Special 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

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

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. 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.