Schönox: Flooring Profits are Found in Doing the Best Work

It Starts With The Subfloor

The success of every flooring project begins with the subfloor. A smooth, strong, durable flooring installation owes most of its qualities to the preparation of the subfloor. Conversely, a floor installation failure often results from subfloor issues. Flooring professionals know this, but many flooring customers do not. Not talking about the subfloor conditions with flooring customers is a sorely missed opportunity every time. Here’s why.

Subfloor issues concern flooring customers. They know the issues should be addressed and rely on flooring professionals to guide them through the process, developing a plan for project success. The greater the number and degree of subfloor issues, the greater the opportunity to help customers. Making the subfloor an integral part of the discussion for any flooring project ensures the customer gets what is needed for the subfloor and the flooring retailer maximizes the overall product offering in the sale. It’s a clear win for both.

Flooring professionals should embrace not fear challenging subfloor issues that provide opportunities to help customers, building longterm relationships and project successes along the way.

The process starts with the right questions. Many conversations with flooring customers focus on the floor covering. Style considerations, durability requirements, and top-surface performance questions fill those conversations, but the subfloor for every flooring project should be considered just as closely. While not an exhaustive list, the following questions for flooring customers will help determine the best pathway for high-quality subfloor preparation:

● Is the flooring project indoors or outdoors?

● If the substrate is concrete, are there any moisture issues?

● Does the subfloor have any contaminants or residual materials?

● Is the subfloor gypsum, concrete, wood, or some other material?

● Is the subfloor porous or non-porous?

● What is the physical condition of the subfloor?

● Are there elevation changes, peaks, or valleys across the subfloor?

● Are there time constraints to be considered with the subfloor preparation?

● What are the performance needs for the final flooring surface?

The questions may vary in how each is presented based on the nature of the project, the customer’s knowledge of flooring projects, and whether you are able to be on-site or not with the customer. Gathering information enhances the subfloor answers you can provide and guides customers through the decisions they make for their project plans.

Schönox HPS North America provides access to technical professionals who can address the issues surfaced with the above questions. Their comprehensive subfloor products equip flooring professionals and customers with the solutions needed for durable, long-lasting flooring installations. Solving subfloor issues builds long-term relationships between customers and retailers. Retailers tap into Schönox’s team daily for answers and support.

Subfloors are important and they are getting even more so given the tremendous growth of floor coverings such as LVT, requiring better, smoother subfloors. LVT sales grew a tremendous 340% over the past five years, taking share from other floor covering categories. This growth is expected to continue and with it, the need for higher-performing subfloors. Related growth is taking hold with self-leveling compounds, where subfloor issues are comprehensively addressed with self-leveling pours.

In its 10 years in the US, Schönox has advanced the use of self-leveling compounds with its wide-ranging solutions for every day to extreme subfloor situations. “During my 15 years founding and growing Centiva, I saw so many instances where the right subfloor materials were not available in the US to best address issues faced by the growing LVT category as well as other floor coverings,” explained Thomas Trissl, Principal, Schönox HPS North America. “Bringing Schönox to the US provided the subfloor solutions to positively impact every flooring project, making this our fundamental goal for the company.” 2021 marks the 10-year anniversary of Schönox’s debut in the US, but the 130-year anniversary of Schönox’s operations internationally. In February 2011, Schönox HPS North America partnered with Schönox GmbH in Germany to introduce, market, and support Schönox subfloor products throughout the North American market. The strategic alliance allows Schönox to move with the flexibility of an entrepreneurial startup while supported by products refined by 130 years of intense research and development, which continues to this day.

Renovation projects constitute a high growth area for flooring retailers and certainly involve subfloor opportunities. This is common in the commercial sector, where more than 44% of the available building square footage was built before 1980. That’s 38.7 billion square feet of commercial square footage. Much of that will be renovated, repurposed, and reused, with subfloors being a key issue. Of the subfloor manufacturers, Schönox has invested most heavily in research and development, creating products custom made for renovation situations. Schönox subfloor solutions address previously insurmountable subfloor issues, allowing modern floor coverings to be used in those renovated structures which are rich in character but quite often do not have smooth, sound subfloors. Retailers can provide subfloor solutions with confidence for commercial and residential renovation projects, further enhancing their value to customers.

Often a flooring project failure is blamed on the floor covering, but the subfloor is the real culprit. Arming a customer with the subfloor products needed to address the issues of the project and to get a successful outcome ensures customers are repeat customers. In the process, flooring professionals provide great value and expertise to the customer growing a trusted relationship that endures over time and pays dividends to both.

In the past, subfloors may have been ignored and many subfloor problems covered over with floor coverings that bridged or hid those problems. Floor covering trends and consumer tastes have changed, and that’s all the better for flooring professionals. Providing integrated subfloor solutions sets customers up for success and provides additional sales and opportunities for floor covering retailers.❚

Before: Wood subfloors with residual adhesives presented concerns for the flooring customer.

After: Schönox AP, synthetic-gypsum self-leveling compound, covered the space, resulting in a smooth, strong subfloor ready for covering.

Before: This gypsum-based subfloor presented heavily cracked sections with flex in the materials.

After: Ideal for renovation projects, Schönox APF, synthetic gypsum, fiber-reinforced, self-leveling compound, leveled this project subfloor with extraordinary strength for years to come.