Special Profiles for LVT, PVC, and vinyl floors

THE PERFECT ‘CONNECTORS’

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS SORTS AND TRENDS

Photo – Carl Prinz

We all know that profiles are generally used to absorb the swelling of floorboards. With PVC, LVT, and vinyl floors, this swelling occurs to a much lesser degree than with wood. However, it is still good to use profiles, if only because they ensure a smoother transition between the various parts of a floor and therefore guarantee a much more uniform look.

In many situations it is necessary to use a profile, mainly because these items make perfect ‘connectors’. They ensure that you can move from one part of a floor in a room to another part without damage to the big picture. When we consider which profiles are available, you can divide them into a number of categories. We then arrive at four groups: the threshold profile, the adapter profile, the qualification profile, and the stair edge. These are deployed depending on the fitting method, closure, and the scope of a floor.

Threshold profile and adapter profile

The threshold profile is probably the most well known. If you want to connect two floors of different heights to each other, this is the ideal took for the job. This profile ensures that there is a seamless transition between two floor surfaces and can also compensate for

any minor unevenness. This compensation can apply up to about 9mm.

An adapted version of the threshold profile is the adapter profile. Here, you also go from one floor to another, but you use the adapter profile to create an optically smooth threshold between two floors of different heights. We find differences in height of up to 17.5mm, but obviously you have to check to see what the manufacturer says.

Stair edge profile and qualification profile

The stair edge profile and the qualification profile are special items amongst profiles. With the stair edge profile you secure floor coverings of different thicknesses and, if necessary, adapt them to each other on the stairs. These stair edge profiles are characterised by a high load capacity and safety.

Sometimes it is necessary to close a room literally. Thanks to an end or a qualification profile you create an ideal profile for connection with the wall, but at the same time you can also use it as a closure for a floor covering with balcony doors or opening doors, for instance.

Sorts of fastening

Profiles can be fastened in various ways thanks to the use of screws, clips, and plugs. If you use screws, you guarantee contact around the profile by screwing a strong insertion into the accompanying skirting board. Manufacturers hereby guarantee a seamless and durable fixation and smooth adjustment in the height and drop. Clip systems work on the basis of a coil toothed hinge, which clicks into the profile like a ball joint. This gives the profile an extremely high load capacity, leaves no screw holes, and the clip can also be dismounted easily. Plugs mean there is no need for visible drill holes and screw heads. Profiles with plug fastening ensure that the profile stays in place properly for a long time and they possess the necessary elasticity for a smooth adjustment of the profile in the height and drop.

Trends on the market

In recent years, we’ve hardly had the opportunity, if at all, to visit trade fairs to ‘get a feel for’ the market, but actually you can say that most trends which have been visible for some years are continuing. For instance, in the area of decoration you see that metal profiles continue to score well and that profiles in stainless steel and aluminium are still popular. Classic shades such as silver and bronze are being supplemented with an ever growing quantity of wood decors. One interesting development which is being further refined is digital printing. This means that profiles can be designed which fit in even more closely, if possible, with the end user’s personal wishes. Technically, we notice that flexible profiles continue to do well. In addition, we’re seeing highly committed efforts in the area of increasing durability.

Sources: Hornbach, Auer Metallprofile, and Progress Profiles

www.progressprofiles.com

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Carl Prinz

Especially for stairs Prinz offers a wide range of profiles. Profile no. 271 is particularly suitable for profiled wooden stairs. A cover strip is applied to the front of the step to create a neat and attractive shield. In combination with internal corners, steps and risers can be completely covered so that the floor design continues the stairs without interruption. Stair nosing and inner corners with an inlay offer another advantage - design floors up to 3 mm thick can also be mounted on the wall. Expansion joints with differently coloured inserts, which are glued directly to the floor, are mainly used as transitions. They are flush with the subfloor and bridge expansion joints in the screed. For floating Click floor coverings, we recommend two-part profile systems such as PROFI-DESIGN or LPS-Design. The user can choose whether the profiles are clicked or screwed on. The narrow, flat profile puts modern floors skillfully into focus.

IN LOVE WITH DECKING

WOODEN FLOORS FOR OUTDOORS

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 Profilpas

Profilpas offers Profix Thin, a complete system for the floating laying of LVT floors with thickness from 4 to 8 mm. Profix Thin range includes junction profiles for same-height floors, connection profiles for different-height floors and perimeter profiles. The system is composed of a top profile in aluminium, available in different finishes (silver, sand gold, titanium, elox bronze) or covered with Alcrom Plus® film, that must be fixed to a base in PVC, allowing a quick and practical installation. A great advantage of Profix Thin is the possibility to combine the profile to the floor thanks to a wide choice of wood-, cement- or stone-effect Alcrom Plus® decors that we realise through Profilpas Digital System, the innovative digital printing technology that allows to reproduce any decor on Alcrom® Plus film with no limits to imagination. In addition to Profix Thin, Profilpas also offers other kinds of profiles for LVT, PVC and vinyl floors, such as stair nosing profiles, expansion joints, internal corner profiles and skirting boards.

Progress Profiles

Progress Profiles offers a very wide range of profiles for LVT, vinyl and PVC floors. Mostly required to cover the joint between two different types of floors, these profiles are also used to protect steps and to compensate for floors’ different heights or thickness. They are made of stainless steel, brass or anodized aluminium; moreover, to satisfy any aesthetic request from customers, the Italian company uses cutting-edge machineries that reproduce more than 100 shades of wood, among which teak, zebrano and many oak nuances. As for the application, these profiles can be laid with adhesive or with screws and anchors onto the specific area; many of them are also provided with self-adhesive. Among the several models, SOL 40P includes universal jointing profiles highly resistant to UV rays and to commonly used floor cleaning products. Thanks to the PVC insert between the base and the top, these profiles stop and remove electrostatic charges and magnetic fields transmitted between two floors.