Industry news

Pallmann - Renovation with solvent-free products

Wood floor in the Gropius Building shines in a raw wood look

In the Gropius Bau exhibition building in Berlin, almost 2,000 square metres of wood flooring were sanded and refurbished with the solvent-free products Eco Oil 1K and Pall-X Zero 2K. The company Rokett Berliner Holzböden was thus able to fulfil the client's wish and produce the raw wood look of the existing Douglas fir wood floor. The Martin-Gropius-Bau was built at the end of the 19th century and has hosted many art exhibitions since then. Now it was time to refinish the Douglas fir wood floor. The previous oil impregnation of the plank flooring particularly emphasised the reddish wood components. The client now wanted the recessed colour of a raw wood floor for the existing Douglas fir wood floor. The company Rokett Berliner Holzböden GmbH took on the historic building. "Of course, such a well-known object has a special attraction for us. At the same time, it was a challenge to tackle the area of almost 2000 m² with three wood floor layers. I am very proud that we managed to do this," says Managing Director Robert Mutschall. To meet the customer's requirements, the wood floor professional chose the primer Eco Oil 1K Pure and the sealer Pall-X Zero 2K. The two products not only give the desired raw wood look, but also ensure the best possible indoor air quality thanks to their solvent-free properties. Thus, the ecological aspect was also convincing for the client. Sanding with Pallmann Cobra and Pallmann Spider Due to the client's three predefined time windows between November 2021 and February 2022, the wood floor renovation had to be precisely planned logistically in advance and the individual work steps had to be coordinated. First, the employees of the Berlin wood floor company removed the previous oil layer from the 1,913 square metre area in two sanding passes using grit sizes K36 and K60 and the Pallmann Cobra wood floor sanding machine. This was followed by two more sanding passes of grit sizes K60 and K80 with the Pallmann Spider. Priming and sealing with solvent-free products from Pallmann After the four sanding passes, the wood floor was ready for a new primer coat. Here, the wood floor professional used the solvent-free roller oil Eco Oil 1K. Due to the special colour variant pure, the raw wood look was retained with this oil. The priming process was completed with two applications. In the last processing step, the wood floor surface was treated several times with the Pall-X Zero 2K sealing lacquer. Due to the special matt setting, the wood look of the Douglas fir was retained even in this work step. As this is a rather soft type of wood, three coats were necessary to prepare the floor for the many visitors and the associated heavy use. Before the last job, the wood floor was sanded with the Pallmann Spider and the Pallmann Power Pad K120. The renovated wood floor lets works of art shine again With the solvent-free sealant, the wood floor professional Rokett Berliner Holzböden succeeded in creating the desired homogeneous noble raw wood look. Thanks to the three applications of Pall-X Zero 2K, the wood floor in the highly frequented showroom is now ready for many more visitors. The use of solvent-free primer and sealer also ensures very good indoor air quality.

MMFA welcomes Floorify, Kneho-Lacke and Renolit as new members

MMFA, the Multilayer Modular Flooring Association, is pleased to announce that Floorify joined the association as an ordinary member, while Kneho-Lacke and Renolit did so as associate members. The President of MMFA Jan Dossche (COREtec® Floors) welcomed the three organisations to the association: “As Floorify, Kneho-Lacke and Renolit join our membership portfolio, we expand our collective expertise. Whether in business for 86, 75, or 6 years, all three companies share a commendable passion for innovation and quality, which is why they are such a good fit for the MMFA”. “As a pioneer and expert in rigid planks and tiles, we are delighted to join MMFA and look forward to supporting the association’s efforts to further develop this young and fast-growing flooring category”, said Pieter Buyck, co-founder of Floorify. “Decades of research, development and production of UV and LED coatings led us to multi-sector competence. We are happy to have a seat at the MMFA table and shine a spotlight on the multilayer modular flooring industry alongside other members” stated Kneho-Lacke’s Head of Sales, Bernd Dinkelborg. Renolit’s Sales Director Mathias Schrafl remarked “We are excited to contribute to the association’s varied work in the multilayer modular flooring sector. Being able to exchange experiences with other members will be an invaluable benefit of joining the MMFA”. Floorify is a Belgian company kickstarted in 2016, specialising in the production of rigid vinyl floors with a click system. The company boasts combining their digital strategy and a personal approach through innovative shop concepts. For founders Marie Callens and Pieter Buyck, innovative technical solutions and beautiful designs go hand in hand. Kneho-Lacke was established in 1936 – since then, the company has been specialising in the production of materials for finishing wood, plastic, and similar surfaces. Environmental management and quality are integral parts of the Kneho-Lacke approach, which manifests through eco-friendly products and a quality management system based on DIN EN ISO 9001. Renolit prides itself in 75 years of experience as an independent, family-owned business. With more than 30 locations worldwide, the company produces a wide range of plastic products (most notably films) and services for various markets and applications – from components for transfusion sets, furniture surfaces and window profiles to facade claddings and swimming pools linings. With the addition of the Floorify, Kneho-Lacke and Renolit, the MMFA now has 29 ordinary members (producers of MMF flooring or their European representations), 31 associate members (supplier companies) and three supporting members (scientific institutes).