Raffoul Ajami - Champion for Magnetic Technologies: Attraxion™ and MagneBuild™

Liz O’Connell for Premier Flooring Retailer

Raffoul Ajami - Champion for Magnetic Technologies: Attraxion™ and MagneBuild™

After 50 years in the flooring and surfaces business, Raffoul Ajami is a champion of the MagneBuild™ installation system using Metroflor’s Attraxion that he claims is an industry game-changer. In fact, in less than eighteen months of selling the products, Ajami Surfaces, based in Doral, Florida, is the leading provider of MagneBuild™ in the nation.

Metroflor LVT with Attraxion is designed to be compatible with Magnetic Building Solutions’ MagneBuild magnetic underlayment to facilitate a fast, easy, and flexible installation of the floor. Metroflor District Sales Manager, Kevin Parker, and Manny Alayon of Cain & Bultman Distributors presented Raffoul with Metroflor’s Déjà New with Attraxion as an option for the Bentley South Beach Hotel project in Miami Beach.

Michael Bennett, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at MBS, works closely with the Ajami Surfaces team with their MagneBuild™ projects. He says, “Raffoul was keenly interested in the MagneBuild™ platform the first time he was exposed to it. He did his due diligence to confirm that the product was safe and sound. He knew his consumer base would have questions, and he would be prepared to answer them. “Ajami Surfaces presents to the A&D community in south Florida regularly and also shows the product to his residential customer base daily. Raffoul maintains that he has never seen a better combination of flexibility and ease of installation than he has experienced in this magnetic platform.” During an in-depth conversation with Premier Flooring Retailer, Raffoul outlined the benefits of MagneBuild™ and shared, for the first time, his methods for selling this new star of the market.

What really sealed the deal for Bentley South Beach was when I told them, ‘Your maintenance guy who changes a light bulb can just as easily replace a damaged plank, so the room can be rented right away with no downtime, thanks to Metroflor’s Attraxion magnetic attachment technology.’

The Bentley South Beach showcases a contemporary interpretation of Miami’s unique perspective, integrating the MagneBuild™ LVT products.

Chris Phebus Photography, Lexington, KY

When introducing customers to MagneBuild™ Raffoul explains its selling points:

● Ease of use

● Interchangeability and aesthetic flexibility

● No adhesives in installation – minimal VOC

● No tongue and groove, no seaming

● Application versatility

● Suitability for residential and commercial.

● Time savings to the end-user resulting in a minimal shuttering of business and impact on business

● The whole system can be picked up, moved to a new space, and re-laid five or six times — renters would appreciate this.

● Safe with technology

● Hassle-free remediation of any damage

Bentley South Beach Renovation

Bentley South Beach hotel is located in the heart of Miami’s vibrant South Beach district. Built-in 1939 in the Art Deco style emblematic of that era, the recently renovated Bentley South Beach has reopened its doors. The Bentley South Beach showcases a contemporary interpretation of Miami’s unique perspective, integrating the MagneBuild™.

Working with Raffoul and his team, the hotel’s management sought the most innovative flooring in the renovation marketplace. Metroflor’s Déjà New with Attraxion Magnetic Attachment Technology was installed throughout the property, from guest rooms to public areas. Its stylish yet beachy good looks complement the hotel’s modern aesthetic. Like Bentley’s classic façade, there is more than meets the eye with Déjà New with Attraxion.

PROJECT: Bentley Hotel South Beach, Miami, FL

LOCAL DEALER: Ajami Floorings & Granite, Inc., Doral, FL

DESIGNER: Renata Giovannini, Bentley South Beach, Miami, FL

DISTRIBUTOR: Cain & Bultman

METROFLOR LVT DÉJÀ NEW WITH ATTRAXION FLOORING USED: 15,000 sq. ft. San Marcos Oak Waxed Greige DN1445117ATX

Chris Phebus Photography, Lexington, KY

Chris Phebus Photography, Lexington, KY

Specifications

DÉJÀ NEW WITH ATTRAXION San Marcos Oak Waxed Greige DN1445117ATX

Size: 9" × 60" planks

Wear Layer: 20 mil

Gauge: Attraxion LVT — 2.5mm

MagneBuild™ Underlayment 1.0mm

Installed System 3.5mm

Embossing: In-Register

Bevel: Microbevel

Finish: FX3 Surface ProtectantTM

Warranty: Lifetime Residential / 15-Year Commercial

“What really sealed the deal for Bentley South Beach was when I told them, ‘Your maintenance guy who changes a light bulb can just as easily replace a damaged plank, so the room can be rented right away with no downtime, thanks to Metroflor’s Attraxion magnetic attachment technology,’” Raffoul explains.

“The speed and ease of installation was a major factor in the Bentley Hotel’s choosing Déjà New with Attraxion. The ability to stagger the installation conveniently when guest rooms were unoccupied was important, and there were no odors from adhesives in public areas to interfere with guest comfort. Replaceability was another factor in the flooring’s favor: the property can quickly change the color or design of the planks without the expense of replacing the entire floor.”

Chris Phebus Photography, Lexington, KY

Ajami Floorings & Granite Showroom

Raffoul’s showroom is designed to showcase the products he carries. When introducing customers to the MagneBuild™ system, he has a wall with the magnetic membrane attached and painted over to blend in with the adjacent surface. He lays the LVT on the wall, and it sticks like magic. Then he’ll take them out to his warehouse and show a loaded forklift spinning and maneuvering over magnetic LVPs, and the flooring remains whole.

Chris Phebus Photography, Lexington, KY

Raffoul describes his next step, “Finally, I bring the people to where we installed a magnetic area, about 1200 square feet. I take one plank, and I damage it with a magic marker. So this is your fluid damage. I ask, ‘What are you going to do with that floor? Rip it up? Do we have to remove the glue? If this is about click, a professional guy has to do it.’

“Okay, then I bring them a suction cup. I remove the piece, and their eyes open up. I get a new piece and just put it in. That’s it. For big jobs, they come five or six times to check it out.

“And the last sales meeting with the Bentley South Beach group; they told me that the tipping point was when I mentioned that the guy that replaces your light bulb could replace a damaged plank. This was the winner because one of their biggest problems was every time a tenant left if there was any damage, they lost a day or two of rental income plus restoration costs.” ❚

The floor installed in the video of Ajami’s warehouse is Magnebuild™ from FloorFolio.

Ajami Surfaces, located in Doral, FL, has been awarded the #1 retailer of MagneBuild products in North America for 2020! Ajami Surfaces is also the exclusive dealer in South Florida for Floorfolio products. Congratulations to Raffoul Ajami, an active member of the WFCA.

The Ajami Surfaces showroom