FFI 58 February 2013

INTERNATIONAL trade journal for import, export, distribution and laying of parquet, laminate, cork flooring and related products

industry news

EXPORT MINDED ROMANIAN COMPANIES IN A NUTSHELL! Aftershow

Special Solvent-free Repair Sealants and fillers

Preview Domotex Asia

Special Outdoor floors

Aftershow

Special Waterbased lacquers

N° 58, February. 2013 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept, Nov, Dec) Office of delivery 9099 Ghent X, P911092, BC 31359 — Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Multilayer parquet, multiple enjoyment The engineered wooden flooring by Lalegno is more stable than traditional massive wooden floors and is available in oak, exotic species and durable bamboo. The extensive range of different sizes and finishes available offers solutions to suit every style. Therefore Lalegno flooring is the first choice of every flooring professional.

For more information on our products, please check our website www.lalegno.be or contact us via info@lalegno.be

TOP EXPORT MINDED ROMANIAN COMPANIES IN A NUTSHELL! Aftershow

Special Solvent-free Repair Sealants and fillers

Preview Domotex Asia

Special Outdoor floors

Aftershow

Special Waterbased lacquers

Floor Forum International, N° 58, February ’13 Photo Z-parket

4 Inside News 9 Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D) 26 Special Glue guns 30 Special Solvent -free Repair Sealants and fillers 33 Industry News 34 Aftershow Bau Munich (D) 40 Preview Domotex Asia 42 Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite) 48 Special Waterbased lacquers 54 Special Export Minded Romanian Companies in a Nutshell 58 Product News

Subscriptions to Floor Forum International: Mail to info@media-pact.com

Editorial “Lalegno is expanding.”

Jan Labeeuw (Lalegno)

Lalegno is doing really well. In recent years, the company has recorded excellent results with an extensive range of multi-layer parquet and has also been working to expand its international operation. We noticed this ourselves at Domotex, where we had From left to right : Jan Labeeuw the opportunity to talk ( from Lalegno ) with his Israeli distributor to both Jan Labeeuw (Lalegno) and Mr Yoav of Silver Wood Ltd., Lalegno’s importer from Israel.

What can we expect from Lalegno this year?

Jan Labeeuw: “In Belgium we’re planning a TV publicity campaign via the commercial channels to improve our market image in our own country. For this spot we’ve further developed the well known image of the ballet legs which form a tree. In the advert the dancers perform an entire choreography. We’re also showing this advert here at our Domotex stand.”

Your attractive big stand at Domotex shows something of your growing international ambitions.

Jan Labeeuw: “That’s right. We’ve been operating for some time now in the Netherlands, France, and Luxembourg, and recently also in Germany (via Hebo), but now we want to develop our exports even more. We’ve noticed amongst other things at Domotex that our range is attracting interest from more distant places such as Eastern Europe and Canada. And, in the meantime, we’ve also found a dealer for Israel, namely Silverwood Ltd. Mr Yoav, what persuaded Silver Wood to enter into partnership with Lalegno?

“We were looking for a range of floors with good quality and a trendy look.

We operate mainly in the region of Tel Aviv and there’s a big demand there for trendy, quality floors. The Lalegno range was exactly what we were looking for. It’s extensive and meets the needs of the market in Israel perfectly as regards both technique and styles. Moreover, we’re delighted with our relations and the consultation with Lalegno itself.”

Jan Labeeuw: “We endeavour as much as possible to develop a feel for the market and then we produce new floor collections. That’s why we choose importers and agents with whom we can develop a close relationship, so that consultation is self-evident; Silverwood Ltd is an example of that. This approach is more intricate, but it produces results because you clearly come up with a stronger range. This approach is now bearing fruit.”

Editing & advertisements

Advertising & subscriptions

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Adriana Dascalu info@media-pact.com Hilde De Ridder floorforum@telenet.be Filip De Ridder sales@media-pact.com

Lowyck - Oostende

Publisher

Jean Paul Talbot Ludwig Janssens Filip De Ridder Jacques Legros

Filip De Ridder Lay-out:

Be-able Communication www.be-able.be

Translation:

Michael Robinson Floor Forum International is a publication of FFi bvba

Editors:

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.

Contents, Colophon & Editorial

N° 58, februari. 2013 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept, Nov, Dec) Office of delivery 9099 Ghent X, P911092, BC 31359 — Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

www.floor-forum.com

industry news

Visit us at the NEW

INTERNATIONAL trade journal for import, export, distribution and laying of parquet, laminate, cork flooring and related products

> Inside news Blanchon : the ‘Technique and Decoration’ days Since it shares its ‘Passion for Parquet’ with its clients, Blanchon, as in previous years, organised its meeting days together with specialist parquet fitters (over 200 this year, from France and other European countries). For two days, participants were able to discover and apply the Natural Effect (4% gloss, as glazer and as oil), the new tendencies of the Colours and Distressing products, especially the White Concept (a truly white tint, even on oak) and exchange professional expertise. The visit to the production site and the logistics division to close the sessions is always appreciated.

DecoRad®

Inside news

DecoRad®: Renovation of 125m2 oak floor (retail store) in 1 day A recent renovation project showcased the benefits of on-site UV curing for floor owners as well as contractors. A high traffic retail store with 125m2 oak floor, was refurbished in one single day.

In total 3 UV curable layers where applied and cured. A great industrial quality result is achieved by using an UV curable lacquer in combination with DecoRad® UV curing equipment. The floor owner encountered limited downtime. The performing contractor has found an innovative way of acquiring extra work by focusing on commercial floors, where time is limited and willingness to pay is higher.

Ciranova has a new distributor for North America.

Floor Forum International 58

Pergo Pergo develops, produces and markets laminate flooring with premium-quality multi-layer technology in distinctive designs and with unique product features for the residential sector and commercial applications. Pergo offers beautiful, practical flooring that is environmentally certified, coupled with the markets best guarantee.

In 2013 Pergo will bring more distinctive designs to our Vinyl Planks & Tiles collection. The easy to install click floor will demonstrate Pergo quality in a durable vinyl that is comfortable under foot.

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The person in charge of our North American operations has the highest level of residential construction experience. His San Francisco based flooring company, First, Last & Always has been in business since 1990. Some of his repeated clients include Steve Jobs and Sean Penn. Deven Gadula has also executed projects for Rene Russo, Sharon Stone, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and most of the high profile names of the Silicon Valley Royalty.

His vision for the distribution of the Ciranova products involves a creative woodworks academy which allows the American and Canadian cabinet and furniture makers, as well as flooring professionals to experiment with the basics of the tannin based reactions.

The academy will expose them to the potential of the multilayered processes, which creative individuals can achieve using Ciranova products. According to Deven ‘Sky is the limit with Ciranova’.

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HARMONY & NATURE

www.mardeganlegno.com info@mardeganlegno.com export@mardeganlegno.com

> Inside news Proline introduces new products

Inside news

Proline is introducing various new products: PROFIX, a solventfree 1K emulsion glue for insulation layers; PROVARIO clip universal, a new clip with coatings of maple, beech, walnut, and five colours of oak; PROBASE profi PS+, a sound reduction subfloor, which protects the click joints of floating fitted vinyl and design floors against rising damp; PROSECURE fibre tec., a waterborne, durable subfloor reinforced with fibreglass to protect the top floor against instability; Prodecor Q profiles, elegant profiles with embossed register for various floors. Proline is also launching a new display with high-tech look and structure in aluminium.

Proline Energy: specialist in energy-efficient floor heating Proline has announced that its subsidiary Calomero now bears the name Proline Energy. Proline Energy already provides floor heating systems, which fit in with the plan to make all German buildings climate-neutral by 2050. The Basic Line, with its extremely thin polystyrene pipe system, supplies heat or cool air efficiently and near to the surface. Furthermore, Nature Line, which has an identical system, is made from renewable wood fibre.

Nesca Flooring Nesca Flooring was established in 1992 by Steinn Magnússon and is a producer of exclusive wooden floor for the European market. His passion for wood has helped him to create a series of exclusive floors.

The Magnús Collection is part of this, robust and authentic floors which are mainly handmade with an eye for details and finished with special techniques. All this results in, flooring with a worn- out character, where the nature of the wood is preserved as much as possible. The experience that the company has built up over the years is also visible in both the mega boards with a width of max. 400 mm and length up to 6 meters as well in the 2-layer herringbone and hungarian point. In England Nesca already has a growing reputation that has resulted in a close cooperation with architects and designers.

Magnús Collection is 100% made in The Netherlands .

Pedestals deck sytems for sloped roofs

Timber decking systems

Floor Forum International 58

Using the joist cradle attacment to locate timber or aluminium joists, timber decking can be simply and safely supported.

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Architects

Specifiers

Contractors

Landscapers

Roofers

Builders

Buzon Pedestal International s.a./n.v.

Z.I. des Hauts Sarts, Zone 1, Prolongement rue de l’Abbaye, 134 – B-4040 Herstal, Belgium Tel : +32 (0)4 248 39 83 Fax : +32 (0)4 264 82 38 Email : info@buzon-world.com Flash it and visit www.buzon-world.com our web site

visit the new www.floor-forum.com

ENJOYED THE DOMOTEX SHOW?

Take part in QWEB’S post-game review!

Contact our members to learn more about their amazing product lineups!

PROUD MEMBERS OF QWEB Appalachian Flooring www.appalachianflooring.com

Mercier Wood Flooring www.mercierwoodflooring.com

Primatech www.primatech.ca

Mirage Floors www.miragefloors.com

PG Model www.pgmodel.com

Wickham Hardwood Flooring www.wickhamhardwood.com

Les bois de parquets Vaucluse Inc. www.vaucluse.org

Preverco Hardwood Flooring www.preverco.com

Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring www.lauzonflooring.com

www.canadawood.org

www.quebecwoodexport.com

Less is more…

Domotex 2013 took place simultaneously with the ‘Bau’ trade fair in Munich and it is, of course, still a time of economic crisis. And so, it was not surprising that there were fewer exhibitors and visitors than usual, and this was certainly noticeable in our sector halls 7, 8, and 9. Nevertheless, after the four-day show (although three days would also have sufficed), most exhibitors returned home satisfied. The visitors who did turn up were more international than ever, and many of them were real decision makers.

collection from Lalegno (15-classic-180-NOV-BARN-DESIGN).

Visitors once again appreciated the Floor Forum stand for networking or simply enjoying a pleasant chat over a cup of coffee or glass of wine or Leffe beer and a snack. Several visitors also took the exclusive Floor Forum carrier bag, which proved useful for collecting documentation.

Below we give a summary of the main exhibitors and their news and novelties : Adesiv

Fifty Shades of Grey As regards trends, we particularly remember that the trend towards grey tints is now spreading all over the world and that distressed, brushed, hand-scraped, and cleaved floors are rapidly becoming increasingly popular. It’s also impossible to ignore the custom-made trend in the parquet industry. The market has to adapt as flexibly as possible to consumer preference. In the meantime, our industry has found various solutions to meet this need. Smaller machines for a customised finish of small sections of parquet are attracting more and more interest, whilst the range of diverse colour finishes is now bigger than ever.

Floor Forum was there too Your own trade journal Floor Forum (International) was also present at Domotex. Our new stand with the atmosphere of a lounge bar had a very special floor. It was a floor from the Barn

Wintersteiger The Austrian machine maker, whose clients include the wood processing industry, took over its fellow Austrian machine builder VAP at the end of last year. VAP specialises in machines for (wood) surface finishing. The takeover was noticeable at its stand at Domotex, since Wintersteiger was exhibiting the TRC, a machine made by VAP. This machine carries out effective

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Floor Forum International 58

According to the organisers, the European floor industry annual pilgrimage attracted about 40,000 visitors and even surpassed the results in 2011. And so, as well as the appreCiranova ciated visitor quality, Domotex also proved a success. A few exhibitors here and there were annoyed at the big cost of small extra items or the exorbitant cost price of wire-less Internet.

The presence of ADESIV at Domotex once again underlined the importance that the Italian chemical producer attaches to the export market. Enrico Passerini from ADESIV comments: “As a Venetian company, we provide an open platform where people can contact each other and have the opportunity to do business.” Whilst the crisis in Italy is hitting hard, ADESIV exports continue to grow. This success, according to ADESIV, is thanks to the quality of the ADESIV products at a good price. The Epoxy-PU adhesive is still the company’s best seller, but they also offer an MS Polymer glue (with KANEKA technology) for those who prefer it. As regards finish products for parquet, the company is going along with the trend with the high performance WB Oil, which is available in various colours.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

Fewer exhibitors and visitors, but Domotex underlined its role with quality visitors

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surface repairs on rustic floors. The gnarls and holes are filled with a hot mass and, after processing, are durable and ready for use.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

Oosterlinck The parquet producer from Wingene, Belgium, presented itself as a specialist in solid wood and multi-layer parquet in French oak and stressed its ambitions for the export market. Oosterlinck highlighted its ‘custom made’ and just in time delivery capabilities. They have extended their range of floors with five new collections, four with oak (oiled and varnished) and one with exotic wood sorts. There was also a new distressed collection. At their stand they also promoted their range of quality doors.

continues to underpin what it stands for: exclusive & sustainable wooden floors that last a lifetime. Given the economic conditions in the Eurozone, Managing Director Robin van Roy declared positively: “ Although exhibitor and visitor numbers were clearly down this year, we entertained many existing clients from as far afield as Australia and the USA and, importantly, welcomed many new prospects from emerging markets who have recognised the quality and natural beauty of our finishes. Now installed in over forty countries, we hope to bring Origineel Chapel Parket to even more homes and businesses worldwide” For more information about the Origineel Chapel Parket products or an impression from the stand, please visit our website: www.chapelparket.com Trap Wood Industry Belgium Marc Trap looked back on Domotex with satisfaction. He said, “We’ve made several new contacts, who can give us new export opportunities.”

The

Chapel Parket Origineel Chapel Parket is proudly present at Domotex Hannover 2013 (text send by Chapel Parket) Origineel Chapel Parket proudly displayed an extended and diverse range at Domotex 2013. From pattern floors, new endgrain oak, planks in widths up to 38cm and a wide variety of new finishes and colours, the stand was much admired. The brand

Floor Forum International 58

WELCOME to my home

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SCAN FOR MORE INFO

Have a peek inside the homes of three families who installed Balterio laminate flooring and read why they chose Balterio on www.balterio.com

WAKKENSTEENWEG 37B - B-8710 SINT-BAAFS-VIJVE - T. +32 56 62 80 81 - INFO@BALTERIO.COM

Style. Quality. Simplicity.

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wooden panel and parquet producer presented itself as a highly flexible partner with a good service and a noticeably wide range of wood sorts, notably tropical wood. “We have about 50 different sorts of wood in stock and can deliver quickly and flexibly.

That’s still an advantage which appeals to lots of visitors here.”

B-Fix B-Fix has emerged in recent years as an innovative provider of solutions for fitting wooden terrace floors. This innovation was also on show at Domotex, but the company also presented itself as a provider of specific solutions for wooden wall furnishings. B-Fix continues to bring out new solutions, such as the B-Fix Bi-Metal screw, which can be fastened directly into steel and aluminium so that an intermediate wooden beam is superfluous. There is also the B-Fix Short 19, a shorter 19mm screw for thinner structures under the beam. Both new products are available in black and silver.

DURANTE & VIVAN/SIRCA Durante & Vivan is an Italian chemical producer which makes glues and varnishes for customers such as the furniture industry and the wooden floor industry. They operate in over 60 countries

FFi50_ADESIV.indd 1

worldwide and are a valued partner of industrial parquet producers with the Sirca brand. The company is almost ready with the development of a range of glues and varnishes for the fitting of finished parquet or traditional unfinished parquet by a floor fitter. These products are being launched later this year.

Nesca Flooring The Dutch company Nesca Flooring has developed in recent years from a specialist finishing company for floors into a fully fledged producer of finished floors. At its stand, the company presented its own collection of floors in attractive, trendy colours. With its renewed collection, Nesca Flooring is also generating interest from the design world. The Nesca parquet range bears the Magnus brand name and is split up into collections such as Authentic, Lava, and Terra. The planks are available narrow, very wide, and long.

D E S I G N® PA R Q U E T

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

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I’m loving it...

F r a n c e

295 mm

Width 295 mm, thickness 20 mm, length 1800-3000 mm, 3 layers, top layer 4,5 mm, Birch plywood base for a better stability of the floor Unfinished, matt varnished, Natura oiled, brushed varnished or brushed Natura oiled, Roc varnished or even with the finishing varnished oiled or coloreless for an impressive natural aspect of the wood.

www.designparquet.fr

visit the new8/12/11 www.floor-forum.com 14:43

Floor Forum International 58

Loft Pro Semi-solid wood flooring XXL version

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Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

Witex /Windmöller Wineo laminate from Witex has grown so strongly in recent years that the company has decided to give the range a full makeover. The number of choices has therefore dropped from 264 to 150, but the company looked primarily at what was attractive and successful and has retained those products. They have added stone decor to their laminate range and there are also some extra new rustic floor decors. At the same time, with new developments they have decided to ask for the views of importers, dealers, and project partners from the different European regions.

Quebec Wood Export Bureau (Q-Web) In keeping with tradition, Q-Web once again assembled some top players from the parquet industry in Quebec.

The export promotion service stressed that Quebec is a region with a very strong range of FSC approved wood. This is an increasingly important argument on the international parquet and wood markets. At the same time, they also pointed out to the industry that sustainable forest management is obligatory under Canadian legislation.

Rubio Monocoat The main eye-catcher this time from Rubio Monocoat (RMC) was a machine, the Monocoater 300. This is a compact machine (4m long) which you can use to finish floorboards quickly and efficiently with a Rubio Monocoat product. The machine numbers four units which perform the entire finishing process. Another new product is the new RMC FR Oil System, a flame-retardant oil system for oak floors in Class Bfl s1.

Moreover, it contains no salt so there is no risk of crystallisation.

It limits the spread of smoke very strongly, and this is vital to give occupants more time to escape.

entrance matting system that allows to stock profiles and, after a simple operation of cutting, sending the mat to the final customer. This option is preferred for distant markets.

Basmat is really flooring, not only a mat. Thanks to its exclusive click assembly system it is possible to cover large or irregular surfaces that can’t be covered with competitors’ similar products.

At Domotex , Basmat presented its mobile application for Android and iOS. Thanks to this app, the clients can get an instant editable estimate in their e-mail address or send a copy to the final customer. The app also lets to get a simulated picture of the mat in the desired entryway.

Gerko Parketindustrie The Belgian parquet company (now active in the sector for over 20 years, with operations in 40 countries) specialises in distressed oak floors, both solid wood and multi-layer. In addition, the company is also an agent for antique ‘reclaimed’ wooden floors, which are reproduced with the utmost care and expertise. Gerko announced that its current range is also available in herringbone and Hungarian point floorboards. They are also investing in new machines, which will provide even better protection for the top layer of the floors, and this is extremely useful for busy locations such as in the catering industry.

Pre-finish techniques for parquet flooring Trivec offers a unique range of machines for pre finishing of parquet flooring. Pre finishing comprises all sorts of surface treatments like brushing, aging and finishing with oil, wax, lacquers or stains.

Trivec systems are modular and can be set up as ‘stand alone’ machines or as part of a complete Trivec finishing line with automatic feeding systems, infra red pre heating, polishing units and solutions for drying.

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Basmat

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At Domotex 2013, Basmat has exhibited its revolutionary aluminium entrance matting. Thanks to its exclusive and patented click assembly system, Basmat can be shipped made to measure in only 24 hours.

Basmat is the only

More information: www.trivec.eu Stuurboord 2 9206 BK Drachten The Netherlands

T F E W

+31 (0)512 510035 +31 (0)512 547950 info@vec.eu www.trivec.eu

www.parketmachines.nl

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Prime Colors

NEW: Prime Colors

WPC W P C

SCUDO WPC

Within the Floorservice Prime Design Line we developed four new primerproducts; Prime Colors. These Prime Colors offer various new unexpected finish-possibilities. The Prime Color range consists of the following colours:

Protective hydro-oil-repellent product, specific for WPC (Wood Plastic Compound).

Protective water-based, water-repellent treatment for WPC (Wood Plastic Compound). It avoids formation of unaesthetic and persistant stains due to the absorption of oil substances and dirt. www.prn-agenzia.it

Prime Color White Prime Color Black Prime Color Grey Prime Color Brown By afterwards applying one of our 33 colours Floorservice hardwax-oil you will get the most beautiful finishes.

Prime Color White

Prime Color Black

Prime Color Grey

Prime Color Brown

Overmat Industries b.v. | Scharlo 11 | NL-5165 NG Waspik | The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0) 416 31 77 88 | Internet: www.overmat.nl | E-mail: info@overmat.nl

W O O D C O AT I N G S

! w e N CHIMIVER PANSERI S.p.A. PONTIDA www.chimiver.com info@chimiver.com

Durante Vivan A

D

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www.sirca.it

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I

V

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www.durante-vivan.com

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Join us in excellence.

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Z-Parket

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

According to Roel Geraerts from Z-Parket, Domotex is the ideal trade fair for discovering export opportunities to Germany and other countries all over the world.

He says: “Nowadays, buyers are looking here with the utmost attention.

People really want to choose the right products. It emerged here that we have really attractive floors and that the look of Z-Parket is a real advantage. People also made some favourable comments on the atmosphere at the stand. For that matter, Domotex is also a good opportunity to make contact actively with architects. However, we always involve our agents when it comes to concluding an agreement.”

Iso Paint Nordic/ Protego Woodcare Iso Paint Nordic A/S from Denmark showed for the first time its complete range of PROTEGO WoodCare products for factories, floor installers and end

users. The PROTEGO WoodCare range is presenting new technologies in the coating industry focusing strongly on water based system although also conventional oil systems are available. For both systems, big product improvements have been made guaranteeing improved saturation and no water spots and exceptional colour fastness of pigments in colour oils and stains. Although PROTEGO WoodCare is new in the market, distribution is already set up in Europe, South East Asia including Indonesia and China and South Africa and the United States. The response to PROTEGO WoodCare was very positive at Domotex in Hannover.

Solidor For the specialist in adjustable terrace pedestals from Lauwe, Belgium, this was their third visit to Domotex, but it was the first time that they had a fully fledged stand of their own. The company now operates in 15 countries, including in the Middle East. Solidor also introduced its visitors to two new products. For example, they now have an extension piece for the terrace pedestal to permit a height of up to 1 metre (previously 50cm). In addition, there is now also an improved headpiece for the terrace pedestal (with patent), which ensures that the supported beams always remain perfectly balanced.

French oak Exotic species Finished and unfinished Custom made in Belgium Just-in-time delivery

Solid and engineered flooring

UVP color +

Floor Forum International 58

Decking oil 2c

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   

VOC-free color primer and oil Natural colouring by nanopigments Additional UV absorber against yellowing Excellent protection & durability in only 1 coat.

More information and an application video of UVP Color and UVP Decking Oil 2C, can be found on our new website: www.ciranova.eu

Oosterlinck NV Schaapsdreef 8b B-8750 Wingene (Belgium) Tel: 0032 51 65 75 41 info@oosterlinck-hout.be

www.oosterlinck-hout.be

It was our pleasure to meet you at our booth at Domotex Hannover !

Industrieweg 29 - 8800 Roeselare - T +32 (0)51 30 11 40 -ciranova@ciranova.be

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The Dutch LVT floor manufacturer presented the mFLOR CONTACT. On the underside of the mFLOR CONTACT they have added a fine absorbent textile layer, which is impregnated with a resin. This ensures that the floor is sticky without creating a permanent connection with the subfloor. This means you can be sure that the floor is stable and will resist any sideways movement without the use of glue. And so, the floor can be fitted extra fast and can be dismantled again later and fitted in a different location.

MAPEI The MAPEI stand was decorated with the highly graphic work of the renowned Italian illustrator Carlo Stanga.

The diversity of MAPEI’s activities were suitably depicted in the world of MAPEI and Stanga’s illustrations highlighted

this ideal image in an extra stylish manner. MAPEI also introduced visitors to its new products.

For example, there was the ULTRACOAT TONING BASE, a 2K waterborne coating which reinforces the natural colour of the wood (especially when it is rich in tannin). There was also the new cement-based levelling agent ULTRAPLAN QUICK TRAFFIC, which can be walked on within 45 minutes and on which a top surface can be fitted within two hours. This is ideal for use in a project with a tight deadline.

Küberit Profile Systems 2013 is a special year for Küberit, as the company from North Rhine-Westphalia celebrates its 150th anniversary. Last year, they saw their turnover rise by 5% and at their stand they presented a new range in their assortment of stainless steel profiles and skirting boards. This range is ideal for high traffic public areas, but is becoming increasingly popular in homes due to its high-quality look. Amongst other things, the range has been supplemented with 20mm wide profiles in thicknesses of 1 and 1.5mm and skirting boards with heights of 60 and 80mm, a thickness of 1mm, and a covering width of 1.6mm. The highlight was the new Design Elements

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

mFLOR International

“ We go on, where others stop ”

GET A GRIP ON FIRE!

Nesca Flooring

Unique in its sort fire retarding oil system Class Bfl s1 Non-filming, no saturation No solvents, water or salts. 0% VOC! Limited smoke development Available in a wide range of colours Manual and industrial application Maximum efficiency - low consumption!

Tested as per EN 13501-1, EN ISO 9239- 1 and ISO 11925-2

PROTECTS AND COLOURS YOUR WOOD IN ONE SINGLE LAYER

www.rubiomonocoat.com

Magnús collection

Producer of authentic and fashionable solid as well as engineered flooring in: - planks (up to 400 mm width) - herringbone - hungarian point (chevron) - pattern panels Nijverheidsstraat 11 a | 7641 AB Wierden | The Netherlands T. +31 546 578 994 | Steinn Magnússon M. +31 653 153 304 www.nescaflooring.nl | info@nescaflooring.nl

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Floor Forum International 58

RMC FR OIL SYSTEM

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range, with Swarovski crystals. These are elements in aluminium and messing with striking crystal inlay.

This producer from the region of Venice exhibited the new ECOWOOD COLOUR Multi-layer, ready-tofit parquet floors in four colours: ebony wood, rosewood, and two shades of grey (‘grigio’ and ‘tortora’). The floors bear the FSC label and have a top layer of 2.5mm. Another new item was the STAIR LED, a range of stair elements with built-in LED lights. The LED lights are built in under the stair nosing and give a gentle spread of light to highlight the beauty of the wood.

Overmat Industries Overmat Industries displayed a new, invisible, and ultramatt varnish for parquet and wooden floors, the Nature Protect 2K. Despite its invisible coat, this

Krüger, Heinrich+Sohn (HKS) The new ’Manufaktur‘ collection was the highlight at the HKS stand. This is a multi-layer parquet collection with a 4mm top layer of European oak on good quality birch plywood. They distress these floors using the latest and various refined techniques: sawn, smoked, planed, brushed, or hand-scraped, and this in combination with a finish with various colour oils. 20 variants are available in all. HKS also presented a useful accessory: a mat in tailored colours which can be worked into the parquet and which lies perfectly level with the floor surface (suitable for plank thicknesses between 12 and 20mm).

Soest Ingenieursbureau Soest attracted lots of visitors to their stand. The company

Floor Forum International 58

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

Ideal Legno

2K acrylate polyurethane varnish is extremely durable and prevents the wood from turning yellow. They also presented Floorservice, a supplement to their Prime Design Line assortment: Prime Colours. These basic colours make it possible to achieve a highly diverse and new number of colours and surprising finishing effects for wood. The Prime Colours are available in four colours, namely white, black, grey, and brown.

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Ciranova Ciranova is still growing strongly and has recently reached North America.

According to David Verrue from Ciranova, that is due to the service, quality of their products, and selection of the right colours. At Domotex they launched a new outdoor system: UVP Colour & UVP Decking Oil 2C. This oil protects outdoor terraces quickly and ecologically. UVP Colour is VOC-free and contains nano-dyes to colour the wood evenly and

naturally. Amongst other things, the UV absorber stops the wood from turning grey or yellow. The UVP Decking Oil 2C gives longterm waterproof protection in one coat.

Chimiver Panseri This was Chimiver’s tenth consecutive appearance at Domotex and, according to Nevio Panseri of Chimiver, they were once again satisfied with the results. This chemical producer now exports to 30 countries all over the world, but 80% of exports are within the EU. Visitors discovered one novelty: the ECOSTAR 2K SPORT waterborne anti-slip PU varnish for wooden sports floors (pursuant to EN 14904), the LIOS SUNDECK W OIL is a waterborne and thick impregnation oil for outdoor wood and a perfect maintenance oil for wood composite material: the SCUDO WPC. Pavimentos Arrondo This parquet producer from the region of Bilbao (Spanish Basque Country) specialises in solid oak floors. The wooden floors are 15mm thick and available in widths of 30mm and lengths between 60 and 220cm and custom-made finishes. At their stand, they showed off the Design Live collection. This is a range of

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

highlighted the performances and soundness of its machines. Mr Butter told us, “Despite the hard times, we’re meeting people here who really want to invest soundly. We certainly show them more than just the more affordable machines. Some discussions have revealed that they are better off with the more expensive options. We tell them the price, and they appreciate that. Quality is also an argument nowadays.”

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Floor Forum International 58

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DESIGN PARQUET Visitors to the DESIGN PARQUET stand were able to discover ten new colours in the Design Déco range. This range is available in solid wood, semisolid, and multi-layer floor planks. They also highlighted a range of very wide and stable wooden floors (285mm).

Mac Lean Products The Dutch company Mac Lean Products showed visitors the new Handy corner piece for skirting boards. Anyone who finds the mitring awkward when fitting skirting board will find a handy alternative in the ‘Corner Piece’ from Mac Lean.

Moreover, this piece is easy to adapt and suitable for indoor and outdoor corners. Mac Lean also had news about their Isotac subfloor for parquet. Extensive tests have shown that this subfloor gives a sound reduction of 10dB. From now on, this will also be stated on the packaging.

Rheingold Rheingold introduced four new decors in its collection of laminate floors.

The highlight, however, was the stair renovation system from Rheingold.

These are easy-to-fit stairs in HPL quality. The stairs are available in 14 various decors to suit all tastes. The choice for HPL instead of CPL is important because it is the corner of the step which suffers most during its lifespan. HPL reduces the chances of damage and therefore they offer a 20-year guarantee for use in homes.

Kleiberit Kleiberit from Germany is one of the World leaders in hot coating technology for the timber industry. The company took part in Domotex in order to promote this technology for the floor industry. After all, they have managed to develop a hot coating to give exceptionally high durability (AC5, the highest standard) without

compromising on the flexibility of the finishing layer. A representative said, “In the past, an excessively strong layer scored excellently as regards durability, but it was susceptible to bursts whenever sharp objects fell on it. This is not the case with our hot coating.” Moreover, the hot coating does not contain any formaldehyde and therefore has a lot of potential for use under surfaces such as cork.

Flamingo Parket Flamingo Parket exhibited its existing successful collection: the 9+3 in 40 different colours and the 26mm thick twin plank with top layers of 4 or 6mm and widths up to 32cm and 3m in length. They have also extended their range with sturdy band sawn and double smoked wooden floors with natural oil finish. A new item was the Flamingo display which is now also equipped with the ‘American’ collection (10 different colours). In addition, Flamingo Parket also exhibited its wooden colour boxes for dealers. These boxes are stylish holders which display a total of 45 different colours.

FB Hout FB Hout exhibited some new products at its stand. For example, there was the Old Amsterdam, a collection of wide planks (18, 22, or 26cm wide) with a planed surface and equipped with a mini-micro bevelled edge. For this collection they are using the latest colour collection from OSMO. Another highlight was the Wood with a Story range. This is reclaimed wood (oak and hemlock) which comes originally from warehouses in North America (certified). The wood is at least 150 years old and has been marvellously revamped to make a new and unique product. The floors are two-layer and pre-finished.

DecoRad® Systems DecoRad® Systems bv specialises in developing, producing, and marketing apparatus to speed up the drying and setting process of UV floor coatings (also for PVC, linoleum, marmoleumen minerals, concrete floors, and such like). Bauke Korver from DecoRad® comments: “Recently, the chemical sector has

visit the new www.floor-forum.com

Floor Forum International 58

parquet with various and separate shapes.

For example, there is cross-cut (20mm thick), herringbone, and other unique shapes. They stress that all their floors are easy to fit.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

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made great strides and has developed some outstanding UV lacquers for floor fitters to apply a finish on site. These products enable floor fitters to give their clients a better floor finish and, furthermore, they also save a lot of time. Lots of building projects nowadays have such tight deadlines that it’s essential to be able to work quickly to land these assignments.” DecoRad® offers two handy tools to assist the setting of UV lacquers: the DecoRad® Floormate for the open floor and the Handmate for awkward corners and edges.

Balterio Balterio presented Traffic, a laminate floor for extremely high traffic locations (project market) with AC5 durability and impact class CL33.

The Traffic decors are true to nature and, as ever, of high quality. Visitors were also introduced to the new Balterio Brochure, which is designed to be a real floor magazine and includes testimonies from clients. The new Balterio web site sets new standards for user-friendliness and is also suitable for tablet and smart phones. Furthermore, they also had the chance to view the new Balterio Shop in the shop display system, which presents 80 products in just 3.5 metres. Moreover, the horizontal fan layout makes it possible to view all decors at eye level. Finally, Balterio also announced the launch of the Integro floors. This floor is made from ecological plastics and renewable materials, is waterproof, and has already been released and will be launched on the market in the autumn of this year. At present, Balterio is building a new production line for Integro.

Berry Alloc Berry Alloc, producer of parquet, laminate, and vinyl floors, took the opportunity at Domotex to underline the fact that it is part of the Beaulieu Group, which offers refined floor materials in various materials: carpet, felt, vinyl, and wood. Berry Alloc stressed its ambition for the project market and its strong international expansion in recent years. They also highlighted the strengths of the high-tech laminate floor alu locking system and their HDF bases, whilst for parquet floors they exhibited the Factory The Chic Parquet, a collection of oiled and waxed floors with vintage effects, the Saga 185mm wide planks with contemporary colours, and the Millenium, a sturdy and highly stable parquet on a birch base for the project market. Amongst the vinyl floors, they showed off the Dreamclick tile floors and the Podium XXL and Pro55 collections.

DeckWise International The American company Deck Wise has recently opened a European sales office at Amersfoort in the Netherlands. They highlighted all their ingenious terrace floor solutions and tools.

Visitors paid most attention to the Hardwood Wrench, an extremely Handy and only recently perfected tool in top quality

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Designed for wood

Advantages of the Protego WoodCare range:

Tover The Italian chemical specialist Tover exhibited My Floor Stone at its stand.

This is a cast floor, which consists of grains, marble, and granite in various colours. It is perfectly suitable for indoor or outdoor fitting and has some striking qualities: ecological, high drainage capacity, and anti-slip. Ideal around swimming pools, balconies, or drives. Tover also showed Tintoretto Design, an oil-modified primer in 26 colours and one colourless version, which makes an infinite number of colour shades possible. Tintoretto Design colours the wood and the floor can be varnished afterwards.

exceptionAl reSiStAnce AgAinSt fluidS And dirt exceptionAl hArd weAring finiSh eASy cleAning And re-oiling productS for induStriAl ApplicAtion - full rAnge wAter bASed technology Protego Water Based HS Industrial Oils in 22 different colours Protego Water Based UV Oils in 22 different colours productS for floor inStAllerS Protego Proff Lacquers: Home, Office and High Traffic Protego Proff Oil in natural and white + 22 colours Iso Paint Nordic is in the vanguard with smart solutions and eco-friendly products.

Protego WoodCare is „Designed for Wood“ by Iso Paint Nordic.

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LOBA LOBA presented the new LOBACURE WS Rush, a waterborne 1K UV coating for a parquet finish on site.

It gives excellent scratch resistance and a 100% practicable floor immediately after the setting with a UV tool. The WS Rush also meets the highest international standards as regards VOC content (VOC < 0.3%).

Wakol Wakol showed its visitors the WAKOL MS 290, a parquet glue for wooden floors which have to be resistant to bursts (such as sports floors). According to Wakol, this glue is the first MS adhesive to belong to the ‘hard parquet glue’ category according to DIN EN 14293 standard. It is practicable for all sorts of parquet, provides very good adhesive grooves, and has a long working time combined with rapid setting. It is easy to remove residual glue from the parquet surface. This adhesive also meets the EMICODE EC1 PLUS R standards.

Floover World Visitors to the Floover stand had a sensorial experience. Floover presented the various textures of their LVT floors in a trajectory

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

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Floor Forum International 58

materials, which puts terrace planks perfectly into position on the terrace structure. The tool works with all terrace planks and the angle at which it is tightened can be adjusted

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Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

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with three zones, namely Cave, Forest, and Sky. This highlighted the special experiences and spheres which can be created with the Floover collections. A striking novelty were the Floover Woven Exterior tiles. The top layer of these outdoor tiles consists of a woven vinyl in attractive colours and shapes.

The tiles, which are in two sizes (300 x 300 or 300 x 600mm) are supported by a polypropylene raster, can be fitted quickly, and can also be dismantled again.

Paolino Bacci srl Paolino Bacci has been manufacturing wood treatment machines for over 90 years.

At Domotex they presented their horizontal band saw Stream Elite,a machine which attracted favourable reactions from the visitors. The Stram Elite can handle blocks of wood of different heights without stopping the machine. Since there is no rubbing between the wooden blocks and the belt,it is possible to saw both wet and dry wood. The very limited tolerances ensure very high efficiency and very little waste. In combination with the machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high speed, these features ensure the maximum possible daily production and savings in the purchase of raw materials.

NEW

Par-ky Par-ky presented its new collection.

This has taken a rustic turn and concentrates more on structure. The successful Trendy Oaks range now also includes the more rustic veneer floors Rustic Ivory Oak and Rustic Manhattan Oak. Apart from this rustic oak, there is also a warm, brown colour, namely Bronze Oak. The Trendy Oaks range numbers nine colours, all of which are available in the 4 Par-ky collections Pro, Lounge, Sound, and Deluxe. Other news is that from now on the floors in oak, ash, wenge, and afzelia will be brushed deeper in order to bring out the natural structure of the veneer.

Elephant Bambusprodukte Elephant Bambus-produkte used the fair to launch some additions to its already extensive bamboo range. There was the Elephant Rhio range, a new two-layer solid wood parquet with a 4mm top layer of bamboo with a varnish finish and fitted with a tongue and groove joint. They also exhibited an oak parquet range, namely Noble floor, in various colours and sizes, with

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Floor Forum International 58

Available in several colours.

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Mac Lean Products B.V. Moerdijk Holland info@macleanproducts.nl - www.macleanproducts.nl

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In addition, visitors were also shown a collection of LVT floors, the Silenta and Silenta XXL range.

Lalegno

Döllken-Weimar The skirting board and profile specialist Döllken-Weimar put the EP 60/13 flex life range in the spotlight. This range fits in perfectly with Design floor coverings. The collection is among others geared specifically to the CONCEPTLINE of the manufacturer Karndean International. The core of the skirting boards is an HDF base fitted with chlorinefree plastic. A flexible lip gives a perfect connection with the wall and floor. As usual, it is easy to fit this new design core skirting board quickly and accurately with the tools made for this purpose.

SICMEX At Domotex, Sicmex from Barcelona presented an innovative screwless system for fitting terrace floors. This system is invisible and reduces fitting time by 33%. The secret is a clip system in a special plastic, polyamide 6 reinforced with glass fibre. This means it is not only very strong and oxidant-resistant, but also extremely flexible. And so, the Sicmex system can cope perfectly well with the swelling and shrinkage of the wood due to changing weather conditions.

WOCA Denmark

After the success of last year’s debut appearance at Domotex, Lalegno turned up at this year’s show with a bigger (140m²) stand, which was decorated with stylish (white) tree decoration.

Apart from the well known extensive basic range, they also exhibited two brand new collections. These were a collection of French oak wooden floors with a top quality finish and the new BARN collection. These floors are cleaved, distressed, and finished with an extra matt varnish; this floor was also to be seen on the booth of Floor Forum (International).

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WOCA Denmark was satisfied with its results at the fair due to the many interesting contacts with visitors.

One very important item is the new and extensive treatment and maintenance guide on the Internet. This guide gives an extensive summary of each sort

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Floor Forum International 58

VISIT

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

distressed as an option. In the Rhigo laminate range they highlighted the Trend Floor collection in various colours.

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of floor and wood and full information about the correct working procedures. WOCA’s Diamond Oil has been given an update to give the oil a new viscosity (99% solid) so that it dries faster and also penetrates more deeply into the wood.

and wooden wall furnishings. The deckings come with clips in the wood sorts ipe, thermally treated ash, ebony, and teak or with visible screws in angelin amargosa, massaranduba, garapa, and iroko.

The wall furnishings are insulated and ventilated.

Aftershow Domotex Hannover (D)

Trivec This Dutch producer of machines for glueing, oiling, staining, and painting surfaces such as wooden floors aimed to present itself at the fair as a provider of machines which are extremely flexible and client-friendly. To be more precise, this means machines which can provide all sorts of finishes and at the same time can also be switched over for other chemicals. As regards machines, they exhibited the new DB400 brushing machine with modules at a narrower angle to give more effective brushing.

Mopar Mopar from Croatia specialises in twolayer finished parquet in Slavonian oak and exotic wood sorts. The company has introduced a range of parquet floors with reclaimed oak from old barns in its own country. Furthermore, Mopar also aimed to underline its craftsmanship with various hand-scraping techniques which it uses on its floors. They have supplemented the existing range of Multikant engineered parquet with some new and trendy colours. Mopar consolidated its international expansion by taking part in this fair and, amongst other things, is looking for an agent in Great Britain.

Floor Forum International 58

dBCover Solutions

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The Spanish company dBCover Solutions has a full and extensive range of latex subfloors for all sorts of floors. These subfloors are easy to fit, they level the substrate, and their effectiveness has been tested by various international institutes. At Domotex dBCover Solutions presented a new subfloor for LVT floors. This product has outstanding scores when it comes to sound reduction (contact sound and impact noise) and energy efficiency.

Ravaioli Legnami This wooden profile specialist from near Ravenna, Italy, is a market leaders for terrace floors in Italy. Since 2011, the company has been enlarging its international operations and selling products in the Mediterranean region. They offer solutions for both terraces

Välinge Innovation Sweden At their spacious stand, Välinge showed off some innovative solutions, which it offers to various players in the flooring world.

Välinge Digital Solutions provides the floor industry’s one stop shop digital print solutions with the creation of new decors. The client also gets access to Välinge’s extensive know-how. Another striking innovation is the Actio² floor coating additive. By adding Actio² to the floor coating, you can bring about a natural photocatalystic process with the help of daylight and artificial light, which neutralises harmful emissions and unpleasant smells. Due to its natural antibacterial and anti-mould operation, Actio² will ensure more effective floor cleaning.

EPLF The Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring issued its annual report in keeping with tradition. The report said that European production had remained virtually stable at 460 million square metres. Sales fell in many European countries due to the difficult economic climate. In Germany, still number one in Europe, it appears that the fall is also partly due to a shift towards other types of floors. However, an increase in sales worldwide and strong growth in Turkey compensated for the falling sales in the EU. MMFA The MMFA (Multilayer Modular Flooring Association) is an association of producers of multilayer floor producers (with surfaces of PVC/vinyl, cork, PU/polyurethane, and PET/polyethylene terephthalate) and was formed in October last year. The MMFA aims to encourage consultation, product standardisation, defending of interests, and technological innovation for this sector. At the first meeting, they issued a call to unaffiliated producers to join this association and thereby strengthen the sector as a whole.

Primatech This company from Quebec showed the worldwide sector its tool for attaching parquet to the subfloor with the help of a special sort of nail which does not cause any splintering and which is knocked diagonally into the wooden planks. This system, which is very popular in Canada, is quick, cheaper, and ecological (no glue is needed).

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THE BENEFITS OF A GLUE GUN

Floor Forum International 58

Special Glue guns

SPEED AND COMFORT IN APPLYING GLUE

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Over the years, all floor fitters have developed their own working rhythms, systems, and methods. It goes without saying that those working manners depend on differences related to the person concerned. For example, if a floor-fitter is left or right-handed, this will partially determine the hand used to apply glue and the side on which the floorboards are put ready for fitting. Whatever the case, floor fitters apply adhesive and fit floorboards in an uncomfortable position which puts a strain on the knees and back. Are glue guns the ideal solution?

From a notched trowel to a gun In a previous edition we considered at length the quality and essential features of traditional notched trowels. Researchers have produced lots of studies and improvements in this area over the years. Notched trowels for wooden floors have been refined in terms of both shape and material. This refinement has made them more ‘comfortable’ to use and more precise with the dosage. We have seen how the teeth of the notched trowel help to determine how much glue is applied. This differs for the various types of parquet and for the different sorts of adhesive. In other words, a notched trowel is something of a ‘weighing scales’ or a glue meter. Of course, no one is surprised to hear that the ‘urge to computerise’ is also at the heart of this. By introducing glue guns, makers want to increase comfort and computerise the glue dosages. Glue guns enable the user to stand upright to work, apply the adhesive faster, and issue the ideal dosage. Those are the major benefits in a nutshell.

The speed paradox More haste, less speed. There is no doubt that the human body has its physical limitations. Applying glue with a notched trowel requires physical exertion involving different joints. Apart from the (inevitable) strain this puts on the back, it is particularly the shoulders, elbows, and wrist joints which suffer. This implies that the speed at which the glue is applied depends on the person.

However, the question is whether or not ‘much faster’ is also ‘much better’. Strictly speaking, we should not glue any more surface area than the area which we can fit with floorboards within half an hour. Of course, that half-hour depends on the sort of glue, drying time, room temperature, and air humidity. If we apply too much glue (read: too quickly), the adhesive grooves dry up, and that has an adverse effect on adhesion. The speed at which a certain surface can be fitted with floorboards also depends on the person. Obviously, a thirty-year-old floor fitter will work somewhat faster than a floor fitter around retirement age, even though the latter is well qualified.

Arguments for and against Here we consider the main sales arguments put forward by producers, and in some cases we also include critical observations which we have received from workers in the field. It will become apparent that the benefits of glue guns vary from floor fitter to floor fitter.

Working upright The producers’ top argument is the fact that the floor fitter can apply the glue from a standing position. Avoiding work from a crouching, kneeling, or sitting position also reduces the strain on the above-mentioned joints. This is, of course, a valid argument, but it applies mainly (or only) to work on very large surfaces.

With smaller surfaces this argument doesn’t hold water and even has the reverse effect. Let us explain why. Over the years, experienced floor fitters have learnt to take up the working stance which they find is best for themselves. They make these movements as part of their routine: floor fitters sit on their knees, the floorboards are ready for fitting, and they apply the glue and fit the floorboards. They do all that without standing up. It is certainly true that floor fitters apply the adhesive standing up, but these professionals have to kneel down to fit the floorboards. For small surfaces they make twice as many ‘stooping’ movements as when they do everything manually. Conclusion: fully computerised glue guns are useful primarily for big projects and when several professionals work together: one person applies the glue, whilst someone else fits the strips.

Precision, dosage, and economy No floor fitter can ever be as precise in dosage as the automatic dispensers. After all, dispensers issue the exact quantity of adhesive required and do not make ‘human’ errors in applying it. At the same time, the perfect dosage also has important economic consequences. Producers talk of up to 30% reduction in glue consumption for the same project. Another economic benefit is the time saved during the work. Here, too, the sales arguments are impressive: some producers guarantee a finishing speed up to 10 times faster than with the traditional working method. Once again, we have to conclude that these arguments apply to bigger projects involving several floor fitters. In view of what we have already said about the drying adhesive groove, it is simply not possible for just one floor fitter working alone to glue a big surface and then fit the floorboards within the time limit in which the adhesive grooves remain sufficiently fresh.

Quality of the glueing If automatic dispensers mean that we can glue precisely with the exact dosage and at high speed, can we also assume that the quality of the adhesive groove is also ideal? As regards the quality of the adhesive groove, we have received some critical

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Floor Forum International 58

Special Glue guns

observations, notably from the producer Rectavit, which has deliberately chosen not to offer any glues for automatic dispensers.

Their reasons are as follows (we quote their words): “Rectavit does not have any glues specifically for glue guns, and for two reasons. The first reason is that glue guns give off round adhesive grooves which ‘lie’ on the floor. With the use of a notched trowel, the glue is pressed into the substrate to provide much better mechanical anchoring. Moreover, the points of a triangular adhesive groove ensure a better transfer of the adhesive to the back of the planks. The second reason is that the adhesive grooves are then parallel to the length of the planks instead of across the planks. The greatest forces developed with distortion of the planks are caused by anti-skating in the plank, in the width of the plank. With adhesive grooves at right angles to the length of the plank, these forces can be spread much more easily over the entire width of the plank.”

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Who offers what?

Bona Optispread Bona has both a manual and a pneumtic glue gun for glueing the Bona R850 T 600ml tubes.

A real showpiece, however, is the Bona Optispread, which has been designed specially for the Bona R850T in 4.4kg packaging (sausage glue). Bona Optispread is an innovation which enables the floor fitter to obtain flatter, faster, and better results from a standing position. Bona Optispread works up to five times faster than with the traditional method and does not put any strain on the knees and back. The Bona R850T offers a balanced elasticity and high tensile strength and is easy to clean. The Optispread operates on compressed air. The sausage glue is easy to apply and corresponds to the tool’s filling capacity. The spraying width is 250mm. The spraying arm has 19 triangular holes made from recycled polypropylene. The 4.2kg sausage glue is suitable for glueing 4 to 4.5m². The Bona Optispread is 1.25m long (ideal average working height) and weighs 4kg when empty and 8.2kg when filled with glue.

F. Ball develops handy ‘sausage’ packaging for Styccobond B95 F. Ball and Co. Ltd., the UK’s leading manufacturer of flooring adhesives and subfloor preparation products, has introduced a handy 1kg pack size for Styccobond B95, the high performance flexible wood adhesive. The new 1kg pack comes as a foil packed ‘sausage’ for use with an applicator gun for ease, speed and convenience. It is suited to smaller installation areas and results in less product wastage.

A flexible, moisture-curing polyurethane adhesive, Styccobond B95 has been specifically designed to accommodate the natural movement inherent to wood flooring over its lifetime, and can be applied directly to Stopgap waterproof surface membranes.

Furthermore, the product, which has an extended shelf life of 12 months, promotes a high bond strength and has fast setting properties, making it an ideal adhesive to provide strength and durability when working with solid planks and strip wood flooring. Stephen Boulton, Technical Service Manager at F. Ball and Co. Ltd., comments: “F. Ball recognises that contractors look to our products for ease of handling as well as quality of performance. The repackaged Styccobond B95 1kg ’sausage’, which can now be used with an applicator gun, shows the importance we place on making the contractor’s job easier, from the moment the products are specified, to achieving a perfect finished result.”

Styccobond B95, which is part of F. Ball’s comprehensive range of specifically designed adhesives for the installation of wood floorcoverings, is also available in 8kg and 15kg unit buckets and is also suitable for securing large engineered boards to create a durable, aesthetically pleasing finish.

Pallmann The wood flooring adhesive dispenser Pallmann ATD 100 has been specifically matched for the use of Pallmann P5. The ergonomic companion ensures quick and material-saving installation of wood flooring.

Suitable for: • Multi-ply wood flooring/ prefinished wood flooring • Wood strip flooring • Solid wood flooring • Exotic woods with tongue and groove With Pallmann ATD 100 the wood floor installer has the following benefits: • Increases installation capacity/hour • No adhesive soiling • Ergonomic working while standing • Easy handling • No interfering cables or compressed air hoses, powered by rechargeable battery • Low cleaning effort thanks to practical exchangeable nozzle • Plunger diameter 100 mm Pallmann ATD 100 can be used with the 1-component STPadhesive Pallmann P5.

SCHÖNOX iLINE™: Applying with a technically qualitative glue.

The recently launched SCHÖNOX iLINE™ is an electric application system for parquet glues. This new system makes it a real pleasure to fit multi-layer parquet. The electric SCHÖNOX iLINE™ APP means you can fit more metres in less time. The innovative dosing technology enables you to work precisely and cleanly. You apply the exact amount of adhesive that you need, and you don’t get your hands dirty! The ergonomic standing position means that the SCHÖNOX iLINE™ APP does not put any strain on your back and knees. This battery-powered tool is easy to manoeuvre

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applied in upright position while the weight of the machine rests on the ground. The machine offers precise application of the adhesive. It is adjustable in the width of the wood elements and allows an adhesive application from wall to wall in straight lines. Parkett-X-Press is easy to operate and comes in very compact dimensions which makes it also suitable for small rooms. Up to 160 m² of installation without a battery change.

And to guarantee no operating time-outs, the machine is delivered with a second battery and a quick charger. An orderly storage before and after installation and an easy and protected transport is possible in a high-quality, rollable wooden case.

For the application in suitable adhesive applicator devices STAUF offers STAUF S-Press an elastic silane wood flooring adhesive for most common sub floors and wood flooring types (multilayer, mosaic, wood strip flooring and upright mosaic parquet lamellas, solid planks) in an 1800 ml aluminum tubular bag. The bags can be changed within 25 seconds and only leave very few packaging waste. The spreader nozzles are always supplied together with the adhesive. The device is also available as pneumatic version.

Tover

Sika Sika presents no fewer than four distinct types in its range of automatic dispensers.

The company offers three compressed air dispensers and one battery-operated dispenser. The compressed air dispensers are powered by a portable compressor of 10 bars. All these dispensers work with the Sikabond-52 parquet glue. The biggest dispenser is the Sika Bond® Dispenser-5400.

This tool has three arms and a loading capacity of 5400ml. The application speed is 10x faster than with traditional glueing. The dispenser glues 10m² in strokes of 55cm without re-loading. Consumption is about 500 to 600gr/m². Its weight when empty is 9kg. The semi-compact Sika Bond® Dispenser-3600 has two arms and a loading capacity of 3600ml for 6m² without reloading, and its consumption is also 500 to 600gr/m². The compact Sika Bond® Dispenser-1800 has one arm and can provide for 3.5m² without re-loading. Besides these pneumatic dispensers, Sika also offers the Sika Bond® Dispenser 1800 Power, a compact lightweight battery-operated dispenser.

This dispenser has one arm and a loading capacity of 1800ml.

The tool weighs a mere 7.2kg when full. The Sika Bond® Dispenser 1800 Power is supplied with two batteries.

STAUF adhesive spreader machine: Parkett-X-Press There are five characteristics which describe the benefits of the STAUF adhesive spreader machine Parkett-XPress best: clean, ergonomic, economic, fast and easy. More working comfort as the adhesive is

To lay a wooden floor using a gun is a valid application alternative to trowel. Tover proposes a very practical kit composed of 10 sausages and one caulking gun suitable for about 20 square meters. Uniform beads must be applied every 10 – 15 cm perpendicularly to the boards for a quick and clean work.

For a safer application, the adhesive chosen is Sigil MS, a solvent-free MS polymer adhesive suitable for most common timber species and dimensions. Thanks to its superior elasticity with respect to polyurethane adhesives, it is the most recommended glue on under-floor heating systems. Its quick tack enables to apply it in vertical position for stairs, profiles, skirting boards, etc.

Moreover the cleaning from hands and prefinished floors is particularly easy.

Wakol WAKOL presents the WAKOL Applicator.

This is a battery charged (sausage) glue gun for applying WAKOL adhesives in tubes and cartridges. One of the big advantages here, too, is that it is possible to apply the glue from a standing position, and that puts less physical strain on the floor fitter. The gun is extremely easy to use. Amongst other things, it is suitable for applying WAKOL MS 265 Parquet adhesive,elastic, and WAKOL MS 245 Montinator.

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and gives you plenty of freedom to move (there are no compressor leads). Equipped with the special parquet glue SCHÖNOX iLINE™, the tool is ready for glueing almost all common, multi-layer sorts of parquet on many suitable substrates. There is no hint of a time-consuming cleaning procedure, since a new dosing head is fitted in just one minute. The use of sausage glues means a considerable reduction in the amount of packaging waste. Even if you haven’t used all the glue from the sausages, the clip closure provides the right solution. Ready for the next project. With SCHÖNOX iLINE™ you work economically!

For a healthy and ecological operation.

Due to the SMP polymer technology, which forms the basis for SCHÖNOX Parquet glues, SCHÖNOX is aiming for entirely healthy and ecological products. These products do not contain any solvents and meet the standard EMICODE EC 1R PLUS.

Special Glue guns

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Special Solvent -free Repair Sealants and fillers

WONDER REMEDIES FOR SPLITS AND CRACKS PRODUCERS OFFER A SOLUTION FOR EVERY GAP Nothing is perfect. That’s for sure. That applies just as much to parquet and wooden floors in general. Wood is a living material and that is exactly why it is perfectly possible for minor blemishes to occur here and there before the floor is fitted, partly depending on storage conditions and transport. The wood can also suffer some damage during the fitting itself: we only have to think here of the nail holes with traditional parquet. It is always necessary to fill in ‘something’ when we install any wooden floor. For example, there are also the necessary expansion joints at the edges of the floor. Producers offer a suitable solution for every gap.

Sorts of fillers Putty, fictile wood, and wood filler are all names of agents which we use to remove blemishes in wooden floors. Actually, we should call them ‘repair agents’. Repair agents are any products which can be deployed to repair one or more of the above-mentioned blemishes in a wooden floor, whether they are the result of fitting, use, or an accident.

For some years now, we have been seeing the emergence of various repair kits from several producers. These are a composition of several repair agents in one package. These repair kits include products which enable the user to repair all sorts of damage to different floors (e.g. solid wood, multi-layer, veneer, and even laminate) locally. Here we summarise the different repair solutions.

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Putty Putty is a generally accepted name for fictile wood. Fictile or liquid wood is mainly suitable for filling small nail holes or cracks. It is not only used in the parquet and wooden floor sector, but also in various places in construction such as for repairing woodwork (doors and windows), repairing furniture, and such like. Fictile wood is available in various sorts of wood so that you can find a solution for any floor. It is perfectly possible to apply a coat of oil, wax, or parquet varnish to putty.

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Repair wax Wax is available as a repair agent in the form of wax rods. These wax rods are available in both solid and malleable form. In the case of the malleable wax, the repair is carried out ‘cold’. The malleable wax is pressed into the cavity or split. You remove surplus wax using a plastic spatula. Solid wax is melted above the damaged point using a special melting pistol. The melting pistol for softening the wax is comparable to a small soldering iron.

Here, to, you remove surplus wax with a plastic spatula.

Acrylate and polyacrylate Some blemishes in the wood, and especially joints and thresholds with other floors, require a permanent elasticity to absorb the movements of the floor. For this purpose the market has polyacrylate or acrylate kits. These kits can absorb huge movements in the wood (7 to 14%). They are perfectly suitable for varnishing or oiling.

Wood filler Wood filler is the medium to which sawdust from the wooden floor (sanded using 80-100 grain) is added. This mixture is used primarily to fill in nail holes caused by nailing the wooden floor.

The big advantage of wood filler is obvious: since the filler is prepared using the sawdust from the wooden floor, the colour is identical to that of the sort of wood used. Modern wood fillers dry quickly, have a very good filling capacity, and are not harmful to human health or the environment. Naturally, wood fillers can also be used to repair other faults (e.g. cracks or scratches).

What’s on the market?

Blanchon Blanchon offers an extensive range of fillers for parquet and wooden floors.

Amongst the ‘technical solutions’ we make a distinction between binding agents for use with scouring powder, forms of putty (ready for use or not), wood filler, and putty in a tube. For mixing with scouring powder Blanchon presents two separate kits. The ‘Liant Mastic à Bois’ from Blanchon has been a permanent fixture amongst European floor fitters for over 20 years. The product consists of a highly liquid resin with very strong adhesion and is mixed with the scouring powder from the second sandpapering. This means that the colour of the colour of the filler is always identical to the floorboards used. The product dries very quickly and can be finished with any of the traditional means.

As parts of its endeavours for sustainable development, Blanchon has developed a second binding agent in the Aqua Pro range. This is the Pro Filler, which is processed in the same way, but takes a little longer to dry.

Briançon Briançon presents three different sorts of putty for repairing wood. For large-scale repairs there is putty in powder form, which is diluted with water (e.g. Wood Mastic BI or P340). Wood Mastic

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Ciranova Ciranova offers four different wood fillers for parquet.

Ciranova Gupamaker is a mixture of binding agents and aroma-free solvents, which have to be mixed with the sawdust from the floor. Gupa-maker is ideal for filling in nail holes and other minor wood repairs. Wood filler is a natural powder to be diluted in water. If you wish to obtain a particular colour, you can also mix wood filler with a waterborne stain such as Aquapad.

Wood filler (paste form) is a paste which is ready for use to fill up small gaps and cracks. Wood filler (paste) sets quickly and is highly waterproof and chip resistant. It is available in five colours.

Finally, filling wax consists of coloured rods which you can easily mould to fill in small damaged areas. Filling wax does not shrink and has extremely strong adhesion. Filling wax is available in about 40 colours. Gupa-maker and wood filler are available in larger packs. Wood filler can be produced tailor-made from certain quantities.

Chimiver Panseri S.p.A. ECOFILL is an ecological waterbased product with a filling capacity analogue to solvent-based fillers. It has light fragrance without the classic and unpleasant smells and hazardous vapours! It has to be used mixed with the dust coming from sanding wooden floors and is gives a smoothing finish to parquet. ECOFILL, thanks to its short drying time, allows a quick sandpapering of the floor. With standard conditions you only need to apply it once saving money and time. It is very good both on medium and larger gaps and holes. In its range Chimiver includes also PARKETKIT, which is a solvent and silicone free, odourless polyacrylate mastic for gluing

baseboards, gaps between different flooring elements, etc. May be painted over easily after hardens completely. Available in 8 different colours.

Durieu Durieu Professional presents its ‘Liant d’empâtage pour joints/fissures’, a repair agent obtained by mixing it with sawdust residue from the wooden floor. Suitable sawdust is obtained after sanding with a grain from 80 to 100. The product can be used for all sorts of wood, is odourless, and dries quickly. It can be sanded perfectly well. In the long term, it retains perfect elasticity, it does not turn yellow, and the colour of the wood does not change.

This filler is based on acryl and is suitable for filling gaps of up to 2mm. This product can be deployed for parquet, wooden floors, or on stairs and is suitable for new buildings and renovation. It is compatible with the primer Primafloor, the various shades of Chromafloor, the glazers and saturates of the Durieu range, oils, and other varnishes.

Ernst Ernst P has been serving the timber industry, the furniture industry, and the floor sector in Europe for several decades. The products in the range are accessories and resources for production, repair, and maintenance. Ernst P products are based on natural and renewable raw materials. Nowadays, it is possible to repair wooden floors using the Repair Kit Pro. The colour pallet Touch up Colour includes six oil-based stains. The different colours can be mixed until you obtain the colour of the floor to be repaired. After the repair, you need to apply a surface protection.

The Repair Pro Kit provides satin and matt varnish and oil. Bigger holes need to be filled in first. Therefore, the Repair Kit Pro also provides 20 hard wax rods in different shades as well as a melting pistol. How’s that for a doctor’s case! The Repair Kit Pro is one of the countless solutions from Ernst P. There is also the Repair Kit Express and the Repair Kit Junior. Another handy tool is the Rubinol Putty, a repair paste based on linseed oil in handy tubes of 100g. It is available in 20 different shades.

Lecol Within the Wood Filler assortment, Lecol has two wood fillers, one of which is Lecol Duo Fill. This is the universal 2K low-solvent wood filler par excellence for all parquet and wooden floors. You can use the Lecol Thermokit gnarl filler to repair all bigger gaps or gnarls in no time at all.

Lecol Duo Fill dries quickly, offers excellent adhesion, and guarantees only minimal shrinkage. It is perfectly possible to sandpaper this product. For problems in repairing damage in wood such as gnarls and deep scratches, Lecol provides the solution! The product for repairing this damage is the Lecol Thermokit gnarl filler. The product is based on polyamide and has been developed specially for filling wood. The Lecol Thermokit gnarl filler is suitable for all sorts of wood, hard or soft, light or dark, and can be supplied in several colours and in three degrees of hardness. The type and colour depend on the sort of wood and the treatment which the wood will get later. Thermokit dries within seconds.

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BI Rapid guarantees setting in 40 minutes. This is an ecological product based on natural adhesives and adopts the colour of the wood perfectly. Wood Mastic E800 or E900 is a wood putty ready for use and is also based on natural glues. Wood Mastic Liant Aqua is an odourless putty which is made by mixing it with sawdust from the floor. This means that holes are always filled in the same colour as the floor. The product is odourless, is applied with a spatula, and dries quickly.

All products from Briançon have undergone the necessary tests pursuant to the VOC legislation and are catalogued in class A+.

Packets are available from 500g to 30kg or even as required for industrial clients.

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Special Solvent -free Repair Sealants and fillers

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Osmo Partial renovation of wooden flooring To repair larger damaged areas it is possible to re-apply Osmo Polyx®-Oil , after sanding the effected area.

To achieve the correct finish the following points should be noted.

• Cordon off the damaged area(s) using masking tape.

• Evenly sand the cordoned surface. The end sanding grain should be that of the surrounding wood surface.

• The sanded area must be totally dust free before progressing (e.g. using a vacuum cleaner) • Apply a thin coat of Osmo Polyx® - Oil using the microfiber roller (contained in the Osmo Floor Roller Set) evenly to the surface.

• Leave the treated area to dry for approximately 8 – 10 hours • When dry apply a second thin coat using Osmo Polyx®-Oil 3032 and a lint free cloth.

• If there is a difference in the appearance of the surface (too dull) after the second coat has dried, a further thin coat may be applied using a lint free cloth to improve this.

• Due to sanding the damaged surface area, the woods natural colour may again be visible (lighter colour). This difference will balance out over time.

Pallmann

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Pall-X Kitt Water-based low-slump joint filler avoiding any shrinkage in the joints. Thanks to its fast drying time, Pall-X Kitt is the basis of our rapid system (30 m2 can be sanded and lacquered the same day).

Suitable for the surface treatment of: • sanded wood flooring • for use over underfloor heating systems

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Properties: • neutral colour and low odour • easy to apply • low consumption (50 ml/m2) • no shrinkage in the joints • excellent visibility during the sanding process Hydro Filler Environmentally friendly waterbased low-slump joint-filler solution avoiding shrinkage in the joints.

Suitable for the surface treatment of: • sanded wood flooring • or use over underfloor heating systems Properties • the best product for health and the environment

• easy to apply • no shrinkage in the joints • low odou2-component lacquer for wood flooring Stauf Simply squirt away voids beneath wood flooring.

Hollow spaces beneath wood flooring are irritating because they give the impression of a poor laying job and they also cause disturbing squeaks and creaks. It does not even have to be an old floor – hollow spaces can just as easily appear beneath a recently laid floor for all kinds of reasons. So that the constant stresses on the wooden floor do not lead to visible damage, voids and their acoustically disturbing properties should be eliminated as quickly as possible. This is easily done by injecting a liquid adhesive without having to remove any parquet elements or loose strips.

This brings the wood back into a permanent connection with the ground underneath.

Application Before application, the hollow spots have to be located by knocking and sensing. To avoid a ripping of the wood flooring surface while drilling, the drilling area should be masked with a stable adhesive tape in advance. This also helps to avoid the contact of the repair material leaking out the borehole with the wood flooring surface. For drilling and injecting the STAUF Repamed a drill diameter of 4 mm is sufficient. For injection the syringe has to be placed upright on the borehole and the liquid repair material should be injected under constant pressure continuously underneath the wood flooring .In case of several boreholes repeat accordingly. When smaller borehole diameters are needed or for an injection behind borders/baseboards the enclosed needle can be used. After 24 hours the adhesive tapes can be removed. The boreholes can be closed with hot wax, wooden plugs or other suitable materials.

Tover In order to propose a complete water-based finishing system, Tover has formulated a filler, Idrofondo RS30, which is odorless, water-based and with a low VOC content. After mixing with sanding dust, its quick drying time avoids any shrinking and permits high filling performances. It is also very easy to sand and overcoatable with both water and solvent lacquers. In order to fill perimeter joints, skirting boards, Tover offers an acrylic colored sealant, Full Gap, solvent free, with a high tack and a good elasticity. Its formula without silicone enables to overcoat it with any lacquer. It exists in nine wooden colors, white and grey.

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DecoRad®: Tipping point is reached for acceptance on-site UV The interest for on-site UV curing equipment is growing fast.

Various coating suppliers launched their UV floor coatings on the recent Domotex in Hannover. Thousands of square meters wood, resilient and mineral floors are already successfully renovated using the DecoRad® equipment. Due to increased demand, an US distributor is found: American Ultraviolet. This well known company, with several locations throughout the North- and South America, will supply, service and train contractors. Early adopters want to stay ahead of competition and choose UV. Spanolux N.V. division Balterio Välinge’s utility model DE ’012 vs. Balterio’s PXP® system In the course of the Domotex fair 2013, Välinge Innovation AB (“Välinge”) served a writ of complaint against Spanolux N.V. division Balterio (“Balterio”), claiming that Balterio’s new locking system PXP® (PressXpress) allegedly infringes its German utility model DE 20 2012 007 012 U1 (“DE ’012”). Välinge subsequently

IVC Group has reached an agreement with Balta Industries on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Trinterio IVC , the largest Western European manufacturer of vinyl flooring for residential applications, and the third largest player in this segment worldwide, has reached an agreement with Balta Industries, the European market leader for broadloom carpet and rugs, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Trinterio, manufacturer of laminate flooring and MDF products, with production facilities in Vielsalm, and offices in SintBaafs-Vijve.

Balta Industries had previously purchased the 50% of Trinterio which it did not already own from Ackermans & van Haaren.

This acquisition takes place concurrently with an agreement between Unilin n.v., a division of Mohawk Industries, and Ackermans & Van Haaren, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Spanogroup (with Spano in Oostrozebeke and Dekaply in Erembodegem).

The transactions must still be approved by the relevant

issued a press release informing the public about said lawsuit, which is a proceeding on the merits.

“We are convinced that our PXP® System does not infringe Välinge’s German utility model” says Peter Le Roy, division director of the laminate division of Spanolux N.V. “Since its foundation in 2001, Balterio has always taken intellectual property issues very seriously. We are confident that we will also prevail in these proceedings. This is why we will continue to market our PXP system as before.”

DE ’012 is a utility model, i.e. a protective right which was registered by the German Patent and Trademark Office without a substantive examination of its validity regarding novelty and inventive step. It was filed only on July 19, 2012, claiming earlier priority of the Swedish application SE P 11 50 713.4 of July 19, 2011.

Välinge’s DE ’012 was filed a long time after the public launch of the PXP® System on Domotex 2011 and also after Balterio’s corresponding patent application WO 2011/127981 A1 on April 15, 2010.

Peter Le Roy adds: “In our view DE ’012 was filed and tailored for the sole purpose of attacking our PXP® System and is not based on any proprietary technology or invention of Välinge. We intend to start invalidity proceedings against this utility model immediately.”

Balterio’s Research and Development Director Bruno Vermeulen explains the background of Balterio’s innovative PXP® locking system: “Already in 2008 we started developing a new locking mechanism which led to the PXP® system. PXP® is a completely new and innovative fold down system for flooring panels that is out of the scope of existing third party patents. Years of research and development combined with the daily experiences and wishes of customers resulted in PXP®, which we have successfully integrated into our product ranges Grandeur, Infinity and Xperienceplus.

On April 15, 2010, we applied for our own patent application WO 2011/127981 A1 covering the PXP® System, so more than 14 months before Välinge filed its application for DE ’012.

competition authorities. In 2012, Trinterio has achieved a turnover of 180 million Euros through the Balterio Laminate Flooring Division and Spanolux, a producer of MDF panels.

The company has 375 employees.

Filip Balcaen, main shareholder and Executive Chairman of the IVC Group: ‘Balterio and Spanolux are complementary to our current activities. They will further strengthen IVC’s position as a leading player in hard floor coverings. It is our intention to commit additional investment to further increase their competitiveness’.

Jan Vergote, CEO of the IVC Group: ‘Balterio & Spanolux will become independent divisions within the IVC Group. We are looking forward to the synergies in the field of R&D for the development of a new generation of hard floors and MDFbased products’.

With 1200 employees, the IVC Group, with branches in Belgium, Luxembourg, the United States and Russia, aims at a consolidated turnover of 530 million Euros in 110 countries in 2013.

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DecoRad®:

Industry news

> Industry news

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Optimism about German construction industry at BAU

Aftershow Bau Munich (D)

With 235,000 visitors, a figure to match the record of 2011, both organisers and exhibitors at BAU were delighted. This trade fair in Munich is increasingly becoming the leading construction fair in Europe and the world. The fact is that over 60,000 visitors came from abroad, and even top class architects such as Daniel Libeskind came to the Bavarian capital to visit BAU. International construction fair With 235,000 visitors, BAU really is a huge event for the European construction industry. After the fair, exhibitors expressed their delight with their results and the number of visitors. Over the years, this fair has also attracted an increasing number of visitors from abroad. About 60,000 visitors (i.e. about one quarter) were from abroad. Surveys suggest that in particular more and more visitors are coming from Russia (2,920 visitors), China (1,091 visitors), and Japan (750 visitors).

Architects at the show At the same time, the BAU trade fair also underlined its major importance for architects and building engineers. With 50,000 visitors from this visitor category, the fair is proving to be a must.

Top class architects such as Daniel Libeskind (architect of the new World Trade Centre in New York), Christoph Ingenhoven, Juhani Pallasmaa, Mario Cucinella, and Andrey Bokov were also present.

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Over 2,000 exhibitors The list of construction products at the fair is impressive, innovative, and complete. All together, there were 2,060 exhibitors from 41 countries to show off their wares with impressive and architecturally attractive stands. Similarly, the floor industry (parquet, laminate, and LVT floors) was well represented by names such as Balterio, Baltic Wood, Amorim, Boen, Haro, Osmo, Witex, etc. It also goes without saying that the chemical industry was represented in large numbers.

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Satisfaction and optimism Surveys conducted by the organisers showed that the visitors were well satisfied. 97% of those interviewed described the show as good to excellent and 95% of them plan to return next time in 2015. The show is accessible for both private and professional visitors. However, the organisers stress that the show is primarily an event by professionals for professionals, and research shows that 94% of the visitors were active professionals from the construction industry.

Moreover, it emerged that the difficult and uncertain economic times have hardly affected the German construction industry, because most people seemed optimistic about prospects. 83% of visitors were optimistic about their prospects and about half of them expect the construction industry in Germany to do better in the months ahead.

Here is a summary from exhibitors from our sector who sent us information before the deadline:

Amorim This cork, parquet, and vinyl specialist unpacked on a large scale and presented the new Wicanders Studio-sale-Concept and a completely new Wicanders parquet collection with new marketing support. They then presented twelve new rustic wood designs in Vinyl Comfort (Vinyl-Click) with Registered Embossing. There was also a unique, revolutionary Vinyl Comfort collection in a glued design (LVT dry back) with a sound reduction cork comfort interim layer, in sixteen designs for the private and project market. For the rest, there were twelve new trendy designs in Design Comfort (Vinyl-Click) and Go4cork (Cork-Click).

Woca Denmark Woodcare Denmark presented a whole new series of novelties. For example, there was the new Deep Cleaner spray, which thoroughly cleans outdoor wood and outdoor furniture and which is just as effective as the previous Deep Cleaner A and B, but in a single product. Also new is the Woca Exterior Gel for freshening up previously oiled outdoor wood and furniture. It provides UV protection and is easy and economical in use. Another new product is the Woca Oil Care, an effective maintenance product for oiled wooden floors. This product comes in natural and white versions.

Woca also exhibited a roller applicator with a handle for oil and lye, which is uniform, efficient, and can be applied in all comfort to wooden floors.

Proline Systems Proline showed off PROFIX, a thin, applicable solvent-free 1K emulsion adhesive for glueing insulation layers. PROVARIO clip Universal is a new clip with coatings of maple, beech, walnut, and five-colour oak. PROBASE profi PS+ is a sound reduction subfloor, which protects the click joints of floating fitted vinyl and design floors against rising damp. PROSECUREfibretec is a waterproof and durable subfloor reinforced with fibreglass. It protects the top floor against unevenness and instability.

Prodecor Q profiles is an elegant series of profiles with embossed

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register for various floors. For dealers there is a new POS display with top quality and high-tech look and structure in aluminium.

Proline announced that its subsidiary company Calomero, specialist in floor heating and cooling, is now called Proline Energy.

It offers two effective floor heating systems: Basic Line system is an extremely thin polystyrene pipe system which brings heat or cool air very close to the surface. The new Nature line is an identical system to Basic line, but is constructed from renewable wood fibre material.

Boen Boen was very pleased with the great interest which visitors showed in the new Natural Plus range. This parquet range, which originates from a brand new production line in the factory at Mölln, Germany, is finished with a natural oil of vegetable origin and is completely free of toxic emissions. It contains sunflower, thistle, and soya oil together with natural wax such as carnauba and candelilla. The oil finish from Natural Plus has been approved by the German technological institute DIBt and scores of tests show that the floor surface is resistant to water, dirt, and scratches and resists UV rays.

Armstrong With about 700 visitors, the expectations Armstrong placed upon BAU have been met in full: We presented a sparkling and colourful exhibition stand: All of the 155 m2 surfaces were covered with a complex geometric DLW Linoleum design from our new Lino Art Linea collection and the colourful special collection “Colorette – The Festival of Colours”. The concept originates from the Ippolito Fleitz Group in Stuttgart. Our presentation of linoleum, with a focus on sustainable raw materials, could not have been received better. We were able to show customers, planners and architects that the DLW flooring are modern and trendy, but also stylish and elegant.

Becker & Großgarten GmbH BAU in Munich is a real crowd puller and represents a major forum for the parquet industry in highquality surroundings. For 2013, we had a number of new product ideas in the portfolio. As such, we have presented a new, very dark colour, with which we are expanding our strand woven bamboo range. Mocca is a very dark colour, which is created by thermal treatment and which colours right through the surface layer. In addition to Mocca floor boards, we also offer the colour as industrial parquet.

With the Auténtico line, we are embarking on a completely new product concept, which implements the ecological idea of bamboo parquet and floorings in a particularly striking way. The heavily silicified and very hard bamboo culm wall left in its natural state forms the surface of this flooring. No lacquering and no oil are applied. We supply this product line as short floorboards of random widths or as “maxi” floorboards over 2,200 mm long and so we appeal to all customers who are looking for maximum natural aspect.

Buzon The Buzon pedestal raised flooring system is both excellent and remarkable. Just two of the characteristics of the Buzon pedestals are the wide height range which can be overcome and the patented slope correction system. The Buzon pedestals are used

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At Bau 2013, Basmat has exhibited its revolutionary aluminium entrance matting. Thanks to its exclusive and patented click assembly system, Basmat can be shipped made to measure in only 24 hours. Basmat is the only entrance matting system that allows to stock profiles and, after a simple operation of cutting, sending the mat to the final customer. This option is preferred for distant markets. Basmat is really flooring, not only a mat. Thanks to its exclusive click assembly system it is possible to cover large or irregular surfaces that can’t be covered with competitors’ similar products. At Bau, Basmat presented its mobile application for Android and iOS. Thanks to this app, the clients can get an instant editable estimate in their e-mail address or send a copy to the final customer. The app also lets to get a simulated picture of the mat in the desired entryway. Basmat was exhibiting in Bau 2013 for the first time, introducing the Basmat advantages and also the new mobile application.

I hertogvloeren.com Are you a distributor or an agent?

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Basmat

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in private as well as in commercial projects. The intention of Buzon is to have a simple system which can be used to the highest level of flexibility on each kind of substrate and with each kind of decking material in any shape. This year, at the Buzon stand in hall A4, the company displayed some common application fields for the Buzon pedestals. These included wooden slats as the classic decking form with natural products. Also included were different tile deckings which were made from stone, GRP grating, and Bangkirai tiles. All displayed deckings raised up to different height levels, and this attracted a lot of guests. Posters with pedestals in special surroundings and with unique tasks illustrated more possibilities of using raised floorings for the benefit of the onlookers. Discussions at the stand gave visitors the opportunity to ask any questions.

The Buzon staff discovered that 70% visitors were from Germany and were mainly collecting information for their professional work. Other visitors came from Austria, Poland, Russia, Greece, and the Middle East. After the exhibition, it was established that 90% of the visitors were professionals. To sum up, this is an exhibition which is recognised all over the world and it certainly lives up to its reputation as the leading fair for architecture and materials. Buzon, the German distributor of Buzon pedestals, definitely intends to be present at the next Bau exhibition in Munich in 2015.

PARKETT everything for the floor FREUND

Döllken-Weimar The skirting board and profile specialist Döllken-Weimar put the EP 60/13 flex life range in the spotlight. This range fits in perfectly with Design floor coverings. The collection is among others geared specifically to the CONCEPTLINE of the manufacturer Karndean International. The core of the skirting boards is an HDF base fitted with chlorine-free plastic. A flexible lip gives a perfect connection with the wall and floor. As usual, it is easy to fit this new design core skirting board quickly and accurately with the tools made for this purpose.

Egger FLOORLINE Superior Accentuates Current Living Trends for Optimum Effect Open living is a trend that also creates new challenges for flooring design. The FLOORLINE Superior collection presented by EGGER at the BAU trade fair meets the resulting customer wishes. It contains ten current decors with natural and authentic visual appearance and feel in the new large floorboard format. This format offered

Quality you can depend on

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We give a profile to your floor

Moisture & Humidity Test Kits for the Flooring Industry

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Complete package for moisture testing of Concrete and Wood Flooring

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www.parkettfreund.com Your supplier for the complete flooring profile and accessory range

The kit contains Hygro-i NEW reusable NIST traceable Relative Humidity Probe P for RH testing of concrete slabs and screeds to International Standards

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PERFORM TESTING TO BS5325, BS8203 AND ASTM F2170 & F2420.

FLOORING HYGRO-i MASTER KIT

sales@tramex.ie +44 759 54 111 42

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Hertog Vloeren BV looked back with satisfaction on its participation in Bau 2013 in Munich. They presented various new items at their stand. Amongst other things, they have extended their present range with four unique distressed types of floor; the basic type is a surface which is scraped by hand and refined with a strong brushing, sawing, and details such as stylishly rounded corners and optically worked gnarls. Existing and potential clients of Hertog Vloeren BV also responded with great enthusiasm to the extra wide and long sections in an oak top (20mm). These sections are available in no less than 320mm wide and up to 4200mm long.

Tramex Once again Tramex team had the pleasure of taking part in BAU 2013 – The largest Building exhibition in Europe. BAU is scheduled every two years and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world.

www.progressprofiles.com

Our glance always at the future

Lippage is a huge iSSue it’s our turn to heLP

the only one with 2 elements

StUdIOvErdE

Save 3 pieces on intersections

Proleveling System Proleveling System is a revolutionary and innovative system that facilitates and quicken the laying process with only two elements: (leveler and cap).

A complete range of levelers of 1, 2 and 3 mm for floorings and coverings from 2 to 40 mm thick. thanks to the pressure applied vertically and not transversally, the exclusive removal system allows to avoid the movement of the tiles and the widening of the joints.

Progress Profiles SpA

pate nt Multip pendin g le so lution s

Osmo Osmo presents its new professional brand on the world’s leading trade fair, the BAU Many of the over 235.000 visitors who attended the BAU trade fair, between the 14 and 19.01.2013, also visited the two storey Osmo stand. The first floor was completely dedicated to the presentation of Osmo’s new professional product range „HOLZWERKER“, a concept designed for the needs and demands of carpenters, painters, furniture makers and floor installers etc. The „HOLZWERKER“ product range offers optimised performance, natural oil based products for the professional, the range created a great level of interest not only from existing customers but potential customers also. Thorsten Mehlin, Manager Director sales noted „The resonance received confirmed that the step towards a professional product range was definately a step in the right direction, and the BAU trade fair was the best platform to launch it. „the development of our professional finishes has been based on both our long term practical experience in the DIY sector as well as working with professionals in our export markets“.

Success for mFLOR @ BAU mFLOR experienced a great start of the new year. At BAU, the new designfloor ranges mFLORPROJEKT and mFLORCONTACT were officially launched. These ranges, which are specially developed for the contract market, received very positive reactions from the many visitors. mFLORPROJEKT is a Glue Down range of LVT strips and tiles. mFLORCONTACT is a new concept of installing designfloors without adhesive. Both architects, designers, contractors and installers were very much taken by the innovative designs, consisting of wood and stone, with very natural appearance.

MOSO Bamboo Products

Lay

Turn

Remove Kicking the clip in the direction of the joint.

Aftershow Bau Munich (D)

Hertog Vloeren BV

At our stand 301, In Hall A4 we presented our full range of products including the Tramex CMEX HYGRO-I FLOORING KIT and FLOORING HYGRO-I MASTER KIT, state of the art kits for flooring professionals incorporating the Tramex Hygro-i probe - the most advanced and resilient Relative Humidity probe on the market today.

All our guests had a chance to test our meters, ask questions and watch the latest Tramex video (see tramexltd.com).

Those who already have and use our products shared their experience and opinion on our meters.

MOSO is the European market leader in the development of innovative and sustainable bamboo products for indoors and outdoors. During BAU 2013 we presented our four product groups: flooring, panels & veneer, outdoor

Azienda certificata UN EN ISO 9001:2008

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Floor Forum International 58

exclusively by EGGER (1,292 × 245 mm) / 50.87” x 9.65”) is 5 cm (1.97”) wider than a classic floor board. It makes the room appear visually larger and presents decors to their best advantage. This effect is also underlined through the endless appearance of the decors, whereby the decor image seamlessly blends into the next floorboard. This creates the impression of virtually endless planks.

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decking and unlimited solutions, as well as our new branding, which was received very positive by visitors and press.

For MOSO the BAU exhibition proved to be very successful: MOSO`s customers were able to see the new branding in full and the fair also led to a lot of new leads. Furthermore, MOSO’s outdoor product Bamboo X-treme decking was nominated for the prestigious Innovation Prize of architecture platform AIT. We also noticed a lot of interest for MOSO’s latest innovations such as the new additions to the flooring range, bamboo cladding, coloured decking and a new assortment of bamboo beams and slats.

application will be extended by the recently launched elegant aluminium skirtings, various universal profiles made out of stainless steel and bendable stair noisings.

Visitors from 49 different countries attended the fair and could get a first impression of the German manufacturer’s range.

Summarizing one can say that the BAU was a successful opportunity to get to know new contacts from all around the world as more and more different nations are to be found on this international fair.

Aftershow Bau Munich (D)

Carl Prinz GmbH & Co. KG Pallmann Extreme products for installers of wood flooring Extremely variable, extremely wellbonding, extremely strong: The new wood flooring lacquer Pall-X Extreme, the wood flooring adhesive Pallmann P6 and the wood flooring sanding machine Cobra are three powerful solutions for wood flooring professionals that the full-range provider Pallmann has presented at the BAU 2013. With the trade fair motto “Making good floors together!”, the specialist for wood flooring Pallmann as a brand of Uzin Utz AG has shown new products and services for all areas of wood flooring installation – from wood flooring machines, over adhesives for different applications, to the latest possibilities of surface finishing. In addition, live demonstrations have shown how the wood flooring machines from Pallmann perform.

Extremely variable with Pall-X Extreme Owing to new Pallmann Variotec Technology, the new waterbased woodfloor lacquer Pall-X Extreme can be applied as single or two component system, what allows flexible application and stock management. In normal up to heavy wear areas, the lacquer is used without the hardener. The 2-component version – with the hardening component B – seals and protects the woodfloor against chemical and mechanical exposure.

Prinz expands its programme: unique range in the growth market of designer floor coverings Whether it is for fully-adhered, 2-3 millimetre thick floor coverings or for floating LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles) with click-attachment– the new Prinz programme offers a unique range of sections that allow you to create elegant connections, clean borders and perfectly renovated stairs even for these floor coverings.

Professionally-designed Section System Prinz’s new professionally-designed Section System certainly covers an extraordinarily wide range of possible applications. While most Section Systems for designer floor coverings available in the market can be used for applications from 5 millimetres upwards, sections “made by Prinz” can be reliably installed on floor coverings from 4 millimetres thickness. As thin as possible, as wide as necessary. Prinz’s product line is built on this principle. In spite of their narrow, flat presentation, the sections offer space for expansion joints of up to 7.5 millimetres. The smart clip mechanism means that they can be easily and quickly installed. When necessary, they can be released and then re-fixed. No other product on the market can do this. Moreover, there is an impressive choice of colours available. As well as the four standard anodised colours, we offer three stainless steel options: matt stainless steel, polished stainless steel and brushed stainless steel.

Parkettfreund On this year’s BAU Parkettfreund presented its wide assortment of high-grade aluminium profiles and accessories for floor coverings along with a number of product innovations on its very new designed exhibition booth. Fields of

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Progress Profiles Progress Profiles took part in the BAU show in Munich for the first time. They found the whole experience highly beneficial due to both the international framework of the show and the large and varied stream of visitors. A quarter of the visitors who came to the Progress Profiles stand were from outside Germany. This is particularly good news for this manufacturer which is strongly

We make binding connections.

Floor profiles and underlay sheeting for hard, elastic and textile flooring.

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Vetedy Vetedy Group took part in the BAU show in Munich for the first time and insists that it certainly won’t be the last. The show was a success for the numerous visitors at the stand and their professional quality; these visitors were from both Germany and various other countries, and even Vetedy itself was surprised at this.

Visitors showed particular interest in Vetedy’s new Techniclic®

Antique smoked & ivory oiled

frontage, wall, and ceiling system and this confirms that 2013 will be another good year for Vetedy. Even at the height of an economic crisis, Vetedy has managed to make progress and acquire market shares, and this goes to show the quality which it brings. Furthermore, no one will ever forget the Softline® system, a permanent fixture at Vetedy. After all, during the show, Vetedy was able to take its biggest ever order in its history: 7,200m² for Istanbul in Turkey.

More information will follow shortly …

Witex /Windmöller: New umbrella brand wineo® rocked the trade shows Powerful debut – positive resonance! The presentation of the new Windmöller umbrella flooring brand, wineo®, with its lively, friendly colours, was a complete success at the Domotex and BAU trade shows. The positive reactions of the retail partners confirmed the wineo® concept, which was received with tremendous enthusiasm. On the products side, windmöller flooring products gmbh presented a host of new laminate flooring features, the first CONNECT design flooring in XL plank format and the world’s first resilient flooring, PURLINE eco, which consists of bio-polymers made predominantly of renewable raw materials and natural fillers.

Aftershow Bau Munich (D)

geared towards exports. As was the case during Cersaie, Progress Profiles introduced some new products during this event: the Black Line, for example, is a range of profiles which are divided up into different types of black anodisation (glossy, brushed, etc.). These types of finish fit in perfectly with a modern and well thought out style, in which the details play an important part in a minimalist frame. By contrast, the Tuscany Line is much closer to a country or rustic style, thanks to its finishes, which are closer to natural materials such as wood and stone.

At a technical level, the major novelty Prodeso is the alternative ‘Made in Italy’ for the bottom layer. This new bottom layer, the icing on the cake at a technical level, is designed and produced completely in Italy. In addition, Progress Profiles put in its very best efforts to present, promote, and sell its products. They introduced some new sales tools and a number of fitting tips to make the sale of profiles an easy and profitable business.

Multiplank Knotting Hill & Antique Natural rough appearance with knots and cracks (KH) Untreated natural shrunken knots (KH) Visible stripes from the band saw (KH) Hand-carved surfaces and chamfers (A)

Antique burned & brushed

Ask for the wide range of Heywood Vloeren, wholesaler / manufacturer of all kinds of wooden floors.

Knotting Hill characteristic knot

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Floor Forum International 58

Particular rustic appearance with knots and cracks (A)

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Domotex Asia: bigger than ever

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Preview Domotex Asia

From 26 to 28 March, Shanghai is hosting the fifteenth edition of what is now the biggest floor show in the world, Domotex Asia. For 2013, the organisers are expecting about 45,000 visitors (in 2012 there were 39,856) and have provided 130,000 square metres of exhibition space. The show is looking very promising, not surprising in view of the positive economic prospects and the vast potential of the Chinese and South-East Asian floor markets.

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Strong representation for parquet and laminate 80% of the available space was booked by November of last year.

It is also noticeable that a number of major players which have not attended the show for a few years have decided to return: Unilin-Quickstep, Pergo, Kronoflooring, and Kronoswiss, for example, will be present in 2013. Unique and very good news for our sector is that this floor show (unlike Domotex in Hanover) reserves about 50% show space for the market segments of parquet, laminate, cork, and bamboo. Other companies from our sector which were also present last year are Berry Alloc, Floover, AHEC, and NWFA. Ceramic and natural stone floors A new feature for this edition is that exhibitors from the world of ceramic and natural Stone floors are now admitted. The

organisers concentrate specifically on the high end products in that floor segment. Asia is the biggest consumer of ceramics in the world and demand is rising rapidly for fashionable and innovative products.

Bright prospects in Asia There are many reasons for the rapid rise of this show. Firstly, there are the bright prospects for the Chinese construction industry. In the next fifteen years, builders will be building on over 40 billion square metres in China, a figure which is equivalent to 10 times New York City. And so, it goes without saying that there is a huge need for floors. In the meantime, the Chinese economy is well set to record growth of 9.5% in 2013. This has given rise to the fastest growing middle class in the world. Estimates suggest that the Chinese urban middle class will number 612 million

visit the new www.floor-forum.com

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people by 2025. And so, this provides countless opportunities for the floor industry. Seeing that Western floor markets, especially in Europe, are set for a difficult year, several floor producers are more committed to exports, including to Asia. Gone are the days when China was purely a (cheap) supplier of floors for our industry. It is increasingly becoming a very promising export market for our floor producers.

Opening hours: Tuesday 26 March 9.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.

Wednesday 27 March 9.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.

Thursday 28 March 9.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.

Practical information The Shanghai International Exhibition Centre is once again the venue for Domotex Asia/China Floors.

Discover Välinge´s latest flooring technologies in Hall N5, Booth B 45: • Locking systems for wood, laminate and resilient materials such as LVT,

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• Surface technologies such as Powder backing with the Wood powder technology or ACTiO2 for improved indoor air quality and floor clean-ability.

Visit us in the resilient hall (Hall W5, booth B 49) to learn more about locking systems for thin floors (down to 3mm) and the revolutionnary 5G locking system optimized for resilient materials, making LVT installation faster and easier than ever.

With our innovative team, modern facility and extensive patent portfolio, we provide our licensees worldwide with solutions in the field of locking systems and surface technologies for wood, laminate and resilient floorings. Meet the Välinge team at Domotex Asia in Hall N5, Booth B 45 and Hall W5, Booth B 49.

Preview Domotex Asia

Välinge Architects and interior designers will be there too The Shanghai Architect Fair (SAF) is taking place in the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre together and simultaneously with DOMOTEX Asia/CHINAFLOOR. In China, that is a major event which attracts thousands of architects and interior designers specialising in choice of material. This event will cover various themes such as choice of floors in hospitals, sports halls, and hotel accommodation. There will also be seminars on floor heating, innovative and ecological building, and distribution models for building materials.

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A MARKET WHICH JUST CONTINUES TO GROW

photo Archiwood

Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite) Floor Forum International 58 42

FITTING WOODEN TERRACES

If we were to make rankings of all wood processing skills, fitting traditional parquet would stand out somewhere at the top of the list. For the time being, we will leave aside the artistry of sculpture and marquetry. Anyone who can fit a traditional parquet floor really can do anything with wood. Fitting outdoor terraces is a good example of this. End users now have such high quality demands that the job calls for a skilled professional. This goes for wood sorts, technical solutions, and, of course, trends.

Wood means relaxation What exactly is outdoor life? ‘Outdoors’ means ‘in the garden’.

The garden means trees, plants, bushes, lawns, and natural beauty. And so, it is no surprise that wooden terraces are growing in popularity. When you step onto a wooden terrace, even barefoot, you come into contact at once with natural beauty. Wood charms us and it is soft and warm. The urge for relaxation also feeds our preference for wood. In the rapidly developing world where double income couples often yearn for a few moments of free time, wood plays a major part in creating a sense of being cocooned.

You don’t need much persuasiveness to convince people of this.

Just walk barefoot sometime on a bluestone or ceramic terrace floor and then do the same on a wooden terrace. Wood gives a totally different feel. The difference is even greater when you step out of a swimming pool. Under normal conditions a stone floor feels colder, but some natural stone floors (e.g. Chinese bluestone) have the disadvantage that they get red hot under strong sunlight so that you can’t step on them barefoot.

Wood from all over the world We’ve said it before often enough: there was a time when there was only one sort of wood (bangkirai) for outdoor floors.

Nowadays, however, world trade has ensured that we have access to countless ranges of wood sorts. What’s so special about those tropical sorts? Firstly, you have a huge variety of colours and wood structures. For any architectural design there is a sort of wood which, in terms of colour and grain, satisfies the yearnings of the designer or the project manager. And so, tropical wood certainly serves you well from an aesthetic point of view. It also goes without saying that there is a wide range of sorts which are graded in the first or second class for durability. This makes them particularly suitable for outdoor use. If these sorts of wood are fitted correctly using one of the high-tech fastening systems so that there is no constant exposure to water and there is good ventilation, these terraces can stay in immaculate condition for several years.

What about oak?

In times past, oak was not immediately everyone’s favourite choice of wood for outdoors. When people did use it for outdoor woodwork, they usually gave it a protective coat. Nowadays,

however, we see how oak is increasingly appearing on the menu of terrace manufacturers. Note! There are different sorts of oak.

Where do we find oak?

Oak grows in the northern hemisphere between 45 and 50° latitude. The growth areas in Europe are somewhat higher because of the sea climate, but somewhat lower in North America because of the land climate. Europeans tend to use European and North American oak, but there are hundreds of other sorts of oak (Quercus spp.) found all over the world (Java, Indo-China, and Central and Latin America). In fact, strictly speaking, the name ‘oak’ applies only to trees of the Quercus family. When people use that name in its basic form, they mean European oak (Quercus petraea, the winter oak, or Quercus robur, the summer oak).

Tropical versus oak Tropical species of wood have transformed the wood market completely. However, they have done so with varying success.

Over a decade ago, tropical wood was all the rage and everyone wanted tropical wood sorts for their parquet floors and, due to the high durability, they were also popular for outdoor terraces.

Yet despite the fact that some of those tropical sorts (certainly the African ones) are most certainly affordable, the primacy of these sorts soon peaked. Moreover, oak never fell into decline.

On the contrary, it always accounted for 85 to 90% of the market. And so, we have to regard tropical sorts as something of a fad. The reversion can largely be explained by the growing need for durable building materials. Moreover, tropical sorts which are certified are more expensive than the rest. The fact that laminate producers still offer an extensive choice of tropical wood decors is proof that the varieties are still highly popular.

Alternatives to solid wood In previous editions we have often written about the power of the human brain. This brain is frequently enticed either to imitate or improve natural materials. Over the years, and at top speed over the past decade, various alternatives to wooden terraces have seen the light of day. Let’s consider them briefly with their advantages and disadvantages.

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And so, it is a mistake to refer to them as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;counterfeitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;imitationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Wood composite contains real wood. It is composed of wood fibres, high-density polyethylene, UV stabilisers, dyes, and various additives to optimise the mechanical qualities. Usually, we are talking about recycled wood fibres and waste wood and recycled polyethylene. The ingredients are mixed and put through an extrusion process at high temperature. Extrusion technology gives the wood an accurate dimensioning and all designs are possible. In many respects wood composite is an ecologically responsible alternative to tropical hardwood. Basically, no trees have to be felled and the wood waste can equally well bear the FSC label. Producers speak of durability class 1, but, strictly speaking, we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to confirm this until 2022, since the production of this material didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start until 1997 (class 1 requires 25 years of exposure to outdoor conditions).

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Kebony instead of teak Kebony is a Norwegian company which, after years of research and experimentation, has developed an ecological modification process to make various wood sorts more durable. The wood used comes from deciduous forests in Europe. Maple, in particular, is used a lot to build yachts. After the wood is felled, it is impregnated with a special, patented liquid, which then sets. This substance has the biological furfuryl alcohol as a component, derived from waste materials from the extraction of sugarcane and maize. When the wood is completely dry, it undergoes another separate treatment in which it is heated to ensure that it hardens. Any waste substances are re-used so that the process is entirely cyclical.

HIDDEN DECK FASTENER

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Thermally treated wood For many years, researchers looked for alternative ways of preserving moderately durable wood sorts rather than treating them with chemical products, which were often extremely harmful.

After a long period of research and testing, thermal modification was one of the first solutions to be used successfully on a wide scale. Amongst other things, thermal treatment has the effect of killing the natural components which can serve as nourishment for fungi and insects. However, the most important consequence relates to the stability of the wood i.e. the way in which the wood copes with climate changes. Thermal treatment changes the hygroscopic character of the wood: the wood becomes less susceptible to fluctuations in the air humidity and this reduces swelling and shrinking considerably. For some time, thermal treatment has also been applied to bamboo to produce terrace planks. What the various products now on the market have in common is that they have undergone a heat treatment and have been compressed in such a way as to give them an exceptionally high density.

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info@hardwoodclip.com - www.hardwoodclip.com

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A selection from the range :

Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

Archi Wood/HardWood Clip® HardWood Clip® is the invisible fastening system for terrace planks and wooden boards designed, produced, and sold by Archi Wood. The new generation of HardWood Clip® fastening systems sets even higher performance standards and simplifies fitting comfort for users thanks to seven innovations and major improvements.

Although it is completely new, the second generation of HardWood Clip® retains all the essential features of the first generation. We refer here to the unique combination of a plastic ‘shell’ which has been injected around a stainless steel A2 reinforcement armature with very high resistance. This achieves an exceptionally solid fastening and the flexibility at the level of the expansion so that the natural swelling, shrinking, and curling of the wood is absorbed. The screws are screwed into the backing strips through the planks at an angle of 45°, through the fastening to give greater rigidity and control over the movements of the floorboard. The profile for symmetrical indentations ensures that the planks are reversible. There are also exclusive self-drilling SPAX® screws in stainless steel.

comprises 60% bamboo fibres and 35 % high-quality polymer (PE) as the bonding agent.

The result is a weatherproof outdoor surface that requires no maintenance by the customer, does not turn grey and stands out for its high colour stability. For those who like to go barefoot, it also offers a floor that is splinter-free and comfortable to walk on.

With the “Nudo” surface, Becker & Großgarten has given modern composite flooring a unique bamboo expression. The unmistakable cane thickenings typical of bamboo – known among experts as nodules – can be found on the Nudo surface. There can therefore be no doubt with regard to the material on which you are treading here.

The second side of the floor is called “Riffle”. This is a classic, rippled, longitudinal profile, which can be used as an alternative surface.

Common to both are the trendy econudo® colours of sandy brown, lava brown, terra brown, graphite black, stone grey and ice grey. The range for terrace construction is rounded off with finishing angles and corner profiles colour-matched to the floorboards. An installation package with a BPC system profile, system connectors and height-adjustable plastic installation feet is also provided.

In the design of the floorboards, Becker & Großgarten uses a structure that is solid throughout. Here, the manufacturer emphasises the claim of being positioned in the upmarket quality segment.

Ipe Latino

The new HardWood Clip® is available in three sizes in order to guarantee the correct space between the floorboards (3mm – 5mm – 7mm), whatever the moisture content is during the fitting, the features of the planks, and the climatic conditions.

Thanks to its matt, black, and anti-reflective finish and its brown antique-coloured stainless steel screws, HardWood Clip® offers a discreet and unrivalled fastening solution. HardWood Clip® is the only fastening system of this type which has been approved because it meets the requirements of the French standard NF DTU 51.4. for the construction of wooden terraces. From now on, the new HardWood Clip® fastening systems will be produced in modern and approved European factories in order to guarantee the highest level required in terms of quality.

Over 95% of the demand for terrace wood involves ipe. However, padauk is also an equally suitable sort of wood. Ipe Latino compared the two sorts for us and, amongst other things, showed that as regards stability padauk is comparable with teak (i.e. highly stable), whilst ipe is moderately stable. As far as the physical and mechanical characteristics are concerned, the two wood sorts are certainly a match for each other. Ipe Latino has developed a new milling tool, which makes it possible to make terrace planks in the shape of a parallelogram. These planks are designed to be fitted with the B-Fix invisible fastening system.

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Becker & Großgarten

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econudo® – Bamboo-Polymer Composite in Bamboo Look econudo® is the name of the new outdoor range from Becker & Großgarten. For the harsh outdoor use of decking boards, the bamboo specialist from Cologne uses a bamboo-polymer composite. This innovative and resource-saving composite material

LTL Woodproducts LTL Woodproducts has selected a number of durable and attractive wood sorts to help to ensure that a terrace floor retains its look for many years. The main sorts of wood used here are bilinga, massaranduba, ipe, and jatoba. Oak is hardly ever requested here. The profiling of the LTL Deck planks, in combination with the specially developed LTL Clip, ensures virtually invisible fastening. LTL Deck and LTL Clip form a cast-iron duo for professional fitters to fit a trendy and low-maintenance terrace quite simply.

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Moso International

Osmo

Outdoor Wood Concepts

Outdoor Wood Concepts specialises in supplying wood for outdoor applications, especially exterior wall furnishings, terraces, and garden fences. The most commonly used sorts for exterior wall furnishing are W.R. cedar, padauk, afrormorsia, and thermowood. For terraces, Outdoor Wood Concepts presents terrace planks in padauk, ipe, massaranduba (paraju), and tali. Due

Osmo presents an impressive range for terrace planks: bangkirai, oak, garapa, cumaru, mandioqueire, ipe, thermal maple, thermal pine, larch, douglas fir, and tali. Oak is praised for its durability, a result of features such as its high density and the fact that its natural substances deter insects. Osmo uses European white oak.

This sort of wood is all the more charming because of its smooth surface. Apart from the real wood terrace planks, Osmo also offers a composite material which answers to the name Multi-Deck.

Osmo Multi-Deck is a durable and low maintenance alternative to wooden floors. The product is composed of raw materials which can be renewed quickly for 60%. Thanks to the combination of wood fibres and polymers, you get a highly durable terrace floor.

The planks can be used on both sides, evenly or ribbed.

Parador For outdoor terraces Parador offers a choice of oak, thermally treated wood, and LigniaÂŽ XD, a softwood which is impregnated in a special manner. Oak has been part of the range since 2010.

With thermally treated ash wood, Parador is offering a wood sort which is extremely popular. Widths of up to 100mm make it possible to give a terrace a modern look. The thermally treated pine wood owes its durability and also its warm and dark colour to the thermal treatment. The most important characteristics are increased stability, highlighted wood fibres, and a long lifespan.

With LigniaÂŽ XD, Parador has extended its traditional range. These terrace planks thank their durability to an impregnation with special resins. Parador uses only wood from certified forests. As regards design, Parador has launched new floors in Trendtime and Edition in co-operation with designer Matteo Thun. The square terrace planks of the Edition Irregolare are mounted in chessboard: a new look for a modern terrace.

Ravaioli Decking Building Relying on its 30-years-experience in the wooden solutions for the building sector, Ravaioli Legnami keeps growing: over 10.000 sq. facilities, more than 50 employees, 1 headquarter, 2 commercial branches and a national sales network. During the last years it has developed new markets in Europe and various Mediterranean Countries. Ravaioli Legnami acts as a leader in the wooden profile market as one of the biggest italian manufacturers and retailers. It is now introducing Ravaioli Decking Building, a new way of conceiving decking that overcomes the classical design rules from the horizontal to the vertical dimension, from the outdoor to the indoor applications, from the interior design to the large scale landscape design projects.

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Floor Forum International 58

Bamboo is increasingly recognised as a sustainable product.

Because of the enormous growing speed, giant bamboo is ready for harvest within 5 years. This stands in sharp contrast with tropical hardwood which is ready for harvest after 100 years and is therefore hardly available anymore. European hardwood species like Oak do not really provide an alternative as the durability is mediocre and growth is also slow.

The disadvantage of bamboo is that its performance in exterior circumstances is poor due to biological degradation. The Dutch company MOSO International has found a solution for the poor durability of bamboo: With the introduction of Bamboo X-treme decking, MOSO offers a truly ecological and durable alternative for increasingly scarce tropical hardwood for use in decking.

MOSO Bamboo X-treme is a solid, high density bamboo decking board, made from compressed bamboo strips, which is very well suitable for outdoor application. A special, patented heat treatment process provides Bamboo X-treme the highest durability class possible in the appropriate EU norms (Class 1 for EN350-1).

The same process increases the dimensional stability and density of the product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; making it very hard. The result is a very strong and sturdy decking board superior in performance to the best tropical hardwood species, without compromising the environment: Official carbon footprint studies executed by the Technical University Delft, have shown that Bamboo X-treme is CO2 neutral over the full life cycle. Furthermore, the Bamboo X-treme decking board has a beautiful dark brown hardwood look.

Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

to their stability, these wood sorts are preferred to oak, which is only recommended for exterior wall furnishing.

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Special Outdoor floors (wood & composite)

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Ravaioli Decking Building means: selected planks, and preassembled tiles in exotic wood, Heat-treated Ash Wood, Kebony, Bamboo X-Treme™ and deck tiles; Woodwrap, ventilated and also insulated façades or coverings; Perlage, colored according to customer’s likes; sunscreens, overshadows and brise-soleil; wood engineering for urban design, solutions for landscape design, for land recovery and land restoration. The Company operates according to eco sensitive criteria supplying sustainable products and woods coming from FSC certified and controlled forests.

Silvadec

A FAMILY COMPANY FOUNDED IN 1883 COMPANY SPECIALITIES : MERANTI | CAMBARA | TEAK MERBAU | AFRICAN SPECIES | WHITEWOOD AND REDWOOD NEW : AMERICAN HARDWOODS – WALNUT | TULIPWOOD AMERICAN WHITE OAK | HARD MAPLE | WHITE ASH ALWAYS IN STOCK : FSC,PEFC, OLB, VLO, MTCC, TLTV TIMBER BERGSTRAAT 25 | B-8511 AALBEKE | BELGIË T. +32 (0)56 43 33 33 | F. +32 (0)56 43 33 34 GENEVIEVE@VANDECASTEELE.BE | HANS@VANDECASTEELE.BE WWW.VANDECASTEELE.BE

FSC TIMBER COMES FROM WELL MANAGED FORESTS, INDEPENDENTLY CERTIFIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULES OF THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL A.C.

Outdoor design creator European leader of composite wood, Silvadec manufactures a wide range of deck boards, mixed in color and finishing, matching a design and innovative range of fencing and balustrade. Forexia® products are naturally durable. Our deck does not require paint or stain, is rot-proof, no treatment product is necessary and its maintenance is very easy. A Silvadec deck is safe to use as it is splinters free and slip resistant. With its mixture of 65% wood flour and 35% polyethylene, it is easy to work to allow any kind of shapes. Silvadec always had a strong environmental policy and is PEFC certified. Our products benefit from 25 years guarantee.

Tablazz The most important wood sorts for terraces at Tablazz are ipe lapacho, teak, elondo, kurupay, and taperyba. At a recent garden show, Tablazz introduced its new oak terrace boards. These are non-profiled French oak terrace planks in widths of 20cm.

The planks are supplied planed or unplaned (see picture) as required. The planks are fastened in the traditional way using the supplied carbon-reinforced deck screws. The oak wood comes into Durability Class II and will turn grey under the affects of rain and sunlight; head cracks and light deformations are also possible. However, this contributes to the sturdy character of these

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wide oak terrace planks. Tablazz has also been supplying the top quality Exterpark TECH for two years. These composite terrace planks are designed in the Exterpark PLUS system. This patented fastening system operates on the basis of (synthetic) clips. After the terrace is fitted, there are no longer any visible open slits between the terrace planks and small objects can no longer ‘disappear’ between the planks.

Vandecasteele Houtimport Vandecasteele Houtimport offers a huge assortment of wood sorts from all corners of the globe. They recommend all wood sorts (ipe, cumaru, massaranduba, tali, bilinga, merbau, jatoba in durability class 1) for terraces.

Similarly, for the base the company offers durable wood sorts such as angelim amargossa, bilinga, mandioquira, and such like. Vandecasteele Houtimport is aiming to be the durable outlet in Europe in the areas of tropical hardwood and Russian and Scandinavian softwood and American hard and softwood. The company hopes to achieve this in an ecologically responsible manner in perfect harmony with clients, suppliers, and the environment. Sustainable management of the planet has been part of the company’s strategy since the start. The wood comes from sustainable managed forests. The various certificates (FSC, PEFC, OLB, VLO, MTCC, SGS, and TLTV) guarantee sustainable forest management.

Vetedy

To create terraces with a professional and invisible fastening system, Vetedy uses impervious and highly stable wood sorts. The most suitable wood sorts for this as regards quality are merbau, padauk, ipe, and Burmese teak. Oak is only moderately appreciated here. The reasons for this are that oak cannot guarantee the same level of stability and it loses its beauty when it is exposed to the elements. The tannins in the wood can cause adverse reactions resulting in black discolouration. Even thermally treated wood inspires little confidence in this respect. Vetedy swears faithfully by 100% natural wood sorts, so the company does not use any composites.

Decking Building is the new way of thinking the decking developed by Ravaioli Legnami thanks to its knowledge and experience in the wood sector. The system brings new ideas in design and building: decking can be used both in horizontal and vertical applications, in external and internal areas, in urban and domestic applications.

Ravaioli Decking Building ® means: selected boards and pre-assembled tiles made of Teak Asia/Bourma, Ipè, Garapa, Massaranduba, Iroko Africa, Angelim Amargoso, Heat-treated Ash FSC, Kebony SYP FSC, Bamboo X-Treme™ and deck tiles. Furthermore Ravaioli Decking Building ® involves cladding Perlage and Woodwrap, ventilated and also insulated façades or coverings; sunscreens, overshadows and brise-soleil; wood engineering for urban design, solutions for landscape design and for land recovery and land restoration.

Ravaioli Decking Building ® creates opportunities aiming at developing the architecture of the “better living”.

Ravaioli Legnami srl T. +39 0545.927.309 www.ravaiolilegnami.com

Special Xx Outdoor Xx floors (wood & composite)

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WATERBORNE VARNISHES ARE NOW ‘STANDARD’.

Special Waterbased lacquers

FLOOR FITTERS HAVE ACCEPTED THE CHANGE PERFECTLY. The ‘water story’ is gradually coming to an end. It was a storm which reached a cyclonic peak in 2007 and 2010, two deadlines by which producers had to change their entire production. However, for several chemical companies those deadlines were certainly no sword of Damocles since they had already adapted their products to the VOS legislation much earlier. Europe is strict, but rightly so. Volatile Organic Substances are a hazard to both human beings and the environment. Amongst other things, it was an imposed change for floor fitters, but also for painters. The transition is now a fait accompli.

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photo Plastor

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Why all the fuss about VOS? Volatile Organic Substances (VOS) and Volatile Organic Components (VOC) are collective terms for a group of volatile or rapidly evaporating products. ‘Organic’ refers here to the chemical structure of products which contain one or more carbon atoms. To be precise, these are all products based on natural gas and their derivatives, which are usually created synthetically from petroleum products. The components are ‘volatile’ when they emit a certain quantity of gases at room or working temperature.

VOS are often used as solvents in paint, glue, propellant for spray cans, and products for surface treatment, cleaning, degreasing, coating, impregnation, and pesticides. Fuels such as petrol and diesel also consist largely of VOS. Risks There are various risks associated with the use of solvent-based paints. With the use of VOCs in both high and low concentrations, solvents are emitted which are particularly harmful to

human health. In the event of widespread or long-term exposure to these products, they can cause respiratory problems and skin or eye irritation. Moreover, these products also constitute a high risk of fire or even explosion. Since the emitted solvents end up in the atmosphere, they cause a good deal of air pollution. The reaction of VOS with sunlight and nitrogen oxide results in the formation of ozone, which (in a high concentration of ozone) is a cause of respiratory problems in the summer for many people.

Ozone formation also further aids the development of lung cancer and causes the degradation of agricultural crops and forests.

Emission restriction It is therefore no surprise that the European Union has decided to restrict the use of VOCs. European Directive no. 2004/42/EC sets out the emission restriction of hazardous substances as a result of the use of organic solvents in paints and varnishes. This directive prescribes a maximum VOS content for waterborne and solventborne paints. From the time of the crucial deadlines (2007

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Some rules of thumb Using waterborne products involves a number of points for attention which differ slightly from the application of the old solvent products. Applying waterborne products is different, lighter, as compared to applying products containing solvents. Waterborne products dry considerably quicker, so they have to applied quickly for a good end result.

Moisture content Waterborne lacquers dry mainly through the evaporation of the water contained in the lacquer. A high relative moisture (over 85%) will obstruct the drying process; after all, the water in the lacquer can hardly evaporate because the surrounding air is virtually saturated with moisture. Such disrupted drying has adverse effects on the durability, adhesion, and water-sensitivity of the coat of lacquer. If condensation begins to form on glazing, this is a clear sign of excessive moisture content. It will not be possible to use waterborne lacquers in that situation.

Special Waterbased lacquers

Compatible or not?

Solvent or waterborne? Anyone who thinks it doesn’t really matter is making a big mistake. This editor has learnt as much from experience. The texts in this magazine are composed in a fairly modern office. The furniture (cupboards, shelves, and desks) are home-produced and made from MDF, attractively painted in harmony with the surrounds. The design of the office dates back about a decade. Last year, it was time for a fresh coat of paint, and a new colour as well. Naturally, the office furniture was also ready for a coat of paint. We opted for concrete grey, in contrast to the previous shade of light grey. We purchased the paint from a specialist trader. We sandpapered everything lightly according to the rules of the trade and applied the paint with a roller. The result? Nice, new, and perfectly finished. However, two weeks later, the first blemishes began to appear. Every mechanical impact on the desk, however slight, made the paint come loose: moving a pen holder, a falling ballpoint pen, or the sliding of my laptop. The desk looked ‘worn out’ within the shortest space of time. The explanation was quite simple: you can’t just apply a waterborne paint to any base whatsoever. Apparently, there wasn’t enough adhesion between that paint and the previously applied solventborne paint. Similar rules apply to the application of varnish to parquet. It is best to use finish and maintenance products which are part of a ‘system’.

TOGETHER EXPERTISE IN WOOD FLOOR FINISHES Respect for people and the environment

www.blanchon.com

The Blanchon range of oils, lacquers, stains, ageing agents and fillers are used by wood flooring professionals the world over. Small wonder given the reassurance of local support staff in each country, and products consistently manufactured to the highest standards.

Quality that has been our trademark for over 60 years.

Every day, to make sure that your wood is the most beautiful flooring on the market, our team works to develop even more effective products to offer the trade all the answers for perfect wood flooring.

La qualité, notre nature* Blanchon U.K. For more information, please contact: John-David PAPWORTH Mob. 07835 354 871 - E-mail: jdpapworth@blanchon.com Tel Export lines: +33 472 89 06 09 www.blanchon.co.uk

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Floor Forum International 58

Changes for painters The eventual realisation of the need for the measure is now a fact. This is generally regarded as an important achievement for the benefit of professionals who work with coatings, paints, adhesives, and similar products. However, initially, it emerged that not everyone was equally aware of the specific changes. In particular, the new waterborne paints usually require a different method of pre-treatment and a different application method.

Different working methods result in better performances in some cases and in some cases they require a different attitude and skill from professionals. If workers pay sufficient attention to the pretreatment, painting over existing alkyds cannot result in problems in practice.

*Quality is in our nature -

and 2010), these products must not infringe this limit. The transition to waterborne and ecological paints resulted in major changes for all sorts of applications.

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Temperature With summer temperatures and a low relative moisture (below 40%), the lacquer can dry so quickly that the lacquer cannot be spread properly, certainly if there is also a draught. Air humidifiers can help to improve such conditions. In the winter, you have to be aware of the surrounding and surface temperatures. The minimum temperature for waterborne lacquers is usually 7°C. If the temperature is lower than those quoted, you need to heat the rooms. It is important (especially for the substrate temperature) to heat the rooms well before you start work. The rooms also need to be kept at the right temperature during the drying process. The temperature of the lacquer itself is also important.

At night during the winter months, it is advisable to store the lacquer in a heated room.

Briançon

What’s on the market?

Blanchon

The ‘Vitrificateur Aqua Parquet’ from Briançon provides durable protection for parquet floors, wooden floors, and staircases in all wood sorts and in high traffic areas. This ‘Vitrificateur Aqua Parquet’ is a single component glazer based on polyurethane in aqueous phase. It is exceptionally resistant to high traffic and domestic chemicals such as alcohol, acetone, chlorine, and such like. It is very economical and you consume 1 litre per 12m² per coat. It can be applied in three consecutive coats with an interim drying time of two hours. This means that a site can be finished in one day. This glazer contains only 10g/l of volatile organic compounds and therefore qualifies for the Ecolabel.

Adesiv devotes a good 30% of its research to developing new, better, and more ecological products. This means the company has a wide range of waterborne products. Fillers include Stucco WB, a waterborne product mixed with sanding dust to fill the gaps. Fondo WB is Adesiv’s single component waterborne primer. It is ideal as a base for a waterborne varnish finish. Fondo WB 2C is a 2-component primer. Adesiv also has the waterborne varnish Ecobril, an innovative acryl-polyurethane varnish in matt, semi-matt, and glossy. Ice is a waterborne aliphatic 2-component varnish with high durability and is therefore suitable for high traffic rooms. It preserves the natural colour of the wood.

Blanchon can certainly be called a pioneer when it comes to waterborne varnishes. The company has had a complete range for over 25 years: Aqua Pro, the range for floor fitters and floor specialists. The assortment includes primers, single and dual component varnishes, a waterborne oil, a binding agent for putty, and a full range of special colours for large surfaces. Blanchon has three varnishes in two components: Belmont, Intensive, and Sport.

Belmont (EC1R) is an odourless varnish with exceptionally good properties. Intensive (EC1R) is also odourless and provides very high resistance to chemical products and is suitable for high traffic floors. Sport is a waterborne polyurethane varnish for sports floors and floors which are subject to certain anti-slip requirements. Blanchon also sells single component varnishes such as Chambord (EC1). This waterborne and polyurethane varnish is extremely easy to apply to new wood and is odourless. Chambord brings out the natural beauty of the wood and gives it a warm colour. Another 1-component varnish is Initial. This varnish warms up the appearance of light wood sorts.

Bona

Ciranova

Bona has a waterborne solution for all conditions and demands. Bona Natural is a finish product which preserves the natural look of wooden floors. It is userfriendly and you only need to apply two coats, so it really is a one-day system.

The commercial range meets all requirements. These parquet varnishes have medium to high durability to be able to withstand high traffic. Choose a glossy, natural, or oiled look. Bona Traffic is an excellent choice if you are looking for high durability in places such as museums or airports.

Bona Mega deploys the oxygen in the air as a hardener, and this gives Bona Mega the advantages of a dual component varnish. Bona Flow is a durable dual component varnish for floors with high exposure to chemicals. In 2012, Bona launched two new products. Bona Traffic HD (HD = High Durability) is a 2-component waterborne polyurethane varnish for treating wooden floors in high traffic public areas. Bona Resident Plus is a 1-component top coat for treating wooden floors in homes and other zones subjected to light wear and tear.

Ciranova has a waterborne varnish system with four products.

AQUAFIX SEALER is a ready-for-use waterborne primer for parquet. It is highly elastic and ecological. It is ideal as an insulation layer for wood sorts which are difficult to treat and as a tannin blocker. This varnish is also suitable for parquet on floor heating. AQUAFIX MONO is a transparent, universal varnish based on PU/Acryl to protect parquet for domestic use (satin and matt). AQUAFIX PROJECT 2K is a 2-component project varnish for extremely high traffic floors (semi-matt, ultra-matt, and highgloss). This varnish is also suitable as a finish for sports floors.

AQUAFIX MAGIC 2K is a 2-component parquet varnish for parquet and wooden Furniture and it provides invisible protection without discolouring the wood. The varnish is suitable for indoor wooden floors in commercial use. The makers have recently improved the composition of Aquafix Magique 2K. New raw materials and better UV blockers prevent the wood from turning yellow.

Adesiv

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Chimiver Panseri S.p.A Chimiver Panseri S.p.A. has extended its assortment of water-based lacquers.

We’d like to present our Ecocrom which is a single-component water-based super toning primer with high coverage for wooden floors, which could be used as a first coat in the lacquering process composed only of water-based lacquers. ECOCROM gives the wood a very warm color, especially on oak. Thanks to its formulation ECOCROM extends very well making the application extremely easy. It doesn’t leave overlaps and has excellent sanding properties. Ecocrom, the colour of solvent with water!! Another new product is ECOGREEN is a single-component water- based lacquer characterized by a high solid content, excellent resistance to wear and water, excellent adhesion and absence of formaldehyde and heavy metals. Another particularity of ECOGREEN is to give the wood a warm and slightly oxidized appearance. The product has ECOLABEL certification european mark of ecological quality that confirms the Company’s commitment towards the environment.Into the range of Chimiver waterbased products there is also ECOGEL which is a water-based primer suitable for trowel application on all kind of wooden floors. Easy application and quick drying time makes possible to get the floor treatment done in one day.Than ECOSTAR 2K NATURAL, which is a two-components 100% PU water-based lacquer with Natural Wood Effect. ECOSTAR 2K ANTIBATTERICA is a two-components 100% PU water-based lacquer with bactericidal efficacy; it inhibits bacteric proliferation at 99.97% of staphylococcus and escherichia coli. In our range you can also find ECOSTAR single component and ECOSTAR 2K two components which has been improved and has got the certifications: slip resistance, resistance to cold liquids and chemical agents. Different gloss levels are available. All our water-based products are within VOC 2010 regulation and NMP free.

Lecol has a complete lacquer system (Loba brand).

This system consists of two primers (Lobadur Prima Seal and Lobadur WS Easy Prime) and a number of finishing lacquers. In particular, the waterborne Lobadur WS Easy Prime guarantees a streak-free and rigidly finished floor.

Lobadur WS Life and WS Viva are ready for use at once, so they don’t need to be mixed with a hardener. With regard to both the processing, especially the flowing properties, and the protective properties (durability) these products yield outstanding results. Lobadur WS Life is available in semi-gloss, Lobadur WS Viva in matt and semi-gloss.

Within the range, the Lobadur 2K Fusion scores highest for durability, partly due to the addition of a second component. This creates an excellent lacquer with exceptional durability. This highly durable 2K lacquer is available in matt and semi-gloss.

Lobadur 2K Supra AT is a dual component waterborne lacquer based on 100% polyurethane reinforced with ceramic parts. It is available in matt and semi-matt. This lacquer has extremely high durability, strong elasticity, and excellent chemical resistance.

Lobadur Hybrid AT is a low-solvent, semi-matt, waterborne lacquer which gives the wood a natural depth of colour previously seen only in traditional solventborne paints.

Lecol also supplies a flame-retardant lacquer: Lobadur WS Sealer FR.

Irsa

Lechner SpA

With the new extensive Irsa Platinum range, Irsa presented a waterborne varnish system of the highest possible quality standard. The result of research in consultation with clients is a waterborne and ecological varnish system with revolutionary properties. The new finish achieves its full hardness in three to five days at the most, after which you can walk on the floor. The strength is comparable to that of a solventborne varnish. Irrespective of the gloss, these varnishes give excellent scratch resistance, indelibility (for several hours), and resistance to black marks from rubber soles, which can easily be removed. Irsa Platinum is recommended for light sorts of wood. For dark wood sorts, they recommend Irsa Platinum Exotic Primer. It is possible to fill in holes in advance using Irsa Platinum Aqua Filler.

Lechner SpA offers a full range of water based lacquers, which are both N.M.P. free and in accordance with norm 2004/42/CE: grouts, primers and lacquers, both one and two component, available for both domestic and civil areas. The range offers this year a new series, the COMFORT LINE, which is made up of COMFORT PRIME K1 and COMFORT PRIME K2, one and two component primers, and COMFORT K1 and COMFORT K2, one and two component finishes. They are specifically formulated for medium traffic and domestic areas, and grant a natural effect of the parquet. Moreover, the best sold Lechner finish ECO K2 has achieved the Emicode EC1R certification, while ECO K2 SPORT, the finish specifically formulated for sport applications, has achieved both the Emicode EC1R certification and the EUROCLASS Bfl s1 according to EN 13501- 1:2007 “Fire classification of construction products and building elements”.

Plastor The full Plastor PUR-T range is based on a new raw material, namely polycarbonate. A pure technology underlies a range which respects human health and the environment by using

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Special Waterbased lacquers Floor Forum International 58

Ica Group VPA208 is a nanotechnological bicomponent water-based lacquer for parquet. This product is NMP-free and is available in 3 different types: matt (10 gloss), semi-matt (30 gloss) and semigloss (60 gloss).

VPA208 is an an anti-yellowing lacquer specific for parquet with

excellent hardness, abrasion and chemical resistance, suitable for roller application.

This product can also be used as a monocomponent lacquer and is also available in an anti-bacterial “Aseptica” version (ISO regulations 22196:2007).

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harmless raw materials. The products are odourless, easy to apply, and they preserve the colour of the wood. Plastor has classified its varnishes on the basis of usage criteria. The frequency of use determines which varnish is the most suitable. PUR-T 1 is designed for low traffic rooms. PUR-T 2 is recommended in residential homes and for places such as corridors, living rooms, and such like. PR-T 3 is suitable for high traffic rooms in both residential and commercial properties, whilst, finally, PUR-T 4 is the high traffic glazer par excellence for busy areas such as restaurants, discotheques, public spaces, etc.

PALLMANN Provides a full-range of waterbased lacquers for all requirements.

Pall-X 96 Water-based 1-component lacquer for wood flooring in heavy wear areas with good resistance to high mechanical and chemical wear. Pall-X 96 provides the finishing touch to our rapid system, thanks to its fast drying time (30 m2 sanded and lacquered in the same day).

Suitable for the surface treatment of: • sanded wood flooring in heavy wear areas such as schools, offices etc.

• for use over interior woodwork • suitable for use over underfloor heating systems

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Pall-X 98

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Water-based 2-component lacquer for wood flooring in very heavy wear areas with excellent resistance to even the highest mechanical and chemical wear.

Slip-resistance value in accordance with EN 14904.

Suitable for the surface treatment of: • sanded wood flooring in heavy wear areas, such as schools, town halls, concert halls, airports, shopping malls etc.

• for use on interior woodwork • suitable for use on underfloor heating systems Pall-X Extreme For flexible use with or without a hardener, on all common wood types.

This new Pallmann Variotec technology offers an even wider variety of applications. As a 2-component version (with the hardener component B) it can be used for very high traffic areas, such as shops, restaurants or schools without any problems. In normal to heavy areas the lacquer can be used without the hardener.

Suitable for the surface treatment of:

• sanded wood flooring in heavy wear areas such as schools, offices etc.

• for use over interior woodwork • suitable for use over underfloor heating systems • Woodblocks RE STAUF

STAUF aqua Aurum: High quality two component polyurethane based waterborne finish for wood flooring and planks for heavy to extra heavy traffic in residential and commercial areas with excellent chemical resistance. The lacquer is easy to mix and has a very good resistance against step marks and burns. Gloss effect: extra matte 10, matte 20, semi gloss 40.

STAUF aqua Argentum: One component waterborne finish on acrylate-polyurethane basis for wood flooring and planks for normal to heavy traffic in residential and commercial areas, gloss effect: extra matte 10, matte 20, semi gloss 40. Specific feature: high filling capacity, very good abrasion resistance, ductile.

STAUF aqua Aeris: One component waterborne finish for wood flooring and planks for normal and medium traffic in residential areas. Very easy to process, optimum flow characteristics, good chemical resistance.

Gloss effect: semi gloss 40.

Tover Tover offers a complete range of waterbased lacquers which replies to any requests from professionals in terms of aesthetic results, resistance and durability. Once again the company demonstrates to be a forerunner in his field launching on the market an innovative bi-component varnish: BELLA SQ. As all the other water-based lacquers, BELLA SQ is NMP free, with a low VOC content but its outstanding characteristic is that it is totally isocyanate and polyaziridine free for a major respect of environment and human health care during and after the application. Another significant success has been reached with the bi-component lacquer LYMPHA, which permits to satisfy the demand of a rough, extremely mat, natural unfinished aspect like an oiled treatment, combined with high wear resistance for intense traffic areas.

These two lacquers are perfectly suitable to overcoat the Tover aging systems and the new coloring product Tintoretto Design to get endless customized shades.

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FLOORING SHOW DESIGN RETAIL CONTRACT

1-3 September 2013 HARROGATE, UK

Since 1962, the one and only national flooring event In 2012, 127 exhibiting companies from 12 countries and 3,000+ participants from 25 countries enjoyed an outstanding show.

Many new initiatives are in place for 2013.

Join us in Harrogate in September!

Your invitation to exhibit at the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national flooring show www.theflooringshow.com

Special Export Minded Romanian Companies in a Nutshell

ROMANIAN PARQUET PRODUCTION GROWS SLIGHTLY WELFARE UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH CRISES ELSEWHERE The spending cuts implemented by president Basescu led to mass demonstrations in Romania in January 2012. It appears that those demonstrations were unjustified, since Rumania, too, has been hit hard by the economic and financial crises. Even though the economy was doing quite well, the country has now become a victim of crises elsewhere: Italy, Greece, and Spain are the major countries where Rumanians usually go to look for work. As regards our subjects ( forest, wood, and parquet floors), Rumania is not doing too badly. There was a slight increase in production in 2011 (as compared to 2010), whilst consumption stayed the same. eastern part of the Wallachian plain is taken up by the Baragan Steppe. In Moldavia the central part of the Eastern Carpathians goes over into the Barlad plateau. To the north of this plateau lie the rolling plains of Iasi, the plains of Focsani are to the south, which connect to the Danube Plain with the plateau of Dobruja (Romanian: ‘Dobrogea’), a relatively high, hilly coastal region consisting of an ancient eroded mass of rock. The woody Eastern Carpathians include some volcanic mountain areas such as the Muntii Calimanului and the Muntii Harghitei.

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Romania in Europe During the dictatorial rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, the European Union had little involvement with the socialist People’s Republic of Romania. In 1989, the Romanian leader was deposed and executed by the army. The fact is that the army supported the people’s revolt against the rule of Ceausescu. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Romania became a republic which was increasingly open to relations with Western Europe.

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Romania - geography Romania (‘România’ in Romanian language) is a republic in South Eastern Europe. The country has a total surface area of 237,500 square kilometres (230,340km² of which are land, whilst 7160km² are water). Romania borders on Ukraine in the north (362km) and south (169km), Moldavia to the north-east (450km), Bulgaria to the south (608km), and Serbia (476km) and Hungary (443km) in the south-west. Two thirds of the border (3182km) consists of water: the Danube forms a natural border with Bulgaria, the Prut with Moldavia, the Tisa with Ukraine, and the Black Sea (225km) in the east. Despite the mountainous character of Romania, its average height is only 350 metres. The Carpathian Mountains are not as high as the Alps, but they are thought to originate from the same geological age. The Carpathian Mountains enclose the plateau of Transylvania. In the west of Wallachia the Transylvanian Alps or South Carpathians run over into the plains of Oltenia. The

Diplomatic involvement Diplomatic relations between Romania and the European Union date back to about 1990. In 1991, Romania signed a Trade and Co-operation Agreement. In 1993, Romania and the European Union concluded an agreement, which laid the foundation for close co-operation with the European Union and the introduction of a free trading zone. Two years later, the European Agreement came into force. A few months later, in June 1995, the country applied to join the European Union. Entry negotiations commenced in 2000 and were completed in 2004. The accession treaty was signed in 2005 and admission became official on 1 January 2007.

Strategic importance The admission of Romania was of strategic importance to the European Union in the formation of a joint foreign and security policy. Romania plays an important part in guarding the eastern border of the European Union. The country also forms a bridge into Eastern Europe, especially Moldavia and Ukraine. Romania also provides access to the Southern Caucasus countries through

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Logical growth Emerging from a deep valley after the rule of the dictator, Romania seemed to have excellent prospects. The country’s economy could only get better. However, some major challenges were just around the corner: antiquated infrastructure had to be tackled, nationalised companies and properties had to be returned to the owners, and education was just crying out for special attention. For 2012 the Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts growth in GDP of 1.5%. In the next few years, the EUI expects the Romanian economy to go on t income to the tune of over 70%.

Since most of the country’s trading partners are facing an economic crisis themselves, that income has fallen drastically.

Welfare under pressure The economic interests of the EU member states are so entwined that an economic crisis in one place has serious consequences for welfare 2000km away. The budgetary cuts which Mediterranean economies such as Greece, Italy, and Spain are having to make at the moment have consequences not only for the average Greek, Italian, or Spaniard, but also for the millions of foreign work migrants and their families in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. The fact is that they are affected twice by the economic reforms. This happens first in their native countries where the banking crisis has also made its presence felt and then again in the countries where they have emigrated to earn some extra income. The importance of this ‘dual pressure’ on welfare cannot be underestimated.

Presence abroad In Italy and Spain, Romanian work migrants have nevertheless formed an integral part of daily life and the economic system since the mid 1990s. Figures from Eurostat show that in the year 2000 at least 300,000 Romanians were staying in another EU country. Ten years later, this figure has risen to at least two million. Italy and Spain together accounted for 800,000 of them. The total population of Romania is about 22 million, so we are talking about almost 10%. The cause of this mass presence of work migrants can be found in the drastic reforms of the Romanian social security system at the end of the 1990s and the economic growth in the Mediterranean economies at that time.

From an economic point of view, this mass exodus abroad meant ‘one worry fewer’ for the Romanian government.

Boomerang effect The benefits of that exodus for the Romanian economy are now having the opposite effect. The construction industry in Italy has slowed down completely. Unemployment in Spain is already above 20%. Early in August 2011, Spain asked the European Commission to bar Romanians from entry to the country’s labour market. Many Romanians have returned home. However, many have stayed put because prospects in Romania are no better. The financial tide is even turning: Romanians in Italy and Spain are increasingly living off support from relatives in Romania. A northward movement has already started. Increasing numbers of Romanians are looking towards the labour markets in Germany,

the United Kingdom, and, sure enough, Belgium. However, the casual labour markets there are already solidly occupied by various other people groups. Some Romanian newspapers also speak of growing migration in the direction of China and Japan; but that is much too far to receive a large group of people.

A wood country on the march Romania possesses about 6,300,000 hectares of woods. A considerable portion of those hectares are owned by the state and managed by the Romanian State Forestry Management (‘Romsilva’). Romania has a few thousand mainly small wood processing companies. Since the European market always wants certified wood, the Romanian government is making every effort to get more forests FSC approved. One means of doing this is to grant fiscally beneficial measures to users of certified wood. The fact that the government itself is the owner of large quantities of forest is, of course, an advantage in this context. FSC is encouraged, as is the FSC COC (Chain of Custody) certificate, which shows that a company uses wood from sustainably managed forests throughout its entire production stream. With the available areas of forest and the intention of the government to promote certified wood, Romania seems to be continuing its advance as a wood country. Wood is also an important product within the framework of income obtained through export.

Parquet in Romania European production of parquet rose in 2011 by 0.58% in comparison with 2010. There was also some growth in 2010. The

FEP estimates that the stated growth is smaller than the real growth. Several producers have made the strategic decision to transfer their production to European countries which are not members of the FEP. We can probably talk of real growth of 2 to 3%. In 2011, total parquet production came to 70,713,000m² as compared to 70,300,000m² in 2010. Parquet consumption fell slightly in 2011 by 1.65% to 91,475,000m² as compared to 92,945,000m² in 2010. Romania’s share of both consumption and production is still extremely small.

Romanian parquet production In 2010, Romania accounted for 2.90% of all European parquet production. That was good for 2,038,700m² of wooden floors.

In 2011, the production portion rose to 3.09%. And so, in 2011, Romania produced 2,185,031m² of parquet. The country is still in the sixth last position ahead of Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

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the channel which unites the Danube and the Rhine. Romania also makes an important contribution through regional co-operation and the promotion of democracy in the Western Balkan countries and the Black Sea region. For example, during the conflict in Kosovo, Romania adopted a stabilising and constructive attitude.

Special Export Minded Romanian Companies in a Nutshell

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Special Export Minded Romanian Companies in a Nutshell

French Versailles Parquet

Romanian parquet consumption As regards consumption, the proportions of the total European consumption and the number of square metres are comparable with what the country produces. In 2010, Romanians consumed a total of 1,961,139m², i.e. 2.11% of the total European consumption. In 2011, Romania’s share of parquet consumption stayed the same (2.11%). In line with the fall in European consumption that also represented a slight fall to 1,930,122m², a drop of about 30,000m².

A presentation of some Export minded parquet producers of which several are looking for distributors in different countries:

KORMOS IMPEX With over 30 years experience in the field, Kormos Impex exploit raw materials using the most advanced technological line, distributes and exports solid wood flooring such as oak,ash and other species. Our company is one of the main producers of solid wood flooring for the Romanian and

European market.

Due to extremely precise technical equipment that assist in the production of parquet and staff experience, we ensure that we produce high quality flooring. At our factory we are using ecologically safe and clean raw material from checked areas according to the quality requirements.

Stretching over an area of ​​20,000 square meters, our factory is located in Visina Locality, Dambovita- Romania, a well located place for distribution flooring throughout Romania and Europe.

Classic style never goes out of style. Starting from this premise, we meet our clients with a very wide selection of oak flooring from Extra Lux grade to Rustic grade-7 selections available in 10 sizes, produced especially for those who know to appreciate wood to its true value.

In 2013 Kormos company is launching a few new products and is always looking to expand its network of distributors in Europe.

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www.kormos.ro cristian@kormos-parchet.ro 0040723396075

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The core activity of French Versailles Parquet is processing wood. This ranges from the wood to the finished product inclusive. The company has been operating in this sector since 1993. The most important product is the Traditional Versailles Parquet in solid wood (solid parquet in oak, solid parquet in walnut, or solid parquet in old oak, which has come from demolition work) in the form of panels connected to each other via a mortise and tenon with wooden nails without any adhesives.

The company makes these sorts of parquet only to order and the sizes of the parquet panels or their thickness makes it possible to carry out alterations depending on the room in which they will be fitted. Old oak wood originates from the demolition of old houses and is between 100 and 200 years old, or even older. www.frenchversaillesparquet.com - office@frenchversaillesparquet.com - 0040744605062

AMRO SC Amro DC SRL, with its headquarters in Arad, was formed in 1992

by Petru Crisan and its prime activity was to produce windows and doors. His decision to set up the company was inspired by his 17 years of experience in producing multi-layer wooden frames for outside doors. Many clients have stayed faithful up to the present day and still buy doors from Petru Crisan. The fact that the company was not formed until 1992, even though its activity had been in progress since 1975 was entirely due to the communist regime (private companies were prohibited). In 2000, the company started producing windows and doors with insulation glazing and solid wood floors. In 2008, they opened a new office 20km from Arad. There, the production of parquet in a modern equipped site of 1300m² blossomed. Each year, the company produces 13,200m². 2013 will witness the start of an increase in the drying capacity on the programme and, possibly, the production of multi-layer and pre-finished parquet. www.amrodc@yahoo.com 0040723.068.257

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VICLA IMPEX SRL

Exclusive Luxury Floors company imports and delivers solid wood flooring, engineered flooring and laminate flooring. Due to demand of our customers we identified a real necessity of oak solid wood flooring.

In this regard we started a very good cooperation with a local manufacturer- Kormos Impex. At the beginning we’ve started with a few plank sizes and after a short time we’ve supplied more than 10 sizes. In this moment we are the main distributor for this factory for the Romanian market. We also sell doors, marble, decking and other products made of exotic wood.

Due to the fact that the solid wood flooring needs to be lacquered, our company takes care of all the finishes a client would like to have such as sanding, brushing, oiling in any colour he wish.

Vicla Impex was formed in 1997 as a producer of wooden floors. The company worked with Italian capital. The company’s core activity is to produce solid wood floors and multilayer parquet. The latest Italian machines for wood processing, combined with the selected wood sorts (walnut, cherry, maple, and oak) ensure a top quality end product. Solid oak is the best selling wood sort. Vicla Impex currently employs 130 people.

The annual production capacity for solid parquet is 80,000m², whilst the figure for multi-layer parquet is 120,000m². www.viclaimpex.ro - 0040311057929

Vocational School Dr. Iuga de Saliste

www.exclusivefloors.ro - 004 0785 28 49 50

Arboris

0040.730.091.142

Arboris is a family business with a long wood processing tradition. Mr Moghior Neculai is continuing this tradition of love for wood and expertise, together with his wife and two sons.

The core business consists of the production of solid oak floors in two finishes. Apart from the traditional finishes, which are possible in various colours, the floorboards are also processed with special technology or manually so that each piece looks unique. Arboris also makes wooden staircases. In 2011, the group achieved a turnover of €1,750,000. The company employs 45 people and has a capacity of 60,000m² for parquet and 400 staircases per annum. For 2013, Arboris has already introduced a new finish in which a shoe is deployed to obtain a special effect. www.arboris.ro - 0040234 332 426

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Our showroom, from Bucharest, have around 120 sqm and it is located on one of the most important area of the city- Piata Victoriei area, 1st district.

Because we’ve had the possibility to have a generous space (~ 120 sqm), we’ve decorated the showroom in that way that the customers to feel the difference between a normal shop and a showroom, due to the fact that our company have customers from mid and high level.

Exclusive Luxury Floors covers most of the important cities of Romania, where we have sales agents or distributors.

For 2013 Exclusive Luxury Floors designed a new brochure both for our end customers and architects to offer an idea about the novelties in our field of activity.

In the European Union, it goes without saying that all members have to adapt their entire systems (laws, education, etc.) so that they harmonise with each other. I believe that one of the major aims should be to arrive at a uniform vocational education system. Over 50% of active persons work in skilled handicrafts, which are based on the minimum general school classes (8, 9, or 10). These workers are practically the foundation of the economy because technicians (second class technical high school graduates) and university graduates cannot work without the foundation laid by the handicrafts.

Until different governments arrive at a common programme, I consider that learning and working together may be helpful for people to learn from each other. This is why our school is organising its first social and communal work event, in cooperation with the district council of Sibiu, between 20 and 27 March 2013. Parquet floor fitters from several countries (e.g. Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, and Norway) will come to learn and work together with Rumanians in re-finishing (sanding and oiling) over 400 square meters of old parquet in two high schools in Sibiu.

Special Export Minded Romanian Companies in a Nutshell

EXCLUSIVE LUXURY FLOORs

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> Product news Bassano Parquet

— Oak roots collection…

The Oak Roots Collection is the outcome of Bassano Parquet’s long-standing experience combined with a future-oriented attitude. A prefinished wood flooring solution that retains quality, style and a natural look over time. The brushed finish endows wood with a well-worn look.

This collection features a wealth of shades of grey, from Calizia Oak to Ginestra Oak, Grigioperla Oak, Perivinca Oak, Pizarra Oak, Tortora Oak and Zeffira Oak, which meet the requirements of today’s market trend and the growing appeal for grey finishes. For floors with soft and balanced hues, which perfectly blend in with any furniture design and sytle. A variety of surface protection treatments, including water-based, acrylic or oil colours and varnishes, protects the featues of this type of wooden floor, and of all those manufactured by Bassano Parquet, providing long-lasting wearproof action.

Product news

Blanchon

— BARE TIMBER… A Blanchon technical innovation to create a unique matt finish close to bare timber available for all wood species.

1 - Bare Timber for lacquered wood floors INTENSIVTM - 2-component lacquer very high resistance to high-traffic - Protect from spillage and wear and tear - NEW: BARE TIMBER* technical innovation to keep a natural finish & non yellowing - 3 coats directly on bare wood - Easy maintenance with Daily Cleaner 2 - Bare Timber for oiled wood floors ORIGINAL WOODTM ENVIRONMENT - Quick-drying oil & dust proof - Easy roller application in 3 coats, no buffing machine required - NEW: BARE TIMBER* very close to natural bare wood & non yellowing *in addition to existing finishes

Ciranova Ciranova has a new protection system for exterior wood. With Ciranova’s new UVP System you get the best protection for your Decking or Cladding in a fast, easy and environmentally friendly application. UVP color is an environmentally friendly VOS-free primer based on nano-pigments which gives an even, natural colour to wood. The extra UV absorption and high-tech composition ensures your wood will not be affected by discoloration.

UVP Color coating must be protected by applying UVP Decking Oil 2C. This 2-component oil ensures durable, lasting protection in just one coat. The chemical reaction between the oil and the wood creates a strong, wear-resistant protective coating.

DecoRad® —

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Site-applied UV curing with the DecoRad® Floormate

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The must-have piece of equipment for any contractor that starts with on-site UV curing. Developed, manufactured and maintained by the European specialist for portable UV curing equipment: DecoRad® Systems. Several characteristics of the DecoRad® Floormate: easy to transport due to its custom-made flightcase, maximum flexibility due to zero degree turn radius, safe to work with because of extensive CE and TÜV tests (no ozone!), single-phase equipment so can be plugged in and used everywhere. The DecoRad® Floormate is designed to last.

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Why KANEKA MS PolymerTM technology as polymer of choice for your parquet adhesives ?

Broad polymer portfolio for tailor-made performance Breites Polymer Portfolio Широкая номенклатура полимеров

Suitable for various kinds of wood & many different subfloors Für viele Holz- und Untergrundarten geeignet Универсальность: подходит для многих пород древесин и подложек

Isocyanate free & solvent free

Isocyanat- und lösungsmittelfrei не содержит, ни изоцианата, ни растворителей

Removable without leaving stains

Klebstoffreste können leicht entfernt werden und hinterlassen keine Flecken Остатки клея легко удаляются, не оставляя пятен

Excellent storage stability & multiple use without waste

Ausgezeichnete Lagerbeständigkeit und häufige Anwendung ohne Rückstände Отличная стабильность при хранении; при частом использовании нет остатков

No black fingers

Die Hände bleiben sauber Руки остаются чистыми

www.kaneka.be

Photo by Miro Zagnoli

Heel and stud-proof...

New Ultracoat line.

System for the protection of wood For 75 years we’ve been helping to build large and small dreams.

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