FFI 86 February 2017

INTERNATIONAL trade journal f or impor t , expor t , dis tr ibution and lay ing of par que t , laminate, cor k f loor ing and r elated pr oduc t s

N° 86, Februar y 2017 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept , Nov, Dec) Of fice of deliver y 9099 Ghent X , P911092, BC 31359 - Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Special: Top Polish companies focused on export Special: Producers of oil which can be lacquered

Preview: Made Expo Milan (IT)

Review: Domotex Hanover (DE)

Preview: DOMOTEX asia/ CHINAFLOOR

Review: BAU Munich (DE)

Special: Producers of Vinyl, LVT and PVC floors present their TRENDS 2017

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Content

Editorial

INTERNATIONAL trade journal f or impor t , expor t , dis tr ibu tion and lay ing of par que t , laminate, cor k f loor ing and r elated pr oduc t s

N° 86, Februar y 2017 - Price: €8 - Published 7 times a year - (Feb, March, May, July, Sept , Nov, Dec) Of fice of deliver y 9099 Ghent X , P911092, BC 31359 - Responsible Publisher: Filip De Ridder

Special: Top Polish companies focused on export Special: Producers of oil which can be lacquered

“Market share of invisible fastening systems for terraces is growing at the expense of visible screws”

Preview: Made Expo Milan (IT)

Review: Domotex Hanover (DE)

Preview: DOMOTEX asia/ CHINAFLOOR

d on Base oss Cr Hyper ing Link

The forthcoming spring will be another important period for wooden terrace floor sales. We spoke with Raphael Pieters and Quentin Van Winckel from B-Fix, the internationally respected specialist in invisible terrace fastening and all accessories and solutions.

Review: BAU Munich (DE)

Special: Producers of Vinyl, LVT and PVC floors present their TRENDS 2017

ANN Floor Forum Nr119 forside 0117.indd 1

11/01/17 14.10

Floor Forum International n° 86 February 2017 Photo WOCA

41 Preview Domotex asia/CHINAFLOOR

‘We can look back on a good year. In 2016, our turnover rose slightly as compared to the previous year. Given Raphael Pieters and Quentin Van Winckel the strong growth in 2015, we can (B-Fix) certainly be satisfied with that. This was partly due to the growth on the market for invisible fastening systems, where B-Fix is one of the references. It’s clear that the market share of invisible fastening systems is growing at the expense of the old fashioned screw systems. On the other hand, 2016 wasn’t such a good year for the wooden terrace market. The cold and rainy spring meant that sales of new terraces slumped and obviously that also had an effect on our sales. And so, seen in that light, the slight rise in our turnover is a good achievement. We now hope for better weather for the forthcoming spring.’

42 Project Devomat (BE)

How do you look back further on the past year?

3 Inisde news 8 Review Domotex Hanover (DE) 30 Advertorial Vesting (NL) 32 Preview Made Expo Milan (IT) 34 Special Producers of oil which can be lacquered

44 Special Producers of Vinyl, LVT and PVC floors present

their TRENDS 2017 47 Advertorial Design Parquet (FR) 48 Review BAU Munich (DE) 55 Special Producers of polyurethane adhesives 60 Special Glue guns and cartridges 63 Special Outdoor floors : wood and composite 69 Special Top Polish companies focused on export

‘2016 was a transitional year for us. We’ve constantly become more export-oriented.

We’ve started up a partnership with a local importer for the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Our partner has a vast network in those countries. Furthermore, there aren’t many sellers of invisible fastening terrace systems on those markets. Another important benefit for those export countries is that with B-Fix we offer one system which is suitable for all sorts of terrace floors and has an outstanding reputation in Europe.’

Are there other new developments to be expected in your range of terrace technology?

‘Most certainly. At the moment, we’re putting the finishing touches to a new innovative solution to make the height of the terrace floor adjustable from above. In contrast to the traditional systems with screwable terrace pedestals, our system is built into the underlying rafter and can be adjusted from above. This once again shows our ambition to innovate constantly for the terrace and wooden wall cladding sectors. Our decades of experience with terrace construction has once again proved to be of inestimable value.’

73 Industry news 74 Product news

Editing & advertisements FFI bvba PO BOX 29 9870 Olsene, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)9 385 80 40 Fax: +32 (0)9 385 88 85 sales@media-pact.com www.floor-forum.com Publisher Filip De Ridder

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

Lay-out: Be-able Communication www.be-able.be Production: Lowyck - Oostende

Advertising & subscriptions Adriana Dascalu info@media-pact.com Hilde De Ridder floorforum@telenet.be Filip De Ridder sales@media-pact.com Editors: Jean Paul Talbot, Ludwig Janssens, Filip De Ridder Jacques Legros

Translation: Michael Robinson www.glossa.be Floor Forum International is a publication of FFi bvba.

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.

∂ Inside news CSP Engineering

CSP Engineering organizes on 16 & 17 March DEMO days for Professionals. You are very welcome in our Experience Center, which recently has been put in operation. The engineers of CSP will be available to respond to all your questions. You will have the opportunity to see the PAR-Filler® ‘filling technology for wood flooring boards’ and the PAR-Scan® ‘in line measuring and packing’ LIVE at work and discuss your specifications with the developers.

Do not miss the unique opportunity to see the high-end machines in action and register now through: http://www.csp-engineering. com/en/demo-days

Denderwood Padouk, Afrormosia, Merbau & Teak Greenline solutions!

unclogged for optimal sanding! The extremely long life of the Devo Turbo Fiberpad means no disc replacement on the job, thereby eliminating the risk of varying sheens. For a seamless transition to the sides use the Velcro Fiberpad (150 mm diameter), which is compatible with most hand-held sanders.

Devo Turbo Fiberpad raises the finish of your parquet floors to a higher level of quality! Please note! The Fiberpad is not suitable for sanding between finishing layers!

No sanding scratches: - No loss of sanding power = no difference of sheen in sanded area - Higher finish quality - Sands faster than traditional sanding materials - Extremely long life - A fibre sanding pad for wood, stone and metal surfaces.

Ravaioli Legnami

Denderwood has developed and promoted a new brand solution for outside application. Using an invisible clip fixation coming on sides of the boards, the boards can be installed as a decking but also for wall covering and ceiling. Tongue and grooved in ends, the product is perfect for a technical a quick installation.

Devomat New : Turbo Fiberpad™ The unique Devo Turbo Fiberpad was developed recently for the fine sanding of parquet floors and the deep cleaning of various surfaces such as wood, stone and metal.

On single-disc sanders the Devo Turbo Fiberpad replaces the traditional P80 and P100 sanding discs used to fine-sand parquet floors.

Its turbo shape and open fibre structure give the Devo Turbo Fiberpad an extremely high sanding capacity and excellent dust extraction rate, resulting in a scratch-free finish which is ready to oil or varnish. The open structure prevents the accumulation of sawdust that is typical of traditional sanding discs, meaning that the sanding grains remain

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Taylor Collection is the new design collection of Ravaioli Legnami and it arises a perfect mixture in order to offer a patented and innovative collection, with a high aesthetic value and the attention of being made of natural and eco-friendly materials.

Two wisely combined deck boards, thanks to the high precision pantography on their surface, create 4 lines of product and eight different configurations: Diamanti, Rombi, Serpentine and Frecce that will give to your outdoor spaces a modern and particular touch.

Made in collaboration with the designer Paolo Nicolò Rusolen, Taylor Collection is the perfect product for wood lovers who want to combine the classic atmosphere given by the wood with the modern style.

Everything you need for brighter wood, always.

Mapei

Spray Mop

Keep your wooden floor looking its best with the Mapei range of special parquet maintenence products: Spray Mop, for daily cleaning operations and for the occasional, more thorough cleaning cycles, such as removing old floor wax or applying new wax, and our special Ultracoat products for cleaning and protecting parquet.

Learn more on www.mapei.com

ADHESIVES • SEALANTS • CHEMICAL PRODUCTS FOR BUILDING

∂ Inside news available, in just one coat. But wood can, of course, also be very beautiful when it ages naturally. For all the fans of an aged, weathered look, the Rubio® lab developed “Rubio® WoodCream”, a revolutionary cream that ages vertical wood and makes it water-repellent at the same time. The Rubio® Lab developed 7 shades of grey, which gives the treated wood an aged look. A transparent version is also available, which allows the wood to age naturally, but protects it and makes it water-repellent. This transparent version will also protect wood that is already aged.

RUBIO MONOCOAT, KING OF COLOURS

Glimtrex

Rubio Monocoat has been the king of colours on wood since 2005 and we are really shining the spotlight on this with the introduction of RMC Colour Trends 2017. Based on the colour trends for interior design, we developed the Chic Collections, split up into three atmospheres. First there is the Scandinavian Chic Collection, whose grey and blue tints are inspired by the cold, misty days in the Scandinavian countries. Then there is the Charleston Chic, which includes many warm green tints and deep-blue tints and is based on the extravagant lifestyle of the nineteen twenties. Just like the other two collections, this collection also includes a gold colour (A touch of Gold), with real gold pigments!

The third collection, Boho Chic, includes many warm brown and red tints and takes you to the sultry Middle East. Each collection is a mix of new trend colours with existing Oil Plus 2C colours. Request a sample today and discover the abundance of our trend colours.

Phone: +32 51 30 80 54 or info@rubiomonocoat.com.

Rubio® WoodCream, for an instant aged look for exterior wood For finishing facades, garden sheds and gates, people are increasingly opting for wood, sometimes in combination with other materials.

The wood can be protected in various ways, depending on the result you are looking for.

Rubio® Monocoat has had RMC Hybrid Wood Protector in its assortment very successfully for years; a very high-quality oil that protects exterior wood and colours in one of the 20 colours that are

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Floor Forum International 86

A combination of oil and lacquer, Glimtrex hard wax oil must be spread thick on the floor's surface (more than 80 grammes per square metre).

This product combines the benefits of lacquer and oil. It is very simple to apply, durable, and the floor will be easy to maintain; it also has an aesthetically pleasing colour, and possible damage to the floor will be easy to repair. Renovating a previously oiled floor is as simple as sanding it down with a sand screen K120 grid, after which the hard wax oil can be immediately applied. Applying hard wax oil is done the same way as you would apply lacquer.

Parcolys Flooring welcomes a new techno-commercial assistant

Photo – Annemie De Greef and Dominique Santens from Parcolys Flooring during Domotex 2017.

∂ Inside news Parcolys Flooring has welcomed a new techno-commercial assistant, namely Annemie De Greef. She will advise clients in the Benelux and the United Kingdom in their own language to help them complete their projects with Parcolys floors. Parcolys Flooring NV is a company from Oudenaarde (Belgium) which produces and sells top quality laminate and PVC floors under the trademarks Aquastep, Parcolux, Parcozen, and Parcostone. They also produce wall solutions in PVC (Aquastep XL and Parcostone).

years ago he took over the technical consultation for industrial wood coatings at Osmo.

Osmo expands industrial activities As specialist for wood products and natural wood finishes, Osmo offer their customers oil based wood coatings for machine and low-emission applications for industrial use. The focus stays on the surfaces that are adjusted to meet the customers’ individual requirements. Since the demand for microporous wood surfaces is steadily growing in the industrial sector, Chris Oldenburg, Industrial Wood Finish Sales, has supported Nico Janssens, Sales Representative Belgium, since 2016. As a wood technician, Chris Oldenburg has many years’ experience in the handling of the natural work material wood. He was abroad for several years as a self-employed furniture manufacturer, and two

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Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

HIGH-QUALITY VISITORS OFFSET LOW FIGURES In mid-January, in keeping with tradition, lots of players from the world of parquet, laminate, and vinyl gathered at Hanover in Germany. Since the BAU trade fair in Munich was taking place at the same time, the number of visitors in the halls relevant to our sector was considerably lower. This was a phenomenon which all exhibitors noticed clearly, but this was offset to some extent by the quality of the visitors at Domotex. The organisers also announced that the proportion

of visitors from abroad once again was a record, with an increase in visitor numbers particularly from the Middle East and Central and Eastern Asia.

As always, the range of goods on show from the exhibitors meant that a visit to Domotex was more than worthwhile. Splendid floors and high-quality technology and accessories have always been the big attraction of the show in Hanover.

Floor Forum International In keeping with tradition, Floor Forum and Floor Forum International also had a stand at Domotex. This was an opportunity for us to meet our regular national and international readers. The stand also offered a pleasant spot for a break, a chat, and new encounters. As always, the stand was most popular with exhibitors, who, after their working hours, came for a glass of Leffe beer or white wine and a ham or cheese snack. As always, we made it a point of honour to welcome our visitors on a splendid floor. This time it was a floor from the Wood Sensation collection, the Stone Cross to be precise. This special parquet floor from the Wood Sensations Santon Collection has 22cm wide planks and is planed with distressed edges. It sits on a reliable and silent subfloor from Mac Lean.

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Floor Forum International 86

Stand

Floor F o Intern rum ationa l

Visit www.floor-forum.com

Floor Forum International 86

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Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

Here is a summary of the news which we received from exhibitors: Adesiv Adesiv had mixed feelings about the show. The low turnout and the many repeat visits gave the impression that the show was feeling ‘a little tired’. At Adesiv they hope that the rearrangement planned for next year (editor’s note: there are plans to re-arrange the lay-out with a relocation of our sector to different halls) will breathe new life into the show and bring many new visitors to Hanover.

Aspecta Aspecta used the show to exhibit its new and innovative ISOCORE technology. ISOCORE is the result of four years of research and forms the core material of a new generation of LVT floors, which are strong, dimensionally stable, very light, waterproof, and safe. ISOCORE is made from 100% resins and doesn’t contain phthalates, formaldehyde, or softeners. A specific benefit of the new material is that it makes it possible to fit up to 400m² of LVT at busy project locations without the need for expansion joints. It is also guaranteed to withstand indoor temperatures of up to 60°C with no problem at all.

AGT The Turkish producer of items such as AGT laminate floors attended Domotex with a large stand. They were looking for new partners to sell their products in Europe and other continents. The corporate philosophy is essential here. As a family business, AGT is looking mainly for partners who set great stall by quality, service, and professional integrity. Those are the values which have built the company’s reputation in recent decades. They also exhibited a new collection at Domotex. This was the 10mm thick Concept Flooring with contemporary designs and patterns and, furthermore, an antibacterial effect and efficient floating fastening system.

ARBITON Floor Expert (Decora) Domotex 2017 is now over! 500 people visited the Arbiton stand during those 4 amazing days. We served over 250 coffees. We held business talks, we presented our latest offer, we established many new contacts. Our LVT accessories, like underlays dedicated for LVT and perfectly matched FADO skirting board, were introduced to present and potential business partners. We proudly presented our

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Floor Forum International 86

concept for laminate floors, products completaly fulfilling 4 basic customer’s needs.New skirting board LARS and innovative skirting board for ceramic tiles LATIKA were warmly welcomed and will be available in the Arbiton’s offer this year. We would like to thank everyone who took part in this fantastic fair, we are very pleased you were there with us and we hope to see you again in Hanover at Domotex 2018.

Baltic Wood The Polish manufacturer, which shared its stand (including grand piano) with terrace floor producer Gamrat, announced a number of new products.

For example, they have extended the Jeans Collection to include five new ash wood decors (to go alongside the existing oak ones) and some extra herringbone floors with short planks are also in the pipeline. The Timeless Collection will soon include new wide and narrow planks, as well as herringbone, three-strips, and short planks, and a distressed castle floor. Also on show was a Woodura floor with a top layer of oak and a kernel of HDF, as well as new parquet floors in beech. Both floors have been presented to clients. If those floors get a good reception, Baltic Wood will include them in its range.

Bijlard International From now on, Bijlard is promoting itself under the name of ‘Bijlard Floor’ and was taking part in Domotex for the first time. The Dutch manufacturer showed off its entire range and profiled itself as a private label producer.

They also drew attention to the unique and extra efficient ‘Scraper’ notched trowel. This is extremely smooth and durable and has a right-angled corner to make it possible to empty the entire bucket. The trowel surface is completely edge-free so that the glue can flow through the teeth equally on both sides. Bijlard also drew visitors’ attention to the MS Floor adhesive and the skirting board kit floor.

Beaulieu International Group The Belgian flooring material giant presented all its latest collections at a stand of 1550m² (to accommodate 2500 different products). In the BerryAlloc parquet range the renewed Saga collection attracted most attention.

This includes extra short or

Dare to express yourself with the new Balterio collections

Laminate Floors

Balterio is a quality brand of

Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

extra long oiled planks with deep grooves and a light colour pallet of eight shades. In the laminate range the Chateau herringbone laminate was the highlight. It comes in several oak decors, but also in teak, merbau, and white chestnut. As regards the vinyl lots of visitors were interested in the Beauflor vinyl with XXL designs (wooden plank decors with sizes of 22 x 200cm and tiles of 60 x 120cm).

Blanchon Blanchon, market leader in France and number two in Europe for finish products for parquet and wood products, presented its full range plus some new items. It stressed a finish method with unique assets which has already been possible for a few years, but which is perhaps not yet sufficiently well known. This is the combination of the application of the Blanchon Solid Oil hard wax oil with 100% solid matter to the parquet followed by a protective coat of Blanchon Intensive lacquer. This lacquer is renowned for its durability and the combination with the Solid Oil ensures a parquet floor which looks like an oiled floor (with the typical colour depth of oil), but is just as durable as a varnished floor. Moreover, the Solid Oil is available in various decorative shades.

B-Fix They were generally satisfied at B-Fix because they established a number of helpful new contacts and once again they even managed to get a contract signed by a terrace plank producer. They also noticed that B-Fix is a permanent fixture on the market for quality terrace fastening. Moreover, new solutions in terrace and wall fastening are soon picked up by the majority of clients and contacts.

BIOFA GmbH BIOFA GmbH from Bad Boll Germany is manufacturer of natural oils for wooden flooring with more then 35 years experience in natural oils! BIOFA showed two new products at Domotex 17.

Bianco oil 8683 as non visible oil for oak and light wood and rolling oil aqua 8445, a water based hardwax oil for roller coater. This new water based product can be used in roller coater after oiling with other

by

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Chimiver

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Floor Forum International 86

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products without changing the roller gum! A perfect finish layer for all kind of wooden flooring with a fast drying time. For more Info's contact us under info@biofa.de.

Chimiver The Italian producer of finish and maintenance chemicals for parquet, WPC, vinyl, and PVC presented the new HAPPY@ WORK App. This can be used to find all new products, application videos, and safety guidelines quickly and easily. As regards products, the focus at the stand was on items such as the UV oil ONE 1317 with a high dry residue (99%) for the parquet industry. For parquet specialists there is the LIOS Bi-oil 2K, a 1K oil which contains neither VOCs nor water, provides good durability, and sets quickly. Finally, Old West is the range of waterborne distressing agents. The range gives specialists a whole series of shades and strikingly authentic distressing effects.

CEFLA At a spacious stand CEFLA showed off all the possibilities which they offer for a parquet finish line. CEFLA is a specialist and global leader in finish lines for several sectors. With Smart parquet they exhibited

their finish line with modular construction. This comprises a reverse application unit with two rollers, two pads, two brushes, and a double UV unit. The Sorbini SMART PARQUET machines have been specially developed to apply oxidative or UV oils, water stains, or lacquers to floorboards. Both rollers are fitted with a scraper for a perfectly even dosage over the entire wood surface.

Classen Design floor and laminate manufacturer Classen presented a wide range of floors based on ceramin. This is a remarkably sturdy, waterproof, light, and ecological material. Classen also presented a series of decors with bright and vivid colours. A striking new collection is the Neo 2.0 prime, design floors in tile shape with designs and patterns to remind you of old cloister floors or antique wood floors. The Ceramin Vario collection also stands out for the originality and authenticity of the decors. The tiles in 30 x 60, 40 x 80, and 40 x 120cm size are given decors of natural stone or attractive ceramic tiles.

Ciranova The Belgian parquet chemical specialist promoted the benefits of a parquet finish with the UN1CO oil in combination with FORTICO

InvisiOil Neutral

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Customized parquet Product news 2017

• Oilbased.

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Palissander • Size : 14,5 x 140/150 x 400-1800 mm • Top layer : 3,5 mm • Profile and bevels : 2 bevels, T&G • Birch plywood base for a better stability of the floor (possibility in solid wood flooring 14 x 90 mm and 14 x 120 mm) • Unfinished, matt or satin varnished, oiled, “ROC varnished” (high trafic areas)

www.designparquet.fr Floor Forum International 86

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lacquer. Combining the ultra-modern and extremely efficient oil and lacquer results in a floor which looks like an oiled floor, but with the low maintenance of lacquer. For a specific colour you use the UN1CO in the right shade before applying a FORTICO finish. In their range of Ciranova Industrial Finishes the UV oil with silver effect was put under the spotlight, as was the Pearl finish (a stain with silver lacquer finish).

CSP Engineering The Belgian machine developer and producer enjoyed great success at Domotex. They recorded a great deal of specific interest in the PAR Filler, a machine for filling gnarls and cracks in parquet floorboards. This machine has a built-in special scanner, which accurately records the imperfections in the surface of wooden floorboards. To fill the gnarls and cracks, this machine uses a special applicator which presses wood filler into the imperfections under heavy pressure. The PAR FillerÂŽ works continuously and can be driven by one operator. In addition, visitors also showed interest in Par Duo (for glueing two-layer parquet) and the innovative solutions for packing parquet.

Cezar At the Domotex Fair 2017, Cezar presented a lot of new products. Amongst other things, they introduced aluminum profiles for LED strip lighting, balcony eaves profiles, Hi-Line Prestige skirting boards made of PVC, transition strips 35mm wide, an aluminum socle plinth 100mm in height, new types of Elegance skirting boards, Cezar PRO insulations, some new colours for PVC skirting boards with a new function of painting in any colour, and some new laminate. HI-Line Prestige skirting boards made of PVC attracted a lot of interest due to their modern decors which conform to the latest trends on the laminate and LVT flooring markets. The new product line of Cezar PRO insulations was also a smash hit. The Domotex Fair 2017 once again proved an excellent basis for our business success. Cezar will certainly participate in Domotex Fair in the next few years.

Dr. Schutz The German parquet chemical specialist, exhibited, amongst other things, the Strato Nature 484 from Eukula. This 2K waterborne lacquer guarantees maximum protection in combination with the natural look of the wood sort. There were another three primers in the Eukula range on show. Each variant provides a different colour treatment: a more intensive and darker tone, a bleaching variant, and an amber

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Floor Forum International 86

Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

variant which yields a shade of honey. In the Dr. Schutz range they have also introduced a new variant in the PU lacquers with an ultra-matt gloss.

DECOSPAN At DECOSPAN they promoted the range of Par-Ky veneer floors in 0.6mm, 2mm, and 3.2mm top layer, which have been strengthened for some time now with an even more durable lacquer with DSI. These are eight UV-set coats of lacquer. During the double sided impregnation (DSI) press procedure, the adhesive is pressed into the wood as far as possible until it is saturated. As the top layer is lacquered, the wood also absorbs some of the varnish, which thereby comes into contact with the glue. In this way the wood is completely saturated and becomes stronger as the glue sets. Obviously, the range of

multi-layer parquet from Cabbani also attracted lots of attention.

Last year, DECOSPAN took over Europlac-Cabannes and changed its name to CABBANI. The new trademark is still faithful to the à la carte menu on the basis of five steps for parquet floors. As a new owner, DECOSPAN has invested extra in feel-good marketing (with a new video), but also in more efficient organisation and in new high-tech machines for an even better finish. They also highlighted the ‘Made in France’ finish a little extra. Reactions from the market show that the new approach has proved a success. In order to reward the dealers’ commitment, DECOSPAN has also set up a Cabbani Award and a Par-Ky award.

Design Parquet The French manufacturer of top quality parquet floors highlighted its flexibility and know-how.

Their central message, apart from the regular collection which is convenient and easy to choose à la carte, was that Design Parquet can produce just about anything. The highlight at the stand was the Carbon and Cotton collection, a series of wooden floors or herringbone and Hungarian point floors in black or white and various sizes.

This collection with a covering paint look certainly gives interior and shop designers scores of possible options.

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Floor Forum International 86 www.csp-engineering.com

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Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

Decorad The specialist in the field of mobile apparatus for curing UV lacquers and oils presented two new products.

First of all, there was the Handmate UV1800. This is a lightweight hand lamp which is ideal for curing tables, stairs, balconies, and bar tops. They also presented the LED UV Linemate. This (semi-)industrial line can cure UV LED oils at a speed of 15 metres per minute with excellent setting due to the use of high-quality LEDs. The special feature about the Linemate is that it is also possible to use the LED lamp unit for the Floormate.

Denderwood This Belgian company specialises in the import of tropical wood sorts and produces terrace floors, wooden wall cladding, parquet, work tops, wall covering, and profiles under the Marquise Forest Products trademark. Visitors eagerly examined the range.

Denderwood showed off its terrace planks in afrormosia, padauk,

teak, and merbau, its wall cladding in padauk, afrormosia, doussie, and iroko, and parquet in merbau, teak, afrormosia, padauk, and rosewood. The range of 3D wall furnishings in merbau, hevea, yellow teak, and red teak was also in the spotlight.

Drewex – Joseph Floors The Polish manufacturer had come to Domotex with a clear aim. Recently, they have opened a brand-new factory with modern production machinery in the Ukraine, so the newly available production capacity needs to be used as soon as possible. Drewex offers multi-layer parquet floors in lengths of up to 5 metres and plank widths up to 40cm (a speciality of Drewex). The planks have a multiplex substrate in beech and a top layer in oak (3, 4, or 6mm).

The floors can be sold finished or unfinished and can be ordered per container. The floors are CE and FSC approved.

Euro Trade Flooring In its V-Line range the Spanish vinyl manufacturer presented X-Core planks and tiles with a uniclic-system. With their unique hybrid structure and their mineral core, these are perfectly stable and extremely durable floorboards which can be fitted on uneven substrates or old tile floors with no problem at all. The X-Core planks or tiles do not

OIL L AC Q U S Y ST E R EM

NEW

UN1CO ďšş FORTICO SYSTEM To have the best possible protection with a minimum amount of maintenance, you can apply our anti-scratch lacquer FORTICO 2C on top of our 1-coat oil UN1CO.

By applying FORTICO 2C NATURAL on top of the UN1CO, the natural look and feel of an oiled floor will be retained.

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become warped in any way whatsoever under the influence of temperature fluctuations. X-Core is available in 13 wood decors and four stone decors. The V-Line range also includes X-Core Fix with X-board as core and a woven vinyl top layer and Easy Cover Pro, a high-quality laminate with a mineral core and polyurethane finish layer.

EarthWerks

design: Paolo Nicolò Rusolen ¡ photo & AD: Pidiprogetto

The company which has manufactured vinyl and LVT for over 30 years walked away from Domotex with two Innovation Prizes. The winning floors were the Wood Classic 9500 series and the acoustic subfloor dB22. The former is an LVT floor with an exceptional decor which brings the wood texture and colour in combination with a hard top layer of 0.55mm in eight variants and is suitable for all commercial and residential uses. The subfloor dB22 is light and has a minimal thickness, but provides sound insulation at the same

time. The material of the subfloor is polyester fleece and that provides great compressive strength (minimum 400kPa) and it is extremely stable.

The Magnet by Exterpark The Spanish specialist in systems for outdoor floors presented a real innovation, namely The Magnet. This is a screwless, quick, and easy installation system for terrace planks and wall cladding in wood or WPC. The Magnet is the first system which makes it possible to pull up any plank whatsoever in under five seconds. It works on just about any surface, both in and outdoors. Recently, it has been used for fitting a wooden decking floor in the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi.

Forestry Timber Export The Indonesian-Malaysian manufacturer and specialist in manual finishes enjoyed a considerable increase in turnover last year. At the same time, they have decided from now on to work solely with French and German oak for its top layers. At the same time, the company has invested two million dollars in a reliable colouring for its parquet floors. At the show they displayed a number of new wood sorts which are an attractive alternative to oak top layers e.g. Tasmanian

Your places are important Make them unique

Taylor Collection: Serpentine S01 Two wisely combined deck boards, create four lines of product and eight different configurations.

www.ravaiolilegnami.com

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oak, maple, ash, and pecan.

These are available in plank widths between 145 and 400mm with tongue and groove or 5G. The extensive Chevron collection was also on show in over 30 different tints.

Floorcenter The Dutch company Floorcenter, which has recently opened a second production plant in BosniaHerzegovina and provides colours and finishes in the Netherlands, offers a wide range of parquet floors in scores of tints. The range is subdivided into Orange, Red, and Black Label. In the latter more exclusive range they have introduced new customised branded tints. They stressed that these colours penetrate deeply so that floors retain their shade over the years. The collections can be supplied as Multiplank, Multiplank Herringbone, or Multiplank Hungarian Point.

FB Hout The Dutch parquet producer impressed visitors at the show with the Tennessee herringbone floor, a special and distinctive floor also selected for Innovation@ Domotex and star of the show at the stand. FB Hout also highlighted its FSC certificates and the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Bronze certificate, which stresses the efforts of FB in sustainable production and recycling. The ambition of this company from Tuitjenhorn in North Holland is to sell quality as ecologically as possible and to conduct its corporate operations in a socially responsible manner. That’s why the company is making further efforts to obtain the C2C Silver and Gold certificate as well in the long term.

F. Ball The British industrial chemist is gradually building up its exports and, amongst other things, exports successfully to the Netherlands. Two technical advisers now work there (for the north and south). The growth there is supported by a partnership with Headlam. They are also still looking for a dynamic partner for sales in Belgium. A new item is the F49 STYCCOBOND glue for vinyl/PVC/LVT with unique properties. This product neither swells nor shrinks, not even in rooms with very strong temperature fluctuations such as sun porches, shop windows, and Velux windows. Moreover, the glue is easy to apply and has a long open time.

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Florian Group The Florian Group is a big integrated group with a total of 16 sawmills (in Croatia, Hungary, France, and Italy) and production sites in Italy and Croatia. It has large stocks of wood, including oak, and profiled itself at Domotex as a very competitive player. 65% of Florian Group’s parquet production is unfinished and is sold to other European parquet makers. Florian Group prides itself on its strong price/quality ratio and also offers FSC approved wood. With those assets under its belt, the group enjoyed an extremely successful Domotex in view of the shortage of raw materials on the market.

FN Neuhofer Holz The Austrian company has stood out every year for its innovative products and excellent marketing and this year was no exception.

The FN CH28 is a new screw with structured claws. The screw disappears into the wall, whilst the profiles are fastened onto the nails.

Skirting boards can be fastened to the wall quickly and easily with a hammer. For anyone looking for a fixing rail for skirting boards with lots of room for wires FN has developed the FN click-fix 17. This can be adjusted in height and leaves space for no fewer than four wires of 9mm (11/32”). FN also presented a new ceiling frame for LED lights to complement its existing range of skirting boards with LED lights.

Fair Underlay The Polish manufacturer of professional floor underlays presented its latest range and promoted the RWS barrier technology. RWS stands for Reflected Walking Sound. It is used in the Extreme Line of underlays from Fair Underlay. These underlays include an innovative and natural core material which provides up to 40% extra footsteps noise reduction.

Fair Underlay also promoted the outstanding heat conduction of the Extreme Line underlays. In combination with floor heating, these underlays convey heat efficiently (TR= 0.009m²K/W), something to ensure considerable savings on the energy bill. The manufacturer is so sure of itself that it has launched an App which can be used to calculate the savings in various currencies quickly.

Finesse Floor The Belgian manufacturer of rigid core flooring promoted its latest collection of floors. The floors stand out for the ultra-hard core base with accompanying high tensile strength so that Finesse floors can also be fitted perfectly well onto an old tile floor. Moreover, the floorboards do not contain any harmful softeners. As regards collections

there is the Silence Floor, which stands out for its extremely refined decors and sound insulation thanks to the built-in bottom layer.

Finesse Floor Traffic is the range for the project market: The XL planks with embossed texture are extremely durable and solid.

Another new item is the Finesse Floor Mineral. This isn’t a PVC floor, but a floor put together with a mineral core, something which makes it extremely stable. Moreover, it can be fitted extremely quickly, another argument to persuade the project market.

Flamingo Parket 2017 is a special year for Flamingo Parket because they are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary! They developed an adapted logo specially for the occasion. This company, which saw the light of day in 1967 under the name Europa Parket, was led by the father of present director Lars Versteeg and grew in 1973 as a result of the opening of a wholesale

trade by Lars Versteeg’s mother. Lars Versteeg has been working on the production since 1985 and also set up the export activities. As regards their range, they stressed their competitive prices for European quality (made possible by a growing turnover) and the new ‘Wil’ collection, a range of rustic hand-sawn and brushed oak floors in ten shades. The top layer is 4mm thick and sits on a 12mm birch multiplex. Also on show was a range of wall panels in mixed hardwood supplied in strips of 2 and 4cm.

FAUS The Spanish floor specialist has produced everything in its factory near Valencia since its restructuring and takeover. France and England are their main export markets in Europe. They exhibited at Domotex in Hanover mainly with a view to looking for new dealers outside Europe. FAUS presented its new range of laminate in AC5 and AC6. A trendy highlight was the Chevron Collection, a laminate floor in Hungarian point in five shades and with a click system. Also for furnishing interior walls FAUS presented a series of attractive new items. For the bathroom and kitchen they promoted their waterproof laminate in tiles of 60 x 120cm.

There are

bad NOjust biadd eas, decisions.

The LOBA

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finishes

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However, visiting our booth at Domotex 2017 wasn’t one of them. Our entire team likes to thank you for your presence!

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LOBA – The surface specialist for wood and cork floors

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FAXE

HD Doormatting Solutions

At this year’s Domotex fair, FAXE woodcare introduced a new generation of it’s renowned InvisiOil for leaving wooden floors with an untreated look. The new version of InvisiOil is named InvisiOil NEUTRAL. It is an oilbased product, and our customers are able to apply it as any other conventional oil. InvisiOil NEUTRAL comes in both an industrial version for application on roller-coaters, and in a professional version, for installers who oil untreated floors onsite. Furthermore we introduced our new High Solid Industrial oil, which combines superior chemical and wear resistance, with ease of application on industrial lines. The new HS industrial oil is compatible with all major aftermarket care products, and it displays excellent performance on the finished floor. Our New “Food Contact Material” approved tabletop oil was introduced to our customers within the furniture and kitchen industries. The extra feature of being able to document treatment of furniture and kitchen tabletops with an “food contact Material” approved oil, is a significant sales-argument in these industries, and we furthermore allow our customers to sell this special product in 0,75 liters cans, for increased sales and profits for our customers in the aftermarket. We wish to thank both our existing and new customers for visiting us at our booth, and we look forward to seeing you all again.

This Bulgarian company, which also has an agent in the USA, is a new player on the dustcontrol & roll mats market. They work with high-quality materials and supply a wide range of solutions, including some which are based on an innovative concept. For example, they presented a dustcontrolmats mat which offers excellent dirt drainage and can be completely rolled up thanks to the special I-profile. And so, it is ideal for cleaning and maintenance work.

The HD Doormatting Solutions range is wide and complete.

Greenlignin' Greenlignin' is the trademark for subfloor layers from sawmill Katz from the Black Forest in Germany. They use the waste wood for useful building products, including the Greenlignin' floating subfloors. The range consists of a ‘basic’ variant, an anti-slip variant for vinyl and design floors, and a waterproof variant for under parquet, laminate and vinyl. Apart from the good heat insulation properties, it is mainly the remarkable sound insulation which is a unique asset of this range.

Helco Flooring The Belgian company with high quality finishes in China presented for the first time its top-quality, sap-free, and oak parquet floor selection with a sawn top layer of 3 or 4mm. The floors can be supplied finished or unfinished.

Helco displayed the rustic Cottage Range and the Napoli collection. The latter is finished with Rubio Monocoat oil in modern and super-matt colours and the floors are fitted with top layers of the highest quality. They highlighted the wide stock of floors and therefore the rapid delivery options and guaranteed excellent service.

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Hard Wood Clip® As always, Növlek was present at Domotex with its range of Hard Wood Clips®.

The invisible fastening system can be used with the most durable types of wood and enjoys worldwide appreciation. For the first time at Domotex, Növlek presented a special spacer which is fastened underneath the terrace plank on the support beams and keeps the planks at equal intervals and prevents the terrace floor from curling up.

IMPERTEK The Italian manufacturer and specialist in adjustable bases and other solutions for raised indoor and outdoor floors promoted the Balance levelling heads and Prime-up in the height-adjustable supports for the Mega Mart base programme. Balance promises to level up differences in height of up to 5% for the entire range, in the case of the Mini Balance with a construction height of only 25 to 40mm. PRIMEUP provides an adjustable height of only 10 to 25mm.

New also was the vertical Wall Clip, which ensures extra stability and a fixed space between the terrace planks and the surrounding walls.

JÖST At the JÖST stand the highlights were the multifunctional Floor Sander and Floor Sander Junior. The surface sanding machine Floor Sander has recently been refined to eliminate vibrations and thereby provide more user-comfort.

In addition, the unique benefits of this machine are still there in full force. In particular, there is the versatility. Apart from sanding wooden floors, it is also possible to tackle hard stone and covering floors simply by exchanging the

sanding material. On the other hand, you can also use this machine to clean floors (e.g. stud vinyl) with deep-seated impurity with an adapted pad or as a machine to rub in wax or oil. JÖST also offers a lighter and smaller Floor Sander Junior for areas which are harder to reach (e.g. stairs or roof flats in buildings with no lift).

Küberit Küberit profiles and skirting boards are appreciated all over the world, but that also means that they get copied.

The German manufacturer made this painful discovery some time ago. To make copying harder and to help professionals recognise authentic Küberit profiles with the accompanying quality, they are now marking their products with three delicate slender grooves. At the stand they drew a comparison with the typical three stripes on every Adidas product.

They also presented the PPS 4.0 profile, which is equipped with a pre-formed bending point for extra work comfort (PPS Champion and All-rounder). Another novelty were the rounded staircase edges in aluminium to make staircase renovation faster and more efficient and avoid any injury from a sharp staircase edge. The edges are suitable for floorboards up to 3.0mm thick.

LOBA LOBA demonstrated at its stand the possibilities of the new LOBADUR® HS 2K Intensive/Intensive Colour.

This is a new primer system which makes the natural colour of wooden floors more intense and at the same time also offers the possibility to enrich by means of an attractive range of colours. Moreover, those colours can be mixed with each other to make new colours and at the same mixed with the LOBASOL® colour stains. Furthermore, LOBA also promoted its LOBADUR® 2K Invisible Protect varnish which gives the wood wood extra protection without affecting the natural colour of the wood.

Lalegno Lalegno has enjoyed big success in recent years due to its quality floors and attractive, modernising, and extremely popular colours. A spokesperson commented: ‘We still have to carry on developing colours. Due to our international growth, we’ve also created a lot of colours for distant markets and we’ve seen at this show that shades for a particular market are also picked up by clients from other countries.’ Apart from the many floors (including a new herringbone floor) the ‘Wall Esthetics’ wall furnishing also proved popular. The various shades and patterns all looked really charming.

Lamett Europe At Lamett Europe they are looking back with satisfaction on 2016, the year in which they acquired Morava Wood. The Czech manufacturer is the biggest producer of solid parquet in Europe and the takeover means a nice reinforcement for Lamett. As regards new products, they presented the Lamett Lugano. This is premium click vinyl which is technologically superior. It owes this to its high mineral composition (>60% limestone), which ensures a high temperature stability and easy fitting in sunlight. At the same time, it is waterproof.

Lamett Lugano is also available in a wide choice of modern decors.

LARECO The history of Lareco goes back to the 1950s. Those years of experience have ensured that Lareco produces high-quality floors using wax oil and lacquer which don’t contain harmful substances. They showed the public some splendid distressed floors and reaped plenty of success with Tumbled Blocks, a collection of solid and Multi-layer parquet in Hungarian point with a finish in covering paint in attractive colours. Also on show were the finished square pattern panels in oak in diverse colours.

Ladik Orman This Turkish company was formed in 2005 and specialises in skirting boards and profiles. They exhibited their range of skirting boards in MDF with a finish in PVC and foil. The range also includes subfloors in XPS and PE. Their reason for attending Domotex was partly to find distributors in the EU, especially in the Benelux, the UK, and Poland.

La Fabrique de Parquet The La Fabrique de Parquet stand was undoubtedly the highlight in the parquet hall.

In, around, and on top of a container visitors were able to familiarise themselves with this new parquet trademark. Jean-Marc Meyer from La Fabrique de Parquet explained the concept: ‘Times are changing. In France there’s now a new generation who want to do things better and differently from the previous generation.’ Parquet still offers lots of creative opportunities and that’s why for this trademark they’ve joined forces with designers and

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created a sort of ‘Fablab’: a production unit with a laboratory at Parquetterie Berrichonne. All sorts of innovative ideas are tried out there which eventually lead to new and sensorial parquet floors. The range is also available in 30 colours (oil or varnish) and can be put together à la carte.

mFLOR Since the start of the year, the LVT manufacturer has had a new slogan, namely ‘Enjoying life'. At their stand they presented three new collections for 2017, which each have a different size: 150cm long and 23cm wide, a thickness of 2.5mm, and a top layer of 0.55mm. These are mFLOR Bramber Chestnut, mFLOR Selsdon Wood, and mFLOR Shady Larch respectively. The three decors all come in several attractive colours. The mFLOR Parva Plus gives enthusiasts a new collection of vinyl strips in four attractive colours which provide maximum design freedom. The size of 60.96 x 11.43cm means that the variation possibilities are endless.

Mac Lean Products At Mac Lean they announced that they are further extending their range of white skirting boards. They are introducing a pre-fabricated

mitred corner which is ready for fitting without a mitre saw. In the range of subfloors they are introducing a new subfloor for LVT, namely ISO BLOC. This is a high-quality alternative, which filters out unevenness perfectly and provides excellent sound insulation. They also highlighted the Isotac subfloors for laminate, which fit in perfectly with the new product features which are prescribed by the EPLF, the European laminate manufacturers federation.

Mapei The Milan industrial chemical giant is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Their stand highlighted innovative products for fitting, colouring, and maintaining parquet. First of all, there was Ultrabond Eco S968 1K, a premium glue which has been in their range for a few years, but still sets the standard on the market thanks to the performances of a 2K adhesive. The Ultracoat Oil Colour in seven shades is an effective colour oil which brings out the beauty of oak wood. For parquet floors which have to withstand the heaviest pressure Mapei promotes the Ultracoat High Traffic, a 100% PU lacquer with considerable durability and chemical resistance.

MITOL

NEW! Color Hardwax-oil 2K Lanai 071

The VOC-free finishing product with fast curing and full chemical and mechanical resistance after 24 hours.

Janna 170 Denali 175 Kamet 179 Pago 770

The leading Slovenian adhesive producer presented two new products at Domotex, including PARKETOLIT E66 1K modified MS glue for all types of wooden floors. This adhesive is suitable for all subfloors, also nonporous, and conforms to the EC1 PLUS standard. It also

Available in 12 colours!

Machines for Parquet finishing

Pinta 773 Tanna 776 Savo 872 Rossing 875

Easy maintenance with

Floorservice Maintenance Oil!

DOMOTEX NEWS:

Premium roller coaters

Saw effect

Koro 972 Taupo 975 Sakar 979

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

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Solcamastraat 25, 9262 ND, Sumar, The Netherlands +31 512 510035 | info@trivec.eu | www.trivec.eu

Find more info on: www.trivec.eu

LED dryer

FLOORING for your BUSINESS WHY TO CHOOSE FLO.IT?

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Because it is a MADE IN ITALY floor

2

4

Because it is FSC certified

ENGINEERED FLOOR

1 2

ESSENCE Oak

Competitive quality products and a fully integrated process that offers the maximum results with the least waste

Because Florian fulfills the Due Diligence and the Timber Regulation

Main Features SYSTEMS

T&G CLASSIC

CLICKING SYSTEM NEW

LENGHTS 2050 - 2350 mm (max 20% out of size)

2

THICKNESSES 15/3,8 - 20/6 mm

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WIDTHS 142-192- 242 mm

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100% Made in Italy

QUALITIES AB CHARACTER RUSTIC HEAVY RUSTIC

CORES

BIRCH PLYWOOD

SOFT WOOD PLYWOOD

OPTIONS

UNFINISHED

FINISHED

QUALITIES A/B Attractive grain; few pin knots; light to medium colour variation.

K Sound knots, small to medium knots allowed, occasional small filled knots; colour variation allowed; up to 10% sapwood; mineral streakers allowed.

R Knots allowed, any size filled and sanded knots; cracks and splits repaired with filler; color variation allowed; up to 20% sapwood; mineral streaks allowed

ITALIA

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HRVATSKA

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FRANCE

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Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

provides extra sound insulation. Another new adhesive from MITOL is PARKETOLIT 1551. This is a 2K polyurethane adhesive for gluing all types of parquet. It is a hard adhesive according to ISO 17178:2013 and is suitable also for outdoor use. The glue has a long open time, is odourless, water and solvent-free. It conforms to the EC1 PLUS.

Novoryt Novoryt from Switzerland specialises in repair kits for various floors. In keeping with tradition they exhibited melting kits for parquet, laminate, and cork, but also for elastic floors. They also showed off the new Novoryt Forte in stick or granulated form for hot-melt pistols.

This means it is possible to fill the damaged section or the gnarls even faster. Creative spirits looking for a decorative highlight can also choose from one of the remarkably flashy colours which Novoryt offers.

Overmat Overmat highlighted its Nature Protect 2K lacquer.

This invisible ultra-matt lacquer for parquet and wooden floors protects the natural colour and look of the wood, creates an untreated effect, but at the same time offers excellent chemical resistance and very good durability. They also exhibited some new and trendy shades in the Prime Old Grey range (Overmat technology for distressing and ageing oak wood floors). A completely new addition to the Floor Service Hard Wax Oil 2K is the Floor service Colour Hard Wax Oil 2K in no fewer than 12 colours. A major extra asset of this Hard Wax Oil is that the floor can be used again 24 hours later, and that’s ideal for projects with a tight deadline.

Paolino Bacci The manufacturer of horizontal band saw machines presented a smaller and more budget-friendly version of the STREAM-E, which has been on show at Domotex in recent years. The capacity of the newcomer is 25% lower, but with a maximum saw width of 325mm and a sawing plane diameter of 54mm the STREAM is still an efficient machine. The strong assets of this new band saw machine are flexibility and precision (with low tolerances), thanks to a

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special feed system. The manufacturer also stresses that it also offers a range of (more expensive) high-quality industrial machines.

PERFILSTAR The Catalan manufacturer enjoyed a successful 2016 with rising sales. At their stand they exhibited a number of new products: white skirting boards with lacquered paper coating at competitive prices. They also stressed that they now offer skirting boards with multiplex core supports. There was also the new wall furnishing from Perfilstar, namely Starwood. These are veneer wall panels on MDF, which are self-adhesive and available in 10 decors. It is possible to fit one decor or to mix several shades for special effects.

Parketfabriek Lieverdink The Dutch parquet producer introduced visitors to the architect box, which contains 50 samples and the price of which is repaid with the first order. New in the range is the Pastis Collection. This parquet contains five specially developed colour shades built up with colour dyes which complement and strengthen each other. This provides a grey-green base colour, which sheds the light in an unusual manner. The result is a highly elegant effect with the grandeur of yesteryear. Lieverdink also drew attention to the Hungarian point floors which now have a handy tongue and groove connection on at head and along the length side of the planks.

Rubio Monocoat Rubio Monocoat (RMC) exhibited its latest colour shades in a strip of Hungarian point on floor and wall. The colours for 2017 are divided into three collections, namely Charleston Chic, Boho Chic, and Scandinavian Chic, which are based on interior trends for 2017. Obviously, our interest, too, was drawn to the new products and we were presently surprised with the new Rubio® WoodCream. This is a finish product for outdoor wood (e.g. walls and sheds) as a separate alternative with unique properties for the Hybrid Wood Protector van RMC. Unlike the Hybrid Wood Protector with its broad spectrum of colours, WoodCream gives outdoor wood a distressed and greyed look immediately after application. At the same time, the wood also becomes waterproof. Rubio® WoodCream comes in seven shades and doesn’t contain any VOCs.

Plyquet Group Plyquet Group is the company which markets and sells Teka Parquet.

There were new collections on show at their stand. There was Twin Soft Loc bali with Välinge Soft Loc joints soaked in white lye, brushed,

and finished with grey oil.

With a new herringbone floor with tongue and groove joint and V-groove on the four sides, this white-oiled and brushed floor looked especially charming.

Similarly, the new Hungarian point floor in a 60° angle with groove on three sides of the plank and one tongue grabbed lots of compliments. Plyquet also stressed the option of having customised floors produced.

Preverco promoted its 100% Canadian range of floors (with native wood) in diverse types of wood: maple, cherry, walnut, ash, and hickory. They provide finished parquet in diverse shades and diverse possible finishes, including also distressed. There is a choice between solid wood or multi-layer on birch multiplex with tongue and groove or a lock system.

PG Hardwood Flooring is a reputable trader in parquet in solid wood or multi-layer. They have both North American and exotic wood sorts and of high quality in terms of fits. For PG Hardwood Flooring Domotex is also important for supporting sales on the project market.

It also offers parquet floors with original colours which can be given an attractive use amongst other things in retail.

Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB)

La San Marco Profili

QWEB is a permanent fixture at Domotex. As always, they accommodated some attractive and reputable companies from the world of wooden floors.

Cambiumex is a specialist supplier of Canadian hardwood as a dried and sawn raw material for parquet manufacturers in their own country and in the rest of the world. It supplies a wide selection of native wood quickly and efficiently: maple, cherry, American oak, black walnut, and American ash.

La San Marco Profili, Italian skirting boards and outdoor flooring specialist, took part another year at Domotex in Hanover and welcomed customers from all over the world. La San Marco is an attractive supplier because of its large stock, its short production terms and the high quality of all its products. During the fair, the company displayed its wide range of standard and new products such as planks in exotic wood sorts (e.g. ipe, teak, and angelim amargoso) for outdoor use, a

05-12-2014

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Pagina 1

www.lithos.it

adv. 92,5 x 136 mm:Opmaak 1

SOLIDOR adjustable pedestals will significantly reduce the installation time to adjust the height of your terrace!

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DECKING “DURO“ DURO Is a bRaND NEw matERIal spECIfICally DEsIGNED fOR OUtDOOR DECKING aND vENtIlatED walls. It Is thE REsUlt Of yEaRs Of REsEaRCh aND ExtENsIvE labORatORy tEstING. Its COmpOsItION Is tOp sECREt, bUt thE maIN INGREDIENt Is RICE hUsKs, a NatURal wastE pRODUCt Of thE aGRICUltURal INDUstRy, whICh Is COmbINED wIth vIRGIN pOlymERs. thE REsUlt Is a matERIal wIth INCREDIblE mEChaNICal pROpERtIEs, pERfORmaNCE aND wORKabIlIty.

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thermally treated ash floor, and a superior quality composite wooden floor (DURO). This is a composite floor made mainly of rice husks.

DURO is eco-friendly, very stable, and resistant to UV rays from the sun. La San Marco Profili also supplies a wide range of accessories for installation and a new system called Easy Change designed to speed up the installation process. Furthermore, the company also sells a wide range of skirting boards in various materials e.g. MDF laminate, veneer, and solid wood, also including a unique range of profiles created with a luxurious veneer with a saw cut effect that shows the wood in its roughest, most natural form. Many new contacts have been established at the Fair so its participation results as very positive for its aim of continuously products international widespread.

Ravaioli Legnami The reputable Italian producer and dealer highlighted its wide range of wooden wall profiles and sun blinds with adjustable wooden strips. The wide range of terrace floors also attracted attention. The company presented a number of solutions in which terrace planks are also used on walls and as sun blinds or screens.

Solid Group Solid is a Russian producer of subfloors and decoration frames based on expanded polystyrene. They showed the visitors a whole series of ceiling frames for an attractive interior finish. With their first appearance at Domotex this manufacturer from Jekatarinenburg was looking to establish some links for the export of their products to Western and Eastern Europe. They also exhibited their range of XPS subfloors, which are also available in rolls, if necessary. The Solid Group production is flexible and the philosophy of the company is based on good partnerships and dialogue regarding the needs of the client.

SHG Profile This German company specialises in safety profiles and operates in 55 countries. Originally, these profiles tended to be sold in risk zones of industrial production units. Due to increased safety awareness in other situations there is also a growing demand for signs indicating danger of injury in public locations such as in hotels, airports, and such like. SHG Profile takes advantage of this demand by making a whole range of solutions in every possible colour and shade.

Polyurethane is the material used for these profiles.

Saicos The German floor finish specialist Saicos presented a number of new products. For floor finishes they promoted a new hard wax oil with an

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ultra-matt and natural finish: Saicos Premium hard wax oil Ultramat Plus. With Colour Wax Saicos offers a wax based on natural oil in several colours for indoor furniture.

For outdoor wood in vivid covering colours they have the House & Garden Colour, a covering wood coating based on natural oil which makes the wood highly weatherproof, but still leaves the wood texture visible, so it is ideal for windows and doors.

Solidor The Belgian producer of quality pedestals presented its premium 17mm range.

This range of floor supports includes extra functions, which make the fitting of each terrace faster and simpler e.g. an automatic slope corrector, an exceptional reach of the adaptable system from 17 millimetres to 1 metre, and a wire thread with end stops or other provisions for fastening the terrace pedestal with glue or screws. Each pedestal has a bearing strength of up to 800kg and, if that isn’t enough, this can be increased up to 1500kg for the variants reinforced with fibre-glass.

T&G Wood International The new products were the attraction here, including the PLANCA range. These floors (5mm top layer) are suitable for floor heating and are a creation of Joost van Veldhuizen, a young Dutch designer. They come in seven shades and plank widths of 15 and 30cm. The Cinzento collection of planed planks and Cinzento Volcano (stylish planks with a smoked and brushed oak top layer in many colours) were also on show. T& G Wood also stressed the option of customised floors.

Trap Flooring – a highly successful Domotex Trap Hardwood Industry was present at Domotex for the 10th time and was delighted with the results. Apart from the annual renewal of acquaintances with regular clients/visitors, this year, there was also a good number of new contacts from all parts of the world. The response to their new product lines Multrifloor Project (3mm top layer) and Multrifloor Pattern (customised herringbone and Hungarian point) in over 30 types of wood was highly favourable and certainly offers excellent opportunities for further growth. Apart from the (cautious)

dutchy qualit comeback of exotics, another trend has been the growing demand for solid parquet (especially on markets such as China and the Far East).

Tover The Italian floor chemical specialist Tover promoted the new Belle Epoque waterborne range of stains which provides a distressed effect and yields an oiled look when finished.

Belle Epoque comes in 12 colours, which are reminiscent of that era. They also highlighted the Uniqua Paint products. These are strikingly coloured and covering 1K varnishes for wooden floors with guaranteed high durability. The Belgian agent was also present at the stand and said that the products were selling really well in his country thanks to their quality and the good support. The Uniqua Paint products had been very well received in Belgium and had opened up some previously closed doors.

 The new standard in finishing oil!

www.vesting.nl

Trivec The Dutch producer of finish lines for parquet was well satisfied with the attention from visitors at the show. At their stand they presented the UV LED module for drying UV LED oil quickly and very economically. This unit was developed last year for products from Vesting, but is obviously also available for test and production purposes for all other brands of oil and lacquer also active in LED-drying oils.

Furthermore, they also presented their new selection of parquet roller machines, which now offers a choice of the Economy line (basic modular entry-level machines), the Experience line (industrial machines with proven technology), and the Premium line (new machine with more working comfort with features such as extensive touch screen and menu programming, electrical height adjustment, roller heating, automatic rinse system, etc.). All this means that Trivec has the most extensive range of machines for treating parquet.

Unifloor At Unifloor they stressed that the subfloor solutions from the Dutch manufacturer are gaining more and more international recognition. Major floor manufacturers from the vinyl and PVC sectors are establishing links with Unifloor. Moreover, amongst other things, the Unifloor solutions are a blessing for the large-scale renovation of hotel rooms. Efficiency and time savings are incontrovertible arguments which determine the success of the Unifloor products. They also presented the Jumpax® Box which gives a Handy summary of all solutions in the Jumpax® range. This Box also includes the combination options from Jumpax®, such as, for instance, Ecopearls® (a levelling grain), Green Floor®, Heat Foil, and Uniboard.

UNIKOLEGNO The Italian company UNIKOLEGNO presented its specially refined range of parquet. In its range it uses the finest wood selections in combination with special finish techniques. The LE QUADROTTE range is a range of square panels with geometric patterns produced with fine wood selections in combination with other high-quality materials such as steel or Carrara

Visit www.floor-forum.com

2O17

No more time wasted; cures in a split second!

Vesting LED-HardWax Oil is an unique, high quality one layer oil.

• vivid and strong finish • any preferable colour (20 standard) Industrial use: • 60% energy savings • low temperatures in processing • low maintenance costs • long lifespan LED-lights • no ozone emission • environmentally friendly

WOOD SCIENCE.

Review

Domotex Hanover (DE)

marble. The Eight Colour range from UNIKOLEGNO is a splendid collection of wooden floors in eight trendy and natural shades (light, grey, brown, and dark) with an ecological coat of varnish.

available in a wide range of wood sorts and brick decors. The planks are 8mm thick and have a 0.5mm top layer. Two top coats of lacquer provide superior stain-resistance and easy maintenance.

Välinge The Swedish technology specialist exhibited the new integrated 5G for laminate and for LVT/WPC. The 5Gi (‘i’ stands for ‘integrated’) for laminate and the variant for LVT and WPC are both fitted with a push-down motion and thereafter provide perfect adhesion. More details and films about 5Gi can be found on the Välinge web site.

Furthermore, visitors also paid attention to the refined Nadura and Woodura. The former is a floorboard with a stone decor produced with powder technology, whilst Woodura floorboards are made with a hardened wooden top layer based on powder coating.

Unilin /Balterio Since last year, Balterio has been part of the Unilin group. It stands out for its special ultra HD digital print laminate. The stand included the first Balterio waterproof laminate collection (Grande). This collection includes extra long and wide planks (205 x 16.7 or 24cm) and is available in 16 different designs. Another new laminate collection from Balterio is Expressions. With ‘dare to express yourself’ as the baseline, this collection reveals new and bold decors, including a herringbone pattern.

Unilin For UNILIN, Domotex 2017 was an opportunity to integrate Balterio and launch the new, waterproof, and digitally printed ‘Grande’ laminate collection. In addition, Pergo launched a completely new range of multi-layer parquet floors. The floors have already been tested extensively and approved by a ten-strong roller derby team. Furthermore, Quick-Step is still a synonym for design and innovation with the new Majestic laminate and the Massimo parquet collection. Their long and wide planks give a house an unprecedented luxurious look.

US Floors US Floors exhibited COREtec® floors, which have been extremely successful on the market. This success which has spread from the United States is thanks to the special composition with the unique qualities of the COREtec® floors. The floorboards include a waterproof hard core and a cork bottom layer, so these floors are 100% waterproof and highly stable; there is no shrinking or swelling. COREtec® is

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Volunta Parket This Lithuanian producer profiled itself at Domotex as a producer of quality wooden floors with collections which also fit in with the latest market trends. The Essential collection is a range of two-layer planks in 14,5cm width and lengths between 180 and 240cm with an oak top layer of 2.5mm and six finish methods in diverse colours. The existing Modern range, with its trendy colours and special finish layer, has also been given three new colours. The company also stressed that it can offer FSC approved floors and also has Hungarian point. Volunta Parket also exhibited a special new App with 3D projection. This enables consumers to see their favourite parquet floor in their own interior with a specific shade or fitting pattern with the help of VR (virtual reality) spectacles.

Vesting Although the LED-drying hard wax oil had already been presented for the first time at the previous EFWEX in Ghent (Belgium), the presence of Vesting at Domotex in Hanover was of great importance to the sector. At a large and attractive stand Vesting introduced its clients and other visitors to this innovative technology. The aesthetic and functional qualities of this LED hard wax oil were greatly appreciated.

They have also entered into partnerships with a number of producers of floor finish lines such as Decorad, Cefla, Trivec, and Smelt.

Vetedy The Luxembourg specialist and pioneer in invisible fastening systems gave centre stage to its Softline® Project range. These are terrace floors in five sorts of wood with the Softline® system at affordable prices.

At their stand they also promoted the Techniclic® wall cladding finish available in six types of wood. Vetedy also

announced that they are making extra efforts to extend their supply of tropical wood sorts from Africa. For example, they want to ensure that padauk is widely available.

Wicanders by Amorim The Portuguese cork specialist was delighted with the good sales results from the collections launched in the previous year. Both the Hydrocork collections (a thin waterproof cork floor with a core of cork composite and a hard and durable decor top layer of 0.55mm) and the Authentica floors with an HDF base as its core covered by two cork layers and a PVC top layer are doing very well. New items were the Brick wall furnishing inspired by New York’s interiors of the 1950s and ‘60s. They give the wall a brick appearance with the comfort of cork. The Fusion floor collection is a cork floor with decors in natural stone and wood. Vintage Stones are cork floors with concrete or limestone decors.

WOCA Denmark At the WOCA stand they showed off their entire range, but there were also a few new developments at the concept phase to be discovered.

This spring, they are launching WOCA Wash in Oil, a cleaning product which cleans the floor each time it is used and feeds it with extra oil.

This product ensures that the terrace floor retains a freshly oiled look

for the entire summer and it is perfectly waterproof. Also in the final phase before its launch is WOCA Wood Shield. This product is ideal for keeping all outdoor wood grey, but at the same time it is also waterproof. And so, the wood stays clean, its lifespan is extended, and moss doesn’t get the chance to adhere to the wood.

Wintersteiger New entry-level model for precision thin cutting of wood. Wintersteiger is opening up new possibilities with the DSB Compact 310 single-module band saw! The machine was developed as an entry-level model for the precise thin-cutting of wood.

Adapted exactly to customer requirements, it cuts wooden blocks with a width up to 310 mm and with a kerf starting at 1.1 mm – with an excellent price/performance ratio. A newly-developed conveyor belt feed system transports wooden blocks at speeds between 1 and 16 m/min. At those speeds, the machine achieves a cutting precision of +/- 0.2 mm.

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Advertorial

Vesting (NL)

“LED HARD WAX OIL REDUCES OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT CONSIDERABLY AND CONTRIBUTES TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE” We spoke to CEO Henk Smits from Vesting on the final day of Domotex in Hanover. He was over the moon; the world first of the revolutionary LED-drying hard wax oil stole the show at the leading trade fair in Germany. The highly ecological oil was rewarded with the prestigious Domotex Innovation Award. ‘I’m delighted the sector has recognised the value of this pioneering technology. Recently, I’ve become a grandfather to a lovely little grandson, and at such times you realise all the more that we need to take measures now to keep this world fit for his generation. LED-drying is such a measure.’

Smits had already predicted it: ‘Our LED hard wax oil has become the standard. Literally the whole world came to our stand and was convinced: LED hard wax oil from Vesting is the future! From now on, it will be very easy to sandpaper a floor at any location, from providing a perfect LED hard wax oil to using the floor again at once! Waiting times have now been reduced to zero.’

What makes the LED hard wax oil so special?

‘There already was a hard wax oil that dries instantly under the influence of UV lamps, but it has some major drawbacks. The required UV lamps are expensive, fragile, and radiate a lot of heat. Moreover, the treatment emits harmful ozone gases. We’re the first and so far the only ones to eliminate all those drawbacks. Our oil dries within a second under the influence of LED light. The professional LED lamps have an extremely long lifespan and, thanks to the measured spectrum of violet light, no ozone gases are emitted.’

The environment The LED hard wax oil from Vesting also represents a huge step forward for the environment. The economic LED lamps alone mean an energy saving of over 60% for industrial use! Moreover, there is no need for any climate control or suction machines in the production hall. Furthermore, Vesting LED hard wax oil contains a unique composition of natural oils, waxes, resins, and additives. ‘I can say with some certainty that we supply the most user-friendly and ecological finish for wooden floors.’

He also noted some more benefits. ‘The treated wood can be stepped on at once. And so, you don’t waste any time and you don’t need

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Photo – NL Expo (standbouw)

storage space for drying. With traditional UV lamps, spontaneous combustion due to the development of heat is a real hazard. The use of the professional LED lamps reduces that hazard to a minimum.’

apparatus we guarantee an optimal result with a strong protective layer and vivid colours,’ Smits concludes after the triumphal procession in Hanover.

The new standard

The benefits of Vesting LED-drying hard wax oil are as follows:

Henk Smits recognises the importance of the new technology and, as an admirer of entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, he also considers the great social benefit. ‘LED hard wax oil is the new standard! In view of the great economic and ecological benefits, it’s essential that this technology is introduced rapidly all over the world.

That’s why we at Vesting have decided to share our unique technology with other oil producers. Due to all the practical tests and research, it would otherwise definitely be two years before they can also guarantee a good LED hard wax oil. It’s only by working together as a sector that we can actually reduce our carbon footprint considerably.’

Professional apparatus Vesting has developed finish lines and mobile apparatus in healthy co-operation with a number of manufacturers. SMELT, TRIVEC, CEFLA, Soest, and Decorad now also offer professional solutions for treating wooden floorboards and panels. The investment required to convert to LED hard wax oil is relatively low, certainly as compared to production with traditional UV oil. Moreover, that investment soon repays itself due to the many benefits and savings. ‘In using this

Photo – NL Expo (standbouw)

- Strong protective layer which is highly resistant to chemical and fluid substances.

- It gives the wood a vivid colour as well as any dyes previously applied.

- It dries at once under LED Lights. (Note! Only LED lights approved by Vesting.)

- It is ready for transport immediately after treatment.

- It is ready for full use immediately after treatment.

- It is for all common types of wood.

- It can be applied to an untreated wooden surface.

- It can be applied to a dyed surface.

- It guarantees a quality project and is ideal for high-traffic rooms.

- It is easy to maintain. Damage is repaired with Vesting oxidative maintenance oil.

- There are 20 standard Vesting colours plus several popular colours.

Furthermore, any colour can be supplied on request.

For more information visit our website www.vesting.nl

Photo – NL Expo (standbouw)

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Preview Made Expo Milan (IT)

RETURN VISITORS AND NEW ARRIVALS FOR MADE EXPO 2017

Between 8 and 11 March 2017, Fiera Milano Rho will be hosting the eighth MADE expo, the biennial fair that is the benchmark for the world of architecture, construction and building. Following on from its successful 2015 edition (1,450 enterprises, of which 279 international firms and over 208,000 attendees, of whom 36,000 from outside Italy), the event is poised to strengthen its role as the key event for building industry recovery, which in Italy is underway at last.

An event with an increasingly international reach Data from a survey commissioned on foreign visitors to the most recent edition of Made Expo revealed highly positive opinions: 71% stated that they were satisfied with their visit, and that they come to MADE expo because in their opinion it is the industry’s benchmark event. Seventy-six percent said they would come back and visit again.

An ever richer and more varied events program Once again in 2017, four halls combine to create a single overarching specialist system for design, building and regeneration: MADE Costruzioni Materiali, MADE Involucro Serramenti, MADE Interni Finiture, and MADE Software Tecnologie e Servizi.

The fair program is more appealing than ever, with the return of events that have attracted thousands of industry professionals to the Fair – the BuildSmart arena, the Forum Serramenti, and MADE4Contract for contract business with a focus on finishings and surfaces – along with brand new innovation-led opportunities such as MADE for StartUP, a

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project that pursues the ambition of uniting creators while fostering innovation in architecture and the construction industry.

Forum Holzbau and Archmarathon A number of interesting international developments are in the pipeline for the 2017 event, starting with the “Forum Holzbau”, which joins MADE expo for the first time – at this event, Italian and international speakers will be analysing a market that is displaying attractive margins for growth.

MADE expo has struck a significant partnership with the prestigious Archmarathon international competition: around thirty pre-selected design practices will be coming to the Fair from all over the world to foster an exchange of ideas, know-how and international relations, with the shared objective of encouraging effective new business opportunities for enterprises operating on the architecture and construction markets. An international panel will announce the winning projects on Saturday 11 March 2017 at the end of the lectures. All winning projects are entitled to go into the Archmarathon Awards scheduled for Milan in 2018.

Xylexpo at MADE: Wood closes the circle Another exciting new development is the partnership with the Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Lavorazione Legno (Acimall) at the “spazio Xylexpo”, a space dedicated exclusively to the working of solid wood and windows/doors, confirming MADE expo as the major one-stop point of reference for the building envelope. From this June to February 2017, the event is being presented in China, USA, Indonesia, Russia, Cuba, France, Iran and India at major international wood technology fairs.

Special

Producers of oil which can be lacquered

THE MARRIAGE OF OIL AND LACQUER THE ULTIMATE FINISH IS A HYBRID SOLUTION

Photo – Blanchon

Hybrid - what does that word mean again? In this context, it is about combining the best traits of different forms of technology i.e. the best of both worlds comes together in one new product. The term is used in a wide variety of ways regarding products we use on a day-to-day basis. It is certainly appropriate for the oil-lacquer systems used on parquet. Nowadays, oil and lacquer are the most common

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finishes for timber floors. They both have their specific strengths and weaknesses, and the combination of oil and lacquer has proved very successful.

Finishes for timber floors Choosing a finish for a timber floor is arguably the biggest dilemma facing clients. After all, they want their finish to reflect a certain

lifestyle. The parquet finish dramatically affects not only how the floor is perceived, but also how it should be maintained. Once, this was a choice between ‘authenticity’ and ‘easy maintenance’ and between ‘care-free’ and ‘constant care’. This has changed. These days, options are plentiful, and we will list the different finishes and add a brief explanation.

Polishing wax In the past, nearly all parquet floors used to be treated with polishing wax; we have to admit that the polished floors in old mansions and castles have stood the test of time magnificently, with the passing years only adding to their aesthetic splendour. In ordinary houses, the parquet floor in the living room was hidden behind tall doors, only to be revealed during the family’s Christmas dinner. In times of old, the kitchen was ultimately the hub of the home. People cooked there, ate there, and watched television there. Back then, the floor in the living room did not need to be as scratch-resistant or durable as today.

Nowadays, we actually ‘live’ in the living room, and the floor’s surface needs to be sturdier. The crucial role of the kitchen is still apparent, as the threshold between living room and kitchen is very small, and often we even see open kitchens and the same parquet in kitchen and living room.

Oil For a long time, oil was the only finish that was completely matt, as well as being very functional. This is because of the oil’s ‘impregnating’ effect. Oil finishes have seen a resurgence in popularity over

the last few years. Oil does not produce a film, but seeps deep into the wood and saturates it. The oil fills the wood’s pores, preventing moisture and dirt from permeating the wood. A floor saturated with oil is also resistant against grease and acids.

Hard wax oil A hard wax finish combines the traits of oil and wax to give the floor a dual protection. A pre-treatment with oil is necessary before applying the hard wax. This method effectively eliminates all the drawbacks that we discussed before. First, the oil is applied to the floor to saturate it; this will make it resistant to moisture. The hard wax is a thicker substance that partially seeps into the board to close it off. The resin glaze will harden and repel water. Spilled wine for example will not seep into the floor. Hard wax oil is a single-component product that allows the hard wax and the oil to be applied simultaneously.

Lacquer or varnish Lacquer and varnish are the most common finishes. Either of them will form a layer on the floor’s surface. The main drawback of a lacquer top layer is obviously its vulnerability to scratches. Even though there are high solid lacquer products, they are still susceptible to being scratched by sharp objects. In addition, it is not yet possible to repair isolated scratches adequately. The wear-resistance of lacquers has improved considerably though, and modern UV-lacquers contain almost exclusively solid compounds to give the floor a very strong protective layer.

Quality and innovation, from fit to finish... ...and all environmentally-friendly!

We work together to develop increasingly effective solutions to ensure that wood floors retain their natural beauty.

Ever more stylish and innovative, Blanchon finishes provide industry professionals with everything they need for a shared passion: WOOD FLOORING. 50, 8ème Rue - 69800 SAINT-PRIEST - FRANCE Export Direct Lines Tel.: +33 472 89 06 09 - Fax: +33 472 89 06 02- www.blanchon.com

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Special

Producers of oil which can be lacquered

Lacquer and easy maintenance

First the oil...

As we have already said, nowadays, we expect a floor to be walked on daily, to be wear-resistant, and to be somewhat impenetrable to grease, colourings, and moisture to a certain degree. Our time is limited, and we don’t want to donate a large slice of it to maintaining a floor. The maintenance issue becomes even more important when the homeowner wants a solid, uninterrupted floor that stretches from the living room into the kitchen. It should come as no surprise that many customers strongly prefer a timber floor with a sturdy varnish finish.

After all, a lacquer floor is just as easy to clean as a ceramic floor, vinyl, and linoleum. Daily maintenance consists of regular vacuum cleaning. Apart from that, a lacquer floor also needs to be mopped every so often. The manufacturers have developed a special detergent for this purpose. Thanks to this product and a damp mop, dirt and marks left by shoes are removed completely. Manufacturers also offer several nurturing polishes (they all have different brand names) which are applied annually or bi-annually and make the surface appear new again. These products are mostly applied undiluted with a mop.

With this method, you apply the oil first. The floor is ‘impregnated’ or saturated, as described before. The floor will have all the characteristics of an oiled floor, including the aesthetics.

Oil-lacquer systems see the light Matt lacquers that do not give the floor a glossy appearance have been on the market for years. Even so, many people still prefer the natural appearance of oil. They may not be aware of all their options, and a qualified parquet floor fitter should properly advise them on this matter. These days, informing the customer on the existence of oil-lacquer systems is an important part of the parquet fitter’s skill set. Oillacquer systems are the answer to many a customer’s reservations or complaints.

You want to party on your parquet floor ?

With professional parquet products you can !

...then the lacquer The lacquer will then be applied after the oil has spent a certain amount of time drying (according to the guidelines of the manufacturer). The lacquer is the final finishing layer. Of course, the oil type and lacquer are matched accordingly. Once the lacquer is applied, the floor has all the benefits of a lacquer floor and the appearance of an oiled parquet.

What’s on the market ?

Adesiv Adesiv presents Paviolio 25 WB, a colouring agent with modified vegetable oils for impregnating indoor wooden floors. Paviolio 25 WB can be painted over using a waterborne dual component varnish.

The product itself is a single component product with outstanding colour properties and a high penetration capacity. The finish can be applied in a single work session.

The product is suitable for any wood. Obviously, the floor has to be clean and dry (between 8 and 12%) and sandpapered with a maximum grain of 150. The sandpapering has to be perfect because the slightest imperfection is multiplied by Paviolio 25 WB. And so, the product can be used on any wood, but it comes more into its own on wood such as oak, larch, and cherry.

Blanchon

A comprehensive range of environmentally friendly products for colouring, finishing and maintaining parquet and plank flooring

Become a DevoNatural dealer or crafstman !

www.devonatural.be

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The DevoNatural range of professional parquet floor products meets the highest standards when it comes to treating parquet floors.

It is all about quality without compromise, developing products using the best raw materials and cutting-edge technologies.

DevoNatural is available in original colours and contemporary finishes, which are fully in harmony with the latest trends in interior design.

Celebrating

YEARS

1980 - 2015

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Devomat Industries PLC - Florent Geversstraat 31 - B-2650 Edegem - Belgium T +32 03 450 94 70 - F +32 03 457 94 24 - info@devomat.be - www.devomat.be

Floor Forum International 86

Blanchon has several oils which can be finished with lacquer, but Solid Oil is the number one. The company has had a complete range of waterborne lacquers for over 25 years (Aqua Pro, the range for parquet fitters and floor specialists). The assortment

includes primers, single and dual component lacquers, a waterborne oil, a binding agent for putty, and an entire range of special colours for large surfaces. The entire dual component range, especially the Intensive, is suitable for the working method discussed here. Blanchon has several lacquers in two components: Belmont (ceramic), Intensive (carbonate), Blumor SD (polycarbonate), and Sport (carbonate).

Belmont (EC1R) is an odourless lacquer with exceptional properties.

Intensive (EC1R) is also odourless and offers very high resistance to chemical products and very high traffic. Intensive bears fire resistance class CflS1.

surface with one of the Bona Traffic parquet lacquers. This product is suitable for most wood sorts, even difficult types such as jaboty, cherry, and walnut; floors treated with Bona Craft Oil 2K are ready for light use after eight hours and, if necessary, you can paint over them 12 hours later. Craft Oil 2K is available in 11 trendy shades.

Ciranova

Bona Bona Craft Oil 2K is a powerful 2-component oil, which can be painted over. Bona Craft Oil 2K gives you the natural and ’soft’ look of an oiled floor. The unique formula is made from modified vegetable oil and provides sturdy protection for floors subjected to domestic or average use. To give a floor extra protection or durability, you can paint over the

Ciranova presents a new oil-varnish system that allows the single layer oil UN1CO to be finished with two layers of the new anti-scratch varnish FORTICO 2C. Combining FORTICO with UN1CO offers the best possible protection while requiring only minimal maintenance. Applying FORTICO 2C NATURAL over UN1CO will ensure the natural look and feel of an oiled floor. If a glossier floor is required, FORTICO 2C Matt or Satin

Thanks for visiting us at

BAU 2017 See you at Domotex Asia Shanghai 21-23 March 2017 HALL E4 - STAND A01

POLYX®-OIL ORIGINAL Especially for the needs of wooden flooring – for a low-maintenance surface that supports a healthy environment! > Clear, for interior use > Highly recommended for solid wood, plank, strip, OSB and cork flooring; also suitable for furniture surfaces and edge-glued panels > Polyx®-Oil Original enhances the colour tone of wood and is wear-resistant, water and dirt-repellent, durable and extremely hard-wearing www.osmo.de/en

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Special

Producers of oil which can be lacquered

can be applied. UN1CO is 100% oil-based, it contains no water or solvents. FORTICO is a water-based varnish. Ciranova has extensively tested the UN1CO-FORTICO system. The manufacturer guarantees perfect protection and adhesion if the products are used as outlined. If circumstances force one to use either a different varnish or oil type, the new combination has to be tested in advance. A harmonious interaction between certain oil types and varnish cannot be guaranteed. It is important that both the oil and the varnish are applied in a skilful and professional manner. The UN1CO product must be polished in thoroughly, and all excess oil must be removed until the floor is dry.

After that, wait anywhere between 24 and 48 hours (depending on the UN1CO colour) before applying FORTICO 2C.

DevoNatural® Devomat presents a vegetable colour stain which can be finished with lacquer, oil, and bees wax: DevoNatural® Easy Colour. Since the launch of DevoNatural® Easy Colour, Devomat has noticed that more and more people are once again colouring floors, thanks to the convenience of this product. There is an ever growing demand for unique colour combinations. For DevoNatural® Easy Colour makes it possible for Devomat to create customised colours. DevoNatural® Easy Colour can be applied on site, in the workshop, or in the factory. DevoNatural® Easy Colour gives the whole floor a deep colour, whereas a colour oil will tend to highlight the grain rather than the surface. Moreover, Devomat also presents DevoNatural® Reactive , a reactive product which yields a unique distressing effect. That effect depends on the tannic acid content and therefore differs from plank to plank. This gives a unique look to any parquet floor. Both products can be finished with all DevoNatural® finish products (lacquers, oils, and bees wax).

Ecofa Ecofa presents a special hard wax oil with the reference 250 S, which can be applied before a varnish. The big advantage is an extremely resistant top coat. These are oil-based products.

The oil and varnish are compatible with each other in this system. If you use any other varnish, it is advisable to carry out a test first. No special skills are

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required to apply these combined finishes. The oil is applied in the traditional way (surplus oil is removed). The drying time is eight hours (with good ventilation!), and then three thin coats of lacquer are applied.

Hesse Hesse offers an oil that can be finished with a lacquer, namely white Primer-Oil OB 84-77.

Different colours are optional. The biggest advantage to this method is that the tannic acid from the oak substrate will be isolated, and after that a regular water-based varnish finish can be applied.

This Primer-Oil can be applied on old renovation substrates that may contain oil or wax residue. Following that, the normal finish procedures can commence. For a floor with an oiled appearance but the sturdiness of a varnished surface, the Primer-Oil is the go-to option. Applying a coloured Primer-Oil gives the surface an extra colour layer that is more intense and less susceptible to fading when it is varnished. In short, the product consists of an oil-based primer, finished with a water-based parquet varnish. The oil and lacquer are fine-tuned to each other, tested and released by the German DIBT, and certified by the Belgian KB for flooring. Hesse does not necessarily advise against combining it with other products. However, other combinations have not been tested or certified and are not covered by warranty.

Lecol

Lecol has just introduced a new dual component and oil-based primer called Lobadur® HS 2K Intensive Colour AT. This primer is available in a transparent version and 11 contemporary colours. To highlight the colours even more or for special colour effects it is possible to apply in advance a coat of Lobasol© Pre Tone in white, Brown, or black. This primer can be painted over with two coats of Lobadur® waterborne or

one coat of Lobadur® 2K Invisible Protect AT lacquer. The use of an oil-based primer under a waterborne lacquer means it is possible to colour in the floor to create an attractive deep colour effect without leaving streaks on the floor. If you choose to paint over this coat with, for instance, one coat of Lobadur® 2K Invisible Protect AT lacquer, this creates a finish which is comparable with traditional hard wax oil. This system contains fewer than 10% solvents, whilst a hard wax oil contains a lot more solvents. Furthermore, the Lobadur® 2K Invisible Protect AT lacquer is much more durable than a hard wax oil. This oil-based primer can be finished only with Lobadur© waterborne lacquers.

Every Ultracoat Oil Colour and Oil Plus can be finished with Mapei's dual-component lacquer. The customer benefits from an oiled or coloured floor combined with the durability that only a dual-component lacquer offers. Mapei offers exclusively water-based finishes. The finishes come in single- or dual-component editions. The customer may choose between polyurethane and acrylic-polyurethane. The company has a perfect solution for every floor. Only the dual-component water-based lacquer is suitable for a finish on oil.

Pallmann

Loba

Oiled floors are loved for their beauty and their natural look. Until recently, using hard wax oil was the only possible way to get that look.

However, Loba has now developed an oil-based primer to achieve the same results, namely LOBADUR® HS 2K Intensive. This primer brings out the attractive colour of the wood and, in combination with other lacquers, offers the same benefits as a lacquered floor. There are 12 different colours. These can be combined not only with each other, but also with the LOBASOL® Pre-tone dyes. LOBASOL® Pre-tone is a waterborne and dyed colouring. The colours are more uniform and clear. This product counteracts discolouration. If Lobadur HS 2K Intensive A.T. is used as a middle coat, it is also possible to finish Lobasol® Pre-tone with a lacquer. A new product is the LOBADUR® 2K Invisible Protect. This finish gives the wood outstanding protection and is invisible at the same time. Wood that is finished solely with Invisible Protect looks completely untreated. The secret lies in the outstanding quality of the ingredients.

Mapei

Pallmann Pall-X 333 is a 2-component oil available in different colours.

It can be finished with any 2-component lacquer in the Pallmann range. Pallmann also has the adhesive primer Pallmann Pall-X 350, which makes it possible to apply a lacquer to almost any oil finish.

Pallmann Pall-X 333 allows you to colour a floor with no risk of streaks or overlaps. This is especially a major benefit with design floors such as herringbone or Hungarian point. Pall-X 333 ‘neutral’ can be used as a primer on exotic wood before lacquer is applied. Opting for a blunt matt lacquer such as Pallmann Pall-X Zero means you retain the look of oil.

Finishing the oil with a lacquer gives a closed surface. This makes the floor more comfortable and easier to maintain to give it a longer life.

Moreover, with a coloured floor the colour is protected much better with a lacquer since you no longer step directly onto the colouring.

RIGO Verffabriek RIGO Verffabriek has been carrying the product Colourwash 2K for several years now. Seamlessly colouring a floor is very easy with Colourwash 2K, even on large pattern floors. This is much easier than seamlessly colouring a pattern floor with a water-based stain. Combining Colourwash 2K with SKYLT makes it possible to create a floor with the look of an oiled floor and the low maintenance of a lacquer floor. Colourwash 2K does not contain any solvents or water, and is free of VOCs. The lacquers, which determine the surface's gloss, are all waterborne. All RIGO Verffabriek products are carefully fine-tuned to each other. These products yield the best results.

Combinations with other manufacturers’ products may not achieve the desired result. The cost is slightly higher as it involves more labour. The

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Special

Producers of oil which can be lacquered

trade-off is that the customer will have a floor with a high-quality finish and a plethora of colours to choose from.

Tover

Saicos

Saicos presents the Ecoline Oil Ground Coat as a coat of oil which can be finished later with the lacquer Ecoline Multi Top in two coats. The Ecoline Oil Ground Coat is available in 12 shades or in the RAL or NCS colour which the client wants. The oil is a solvent-based product, whilst the lacquer is waterborne. Applying this combined finish is no problem whatsoever for a professional.

Customization and Innovation are the key concepts which guide the choice of wooden floorings actors, architects, designers, manufacturers, craftsmen. In the recent years is born the will of both unique, harmonious, sophisticated, long-lasting and resistant finishes. To reply to this exciting challenge, Tover developed several mixed colouring systems which use a coloured oil as first layer overcoated with a water-based lacquer. A real technical exploit that enables to achieve endless shades (Tintoretto Design and L’Olio 100%+Linker oils exist in 30 standard tints) with the guarantee of excellent performances in terms of wear and spots resistance (with Uniqua, Lympha, Idrolak and Essenza lacquers).

IT‘S DONE

PALL-X 98 GOLD is the crowning glory among 2-component wood floor lacquers! www.good-for-wood.com 40

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Preview Domotex asia/CHINAFLOOR

CADEX CREATES MORE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR FLOORING COMPANIES AMONG ARCHITECT AND DESIGNERS

Design and Architecture will take centre stage as highlights of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR in 2017. cadex, the international event for connecting, learning and doing business in the design and architecture industry will be hold for the second year and for the first time as an integrated part of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR inside W5 and N2 Halls. cadex will work as collective of architecture and design-related stimulating content and will generate two and half days of conferences, networking events, interactive activities, creative display and much more. cadex will invite design Masters to explore the most cutting edge and hottest topics within the industry such as All-in-one home decoration, retreat and boutique hotels, smart home, culture architecture and rebuild. cadex will cooperate with the Chinese Tongji University – College of Design & Innovation to establish Flooring LAB, a platform to analyze the upcoming flooring trends and discover new creative ways of using flooring materials. Key opinion leaders will hold forth of a variety of dialogues and they will also guide tours throughout the whole Exhibition Center to point out and explore the most relevant content, specially tailored for architecture and design professionals. Once again cadex will host Materia, the global network in the area of innovative materials. In a total area of 300m2, visitors can get a closer look to hundreds of outstanding innovative building materials samples.

In 2016 cadex attracted more than 8000 professional visitors of which more than 60% were architects and designers operating in the

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Chinese Market and scouting for some interesting new materials to use in their projects. The remaining parts of the visitors included traders, contractors, real estate developers and leading industry Media.

“In recent years in Asia Pacific region, the influence of architects and designers for buying decisions has increased. The ability requested to architecture and design offices to serve clients more completely have grown in importance and their specifications or suggestions are taken very much into consideration before taking buying decisions.

Furthermore for any project, the general level of quality requested from the final client considerably raised and therefore the need to have architects and design expertise on the ground and more involved in purchasing decisions became also imperative. ” says Mr. David Zhong, President of VNU Exhibitions Asia, one of the organizers of the shows. “As a result of these market changes and the increased need of our exhibitors to focus more on these categories of visitors, we decided to bring together our leading Trade Show (DOMOTEX asia/ CHINAFLOOR) and a successful platform like cadex to increase the possibilities of business and give more visibility to flooring companies also among the architecture and design Community” concludes Zhong.

While cadex is building up an outstanding program for all visitors and exhibitors, the available exhibiting space at DOMOTEX asia/ CHINAFLOOR, the leading flooring trade show in Asia Pacific, is almost sold-out 2 months before the show opening on March 21st ,2017.

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Project

Devomat (BE)

NEW DEVO® PRIMERS AND PARQUET GLUES AND ADVICE ENHANCE PRESTIGIOUS PARQUET PROJECTS Handsome parquet projects always require expertise and partnership. The dedicated earnestness of a parquet fitter involves choosing the right materials, chemicals, and machinery. At F&T Parket from Antwerp, manager Marc Van denbrande relies on a supplier of professional and advanced products and machines, which is always ready to offer advice or help, namely Devomat Industries.

F&T Parket stands for top class projects with top quality materials. The company operates on both the residential and commercial markets. In this article we consider a whole series of F&T’s recent projects. They have fitted a diverse range of wooden floors. They have provided assurance; they have worked with solid wood and have always used Devo® products and parquet sanding machines with accompanying advice. Effective chemicals have always provided an adequate solution for all sorts of technical challenges on site.

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The new police station in Antwerp F&T fitted a charming oak end grain block floor here. After pre-treating the cement covering floor with Devo® Primer Express PU, they glued the wooden strips directly using Devo® Glue PU650 2C. They didn’t lose any time at all, thanks to the extremely rapid drying of Devo® Primer Express PU. On the first floor, they noticed that the (new) cement covering floor was showing signs of silt, so it didn’t meet current standards. After consultation with the screed company and the contractor, they opted for the new Devo® Primer Compact, a

depth impregnation silicate primer. After they had fitted Devo® Primer Compact, they carried out some new tests and found that the substrate was suitable for fitting using Devo® Glue PU 650 2C.

Plantin and Moretus Museum The former 16th century house of the progressive publisher Christoffel Plantin houses the Plantin and Moretus Museum. For the renovation of the parquet floors and the wooden finish of a staircase in the new reading room they called upon the services of F&T Parketvloeren. And so, an antiquated parquet floor with long floorboards was replaced with new floorboards up to four metres long. The new staircase, too, is a charming sample of design and parquet expertise. The 50 to 60 staircase steps were furnished with solid wood glued in place using Devo® Glue PU650 2C.

Luxury B&B near the old Antwerp courthouse An old large mansion has been designed for use as a luxurious and exclusive bed & breakfast. F&T fitted diverse parquet floors in several rooms: solid wood, plank floors, Hungarian point, etc. To fit the parquet without losing any time, it was necessary to use a waterproof sealant.

The choice fell to Devo® Primer Hydro Block 3C. For the glueing, as always, they used Devo® Glue PU650 2C.

New prestigious property projects in Antwerp Island As part of the creation of new, modern, and attractive local housing units, F&T fitted the required parquet. For example, there was an attractive mix of parquet floors in the project Cadix on the Island, in partnership with GRAMMYCO and URBAN CAPITAL. This mix included herringbone, end grain blocks, smoked oak floors, and Hungarian point on mosaic subfloor. All floors were fitted on floor heating and glued with Devo® PU650 2C. Mosaic or solid oak floorboards have also been fitted in the Nieuwe Post residential block in Ekeren. As always, Devo Primer Express PU was the trusted primer.

Volvo showrooms During the renovation of several Volvo showrooms in Belgium, F&T fitted solid oak end grain blocks. The existing ceramic tile floors were treated first with Devo® Primer Hydroblock, and then the end grain blocks were glued with Devo Glue PU650 2C.

Three unsung, but indispensable ‘heroes’ from Devo® Professional Floor Products Devo® Glue PU 650 2C

Devo® PU650 2C is a waterless 2K epoxy polyurethane adhesive with exceptionally great adhesive strength and a long open time. This adhesive is ideal for glueing parquet directly onto concrete, screed, anhydrite, fermacell, or wood. The combination of lasting flexibility, an open time of up to 90 minutes, and the exceptional adhesive strength make it a fantastic all-round glue, which floor fitters can rely on even in the most challenging conditions.

Devo® Primer HydroBlock 3C This 3-component primer with exceptional watertightness is a combination of epoxy binding agents and quartz powder and has exceptional moisture-resistant properties together with extremely good adhesion, even on a smooth substrate. Moreover, this primer is easy to apply and suitable for all sorts of substrates e.g. concrete, screed, anhydrite, and old tile and stone floors.

Devo® Primer Express PU This is a rapid-drying waterless and solventless PU primer for fixing dusty covering floors and screed floors and providing insulation against residual moisture. Moreover, this primer contains no VOCs or water, is suitable for floor heating, and dries very rapidly (you can start glueing the parquet within just 40 minutes).

For more information visit our website www.devomat.be

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Special

Producers of Vinyl, LVT and PVC floors present their TRENDS 2017

WOOD DECORS STILL INSPIRE THE ‘REST OF THE MARKET’ EVEN IN VINYL, LINOLEUM, AND PVC WOOD BEATS THE LOT! Wood really does seem to stir people!

We’ve already seen it with laminate.

Laminate was designed primarily to be the best possible imitation of the various types of wood used for parquet. Shortly afterwards, brick decors emerged and, later still, producers developed their own creative decors, adapted to various interior styles. These ranged, for instance, from polished concrete for the hall and kitchen to vivid red for the play room.

Whatever the case, the main focus has always been to imitate wooden floors as closely as possible, including all refined finish techniques. We’re now going down the same road with flexible floor coverings.

Same goal, different order

Photo – Viligno

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The history of flexible floor coverings is somewhat different to that of laminate. As we’ve said, laminate producers have always set out to imitate parquet and wooden floors. And so, it’s no wonder that we’ve seen laminate makers adopt trends from the parquet sector with no problem at all. If dark wood sorts suddenly experience a boom on the parquet market, this reflects at once in laminate collections with wenge, pangapanga, merbau, and such like. If distressed floors become a trend in parquet floor, the same is true for new laminate decors. Other patters such as natural stone, ceramic tiles, or cement-style looks are perfectly possible, but they certainly don’t set the ‘agenda’. Flexible floor coverings have developed completely differently. Here producers started with their own collections which usually had nothing to do with parquet and wooden floors.

Just think of the floor covering which we still all refer to as ‘Marmoleum’; it’s actually just linoleum with a marble decor. Then there are floors made from vinyl and linoleum, which were a matter of course in scores of institutions such as schools, hospitals, and in some government buildings; they, too, have been given their own design, usually simple and spotted. Strictly speaking, we can say that the development as regards trends in that floor segment has been perfectly comparable to that in the wallpaper market: creativity knows no bounds and all aspects from society and elements from the world around us are a source of inspiration. Here, wood decors are actually quite new.

Wood gets ‘flexible’ It doesn’t really matter whether or not it is the success story of laminate which has inspired the producers of flexible floor coverings.

The fact is that this sector has turned collectively to wood decors, with all their accompanying trends. This ‘tug towards wood decors’ is only a fairly recent phenomenon, but its effects have taken people by surprise.

qualities of a cork floor with the style and colour profusion of a vinyl top layer.

All wood sorts Just as with laminate, traders also offer all popular wood sorts in vinyl, PVC, and linoleum. The fact that print technology has made its mark here, too, makes anything possible. Expensive wood sorts have suddenly become available at moderate prices in an extensive number of floor types, some of them barely 2mm thick, a blessing in the case of renovations. Since this is a matter of photography and print technology, the wood sort doesn’t affect the cost price at all.

All types and patterns The same discovery holds true here. Whether you choose a wood decor in strips, mosaic, herringbone, Hungarian point, or end grain blocks, it has no effect whatsoever on the price. All fitting patterns are possible and manufacturers offer an extensive range of parquet types. The same holds true for colours and finishes.

Oak is booming (again!)

Oak is still the most popular choice of wood for parquet and wooden floors. Oak is quite simply a hard and durable wood which is ideally suited to withstand the ‘hard life’ of a floor covering. Furthermore, most people also appreciate oak for its appearance, which combines austerity and a certain ‘elegance’. We are familiar with some parquet sorts only in oak because oak was the only available wood sort in stock in the period when those parquet floors were fitted. And so, it comes as no surprise to hear that oak is still the champion wood sort, even on the synthetic floor market.

Meister

Special treatments If the choice has to fall to oak, it may just as well be the various special forms in which oak always appears time and again. Oak lends itself in ‘real life’ to every possible treatment. Oil or lacquer? It doesn’t really matter. By contrast, distressed versions such as ‘smoked’ floors, brushed, hand-scraped, and such like are treatments which were carried out on oak in the first place because it was the most widely available quality wood sort, but also because it lends itself ideally to such special treatments. We’re also seeing the emergence of classic decors and a ‘vintage’ highlight with various products. The embossing technique means that the structure can also be felt in all those forms of appearance. In other words, you can’t get any more authentic than that!

A selection from the range Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet Kurkfabriek Van Avermaet sells cork vinyl floors from Wicanders, namely the Hydrocork floor collection. These are thin (6mm thick), waterproof cork floors with a kernel of cork composite and a hard and durable decor top layer of 0.55mm in various colours and styles. There’s no swelling if the floorboards come into contact with water, so they can also be fitted in kitchens and bathrooms with no problem at all. Furthermore, Hydrocork is ideal for renovation due to the limited thickness and the floors also stand out for their comfort, warm feel, and silence. In short, the typical

As regards a major decorative trend, Meister gives the oak imitations which persuade potential clients with their perfect synchronous pores in terms of both sight and feel. Mineral and contemporary optics are now playing an increasingly prominent part in meeting the

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Special

Producers of Vinyl, LVT and PVC floors present their TRENDS 2017

requirements of new homes. The Premium segment Meister Tecara DD 350 S with impressive long planks (212 x 24cm) were extended in September 2016 with five light oak colours which are absolutely ideal for the modern home setting. At present, the light colours are very much in fashion in the new Meister range. An important technical asset is that no phthalates or other harmful softeners are used in any Meister design floor. Clients are becoming more and more well informed and there is clearly a growing demand for healthy floors.

Parcolys Flooring

Wicanders

As regards decorative trends, at Parcolys Flooring they’re seeing mainly an attempt to display natural wood as much as possible. This can be both in a brushed or embossed version. Actually, this is mainly a continuation from last year. On the other hand, they’re also seeing an opposite trend to that which is found at present in the world of ceramics or tiles. Producers have introduced short wood decor tiles, whereas Parcolys (with the aqua-step half-plank) is also specifically targeting this market segment. As far as stone decors are concerned, the concrete looks are most definitely still in fashion and have actually reinforced their position. In wood oak plays the lead role, and ‘grey’ is the main colour. Parcolys Flooring offers dealers unique decors and these are being accepted voraciously.

Viligno Viligno vinyl floors are suitable from a technical and decorative point of view for new construction and renovation, for private homes and projects. They are durable, thin, waterproof, and ecological. A Viligno vinyl floor gives the interior status and prestige and a good dose of added value to the building or home. Decoratively, these floors fit in nicely with the prevailing interior trends. Grey shades and oak, but also weathered wood patterns are highly popular. Tiles for rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens are also popular.

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At Wicanders they’ve seen a clear trend towards ‘sustainability’ and a demand for ‘added value’ and new uses. The Authentica and Hydrocork collections from Wicanders are suitable for household and commercial use. These floors are a blessing for floor fitters due to their strong assets. Firstly, they are waterproof and therefore ideal for damp rooms.

Their limited thickness and the low telegraphic effect of the floating planks make them perfect for renovation. Then, there is the ease with which the planks are cut and their new Press-Fit system, developed by Amorim Revestimentos. Wood decors continue to score highly. In Authentica, Hydrocork, and Art Comfort we find the natural touch with pure homeliness to defy more fleeting trends. Oak is still king, followed by pine. As regards colours, which are certainly regional, natural and light shades are doing extremely well. Here, too, digital printing makes it possible to create unique decors.

Advertorial

Design Parquet (FR)

DESIGN PARQUET: CUSTOMISED FRENCH QUALITY PARQUET AT AFFORDABLE PRICES For almost twenty years, Design Parquet from France has been producing all sorts of multi-layer and solid wooden floors. In that time, the company has built up a strong reputation with both classic and innovative products and has been the preferred supplier for prestigious projects in France and in various regions worldwide. Design Parquet has stood out for several years as an outstanding partner for anyone looking for a partner manufacturer with a ‘customised’ philosophy.

‘Our production is based on flexibility and diversity. And so, we stand out from most parquet makers, who generally aim to produce large volumes of the same,’ says Design Parquet CEO Yves Panaget.

Quality and diversity Design Parquet’s ultra-modern factory in Brittany possesses all the necessary technology for the production of high-quality solid and multi-layer parquet for all sorts of finishes and sizes. The range includes wooden floors in French oak to exclusive tropical wood sorts, but also a whole range of panel floors with diverse patterns and sizes, the choice is especially wide.

At the same time, Design Parquet also has its own specialist team of woodworkers who make all patterns and finish methods on request and in the required type of wood. The French

manufacturer can also supply floors with the FSC and PEFC labels for all those parquet floors.

“A la carte” range And so, Design Parquet offers its clients an extremely extensive range of possibilities, which, amongst other things, is put together on request. The line of approach is based mainly on the colour or finish style, but everything is chosen freely e.g. solid or engineered parquet, the wood sort of the top layer, and the lengths and widths of the finishes. Clients are taken through the programme and choose their own personalised Design Parquet.

Moreover, if there are special requests from clients for projects, these can also be produced customised. That happens regularly, according to Yves Panaget: ‘In the final analysis, we note that 20 to 25% of our annual production is not found in our catalogue.

And so, customised work is no hollow slogan for us!’

Carbone & Cotton During Domotex Hanover in January, Design Parquet introduced its new Carbone & Cotton collection. This is a range of floors in plank design, herringbone, or chevron in black or white and available in various dimensions. This collection is given a Cotton or Carbone colour painted finish and undoubtedly inspires interior and shop designers to produce completely new project achievements. www.designparquet.fr

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Review

BAU Munich (DE)

BIGGEST GERMAN BUILDING FAIR BECOMES EVEN MORE INTERNATIONAL BAU 2017 in Munich was a huge success. Over 250,000 visitors came along and, for the first time, over 80,000 visitors from abroad and 2120 exhibitors from 45 countries.

Those were the impressive figures. Turkey, Russia, and China occupied the top three places for visitors from abroad. The organisers said that the promising economic prospects and the high quality of the visitors, together with the show’s popularity amongst visitors, ensured that the exhibitors went home well satisfied.

Baltic Wood

The Italian chemical producer has been operating in the parquet sector for over 45 years.

Thanks to good products with a strong price/quality ratio, Adesiv is now a company of great international renown with ever increasing export figures. And so, there was no way that Adesiv could miss this major building trade fair. A spokesperson commented: ‘In contrast to other trade fairs which we attend, not all visitors here are interested in our products for parquet. We’d organised ourselves accordingly and we displayed Adesiv silane products which we’ve developed for the building sector. We had lots of positive reactions. We’ll have a look to see what it generates in terms of return and then we’ll decide whether or not to return next time.’

Jeans are one of the icons of everyday fashion. For many years now, both women and men have worn denim.

It always symbolises a stylish look at an affordable price and is adolescent and dynamic in its expression, whatever the real age of the person wearing it. Similar features are found in the floors in the Jeans Collection™, which comprises seven pairs of fashionable and popular floors with colours and characters redolent of the climate and style of European metropolises. It is a democratic offering par excellence, for both sexes and for every budget. Each of the seven colours is rendered in the design of the one-row board (for him), and the three-row slat (for her), thus infusing the interiors with almost identical characters.

Therefore, it is possible to combine both designs in various rooms in a flat or house without the need to compromise on the visual effect and the costs of fitting the floor. Thanks to the adhesive-free 2G joint, the floors can be fitted rapidly and cleanly. They are also suitable for installation on top of floor heating.

Antico Filò

Bauwerk

We visited the show and selected news from some exhibitors relevant to our sector: Adesiv

Antico Filò for the first time presented its products at BAU in Munich. We think that BAU is one of the most important fairs for wooden floors. With a

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little but pretty stand rich of news, we hope to reach new markets and let everyone know our material 100% made in Italy. We have a lot of particular finishes, We perform each stage of the wood-working with meticulous attention. It’s the only way can we be sure of giving our clients a product of beauty and quality. Details are important to us because they make a difference and allow the skilled hands of craftsmen to turn wood flooring into a minor work of art.

Floor Forum International 86

After two successful years, Bauwerk has extended the collective floors with B-Protect® surface treatment to include new shades, wood sorts, and timber gradings. They presented these novelties for the first

time at BAU. B-Protect® is highly successful due to the invisible coat of lacquer, which, at the same time, also provides maximum protection from scratches and stubborn stains and UV sun rays. B-Protect® was already available in the colours farina and crema for the Villapark, Cleverpark, and Casapark premium range and it is now also available in the Monopark and Multipark collections. Since the start of this year, the popular Mandorla shade with a previously naturally oiled finish has also been available in B-Protect®. At the same time, they have also introduced some new wood sorts as an alternative to oak, namely Canadian maple, doussie, and unsteamed beech.

Buzon BAU 2017 was a great success for Buzon due to the quality of the visitors.

International visitors were there in force.

They came from the Middle East, the Near East, Russia, and the Baltic states, but there were also a lot of visitors from within the EU. The high quality of the products and the great diversity of the applications in diverse environments (including weather conditions) ensure that products from the company Buzon are very attractive for architects and entrepreneurs. Visitors from countries where those products are as yet unknown paid a lot of attention to them in particular. Entrepreneurs were particularly interested in and in search of innovations. They included, for instance, the new crossbar in aluminium which is fitted at the head of the piece and which generally makes it easier to fit tiles or wooden floorboards.

Beaulieu International Group At Beaulieu Internatinal Group they were well satisfied with the show. A spokesperson commented: ‘We’re satisfied. It’s a good opportunity to find new potential clients from other sectors than the flooring sector,

which we already know.

For example, we met new visitors from France.

People showed exceptional interest in our hard floors such as parquet, HP laminate, LVT, and vinyl. We also met a lot of traders and dealers who were visiting BAU this year instead of Domotex. On the other hand, we also saw lots of people at BAU whom we also met at Domotex. That sometimes led to a contract being finalised.’

Egger There was a constant stream of visitors approaching and leaving the EGGER trade fair stand, which had a surface area of 400m². The highlight was the introduction of the new EGGER Collection 2017-19.

The most striking highlight at EGGER for our sector were the well known laminate floors and the Cork+ Flooring from EGGER Design+ Flooring.

This design floor can be fitted anywhere, even in high-traffic areas where it is important for the floor to retain its attractiveness for several years. The core of Cork+ Flooring is formed by a double sealed, strongly condensed bearer, Ultra Wood Fibre Board (UWF). The top layer of the floor is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). With a material thickness of just 5mm, authentic decors, high resistance, high shape stability, and

VIDEO Visit us:

Hall 10 · Stand D66 5.–9.3.2017 Düsseldorf

MOVEMENT JOINT - MOTION STAR® · installation without any tripping hazard, due to a flush installation · maintenance-free movement joint of ± 2,5 mm · can be used for glued floor coverings of up to 6 mm · only 14 mm visible surface 49 Floor Forum International 86 www.kueberit.com

Review

BAU Munich (DE)

the unique Self Repair effect, the floor is absolutely ideal for commercial and public areas.

Eurotec All from one source – Eurotec launches new products on the BAU exhibition in Munich Again this year Eurotec was exhibiting on the BAU in Munich and launched several new product innovations from different product areas.

One innovation was the EiSYS cladding system.

The EiSYS cladding system for aluminium profiles is a adjustable screw for the suspension of the supporting structure of a rear ventilated cladding construction.

The second adjustable cladding screw EiSYS is a wall holder for cladding-substructures made from timber. With both cladding-screws, timber or aluminium profiles can be installed without any additional consoles. There are no more limits in surface design.

Furthermore the new screwing tip of the Paneltwistec blue+ was launched. The advantages are a reduced installation torque, a minimized splitting effect as well as a faster and smoother screwing.

The innovations are completed by the multifunctional decking system “Stone-System” with whom Eurotec shows how easy the construction of decks and pations can be. The uniqueness is, that even the combination of different flooring materials is possible. Also a DO-ITYOURSELF-STATION was available, where all visitors could try out the innovations for themselves.

Forbo Flooring Systems Forbo Flooring Systems was present at BAU with a 260m2 exhibition space in which it introduced Photographer Jörg Schleicher three main, new collections spanning its portfolio. Flotex, the high tech textile solution was presented in a spectacular new design in a new plank format.

Marmoleum, Forbo’s linoleum flagship product introduced a new collection of concrete and uni designs including a range that showed added cocoa husks in the design. Finally Forbo introduced its completely new Sphera homogeneous collection which is produced in a state of the art zero waste production environment in a greenfield factory in the Netherlands. Forbo’s new products could be experienced in a 3D virtual environment which showcased the new products in the interior space that could be manipulated by the visitor.

Impertek NEW ADJUSTABLE IMPERTEK SUPPORTS: Solutions for raised floorings Successful attendance at BAU 2017 in Munich, which is confirmed one of the most important building exhibitions,

FN Neuhofer Holz The Austrian company has stood out every year for its innovative products and excellent marketing and this year was no exception. The FN CH28 is a new screw with structured claws. The screw disappears into the wall, whilst the profiles are fastened onto the nails. Skirting boards can be fastened to the wall quickly and easily with a hammer. For anyone looking for a fixing rail for skirting boards with lots of room for wires FN has developed the FN click-fix 17. This can be adjusted in height and leaves space for no fewer than four wires of 9mm (11/32”). FN also presented a new ceiling frame for LED lights to complement its existing range of skirting boards with LED lights.

FN offered its visitors a beautiful helicopter flight combined with a company visit. In less than half a day, they discovered the massive investments made at the plant at Zell am Moos. Visitors were persuaded by state-of-the-art robot technologies, optimized linkages between facilities, and the recently expanded warehouse and logistics capacities.

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with guests from of all over the world.

An international sector showcase which has allowed Impertek to collect great appreciations for its most ground-breaking 2017 news.

First of all Balance, the self-levelling head for adjustable supports, which corrects automatically slopes of 5% and more, usable on every Jack supports and soon available for Impertek’s MegaMart supports.

Big success for Prime Up too, the lowest adjustable support ever, only 10 mm high, which finally permits to work with minimal heights but ensuring an excursion of 15 mm. Finally MiniBalance, the self-levelling support which integrates the normal screw regulation with a clever steps system allowing the incredible excursion from 25 up to 50 mm, for an always optimal slope correction.

Kährs The Swedish parquet maker Kährs has launched the Atrio collection, a range of rustic two-strip parquet with hand-planed and brushed surface treatment and a natural oil finish. There is a choice of five variants from light to dark with a 3.5mm top layer. Also new are the Lux and Lumen collections which deliver ultra-matt and light-absorbing wooden floors in top class oak which feel as if they are made from fresh and untreated wood. They are protected by a high-tech ultra-matt Kährs coat of lacquer. The Lux collection offers a choice of six ultra-matt single-strip floors with a brushed finish. The Lumen Collection delivers six natural and light three-strip wooden floors in the

size 2423 x 200 x 15mm.

The soft brushing highlights the wood texture slightly. The Oak Dawn variant underlines the natural oak character.

Both collections are also available in light, grey, natural, and smoked shades.

Küberit At Domotex fair in Hanover as well as at BAU in Munich Küberit presented their professional skills by means of four new profiles, respectively profile systems. These include: the advancement of PPS-Champion systems to generation 4.0, EURO-Clip Systems to PLUS variant, a carpet profile out of Küberit-Best collection for floors with acoustic backing as well as massive stair nosing of stainless steel, ensuring high slip-resistance of class R 10. Furthermore, the manufacturer introduces smooth surfaces with some profiles.

New Clip Profile System The new Euro-Clip® PLUS is a further development of the already proven Euro-Clip System. It is suitable for floorings from 8 – 14 mm and covers with this application field the most common high-quality loose-lay laminate and engineered wood floorings. The floorings can safely be locked by means of the proven Clip-Technic with counter bridge and 3-point interlocking. Additionally, the TOP-profile with smooth surface has a discreet width of only 34 mm.

two-storey fair stand from Osmo at the BAU in Munich. In a modern and airy atmosphere, visitors learned about the new cladding products and were astonished by the various possibilities for individualization through a material mix of wood, glass, aluminium, BPC and HPL in the product range for the garden. Among the highlights were the live demonstrations, during which the simple installation of the cladding products and the simple application of the natural wood finishes were shown.

Progress Profiles Progress Profiles is leader company that produces more than 12.500 different profiles and items, waterproofing and decoupling membranes for any type of floor and wall covering needs. At the recent Munich´s BAU Fair, the latest solutions presented were the Prodeso Heat & Heat Grip, a system that gives you the comfort and convenience of an underfloor electrical radiant heating in few minutes, the Prodeso, an uncoupling, and waterproofing membrane for interiors and exterior balconies, terraces and horizontal surfaces of any dimensions, and the Proleveling, a revolutionary leveling system when laying medium and large materials. For wood-floors, SKIRTING 7016 and SKIRTING 7011 are two vinyl resin foam profiles available in 30 different wood-effect finishes.

Objectflor

Proline

At Objectflor they showed where innovative ‘crossover’ thinking and individualisation can lead in the design floor segment. The fact is that EXPONA Simplay brings together forty design floor decors with six types of carpet and parquet planks in four variants. And so, it is possible to bring these three types of floors together at just about any imaginable location and creatively fit in with the diverse needs and styles. Everything clicks together perfectly to ensure an easy transition.

To help its clients, Objectflor has brought together the more than 50 possible combinations in colour styles. With Expona Commercial the German manufacturer has launched a collection of design floors for the project market in 50 variants and with a 0.55mm top layer in no fewer than 80 different creative decors in accordance with the latest trends, also including mosaic decors with 3D effects and the optics of china fragments and also a number with a striking metallic effect.

Proline is developing its competence as a system provider for floors.

At BAU 2017, Proline gave a spectacular demonstration of its ability to provide a solution for any situation. Proline Systems presented its sophisticated solutions at two trade show stands. In the Tile & Ceramics building A4, the focus was on topics such as drainage for indoor and outdoor areas, tiling profiles, decoupling systems as well as the Proline ENERGY surface heating and cooling system, which just received a quality seal from the German Federal Association of Surface

Osmo Innovative cladding products, individual surface processing and treatment – all of this could be discovered by the numerous visitors to the

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Heating and Surface Cooling (BVF). Next door in building A5, the spotlight was on suitable floor profile systems and underlay materials for wood, laminate and LVT coverings from the company based in Boppard, Germany. Special emphasis was placed on the three new products that were all developed for the booming LVT market. The first was the PROBASE LVT PE-X 1.0 underlay material, which is meant to be laid in strips, for the floating installation of vinyl floorings without HDF cores.

This product is also available with a non-slip grip surface. Secondly, the PROBASE LVT PU-M 1.5 high-tech acoustic mat. This product is a hightech acoustic mat made of a polyurethane/mineral mixture with good impact sound reduction (14 dB). It was conceptualized for design/vinyl floors and features click connections. For the transition, compensator and ending profiles, the trend is headed in the direction of narrow cover profiles. The new PROCOVER Designfloor S features an extra-narrow cover profile, making it particularly suitable for state-of-the-art floor designs, terminations and low-key architectural designs.

Pallmann 2-component wood-flooring lacquers for highest demands The wood flooring specialist Pallmann highlights his position as market leader once more with innovative wood flooring products. The 2-component wood flooring lacquer Pall-X 98 Gold takes the lead. The range of products of the complete service provider also includes 2-component wood flooring oils and 2-component oil primers. All of these products facilitate efficient work, because Pallmann meets highest demands with its 2-component expertise. Wood flooring installers have been able to see for themselves at the BAU 2017. The perfect preparation of the wood flooring for surface finishing succeeds with the wood

flooring sanding machines from Pallmann, especially the new Pallmann Spider, also presented at the BAU in Munich.

STAUF STAUF makes adhesive technology perceptible STAUF Klebstoffwerk GmbH took part in the BAU 2017 trade fair in Munich.

The family-run since 1828 adhesive specialists from Germany exhibited their products under the heading ‘Experience adhesive technology’. Visitors not only discovered more about the entire range of

ADHESIVE TECHNOLOGY since 1828

STAUF Klebstoffwerk GmbH www.stauf.de . info@stauf.de

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STAUF flooring technology products, but were also able to experience them with the sense of touch and vision: application pictures and installation videos allowed visitors to experience STAUF’s technology visually.

And they were allowed and encouraged to touch the sample constructions and exhibits. In this way, the adhesive technology became visible and tangible. The focus of STAUF’s trade fair presentation was its core business (adhesives for parquet, textile, and elastic flooring). At stand 515 in hall A 6, visitors were able to appreciate the quality of the various adhesives at first hand. The adhesives are easy to apply, specially tailored to the particular subsurface and floor covering, and characterised by tremendous strength. STAUF tests its products on the widest variety of substrates and tailors them to meet the specific requirements.

YOUR PROJECT OUR SUPPORT adjustable height supports for outdoor raised floors

Rubio Monocoat was at BAU again this year to support further international growth, and with great success. The warm exhibition booth illustrated not only our unique technology of molecular binding, but also showed the endless selections of colours for both interior and exterior applications. Visitors could daydream at the “Wall of Fame” and see that Rubio Monocoat is effectively the most suitable partner for all kinds of projects, from big museums in America to private lodges in South Africa. In the demonstration booth, they showed how easy it is to apply this oil, in just one coat, with maximum coverage, 0% VOC and without risk of overlaps. For people who like a weathered, aged look for exterior wood, our new Rubio® WoodCream was presented.

More info at www.rubiomonocoat.com.

00617 Visual Comunicazione – VE

Rubio Monocoat

Solidfloor / Fetim The Dutch parquet specialist presented its new range in the collections Originals, Life Style, Vintage, and new Classics. These comprise 15 new floors for 2017. They include three new FSC approved parquet floors with an unfinished and natural look, namely Edmonton, Grand Rapids, and Charlotte. These variants stress the natural aesthetics of untreated wood. In the Originals collection they have extended the anti-scratch Matt Lacquer range to include some warm and earthy shades, namely Faro, Catalunia, and Umbria (FSC label). Also FSC approved are the new 26mm wide wooden floors in the Life Style collection with colours to suit both modern and classic interiors. The most striking novelties were the Nova Scotia and Kentucky colours in the Vintage collection. The unique mix of mechanical treatments ‘give the floors the look of an old sandpapered floor’, said a Solidfloor spokesperson. Finally, last but certainly not least, the herringbone collection now has two new colours, namely Canterbury and Chantilly.

Uzin The Uzin Group presented lots of novelties during the show. With the Uzin NC 112 Turbo, the German company presents the fastest drying gypsum levelling agent. The advantage is that this levelling agent exercises only very limited pressure on the substrate, yet offers a higher level of hydration and, with a thickness of up to 3mm, dries completely in a maximum of one night (one night in the most unfavourable

20 - 24 February 2017 Valencia - Spain

08 - 11 March 2017 Milan - Italy

with IMPERTEK Impertek Srl Venice | Italy INNOVATION be continued... impertek.com FloortoForum International 86

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conditions). At machine manufacturer Wolff they have introduced the Vacuclean 2LP, a high-performance industrial vacuum cleaner with a bigger filter capacity and even easier emptying. The vacuum cleaner is easy to transport and the dirt which is sucked up is stored and removed safely. In the range of parquet lacquers they promoted the Pallmann 2K Pall-X 98 gold varnish, which enjoys international renown for the protection which it provides for high-traffic locations and for its matt look.

composite and a hard and durable decor top layer of 0.55mm) and the Authentica floors with an HDF base as its core covered by two cork layers and a PVC top layer are doing very well. New items were the Brick wall furnishing inspired by New York’s interiors of the 1950s and ‘60s.

They give the wall a brick appearance with the comfort of cork. The Fusion floor collection is a cork floor with decors in natural stone and wood. Vintage Stones are cork floors with concrete or limestone decors.

Unifloor

Windmöller/Wineo

During the BAU trade fair in Munich, Unifloor exhibited subfloor solutions for just about any floor problem.

Unifloor is gaining a growing international reputation as a problem solver. Time-saving, speed, and convenience are features which are typical of the Jumpax® Family and Eco Pearls®, which were on show at the stand. They also demonstrated the new Jumpax® Profile. This dilatation profile has been fitted to large surfaces of Jumpax® HD or Classic. This is a perfect solution since the floor does not rise, only 3.8cm is visible, and it can be mounted before or after the subfloor is fitted. For more information visit www.unifloor.info.

The laminate and design flooring producer showed off a new collection of organic polyurethane floors. These floors are constructed from natural raw materials and are for gluing and for the first time also for clicking. They contain no softeners, chlorine, or solvents and bear the Blue Angel label. For the premium segment of design floors they presented the wineo 800 collection in eight different sizes and hardness classes 23/33/42. The floors are suitable for use in wet rooms and with floor heating and come a wide variety of designs. There is a choice of ragstone and marble designs and polished concrete decors. These come in three sizes with the biggest being 91.44 x 91.44 cm. For the wood decors there is a decor choice of Scandinavian light wood, natural warm wood, and Mediterranean dark wood in two sizes and with embossed technology.

Vandecasteele Houtimport Vandecasteele Houtimport took part this year in the Bau trade fair in Munich for the first time.

This year, over 250,000 visitors came to the show, 80,000 of whom were from outside Germany. There were 2,120 exhibitors at the show and the organisers have a waiting list of 500 exhibitors. Two new halls are being built so that there will certainly be space for even more exhibitors in 2019. This was a successful show for Vandecasteele Houtimport for whom Germany is an ever growing export market.

Wicanders by Amorim The Portuguese cork specialist was delighted with the good sales results from the collections launched in the previous year. Both the Hydrocork collections (a thin waterproof cork floor with a core of cork

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WOCA BAU is a fantastic way to get the year started. From the entire team behind WOCA Denmark, we thank you all for the overwhelming interest that met us on our stand. It was very clear to us that we with WOCA Denmark have both the products and the knowledge to meet the demands in the markets. We were very pleased to be able to present our novelties, not least No1 Industrial Oil that so far is one of our most innovative products and which attracted a great number of customers. Did you not make it to our stand during the exhibition, you are of course always more than welcome to contact us.

Special

Producers of polyurethane adhesives

POLYURETHANE: THE PASSE PARTOUT AMONG ADHESIVES FLOOR FITTERS RETAIN THEIR TRUST IN PU

Photo – Pallmann

In the last edition we discussed epoxy-polyurethane adhesives in detail, hybrid adhesives that combine the best of two excellent forms of technology to make a new form of technology. This goes to show that everything is getting better. Even though floor fitters are continuously confronted with new products, they remain true to the classic polyurethane adhesive. The proven qualities and the extensive applications are an important factor. Polyurethane remains a reliable and risk-free solution for nearly all wood types and floor types.

Most important adhesives for wooden floors We will provide an overview of the adhesives that are used the most for wooden floors. The right choice is determined by the wood type, the substrate, climatological circumstances, fitting systems, sizes of the floor parts and some other different parameters. A brief outline‌

Dispersion adhesive Dispersion adhesives consist of a synthetic resin that is dissolved in water. These adhesives consist for 50 to 65% of solid substance. The synthetic resins that are used the most are polyvinyl acetate, acrylate,

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polyurethane, and derivates from these synthetic resins. For wooden floor adhesives it is often polyvinyl acetate. Dispersion adhesives set due to the extraction of water from the adhesive to create adhesive film (water disappears, whilst solid substances remain and establish the connection).

Epoxy adhesives Epoxy adhesive is a two-component adhesive based on epoxy and is used for a variety of applications, industrial, domestic as well as in the construction of aircraft models. It can be applied as a coating, but also combined with glass fibres. Epoxy adhesive is also used as repair adhesive, where a solid substance is used as a filler (‘liquid steel’ or ‘liquid wood’). A solidifier is added to the epoxy, resulting in a strong adhesive connection.

Epoxy-polyurethane adhesives An epoxy polyurethane adhesive is, as the name suggests, a polyurethane adhesive with epoxy components. Some call the combination of polyurethane and epoxy the most reliable and accurate adhesive technology that there is for wooden floors.

Stating that PU adhesive is a passe partout within the range of different types of adhesives, is certainly not an exaggeration. PU adhesives are suited for all types of wooden floors and they can be applied to all sorts of solid flooring. Furthermore, they can be used on a multi-layered wooden floor and on raw timber as well as on prefinished floors.

Due to their excellent tensile strength and the very stable foam tape, PU adhesives can also be used for the adhesion of wide planks, even for critical wood types. As for the wood types there are also no restrictions. Domestic types, tropical wood types and wood types that demand special care like beech and ash. The adhesion is excellent on merely all wooden materials. Suitable substrates are: cement-bound floors, substrates with a levelling material of a minimum of 2mm thick, anhydrite screed, cast asphalt and fibre boards (V100). PU-adhesives are a safe solution for the adhesion of mosaic subfloors on the screed and for the adhesion of strips (traditional parquet) on the subfloors.

Moreover, they can be used, while respecting the usual rules, for adhesion on floor heating.

A selection from the range

Silane adhesives

Adesiv

Silane adhesives (MS Polymer or SMP adhesives) work according to a different principle than PU-adhesives. The silane-modified polymers consist of chemical reactive connections that turn the polymer into an elastic adhesive connection as soon as it comes into contact with humidity. Silane adhesives guarantee an excellent and lasting adhesion, but they remain elastic. Today, there are silane-modified adhesives with a various range of elasticity.

Traditionally PU adhesive gets its strength from a connection of isocyanate and alcohol. The adhesive bond is established by the reaction of the ambient damp with the urethane bonds. The qualities of polyurethane adhesive are brought forth by the composition of the matter.

PU is a copolymer that consists of hard and soft segments. These segments established by the reaction of urethane and isocyanate, from a long chain and alternate. The hard segments tend to crystallise and form a hard material. The soft segments should individually form a viscous liquid. The combination of both segments results in a fusion of the best qualities.

Adesiv offers various adhesives based on polyurethane. PELPREN PL6 is a 2-component epoxy-polyurethane adhesive, which contains no water. It is designed specially for glueing wooden floors onto any type of concrete substrate or onto existing non-absorbent floors (marble, tiles, Palladian, and wood substrates). EURO F1 is a 2-component epoxy-polyurethane adhesive, which also contains no water. This is designed for glueing wooden floors onto concrete sand-cement covering floors or onto existing non-absorbent floors (marble, tiles, Palladian, and wood substrates). Furthermore, Adesiv also has PELPREN PL 60-E, also a dual component adhesive with polyurethane, and the ADESIVO WB 2C, a dual component epoxy-polyurethane adhesive.

The composition of adhesive

Bostik

Most adhesives consists of a number of materials which we can subdivide in the following groups: a binding agent, a liquid, and other materials. The binding agent is the basic material of the adhesive. The binding agent causes the adhesion. There are many binding agents, often they are synthetic materials, but in some adhesives natural bonding agents are used such as starch, natural rubber, and casein. The bonding agent that is chosen determines for a large part the characteristics of the adhesive. Since binding agents are practically always solid substances, they are dissolved or finely distributed in a liquid.

The liquid in the adhesive disappears due to evaporation or due to absorption in the base. For the dissolution of solid substances water can be used (water-based adhesive) or solvents (solvent-based adhesive). Except for binding agents and solvents, adhesives often also consist of other substances. They are substances, that with exception of the fillers, that are present in the adhesive in small quantities.

Preservatives are used to guarantee the qualities for a longer period of time. Water-based adhesives, adhesives based on natural substances, and wallpaper adhesives in powdered form contain preservatives.

Bostik offers both 1K PU and 2K PU adhesives.

These adhesives are suitable for glueing various sorts of parquet onto most substrates and also for glueing various sorts of floor coverings onto impervious substrates, such as glueing rubber mats onto concrete, wood or metal. 2K PU adhesives are often used for outdoor applications due to their high resistance to temperature and moisture, such as, for example, glueing artificial grass mats onto tracks and such

Polyurethane adhesives

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like. These glues are also used for their ‘filling capacities’ since they set chemically and, therefore, the adhesive grooves or coat of glue can be applied thicker than with other 1K adhesives. And so, with 2K PU adhesives it is possible to ‘level’ patches on a substrate which isn’t completely flat, yet still obtain a good adhesive bond with the material to be glued. The assortment includes Bostik Parfix PU 1K, an elastic 1-component polyurethane adhesive for glueing parquet, Bostik Parfix PU 56, a solventless universal 2-component polyurethane adhesive for glueing parquet and rubber, and Parfix PU 57, a solventless, universal, and 2-component polyurethane adhesive for glueing parquet with a long spreading time.

adhesives for glueing wooden floors onto cement-bound subfloors or existing floors. Devo® Glue PU 570 2C is a waterless 2-component polyurethane-epoxy, semi-elastic, parquet glue, which is designed specially for glueing wooden floors onto cement-bound substrates or onto existing floors (tiles, marble, wooden floors, etc.). Devo® Glue PU 650 2C is also a waterless dual component epoxy-polyurethane parquet glue, but this product is a hard-elastic one.

Bona The Bona PU glue range includes the R770 2-component adhesive, a mix of plyol and MDI. It binds as a result of a chemical reaction. This glue contains no water or solvents.

Its great tensile strength makes it ideal for glueing extra wide planks. This glue sticks strongly to almost all wooden materials and has a very stable adhesive groove. Suitable substrates are cement covering floors, subfloors with a leveller at least 2mm thick, anhydrite screeds, fluid asphalt, and fibre plates (V100).

R770 has a very long open time. For the fitting Bona suggests the following conditions: The air temperature has to be at least 18°C and the floor temperature should be 15°C (or 20°C if there is floor heating).

Relative air humidity must exceed 79%. Besides the R770, Bona also has the R777, R778, and R200.

Chimiver ADESIVER 327 PU is a two component polyurethane adhesive without any epoxy modification with very low emission of volatile compounds: CERTIFIED EC1R Plus. ADESIVER 327 PU has been formulated to answer the needs of those workers that do not want to renounce to the typical characteristics of adhesives with 100% of non-volatile matters, but they are allergic to epoxy adhesives. ADESIVER 327 PU can contribute to the achievement of QI CREDIT 4.1 according to the parameters of the GEV dated 03 March 2009, because it meets the certification LEED protocol (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Among 2K PU adhesives range, Chimiver Panseri offer also ADESIVER RE702 for gluing resilient floors both indoor and outdoor and ADESIVER GREEN TURF for bonding jointing tapes between artificial turf sheets.

Devo® As regards dual component adhesives, Devomat offers Devo® Glue PU 570 2C and Devo® Glue PU 650 2C. These are both polyurethane-epoxy

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Henkel Henkel presents Thomsit P 625, a low emission, solventless, waterless, and dual component polyurethane adhesive. It is designed for glueing mosaic parquet, strip parquet, 10mm solid wood, exotic parquet, plain-sawn wood-engineered parquet, cross-cut parquet, and pre-finished parquet onto absorbent and non-absorbent substrates. It is ideal for glueing strips/chipboard and/or heat insulation underlay, particularly large-size parquet tiles and parquet floorboards which are ready for fitting. Thomsit P625 is also suitable for glueing Thomsit TF 303 sound-absorbent and heat-insulation underlay, as well as strips/ chipboard and/or parquet onto Thomsit TF 303. The filling capacity of Thomsit P 625 means it is possible to bridge and fill up small areas of unevenness under the parquet.

Lecol Polyurethane glues are solvent-free parquet glues used on both absorbent and non-absorbent subfloors. PU adhesives from Lecol are ideal for glueing pre-lacquered parquet. Their assortment includes both single and dual component PU glues. The major features of Lecol polyurethane adhesives are as follows: They can be used universally, they have a 100% solid matter content, they guarantee a good filling capacity, and they have outstanding adhesion. Wakol PU225 is a 2-component PU adhesive, which is absolutely ideal for impact-strength glueing of 10mm solid parquet, traditional parquet 6 and 9mm, mosaic parquet, end grain blocks, thick strips, multi-layer parquet, solid wood parts, and cross-cut RE/WE on absorbent and non-absorbent subfloors indoors.

Wakol PU215 complies with the standard DIN EN 14293. Wakol PU225

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Parquet Glue is also suitable for glueing 22mm solid parquet (thick strips and wide planks) only onto wooden subfloors (chipboard, mosaic, etc.) in combination with invisible nails. With this dual component glue the hardener is mixed mechanically. The glue is top quality and suitable for glueing on top of floor heating. The PU225 packaging consists of a bucket covered by a hollow lid which contains the hardener. This simplifies the handling and considerably reduces the risk of the glue being spread without the hardener or with the wrong hardener.

Mapei Mapei offers various polyurethane glues in one or two components. The Ultrabond P990 1K from Mapei is a 1-component polyurethane glue, ready for use, elastic and with no solvents, and suitable for all parquet types. It can be used on cement covering floors, Mapecem, Topcem, Topcem Pronto and comparable subfloors, old wooden floors, tiles, marble, anhydrite screeds, etc. This 1-component glue sets through contact with humidity. Ultrabond Eco P909 2K is a 2-component polyurethane glue with very low volatile organic compounds emissions (Emicode EC1 R) and is also for all parquet types. It can also be used on all the aforementioned substrates. Last year, Mapei launched Ultrabond Eco P 909 2K Plus for the Italian market.

Mitol

PLUS – very low emission. Parketolit 1551 is the universal adhesive suitable for gluing all types and all sizes of parquet. It can be used on any substrate (cement, wood, anhydrite, ceramic or marble) and on underfloor heating installations. In combination with the primers Parketolit PR51 and Parketolit PR50 it can be used on a substrate with residual moisture content up to 4 CM%. Parketolit 1551 is suitable also for outdoor use. Its user friendly characteristics are: easily spreading, keeping the form of applying, long pot life, long open time and curing without spread quantity limits. Full traffic and additional operations are possible 24 hours after gluing. Packing in all-in-one set allows easy transport and its reliable use.

Pallmann Pallmann P9 is a waterless and solvent-free 2-component PU adhesive conforming to DIN EN 14293.

It can be used for all types of parquet, specially also for moisture-sensitive wood sorts and sizes and for glueing onto UZIN underlays which are suitable for parquet. Pallmann P9 is a pasty, waterless, solvent-free polyurethane adhesive, which doesn’t affect the swelling of parquet because it doesn’t extract any moisture from the wood. The adhesive is suitable for substrates with sufficient strength, such as sand-cement, calcium sulphate, and mastic asphalt covering floors, chipboard, suitable UZIN underlays, and on warm water floor heating. Pallmann P9 Extra has an extended open time.

Rectavit

Mitol presents a new superior quality two component polyurethane adhesive Parketolit 1551. Parketolit 1551 meets the requirements of EN 141293:2006 and ISO 17178:2013 for hard adhesives. It is odour, water and solvent free with EMICODE licence in exclusive class EC1

Rectavit presents, among others, the 245 2K PU adhesive, a 2-component wooden floor adhesive based on polyurethane. For a shock-proof adhesion of wooden floors that are susceptible to moisture, wooden floors in large sizes, mosaic, solid, exotic, and pre-finished floors on substrates as screed, concrete, stone, tiles, wood and metal, also on anhydrite substrates and with floor heating. Rectavit’s most recent

Kaneka MS Polymer™

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adhesive is the Rectavit 255 Fibre Tech. This wooden floor adhesive is part of the latest generation adhesives of Rectavit. The Fibre Tech technology causes a significantly stronger adhesive with a faster strength build-up. The wooden floor is hard enough to walk on after only three hours and can be sandpapered after 16 hours. With Rectavit 255 Fibre Tech, all types of wooden floors and wood types can be glued onto a concrete-based or anhydrite screed, substrate, leveller, and even onto a tile floor.

Tover

Soudal Soudal has a dual component PU parquet adhesive in its assortment (PU-20P).

This adhesive is typically easy to handle and spread, has good viscosity, sets rapidly, and has great final strength. Another big asset with a 2-component PU adhesive is the excellent filling capacity. PU-20P 2K PU Parquet Glue is ideal for indoor use to glue items such as solid wood planks, solid traditional parquet, mosaic parquet, wood-engineered parquet, multi-layer or ready-to-fit parquet, and laminate. It is also suitable for glueing exotic wood and for use on porous and impervious substrates such as sand-cement covering floors, covering floors in concrete, levelling agents, wood, chipboard, and OSB, as well as heated floors. PU-20P 2K PU Parquet Glue is also ideal for fitting moisture-sensitive wood onto weak absorbent substrates. Glued parquet can be walked on after 24 hours and is ready for sandpapering after 48 hours.

Stauf STAUF PUK 455: Hard stuff not only for solid planks.

Adhesive specialist STAUF offers with PUK 455 a hard-elastic wood flooring adhesive with a hard elastic mechanic on polyurethane basis. The ready-to-use premium product has a very wide application range and is especially suitable for installation of all kinds of solid planks. The adhesive application occurs without risk of plasticizer related softening of sub floor or lacquer, STAUF PUK 455 is also water- and solvent free as well as very low emission certified (Emicode EC1-R plus).

STAUF PUK 446: 2-component polyurethane reaction resin adhesive with elastic adhesive ridges. For the optimum rigid-elastic installation of wood flooring STAUF offers the PUK 446 as a 2 component polyurethane reaction resin adhesive which can be spread easily. The adhesive with very low emission is suitable for nearly all kinds of wood flooring like varnished wood flooring, wood flooring planks and laminate floorings. STAUF PUK 446 offers a high dimensional stability and acts as a tension decrease at the same time. In this way a reasonable elasticity is combined with high strength. For dark wood species is a coloured version available. STAUF PUK 446 is also water- and solvent free as well as very low emission certified (Emicode EC1-R plus).

Tover offers in his wide range two polyurethane adhesives: a two-component one (TOVCOL PU2C) which contains no water, no solvent, no epoxy resins and consequently avoids any type of allergy. This glue is classified A+ according to the French norm and got the German DIBt certification for its low VOC emission. It has a long working time up to 60 minutes, excellent adhesion properties, it is elastic with a very good shear strength value; the glue is suitable for any species, any sizes on all types of absorbent or not sub-floors. It is now available in the exclusive and clever Twin-Pack System for an easy transport and use.

The second product is mono-component (TOVCOL PU/F1) with high performances, packed in bags for a simpler and cleaner use without any waste. Their technical characteristics make them recommended for underfloor heating systems. Polyurethane adhesive also exists in 600 ml sausages to be applied with a gun for an elastic and flexible bonding even in vertical position.

HIGH QUALITY ADHESIVES FOR WOODEN FLOORS Wide range of products For universal and special use Easy use and installation Environmentally-friendly products

www.mitol.si MITOL d.d., SeĹžana, Slovenia, T: +386 5 73 12 300, E: mitol@mitol.si

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Floor Forum International 86

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Special

Glue guns and cartridges

ARE THERE ANY ADVANTAGES TO USING A GLUE DISPENSER? ABSOLUTELY... IF YOU ARE WORKING ON LARGE SURFACE AREAS

Photo – Stauf

Every technical solution has its advantages and disadvantages, and glue dispensers and glue guns are no different. They come in very handy when you are gluing parquet onto the screed or a subfloor. Does this mean that glue dispensers are the best tool for this particular task?

That depends. While the benefits become apparent when gluing parquet onto large surface areas, such a device may not be as suitable for smaller areas. Let us take a closer look at how this works.

Why we use machinery Machines are created to get the most out of certain work or activities. This, of course, can be done in a wide variety of ways: - Increasing productivity: Certain actions done by a machine will generally produce larger volumes than manual labour.

- Increasing speed: A machine will produce the same volume much faster than manual labour.

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- Saving energy: By this, we mean mostly ‘human’ energy. Manual labour takes its toll on one's health.

- Preventing accidents and diseases: Some jobs may be dangerous, and can lead to sudden or long-term injury.

The floor sander serves as a perfect example as to why some manual tasks should be best done by machine. Manually light sanding a mosaic substrate to smooth it for gluing would be unthinkable nowadays, not to mention extremely expensive. Not only would the end result not be as good as with a machine, but also it would take far too long for today's standards; hence the reason for a belt sander.

Waxing a polished floor is done with a floor buffer. The most efficient machine is used for each task.

From notched trowel to glue gun The tried and tested way of spreading adhesive is to scoop it from a pot with a notched trowel (or a spatula) and then spread it. The teeth of the notched trowel create uneven adhesive grooves, depending on

the parquet type and the floor. Notched trowels have been subject to extensive studies over the years, and they have improved markedly.

There is a perfect notched trowel for every floor. Glue dispensers have a tube that contains the adhesive. Depending on the manufacturer, the glue is specially packaged inside the tube. The glue dispenser can be compared to a broom or a classic stick vacuum cleaner.

Pressuring the dispenser, either by hand, a battery or a discharge port, spreads the adhesive onto the surface area and creates adhesive grooves. The applicator is used depending on the floor type and substrate.

Glue dispensers: sure, but...

We will list the major advantages of the glue dispenser and add a brief explanation.

It's much faster? Sure, but...

The increased working speed is one of the main benefits that manufacturers like to bring up. It's obvious that spreading adhesive with a dispenser is much faster than with a notched trowel. This is in part due to the applicator; some of these devices have a span of about 30cm, which obviously reduces the total time spreading the adhesive. However, precisely because the speed is increased, you must be careful not to apply more adhesive than necessary. As a rule of thumb, the surface area where the adhesive is spread must not be larger than what you can cover with floorboards in 30 minutes. Of course, this also depends on the type of adhesive, the drying time, room temperature, and humidity. If too much glue is applied too quickly, the adhesive grooves will harden, and that will have an adverse effect on the adhesion.

It's more economical? Sure, but...

A glue dispenser significantly reduces the amount of adhesive you have to use. In many cases, 600 grammes of adhesive per square metre is enough to cover sufficiently the area you are working on; practically nothing is wasted. It is not only very economical, but also very ecological. Once all the work is done, a lot less waste is left. This is because the reservoirs are completely squeezed out. Some manufacturers claim their product leaves no more than 200 grammes of residue per five square metres of surface area. In addition, you will no longer have any empty glue jars to dispose of. Cleaning up the site will be much faster and easier.

It's more efficient? Sure, but...

Depending on the brand, the adhesive grooves will be three to five mm thick, with about one cm in-between. This is the same as the classic application with a notched trowel. When the floorboards are placed in the glue, the entire surface will be covered. Yet, some people feel that manually gluing produces a better end result. Applying the glue with a notched trowel will produce triangular adhesive grooves, pushing them partly into the subfloor (this makes for better adhesion). A dispenser produces round adhesive grooves that lie more or less detached on the floor. In addition, the adhesive grooves are applied parallel to the boards and not perpendicularly, as with the notched trowel. The classic adhesion would absorb the shear stress in the boards more efficiently.

It's healthier? Sure, but...

Glue dispensers with an extended handle are designed to apply the adhesive while in an upright position. This is an important selling point, as working in an upright position reduces stress on the back and certain muscle groups. Compared to manually applying the adhesive, the arms and shoulder muscles are significantly less strained as well.

This is, however, an advantage that we have to put into perspective.

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Switching from an upright position while gluing to kneeling and placing the floorboards may actually strain the body more. Indeed, the floor fitter will have to kneel and get up again several times to lay the floorboards and spread the adhesive. The ergonomic advantage of the glue dispenser is best utilised on large surface areas where one fitter applies the adhesive, while the other lays the floorboards. Needless to say, working in an upright position also provides a better overview of the floor.

So... it's best used on large surface areas. Alright!

All in all we can conclude the following: The advantages of gluing with a dispenser become apparent when working on large surface areas such as gyms, offices, large stores etc. To illustrate this with an example: if you were to sand down a small cabinet, a sink or a small timber floor in a restroom, it would be much less of a hassle to do it manually than to use a bulky sanding machine. Installing the machine, starting it up and cleaning it before storing it again takes a lot of time and energy.

What’s on the market?

Bona Optispread For glueing Bona R850 T 600ml tubes Bona has manual and pneumatic glue guns. A real showpiece, however, is the Bona Optispread, which was developed specially for the Bona R850T in 4.4kg packs (sausage glue). Bona Optispread is a new tool to help floor fitters get flatter, faster, and better results whilst standing up. Bona Optispread works up to five times faster than traditional methods with no strain on knees or back. Bona R850T has balanced elasticity and high tensile strength and is easy to clean. The Optispread uses compressed air. The sausage glue is easy to apply and corresponds to the filling capacity of the tool. The spray width is 250mm. The spray arm has 19 triangular holes made from recycled polypropylene. The 4.2kg sausage glue is suitable for 4 to 4.5m². The Bona Optispread is 1.25m long (perfect average working height) and weighs 4kg when empty and 8.2kg when full.

Bijlard International The producer from Zoetermeer (NL) of high-quality Floor products also has a 3kg sausage glue in its range. If you use this in combination with the Floorfix battery-powered pistol supplied by Bijlard, you work not only ergonomically, but also cleanly. Furthermore, you always get the right spread on the floor.

Bijlard supplies a customised solution for every floor fitter. Some prefer to work with a bucket and Sqraper®, whilst others prefer to stand up.

Another benefit is that there is less waste, so you also work more sustainably. Basically, glueing with a pistol is suitable for all wood sorts,

Floor Forum International 86

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Glue guns and cartridges

but you can ask your adhesive adviser if you have any doubts!

The MS Floor from Bijlard has undergone a change since 1 January; That also applies to the other Floor products like Skirting Board Kit Floor, Joint Adhesive Floor, Pu2K, Epoxy Screens, and Egaline12. The new style of the Floor products was introduced at Domotex Hanover 2017. www.bijlard.com

Stauf STAUF adhesive spreader machine: Parkett-X-Press

Pallmann

The Pallmann ATD 100 glue dispenser has been developed specially for the Pallmann P5. This ergonomic tool ensures speedy glueing and saves on material. The glue can also be used without the dispenser and is suitable for multi-layer parquet, pre-finished, strip parquet, solid wood, and exotic wood sorts with tongue and groove. The combined use of glue and dispenser reduces adhesive waste by 80% and packaging waste by 90%. Obviously, the fact that users can work standing up is a benefit.

Rectavit

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

Rectavit has developed a sausage gun that administers triangular adhesive grooves between five and twenty cm, depending on the size and shape of the board (solid or semi-solid).

Rectavit deliberately employs only single adhesive groove guns, and does not invest in guns with multiple grooves. This is because most glue guns produce round grooves that just ‘lie’ on the substrate they're applied on. A notched trowel pushes the adhesive into the substrate, which makes for a more secure fastening. The ends of the triangular adhesive grooves ensure that the adhesive spreads to the back of the planks more efficiently. Additionally, the Rectavit sausage gun applies the triangular adhesive grooves perpendicularly. This ensures that the cupping force of the plank is transferred over to all adhesive grooves. The shape of the grooves makes them stick to the plank better. Furthermore, the cupping force is more evenly spread out over each of the lines. In other words: the total force is spread out over more grooves, and more evenly balanced per groove. The end result is a significantly better adhesion than with parallel adhesive grooves. The adhesive of choice for this procedure is the Rectavit 248 Cordon. This adhesive is ideal for gluing multilayer parquet on classic substrates or backing strips. Rectavit 248 Cordon is applied in single adhesive grooves with the aforementioned gun and a triangular nozzle. This will smooth out an uneven surface.

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Which is the best bonding system to lay a parquet: to use a spatula or a gun? Tover offers both solutions even if he recommends the use of a notched trowel; with this tool indeed, the adhesive has a deeper penetration into the sub-floor, it is well spread and consequently covers a larger surface and it also fixes the residue of dust which could be on the sub-floor. Nevertheless, a kit composed of sausages + a gun, sold in a DIY store represents the best solution for a nonprofessional laying or a sporadic use, especially thanks to its easiness. In his range, Tover offers a polyurethane thixotropic glue Tovcol PU and a silane based one Sigil MS in cartridge of 290 ml and sausages of 600 ml, both perfectly suitable for this type of application. The “Sigil MS Kit” is composed of 10 sausages and a gun for the laying of about 20 square meters. Elastic glue, easy to clean, no waste, eco-friendly, this system is really practical and has got numerous concrete advantages.

Special

Outdoor floors : wood and composite

THE OUTDOORS LIFE CONTINUES TO ‘BOOM’ TERRACES IN HARDWOOD AND TECHNOLOGICAL ALTERNATIVES ‘Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’ (IPCC) as having risen by 0.85°C, representing a rapid and significant change. To put that in perspective, during the coldest period of the last ice age (thought to be some 18,000 years ago), the average temperature was only four degrees lower than today, and in those days a sizeable part of Europe and North America was covered by a thick layer of ice.

Some points to note: - Each of the last three decades has been warmer than all the preceding decades since 1850.

- The years between 1983 and 2012 probably showed the warmest 30-year period of the past 140 years in the northern hemisphere.

- In 2014, the months of May and June broke all records; never before had the average world temperature reached this level (counting both the earth and the oceans) than during those two months.

- During the past century, Europe has witnessed a marked rise in temperature. During the 10 year period from 2002 to 2011, the average rise in temperature of the European earth surface was 1.3°C higher than during the pre-industrial age, making this the warmest decade ever recorded.

- Periods of extreme cold have become less frequent and periods of heat waves on the other hand are on the increase. And they also last longer.

Predictions Photo – Ravaioli Legnami

No one will deny the statement that never in the history of mankind have we lived so intensely 'outdoors' and for such long periods as today. The age-old argument that a private swimming pool would never be worthwhile in our part of the world because of its limited period of use is totally obsolete.

The swimming pool market is booming as never before and the same holds true for terraces, garden sheds, pool houses, and garden landscaping in general. Can anyone deny the theory of global warming? I don't think so! Global warming is a current issue, and is far from over.

Longer summers and warmer winters This is not the place to blow the horn of environmental activism and that is why we shall not do so. However, it does seem appropriate to establish once and for all why a market segment such as that of wooden terraces has suddenly exploded to such enormous proportions. Without a shadow of a doubt this is connected to changes in our climate.

Rising temperatures The average temperature of the surface of the earth and oceans between the years of 1880 and 2012 has been set by the scientists of the

Predictions of the development of average global warming towards 2100 depend to a large degree on the emission scenarios being adopted. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose scientists assist the United Nations, expect 2100 to exhibit a temperature rise of van 0.3°C to 1.7 °C in relation to the period from 1986 to 2005 (taking into account the most ambitious scenario) and of 2.6°C to 4.8°C (when less ambitious scenarios are reckoned with). Note: If we use the period from 1850 to 1900 as a reference point, we need to add another 0.6°C

But the terrace market is booming!

It is clear that in the long run global warming is not a positive phenomenon. But it can do no harm to stop and think about it. But in the meantime some people benefit from it and this is particularly true for the sales and installation staff for outside terraces, or all those offering products for the great outdoors. The large range on the market is a telling case in point.

- The number of types of hard wood that can be used to construct terraces has expanded from one to several dozen within a relatively short period of time.

- The number of technological procedures to which soft wood can be submitted to achieve the durability of hard wood has increased exponentially. In different parts of the world different methods have been developed, tested, and approved with superb results.

- The number of recipes to transform 'wood waste' (read 'fibres' or ‘wood dust') in combination with specific plastics into new wood-like materials with refined properties is growing and growing.

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Outdoor floors : wood and composite

- The number of wood imitations based on only plastics really is quite impressive.

When the search is on to replace a specific raw material with an alternative one, this is a clear signal that the raw material concerned is becoming scarce. 'Scarce' is another way of saying that demand outweighs supply.

The range of terrace types Tropical hard wood types The suitability of hard wood for outside floors, as we have explained before, is expressed by classifying wood types into five groups according to a generally accepted and recognised system. Those classes have been established empirically: The 'survival' of the different wood types was measured when left untreated at the mercy of the elements.

Wood in class 1 stays good-looking for 25 years. Terrace beams are made from class 1 wood, sometimes class 1-2. Some wood types of class 1 include robinia (false acacia), opepe, chestnut wood, massaranduba, padouk, teak, merbau, afrormosia, ipe etc.

Thermally treated wood A first alternative for expensive tropical wood types was thermally treated wood. In previous editions we have elaborated on the various processes that are used: thermo wood, Plato, retified wood, and perdure. The wood is modified in order to obtain a longer service life of softer and less durable wood types. In other words the modification has the effect of moving that wood to a higher classification (class 1-5).

PATENTED

m

0m

30

0 50

m

m

m

0m

0 10

THE BENEFITS IN A NUTSHELL: • at least 50% less time is required for assembly • universally usable for every terraceplank with a slot or groove with a minimal height of 3,5 mm and a depth of 8 mm.

• easy to install, limited steps are required • 100% recyclable • 3 different type of girders • 10 year warrenty on the system

sales@aslon-systems.com +31 (0) 174 283 443 www.aslon-deckingsystems.com 64

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Kebony wood is harvested from the deciduous forests of Western Europe. As a result of an innovative and ecological treatment, Kebony is much harder than teak. At first glance one can hardly notice any difference between the two wood types, and that makes Kebony the first sustainable replacement for teak. Kebony is a Norwegian company which, after spending years on research and investigation, developed a procedure that was ecological and at the same time rendered the wood much more durable.

Wood composite Wood composite is made up of wood fibres, high density polyethylene, UV stabilisers, pigments, and various additives to optimise the mechanical qualities. Usually, recycled wood fibers, waste wood, and recycled polyethylene are involved. And so, in a sense wood composite is quite an ecologically viable alternative to tropical hard wood.

No tree needs to be felled and the waste wood might also be awarded the right to bear the FSC label. The products are extruded and without any difficulty they should be able to hold their own as a class 1 durable material. Since the production of wood composite wasn’t started until 1997 we shall have to wait some five more years to find out if this is really the case.

Imitation wood For some time we have seen products being offered as alternative for wooden terrace floors that contain no wood at all. They are plastics or plastic foams which naturally are not sensitive to weather, fungi, or other enemies of genuine wood.

Bamboo composite

DECKING SYSTEMS

NEW

Kebony

Bamboo appears to be the perfect alternative to tropical wood types to be used in terraces.

Its qualities have been proven for some years now, and it clearly is a remedy against deforestation. Composite is an excellent solution for those who wish to build a tiled terrace that looks like wood, hardly needs maintenance, and does not discolour. Bamboo composite is harder than other composites; it is more stable and keeps its dimensional stability. A solid bamboo terrace needs thermal treatment in order to resist fungi. The glueing and resulting adhesion is quite important to prevent premature delamination. The composite consists of bamboo powder and of recuperated plastics. Apart from the stability, the ecological aspect is a compelling argument for using it.

What’s on the market?

Archi Wood Partly due to the affordable price, coniferous wood is still the one used most commonly for terraces.

This wood is also easy to manage. The next most popular ones are the tropical sorts from Latin America (ipe, cumaru, and massaranduba), Africa (tali and padauk), and Asia (teak

and merbau). Modified sorts such as Accoya, Kebony, and such like account for the smallest market share. Due to its intrinsic features (e.g. tannin), oak is not the most suitable sort for terraces. Archi Wood doesn’t have any precise figures, but they do have the impression that outdoor wood is growing in popularity, especially due to the increase in wall cladding.

THE ULTIMATE GENERATION OF HIDDEN DECK FASTENERS

B-Fix For B-Fix ipe is one of the permanent fixtures in terms of wood sorts on the Belgian market and represents a large market share. Yet they also sell healthy volumes of other Brazilian sorts such as cumaru and itauba. They also sell more African wood than in the past e.g. padauk, afrormosia, tali, and such like. Composites are also gaining ground on the market. Oak is still used to a limited extent. B-Fix itself doesn’t sell any wood or composite, but specialises in (invisible) fastening systems for wood. The company Lime does offer a composite which is installed using the B-Fix system. B-Fix has no doubt that fitting terraces is right up a parquet floor fitter’s street.

They don’t have any specific figures, but they do get the feeling that the market is growing gradually or is stable at the very least.

TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES FOR TIMBER DECKING

Denderwood Founded more than 100 years ago, Denderwood remains a family business company.

Over the years, the Belgian importer and stockist of tropical hardwood has become one of the specialists in tropical species and high-end products, such as laminated scantlings, terraces, claddings, wall coverings, moldings and other special products. Renowned for its quality and service, Denderwood and its sister companies DDW Hardwoods and Marquise Forest Products offer a wide panel of solutions for outside floor covering. With species such as Yellow Balau, Merbau, Teak, Padouk, Doussie, Niove, Afrormosia, Ipe, Cumaru, etc. The installation can be classic with screws or with invisible fastening systems.

Eurotec As regards wood in Europe, Eurotec has noticed particularly local sorts such as douglas fir, pine, robinia, etc. Then, there are also FSC approved sorts such as ipe and bangkirai. Oak is no longer considered

made in Europe

www.novlek.com info@novlek.com

Special

Outdoor floors : wood and composite

suitable for indoor use.

Finally, there are the composites, particularly in the case of invisible fastenings.

These wood-plastic composites (WPC) are available in various proportions. They are used for terraces, fencings, and frontages. They are usually fastened with clips such as, for instance, the Twin on the EVO aluminium substructure. At Eurotec they are convinced that this market is growing thanks to the use of sustainable wood sorts and composites. As regards fastenings, they offer Deck conductors which are fastened to the underside of smooth planks and Deck clips, which are screwed onto the base structure. New is the Eurotec Stone System, which can be used as a base for tiles, wood, and composite.

La San Marco Profili Wood is still the king of decking materials, but the widespread acceptance and availability of manufactured "plastic" planks has continued to grow in the market. Which material is best for your deck project will depend on many factors including decking color, available board sizes,

maintenance requirements, and, of course, price. That is why, probably the most difficult decision to make when building a deck is what type of decking to use. There is no perfect choice. La San Marco recommend his customers to figure out what characteristics are most important for them, and then make a selection based on that. If the natural look of wood is top on the list, we suggest to use real wood such as Ipè, Teak, Iroko, Thermo Ash, Angelim Amargoso. In general, tropical woods are very dense, hard, heavy, durable, and naturally resistant to rot and insects. These woods needs of course maintenance during the years, because if you choose not to stain tropical decking, it will eventually weather to a light silver color. Anyway, another option is to let the wood weather naturally, we think it's fine, it is its peculiarity and it gives life to the environment that surrounds us. Otherwise, if near-zero maintenance is the goal, composite decking is the solution.

In fact the appeal of composite decking is that it's virtually maintenance-free. With this regard, La San Marco introduces a new typology of composite decking among its wide range of outdoors flooring, that is

WOOD COMPOSITE GARDEN PRODUCTS The warmth and the look of solid wood combined with the unique properties of plastic. · · · · ·

ADD A DESIGN TOUCH TO YOUR OUTDOORS

Will not rot, swell, splinter or split Ecological and recyclable.

Slip resistant, brushed surface.

Minimal discolouration, maintains original look Easy to clean and install: it does not require treatment with oil, solvents or cleaning products Tropical brown Stone grey

Graphite black

Ranch fencing

Gate

Slat wall system

More information on www.duofuse.com PLASTIVAN nv – Wantestraat 3, B-8780 Oostrozebeke +32 56 66 75 51 – info@plastivan.com

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*Terms of the warranty can be downloaded from www.silvadec.com website

Tongue and groove boards

Decking

SILVADEC® WOOD COMPOSITE

REQUIRES NO TREATMENT

French manufacture

Decking

Fencing

www.silvadec.com

Railing

Cladding

PA de l’Estuaire - 56190 Arzal Tél. +33(0)2 97 45 09 00 info@silvadec.com

A WIDE VARIETY OF ACCESSORIES

called Duro. Duro Decking is an innovative eco-sustainable material mainly made up of rice husks and pure PVC. It is available in different colors, it grants maximum stability and strength over time, it is resistant to UV radiation and it is class B1 fire resistant. Duro is undoubtedly the best choice for composite decking. In addition, we also presents a new installation system that significantly simplifies the fitting procedures. As a result, fitting times are reduced by up to 50% as the fitting costs obviously and you have no risk of errors. You could also easy remove and reinsert individual planks at any point in the floor.

Furthermore, this patented Easy Change Installation System is also studied to be used for wood decking.

Lime Lime Alternative Supplier aims to provide innovative and ecological alternatives to traditional building materials. A good example is the terrace solution Lime Woven Decking with the classic B-Fix profile for invisible fastening. This is a synthetic material (a layer of textile, enclosed in polyester) which is glued onto an extremely stable and thermally treated base.

There are several possible decors, even suitable for the indoor interior. Another example is

Lime Composite Decking which is fitted with the premium profile from B-Fix. A composite material, consisting of wood fibre and polyethylene.

The Premium B-Fix profile creates the impression that the planks connect, whereas there is nevertheless a perfect expansion joint. The Lime Composite Siding offers the same composition and the same brushed look as the terrace boards. Here the open profile is used, and that gives the sidings a very slender look.

Plastivan At Plastivan they’ve noticed a growing preference for wood composite due to its durability and low maintenance. The fact is that, according to Plastivan, the market for qualitative wood composite is growing at the expense of wood and the import of wood composite. Clients are increasingly giving the preference to a quality product.

Plastivan NV is a manufacturer of DUOFUSE®, a wood composite material comprising 50% PVC and 50% wood dust. It is used not only for the production of terrace planks, but also for various types of garden screens. This means DUOFUSE® can offer a full garden assortment.

The DUOFUSE® terrace planks are available in a hollow and a solid

DENDERWOOD J.Cardijnstraat 3 9420 Erpe-Mere Belgium Tel. +32 (0) 53-73 74 74 Fax +32 (0) 53-73 74 75 E info@denderwood.com Web www.denderwood.com

Tropical hardwood importer Durable, stable and innovative solutions for exterior applications - Decking (traditional screwing or clip system) - Underconstruction - Wall cladding (slated cladding and open structures) Large range of different sections, profiles and species (Padouk, Iroko, Afzelia, Afrormosia, Ipe, Teck, Yellow Balau) MarQuise Greenline Primeline Floor Forum International 86

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Outdoor floors : wood and composite

wood design in which the former version is considerably cheaper than alternatives in hardwood (e.g. ipe or padauk). Fitting wooden or composite terraces is certainly not the core business of a floor fitter, but floor fitters are increasingly providing this service. A spokesperson comments: ‘This goes along with the trend towards the blurring of the border between the interior and exterior.’

Outdoor Wood Concepts For the construction of terraces Outdoor Wood Concepts mainly use the wood types padouk, massaranduba, and ipe. Outdoor Wood Concepts only deploy oak wood for exterior wall cladding and, in line with all of its products, only as solid wood. In the range offered you will not find any composite as an alternative material, as they regard the terraces and exterior wall cladding as an extension of the activities of the traditional art of the floor fitter.

Ravaioli Legnami The most popular wood sorts for terraces are tropical sorts, mainly due to their natural characteristics, durability, and resistance to the weather.

Thermally treated wood sorts are also doing well. Oak is not advisable for terraces. Ravaioli Legnami does have a preference for real wood, but also offers an alternative in WPC due to the price and qualities. For Ravaioli Legnami the terrace market is growing and they are sure that this will be a lucrative business for parquet floor fitters.

Silvadec Silvadec produces terrace planks, fencing, and cladding in wood composite consisting of approximately 2/3 wood and 1/3 polyethylene. Silvadec uses spruce as wood. There are considerable differences in price for wood composite materials on the market related mainly to significant variations in the technical attributes of the material and the proportion of wood used in the end product.

The Silvadec trademark composite is resistant to termites and moisture and also

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has very high compressive strength. This material bears the European label Dfl S1. The elements can support a weight of 450kg/m² which is spread evenly. Silvadec presents both horizontal and vertical planks.

Silvadec was present at the BAU trade fair in Munich. This show was a real success and a good opportunity for them to present their new Atmosphere terrace planks and their new decors for partitions. They’ll see you at Budma in Poznań, Poland, from 7 to 10 February 2017!

The Magnet by Exterpark At Exterpark they offer for terraces only wood which can be exposed to the influences of the weather.

And so, we are talking here about tropical wood sorts such as ipe, kurupay, merbau, teak, and elondo. Oak has always been popular for frontages, for instance, but it doesn’t really belong at Exterpark. Recently, the company has started with a vacuum treatment for red oak in order to make it more weatherproof. As regards composites, the company’s range includes the Exterpark Tech Patented Plus’. Exterpark Tech consists for 60% of FSC wood flour and 40% of other raw materials, including polyurethane. These composite planks are not meant to be an imitation of wooden terraces, but an alternative solution for those who consider design to be important.

Exterpark Tech Cube is a premium WPC with a special licensed treatment, which protects the entire plank even better. At Exterpark they have seen how terrace sections have been introduced into lots of new markets where growth is still possible. Furthermore, there has certainly been a rise in demand for composite, partly due to the price and the availability of the raw materials.

Vetedy Vetedy, player in the decking market for more than 15 years, has chosen quality and invisible fixation. To meet its commitment, the company carefully selects the woods it decide to work with. The criteria are: naturally class 1 (class 4 in France) and rot-proof wood, available from durably managed forests, and so, environmentally friendly. The wooden board stability is ensured by an adequate drying of the woods. Vetedy’s expertise stopped its choice on Padouk, Merbau, Jaya, Ipe and Teak. Softline® system already proved its performance across the world (Northern and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South-Eastern Asia, Middle East, Oceania…) for almost 20 years.

Special

Top Polish companies focused on export

POLAND REMAINS A COUNTRY WITH HIGH GROWTH POTENTIAL FOREIGN COMPANIES CONTINUE TO INVEST Solidarity, Lech Walesa, played an important role. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. In 1978, under the name John Paul II, the archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla, became the first non-Italian pope since 1522.

Great names The country has given Europe people of great importance. For instance, in 1543 astronomer Copernicus showed that the earth is not the centre of the universe. Marie Sklodowska (married to Pierre Curie) won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for her study of radioactivity. Leading cultural individuals have included composers Chopin and Górecki and film directors Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Kieslowski. The poet Wislawa Szymborska won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1996.

In the field of sports as well Famous Polish athletes include athlete Irena Szewinska, rower Tomasz Kucharski, cyclists Lang, Jaskula, and Kwiatkowski, and footballers Tomaczewski, Lubanski, Deyna, and Lato. During the Olympics in London and Rio golden medals were acquired by rowers and in the athletic field, and in Sotjsi skater Brodka won the 1500 metre race, Kowalcyk won the 10-kilometre cross country, and Stoch received a medal for his ski-jumping skills.

State and politics Since 1989, the Polish construction industry has attracted foreign investors due to the considerable lack of maintenance and past investments. In the next few years, the Polish construction industry will continue to be one of the fastest-growing industries in Europe. More than 300,000 companies are active in the construction industry and it provides work for nearly one million people. Fewer than 1% of companies employ more than 100 workers, yet they account for over 30% of the total revenue in the industry. Poland stands out in several fields, and the wooden flooring industry is one of them.

Who are the Poles?

The Republic of Poland has experienced a democratic development since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. This mainly Roman Catholic country entered the European Union on 1 May 2004.

A true democracy Poland was part of the mainstream cultural development of Europe even before the Middle Ages. The country developed itself as a textbook example of a liberal democracy honouring the rights of minorities.

During the fall of the communist regime, the leader of the labour union

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Poland is a parliamentary republic with a president as head of state, who has limited powers. The president, who is elected directly for five years, has a veto right by law which can be countered by a 3/5 majority in parliament. However, the president has important representative functions. Actual government power is vested in the Council of Ministers. On 6 August 2015, Andrzej Duda was inducted as the new president of Poland. In May, he surprisingly won from incumbent president Bronislaw Komorowski with a minimal difference. The latter became president in 2010, after the death of Lech Kazynski who was chosen in 2005. His predecessors were Lech Walesa (1990-1995) and Aleksandr Kwasniewski (1995-2005).

Administrative bodies The Council of Ministers has executive power and, together with parliament (National Meeting, Zgromadzenie Narodowe), legislative powers.

Parliament consists of two Chambers, the Lower House (‘Sejm’), and the Senate (‘Senat’). The Senate can modify and block bills, but the veto can be countered only by the Lower House (‘Sejm’). A Council of Ministers can only take office after a motion of confidence has been adopted by the Lower House. Poland has a constitutional court that examines laws for their compatibility to the constitution and holds referenda. In 2003, there was a referendum regarding Poland entering the EU.

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Politics after 1989 After the fall of communism in 1989, a parliamentary democracy with a multi-party system was introduced. Initially politicians from the labour union Solidarność played an important part. At the time there were a lot of parties (in 1991 29 in the Lower House) and coalition changes. After 1995, a more stable situation came into existence. Between 1995 and 2005 (with an interruption in 1997-2001), the Councils of Ministers were primarily conducted by socialist Prime Ministers. The socialists governed regularly with the Polish People’s Party.

Today’s politics Since November 2015, Poland has been governed by a conservative-nationalistic Council of Ministers with Beata Szydlo as Prime Minister. The conservative-nationalistic party PiS won elections last October and consequently took power from a Christian-democratic regime. Since 2007, a coalition of two Roman Catholic (conservative-liberal) parties has governed. Donald Tusk, the leader of the largest coalition party, Civil Forum, became Prime Minister and he remained so after the parliament elections of 2011. Due to his position as permanent chairman of the European Council, Tusk was succeeded by Ewa Kopacz on 22 September 2014.

Economic growth Russian model After WWII Poland concentrated fully on the economic model of the Soviet Union. Banks and large companies were nationalised and large-scale landownership was terminated. Only the smaller farms and the service sector remained in private ownership. The living standards remained very low for a long time, but Poland slowly went from a predominantly agricultural country to an industrialised country. In 1995, 22% of the working population worked in the agricultural sector, 32% in the industrial sector, and 46% in the trade and service sector.

No recession In 2014, Poland was the 23rd strongest economy in the world. At the start of the economic crisis in 2009 Poland was the only country in the European Union that did not suffer from a recession. Since the crisis, there hasn’t been a recession or a contraction of the economy. In 2011, economic growth was 4.3 %, one of the best results of Europe.

That same year, the unemployment rate was 9.7 %. Since the fall of communism in Poland, Poland has implemented a lot of reforms, which have helped the economy tremendously. As early as 1996, 70% of the country’s trading partners were members of the European Union and neighbouring Germany was Poland’s most important trading partner at the time. In the Arab world the United Arab Emirates are the most important trade partner. The large potential growth, an extensive domestic distribution market, EU-membership and a high level of political stability have persuaded many foreign companies to invest in Poland.

A perfect woodland Sixty percent of Poland’s surface is agricultural land and 27% is woodland area. This area is 8,668 million hectares (which is 0.23 hectares per inhabitant of Poland). Roughly 82% is the state’s property (7,145 million hectares), whilst 18% is private property (1,523 million hectares). The standing wood supply in Poland is 1,345 million cubic metres.

The average standing wood supply per hectare is 155m³. The annual average extra growth is around 4.5m³/ha. The annual average timber harvest is 2.83m³/ha. For Poland as a whole this boils down to approximately 24.5 million cubic metres of timber harvest per year. More than 82% of the woodland areas in Poland consist of pine forest, with the Pinus sylvestris as the most common species, but especially the Polish

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oak wood is famous since it is of exceptional quality. The oak type that we encounter in countries as like Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland is the Quercus Robur-Quercus Petraea, which is exactly the same type as French oak. Obviously the circumstances in which the trees grow differ drastically from the circumstances in France. Poland has extremely warm and dry periods during summer, whilst the winters are very cold. Consequently, a wood type is found which is paler since there is less tannic acid in the wood. Polish oak has a much denser cell structure as well. The wood is extremely strong and stable but it is rather hard to apply colour on the surface.

Champion in wooden floors The production of wooden floors in Poland is significantly higher than consumption, but an ongoing increase of the share in the consumption of wooden floors can be expected since the Polish living standards are rising.

Production of wooden floors The total production in 2012 in Europe (FEP) amounted to 68,266,133m² as against 70,713,000m² the previous year. From that total production, Poland is responsible for nearly 13 million square metres of wooden floors. This is practically 500,000 square metres more than the previous year. In other words, Polish wooden flooring production is increasing despite the general decrease in FEP countries.

Consumption of wooden floors The situation with respect to the consumption of wooden floors is different however, even though Poland is still successful. The general European consumption of wooden floors decreased in 2012 by 5.88% to 87,509,000m². As far as consumption is concerned Poland is in sixth place in the rank of FEP countries, after Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, Czech Republic, and Hungary. Germany remains without a doubt the winner when it comes to consumption. In 2012, Poland was only responsible for 5.20 % of the total consumption of wooden floors.

This corresponds to 4,550,468m² of wooden floors, which were purchased in Poland that year.

DOMEL

Domel is a furniture and floor manufacturer formed in 1945. The company is a real family business, and is now in its third generation. Its core business is producing wooden floor industrial parquet, wooden terraces, and furniture. The emphasis is on furniture and wooden floors. In 2014, Domel employs 150 people and, in 2014, had a turnover of about five million euros. New for 2016 is an industrial parquet finished with oil or lacquer and fitted with tongue and groove. The European Union and the United States are major export markets for Domel. + 48 (0) 62 782 99 24 - www.domelmeble.pl

FAIR UNDERLAY

BALTIC WOOD

This Polish parquet manufacturer is one of the most successful exporters of parquet in Poland. This is due to the production quality at Baltic Wood, which enjoys international recognition, and this can be deduced from the many certificates which Baltic Wood holds, such as Real Wood, CE, ISO, Ü, and FSC. In particular, the quality of the oak top layer and the excellent plank fits have impressed people. Baltic Wood has an excellent tracing system whereby all wood which comes in is sorted and given a code showing the date and forest of origin. This means they can keep the wood together as much as possible for the production of parquet so that the planks are remarkably uniform as regards colour and also have a similar moisture content. The manufacturer monitors all international market trends and offers a wide range of floors in modern and trendy collections. +48 (0) 13 491 65 00 - www.balticwood.pl Fair Underlay is a trade mark of Fair Packaging Group, a company formed in 2003. In 2007 Fair Packaging started producing its own PE foams. In 2008, the company was awarded the ISO 9001 certificate. Nowadays, under the Fair Underlay brand, the company presents PE underlays with a density of more than 100kg/m³. In recent years, partly thanks to their participation in European integration, their production capacity has increased considerably. Today, Fair Underlay employs over 120 people. The company has become a specialist in PE underlays for floating floors. Their flexibility enables them to deliver almost entirely tailor-made work with foams ranging from extremely thin to a thickness of up to 5mm with a density ranging between 18 and 150kg/ m³ and integrated vapor barriers. They produce a few million square metres here. In 2016, company established its own testing laboratory and started to control internally critical underlays parameters accordingly to EPLF recommendation. Their products have been also tested and approved for german market according to DIBt. For 2017, Fair Underlay is unveiling some pioneering technology in the field of sound insulation, namely RWS Barrier. This gives an improvement in contact sound by no less than 40%, whilst other subfloors run around between 12 and 31%. The rather heavy mats have a density of up to 1000kg/m³. The RWS Barrier Soundproofing Technology conforms to the strictest environmental standards. Fair Underlay supplies products worldwide. Recently, the manufacturer has also launched an App to help detect the difference in walking sound with the different types of floor underlays. Another application shows how much money you can save by opting for the best underlay as regards heat conduction if there is floor heating under the subfloor. + 48 516 121 639 - www.fairunderlay.com

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CEZAR Cezar Production Company is one of the key European companies in the construction & finishing sector. They manufacture skirting boards and underlays. The company started its business activity in 1958. Cezar company consists of four modern production plants situated in the centre of Europe. Their products are available in 41 countries.

They offer skirting boards (made of PVC, MDF, wood, polystyrene, and aluminium), underlays (made of polystyrene, polyethylene foam, polyolefin, milled pine-tree fibre, and natural cork), profiles for carpets, trims for tiles and terracotta, PVC corners, wall panels, stair profiles, joint profiles, transition strips, eaves profiles, profiles for LED strip lightings, and standard and construction profiles.

Dynamic development and innovation products have led Cezar to form Cezar Group with a view to further development based on implementation of new technology and products. + 48 (0) 87 620 99 00 - www.cezar.eu

LARECO Lareco was formed in the 1950s. The name is a compilation of the Latin ‘Lares’, who was the Roman god of the home and joy at home, and ‘eco’, a direct reference to the company’s attention to ecology in their production and operational processes. Everything at Lareco revolves around wood. The company is located in the ‘cleanest’ region of Poland, namely Podlachia, and knows how to take advantage of that. Their floors are produced solely from natural materials from sustainably managed forests and meet European standards.

Finish and protective products do not contain any harmful substances. Lareco is a family business. The third generation entered the company in 2005. The company targets clients who cherish high expectations and look for products of the very highest quality. The core business consists of producing wooden floors, multi-layer and solid wood floors, and solid wood skirting boards.

Investments in the latest technology mean that Lareco is now a leading producer in Europe. The company is 100% FSC approved. 30 people work at Lareco and the company’s capacity is over 30,000m² per month. For 2017, Lareco is launching the brand new IMPERI collection, a collection of distressed vintage floors with extraordinary finishes. + 48 (0) 85 655 34 46 - www.lareco.pl

PARKIET HAJNÓWKA PARKIET HAJNÓWKA has been a family-run company for a few generations, safeguarding wood processing traditions. The company was established on the basis of the Flooring Materials Hall at the Hajnówka Wood Industry Enterprise, the history of which goes back to the time before the parquet manufacturing plant was opened in Hajnówka in 1933. While taking over the materials hall, machines and drying plants, they have also benefited from the best staff from highly qualified employees, as well as long-lasting traditions and quality. Our range includes a wide selection of varnished and oiled floor boards, manufactured using native wood species e.g. oak and ash. This period of their company’s activity is a time of continuous investments – new machines and practical experience, which have undoubtedly contributed to the acquisition of a large group of customers. They have earned a reputation of being a reliable and trusted manufacturer. Whilst making investments, they attempt to create a strong and stable company. They will spare no effort to be a worthy successor to the Hajnówka’s traditions. + 48 (0) 85 873 23 76 - www.parkiethajnowka.pl

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∂ Industry news Design Parquet BATZ, A NEW NATURAL SHADE WHICH PACIFIES AND EVOKES SERENITY The new and exclusive shade ‘Batz’ in the Loft Contrecollé collection evokes a sociable and elegant sphere with a timeless class to match the charming atmosphere of the island with the same name.

‘Batz’ blends in seamlessly with every possible interior style e.g. contemporary, classic, Scandinavian, industrial, or the rural stylish approach. Design Parquet has selected RUCA oak due to its solidarity and its naturally soft tonality. ‘Batz’ consists of parquet with a high level of finish and exhibits unlimited joints on the length and sometimes on the sapwood. The parquet is made entirely in France and, as a wood sort, is timeless, sturdy, durable, and easy to maintain.

Cadex creates more business opportunities for flooring companies among architect and designers

network in the area of innovative materials.

Cadex will definitely be one of the not-to-be-missed highlights of the next edition of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR.

FN Neuhofer Holz | Helicopterflights from the exhibition BAU 2017 Taking off with its customers A helicopter flight over beautiful southern Bavaria and Austria combined with a company visit, and all of this in connection with attendance at the Bau trade fair in Munich – that’s how efficiently current and potential customers of FN Neuhofer Holz were on the go.

In less than half a day, they were able to get an idea of the massive investments that have been made in recent months at the plant at Zell am Moos. Visitors were persuaded by state-of-the-art robot technologies, optimised linkages between facilities, and recently expanded warehouse and logistics capacities, and the flight did the rest: “It’s fascinating what Neuhofer always comes up with to amaze us!” said a customer upon returning to the trade fair booth in Munich, where he was able to pick up a memento in the form of a souvenir photo in a FN Neuhofer picture frame.

MMFA Mulitlayer Modular Flooring Association

Design and Architecture will take centre stage as highlights of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR in 2017. cadex, the international event for connecting, learning and doing business in the design and architecture industry will be hold for the second year and for the first time as an integrated part of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR inside W5 and N2 Halls. cadex will work as collective of architecture and design-related stimulating content and will generate two and half days of conferences, networking events, interactive activities, creative display and much more. cadex will invite design Masters to explore the most cutting edge topics within the industry. cadex will cooperate with the Chinese Tongji University – College of Design & Innovation to establish Flooring LAB, a platform to analyze the upcoming flooring trends and discover new creative ways of using flooring materials. Key opinion leaders will hold forth of a variety of dialogues and they will also guide tours to point out and explore the most relevant content, tailored for architecture and design professionals. Once again cadex will host Materia, the global

Growing markets for modular multilayer flooring (MMF) Product dynamics require new standards The market success of modular multilayer flooring has resulted in an increase in membership for the MMFA, the Multilayer Modular Flooring Association, Bielefeld. As of 1 January 2017, it has a total of 40 European producers, suppliers and institutes working together towards the worldwide implementation of high quality standards for these innovative products. The MMFA anticipates that the recently-formed North American MFA Association will provide positive impetus for the interests of the industry.

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∂ Product news ADESIV WB MONO MS PERFORMANCE PLUS IN SPECIAL SAUSAGE PACKAGES From now on, Adesiv is presenting the successful WB MONO MS Performance Plus in three sausage packets. This is a 1K silane adhesive ideal for glueing small multi-layer or solid planks onto a cement-based substrate or onto old non-absorbent subfloors (e.g. marble, tiles, natural stone, or wooden floors). This adhesive contains no isocynate, amines, solvents, or water. Adhesive residue can be removed easily.

OSMO: EXPANDED ACCESSORY RANGE When applying wood finishes, several tools are needed that are often used right after each other. In order to ease the workload and the storage of tools for professionals and do-it-yourselfers, Osmo has developed a practical combi system: on the renowned Osmo System Telescopic Handle, various tools and accessories can be easily attached. Only the one handle is required and the attachments are just simply connected when needed. New to the product range are Decking Cleaning Brush (150 mm width), a Cleaning Kit for Floors as well as a Pad Holder with joint. The last product ensures an even and effortless application with Osmo products in corners and edges.

RUBIO MONOCOAT SIMPLIFIES ITS EXTERIOR ASSORTMENT Using Rubio Monocoat products is easy and can usually be explained in three steps. We want to extend this simplicity to our product assortment. We are therefore introducing an optional pre-colour, by way of analogy with thae interior assortment. The SunPrimer Hybrid Wood Protector can be used optimally as a pre-colour for the more intense colours of interior wood, with even better UV protection. This pre-colour is available in all 20 colours that the Hybrid Wood Protector is available in. Go to www.rubiomonocoat.com for more information and a detailed colour chart.

NEW: RUBIO MONOCOAT LED OIL At Rubio Monocoat we are accustomed to playing the role of pioneer. We want to do this again in 2017 with the launch of Rubio Monocoat LED Oil. The benefits of LED are obvious: considerably less energy consumption, longer-lasting lightbulbs, no ozone emission, no unpleasant odour. In short, this is an environmentally-friendly way to finish wood industrially. In addition, the LED Oil, just like our UV catalysed finishing oil, is based on our unique technology, with a guaranteed sustainable finish and a natural ‘look & feel’, like the oxidative RMC oils.

BASIN: BASILAYER PRO BASILAYER PRO (OP-2012) from BASIN is now for sale at a promotion discount of over 50% as long as stocks last! This 2mm acoustic parquet underlay, which is made from recycled and recyclable rubber and cork grains, ensures maximum contact noise insulation (up to 20dB) and, furthermore, can be fitted quickly and easily.

It has a very low VOC content, is ecological, and can be combined perfectly well with floor heating and floor air conditioning. In short, this is the parquet underlay par excellence! Contact them or visit their web site www.basin.be for more information.

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