere, where demand starts from around 200 metres. This high demand with projects is largely because it’s a solid floor with a lifespan longer than a human life. Obviously, as retailers, we don’t always know exactly where our products end up, but we do know that some of them have been used for attractive projects. They include, for instance, the floor for the passport control at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam or various projects in Switzerland for a fitness centre chain. We’ve also had lots of sales in Morocco where they dare to dismantle floors to turn them into herringbone floors.’

When we ask about the long-term future of this so called industrial parquet, Mr Hoetelmans answers cautiously: ‘It’s hard to predict, certainly now that the covid pandemic has stopped so many projects. I wouldn’t dare to say too much about it, but we have seen exotics emerge from the inactivity and there is a growing demand for them. Moreover, one benefit for us is that we record less exorbitant price increases for transport as compared to China and the rest of Asia in general. Whilst prices there have risen sevenfold, our prices have not quite doubled, and this means that Latin American exotics are doing better on the market.

Another benefit of INPA is also that we consistently maintain a large stock, with about 25,000m² of industrial parquet in stock.’

The further south, the greater the demand When we ask which markets apart from the Benelux are the main consumers, Mr Hoetelmans gives us a clear answer: ‘The further south you go, the greater the demand. We’re seeing clearly rising demand in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland. If you ask me, one reason for that is the fact that all those countries had colonies in Africa and Latin America, so they’re familiar with exotic wood sorts. At all events, there’s a big difference with Northern Europe where oak is clearly king.

This might change in the future perhaps, but more people in the northern countries would have to realise that how stable this industrial parquet is and how much longer the wood’s lifespan is. Structurally and economically, it’s simply one of the best and most solid wooden floors you can get. It’s just that the cost of fitting and processing is higher than with normal parquet or wooden floors.'

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Photo - Inpa Parket

For a few years now, we’ve discerned a clear rise in demand for industrial parquet, which is also sometimes called end grain blocks. This demand seems to be constant, and that is also illustrated in the testimony of the Dutch company INPA Parket. In this article we consider why this sort of floor is in such demand, especially in the commercial world.

Sign of the times First of all, you can say that this product is simply an illustration of the times in which we live. More than ever before, a home has to provide a unique individual experience and this type of floor fits in perfectly with that philosophy. Design lovers are confronted with a floor with a unique and rigid look, something that is much less the case with traditional

Custom-made

Quality parquet

made for en by professionals

LOFT PRO

HAUSSMANN PARQUET, Chevron Oak : rustic/campagne Size : 16 x 90 x 500 mm Top layer : 4,5 mm Brushed, satin varnish Tongue & groove - 4 bevels Engineered Loft Pro oak (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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Who produces industrial parquet ?

straight planks. Moreover, this sort of floor adapts ideally to just about any environment, from modern to rural and rustic.

Another strong point is simply that this floor is unrivalled in terms of strength and durability. Strong almost inevitably means highly durable, and let that be one of the key order words of this decade. In its day, industrial parquet was something which you fitted in exceptionally busy places, so you often saw it in offices, museums, and even in factories.

It’s no surprise that you often saw it in such places. Actually, this form of parquet came into being through the rejoining of surplus pieces of wood or small strips to make a new whole. This yielded an extra benefit: Industrial parquet also provides sound insulation because the wood fibres absorb sound vibrations better than ordinary wooden floors. And so, this gave (and still gives) bigger rooms better acoustics.

Mosaic on its side The strength of this product comes through the 90 degrees rotation of solid wood strips to create a ‘design’ of clearly thin strips on the floor. Actually, this form of parquet strongly resembles mosaic parquet which is fitted parallel with the mosaic strip on its side. We should also mention that the floor elements are available in a wide range of different thicknesses (often from 10 to 22mm), widths (between roughly 7 to 20mm), lengths, and wood sorts (there are even versions available with bamboo, and you can hardly be more ecological than that). You can finish with oil or varnish as you wish.

With industrial parquet, the sandpapering and finishing are done almost always on site.

The greatest advantage of this type of wood floor is its resistance.

Industrial wood flooring has a very large resistance to pushing. It is therefore resistant to differents impacts. Due to a reclaimed product, his price is quite interesting. This Industrial wood is not so expensive but requires it a long time to lay this type of floor due to its size.

Another clear observation recently is that industrial parquet has also made its way into private homes. Indeed, purchasers, such as architects, have realised in droves how this product has both aesthetic and practical assets. One of the main ones is that due to the use of small elements, it is perfectly possible to fit these floors above floor heating (at least if you use the thin version).

The fitting As for the practicalities, how do you fit industrial parquet? You need to remember that this sort of parquet is always fitted glued onto a fixed and sturdy base. After the fitting and due regard for the stability period, you sandpaper the wood flat and fine, fit any joints between elements, sandpaper once again after that with a fine grain, and polish until finally you have a perfectly flat whole.

After the fitting, you apply the finish with a finish product of your choice where the floor is fitted. There is a vast array of options and you can work with an almost infinite range of colours. That makes it possible to give any environment, either residential or commercial, a completely personal look.

Another specialist has his say Design Parquet Industrial wood flooring is a solid wood flooring in industrial strips for 99%. This wood flooring is laid only in glued laying. After laying you need to sandpaper the floor to avoid any differences of levels and after you can apply your finishing : oil or varnish. Design Parquet offers a wide range of industrial wood flooring in differents wood species : Oak, Ash, Acacia, Beech, Merbau, Komea, Wengé in thickness 10/14/20/22 or 24 mm . For this kind of parquet, it’s not possible to present a special surface aspect like offered from Design Parquet on all solid or birch plywood base : distressed, heavy brushed or band saw marks.

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Pelizzari Parquet, airport Orio al Serio Bergamo

Special

Subfloors : part III

THE SECRET OF THE SCREED BASIC CONDITIONS FOR A GOOD CEMENT-BOUND SUBFLOOR

It’s a truism to say that an attractive floor starts with the quality of the subfloor. A popular underlay is the traditional screed, also called a covering floor, subfloor, or wear floor.

We’re talking here in particular about the layer fitted between the bearing floor and, in our case, laminate or parquet.

What does a good screed consist of? The traditional cement-bound screed is the first thing which springs to mind. This consists of a mixture of sand, cement, and water which you use to achieve a perfectly level surface. You find a traditional screed in three variants: - The adhesive covering floor: This comes directly onto the concrete bearing floor and is the best option if the substrate is not porous and if there is no risk of cracks and rising damp.

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- The non-adhesive covering floor: This is fitted on a PVC foil or water defence partition.

- The floating covering floor: This is fitted onto floor insulation with a thermal or acoustic function.

Calculating the drying time It’s important to realise that a traditional screed needs quite a long time to dry. The drying time depends on the thickness of the screed layer, the air humidity, and the temperature.

To be precise, you can say that on average you should wait one week per centimetre, up to a thickness of 5cm, but that varies. If your screed exceeds 5cm, the drying will take about two weeks per centimetre.

Logic is respected here, whereby the following principle holds: The

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Subfloors : part III

thicker the screed, the slower the drying (for instance, if your screed is 8cm thick, you have to wait 12 weeks). Professionals are opting increasingly for fast-drying screeds to speed up the drying. In this case they add a drying accelerator to the traditional mixture.

Furthermore, don’t forget to check the residual moisture content.

This must not exceed 2.5% for a screed with no floor heating. If there is floor heating, this maximum figure is 2%. Always use your carbide measure, as measuring means knowing.

In all this, it’s absolutely essential to ensure good ventilation at all times for effective drying. And so, if necessary, open all the windows, even in the winter. After all, you don’t want to have problems from damp and, therefore, mould. Avoid the use of a hot air blower! It’s not until after about one month that you may start to provide some heat, but always make sure that there is some wind.

Check the substrate and comfort Once you’re ready with the fitting, keep a special eye on the purity of the substrate. If there is a floating covering floor, fit a PVC foil under and above the floor insulation, unless the client has opted for floor insulation in sprayed PUR. In addition, fit sufficient thick edge strips, something which will be particularly important if floor heating is fitted later. Fit a reinforcement mesh if the screed is fitted floating, if you use a floating or soft insulation, or if the choice is for a thin layer of screed.

And whatever you do, avoiding problems means preventing problems. If you want a perfect screed, you have to provide the necessary expansion joints. It’s also good to know that floorboards may have a maximum surface of about 40m² and a maximum length of eight metres. For the acoustic comfort make sure that the screed does not come into contact anywhere with the building structure. An acoustic mat can provide a solution in that regard because it eliminates disruptive impact sounds.

Two specialists BONA BONA U300 – Sound insulation subfloor

A subfloor made of bound cork and rubber granules. To be used as a subfloor for parquet, laminate, and other flooring. The material has a sound insulation effect. ∫ Easy to fit ∫ much more comfort all round ∫ low flammability ∫ low VOC base content: fine PU foam and cork granules from recycled rubber, polyurethane binding agent; Colour: brown (cork), black/grey/beige/brown (PU foam).

EMI CODE: EC1

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Plus Density: about 550kg/m3 Tensile strength: about 0.8N/mm2 Elongation before rupture: about 30% Thickness: 2, 3, and 5mm (± 0.3mm) Temperature range: -30 to 80°C Heat transfer coefficient: 0.04m²K/W for 3mm Resistance Flammability: Efl (EN 13501) Suitable bases: (also with floor heating, if required) ∫ heated or unheated covering floors ∫ covering floor elements, chipboard, or multiplex ∫ concrete ∫ mastic asphalt ∫ other professionally prepared bases.

BONA U310 Bona U310 is a product to be glued. It is a felt which reduces tension in wooden and laminate floors. It solves problems in case of technically doubtful bases. Thanks to its great tear strength, the felt reduces tensions from the base so that the top layer is not affected. It is easy to cut and fit, porous, actively breathable, only 1mm thick.

Design Parquet You choice your underlayers according to the use. There are 3 objectives : to sound insulation, to reduce the resonance noise or to create a barrier against moisture backing. Design Parquet offers different underlayers according to your needs.

The most popular Design Parquet underlayers for their convenience are : - L’iso dB, patented system, is a ecological system (without CO2 emanation), providing both fixing the parquet floor with sound insulation (18dB). This underlays allows fast implementation thanks to 2 adhesives faces. Glue isn’t necessary.

- L’iso alu, meanwhile, is a waterproofing underlayer, a real barrier against moisture. We warranty until 10% of humidity in the support.

It’s easy to install with the adhesive face. The wood floor is glued on this underlayer with NAVYCOL PS glue.

Special

Who produces metal/aluminium skirting boards and with what finish?

WHEN RIGID AND MODERN IS THE MESSAGE SKIRTING BOARDS IN STAINLESS STEEL AND ALUMINIUM SCORE WELL THANKS TO SPECIFIC FEATURES

Photo – Carl Prinz

Skirting boards come in all sorts of shapes and materials and are chosen for the place where they will be fitted. And so, you will often find skirting boards in metal and aluminium in modern designs in combination with a rigid floor finish. In this article we consider specific skirting boards in stainless steel, which are traditionally more expensive, and their finish.

Assets Obviously, people choose aluminium or stainless steel for the features of these metals. For instance, skirting boards in aluminium and stainless steel are easy to keep clean, waterproof, and extremely strong.

It will not come as a surprise to hear that they are often chosen for places where not only does an industrial or minimalist look set the tone, but also where there are strict hygienic demands.

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Who produces metal/aluminium skirting boards and with what finish?

It’s good to know that with the use of metal wall skirting boards there are a number of characteristic benefits as compared to the traditional wooden skirting board. For instance, metal skirting boards in clear form are low maintenance, chip-resistant, and they have a high aesthetic character.

Aluminium The fact that aluminium is used for a skirting board is sheer logic. After all, it is a fixed and light material which can be processed in several ways. For instance, it can be polished to look like a mirror, but it can just as easily take on a matt look via sandblasting. Furthermore, this interior element can, if necessary, also be anodised, lacquered, or coated in virtually any RAL colour. An extra asset is that lots of manufacturers make customised products.

These aluminium skirting boards can be supplied in diverse heights and finishes with accompanying corner and end pieces. You will find that one model can easily be glued or even clicked together, whilst another one is mounted using wall supports. Sometimes accessories are also necessary to give the whole a more rigid look. We would also mention that an aluminium skirting board is the perfect solution for fitting in so called ‘wet’ rooms, where you obviously think first of the bathroom.

Stainless steel Stainless steel skirting boards are largely comparable to aluminium skirting boards. These, too, form the framework mainly of homes designed in a modern style. If such a thing is possible, stainless steel

is even stronger than aluminium and is generally supplied brushed.

Moreover, in terms of finish there is an extensive range, with colours like bronze or silver standing out the most.

With stainless steel, you should make sure that you choose a version which hardly gets scratched, if at all. There are good reasons why this product is delivered with a protective layer of foil on the facing side so that the skirting boards are protected during transport and assembly.

We should also point out that stainless steel can be finished only with a special saw.

Sorts and sizes As will be clear from the range presented by manufacturers, just about all shapes are possible with aluminium skirting boards. For instance, flat I and L-shaped corner skirting boards make it possible to fit large items of furniture against the wall or clip skirting boards in a rectangular shape can be laid under gypsum plates. Other models have built-in LED channels.

What offers the market ?

Auer Metallprofile In addition to a multitude of stair nosings and connecting profiles and special profiles, Auer Metallprofile also have 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 60x10x3.2mm aluminum

www.progressprofiles.com

A New evolution with the goal of flexibility, innovation and energy efficiency PATE N

www.Auer-Metallprofile.de TED

PATENTED 002748822 EP 3,183,505 B1 US 8,176,694 B2 US 9,188,348 B2 US 9,416,979 B2 US 9,518,746 B2 US 9,625,163 B2 US 9,719,265 B2 US 9,777,931 B2 US 10,108,505 B2 US 10,006,644 B2 US 10,215,423 B2 US 10,408,469 B2 US 10,712,020 B2 US 10,739,016 B2 Patents Pending

PRODESO® HEAT GRIP SYSTEM The system is composed of three elements: PRODESO® HEAT GRIP MEMBRANE, PRODESO® HEAT GRIP CABLE and PRODESO® HEAT GRIP THERMOSTAT KIT. The polyethylene membrane with uncoupling, waterproofing and vapour management features has a 8,5 mm thickness and a thermowelded non-woven fabric on the back side, which guarantees the adhesion to the substrate.

UNCOUPLING

WATERPROOFING

VAPOR AND MOISTURE MANAGEMENT

LOAD DISTRIBUTION

The new membrane structure allows a perfect fixing of the heating cable and a crack-bridging ability 5 times more than the PRODESO HEAT. The cables of last generation are composed of many resistances, each one 60 cm long, in a parallel circuit. If the cable is damaged, only the broken resistance stops working but not the whole cable. The thermostat of last generation interfaces with Android and Apple devices, that is why it is possible to adjust all settings and time schedule using an application with internet connection as remote control.

DIGITAL WI-FI

GET IT ON

GET IT ON

Erhältlich bei

Progress Profiles SpA

Azienda certificata UNI EN ISO 9001:2015

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Check our news 2022 !

design skirting.

This is suitable for bonding 2 to 3 mm coverings 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 color as standard colors.

Other anodized colors 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. LED skirting boards in 60x15 mm and 80x15 mm made of aluminum for indirect lighting have been added as highlights in 2021. These are available in aluminum silver anodized and powder coated, suitable to customers desire.

Carl Prinz

Aluminium skirting boards are elegant and create an interesting contrast between wall and floor. Any shape can be implemented here - flat, L-shaped angle skirtings allow to move large furniture pieces right up to the wall. Clip skirting boards with a rectangular shape can be laid flush under plasterboard, while other variants have built-in LED channels. A current addition to the Prinz range, the Renovation skirting board No. 369, conceals existing ceramic tile skirtings and can be covered for example with LVT Click flooring. In this way, tiled rooms can be renovated with very little effort and with an attractive, matching skirting board. This profile offers a quick and easy solution, especially in rental properties where the subsurface needs to be preserved.

Aluminum skirting boards are particularly durable, and can be installed

without any visible fastening. The material can also be produced in almost any color shade by powdercoating, brushing or polishing the surfaces.

Küberit

Metal or aluminium skirting boards are often purchased for commercial rooms because they are more stable, more robust, and more

NOT JUST A SIMPLE SKIRTING. A REAL PRODUCT DESIGN. THE PAST IS THE BASIS FOR THE FUTURE. THIS IS THE INSPIRATION FOR OUR OLD STYLE SKIRTING LINE: A COMBINATION OF ELEGANCE, REFINEMENT AND GOOD TASTE OF PAST ECHOES GIVES LIFE TO A NEW SKIRTING TYPOLOGY THAT NEVER COMPROMISE ITS NATURAL ELEMENT.

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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Who produces metal/aluminium skirting boards and with what finish?

durable than synthetic or wooden skirting boards. With aluminium skirting boards, anodised silver is the most popular colour, followed by a stainless steel look (also often called titanium) with a brushed surface. Brushed stainless steel is most popular. Metal skirting boards are glued or offered as a two-part clip system. Decorative frames also play a major part. Küberit also offers frames in milled aluminium or synthetic for all popular skirting boards. They offer exterior angles, interior angles, end caps, and connecting elements. With stainless steel skirting boards, the emphasis is on harmonised exterior and interior angles. A special feature is the option of concealing cables in the skirting boards.The advantages of metal and aluminium skirting boards are their stability and look. Skirting boards should be protected from the wall in the floor section, where cleaning appliances and machines have to come right up against the wall.

longer simple finishing elements for renovation only: thanks to their innovation and versatility, these are used indeed to give new perspectives to floors, walls or furnishing accessories. In this way they are a passepartout element designed and well sold in every market, from Europe to the Middle East, from the USA to Australia.

Profilpas

Progress Profiles

Metal or aluminium skirting boards are designed to enhance spaces with a touch of design; featuring a contemporary aesthetic, aluminium skirting boards are also very resistant to wear and do not deform with temperature changes: they can therefore be laid even near fireplaces or radiators. Proskirting LIST is the latest sample produced by Progress Profiles: it is available in different finishes (anodized, polished, brushed or varnished aluminium) and colors, like white and silver (on demand: matt white, titanium or copper). Aluminium or metal baseboards are no

Profilpas aluminium skirting boards Metal Line are synonymous with elegance and versatility. The linear and clean shape combined with the modern design makes these elements easy to apply in each space.

Moreover, Metal Line skirting boards can be easily installed through adhesive and special accessories for internal and external corners, junctions and end caps. Among the many different finishes available, the most popular ones are silver anodised and white colour-coated aluminium, two neutral but elegant colours. Metal Line aluminium skirting boards are a good alternative to traditional skirting boards.

Moreover, they can be installed on different kinds of floors, such as ceramic, marble, wooden, laminate, LVT or carpet floors. Metal Line skirting boards’ versatile design is perfect both for residential and commercial spaces, such as shops, hotels, offices, airports and private houses. Their versatile design is required in the most different markets, thus making them a worldwide product.

Aluminium skirting boards 935 / 950 · High-quality system skirtings · incl. end caps, corners and connector · with cable duct

www.kueberit.com

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Special

Producers of ecological adhesives

THE FIGHT AGAINST VOC A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ‘ENEMY’: WHAT ARE VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS? knows that in order to reduce emissions you have to reduce or even eliminate the quantity of chemical products. Just as with a car, you keep emission values low both before and during the production of the adhesive and afterwards during the application. And so, you make sure that you strive for zero emissions of so called volatile organic compounds (VOC).

VOC in a nutshell It is appropriate here to give some explanation of VOC and for our source we consulted the Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety, en the Environment. They told us that volatile organic compounds are a collection of substances which belong to various chemical families and share the common feature of evaporating quickly at room temperature. The fact is that VOC are composed of carbon and hydrogen.

VOC can have two sorts of origin, namely an anthropogenic and a natural one. The former substances originate from refinement, the evaporation of organic solvents, unburnt gases, and such like, and the latter are created by emissions by plants or certain fermentations. Depending on their origin, they are biologically degradable faster or slower through bacteria and moulds, and even through plants, or degradable through UV or through ozone. Due to their volatile character, they can spread close to or a long way from their emission place. And so, they can have direct and indirect effects.

Photo – Pallmann

Ecology is in the news more than ever before, as we note, for instance, from the many items which the recent climate convention in Glasgow threw up. In the parquet industry, too, green awareness continues to grow, and that’s a good thing. Working with products which cause as little harm as possible benefits the climate, floor users, and parquet floor fitters themselves. Various developments mean that adhesives are now increasingly ‘ harmless’.

Result of reaction What is it that makes an adhesive ‘ecological’? To answer that question, we need to know firstly what an adhesive actually does.

Basically, an adhesive is a substance which joins objects together by creating a reaction between the various ingredients of the adhesive itself or between the adhesive and an external ingredient. This creates an adhesive reaction which is either physical or chemical. In short, the former does not create a chemical reaction, but the latter does. With the latter you can make a further subdivision into different reactions and, therefore, different adhesives. For instance, with dual component adhesives a chemical reaction takes place when the components are joined together. With other adhesives the reaction can be created by other factors such as contact with damp in the atmosphere.

Strictly speaking, you have to look at the ingredients used to assess potentially harmful effects to the environment. Even a young child

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Impact of VOC on health That is all very well, but what we particularly want to know is what impact they have on our health. You should realise that total VOC emissions indicate the organic pollution of the indoor environment.

In contrast to what is generally accepted, VOC as a whole do not have a direct effect on health.

With regard to these VOC, researchers are studying on the one hand the effects of individual substances and, on the other hand, the ‘cocktail effect’ of some compounds which are present in the environment, but the latter should not be confused with the effect of VOC in general. With individual substances, researchers have discovered that some are more problematic than others. Some of them, such as ethanol, for instance, are harmless in ordinary concentrations in the indoor air, others have an effect on the airways (formaldehyde), others are allergenic (limonene), and others still are carcinogenic (benzene or formaldehyde). And so, an evaluation of the specific risks is necessary for each of the substances of the VOC family.

With ‘cocktails’, a mixture of pollutant substances originating from various sources can have pernicious effects on the environment or health, whilst the individual substances on their own do not have those effects. Yet it’s not per se about compounds of VOC amongst themselves. For instance, the effect of particles on the lungs is worsened by the presence of formaldehyde (which is a VOC).

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Producers of ecological adhesives

What's on the market ?

Blanchon The Blanchon range includes three products: two adhesives spread with a spatula and one adhesive in cordon. They all have an A+ rating: AB 2000: This is a strong hybrid polymer adhesive for the full glueing of solid parquet floors in large sizes up to 200mm wide and composite floors up to 400mm wide. It can be used with floor heating. AB 1300: This is a strong polymer hybrid adhesive for the full glueing of solid wooden floors up to 130mm wide and composite floors up to 260mm wide. It is flexible and elastic, with good adhesion on most floors, and is very easy to spread. AB 2000 and AB 1300 have EC1R (GEV-EMICODE) ratings and efficient packs: an aluminium bag of 6kg, easy to spread, and practical. This fully reduces waste and each supplied box contains two bags. Adhesive for glueing in cordon: This is a hybrid polymer adhesive supplied in the form of aluminium ‘sausage’ to be used with a special gun. It is ideal for vertical surfaces such as skirting boards and is also used a lot for cordon fittings on floors. It has excellent flow resistance, sets quickly with strong adhesion, easy extrusion, even at low temperatures.

Bona

made from recycled plastic buckets. The new pack has a modern and attractive look and is made for 75% from recycled plastic. This reduces CO² emissions by up to 13%. It also reduces their CO² footprint by about 60%. Bona also deploys IML technology (in mould labelling): Packs are produced and labelled during the process. The new pack is in line with their goals and results as recorded in their durability report. Their business choices are geared to the 17 global objectives of the UN. Their adhesives are updated and refined to meet the latest environmental standards. Their certificates include EMICODE EC1, DiBt, and GREENGUARD, and that ensures ecological products and a healthy workplace for professionals. Bona goes on with its progressive and durable approach.

Chimiver UNISIL is a prepolymer based, single-component hydro-curing adhesive with a silanic termination (MS technology).

This adhesive is classified as "ELASTIC" according to ISO 17178.

Recommended for gluing prefinished wooden floor onto marble, grit, tiles, ceramic or marble-chip floor, etc. Also suitable for gluing wooden floor onto underfloor heating and cooling system. CERTIFICATES: EC1; ATTESTATION CCA-Environmentally Compatible Product (Certificate issued by Department BEST - Politecnico of Milan CCA Registration No. 20206); Sound Reduction (CSI Test Report No. 0056/DC/ACU/06); Heat conductivity (CSI Test Report No. 0020/ DC/TTS/06). UNISIL can contribute to the achievement of QI CREDIT 4.1 according to the parameters of the GEV dated 03 March 2009, because it meets the certification LEED protocol (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Emfi

With a long history of durability, Bona is still a pioneer in durable innovations and solutions. In the 1970s, Bona started with waterborne parquet lacquers, was then the first to introduce dust-free sanding, and then came the development of parquet oil from renewable raw materials. Bona was also the first player to replace solvent parquet adhesive with silane adhesive. Silane parquet adhesives yield a flexible and strong floor, contain no water or solvents, and are therefore entirely safe to use with no threat to your health. With the silane adhesive Bona Quantum and the next generation of parquet adhesives, they are going another step further in the Bona-Durability-Journey by making use of a durable pack

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Emfi’s adhesives are ecological since they don’t contain any isocyanates or solvents and are graded as EC1+ and A+. These adhesives are suitable for glueing all sorts of solid or composite parquet. They are very easy to apply and you don’t need specific personal protective gear. You are advised simply to work cleanly and not to spread the adhesive onto the parquet. Finally, they don’t have any revolutionary products in the short term for glueing parquet, but they are working on improvements in the medium term.

Soudal Nowadays, 1-component hybrid adhesives are a familiar segment in the market. They contain no water, solvents, or isocyanates, so they can be used without any extra precautions. Moreover, spilt adhesive can easily be removed without damaging the base. The combination of a high strength and ongoing elasticity means they can be deployed very widely, often even without treating the subfloor first. Thanks to their high elasticity, they give the wood more space to swell and shrink, without compromising on efficiency. Soudal hybrid parquet adhesives comply with the international standard for elastic parquet adhesives, have an EC1+ grade, and stand out for performances and convenience.

Furthermore, they are easy to spread, the adhesive grooves show excellent form stability, and they set quickly, things which are all important for a perfectly finished wooden floor. Moreover, all hybrid parquet adhesives from Soudal are used in combination with floor heating and cooling.

STAUF

Mapei

Mapei has a wide range of parquet adhesives for each specific base.

They present to you the following selection from their range of polymer mono-component adhesives which are ready for use. The Ultrabond Eco S948 1K is a 1-component parquet based on hybrid polymers for solid and multilayer parquet with a long open spreading time. The Ultrabond ECO S955 1 K is a solventless 1-component adhesive which contains no isocyanates and is based on silane polymers for all sorts of parquet. The Ultrabond S968 1K is a solventless 1-component adhesive which contains no isocyanates and is based on silane polymers for all sorts of parquet and has no volatile organic compounds. They always advise you to consult the technical information sheet on www.mapei.be. If you are in any doubt, please ask our Mapei product specialists.

STAUF develops sustainable adhesives The adhesives specialist STAUF is currently working on three new developments. With one product each from the dispersion adhesives range, from the silane adhesives range and from the polyurethane adhesives range, the experts at STAUF are developing three adhesives that cover the most diverse areas of parquet installation, but all have two key properties: They have a significantly lower density and thus a much higher range than products previously available on the market. All three adhesives represent the TOP product in the STAUF portfolio with outstanding properties and application approvals.

Wider range, less weight With these new developments, STAUF is making a further contribution to greater sustainability in construction chemicals, as they allow significantly more square meters of parquet to be installed per kilogram of adhesive. In addition, the low-density adhesives are significantly lighter than usual adhesives. The lower weight saves resources, has a favorable effect on transport costs and emissions, and above all is easy on the craftsman. The higher range of up to 35%, depending on the adhesive, ensures correspondingly lower consumption.

Strong research & development With the new products in the field of sustainable parquet adhesives, STAUF once again proves its traditional strength in research and development. Since the company's foundation, i.e. since 1828, STAUF has repeatedly developed groundbreaking adhesive technologies that have revolutionized the sector.

MAPEI HAS A WIDE RANGE OF PARQUET ADHESIVES FOR EACH SPECIFIC BASE. They present to you the following selection from their range of polymer mono-component adhesives which are ready for use.

The Ultrabond Eco S948 1K is a 1-component parquet based on hybrid polymers for solid and multilayer parquet with a long open spreading time.

The Ultrabond ECO S955 1K is a solventless 1-component adhesive which contains no isocyanates and is based on silane polymers for all sorts of parquet.

The Ultrabond S968 1K is a solventless 1-component adhesive which contains no isocyanates and is based on silane polymers for all sorts of parquet and has no volatile organic compounds.

WE ALWAYS ADVISE YOU TO CONSULT THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION SHEET ON WWW.MAPEI.BE IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT, PLEASE ASK OUR MAPEI PRODUCT SPECIALISTS.

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Who sells LVT, PVC, vinyl or design floors for the project market

ENDLESS OPTIONS PROJECT RANGE IS ALSO GROWING STEADILY Robert Siewes (Egger Benelux) ‘Egger floors are housed in a durable and decorative total story.’

The Egger family business started in 1961 as a chipboard factory in St. Johann in Tyrol, Austria. At the end of 2021, we see a big international family company with 60 different nationalities in 20 factories and 25 sales offices worldwide. Wood was the core product from the very start and this is still the case today. Egger continues to be a total vendor of wood and wood products for the whole interior.

Floor Forum International spoke to Robert Siewes, sales manager of EFP Benelux, about the range of floors. We discovered that Egger has some big plans for the immediate future. In particular, they want to establish a better connection between the decorative products and the range for the floor. One consequence of that is that they also want to be increasingly active on the project market.

More from wood Our interviewee comments: ‘Our company slogan “More from wood” summarises perfectly what our company is about. Everything that we make is produced solely with wood, so you won’t find items such as PVC or vinyl here because that would contradict our philosophy.

Our philosophy also states that we work only with ecological products and give priority to durability in the entire pro-duction chain. We also strive to be the market leader in everything that we do.’

In the floor range, Robert Siewes refers particularly to the Design Green Tec and Comfort floor sorts.

‘If you look at Comfort, you notice that it’s based on cork. That is a product which has been used in the past in flats and deck floors. For us, Design Green Tec is mainly important as a floor which forms an equivalent to PVC and vinyl floors. One of its great strengths is that, despite the fact that it is based on wood, it is waterproof and can be fitted in wet rooms.’

‘A central thread in the development in recent years is how strongly we’ve committed ourselves to waterproof floors, in combination with design. In that respect we are now a leader in the sector, as proved by a Nalfa study which we recently had carried out. After extensive tests, this big and inde-pendent organisation in the USA gave us the label of 72 hours of waterproof quality, something which is unique in comparison with similar traders on the market.’

Towards a thickness of 7.5mm ‘In recent times, we’ve refined our floors with product improvements. What’s particularly worth mentioning is our Design Green Tec, which went from 5 7.5mm thick. We opted here for an under-lay in cork and a somewhat thicker panel to make the floor more stable.

We also tackled the top layer, so that we now meet class 33, whereby the floor is suitable for intensive commercial use.’

In the context of this dossier we want to know mainly how Egger responds to the needs of the pro-ject market. What we do know is that the company was particularly active in the residential seg-ment, but that is changing fast.

‘We’re moving more and more towards the project market. For that purpose we’re increasingly stressing the link to our decorative products, with which we’ve been working on for much longer with architects and buyers. What it comes down to is that we’re increasingly matching our products to each other and offering them interactively in a total concept. And so, we connect our decorative panels, which are not end products, to our floors, which are such an end product, so that architects can contact us for all elements.’

‘We’ve tested this approach over the last year and launched it for the first time during the Pro Wood show in Ghent, Belgium. Reactions were highly favourable, and that has further convinced us that in the near future we can do a lot of good business by offering our total story! We were known in the project sector for the decorative, but not for the floors, and now we’re changing that per-ception.’ www.egger.com

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Vinyl floors are making rapid strides, not only in residential properties, but also in commercial properties as well. In terms of looks, these floors bear a striking resemblance to linoleum, but they are nevertheless different. Linoleum is completely natural, whilst vinyl is made on the basis of petroleum derivatives. What do vinyl floors have to offer parquet professionals?

If we consider firstly what vinyl is, it will then largely be clear why this type of floor is so popular. Vinyl comprises a flexible synthetic which consists of various layers: a bottom layer, a protective glass fibre layer, a design, and the top layer. The durability of vinyl depends on the thickness of the top layer and the solidarity of the base layer. An extra protective layer makes the floor more durable and scratch-proof. For commercial use, add also a wide choice of colours and designs, low maintenance, and natural sound insulation and it becomes clear why vinyl is so popular.

Amongst the various types of vinyl, there is one type which is used a lot on the commercial market and stands out. This is a glued and very sturdy floor which is 2 to 2.5mm thick. In addition, there are also floated fitting flexible vinyl planks with a click system on offer, and there is rigid vinyl, which has a sturdy and waterproof core. That latter is easier to fit and requires less preparation of the base. With this rigid vinyl, you glue a thin layer of vinyl onto a sturdy and waterproof base or the layers are pressed together to form a uniform product. For that matter there’s also woven vinyl, where a small amount of polyester is added to the vinyl. What’s attractive about this variant is that it is highly durable, has a long lifespan, and is easy to maintain. However, on the other hand, you can’t combine it with floor heating and it isn’t suitable for damp rooms.

Fitting How do you fit this vinyl? Here, too, there are various options, depending on the type of vinyl. Vinyl is available in various sizes in

rolls, strips, and tiles (hence the name LVT or Luxury Vinyl Tiles).

Vinyl in rolls has no joints, unlike vinyl in strips and tiles (although the joints are quite thin). Manufacturers have several variants on offer for fitting vinyl. You can glue it, weld it warm, or click it. You always apply the same principle with which parquet floor fitters are very familiar: Make sure that the base is absolutely clean and dry. Moreover, remember that vinyl is thin, so any unevenness soon shows up.

Maintenance When you fit vinyl, you should certainly tell clients that it’s best to vacuum clean the floor every week and that regular mopping is also needed. For mopping it’s best to use a pH neutral detergent.

You can’t just use anything for the maintenance because vinyl needs special treatment to protect it from marks and streaks. And so, consider carefully the composition of the cleaning product so that the treatment given in advance isn’t neutralised. Remember, too, that scouring, wax, and varnish are sworn enemies and point out that warm objects can damage the floor.

We should also point out that although this material is scratchresistant, that doesn’t mean that it is also scratch-proof. And so, you can best advise clients to use door mats and not to slide objects over the floor, but to pick them up. Felt pads under furniture are also highly recommended.

Easy on the eye If we consider the range briefly, you yourself will certainly have noticed that this has expanded considerably in recent years and not just for residential floors. Actually, anything you can think of results in a version emerging on offer. And so, apart from parquet and ceramic tiles, you also find things such as a look of concrete or natural stone or finishes with fantasy colours and designs.

Photo – Egger – EPD036

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Top Belgian companies focused on export

THE NUMBER OF SAWMILLS CONTINUES TO FALL SURVEY SHOWS THAT THE SECTOR STILL FACES MAJOR UNCERTAINTIES Stefaan Vandecasteele (Vandecasteele Houtimport - B) ‘Our goal: From 2025, we aim to trade only in certified wood.’

Vandecasteele Houtimport, based in Aalbeke near Kortrijk, is a major player in the Belgian timber industry. It is a family business now in its fifth generation and it imports timber and timber products from over 45 countries worldwide. The company specialises in the import, trade, and export of tropical hardwood from Africa, South-East Asia, and Latin America. The company also supplies Scandinavian and Russian softwood, Siberian larch, North American soft and hardwood, and European hardwood.

The company was founded in 1883 by Louis Vandecasteele and has passed from generation to generation to its present owner Stefaan Vandecasteele, so this company from Aalbeke has booked years of experience and life has been anything but dull. On the country, this company, now almost 140 years old, has proven itself to be a master in adapting constantly to an ever rapidly changing industry. Obviously, the company focuses on its customers and is also strongly committed to sustainability. They are even aiming to supply only certified wood by 2025.

Gaining and maintaining trust How has Vandecasteele Houtimport managed over the years? Floor Forum International interviewed owner Stefaan Vandecasteele and opened the discussion with perhaps the most important question of all: How have you managed to gain and maintain customer trust for all those years?

Stefaan Vandecasteele explains: ‘Actually, it’s quite simple. We strive for partnerships with both customers and suppliers and everything stands or falls with the mutual trust of all the parties concerned. Those customers consist of wood importers, wood traders, and industrial joiners. 50% of them are located in Belgium and 50% in the rest of Europe, although our major export countries are our neighbours: France, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries. Customers can consult our stock through our online portal and place orders. We provide the transport or prepare the parcels ready for collection.’

‘One of our strengths is our flexibility. We can quickly respond to the market needs thanks to our own fleet of 17 vehicles. Due to our great stock holding, we can deliver various species of timber from Africa, the Far East, Russia, and Latin and North America within a few days. This makes us the first choice of many importers and traders. We also have an extensive storage facility on 20 hectares of land where we stock over 120,000m³ of timber.'

Investing for the future We’ve noticed a lot of investments this year at Vandecasteele Houtimport. For instance, they have purchased no fewer than 17 new Volvo lorries with Volvo Connect tracking system, five new side loaders (one of them fully electric), and 10 new trailers. Furthermore, the rack system has been extended and is now 7.5km long.

‘And there’s more,’ Stefaan Vandecasteele continues. ‘We’ve also invested in new IT instruments in order to make our due diligence more robust.

We’ve also said that the company attaches great importance to sustainability and the environment.

‘We’re not only committed to nature and certified wood, our stockholding of hardwoods and softwoods is coupled with strong environmental credentials (FSC®, PEFC, OLB, NCLS, …) We have set a challenging goal to only trade in certified timbers from 2025.

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Choose life, Choose wood

At the moment, all our softwood is certified, as is over 60% of the tropical hardwood. This figure is growing constantly and makes us the biggest stockist of certified tropical timber in Europe. For instance, we have over 120 different species in stock, something which is huge service in these days of shortage. For each purchase we have a team of colleagues who verify the legality of the timber and each parcel is checked on arrival for quality, quantity, etc.’

Charter for Sustainable Enterprise and the SDG PIONEER certificate ‘Maybe the best illustration of our quest for sustainability is how we use the Charter for Sustainable Enterprise as an instrument to strive for perfection. This charter helps us reinforce our standards and values, which can then serve as an example for other companies. Since the year 2000 Vandecasteele Houtimport has committed itself through the Corporate Sustainability Charter by signing up to environmental objectives exceeding applicable environmental legislation.'

The Charter has evolved over the years from the Environmental Charter, over the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Charter (2008) to the Voka Sustainable Entrepreneurship Charter (2018) with the integration of the 17 United Nations Sustainability Goals.

Vandecasteele Houtimport is the first timber company in the world to have obtained the Unitar- SDG Pioneer Award!

Photo © Dieter Dejonghe

This year, Vandecasteele Houtimport has achieved the Charter for the 20th time in a row which makes Vandecasteele one of the few laureates who participated for 20 consecutive years and successfully completed the trajectory. All the initiatives are linked to the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. A good annual assessment ultimately yields an annual certificate of the Voka Sustainable Business Charter. When the final balance is positive after three years, and companies have elaborated at least one action in each SDG, companies receive the internationally recognized Unitar-SDG Pioneer certificate.

Buying from a responsible supplier makes you a responsible customer.

2025 – our aim is to trade in Certified timber only from 2025 onwards

Using timber tackles climate change

If we summarise this briefly, we have to use the expression long-term vision.

Stefaan Vandecasteele concludes: ‘That’s precisely what it’s all about. With every step we take, we have future objectives in mind. We are striving to become European market leader in the trade of the widest range of certified timber which originates from well managed forests. In doing so, we want to maximise the social, economic, and ecological value of wood now and in the future where the use of wood as a sustainable building and construction material has to be quite normal. After all, wood is the most ecological and sustainable material that you can find!’ www.vandecasteele.be

Using timber is good Using certified timber is wonderful

Contact Bergstraat 25 8511 Aalbeke België vandecasteele.be

genevieve@vandecasteele.be +32 56 43 33 00 dave@vandecasteele.be +44 15 94 83 43 32

Special

Top Belgian companies focused on export

In recent months, we’ve been bombarded with rising raw material prices. Moreover, wood has become one of the most notably expensive raw materials. Sawmills form a specific component within the woodwork industry. How are they getting on at the moment? In recent months, the Belgian Wood Confederation and the technical wood information centre Hout Info Bois have conducted a survey within the sawmill sector. They wanted to found out not only about activities in the sawmills, but also about tendencies and trends in the short and long terms.

Both parties interviewed staff from about half of the 95 sawmills in Belgium (32 in Flanders and 63 in Wallonia). They covered a good spread of the various sawmill types (hardwood, softwood, and a mix) and the summary included all the biggest production units. All this yielded a representative sample.

Falling number of sawmills The first finding did not come as a surprise, namely that the number of sawmills in Belgium continues to fall both in Flanders and Wallonia.

The total consumption of round wood in the sector is also still falling, from 3.7 million cubic metres in 2010 (3.3 million cubic metres of softwood and 370,000 cubic metres of hardwood) to about 2.9 million cubic metres in 2021 (2.7 million cubic metres of softwood and 217,000 cubic metres of hardwood). And so, in terms of production the disappearance of smaller sawmills is not being offset by an increasing capacity in the bigger sawmills.

What we notice is that in Belgium about 217,000 cubic metres of hardwood is sawn per annum, two thirds of it in Flanders. More than half of the total volume of sawn hardwood is poplar (also mainly in Flanders), followed by oak. Poplar wood is sold mainly as packaging wood (e.g. for pallets or crates), whilst oak is sold mainly to (Belgian) joiners and timber traders. It is noticeable that the lion’s share of hardwood round wood comes from Belgium itself. Nevertheless, sawmills are increasingly looking abroad for their stocks. Over a period of 10 years, foreign purchases have risen from 11% to 41%.

Sawing of softwood 2.7 million cubic metres of softwood are sawn in Belgium, 93% of it in Wallonia. It is noted that, as in the past, the vast majority of it consists of spruce (all the more so in times of bark beetle crisis), but that the share of douglas wood is increasing regularly. About two thirds of the softwood product is sold to building companies or other companies in the second round of processing (e.g. for pallets or packaging), whilst 30% goes to timber traders.

With purchases, we notice in comparison with 2010 an increase in the portion of stems from abroad (45% in 2020 as opposed to 20% in 2010). This is probably a result of the bark beetle crisis, with large volumes of affected trees from Germany and France.

Lessons from the survey The Belgian Wood Confederation has drawn a number of conclusions from the survey, but we won’t mention all of them here: - Despite the good period for Belgian sawmills during the final few months of 2020 and the first half of 2021, the sector still faces major uncertainties. Recent conditions should not be allowed to conceal the real structural problems in the sector.

- In particular, the uncertainty surrounding round wood stocks is causing sawmills concern.

- Since 92.6% of the total volume of round wood sawn by sawmills consists for 3.9% of poplar and for 2.8% of oak, it is essential that forestry policy takes account of the reality of sawmills and the needs of the local timber industry.

- It is perfectly possible to meet the demands of woodworkers and the market via modern forestry technology in a context of climate change.

- There is a need for a support framework to ensure the supplies of Belgian sawmills.

- It appears that the sector will have to change in two significant ways in the long term: changes regarding available raw produce and changes in consumption habits of end users.

Source: Survey on ‘The sawmill sector’ on the initiative of the Belgian Wood Confederation and Hout Info Bois by Vincent Defays and Andries Saerens.

B-FIX B-Fix can present over 15 years of experience in invisible fastening systems for terraces and planks and accompanying accessories. B-Fix is the fruit of years of expertise in fitting wooden terraces and outdoor woodwork in general. The most important product is the B-Fix invisible fastening system, a universal system deployed for a whole range of wood sorts and composites. The company steers a consistent course thanks to product innovations and expansion into new markets.

B-Fix employs six people on the payroll, but, apart from them, several other people are involved in the activities. The sheltered workshop, which concentrates on packing, is an integral part of the projects. Each year, the company completes several hundred thousands of square metres and the capacity leaves room for growth.

Innovation is an ongoing concern. As regards exports, they concentrate mainly at present on the United States, the Scandinavian countries, Greece, Germany, and the Middle East. +32 (0) 10 40 07 90 - info@b-fix.be - www.b-fix.be

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Parquet and laminate are growing, but growth will slow down.

What is the position exactly with the wooden flooring market and, by extension, also the ‘related’ floor laminate in Belgium? Statistics from FEP (European Federation of the Parquet Industry) and the EPLF (Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring) provide some clarification. It is striking that both parquet and laminate have done more than adequately despite the pandemic.

During the 45th parquet congress in Athens on 21 October this year, the FEP announced that the consumption of parquet during the first half of 2021 had risen in comparison with the same period a year earlier. The covid 19 measures had little or no effect, but it was certainly clear that the motors of the growth in consumption were renovation works and alterations of houses to prepare them for life after the pandemic. The FEP expects that the growth will slow down during the second half of 2021. The biggest problems at this moment are stock problems and a shortage of trained workers.

There are no figures about the exact growth specifically for Belgium, but it is interesting to make a comparison with two of our neighbouring countries, namely France and Germany. During the first half of 2021, France achieved growth in double figures and there is still growth of 5% as compared to the same period in 2019. German consumption of parquet rose by 8 to 10% during the first half of 2021 as compared to the same period a year earlier. During the third quarter of 2021, there were some clear signs that the growth had slowed down.

For 2020, the EPLF has also announced increases in the sale of laminate, but they are less spectacular. In general, there was growth of 2.74% worldwide as compared to 2019. Figures were not yet available for the first half of 2021, but in view of the fact that the pandemic almost brought the flooring industry to a complete standstill in the spring of 2020, the announcement of even more growth can be expected.

Looking at the world market, North America recorded the biggest increase in turnover with 22.4% as compared to 2019 and 49.1 million square metres of sales. Another positive trend has developed in Western Europe, where the total sales reached 225.7 million square metres, which represents an increase of 3.6% as compared to 2019. The reasons for the increase which are given are exactly the same as in the parquet sector: On the one hand, there is the popularity of renovation works and, on the other hand, the attraction of DIY projects during the pandemic.

Here, too, no specific figures were given for Belgium, but the growth probably lies between that of neighbouring countries Germany and the Netherlands. Last year, Germany continued to be the strongest laminate market in Europe with a turnover of 52.7 million square metres (+6.1% in comparison with 2019). In the Netherlands turnover rose by 13.8% to 21.1 million square metres of sold floors. The only big country in western Europe where turnover fell was Spain (14.6 million square metres sold, a drop of 12.8%).

Choose life, ChooseVANDECASTEELE wood HOUTIMPORT

r Dejonghe

Buying from a Recently added responsible in our range of timbers – European Oak and Beech. supplier Vandecasteele Houtimport - Bergstraat 25 - BE 8511 Aalbeke - Belgium genevieve@vandecasteele.be - www.vandecasteele.be makes- dave@vandecasteele.be you a responsible customer.

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YOUR PARTNER IN CERTIFIED TIMBER AMERICAN TEMPERATE HARDWOODS & CLEAR GRADE SOFTWOODS TROPICAL HARDWOODS EUROPEAN HARDWOODS & SOFTWOODS SIBERIAN LARCH THERMOTREATED TIMBER VANDECASTEELE HOUTIMPORT IS A TRADITIONAL FAMILY RUN BUSINESS. STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS (FSC® - PEFC – OLB - ..)

ARE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE BUSINESS. We specialize in the import and distribution of softwoods and hardwoods from around the world and offer our customers throughout Europe excellent choice, value, availability and service in an ecologically responsible manner in perfect harmony with customers, suppliers and environment.

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Top Belgian companies focused on export

BONA TRUE WOOD FEEL

Bona’s head office is located in Malmo, Sweden. The company has offices worldwide in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) and the United States. Bona also has five production units worldwide.

Bona has a dedicated and enthusiastic team of over 500 workers on a mission ‘To bring out the best in floors.’

Bona’s combination of experience, knowledge, and technology and their 17 international offices give you high performance & safety and durable solutions.

Passion, performance, and pioneering have been the main features of Bona ever since the start of their company in 1919. Those are their values which you will see in all that they do, from their products and corporate culture to their sustainable working method. It’s about more than the way in which they run the company; it’s also about their interaction with the rest of the world.

Contact Bona Belgium: +32 (0)2 72 12 759 - infobelgium@bona.com www.bona.com - Facebook: Bona Professional Belgium

RAW EXPERIENCE, TRUE PROTECTION Bona Traffic HD Raw – Creating ultra matt floors with great durability Bona Traffic HD Raw brings a uniquely true wood experience into the world of lacquered floors. Offering an ultra matt floor surface with a high level of protection, Bona Traffic HD Raw creates a soft haptic feeling of untreated wood.

A pleasure to walk on with high slip safety makes Bona Traffic HD Raw great for homes with both children and pets, as well as commercial floor surfaces. Bona Traffic HD Raw - the raw experience of wood, protected.

CSP ENGINEERING

bona.com/trafficHDraw

CSP Engineering is a developer of smart technology and a constructor of special purpose machines for the wood flooring industry, located in Belgium. With more than 20 years of experience and a strong internal know-how, CSP Engineering became a true specialist in this niche market. CSP Responds to the needs of its customers, follows the trends in the market and provide standard as well as a tailor-made solution in different stages of the production of wood flooring elements. Caring about a personal and customer-focused service, is why CSP involves its customers in every phase of the project, always happy to help finding the right solution.

This approach and its open mind for new developments, makes that customers come to CSP Engineering spontaneous to discuss their challenges and future needs, which leads to new ideas, new opportunities and new developments.

From the foundation of the company until 2008, CSP Engineering laid a solid foundation with the development and construction of special machines and automation in the wood industry in general. Its sales area was mainly Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Subsequently, CSP Engineering started to specialize in the development and construction of specific machines for niches in the parquet industry. PARScan® and PAR-Duo® were developed and successfully marketed.

In 2014, when the development of PAR-Filler® (automatic machine for filling knots and cracks in wooden floorboards) was successfully completed, a new chapter started for this Belgian company. CSP Engineering went international. One PAR-Filler® machine after another was built. Barely 4 years later, CSP Engineering had customers from Northern to Southern Europe.

Based on the in-house knowledge and experience, new insights and market demand, PAR-Filler® Mono and PAR-Filler® Duplex were developed, each tailored to a specific production capacity. With these new types, CSP Engineering is looking beyond the borders of the EU. The first projects for a number of Canadian parquet manufacturers are planned for 2022 and it appears there is a major interest in those regions.

As a niche specialist for the development of specific solutions for the parquet sector, CSP Engineering has, in addition to automatic filling machines, solutions for the production of 2-layer floor parts and a range of modular automation building blocks. The Kempen company also offers various solutions for the automatic measuring, labelling, packing and stacking of parquet.

With a clear vision to the future, people are working hard on new innovations.

More on this soon … +32 (0) 14 37 77 52 - www.csp-engineering.com - sales@csp-engineering.com

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DEVOMAT INDUSTRIES

Devomat Industries was founded on 8 February 1980, and started developing the Woodboy® machine and related products. A system that quickly became a great success, with a brand name that has almost become a household name. Over the years, Devomat Industries has continued to develop and today mainly serves the professional market with a full range of primers, adhesives, oils, lacquers, maintenance products, machines, abrasives and accessories for parquet and plank- flooring. The core activity of Devomat Industries is the development and commercialisation of "Devo® - Professional Floor Products", a full range of machines, abrasives and products for the installation and finishing of parquet floors and the maintenance of all types of floors. Devo's main products are Lignum Pura: the invisible wood protection, High Solid Oil: a high performance single layer oil, Master 3D: the efficient 3-disc machine, and after 40 years still the Woodboy machine. Devomat has 14 employees at the head office for sales and distribution in Belgium. Recently, Devomat Industries launched the new parquet sanders Devo Belt MC 200 and Devo Speed XS 150 and XS 150. Technical innovations have been implemented on the Devo Master 3D. In 2018, Devo Turbo Fiberpad caused a shockwave in sanding materials country. At this moment the launch of a new groundbreaking invisible finishing product "Lignum Pura" has started.

Export goes to the Netherlands, France, GH-Luxembourg, Germany, Romania, Latvia, and USA. +32 (0) 3 450 94 70 - info@devomat.be - www.devomat.be - www.devonatural.be - www.woodboy.be

KERKHOFS PARKET

Kerkhofs Parket traces its history back to 1993 when just two people did the production. Today, the team comprises 17 people and their capacity is 220,000m² per annum. They can call upon a strong European network based mainly in England and the Netherlands. Kerkhofs Parket manufactures only solid parquet floors. They specialise in producing customised floors or ‘Bespoke Flooring’. Think here of herringbone, Hungarian point, or Viennese point and a huge variety of style panels like Versailles and Chantilly. The most renowned parquet floors are Burgundy, which is 8/9mm thick, and classic Tapis (traditional parquet), with a thickness of 6mm. This year, they’ve teamed up with Vermeister, a specialist in ecological products. Kerkhofs makes a high priority of durability and endeavours to use reclaimed wood. Their partnership with Vermeister helps them to reduce the ecological footprint.

Kerkhofs Parket, Ambachtslaan 1013, 3990 Peer, +32 (0) 11 63 64 00 - info@parketkerkhofs.be - www.parketkerkhofs.be

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Top Belgian companies focused on export

OUTDOOR WOOD CONCEPTS® Woodface®, original façade solutions from Outdoor Wood Concepts® Outdoor Wood Concepts® launched its Woodface® façade cladding on the market in 2013. This unique solution, in which wood is alternated with aluminium, allows for infinite combinations. Woodface® owes its timeless appeal to designer Roel Vandebeek - #itsaroel. Woodface® was conferred a Henri Van De Velde label in 2014 and selected

by Designregio Kortrijk as one of the region’s 50 most innovative products. Thanks to Woodface®, every façade is given a distinct #itsaroel stamp: - A pronounced vertical interplay of lines - A sense of rhythm and texture thanks to the pattern created by alternating differently shaped wooden profiles - A distinctive contrast between wood and aluminium The benefits of Woodface® in a nutshell: - A unique combination of 9 wooden and 2 aluminium profiles - Infinite combinations in diverse types of wood - Available in all RAL colours, Qualicoat Seaside finish possible - Technical construction details available - Fire safety rating: Ds2,d0 or Bs3,d0 If you have a concrete project or technical questions, do not hesitate to contact us. + 32 (0) 56 96 71 40 - info@outdoorwoodconcepts.be - www.outdoorwoodconcepts.be

RUBIO MONOCOAT

YOUR PARTNER IN WOOD PROTECTION

BIG AT HOME AND ABROAD Rubio Monocoat is known as a brand with a wide choice of products for wood protection. For colours there are endless options as well. The ‘King of Colours’ became big thanks to the revolutionary technology of molecular binding. Today, the Rubio Monocoat family covers more than 82 countries, with around 300 employees worldwide. Meanwhile, more than 50,000,000 m² of wood is protected and colored with Rubio Monocoat oil every year.

Rubio Monocoat offers lots of products for interior, exterior and the industry. The range has been expanded over the years including optional pre-colours and a complete range of maintenance and cleaning products. The top product of the pioneer remains Oil Plus 2C, a still unprecedented oil that colors and protects your interior wood in one single layer. Thanks to the advanced and unique technology of molecular binding, Rubio Monocoat oil guarantees sustainable protection that doesn’t harm the environment and its users (0% VOC), and this in 40 standard colours. In addition, the wood oil Hybrid Wood Protector (20 colours) and the wax cream Rubio WoodCream (27 colours) are the perfect example of innovation and quality for protecting your exterior wood.

In need of the right tips & tricks? Or looking for inspiration for your next project? Then be sure to follow our social media channels through @rubiomonocoat or visit our website www.rubiomonocoat.com. +32 (0) 51 30 80 54 - info@rubiomonocoat.com

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∂ Industry news FN Neuhofer | Branchentag Holz FN Neuhofer showcased its innovations at the Branchentag Holz

Already well known for its innovative strength, FN Neuhofer presented its products at the Branchentag Holz (09. – 10.11.2021) in Cologne, Germany.

Among other things, its white skirtings, which are still very much in vogue, were on display in many different shapes, substrate materials (spruce, pine, beech, obeche and MDF) and surfaces (lacquered, foiled, paintable). But a matching decor of base and skirting still plays an important role as well. At FN Neuhofer, this can be perfectly realised on skirtings, floor profiles, corners and door frame skirtings thanks to its in-house “FN digiprint” digital printing. However, the family-owned company also offers natural ancient wood – in the form of beams, boards with sunburnt surfaces and original chopped boards. These can be used for a wide variety of purposes, e.g. for tables, armchairs, shelves, wall elements, floors and much more. Ancient wood can be used to create a very special living ambience with a high feel-good factor. The sawn wood with forest edge was also presented. A rustic look, the individualisation of the living space, "back to nature", the sawn timber, where the original forest edge with bark is still visible – these inspire the imagination and open up a large playground of creative possibilities to embellish living spaces. Items of furniture, wall decoration, modern wardrobes – everything is possible with these planed boards for DIY in your own four walls. In addition, the trade audience was presented with products that are very quick and easy to assemble (screw, nail, glue), as the time factor in particular plays an important role in the trade. Of course, the special needs of wholesalers were also addressed with vigour.

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

Wintersteiger & Perception Park deliver automated quality control using "chemical sensing" Using the Perception HEAD enables the Woodtech Division of Wintersteiger AG to precisely detect the structure of defects in wood. This allows chemical characteristics such as blue stain, weak spots, branch decay, galls, and knotholes to be precisely scanned & machined, setting new quality assurance standards in the timber industry.

Changes in the price of wood alongside new material requirements and applications present challenges in the growing, constantly shifting timber market. At the same time, this offers up opportunities for innovative timber processors aided by improved quality control and

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long-term cost savings. The application of chemical sensing in the timber industry addresses quality requirements, price pressures, and application innovation all in one. Scanner technology is among Wintersteiger's core competencies and is applied in systems for timber surface repair as well as in diverse sorting lines. Perception Park now supplies the Perception HEAD, a special solution that uses hyperspectral imaging technology. This innovative technology that enables the "chemical sensing" of the raw material to be identified has aroused a great deal of interest among Austrian machinery and plant engineering businesses. “Our current scanner technology gives us information on the geometry, position, color, and size of a defect, such as a knot or a crack in the wood. Our solutions from the "Timber Repair & Cosmetics" product group can then automatically clean or machine out the defect and permanently fill it. Hyperspectral imaging will then additionally tell us about the structure of a defect. So, only those defects that would cause problems in the downstream process, such as knotholes, can be pinpointed and removed. That way, you can achieve a more natural look,” explains Markus Weissenbrunner, Head of Strategic Product Development at Wintersteiger AG, as he sets out his vision for how the HSI technology could be used. Another application example can be found where there is a need to distinguish heartwood from sapwood when cutting green round timber, such as pinewood. Since the color of the heartwood will only change on contact with UV light, production has to be halted to be able to definitively detect the differences. Using the Perception HEAD means the wood can be scanned and classified at the sawing stage.

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DINACHOC C901 PROFESSIONAL HYBRID ADHESIVE WITH NO VOC DINACHOC C901 adhesive has been developed specially for fitting parquet and subfloors (DINACHOC S801). DINACHOC C901 is a monocomponent hybrid adhesive, beige in colour, odourless, solventless, free of isocyanates, free of formaldehyde, A+ graded, and EC1+ labelled. And so, it emits very few volatile organic compounds. It is healthy and odourless, has a pleasant texture to work with, and guarantees a professional result.

The C901 adhesive is even suitable for extra wide planks and exotic wood sorts. It can be used for all substrates and most furnishings e.g. porous or impervious, concrete and anhydrite covering floors, P3 fibre-reinforced covering floors, high and low temperature floor heating, floor cooling, wood, tiles, ceramics, natural stone, OSB, etc.

Another advantage is that the adhesive adapts to the intrinsic properties of the wood. Since the adhesive stays elastic, it follows the movements of solid parquet when it reacts to atmospheric changes indoors. However, it is also suitable for composite parquet which is designed to stay in its place.

The ecological C901 adhesive is made in France and is sold exclusively

by Dinachoc. It is highly effective with a setting time of 40 to 80 minutes. The adhesive has excellent adhesion throughout that time span and stays flexible, even after polymerisation.

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∂ Product news FLOORING MANUFACTURER BERRYALLOC TRAVELS ACROSS EUROPE WITH A MOBILE SHOWROOM BerryAlloc is touring through Europe with its BerryAlloc Experience Tour from September to December 2021. The flooring manufacturer fitted out an entire truck in the iconic BerryAlloc style – both the inside and outside – to create a mobile showroom. The purpose was to give clients the opportunity to experience the full product range in a fun and creative manner, including interactive activities to test the quality of the floors.

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

STAUF DEVELOPS SUSTAINABLE ADHESIVES

WEP 180

The adhesives specialist STAUF is currently working on three new developments. With one product each from the dispersion adhesives range, from the silane adhesives range and from the polyurethane adhesives range, the experts at STAUF are developing three adhesives that cover the most diverse areas of parquet installation, but all have two key properties: They have a significantly lower density and thus a much higher range than products previously available on the market. All three adhesives represent the TOP product in the STAUF portfolio with outstanding properties and application approvals.

range, less weight ED RENOVATION: ALLWider IN With theseONE! new developments, STAUF is making a further contribution to greater sustainability in construction chemicals, as they allow significantly more square meters of parquet to be installed per kilogram of adhesive. In addition, the low-density adhesives are significantly lighter than usual adhesives. The lower weight saves resources, has a favorable effect on transport costs and emissions, and above all is easy on the craftsman. The higher range of up to 35%, depending on the adhesive, ensures correspondingly lower consumption.

Strong research & development With the new products in the field of sustainable parquet adhesives, STAUF once again proves its traditional strength in research and development. Since the company's foundation, i.e. since 1828, STAUF has repeatedly developed groundbreaking adhesive technologies that have revolutionized the sector.

MADE IN GERMANY www.stauf.de | info@stauf.de

THE NEW KÜBERIT SKIRTING TRIM Skirting trim professionally renovated 31.01.2020 07:45:26 share of residential construction at 68%. Work on Renovations are trending as the leading existing buildings in commercial and public building construction is also predominant.

For this major potential, the profile manufacturer Küberit has completed its wide range of floor, wall and stair profiles with the new skirting trim type 928 for the renovation of tile skirtings.

When installing LVT flooring, they enable a base that is as attractive as it is durable and has the same decor.

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00321 Visualcom – VE

CONTEMPORARY

MASTERPIECE R AIL SYSTEM

ONE INSTALLATION MORE FORMATS SLIDING HEADS AND A LU M I N I U M J O I S T F O R M I X E D A N D O F F- F O R M AT F LO O R S .

W I T H R A I L S Y S T E M YO U C A N L AY A L S O C E R A M I C S L A B S I N “ D EC K I N G F O R M AT ” OF ANY SHAPE AND DIMENSION.

S C A N O R G O TO I M P E R T E K .C O M

170 rue de la Roque�e 75011 Paris contact@dinachoc.com - www.dinachoc.fr Contact : +33 7 83 02 03 14

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.

INSULATION FLOORS AND WALLS

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.

FILTERS NEIGHBOUR NOISE

2mm 3mm 5mm 10mm

50-YEAR GUARANTEE

Tested (and approved) S801 technology for over 10 years

MUFFS ANNOYING SOUNDS

Long-lasting performances Shared serenity!

- Available thicknesses : 2 mm , 3 mm, 5 mm et 10 mm - Acous�c insula�on : from ΔLW 19 dB to ΔLW 22 dB - Highly resistant to cracks, even at extreme temperatures (-40°C to + 110°C) - Unchanging : It does not shrink or distort - Compa�ble with floor hea�ng at both high and low temperatures

LABORATORY TESTED

ADDITIONAL DINACHOC RANGE

UNFINISHED

DINACHOC C901 ADHESIVE

VITRIFIED

WHITE

ELECTRIC DINACHOC P154 SKIRTING BOARDS (NF STANDARDS)

SCAN ME