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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Floor Forum International 120
