Rita Bancroft looks at interior trends as designers go for classic, cosy and natural pages 31–33
Harris to head Metro
Graham Harris has been appointed as Steve Depport leaves Metro page 22
Online boost
Carpet Foundation build on success of online advertisng for retailers page 18
on page 26
on page 17
Advertisers
starts on page 23
Slick click for wood Furlong forges ahead with easy engineered wood options page 22
Floor waste web
New initiative simplifies waste disposal for householders page 26
20,000 runners
Bespoke runners from Louis De Poortere transform stairs page 17
Smooth Abingdon
UK carpet leader unveils LVT collections to extend portfolio page 20
“Deepest decline for 30 years”, now recovery?
Manufacturers say things have never been worse while retail sales shoot up 24% in September. It’s not as bad, or as good, as it seems! Business news – page 30
Flanders
forges ahead
Eager anticipation builds for next Spring’s Euro show in Belgium page 28
Flooring
deflation
Retail prices finally fall after months of inflation
Business news – page 30
Image: Stones Marble Carrera White
A GUARANTEED PERFORMANCE FOR LUXURY VINYL TILES
Where a resilient, visually attractive LVT finish is required, it is critical that the right installation products are selected. F. Ball's 'System LVT' range, backed up by our product guarantee, ensures the right results every time.
Trade Counter locations: Orpington Croydon Basildon Hemel Hempstead Cambridge Bar Hill
SALES: 0845 899 1000
INSPIRING YOUR PROJECTS - COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS
Each Elegance Royale Plank has been skilfully created using a new super matt technology (Gra-Matt™Ultra) that makes the floor visually closer to natural wood, unlike many other glossy LVT products. Each design accurately mimics the texture of natural timber while incorporating multitonal variance to give your herringbone floor realistic character and depth.
Universal Wood Puddle
Our new Universal and Universal Design ranges are out now
With a refreshed colour pallet, our best-selling 0.55mm Universal range has welcomed five new plank and two new herringbone designs. These sit alongside a brand new tile collection, all available in dryback and click.
Universal Design is a dryback only collection and works across plank, fishbone and parquet, all with a lifetime warranty.
Point of sale is available to order now.
Universal Design Fishbone Hardwick
Desire
Introducing Desire, our latest carpet sensation that stole the spotlight at the 2024 Harrogate Flooring Show!
Crafted for comfort and luxury, Desire features a soft, toe-hugging texture that delivers a cloud-like feel underfoot. With its dual back construction, this carpet offers durability and longevity, making it perfect for both busy households and serene spaces. Engineered with a 1/10 gauge and 2-ply yarn, Desire boasts a lush 20mm pile height, ensuring maximum softness while maintaining resilience. Made from 100% polyester, it’s as stylish as it is practical, offering both stain resistance and easy maintenance.
To upgrade your home for ultimate comfort and design, choose Desire; the carpet that everyone’s talking about!
Louis De Poortere lets anyone create their own bespoke runner with Richelieu Classic, choosing a bordered design in any two colours from 144 options. That’s 20,000 possible combinations to transform any staircase into a striking and personal feature of the home.
Demonstrating the flexibility of Louis De Poortere’s woven Wilton programme, the bespoke runners are made from a heavyweight wool-rich yarn for an enduring addition to staircases, landings and hallways. Available in four widths (60, 70, 90, 100 and 120cm) to provide the ideal fit, a Richelieu Classic runner brings quality and sophistication to the home. In fact, Richelieu Classic runners have such quality that they are also suitable for use in commercial projects such as boutique hotels.
By using Louis de Poortere’s interactive runner builder and experimenting with 144 colours and nine patterns, homeowners can dream up their ideal stair or hallway runner. The easy to use Mix&Match online tool makes designing fun. In every pattern, the background and design can be individually coloured in any of the 144 colours. Alan Russell, sales director, tells more: “The Richelieu runner programme is a great way for the best independent retailers to offer added value to their customers and provide a unique shopping experience. Through the online Mix&Match tool homeowners become really engaged in the process of creating their runner and deciding on just which combination is right for them.”
Available Mix&Match designs include the diamond of Venus and stripe of Mars, through to the interlocking squares of Junon and classic motif of Royal Aubusson.
Retailers and homeowners alike will also be pleased to learn that this added-value service doesn’t come with a longlist of minimums or requirements. Thanks to the 144 yarn colours permanently held in stock, Louis de Poortere offers Richelieu Classic bespoke runners from just 10 linear metres - the same for its entire Richelieu runner programme. Designs can be created and downloaded in the easy to use tool on the website. www.louisdepoortere.com
The elegance of waterproof wood
In a majestic long and wide plank, Cala waterproof wood flooring from Quick-Step brings a sense of grandeur and elegance to large rooms and open plan living spaces. In a range of unique, beautiful and soul warming wood finishes, ranging from Wintry Forest Oak Extra Matt to Cinnamon Oak Extra Matt, the collection has something for every interior style.
Importantly, Cala’s looks are preserved with Wood for Life, Quick-Step’s unique surface that stops water and spills in their tracks and avoids the build-up of dirt and black marks that afflict other wood floors. Wood for Life is the guarantee that every Cala floor will stay looking beautiful for many years to come.
Cala is available in all three Quick-Step grades in Marquant, Nature and Vibrant and in brushed or deep brushed textures. Because of its Wood for Life finish, every Cala floor comes in Extra Matt Lacquered for a hardwearing surface with an oiled look.
Read the BIG Flooring Show review
All the happenings at Harrogate that will drive the flooring market forward into 2025 pages 35-68
To make Cala waterproof, Quick-Step’s Hydroseal joints combine with the water repellent Wood for Life finish to provide a surface that water can’t penetrate. Waterproof and easy to clean, Cala can be confidently used in kitchens, hallways and bathrooms. And of course, as this is a Quick-Step floor, Cala comes with Uniclic Multifit for easier fitting and easy replacement of damaged planks.
Every Quick-Step wood floor is made with sustainably sourced wood. The core and backing of planks are made with recovered wood or fast-growing trees that can be replaced quickly. For Cala’s top layer, Quick-Step sources oak from sustainably managed forests. By using Wood for Life to preserve appearance, Quick-Step can also make this top layer thinner, using even less wood so that it harvests as few trees as possible.
With colour-matched accessories, underlay, foam strips and Hydrokit sealant to create a wall-to-wall waterproof floor, Quick-Step has everything needed to uphold Cala’s Wood for Life and water warranties. www.quick-step.co.uk
Classic cosy style
Rita Bancroft looks at naturally-themed interiors for Autumn – page 31-33
Slick click for wood Furlong makes wood floors accessible with click fit ease page 22
Online burst to boost retailers
The Carpet Foundation has launched another salvo in the war to win over consumers to buy more carpet from independent retailers with their latest high profile online campaign.
The advertising burst will see their ads appear over 600,000 times across www.idealhome.com, www.livingetc.com, www.homesandgardensmagazine. com and www.realhomes.com and will last eight weeks.
As before, the objective of the campaign will be to promote Carpet Foundation independent retailers as the people to buy carpet from. Four different advertisements will be used, all with the call to action to ‘buy from one of our experts’ and direct consumers to the Carpet Foundation website.
Chief Executive Andrew Stanbridge said: “We deliberately kept our powder dry in the first part of 2024 as we knew an election was imminent and that always results in the hand brake being put on by consumers across all areas of significant spend. Now the election is well and truly behind us, and with other major outlets in the industry going out of business or pulling out of flooring, we feel now is the ideal time to actively promote our retailers as the people to buy carpet from.”
“Big noises are being made about building more houses, increasing home ownership, making the planning system more consumer friendly and building on the ’grey’ belt so we want to ensure that our retailers gain more than most from these intentions,” says Andrew.
This latest burst aims to build on the success of previous campaigns. The Foundation launched its first online advertising in 2022 and in the following year, the campaign exceeded online industry benchmarks for click throughs.
www.carpetfoundation.com
Feel the Difference in store
The new Feel the Difference underlays give homeowners even more choice in dense, premium PU foam underlays that deliver the best in comfort, support and resilience. Retailers can now begin to up-sell homeowners to these new underlays thanks to A3 hanging samples, A3 card presenters, A4 cards and Feel the Difference branded point-of-sale now available.
Finesse (11mm UHD+), Charm (9mm UHD+), Indulgence (11mm SHD+) and Delight (9mm SHD+) give homeowners a choice of options depending on their budget and requirements. To mark out these new Feel the Difference underlays as premium options, floorwise uses a printed and stitched crepe paper top and non-woven base for a better feeling product over standard PU foam types. Combined with the excellent bouncebackability of either Ultra High Density or Super High Density foam, the new underlays are made to deliver the very best combination of comfort, durability and recovery beneath carpets. Richard Bailey, managing director, says, “With our new Feel the Difference PU foam underlays homeowners have even more reasons to choose premium comfort and support beneath their carpet. With different thickness and densities, the new underlays let retailers find the right product for the room and carpet, while offering the reassurance of firstclass comfort, support and durability. The use of a stitched crepe paper top gives these underlays a superb look and feel and our quality new samples help kick-off the conversation about Feel the Difference!”
In Finesse and Charm, floorwise offers its most dense PU foam quality in 11mm and 9mm thickness best suited to heavyweight carpets or homes looking for the very best in high-traffic areas. The SHD+ of Indulgence and Delight provide a more affordable option but one that’s no less luxurious – plus the underlays are also suitable for high trafficked areas. With impact sound reduction of up to 47dB and thermal insulation up to of 3.10 tog, they help to make homes noticeably warmer and quieter too. T 01509 673974 • www.floorwise.co.uk
LeoLine powers up with Premium
LeoLine Premium is a sheet vinyl floor with a clear difference. From the very first glance, you can tell this sheet vinyl floor is something special thanks to its unique surface that gives the convenience of a seamless vinyl floor with the premium looks of luxury vinyl.
Premium is unique because of its composition that’s a hybrid of the roll format of cushion vinyl and the advanced design and texture of LVT. With a deep embossed texture, clear and matt wear layer, and high definition original wood and concrete designs, Premium is a high quality cost-effective alternative to LVT floors that’s much easier and faster to install. The pronounced bevel makes every plank stand out, so that Premium looks just as good as luxury vinyl that’s installed plank by plank.
LeoLine has made Premium available in 14 looks across 10 authentic wood planks, two herringbone floors and two concrete designs. From the dark grey of Noble Oak through to limewashed herringbone of Rosario Oak, each design is an authentic take on a classic or modern natural flooring look.
Stuart Reeves, sales and marketing director, LeoLine, says: “Premium shares a lot in common with luxury vinyl, but retains everything that makes LeoLine floors such an easy to live with flooring option. Easy to install, 100% waterresistant, a breeze to clean and tough enough to stand up to wear, the range can bring the practical advantages of cushion vinyl while giving homeowners a really impressive design floor that looks premium in every way.”
Premium features LeoLine’s Superguard protection for better dirt and stain resistance and easier cleaning. It also has extra slip-resistance, suitable for use in bathrooms and kitchens and with a 20-year residential guarantee.
T 0800 032 3970 • www. leoline.co.uk
FLOORINGNEWS
Flawless flooring afloat
F. Ball and Co. Ltd. will showcase its range of products for creating flawless flooring installations on board cruise ships at this year’s Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe.
Exported globally, products from F. Ball’s marine range have been used to install flooring on some of the world’s most prestigious cruise ships, as well as a wide range of other marine and offshore applications, including Mediterranean super yachts, offshore oil rigs and polar exploration vessels.
All of the company’s products for marine applications are tested in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards, the EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED) and UK Marine Equipment Regulations (MER).
These include adhesives for almost every type of decorative floorcovering and subfloor preparation products to ensure a perfect base for floorcoverings.
Amongst key products is F. Ball’s Stopgap 1500 high performance, water-mix smoothing compound for creating a perfectly smooth surface for floorcoverings, which has recently been approved for use in marine environments and can be applied directly over steel subfloors as well as old adhesives residues. This eliminates the need to mechanically remove them before installation.
Other solutions help to ensure a long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing flooring finish when subject to conditions typically found in marine environments. For example, Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS temperature tolerant, pressure sensitive vinyl adhesive forms a water-resistant bond that is able to withstand extreme temperature changes for installing floorcoverings in areas exposed to high levels of moisture, such as bathrooms and kitchen and galleys on board vessels.
T 01538 361 633 • www.f-ball.co.uk
Ditch the plywood and switch
If you’re struggling to find good quality plywood, getting fed up of core gaps and overlaps or simply want a better and more sustainable alternative for your resilient flooring installations, make the switch to Lion Floor.
Plywood has long been the default choice for installing resilient floors, but it’s not without its problems. Lion Floor can be used in exactly the same way as plywood but eliminates many of its issues. Sustainably made in Finland from locally sourced wood by-product, Lion Floor is readily available across the UK and comes in multiple sheet sizes.
Peter Jones, Finnish Fibreboard Ltd, makers of Lion Floor, says,
“If you’re an installer that’s always looking for an edge, our Lion Floor engineered fibreboards are well worth a look. They are specifically made for flooring installations and come pre-conditioned with perfect moisture balance, so you can use them right away.
“What’s more they are installed in exactly the same way as plywood and have been tested to be compatible with leading screed and feather compounds. Switching to Lion Floor just means you’ll benefit from a European sourced, sustainable, reliable, versatile and cost-effective alternative. For any installer looking to get an edge in their installations, making the switch is a no-brainer.”
Suitable for all resilient floor installations, and compliant with BS 8203:2017, Lion Floor is the first fabricated underlay designed for flooring. Suitable for domestic and commercial environments, it provides a smooth, flat and lasting subfloor. Lion Floor is also oiltempered for better protection against moisture, withstands higher point loads than plywood boards and is pre-conditioned so there’s no need for wetting before use.
sales@finfib.fi • www.finfib.fi
New portfolio of Abingdon show-stoppers
For the nation’s original easy clean carpet family, Stainfree, Abingdon Flooring has released Rustique Ultra. Complementing the successful Rustique style, this brand-new range uses a tri-colour yarn and a dense 1/10th gauge for better performance in areas of the home that see heavy traffic.
New Rustique Ultra was launched at The Flooring Show and comes in 16 popular colours and features Abingdon Flooring’s original and best Stainfree for Life warranty alongside a 10 year wear warranty. Complete with Abingdon’s comfort fleece back, the collection is available in 2.5, 4 and 5m widths.
Continuing the legacy of Love Story’s ultra-soft carpets, we also see two new styles enter the collection in Soft Whisper and Hidden Depths. Taking inspiration from the Destiny roll range, both are soft to the touch and perform well in high-traffic areas of the home. With a yarn that bounces back time after time and a fleece backing for easier fitting and improved feel, Soft Whisper and Hidden Depths come with a Stainfree for Life promise and 10 year wear warranty. Homeowners can choose from a mix of 14 heathered and plain tones in 2.5, 4 and 5m widths.
Alongside the excitement surrounding these additions to Abingdon range of British made carpets, there was noticeable buzz at the show for the launch of Simply Smooth, which includes the company’s venture into luxury vinyl and laminate, as well as new cushion vinyl styles. Upholding Abingdon Flooring’s reputation for great value products that deliver serious style, Simply Smooth will open up new opportunity for retailers across the UK.
Artisan and Eminence LVT collections come in six warm wood colours in both click and dryback specifications. For its laminate collections, which are made here in the UK, Abingdon Flooring has released the 8mm Prestige and 12mm Exquisite.
Rounding out the Simply Smooth launch are two highly affordable cushion vinyl collections, Urban and Endurance. Bringing a natural look to homes that need an easy-to-look-after floor that is extraordinary value, Urban comes in eight stylish designs, including herringbone and a smart stone tile. T 01274 655 694 • www.abingdonflooring.co.uk
Furlong Flooring is delighted to launch Universal Clic, a revolutionary new 12mm engineered wood flooring solution. Bridging the gap between laminate and wood flooring, this innovative product offers the best of both worlds with its superior fitting system and authentic wood finish.
Universal Clic is designed to meet the needs of both residential and commercial customers who desire the look of real wood flooring with the ease of installation typically found with laminate products. The flooring uses the same best-in-class click fitting system used in the quality laminate ranges, making it ideal for easy fitting and cost-conscious pockets.
Universal Clic boasts an impressive array of features designed to meet the diverse needs of modern homeowners. Compatible with underfloor heating, it offers versatility in installation options. The flooring’s 3mm wear layer ensures enhanced durability, making it suitable for high-traffic areas.
Furlong Flooring stands behind the quality of Universal Clic with a 15-year residential warranty and a five-year commercial warranty, providing peace of mind for both homeowners and business owners. Available in a generous 190mm width and 1900mm length, Universal Clic offers a stylish spacious look that can transform any room.
Commenting on the launch of Universal Clic, Richard Richman, National Hard Flooring Sales Director of Furlong Flooring said: “This product represents our commitment to innovation and our understanding of our customers’ needs for high-quality, easy-to-install flooring solutions.”
Available in eight natural and diverse colour variations, spanning from light to dark oak tones, Universal Clic allows you to choose the perfect hue to suit interior design preferences. As part of its commitment to sustainability, Furlong has ensured Universal Clic is crafted from UKTR-certified wood, aligning with the company’s eco-conscious values.
T 01772 316155 • www.furlongflooring.com
F. Ball raises the bar
Products from F. Ball’s System LVT range, including the company’s Stopgap 700 and Stopgap 1200 smoothing compounds and Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive adhesive, were chosen to meet high expectations for a contemporary flooring installation in a brand new Bromsgrove bar. Domestic and commercial floorcovering specialists Décor Design prepared subfloors over two levels of the bar, a total area of 160m2, before installing vinyl floorcoverings using F. Ball’s Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive adhesive.
The flooring retailer began by overboarding the tongue and groove wood floor in the lower area of the bar with plywood. They then primed both the plywood and the concrete subfloor in the upper bar area with F. Ball’s P131 general-purpose primer. F. Ball’s Stopgap 700 flexible smoothing compound was applied to create a perfectly smooth finish for the receipt of floorcoverings. The product is reinforced with tiny fibres that maintain the integrity of the smoothing compound when subject to subfloor movements that flexible subfloors, including wood, are prone to. Stopgap 1200 was applied on the upper level. It is formulated so that it can be applied over minimal old adhesive residues, and without the need to prime beforehand, eliminating the need for mechanical removal and saving time in these situations.
Contractors then used F. Ball’s Styccobond F46 pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive to install wood-effect vinyl planks in various formations in the frontof-house areas and bathrooms and also to adhere vinyl safety flooring behind the bar. Styccobond F46 provides instant grab, preventing floorcoverings from sliding when placed, helping with the positioning of sections of flooring. It also has a long open time to prevent the risk of late placement.
T 01538 361 633 • www.f-ball.co.uk
Graham Harris to head Metro
Graham Harris is to head up the Metro Buying Group next year following the announcement of Steve Depport’s retirement.
Graham will join Metro in January as Commercial Manager and work alongside Steve for three months until Steve’s retirement at the end of March 2025 after 12 years building the Group’s Carpet 1st brand (see page 58 for more details).
With nearly 30 years’ experience in the flooring trade, Graham has most recently worked with Lusotufo/Causeway Carpets as Commercial Manager. Prior to that he has worked for Hugh Mackay and Kingsmead. It was at Kingsmead that Graham first started dealing with the Metro Group, which he continued at Hugh Mackay and Lusotufo.
In his earlier career he worked for Carpetright, progressing to branch manager before switching to sales with Georgian Carpets.
Steve Depport commented: “It was at Kingsmead Carpets that I first met Graham and I am confident we have the right person to continue to take the Metro Group forwards.”
Away from work Graham has a young family and coaches his son’s football team while supporting Manchester United.
“I am a keen Everton fan,” says Steve,” and while the plan is that Graham will be working alongside me for three months, I will be at Goodison Park on 22nd February when Everton entertains United so who knows what will happen after that?!”
• Enjoy an engaging, friendly, social and fun member event
• Meet our industry leading suppliers who support the group and take advantage of their additional on the day deals and incentives
• Buffet, Supplier Show, Gala Dinner and Casino Evening included for all attending ACG members
• The largest buying group trade show exclusively for it’s members
FINANCIAL REWARDS!
1 ACG offers membership without interference and a change in practice.
2 ACG offers its members actual ‘best trade pricing’.
3 ACG members receive all their ‘turnover rebates’ directly from suppliers.
4 ACG members have access to the hugely successful, multi award winning and largest of the group rebrands - Smart Choice.
5 ACG are a friendly, member owned and not for profit buying group.
So where’s the catch? Honestly, there isn’t one!
Floor waste website for householders
Safe disposal of carpets and other textile flooring waste has just become easier for domestic households in the UK thanks to a new online resource launched by Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK).
Their innovative database – the first of its kind - provides users with information on their local authority Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the country which accept carpet and other textile flooring waste.
Key features of the new www.recyclemycarpet.co.uk website include a easy search function allowing consumers to quickly find disposal options in their area with comprehensive coverage of all UK local authorities and direct links to council websites for up-to-date disposal guidelines
“This dedicated website allows the public to find their local council-operated waste and recycling centre where they can safely dispose of their carpet and textile flooring waste. This will help to provide a convenient and free of charge solution to a bulky waste stream, which would otherwise have been a costly and problematic issue,” comments Cathie Clarke, CEO of CRUK.
“This will also reduce the amount of waste being handled by fitters, or being returned to the retailers, and help to improve recycling rates for these materials,” she added.
CRUK says the launch of its database comes at a ‘crucial time’ as the UK government plans to standardise recycling collections across local authorities by March 2026. The new resource will help consumers to navigate the current varied landscape of disposal options and prepare for forthcoming changes.
“By providing easy access to local information, we aim to develop wider awareness and create better accessibility for the disposal of carpet and textile flooring waste across the country,” adds Cathie.
The website not only aids consumers but also supports the carpet industry’s move towards a more sustainable economy. It complements recent innovations such as the UK’s first carpet recycling facility, opened by Innovate Recycle in Northampton.
T 0161 440 8325 • www.carpetrecyclinguk.com
Taking a swing for charity
The Ability Sports Charity golf day was another huge success played at Whickham Golf Club Newcastle.
Brian Wood CEO of the Ability Sports North East charity said: “I would like to thank Trade Choice Carpets and Flooring along with flooring contractors for their continued support in helping our charity.
“A shotgun start for the18 teams on a glorious day, some great golf, food, and drink was followed by an auction. It was a fabulous day all round and over £3000 raised for our charity. Thank you to all that played and participated – see you all next year,” added Brian.
from left to right: Phil McKinlay and Phil Nordmann, Floorscope; Mark Ferguson, MP; Chris Lamb, Trade Choice Carpet and Flooring; and Brian Wood, Practical Flooring Contracts.
Smooth style for Sutton students
F. Ball and Co. Ltd.’s new high flow, two-component smoothing compound, Stopgap 1400, has delivered a copybook finish at the newly constructed Carew Academy for children with special educational needs in the London Borough of Sutton.
Ideal Interiors Southern were subcontracted by Kier Group to install floorcoverings in classrooms, corridors, a school hall, kitchens and WCs, over two floors at the new facility.
The subfloor preparation process commenced with scabbling the concrete screeds to remove laitance. Moisture tests conducted with digital hygrometers indicated that subfloor moisture levels were low enough to proceed with the installation without the requirement of a moisture management solution. All areas were then primed using F. Ball’s P131 general-purpose primer.
Contractors then applied Stopgap 1400 in all areas (over 5,000m2 in total). The product uses the latest cement formulation technology to maximise ease of application. It is walk-on hard from just 90 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from 12 hours.
F. Ball’s Styccobond F44 was used to install sheet vinyl in the corridors, hall, kitchens, WCs and some classrooms. The solvent-free, acrylic emulsion adhesive provides high bond strength, strong initial tack and a long open time and is suitable for securing a wide-range of vinyl sheet and tile and rubber floorcoverings.
In other classrooms, carpet tiles were installed with F. Ball’s Styccobond F41 carpet tile tackifier. The solvent-free acrylic polymer emulsion adhesive is designed to provide a permanently tacky film which prevents ‘loose-lay’ carpet tiles from moving under normal traffic but enables them to be lifted and replaced easily when required, such as when worn or stained.
F. Ball’s Styccobond F60 contact adhesive was used to install capping and coving at the intersections of floorcoverings and walls in wet areas.
Commenting on the project, Rudy Owens contract manager at Ideal Interiors Southern said: “Everything has gone smoothly, with F. Ball’s Stopgap 1400, in particular, helping us move from one area to another efficienctly when latexing and meaning that we could continue with work upon returning the next day.”
T 01538 361 633 • www.f-ball.co.uk
Pictured,
Condor Grass produces artificial turf for landscaping, leisure and sports. With decades of experience, we have built a market leadering position within the landscape sector and supply a reknown Dutch quality product at internationally competitive prices. With our sustainable and innovative products we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint to zero.
Winning waste-coat!
Why waste carpet offcuts when you can make a stylish waste-coat out of them?
That was the “Judges Challenge” at this year’s grand final of the Fitter of the Year 2024 (Carpet) competition which took place at The Flooring Show in Harrogate in September.
Devon-based NICF master fitter Steve Whitburn (below) rose to the occasion, tailoring a fine garment and taking home a £100 Amazon voucher.
The winner of the main competition and the official NICF Fitter of the Year was Richard Long. See the article in last month’s magazine or visit: www.thestocklists.com/foty-2024 for all the details.
The Stocklists is a proud sponsor of the NICF Fitter of the Year competition. www.nicfltd.org.uk/FOTY-Competition
Flanders forges ahead for 2025
June 2025 is still far away, but leading European producers of soft and hard flooring are already eagerly looking forward to the fourth edition of Flanders Flooring Days in Belgium.
The four-day event will be held from June 2 to 5, 2025. simultaneously in company showrooms and at The Hub in Kortrijk Xpo. Visitors can explore the latest innovations and rich traditions and carpet is sure to steal a piece of the show during this unique trade event.
“Flanders Flooring Days is where innovation meets opportunity,” Marc Dessein, CEO of Balta, declares. “It’s not just a fair; it’s our regional platform to showcase our cutting-edge designs, sustainable practices, and commitment to quality craftsmanship and innovation worldwide.
“This event is an excellent opportunity to forge partnerships, fostering industry connections, and staying ahead in an ever-evolving market. For Balta, it’s not just about attending; it’s about shaping the future of rugs and showing the world the capabilities of Flanders’ know-how,” he said.
Over the past editions Flanders Flooring Days has been building a strong synergy between the showrooms. With an intensive, international promotional campaign, the event today reaches retail customers, wholesalers and buyers worldwide.
www.flandersflooringdays.com
Time is running out to star in the big awards!
Entries close November 8
See page 34 for details...
F L O O R I N G
B U S I N E S S
S O F T W A R E
O u r s y s t e m s a r e s p e c i f i c a l l y d e s i g n e d f o r t h e
f l o o r i n g t r a d e a n d a r o u n d y o u r b u s i n e s s
2 3 4
F L O O R P L A N N I N G
I n t e g r a t e s w i t h f l o o r p l a n n i n g
s o f t w a r e f o r u p d a t i n g p r o d u c t s , i m p o r t i n g q u o t e s a n d l i n k s t o
p l a n s a n d 3 D r o o m v i e w s . . .
T E X T M E S S A G I N G
S e n d S M S t o y o u r c u s t o m e r s f o r
c o l l e c t i o n s , d e l i v e r y a n d f i t t i n g
t i m e s . C u s t o m i s e m e s s a g e s a n d
b u l k s e n d f r o m o r d e r r e p o r t s . . .
w w w . e G i z m o . c o . u k
M O B I L E W E B D I A R Y
I n t e g r a t i o n w i t h o n l i n e w e b
d i a r y a p p , v i e w a p p o i n t m e n t s o n
y o u r p h o n e a n d t a b l e t . I d e a l f o r
c o n t r o l l i n g m e a s u r e s & f i t t i n g . . .
s a l e s @ e G i z m o . c o . u k
BUSINESSNEWS
Flooring market 2024: It’s not as bad as you might think - nor as good!
“The flooring sector is experiencing the most severe and longest decline in demand in the last 30 years,” says industry leader Philippe Hamers, CEO of Victoria PLC. Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) cheerfully reported that the “golden quarter” for flooring has begun with figures showing a 24% uplift in sales for September.
The ONS recorded sales up 23.5% to £309.2m from £250.2m compared with the previous month and that figure is 13% up on this time last year. In August there was also 12.7% growth in sales year-on-year.
According to analysts at The Furnishing Report, the ONS figures are “simply not credible” given the state of the market. But in reality, both the good news and the bad news can be true.
ONS furniture and flooring retail data is based on a survey of about 900 large and 4,100 small-to-medium-sized retailers using random sampling.
The suspicion is that many of the surveyed flooring retailers are gaining sales from ex-customers of the more than 200 failed Carpetright stores which closed in July – floors are still being bought by those consumers and this is good news for independent retailers.
But many of these sales are moved transactions rather than new business – the overall value of UK sales is not rising nearly so fast, so this uplift is much more modest for manufacturers and wholesalers although it is generally accepted there is some real growth now.
As the UK’s top flooring conglomerate, Victoria PLC is a well placed commentator on trading conditions and says the market is witnessing an estimated 20-25% decrease in demand versus 2019 levels.
This matches the anecdotal reports we have been hearing all year
Victoria outperforms and secures £25m of savings
Victoria plc’s latest trading update to shareholders yesterday says it has generally outperformed the market and continued to improve its competitive position – particularly in the UK.
For the six-month period ended 1 October 2024, revenue is expected to be about £580m and EBITDA profits are anticipated at £50m compared to £64.9m in the previous half-year.
The Boards’ statement continued: ““The Board expects H2 trading [in 2024] to be stronger as a result of the actions taken by management alongside a small improvement in demand, although earnings are likely to be below consensus expectations.”
Victoria also mapped out how re-structuring across its operations was improving its efficiency.
“Victoria’s various UK brands continue to be important in market positioning, but the full integration of Balta’s UK carpet business during H1 allowed the Company to recently merge the brands of Balta & Carpet Line Direct and Victoria & Hugh Mackay, and separately consolidate our underlay operations with immediate savings in rent, logistics, and personnel totalling c.£5 million per annum,” it said.
It also noted an additional €6.1 million of savings from “optimising the synergy gains from the completed relocation of production capacity from Belgium to Turkey alongside cost-cutting in Belgium” and along with improvements in Group-wide procurement, Victoria expects to increase it’s earnings by £25m.
See article above for Victoria’s view on market conditions.
from manufacturers but Victoria is the first to say it out loud.
Victoria was delivering its regular trading update to investors for the six-month period ended 1 October 2024 and their market analysis continued: “There has been no fundamental change to the flooring industry, which has a very long track record of consistent growth, and the low demand presently being experienced is due to broad macro-economic factors.”
“The Board is encouraged by recent positive data in Victoria’s end markets. For example, a key driver of demand is housing transactions and in the last quarter increased mortgage approvals, rising house prices, and lower interest rates have been reported in our key markets and these are all precursors to increased transactions and consequently flooring demand as consumers refresh their property before placing it on the market or refurbish their new home.
“Similarly, as incomes have caught up with inflation alongside lower mortgage expenses, consumer discretionary spending is also likely to increase, which also drives flooring sales,” said the statement.
CEO Philippe Hamers added: “Clearly the recovery continues to draw closer, although it is difficult to pinpoint precisely when it will begin.”
The October 30 budget may give us part of the answer. Consumers have been sitting on their hands while fear of the unknown tax rises takes hold. Whatever happens, the new certainty might help recovery.
Deflation in flooring follows weak demand
Weak demand has finally delivered deflation to the flooring market after a year of above average prices in the sector.
New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows retail prices for flooring decreased 2.5% in September, with the carpet and rugs category down 2.9%.
Last year, price inflation in flooring was often running above 10% and consistently bucked the trend of falling prices across the furniture sector. Retail prices in the furnishing sector overall have been deflationary for most of the summer and were down another 0.7% in the year to September.
The overall consumer price index eased to 1.7% in the year to September, a 0.5% easing on the August reading, and below the Bank of England’s 2% target rate.
Vinyl imports beats carpet into the UK
Improved demand for LVT and vinyl boosted flagging import figures for flooring in August.
According to HM Revenue & Customs data compiled by The Furnishing Report, imports across all flooring categories were down 2% in August but the breakdown is more revealing with vinyl products up 6% while carpets fell 7.5%. Wood flooring declined 1.3%.
Carpets from the Netherlands and Turkey both saw substantial falls of nearly 20% each, while the UK’s biggest import partner Belgium was up over 7%. Total imports for flooring into the UK since January this year are down 4% overall.
Marketing insights Getting cosy in classic style, naturally
This year’s trend feature shows a return of warmer, nature inspired collections and growing desire for practical flooring solutions.
Richard Allen, sales director at Karndean Designflooring, said: “This autumn interior designers are finding inspiration in the seasonal hues of the open landscape, blending contemporary, retro and traditional styles for a cosy lived in feel that’s soulful and soothing.
“Inspired by some of the rarest and most precious materials around the world, our new Art Select collection has been designed to complement these natural colour palettes, from soft neutrals to moody darks and joyful bold hues, and provides outstanding versatility to express individuality with a bespoke floor.
“It’s reassuring to see stone flooring gaining renewed attention this season. Art Select offers a go-to
“Inspired by some of the rarest and most precious materials around the world, our new Art Select collection has been designed to complement these natural colour palettes.”
collection of captivating designs that will bring any space to life, from the classic opulence of marble and reinterpretations of more humble stones such as Ceppo di Gré to the pearlescent beauty of onyx, a material not suitable for flooring in its natural state due to its fragility.
“Herringbone flooring also remains a firm favourite, adding texture and a sense of movement to our homes. Combining classic beauty with a contemporary twist.”
“Herringbone flooring also remains a firm favourite, adding texture and a sense of movement to our homes. Combining classic beauty with a contemporary twist, Art Select presents a curated collection of new wood designs in full plank and herringbone sizes that can be combined in interesting patterns, from the freshness of Artisan Oak and the smooth grain of French Oak to the rustic character of Holm Oak.”
In 2024, interior design trends have shifted from cool and minimalist to cosy and cocooning, inspiring an array of warm neutrals. This shift emphasises muted, textured interiors, featuring natural elements like terracotta, rich woods, and organic fabrics that create a comforting and grounded atmosphere. Wool textures, in particular, remain a firm favourite as a way of adding depth and warmth to a home.
Made from 100% Pure New Wool, Cormar’s Shetland wool loop range offers both style and function, making it an excellent choice for creating a comfortable yet sophisticated space. The natural hues in this range blend beautifully with any décor, offering versatility and long-lasting appeal. Whether used as a stair runner or in hallways, Shetland is the perfect option for all areas of the home, making a design statement while also being practical and inviting.
Similarly, the rise of easy-clean, hardwearing materials reflects the desire for attractive yet functional interiors. In busy households, durability is as important as style, and easy-clean carpets offer an ideal solution for homeowners looking to balance practicality with a refined look. Cormar’s recently launched Zenith range is the perfect option for those seeking durability without compromising on style. Zenith is manufactured using new and exclusive Ultralux polypropylene, providing a sumptuous softness that feels luxurious underfoot without compromising on performance, while its neutral palette allows for seamless integration into any room.
“Cormar’s recently launched Zenith range is the perfect option for those seeking durability without compromising on style.”
Karndean Designflooring, Golden Artisan Oak
Cormar, Zenith Highcliffe
Karndean Designflooring, Brezza Ceppo
Marketing insights
Getting cosy in classic style, naturally continued from page 31
Alternative Flooring are delighted to introduce their latest collection, Anywhere Ca-rPET. Crafted using recycled PET yarn, also known as rPET, Anywhere Ca-rPET fibres are made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional yarn. The process involves collecting, sorting, cleaning, and melting the bottles to create fibres that are spun into yarn. Better yet, Anywhere Ca-rPET boasts a softly spun texture that feels great underfoot. This innovative collection is a part of the ‘Anywhere’ range of synthetic carpets, rugs and runners that are versatile, available in 4 and 5m widths and suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.
By mimicking the beauty and natural appearance of sisal, rPET yarn produces carpets with exceptional longevity, leading to less frequent replacements and lower resource usage. In addition to its practical benefits, repurposing plastic waste into aesthetically pleasing floor coverings minimises environmental harm. With 50 bottles needed to produce 1kg of yarn, and 1kg of yarn being enough for 1m2 of Anywhere Ca-rPET, this innovative solution is both efficient and sustainable.
“Crafted using recycled PET yarn, also known as rPET, Anywhere Ca-rPET fibres are made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional yarn.”
Durable and long lasting, Anywhere Ca-rPET is the ideal choice for hightraffic areas or made as a stylish yet functional rug and runner, plus, there is no need to worry about accidental spills, as it is also stain resistant. UK flooring trends continue to emphasize convenience, style, and sustainability, and Furlong Flooring’s latest product, Universal Clic, perfectly embodies these themes. Universal Clic, a 12mm engineered wood flooring solution, is a response to modern consumer demands for easy-to-install, durable, and stylish options. The product merges the visual appeal of real wood with the simplicity of laminate installation, thanks to its superior click fitting system.
With home improvement trends favouring versatile, eco-conscious materials, Universal Clic aligns by offering compatibility with underfloor heating and being crafted from EUTR-certified wood. Its durability, supported by a 3mm wear layer, makes it a top choice for high-traffic areas, addressing the practical needs of both residential and commercial spaces. Available in eight on-trend natural hues, from light to dark oak
“UK flooring trends continue to emphasize convenience, style, and sustainability, and Furlong Flooring’s latest product, Universal Clic, perfectly embodies these themes.”
tones, Universal Clic offers something for every interior design style. As homeowners and businesses look for long-lasting, low-maintenance flooring, Universal Clic positions itself as a stylish, sustainable, and futureproof flooring solution that taps into key industry trends for 2024.
Furlong Flooring stands behind the quality of Universal Clic with a 15-year residential warranty and a five-year commercial warranty, providing peace of mind for both homeowners and business owners. Available in a generous 190mm width and 1900mm length, Universal Clic offers a stylish spacious look that can transform any room.
Jon Flannigan, Head of Product at Headlam said, “In line with wider interior trends, there is a shift away from cooler tones and greys, as homeowners look towards warmer neutrals, including subtle shades of orange and richer biophilic palettes of earthy greens and deep blues.
To fulfil this shift, Crucial Trading is launching five additional colours to its Weather Watching collection in November, introducing new yellow-toned neutrals to its portfolio. Made from 100% British wool to assure longevity and comfort, the new shades are inspired by the British landscape to complement the collection’s existing palette of soothing smoky tones, bringing the shades of nature indoors,” he says.
Furlong Flooring, Universal Clic Harvest Oak
Alternative Flooring, Anywhere Ca-rPET Bouclé Re-source Runner with Tramlines Budapest Border
Crucial Trading, Sisal Big Boucle Accents Antique Gold
“When it comes to material choice, the trend for natural fabrics cannot be denied. Wool, alongside other natural alternatives such as sisal and jute, remains incredibly popular as demand prioritises sustainable, more organic materials.”
“Alongside preferred hues, there is a return to heavy textured carpet, with larger twists and chunky loops being re-introduced. Unlike low-level carpet alternatives, these are incredibly tactile and softer underfoot.
by Rita Bancroft
Rita is Director of Bancmarketing Ltd and has over 30 years of marketing experience with a proven track record in both business to business and business to consumer multi-channel marketing.
“It takes time to develop new designs and colours, so we are normally working a year or two in advance,” explained Calvin Pope. “Our patented axminster weaving technology gives us complete freedom, and this has resulted in some fantastic new designs.”
Colour is one of the more difficult areas to predict and, as Clare Jenkinson outlines, they have to keep a close eye on trends. “There has been a clear move towards rich, warmer colours and that is very much in play with the new additions to the Croft and Strönd designs in Habitüs. For every design, we look at a wide palette of colours before narrowing it down to the final choices.”
“When it comes to material choice, the trend for natural fabrics cannot be denied. Wool, alongside other natural alternatives such as sisal and jute, remains incredibly popular as demand prioritises sustainable, more organic materials. Offering environmental, aesthetic and practical benefits, wool fibres are naturally durable, highly insulating and naturally stain resistant, making it ideal for high-traffic spaces. Over 50% of Crucial Trading’s product portfolio is now wool; it is a category that is only growing,” he says.
The vast range of designs and colours available from Ulster Carpets is the result of a constant evolution process.
With nearly 25 different ranges and over 500 different colourways, there is something for every taste, but that doesn’t mean that Residential Designers, Clare Jenkinson and Calvin Pope, aren’t always looking ahead.
Following this year’s successful launch of 6 new colours in the Danishinspired Habitüs range, the two designers are already hard at work developing some new Axminster and tufted loops ranges which are due to be unveiled in 2025.
“It takes time to develop new designs and colours, so we are normally working a year or two in advance,” explained Calvin Pope. “Our patented axminster weaving technology gives us complete freedom, and this has resulted in some fantastic new designs.”
Greendale have launched a new interior design concept for their members. iD – Interior Design by Greendale, was shown for the first time at The Flooring Show in Harrogate. Its centrepiece is a sample box, that retailers can use in-store, in consumers’ homes or when collaborating with interior designers. The box is full of carpets with warm tones and various textures. These include real Sisal, Sisal lookalike, Wool Loops, Soft Saxony’s and Wool Flatweaves from some of the best manufacturers around the world.
“We’ve taken the very latest trends and put them all in our iD sample box. This allows our members, their consumers and interior designers to match up carpets with paints, fabrics and other interiors items easily.” says Eamonn Prescott , Chief Executive at Greendale. “The box will be updated with fresh sampling, as new trends emerge.”
“Greendale branding is very strong in the market. It has a reputation for quality and service. By adding iD to it, we are creating a new interior brand from scratch.”
Eamonn continued, “Greendale branding is very strong in the market. It has a reputation for quality and service. By adding iD to it, we are creating a new interior brand from scratch, based on the fundamental principles that have been successful for Greendale and its members for over sixty years.”
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iD is exclusive to Greendale members
Ulster Carpets, Habitüs Strönd Fallow
Entries to the Flooring Innovation Awards close on November 8.
The national Flooring Innovation Awards set out to identify products and services that are genuinely new and exceptional in the sector. Award categories cover not only flooring products, but also recognise achievements in service, technology and marketing. The awards scheme website gives full details of all the categories for 2024/2025 and has an entry form for companies to make their submissions to the judges or for readers to suggest their favourite innovation products.
Show business booming
Historic high for Harrogate visitor numbers
Harrogate hosted the biggest-ever attendance in September say organisers after The Flooring Show expanded into an extra hall to set the floor buyers' agenda for Q4 and 2025
"The show welcomed hundreds of brands and thousands of visitors for a fantastic 3 days of purchasing, networking and innovation," said event director Alex Butler.
"Thanks to the expansion into Hall Q the show was able to welcome more names than ever before and consequently saw the highest number of exhibitors and visitors in attendance in its 62 year history," she said.
Over 400 brands featured at this year’s show, across 6 halls and 2 hotels. The show featured an impressive array of displays from top flooring manufacturers.
BOOST YOUR BUSINESS IN 2025
Product development is all about making sales more valuable and enticing cautious consumers to spend. SEE PAGES 37–68
What's trending
Nobody is confident to call when the recovery in the market will materialise, but the industry needs to be ready for it when it comes – that was a dominant theme throughout the show.
Harrogate revealed many new products designed to command better margins for retailers in the middle/upper segment of the market that is still spending now and to make the most of hoped-for improvements in consumer confident in 2025.
Wool is experiencing a strong return to favour with a plethora of product launches from all the major manufacturers and to underline the trend, Associated Weavers unveiled their first wool offer in over 10 years along with Furlong’s return to natural fibre with Timeless Wool.
Texture is so on-trend at the moment and innovations abound in carpet construction to add interest, notably in multi-level loops, sisals and flatweave.
A tight market means that manufacturers can't afford to miss out on securing their share of what business is on offer. The wool launches mentioned above is a part of this and another indicator is those top carpet suppliers who are all now piling in to push forward on smooths – a trend led by Invictus at AW and Furlong, of course, but this year sees Abingdon launch its Simply Smooths portfolio and Balta introduce a whole new vinyl portfolio, among others.
Wood flooring, regarded with some suspicion by many retailers, is getting easier - both to sell and to fit. Waterproof, engineered wood with click fitting is the kind of solution that makes wood more accessible and generates high levels of customer satisfaction.
Uber underlay is on offer from leading suppliers these days who have invested in premium products to help retailers add value to sales in the important upper middle sector of the market. Getting an underlay sales with every carpet sale still has to be the main mission, but trading up consumers who are buying can make a healthy difference to the bottom line.
Finally, many manufacturers have taken advantage of the flooring recession to streamline the proposition and simplify their offer – less options mean less stock, logistics and merchandising and so saving money the industry hasn’t got. But it’s a healthy trend for retailers and consumers, make collections more accessible and easier to understand and avoiding the blizzard of me-too choice that can actually prevent consumers committing to a purchase.
Tracking the views of market commentators, it's not yet clear whether 2025 is to survive or thrive but read on to discover the new initiatives that might just make the difference.
Abingdon Flooring Softly, softly smoothie
Soft and smooth – Abingdon knows just how to charm consumers with its latest launches – but most visitors to Harrogate weren’t expecting the smooth to be LVT and laminate!
Kept under wraps until the doors opened at The Flooring Show, Abingdon impressed visitors with its brand new Simply Smooths portfolio – a year in development and keenly focussed on the best-selling segments of the market.
“We are aiming to shine with a relatively tight range of products which are perfect to target the main categories where consumers need quality, affordability and choice,” says Charlotte Coop, Abingdon’s marketing manager.
“Abingdon has such a high level of trust and loyalty among retailers for our carpets and we want to be absolutely certain that the same values and reliability transfers across to the smooths collection.”
This eye-catching move into the market for cushion vinyl, luxury vinyl and laminates has been carefully planned.
The Artisan and Eminence luxury vinyl collections feature on a single stand, showing six warm wood colours available in both plank and herringbone in both dryback and click specifications. Both feature a durable 0.55mm wear layer with an authentic embossed finish for a natural look and feel plus a 15year residential warranty.
The UK-made laminates come in two qualities – 8mm Prestige in 12 decors with a 4-sided bevel edge and a 15-year wear guarantee, and then the premium 12mm Exquisite in 10 colours which has a 30-year wear guarantee thanks to its innovative Pro-Tec protection layer and a 48-hour water protection rating.
The cushion vinyl offer comes in two highly affordable collections, Urban and Endurance with a mix across the ranges of wood designs, herringbone and smart stone tiles.
“We
are aiming to shine with
a relatively tight range of products which are perfect to target the main categories where consumers need quality, affordability and choice,”
Charlotte Coop, Abingdon’s marketing manager
Soft sell success
While resilient flooring is a big new launch for Abingdon, the company’s commitment to class-leading super soft carpet is still right at the top of their agenda and they delivered two top examples at the show.
Brand new is Soft Whisper, an attractive super soft polyester saxony. There’s also a big brother range, Hidden Depths which is much heavier and denser. “The market is moving to cleaner, tighter products and this new range really hits the mark” says Abingdon sales director Graham Marshall. This has a luxury feel but that super density pays off in performance with less chance of flattening. Both ranges are available in the same 14 colours, 2.5m 4m, & 5m wide, has Abingdon’s fitter friendly comfort backing and is backed by the lifetime warranty against stains.
Stainfree Rustique Ultra builds on one of Abingdon’s flagship bestsellers, Stainfree Ultra which was re-coloured earlier this year. Rustique Ultra builds on this range using the tri-coloured yarn delivering a popular speckled effect. Upgrading the pile to tenth gauge with a deep luxurious feel available in 16 colours, 2.5m, 4m & 5m wide, using their comfort backing and comes with the reassurance of their Stainfree for Life guarantee and 10 year wear warranty.
Abingdon launches it's Simply Smooths collection
Graham Marshall (L) and Colin Brown (R) with Rustique Ultra
Headlam • Delivering on the promise of better business for retailers
Headlam is the UK’s largest distributor of flooring and 2024 has seen the Group launch a major initiative to partner with independent retailers and deliver the breadth and depth of brands, products and service to grow their businesses.
CEO Chris Payne told The Stocklists last month: “There are some positive signs and we want to be with our customers at the forefront of market recovery.” The Group’s presentation across The Flooring Show demonstrated their comprehensive investment in this commitment.
Lifestyle Floors • Innovating choice in family flooring
Lifestyle Floors is at the forefront of delivering innovative, high-quality flooring solutions to homes nationwide, with a keen eye for design and a commitment to sustainability and durability. The Flooring Show was an opportunity to showcase six of its newest flooring ranges at the Harrogate Flooring Show. From striking vinyl patterns to luxurious carpets.
Adoro brings luxury into a home with its plush, heavy-weight carpet feel. The soft fleece backing combined with a thick texture and a carefully curated palette of colours makes this range ideal for adding luxury to floors, making it the perfect choice for bedrooms or lounges. Adoro is made from 100% polyester and available in 4-and 5-metre widths.
Rolling Hills is a durable carpet collection featuring a coveted chevron loop design which is available in eight neutral colours. Crafted from a 50/50 blend of wool and polyester, it delivers warmth and softness underfoot while resistant to everyday wear and tear. With a 10-year domestic and 7-year stain warranty.
Smooth solutions for busy homes
Inspired by retro 70s design and classic wood patterns, the Boho Bliss vinyl collection brings an eclectic mix of parquet, basket weave, and geometric designs to floors.
Available in light and dark oak finishes, Boho Bliss makes a bold statement, blending classic styles with vivid, retroinspired colours like blush, khaki, and ochre. The 2.5mm thick textile-backed vinyl is topped with a 0.25mm wear layer, and is available in widths of 2, 3, and 4 meters and with a 10-year guarantee.
Perfect for high-moisture areas, the Platinum Plus vinyl range is designed to withstand the heavy demands of kitchens, bathrooms, and playrooms. Its thicker wear layer makes it ideal for heavy foot traffic, while its stylish finish ensures it fits seamlessly into modern interior designs. www.lifestyle-floors.co.uk
Iridescence offers a palette of beautiful and practical carpets for high-traffic areas in two designs, sophisticated plains or glamourous sparkle – each available in nine rich colourways.
Luxurious PP twist pile and durable action backing provides a plush underfoot experience that is as comfortable as it is stylish.
Cottage Berber is the new 100% wool loop carpet from Lifestyle. Its natural wool fibres make it warm underfoot, mothresistant, easy to clean, and incredibly durable – perfect for high-traffic areas. Available in 14 rustic contemporary colourways, this carpet adds warmth and texture to any room.
Headlam's CEO Chris Payne
Funky from the Boho Bliss vinyl collection
Blush Fusion
Ochre Fusion
Boogie New Wave Mono
Kingsmead Carpets • Fashionable and family friendly
With a strong focus on comfort, durability and easy maintenance, Kingsmead Carpets is established as a go-to choice for families looking for quality carpets that stand the test of time.
A leading carpet care expert held live demos throughout the show on the Kingsmead stand, highlighting the best methods to tackle everyday household spills and stains. Attendees were shown step-by-step how to properly treat spills, such as coffee, wine, and muddy footprints, without compromising the integrity of the wool.
“It’s not just about what to do, but what not to do when cleaning carpets.
Many people inadvertently damage their carpets using the wrong methods or products,” the expert emphasised during the demonstration.
Rachel Hodge, Marketing Manager for Kingsmead Carpets, said, “We’ve always prided ourselves on creating perfect and practical carpets for every family home.
Wool and wool-blend carpets are naturally stain-resistant, and with the right care, they can last for many years, even in the busiest households.”
Kingsmead Carpets are available in a wide selection of plains, colours, and textures, offering customers a variety of choices to match any interior style. Whether opting for a luxurious 100% wool carpet or a versatile synthetic blend, Kingsmead Carpets provides flooring solutions that combine beauty, performance, and ease of maintenance.
Telenzo A gallery of premium style
In a gallery-style exhibition at The Flooring Show, premium wool brand Telenzo unveiled their centrepiece Delph Square, Herringbone made from New Zealand wool.
Crafted with the greatest attention to detail and a capsule, cool-to-warm, eight-colour palelette, Delph Square, Herringbone sits comfortably in city interiors and country-style homes.
Available in 4m and 5m width, the soon-to-be interior design staple has a total pile weight of 2080 gr/m., a tog rating of 1.3 and boasts Class 23 (Heavy Domestic) and Class 33 (Heavy Commercial).
Six new colours for the ever-popular Barbican collection were also displayed within the Telenzo gallery.
The latest colourways will be added to the 100% wool, 2-ply designs this Autumn. Each fleece-backed, new colour has a 2000 gr/m. pile weight and a tog rating of 1.4.
Six new colours for the ever-popular Barbican collection were also displayed within the Telenzo gallery.
Every Kingsmead carpet is covered by the Wool Owners Warranty.
The latest colourways will be added to the 100% wool, 2-ply designs this Autumn. Each fleece-backed, new colour has a 2000 gr/m pile weight and a tog rating of 1.2. The new colours, from left to right, are characterised by uniform tonal stripes: Indigo Blue, Seamist, Willow, and Moroccan Sun. Two new multi-stripe patterns, Sandy Bay and Portobello, have also been added to the Barbican collection.
T 01827 831497
sales@telenzocarpets.co.uk
www.edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk
Bliss Steel Frosted
Kaleidoscope Poppy
Delft square by Telenzo
Indigo-Blue Portobello
Sea-Mist Willow Moroccan-Sun Sandy-Bay
Fells Carpets
Hallmark of Excellence
Fells Carpets contnues to combine heritage craftsmanship with modern techniques that deliver affordable, durable carpets for homes across the UK.
Since its founding in 1915, Fells Carpets has stood as a hallmark of excellence in the flooring industry. Established by Percy Fell in Castleford, the company began by crafting tab rugs designed to bring warmth to homes across the UK.
Over the last century, Fells Carpets has evolved into a trusted name, supplying a wide range of high quality and affordable carpets to its customers, while remaining committed to supportng independent retailers.
With a rich heritage and a commitment to the future, Fells Carpets has built its centurylong reputaton on exceptonal service, reliable partnerships, and high-quality products that meet the consumer’s ever-changing needs. The company’s ability to innovate while staying true to its core values has been integral to its enduring success.
“For over a century, Fells Carpets has proudly upheld the values of quality, craftsmanship, and service that Percy Fell instlled when he founded the company in 1915. As we look ahead, our commitment to creatng affordable, on-trend carpets that stand the test of time remains as strong as ever. We value the relatonships we’ve built with independent retailers, and their partnership is invaluable to our contnued success,” said Keith Morgan, Natonal Sales Manager.
T 01827 831412 • sales@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk
Manx Tomkinson Caribbean colour choices
Manx Tomkinson has announced the upcoming launch of six new lustrous colourways for its popular Puerto Rico range. Inspired by the sun-drenched landscapes of the Caribbean, the latest additions will bring fresh, versatile design options to the market in this Autumn.
Crafted from 100% polypropylene fibres, the Puerto Rico range blends neutral, muted tones of sandy beaches with hardwearing, stain-resistance. The new colour options will enhance the collection’s ability to meet various customer preferences, making it ideal for residential and commercial interiors.
“Due to the increasing demand and popularity of the Puerto Rico range, we are introducing six new colours. By expanding the colour options, we can offer a broader selection that caters to all interior styles and spaces,” said Keith Morgan, National Sales Manager.
The collections, spanning wool and polypropylene, reflect the quality and attention to detail that have made Manx Tomkinson a trusted name in flooring.
Keith continued, “Manx Tomkinson is designed for durability and versatility, and our products meet the demanding needs of today’s market. From timeless classics to innovative designs, we’re ready to demonstrate how Manx Tomkinson delivers whilst ensuring we continue to support a wide customer base”.
www.manxtomkinson.co.uk
Puerto Rico Areabo
Citadel Blue Sky Weavers Bay Sea Blue
Plains Sable
Everyroom
Delivering on-trend and on-budget
Everyroom helps consumers find practical and stylish options for every room in their home, offering an affordable quality range of easy-to-maintain carpets, vinyl, and laminate products.
Debuting at The Flooring Show, Forest Trail is a new 7mm laminate collection designed to offer budget-conscious customers an on-trend and affordable flooring solution. Forest Trail is available in a curated palette of six colours.
Engineered for ease of installation, it’s ideal for those seeking a quick room update. Whether homeowners want to refresh their living space or landlords need an affordable makeover between tenants, Forest Trail offers a stylish solution at a competitive price that doesn’t compromise quality.
As part of its ongoing commitment to make high-quality flooring accessible to everyone, Everyroom also showcased its latest carpet and laminate collections. Each newly launched flooring product ensures customers have options that suit their lifestyle and budget
Logan offers a robust solution for interior spaces requiring heavy domestic flooring (Class 23). Made from 100% polypropylene and available in 12 colourways, Logan boasts a 12-year wear warranty and lifetime stain protection, ensuring this carpet meets busy households’ demands.
Oregon Loop has a durable loop pile construction designed for domestic use. Available in a muted palette of eight neutral decors, its easyclean and bleach-cleanable fibres make maintenance a breeze, while its 5-year warranty ensures longterm performance.
Alaska is a practical, affordable, and durable carpet option for the home. Available in eight coveted colours and made with 100% polypropylene, Alaska is bleach-cleanable and comes with a 5-year wear warranty and lifetime stain protection.
Cedar Falls combines classic with comfort, offering customers a heavy domestic carpet with a lifetime stain protection. Its 2-ply yarn, bleach-cleanable fibres, and thick 12mm pile height create a luxurious feel underfoot. Available in 4m and 5m widths, this range provides a versatile solution for high-traffic areas of the home.
Trinity Sands is designed for general domestic use, as a 100% polypropylene carpet that is hardwearing at an affordable price. Available in 4m and 5m widths, it has a 10-year wear warranty and is available in 10 stylish colourways.
Velocity Twist is manufactured from tightly twisted yarns, Velocity Twist is renowned for its durability, making it an excellent choice for areas with moderate foot traffic.
Available in a versatile range of colours, from light to dark, it offers an easy-to maintain solution for domestic environments. With a 7-year wear warranty and lifetime stain protection, Velocity Twist provides aesthetic appeal and practicality.
Viking Bay is a versatile vinyl ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas where slip resistance is a top priority. With a 1.9mm thickness and a durable 0.15mm wear layer, its built for general domestic use and comes with a 5-year warranty. Available in widths of 2m, 3m, and 4m, Viking Bay offers safety and style in high-moisture areas.
The
Harrogate Flooring 2024
As the largest exhibitor at the event, we proudly showcased our beloved products known for their quality, durability, and style
We also introduced our exciting new offerings, which received an overwhelmingly positive response We launched three new carpets: Impulse, Affluence, and Desire These additions are part of our Easy Living Range, which balances affordability with exceptional features. All our carpets in this collection are bleach cleanable, enhancing their durability and longevity, making them the perfect family-friendly carpets which offer a luxurious finish
For the first time, we unveiled a line of wool products, offering a traditional finish in a diverse colour palette These wool products are environmentally conscious as a natural material
Our stand design garnered numerous compliments, than its flowing layout that allowed customers to fully experience all our offerings at Kellars. From the graphics, to the flooring stands themselves, we boasted colour and quality
And we cannot forget about a bit of fun! At our beloved Frannies Bar, customers enjoyed drinks while mingling with our representatives, who were on hand to answer all questions Plus, our ‘Spin the Wheel’ gam gave attendees a chance to win fantastic prizes, including a PS5, champagne, and even complimentar bags of underlay!
An Absolute Success at This Year’s Harrogate Flooring Show!
Adam Carpets
"Long wool" is a winner for fine loop
Adam Carpets is one of the real UK specialists in sophisticated wool carpet and can be counted on to develop new products that have that extra edge.This year, that accolade belongs to Fine Malvern Loop.
This is a real gem for people who love the style and texture of a high quality wool loop, but also like a natural appearance such as the on-trend “sisal style”.
Firstly, it is a tenth gauge loop which is a rarity in this segment and brings strength and definition in performance and, secondly, it is made with 100% New Zealand “long wool” for real longevity.
Wool to the highest standard
Adam Carpets is well placed to take advantage of the current resurgence in the popularity of wool carpets.
“We really know wool and we keep listening out for what discerning customers are looking for,” says Chris Adam. “Our philosophy is almost unique, because we always manufacture with high specification ingredients up to a high carpet performance standard.”
“In the wool sector, we are all talking a lot more about what we do well and the great benefits of natural fibre,” says Chris. “It is such a great material for the home with its insulating power, its natural comfort, the innate fire safety benefits and, of course, the unique renewable story that comes with wool which grows back every year.”
“We previewed development samples of this range at the Solihull show and were thrilled with the positive reaction we got there, so we realised this has great potential to be a winner.”
This 3-ply loop is combined with a further two colours in 2-ply lower loops for a light dash of colour.
This is a wool loop with personality and style and one which, as it has no straight line uniformity of loops, is therefore much more forgiving on the eye of any blemishes.
“We previewed a development sample of this range at the Solihull show and were thrilled with the positive reaction we got there, so we realised this has great potential to be a winner,” said MD Chris Adam.
“Wool loop is so popular – and this takes it to the next level in style and sophistication by adding dashes of colour to match to furnishings, whilst at the same time removing the fear of plain light shades quickly soiling,” says Chris.
But that is not the main difference. As always, Adam has taken extreme care to source the right wool and the right 3-ply yarn for best performance, then uses this on their unique loop pile machine with multi pile heights and “randomised texture” which adds individual tufts at different heights to give the look of a natural random texture.
Fine Malvern Loop is available in six colourways and both 4 metre and 5 metre widths. It also benefits from Adam Carpets unique Total Insect Protection to the Industry gold standard Woolmark Level 2.
Account holders, please contact your Adam Representative for more details.
Adam Carpets MD, Chris Adam
Fine Malvern Loop
Associated Weavers
Celebrating success, focussing on the future
Associated Weavers were celebrating at the show with the company’s 60th birthday alongside the 10 year anniversary of iSense and 5 years of Invictus.
The track record of AW is pretty amazing but far from looking back on how quickly they have built their success, they are busy looking forward – and there is a lot going on!
“We are well placed for market recovery and really on the front foot in terms of product development,” says MD Gavin Pugh. “It’s great to mark the various anniversaries but it is the future I am really excited about.”
“We are well placed for market recovery and really on the front foot in terms of product development,” says MD Gavin Pugh.
Invictus is a key part of that future, of course, having become a major force in the market for both its carpet and LVT options. The flagship Magnificus is the collection’s best-seller and will be rolling out new colours in October to meet the latest trends for 2024. A luxurious 65oz tenth gauge, Magnificus has exceeded expectations since its launch.
There will be a colour makeover also for Orion and Sirius coming soon and AW have a major launch planned early next year for a new Invictus tenth gauge twist with a semi-delustred yarn which has, the company says, “all the bells and whistles!”
"Huge appetite" for AW's new wool
Here’s another AW anniversary – it’s 10 years since they’ve sold a wool carpet. Until now! The surprise guest at the AW party was a new wool offer that will roll out to the market in Q2 next year.
First up in Q1 2025 will be Mulberry, a 50oz wool twist in 14 colours which is an eighth gauge with extra stitching to give it the tenth gauge feel at a more competitive price.
Then there will be Cambrian and Grampian – two designs in a new 3-ply loop in 100% wool. In eight colours and 4 and 5m, the range will also benefit from the company’s soft and sustainable ECO FusionBac backing.
“These are beautiful carpets and there will be a huge appetite for them,” says Gavin Pugh.
“We can’t wait for 2025!”
Invictus LVT has been the subject of detailed development in recent months. “We have really focussed on getting this offer exactly right for the market and we’re really pleased with the result,” says Gavin. “It’s a great range at a great price.”
The portfolio has been simplified and the latest warmer colour trends are evident in the mix along with an enhanced choice of parquet and herringbone. The increasingly popular SPC click portfolio has also been strengthened.
Check out the latest LVT stands from Invictus –smart, small footprint vertical stands with 40 boards for plenty of choice.
MD Gavin Pugh with Magnificus
Cormar Carpet Co Fresh thinking
For many retailers, The Cormar Carpet Company is the first place to look for tomorrow’s best sellers and they were not disappointed visiting the company’s stand at The Flooring Show.
“We invest to keep the portfolio fresh and interesting to make sure it hits the mark with consumers on every level as tastes and market conditions evolve,” says Cormar’s marketing director David Cormack.
The first in this season’s carefully considered launches from Cormar was Zenith, an “ultra-lux” heavyweight PP twist with a fine finish. The precision construction of the soft tenth gauge yarn gives an almost velvet appearance and the 18 colours in the latest neutral and subtle shades adds to the sophistication of a competitively–priced carpet that was very well received at the show.
Following up on the success of Fairisle, a chunky wool loop launched last year to great acclaim, Cormar is introducing Shetland which has a slightly flatter finish in the Brussels weave but still with plenty of texture.
Cormar’s loop portfolio is building nicely with three all-wool loops plus 50/50 Pimlico and a new Easy Clean loop, Primo Textures. “We have taken our time developing a man-made loop and in Primo Textures we have got it just right – it’s a lovely product,” says David.
Primo Textures is a premium loop in three-fold PP yarns and it comes in two designs – ribbed and weave – and a generous range of 20 warm colours.
Inglewood, Cormar’s much-loved deep-pile PP saxony, has gained a large fan base since its launch in 2020. Now, the company is building on that strength with a new price point and an update to its 15 heathered tones, retaining the 10 best sellers and adding five new trend-leading colour options including the warm honey toned Sandbank and frosted Ivory.
“We
invest to keep the portfolio fresh and
interesting to make sure it hits the mark with consumers on every level as tastes and market conditions evolve.”
Eco-concious Cormar
Increasingly Cormar is paying close attention to its environmental performance with a programme of measures across the business, all of which helped the company achieve ISO 14001, the standard by which environmental objectives are externally measured and audited.
A founder member of Carpet Recycling UK since 2008, the company has also partnered with Innovate Recycle this year. All its polypropylene ranges have been certified by Innovate Recycle as 100% recyclable and so far in 2024 over 175 tonnes of Cormar carpets have been recycled by Innovate Recycle and made into plastic components.
Other recent initiatives include investing £750,000 renewing the distribution fleet to reduce CO2 emissions, installing LED lights throughout production and distribution, and using recyclable material made from eucalyptus fibre for sampling envelopes.
“We have a lot going on right now to progress along our journey to sustainability,” says David Cormack. “There is a long way to go of course in this industry but we know where we are heading and will continue to invest.”
New loop Shetland partners up with popular Fairisle
David Cormack and Alex Ellis with Zenith
Hugh Mackay
Investing in iconic carpet design
Hugh Mackay has a long established reputation at the forefront of the industry for quality wool-rich carpets led by its iconic collection of axminsters and the flagship 80/20 Durham Twist.
But over the last two years it has been investing heavily in leveraging the depth and breadth of that quality to build out an extensive offer to appeal across a wide range of discerning consumers.
The branding has been updated and the presentation enhanced. A new portal has been launched and the product portfolio has been refreshed.
“We have undergone a meticulous period of careful business development,” says MD Stephen Donlan. “We have invested in the brand and our identity – and the design and quality of the products speaks for itself.
For example, this has seen Durham Twist extending to a stripes collection and then switch into co-ordinating 100% wool loop with Durham Alternates.
For the 120-year-old collection of axminster patterms, Hugh Mackay launched the clever Infinity concept – a bespoke design service boasting new stock ranges and made to order designs, including Jasper and Harrison, with stunning point-of-sale to showcase the amazing repertoire held by Hugh Mackay. With a minimum order of 20m2, unique custom carpets and rugs are accessible to all.
“We have undergone a meticulous period of careful business development,” says MD Stephen Donlan. “We have invested in the brand and our identity – and the design and quality of the products speaks for itself.
“It is all out there now and we are seeing great interest and strong demand in what we’re doing,” he adds. “And there will be more to come.”
One of the star performers is the Deco Collection – a modern designer darling which has taken off for Hugh Mackay. A family of wool loop ranges, Deco comprises a suite of 15 plain colours linked to a set of pinstripe and broad stripe (“Two-Tone”) designs.
Building on this strength, the company added a multi-colour option in Candy Stripe and most recently there are two complementary flatweave designs in bouclé and herringbone.
The same degree of new vision has been applied to the contract side of the business, recently re-branded from Gaskell Mackay to Hugh Mackay Contract. This sector has seen strong demand for the company especially in the high end hospitality sector.
The Infinity concept works well in contract too with interior designers able to browse the vast library of designs online and re-colour them on demand for their specific projects.
Hugh Mackay Deco Flatweave Jacquard Orca
Hugh Mackay's MD Stephen Donlan
Interfloor The astronomical appeal of underlay
Interfloor’s imaginative decision to boldy go where no underlay has gone before is the most unmissable marketing campaign of the year (or of the decade?)
The Tredaire astronauts promoting underlay that “feels like nothing on earth” has gone viral on social media as well as TV advertising and huge in-store promotion for retailers. If you haven’t seen the short video yet, you should – visit: www.thestocklists.com/tredaire-nauts
This high-profile campaign with uncompromising production standards is promoting the benefits of underlay in general in an engaging way which elevates the status and value of underlay with consumers (and maybe with retailers too).
“We are growing the market for underlay as a whole as well as promoting Tredaire,” says Gary McEwan, the new MD of Interfloor. “I am okay with that. We know underlay is a lowinterest category and we want to make it more interesting, educate the consumers and drive more sales across the sector.”
The campaign has been driven by marketing director Lynn Bamber with her team. “We know the material has been widely seen and retailers have reported consumers coming into store asking about the underlay with the astronauts!
“We have all sorts of plans to evolve the campaign and develop the characters,” she says. “Meanwhile, we’re rolling out eye-catching point-of-sale material right now and the themed packaging for underlay rolls is about to start.”
Next up, the Interfloor delivery fleet will be taking off with the astronaut branding to boldy go up the M1 and M6 to reach new frontiers in the underlay universe!
“We are growing the market for underlay as a whole as well as promoting Tredaire,” says Gary McEwan, the new MD of Interfloor. “I am okay with that. We know underlay is a low-interest category and we want to make it more interesting, educate the consumers and drive more sales across the sector.”
New lead for Interfloor
Gary McEwan has taken over as MD at Interfloor, following on from John Cooper who led the company with great style and success from 2015.
Gary has been with the company since 1996 when he joined as Personnel Director from BNFL. The HR route stood him in good stead for the MD role. “Everyone says that the flooring business is a people business and that’s been my professional life,” says Gary.
“It is people who make the difference in an organisation as much as any of the products and we have a great team here at Interfloor which makes me very positive about the future,” he said.
Gary McEwan (L) with Gary Cowley and the new branded roll packaging
Balta Reimagining an iconic brand
Balta is one of flooring’s best-known brands and Victoria plc seized the opportunity to acquire the Belgium business in 2022 as part of a reorganisation of European manufacturing companies and to root Balta firmly in the heart of UK retail.
If you saw the headlines last year that said “Balta is back” you could have been forgiven for wondering where it had gone and where it is going? Happily Harrogate had the answers.
The new Balta is ready to do business – and do better, higher value business for retailers – with a whole new look, and expanded product portfolio plus UK production, in-depth stockholding and a first-class national distribution network with rolls and cut-lengths delivered in as little as two days.
“We are a well-respected, long-established business –and we are the new kid on the block,” says Wim Verest who heads up the operation. “We have been investing heavily during the last tough year or two and people will see a very different Balta and a very ambitious one.
“We are finding our place in the market by simplifying the portfolio, retaining the most popular best-sellers and adding exciting new ranges,” says Wim.
The result is impressive. Balta looks different for sure with fresh new branding and modern point-of-sale.
Balta has created an attractive new man-made brand called Finishing Touch for mainstream PP products. The familiar Made in Heaven brand will be expanded as the home of Balta’s premium PP and polyester collections.
Then, in a dramatic new adventure for the Balta business, there is a full portfolio of smooths starting with two options in cushion vinyl, two qualities of laminate and a choice of LVT which include planks, herringbone click and parquet dryback with embossed options and a 0.55 wear layer throughout.
A portal platform is coming soon alongside a new website to pull it all together and create a seamless business experience for retailers. Ten reps are already on the road committed to spreading the word and ensure optimal service.
“We are a well-respected, long-established business –and we are the new kid on the block,” says Wim Verest who heads up the operation. “We have been investing heavily during the last tough year or two and people will see a very different Balta and a very ambitious one."
Space craft
As Balta rolls out its new portfolio to retailers they will be presenting the ranges on a very appealing set of pointof-sale, newly designed for impact and optimal efficiency.
The neat, modern units are designed to be compact and efficient, earning their place on valuable retail floors and form modular sets that can be mixed and combined depending on the stores product mix. The new laminate unit, pictured above, is a great example of how to sell effectively from the smallest footprint.
Wim Verest (R) with Fran Brewer who worked on the new brand
“We developed the ranges on a need-to-know basis and were amazed we were able to keep the secret right up until the show opened.”
The market knows Furlong don’t do things by halves and many will remember how the smooths category was launched and quickly became a market leading portfolio of LVTs, laminates and wood.
With wool, twist was the obvious place to start for Furlong. “We are a volume supplier and stock in depth to give that fast service retailers need,” says Ian. “Retailers want products they can trust in the best selling section of the market.”
Utilising Furlong Flooring’s UK wide distribution network, they are promising exemplary service and of course, attractive pricing. The launch has been well thought through and the carpet benefits from flexible and installation friendly CombiBac, available in 4 and 5m widths whilst offering a 10-year wear warranty and being moth resistant.
Taking a leaf out of the designer paint portfolios, the 16 colours of Timeless Wool are segmented into three categories – light & airy, deep & dramatic, calm & cosy – and options have fashionable alliterative names like Light Lace, Pure Pebble and Tranquil Truffle!
Furlong Flooring Bouncing in to take the wool market by storm
One of the best kept secrets in the industry finally got told as the Flooring Show opened its doors. Mainstream man-made powerhouse Furlong Flooring bounces into the wool business and the market knows this will be something special.
Timeless is the title of this major marketing initiative and it starts with two 80/20 twist ranges “inspired by nature”– Timeless Classic and a trade-up Deluxe.
“We developed the ranges on a need-to-know basis and were amazed we were able to keep the secret right up until the show opened,” jokes sales director Ian Collacott. “We wondered what the reaction would be and it has been great. Retailers know they can trust us to deliver ready-made best sellers.”
Furlong has been busy at work elsewhere across its extensive portfolio and key developments in its man-made carpets and in the smooths division were revealed at Harrogate.
Flagship Carefree Twist and Carefree Ultra have had their colourbanks transformed with eight of their 16 colours being swapped out for the latest on-trend tones across plains and heathers. And the yarn construction is now Furlongs EcoSense 100% recycled PP.
In smooths, Furlong’s big news is the launch of Universal Clic which bridges the gap between laminate and wood flooring. This is entry-level engineered wood flooring at its best and most accessible with a 3mm real wood veneer layer in six decors.
Furlong's new engineered wood Universal Clic
Furlong Timeless Wool Calm-Sand-Salt
Axminster Carpets Fine and fabulous
Cavalier Carpets Fuzzy logic with wool
Cavalier Carpets is constantly developing new innovations and only the best make it through to production, so it is always interesting to see what has made the grade for the latest launch.
For Harrogate, it was something really special with Wool Tweed – one of those products you instantly recognised as a winner while being something new in the market. “We think this is a perfect blend of pattern and subtlety which has had a great reaction from retailers,” says Hans Lowe.
Wool Tweed uses three colour yarns and a clever construction to create what might be described as a small and fuzzy geometric pattern that hits that happy spot between being interesting but not bold. And a 12-colour palette gives consumers plenty of choice.
Elsewhere, Cavalier has been busy upgrading its IT with a new website that includes the latest room visualise technology and a find-a-retailer based on Google maps.
And look out for plenty more to come from the product development division! A 5/32 coarse heather in 12 colours is promised for January with a smart but competitively-priced velvet and a deep saxony, both in polyester, to follow.
T 01254 268000 • www.cavaliercarpets.co.uk
Axminster Carpets is living up to its new marketing strapline “Fabulous since 1755” with the launch of its exceptional and extravagant “Imagination” collection.
Imagination is a new feature within Axminster’s Woven-To-Order service which takes a story-telling approach to the creation of custom designs including squirrels, rabbits, birds and fish.
This is a quirky and playful concept that takes the design into an imaginative fairytale story,” says marketing director Amanda Grabham. “You can imagine these in a family space, or a modern study or a child’s bedroom.”
The quality, of course, is uncompromising. These are woven on eight-pitch looms that are globally unique to Axminster, giving amazing pattern definition to the design and a high-quality finish. Jute and cotton are woven with 100% wool yarn to create these carpets and the whole custom process can be turned around in just four weeks at the factory in Devon.
Alongside the eclectic designs of Imagination is a range of contemporary patterns, plaids and geometrics made from the same yarns and colourbank which can be used to match in adjacent rooms, halls and landings.
T 01297 32244 • www.axminster-carpets.co.uk
Victorious debut for wood
Ensuring the smooths offer, has “got it all covered”, Victoria launched its first range of engineered wood floor at The Flooring Show and got a very positive reaction from visitors.
The Victorious collection is French oak and comes in 12 options including a 14mm board with a 3mm real wood surface and an 18mm board with 4mm on top.
The compact toast rack display is ready to roll out to retailers in Q4.
“Our reps have picked up on several comments recently from retailers who have said they choose Victoria products for their own homes.”
Victoria Carpets Fine tuning the portfolio
Victoria have spent the last two years re-developing its classy all-floors portfolio under the banner “Whatever your floor, we’ve got it covered” and they give careful consideration to making sure the offer is rich in best-sellers for retailers without any product clutter from also-rans.
Curator of the collection is sales director James Caldwell. “We are constantly fine tuning the mix and exploring new opportunities to add quality and depth to the range we offer,” he says.
“Our ASM's have picked up on several comments recently from retailers who have said they choose Victoria products for their own homes,” says James. “That’s great to hear and I reckon it’s an ideal measure to judge if a product is good enough to join our portfolio.”
Recent examples of this approach include additions to the hugely popular Easicare collection of family-friendly man-made carpets which boasts market leaders like First Impressions in its line-up.
Easi Sisal joined the collection this summer to great acclaim – the increasingly popular sisal look in three designs and four colours, made with PP, for use inside and outdoors with no worries about water and staining. Launched at Harrogate was Easicare Grace, an impressive new PP with a dense top quality yarn that almost looks like nylon but with a value price point.
But it’s the smooths side of the business that has been the big beneficiary of Victoria’s fine tuning most recently. “Now we really have the offer everyone wants and its smart and simple and doesn’t need a big showroom to sell strongly,” says James.
The popular Universal 0.55mm LVT collection now has a new colour bank across 16 planks, 8 herringbones and 4 tile designs, all available in both click and dryback.
Brand new for the season is Universal Design, – a collection of dryback-only designs across plank, fishbone (chevron) and parquet range which contains lots of warm, rustic tones that really highlight the beauty of wood. This range is also a 0.55mm but comes with an embossin-register for a more realistic finish.
Victoria Easi Sisal
New Easicare developments
The launch of Universal Design on new POS
Penthouse Carpets Double delight for Crofter original
If you’re on to a winner – double your stake! Penthouse has done just that with Crofter, a leading best-seller from its launch back in 2018 which has now been stepped up from nine colours to 18.
“This is what many retailers call a ‘proper carpet’ and it was easy to make the decision to invest on extending the colourbank as it has been so popular,” says Gemma Kopczyk of Penthouse.
Crofter is a timeless classic –an 80/20 cut-pile berber in two weights that’s so easy to live with and as it’s one of the few ranges around that has a jute backing, the natural feel is complete.
The new tones are part of the “Life in Colour” campaign at Penthouse and add fashionable shades of warmer naturals and softer greys together with ontrend greens and pastel blue.
The “Life in Colour” branding has been a real success in reinforcing the company’s commitment to all things bright and beautiful and Penthouse is extending its point-of-sale coverage across the UK to cheer up the nation.
T 01706 341231 • www.penthousecarpets.co.uk
See also the re-launch of Ecofelt, the eco-friendly luxury underlay made from recycled carpet fibre waste which Penthouse are relaunching this month. See page 12.
Inspiration by Tarkett
Exclusive definition in LVT
Inspiration by Tarkett has made an impressive investment in their new Inspiration Naturals collection to create a distinctive residential LVT brand for discerning retailers.
The concept is based on the company’s unique high-fidelity digital print technology that means customers can choose from an unrivalled bank of over 84 formats and designs, all scanned from the natural source material and reproduced in high-definition.
“We have a technological edge in LVT that gives unrivalled authenticity to our decors but also means we can be more adventurous in our design and offer more choice,” says Steve Urwin of Inspiration by Tarkett.
“With our ‘Design Studio offer, we can create any combination within the studio stocked colours, in any of the available formats, so retailers can offer a custom service for delivery within 3 weeks,” adds Steve.
The designs, which can have no pattern repeat within 12m2, are available in planks, herringbone, parquet in two sizes, chevron and basketweave plus some more unusual formats such as mansion weave and Parisian weave (see above). All these can be mixed and matched across an installation, with a one-box minimum order size.
The 0.55mm wear layer has a super strong Tektanium surface with a matt finish that has been very well received in the market.
High-end POS (pictured below) goes with the concept which is being offered on a geographically exclusive basis to selected retailers.
T 0800 328 2115 • www.inspirationbytarkett.co.uk
The Harrogate sales team
Penthouse Crofter
Swiss Oak Stained in Parisian Weave
Wilsons Underlays Innovation that makes a difference!
Wilsons Underlays made their debut at this year’s Flooring Show, and they did it with a hop, skip and a jump!
Showcasing their two award winning innovative underlays, customers were able to feel the difference for themselves. Plushwalk was a clear showstopper – visitors took part in their interactive display and the results spoke for themselves.
The bounce and comfort that Plushwalk offered on the purpose-built tester pods gave a real-life indication of how the exceptional TOG rating and combination of memory foam provides the ultimate comfort underfoot.
With new additions coming soon to their underfloor heating underlays, Wilsons Underlay’s ThermalStream made quite the impact too. Following on from the theme of ‘feeling the difference’, customers were amazed at the rate of heat transfer offered by ThermalStream. ThermalStream’s impressive rate of heat transfer was showcased with their specially built underfloor heating display that customers just couldn’t keep their hands off – pictured right.
If you weren’t their lucky winner of a bundle of free underlays, head over to their website to view the latest testing specifications, and order a free sample. Wilsons Underlays pride themselves with their ability to develop and produce underlay for multiple applications.
All of their underlays are tested to the British Standards BS EN 14499 and conform to British Standards BS4790 for Flammability Testing. ThermalStream also has ISO 17025 standards for measuring how its unique perforated heat transfer pockets perform from a UKAS accredited laboratory, so you can be rest assured that their underlays not only talk the talk, but they walk the walk too!
THE BESTSELLER
Plushwalk is the bestseller for a reason – with a TOG of 3.0 – 3.5, combined with memory foam which provides ultimate comfort underfoot, it is a popular choice amongst installers. Quality underlay gets fantastic feedback from their customers and the smooth backing makes fitting a dream!
THE HEAD-TURNER
ThermalStream provides an astonishing rate of heat transfer whilst incorporating flame retardant foam for improved safety and it's 10mm thickness gives your carpet the softness it deserves without sacrificing on heat loss. It’s super lightweight, so installers love it too.
Lano High performance luxury
There’s lots going on at Lano with three new launches at Harrogate and the promise of more developments early in 2025 to secure the company’s strong position in sophisticated highperformance carpets.
Much of the current focus is on SmartStrand, the renown “forever clean” plant-based fibre for which Lano has the exclusive rights in Europe.
Alongside its green and clean credentials, SmartStrand scores very highly on softness and appearance and resililence, and the launch of Sofia at The Flooring Show demonstrated this in abundance –a premium 5/64 velvet construction that oozes quality in 24 colours (pictured below, right).
Showing the flexibility of the SmartStrand fibre, the launch of Lagoon showed how a combination of cut pile and loop in a linear design adds texture and interest to the finish.
Lano is promising a significant re-colouring early in 2025 for SmartStrand covering the portfolio of ten ranges in this new Living Colours 3 collection - the portfolio for pure luxury, trendy colours and instant happiness says Lano!
The third residential launch for Lano was something quite different with Fairfield Designs in the durable Essenz PP fibre collection. This is attracting a lot of attention with its mix and match of nine plains coordinating with five stripes and four herringbones. It will arrive with retailers in Q1.
WoolSafe A passion for science
The WoolSafe Organisation, the international leader in wool carpet care and cleaning, is seeking to achieve the impossible and replace the irreplaceable!
Dr. Agnes Zsednai has stepped down as MD after more than 20 years with the organisation and is staying on as Scientific Advisor until WoolSafe find a successor with the deep technical skills, passion and commitment to fill her shoes. Steve Bakker was appointed MD on October 1.
A professional chemist by training, Agnes was technical director at WoolSafe until she took over from Paul Bakker as MD in 2010. She leads the research programme at WoolSafe and was responsible for the accreditation scheme for its partners and products as well as being a much sought-after speaker at conferences around the world.
Dr. Agnes Zsednai with WoolSafe's new MD
“I have loved working with WoolSafe - it is a passion for me and I shall miss it,” says Agnes. “We are a science-based organisation and there is a lot of research required to keep up with evolving technology.
“The work has opened up new areas for me and I have learned a lot about wool and carpet” she says. “Best of all, I have had the opportunity to pass on that knowledge to an international audience where WoolSafe is a highly respected partner.”
If you have the right credentials to join WoolSafe in the technical role of Scientific Advisor, the organisation is eager to hear from you.
T 01943 850817 • www.woolsafe.org
Steve Bakker
Stairrods Geordie Stripper –live on stage!
It was inevitable that a live act by the Geordie Stripper would turn heads at the Stairrods stand during The Flooring Show and sure enough, the guys gathered round to appreciate her polished performance.
The latest invention of serial inventor and entrepreneur John Raine of Stairrods has been two years in development and worth the wait. It is a specialised tool to tackle the tricky task of cutting LVT inlays for borders and trim inlays including nosings.
The tool is adjustable for the depth and width of the cut and scores the vinyl from both sides to give a clean, accurate cut with speed and safety.
Floors in another dimension
“We’ve had some fun with the Geordie Stripper name,” says John, whose company is, of course, based in the North East. “But the attention it’s getting for the way it works has been phenomenal – it’s a fast way to a really professional result.
“We’ve had some fun with the Geordie Stripper name,” says John, whose company is, of course, based in the North East. “But the attention it’s getting for the way it works has been phenomenal – it’s a fast way to a really professional result.
The device is a great partner to Stairrods Ali Trims range to make the inlays for their transition and border profiles.
Maintaining the tension
More new developments in the Stairrods Ali Trims range were impressing carpet installers in Harrogate with a new approach that allow fitters to use gripper alongside profiles – a real problem solver.
And now for something completely different! Maybe a water well or wine cellar floating beneath your floor!
Look out early next year for an unusual innovation from Stairrods called Feature Floors based on new 3D technology from optical experts Cannon. The process reverse prints imagery on to a hardened polycarbonate insert that can be embedded into LVT flooring to make unusual features.
The inserts can be round or rectangular up to 600cm wide and in commercial settings, this could be a well in a pub bar, a wine cellar in a restaurant or a dramatic 3D company logo. In a residential environment, the concept could be used for a clockface (see photo) or a pond in a conservatory or a fairytale scene in a nursery.
John Raine with a Feature Floor clock face design
“Often the threshold bars are the slackest part of the install which can be frustrating when you’re finishing a quality job,” said fitter Sam Sanders who was demonstrating on the Stairrods stand.
“Being able to use gripper right up to the threshold instead of the pins on the profile means the tension across the carpet is the same throughout,” says Sam.
The profile of these new trims is designed to match the chamfer of standard gripper which can be butted up to the edge, nailed through the trim plate or glued, leaving a channel to feed in the edge of the carpet.
The system can cope with a a range of underlay types on either side of the trim.
Accurate measuring
Fast, safe cutting
Unifloor Floor prep promise of same-day solution
Maybe the two top asks of installers for floor preparation are: please, no unpleasant surprises; and then, let’s get it done in a day!
A free-floating sub-floor system answers the challenges and fitters who find out about Jumpax go on site with confidence that they are not going to get caught out by unexpected problems.
The two self-adhesive MDF components of Jumpax from Unifloor are quick and easy to lay, instantly smoothing over typical irregularities and eliminating the need for screeds, primers, ply boards and nails. It is not necessary to remove old floor coverings, loosening screeds or surface contamination.
“Once fitters try this approach, they become instant supporters of the system to save them time and effort,” says Marcel Moll of Unifloor. “Being able to complete a project in one day with a stable, reliable installation is a real win.”
Unifloor also offers a range of solutions to offer the same performance over underfloor heating including their popular Heat-Pak products and a range of foils and ultra-thin PE foam underlays. These can be used in combination with various installation techniques but for waterbased underfloor heating systems wet systems, a clever combination of MDF and gypsum create a highly stable floor with a very low tog rating.
T 07881 451682 • www.unifloor-underlay.com
Metro Steve’s shining example
Metro lit up hall M at Harrogate with their display, quite literally –lightboxes are the latest bright idea from the buying group that has a big reputation for its marketing and merchandising expertise.
Along with the group buying power and Metro’s Carpet 1st ranges, plus a host of other services, every member gets a free allowance of £720 a year to spend on marketing – design, print, banners websites – everything from a business card to a shop front. Now a collection of impressive lightbox display panels with replaceable graphics has joined the list.
“This is a unique approach but it’s important because we want to help members to invest in their own business success,’ says operations manager Steve Depport. “The brilliance shines though from these units and makes a real difference to a store.”
Steve’s own brilliance has been a shining example to the trade since he joined Metro 12 years ago following a 10-year career with Brintons. Steve has announced his retirement from Metro at the end of March.
“I really value the time I have spent with Metro. I love the people in this industry and amongst our members it is great to see the new generations coming through into the business,” says Steve.
“I’ll miss all this but the group is in a really strong position and I feel I am leaving on a high.”
• For details of Steve's successor at Metro, see page 22.
T 01204 393 539 • www.carpet1st.co.uk
Steve Depport
Brampton Chase Style statement on display
Brampton Chase is a great choice of partner if you are looking for LVT to present with a little more elegance and style.
All of that was on display at Harrogate as the company unveiled its impressive new point-of-sale system which is a real showcase of their collections.
Furniture quality casements with recessed backlit graphics and uplighting set the scene for up to five toast-rack units. All of this is modular so that the components can be separated and re-sized to fit the store space available and the number of ranges offered.
“We have had an excellent reaction to the display from visitors to the show,” said sales manager Richard Davison. “It makes a real feature in store but it’s also very flexible so it can be tailored to meet the needs of the retailer.”
Add to that the snazzy colour changing POS cubes Brampton Chase have created and you are sure to make an impact and the latest range updates will seal the deal.
The smart Stones Collection has gained a striking marble option as this style gains momentum with designers and there is a black and white tiles option for dramatic impact.
A new size in herringbone has been launched following customer feedback for a smaller format for more compact spaces in modern new houses so now there’s a 16” x 4” alongside the mainstream 24” x 4.5” collection.
Nicola Edwards Nice, niche and edgy
What could you put in your store with just a 40cm square footprint that would catch eyes, start conversations and get you a whole new add-on in sales value?
Nicola Edwards has the answer and it’s the new “everything stand” that shows off her company’s remarkable skills in bespoke carpet and rug edging.
The new units are a compact, 3-sided unit at either a 40cm or 50cm square that comprises a clever sideways staircase running vertically alongside racks that show the exquisite range of edging options in cotton, linen, leather, faux leather and faux suede – all of which can be tailored to the retailer’s choice.
“Seeing is believing,” says Nicola. “You could take a long time explaining what we do but one look at what’s possible creates an immediate impact and desire.”
The visual impact of the Nicola Edwards projects is also widely used by manufacturers for roomset photography and is a darling of social media in general and Instagram in particular.
T 01282 222860
www.nicola-edwards.co.uk
(L to R): Marcus Jordan, Helen Caddick, Sam Tuckett, Richard Davison.
MasterPiece Fast features for business
There's always a buzz around the Masterpiece software stand at Harrogate as new retailers discover the time-saving features it has and existing customers visit to check out the latest enhancements.
The MasterPiece software enables the retailer to take up measuring, planning, estimating and then incrementally pick up further support for the in-store part of the business.
Having the estimator able to rapidly quote in the home is a great feature, which both drives acceptances and saves time spent working out plans and quotes in the evening.
With the estimator equipped, the store does the loading of new jobs and enables revisions at telephone speed post visit. MasterPiece becomes the tool for both novice and experienced sales person to generate ballpark quotes and handle customer’s own measurements.
The ability to import and trace over a floor plan is a really useful innovation; either with a Right Move or architects/builders floor plans. LVT estimating with Karndean, Amtico and other product sets becomes easy.
The bookkeeper’s work is streamlined via a check off list for getting payments into the accounting system. The Split Facility changes a messy task into correct and reliable information for both warehouse and fitter. The scheduling dairy is flooring orientated and enables the fitter to take customer signature and photos.
T 01737 355831 • www.masterpiece-system.com
Betap Style by stealth in wool loops
Betap are big on product development, monitoring trends and moving into position quickly with innovative products.
Some of the most exciting new introductions this year are Galloni, a fashionable “sisally” herringbone heavy loop, and its sister range Colline in basket weave – both in a wide choice of 14 colours.
Even more distinctive are the Cheddar and Dartmoor loops range which use a very classy and unusual PP yarn with a black accent thread. “Everyone asks if you have got anything different,” says Andrew Bramall, UK R&D product manager for Betap. “Our answer is always yes!”
Next up, for launch in the new year, are two more premium 100% wool loop ranges with Chelsea, Betap's first real rib design, and Sequoia, a fashionable tight weave. Both are on ActionBac and come in ten colours.
“Everything we offer in wool is selling strongly,” says Andrew. “And we have the ability to bring new ranges into the market quickly to make sure we’re right up-to-date on trends.”
T +31 (0)38 386 10 60 centralmail@betap.com www. betap.com
Betap's Galloni
Betap’s Dartmoor/Cheddar
Andrew Bramall (L) with Lee Thomas with the latest wool loops
J2 Flooring Easy investment in smarter LVT
In today’s tight market, j2 Flooring has become a go-to supplier for many retailers looking to offer competitively-priced and interesting LVT to their customers – and the latest POS innovation from the company adds to the appeal.
Smart modular display units are offered on a monthly charge basis while being fully rebated against future sales.
“It’s a challenging situation for retailers,” says j2’s Stephen Latham. “They want to add to their offer to consumers and invest in their store displays to attract new sales, but cashflow is tight. Our approach takes the risk out of that decision.”
The attractive Creo wall display is charged at only £100 per month while impressive corner showroom sets with five stands, backlit graphics and a display table are £240 per month.
“We have a really distinctive product range to shout about and typically price our ranges maybe 30% below brand leaders,” says Stephen. “We don’t allow the j2 brand to be sold online so creating great in-store presentations with accessible POS makes us a great partner for independent retailers.”
Condor Carpets
Fast forward with new tech trends
Condor is continuously innovating and came to Harrogate with their latest leap forward, the new LCL machine which was commissioned earlier this year and the UK is first to receive the interesting new products from this technology.
j2 has gained many likes on social media for its for its British-made Creo collection. Trending designs include basket weaves and the unusual carpenter’s bloc format, with the colourful Creo on tiles becoming hugely popular floor with the fashionistas.
T 01704 536421 • www.j2flooring.com
Our new LCL (Level Cut Loop) machine give us total flexibility for making a myriad of designs. “It can do everything, so what should we do?,” says Condor marketing manager Kim Koning. “It's an exciting opportunity to innovate together with our partners and anticipate new trends”
After trialling some prototype designs at the Flanders Flooring Days event in May, Condor has selected a set of designs for the UK which combine the cut fibres and level loop into linear, geometric and popular marbled effects. There are also curved patterns reminiscent of carved carpet designs which seem to be having something of a renaissance in the market.
Rugs, runners and stairs will also be important to this collection and the digital versatility makes custom design for contract installations highly cost effective.
Condor also showcased Gallia and Doria, two wool-look structures which are the first ranges in #tide collection, the highly innovation eco-concept which uses recycled PET from ocean-bound plastic waste collected by fishermen in Southeast Asia and Mexico. The project contributes to fair wages for fishermen, clean coastlines and reduced CO2
T +31 38 477 8911 • www.condor-group.eu
Stephen Laham with the latest POS
Condor LCL machine
Kim Koning with the latest LCL samples
Artisan Luxury Flooring
Excelling in the exceptional
Artisan excels in the premium sector of the carpet market where discerning customers want more than the best from the mainstream manufacturers – they want exceptional.
“Our role is to reimagine what’s possible in luxury,” says Raymond Van Dijk. “We micro-engineer our yarns to get better, finer, softer finishes and there is a real desire in the market for this quality at sensible prices.”
The Devon-based company launched in 2022 and already has a reputation for luxurious dense, velvet ranges with a silk-like finish.
Artisan came to Harrogate with four new products, three of them in top-grade nylon including Alora, believed to be the heaviest cut-pile nylon on the market. So heavy in fact, that modern tufting machines can only handle the weight at 4m width but seaming such a dense pile is easy, of course.
What’s next at Artisan? Visitors to The Flooring Show got a sneak preview of two new wool ranges coming for 2025. Velana will be a velvet range in New Zealand wool and Beachline will offer a more textured, random finish.
The new Amalfi and Positano ranges are luxurious handwoven carpets in a velvet and tip sheared design based on superior grade nylon that is inherently durable and resilient.
The final newcomer at the show was Bellezza, made with a very heavy polyester to create a de-lustered velour with a hand-made look alongside robust performance.
What’s next at Artisan? Visitors to The Flooring Show got a sneak preview of two new wool ranges coming for 2025. Velana will be a velvet range in New Zealand wool and Beachline will offer a more textured, random finish.
These wool carpets will be hand woven to tighten the natural yarn to the maximum density possible, giving these ranges that extra Artisan exceptionality.
Artisan presented their sophisticated new point-of-sale unit which can host up to ten ranges. The concept is to keep it simple, with a limited number of ranges which become the go-to display for customers who are in the market for uncompromising quality.
R:
Artisan Allora
Artisan Amalfi
Artisan Bellazza
Artisan Positano
L to
Artisan directors Klaas Bakker, Raymond Van Dijk and Julian Downes with the new display.
“Sisal has
come a long way since I started,” says Julian. “Back then people found it difficult to understand and challenging to fit and maintain.”
BioSisal has just launched and ticks all the boxes for sustainability. Sourced from a cooperative of Brazilian farmers, grown without pesticides, it comes with a felt backing made from waste coffee sacks & other organic materials, which is needlepunched into the back of the pile. No latex or adhesives are used, so it can be composted at the end of its natural life.
fibre also offers an EasyCare Sisal-Look range in chevron, bouclé and new rib designs which is made from polypropylene for use outdoors as well as inside.
T 01548 436 401 www.fibreflooring.com
fibre Sisaling in style
Julian Downes is an eco-evangelist and sisal specialist who is passionate about plant-based and natural fibres. Fifteen years ago, when he started out in this business, that was niche – now it’s what everyone wants, and Julian has lots of it, in style!
fibre is a sister company of Devon-based Artisan, and is owned and run by Julian, specializing in sisal, seagrass and wool with impeccable environmental credentials.
“Sisal has come a long way since I started,” says Julian. “Back then people found it difficult to understand and challenging to fit and maintain. Today’s modern products make life much easier and home designers have a massive appetite for its natural look.”
fibre brought eight sisal ranges to Harrogate with a variety of bouclés, herringbone and tiger’s eye designs and showcased four exceptional products.
The new premium range of EasyClean sisal, has a pre-applied stain resistant treatment added during the manufacturing process, making it the most stain resistant sisal on the market.
Sisal EasyFit has a felt backing which makes it more comfortable to handle and installers do not have to double-stick.
fibre is also at the centre of another flooring fashion – flatweave – and offers one of the most distinctive and comprehensive collections in the country.
Flatweave Classics are a range of carpets made with 10% wool and 90% polypropylene in different designs including diamond, large and small bouclés, linear and herringbone and a colourbank that is right on trend.
Other flatweaves in the portfolio include 100% wool ranges and Herringfine, a premium range with New Zealand wool. Launched at the show was fibre’s ReVive, a range of striking flatweave carpets made from recycled plastic bottles (RePET yarn) and featuring attractive herringbone and basketweave designs, soft to touch yet durable.
fibre Flatweave
fibre Sisal-Look
fibre Sisal
fibre's Julian Downes
Company Dynamics Integration innnovation
Company Dynamics was back at Harrogate again, having a coffee at their branded Kings Suite Café and catching up with new and old friends and customers to discuss ongoing business developments within the industry.
With its ongoing commitment to improving its customer systems, Company Dynamics has been busy working to provide new integrations and additional tools. Now it includes connections to the Mobile Diary from TeamUp, Text Messaging with ClickSend and integration with Measure Square Floor-planning Software. The developers continue to work on a route planning and delivery signature platform, which is in final testing with one of its wholesale customers, and will be released later this year.
Martin Veitch at Company Dynamics, says: “As new technology lets us offer more services to our customers. We’ve been busy bringing new features to our system this year. These have been warmly received by our increasing group of customers. And we hope to offer more integrations over the next few months, designed to help business grow and succeed”
TeamUp - Diary integration allows you to have fitters and estimators look at their schedule, take notes, attach plans and add photos. There are some great features with this app to make sure you are in control of who sees what and have a commanding overall view.
ClickSend – Text messaging integration to let your customers know their goods are ready for collection, when their delivery is coming or when your fitter should arrive. This is all integrated within the work management and planning system, where you can send out vital information with a simple click of the mouse.
Measure Square – Floor-planning software for more complex projects is a must to land those big contracts. Company Dynamics' integration into Measure Square, complements the planning process and allows the quotes to come into your back-office system, where you can progress the quote to order through to completion.
With new and future developments with other floor-planning software, updates to its B2B and B2C websites on the horizon, Company Dynamics continues to grow its system to offer a complete solution to its customers, providing software systems specifically designed for the flooring trade.
T 0333 370 1570 • www.CompanyDynamics.co.uk
Bjelin Vibrant with wood
Wood flooring specialist Bjelin brought two new product innovations to the Flooring Show this year, and both of them aroused a great deal of interest amongst visitors to the company’s busy stand.
The first was the Contrast Collection, which leverages the hues and tones of natural wood to create stunning contrasts. It is made from Spačva oak and is available in the XL size. This type of oak, which is sustainably sourced from Croatia with FSC certification, is renowned for its stunning beauty and distinctive grain.
It is a vibrant range which is made possible through the fusion of technology and ageless craftsmanship and is ideal for either residential or heavy traffic commercial environments. It uses Woodura surface technology, which makes Bjelin’s hardened wood floors three times stronger than traditional engineered wood options, providing enhanced resistance to water and dents. When it is combined with the leakproof 5G Dry floor locking system, the Contrast Collection ensures lasting durability and boasts a superior class 33 pro matt lacquer – Bjelin’s toughest to date.
The second range on display at the Show was Woodura Herringbone 2.0 - a durable herringbone floor, which offers a modern take on a timeless classic. It features larger panels, which deliver three times the strength of traditional wood options, and can be effortlessly installed with click technology. This range also features Woodura technology for improved impact resistance and the superior 5G floor locking solution for easy installation.
“We were delighted with the reception that these new products enjoyed at Harrogate, from both existing and potential customers,” says Simon Darbyshire, Managing Director of Välinge Innovation UK Ltd. “I feel that the practical benefits of our Woodura hardened wood flooring, including durability and impact resistance, combined with elegance and contemporary appeal, are really resonating with the market now. Harrogate provided a great showcase for us, and we hope to be back next year with more new products!”
uk-sales@bjelin.com • uk.bjelin.com/en
Woodura Misty White Herringbone
Greendale Carpets Design for the discerning
Greendale members are part of an increasingly exclusive club with the launch of the buying group’s distinctive iD Interior Design portfolio.
There was a sneak preview in Solihull but now the concept is front and centre of Greendale’s presentation and it’s made a big impact on retailers looking for an extra edge in what they can offer to their most discerning customers.
iD is an elegant swatch box of 100 sophisticated designs, curated by a panel of members and comprising several ranges across all sorts of exciting options in wool loop textures, sisals, faux sisal, nylon, outdoor carpet and so on.
• ACG offers its members actual “best trade pricing”
The swatches can be tailored to retailers’ own choice to match the demand and styles of their customer base and components can be swapped in and out as the concept evolves and new ranges come into the buying group’s portfolio.
01432 852000 • www.greendalecarpets.co.uk
Associated Carpet Group
Big benefits for retail members
The Flooring Show, Harrogate again proved to be a tremendous success for the Associated Carpet Group with interest from prospective retailers and discussions with existing members. Exclusive group arrangements were agreed with affiliated suppliers, which it is looking forward to implementing over the coming weeks.
Jon Richardson, Group Development Manager of ACG commented: “Retailers often ask, ‘What makes ACG membership a cut above?’ so we thought we’d list out the benefits.”
• ACG members receive all their “turnover rebates” directly from suppliers
• ACG members receive additional annual value from exclusive group promotional activity
• ACG members receive subsidised unitary and sampling in conjunction with the hugely successful, multi award winning and largest of the group rebrands, Smart Choice
• ACG hosts the largest buying group trade show exclusively for its members
• ACG are a friendly, member owned and not for profit buying group
• ACG offers membership without interference and a change in practice
• ACG has the members best interests at the heart of its business
“Why not be part of the biggest UK flooring buying group?” says Jon, “A buying group that passes all the benefits onto its members.”
ACG's Jon Richardson with visitors See also ACG advert on pages 24-25
Greendale's chief executive Eamonn Prescott
Carpet Recycling UK Wool works on sustainability
Wool carpet manufacturers are working hard and are more motivated to promote their natural products, according to Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) following their participation at The Flooring Show in Harrogate
“The wool sector seems to be getting more organised and motivated to promote the recyclability of their products than they have in the past, hence the debut of the Wool Carpet Focus Group and Campaign for Wool at the Flooring Show,” observes Adnan ZebKhan, CRUK Project Manager. “This is good news for the wool sector and overall industry as it encourages manufacturers, retailers and fitters to promote wool flooring products.
“The presence of wool manufacturers was much more visible this year and highlighted by the Campaign for Wool and British Wool with their eye-catching Shaun the Sheep promotional material.”
The Flooring Show presented their Sustainability Award to the 2024 winner Textfelt, celebrating their considerable efforts to reduce environmental impact in manufacturing processes and commitment to future sustainability vision and practices.
CRUK also noticed an increase in the number of retailers who stopped at their stand to discuss options for sustainable and more cost-effective disposal of carpet and textile flooring waste.
“From our experience at the show, retailers are keenly aware that they need to be doing their bit to reduce waste and recycle. CRUK membership is a testament to their willingness and intent to do the right thing with their carpet and textile flooring waste,” noted Julie Callaghan, CRUK Membership Manager.
Likewise Group
All the news, all the floors
Likewise were delighted with their customers’ reactions to both the vast range of new products on show and their new displays and point of sale.
A collection of premium carpet ranges branded around ‘The Classics’ was showcased under the Floors by Lewis Abbott brand on two new quality display units.
The Classics ranges included pure new wool, loop piles, nylon luxury velvets and flat woven contrast loops, while the popular herringbone range has been relaunched with five additional colour options.
New carpet ranges were displayed including 5 new ranges on lectern units from Associated Weavers’ Invictus and Stain Away Collections.
Floors by Lewis Abbot bestselling LVT ranges Chester Square and Holland Park showcased new designs displayed on a premium stand with lighting to pick out the classic plank and parquet designs.
The Cotswold Wood Company, a brand new premium collection of engineered wood designs with a 14mm thick plank and 3mm top layer. A total of 18 options available with lengths ranging from 300 to 1500mm.
New laminate flooring ranges included the 8mm Vitality Style and water-resistant Vitality Aqua, in 10 modern decors and The Lakes Collection Lucerne 8mm, Geneva 10mm and Louise 12mm in the latest on trend decors.
New eco-friendly doormats and stunning new rugs were on display from Likewise Rugs & Matting.
Doormats produced from sustainable renewable coir included Gainsborough and new rug designs included Silk Road, printed onto super-soft polyester with the practicality of being machine washable. Persian Classics new design Shiraz and Tokyo Rug Collection in traditional and contemporary designs, included 3 new additions to its range.
T 0121 817 2900
Buckets boost the brand
F Ball & Co Ltd Going with the faster flow
F. Ball’s ‘best-in-class’ high-flow smoothing compound Stopgap 1400 was centre stage on their stand at The Flooring Show with live demonstrations to present the fast performance of this new innovation.
A two-component smoothing compound, with superior flow and self-smoothing properties, Stopgap 1400 is walk-on hard from just 90 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from 12 hours. This makes it ideal for flooring contractors who need to work quickly and efficiently, perhaps across multiple areas, including new-build developments.
Contractors attending the show also found out how to become a member of the Ball Rewards loyalty programme, which entitles them to claim cashback each time they purchase F. Ball products, as well as a range of exclusive benefits, such as the opportunity to enter regular competitions and earn extra cashback on promotional products.
up with customers and seeing new faces.
“We value the opportunity to share new developments to make flooring contractors’ lives easier, including our new smoothing compound, as well as refreshed designs for the yellow buckets, which help compare value with alternative products, especially where they are sold by weight rather than volume,” he added.
Debuting at the show were their new designs for F. Ball’s iconic yellow buckets used for its Styccobond adhesives.
The new designs have been introduced to modernise the look of the plastic buckets and simplify product selection, in keeping with new designs for the company’s smoothing compound sacks introduced last year.
While they retain the instantly recognisable F. Ball branding, the buckets now detail coverage rates to help flooring contractors work out how much of an adhesive they need for a particular project. Empty buckets can also continue to be disposed of for recycling, for free, at locations participating in the F. Ball Recycling Scheme.
Stopgap 1400 smoothing compound in action
F. Ball managing director Darren Kenyon said: “The Flooring Show is one of the most important events in our calendar, so we were excited to be back and catching
FLOORING FACTSHEET ADHESIVES
SELECTION CHECKLIST
The criteria to select an adhesive will cover the following points.
Larger manufacturers offer detailed guides to select the correct adhesive – even indexing floor manufacturer’s products by name to ensure an accurate match. For accurate and up-to-date information consult the F. Ball Recommended Adhesives Guide.
Open Time:
The time you have to fit the flooring into the adhesive after which the bond will no longer be ideal. The time until the floor may be walked on should be checked.
Odour:
Low odour, solvent-free and low VOC products are increasingly favoured and now have the same performance characteristics of older products.
Coverage:
How thick and how far can the adhesive be spread.
Application Method:
Different adhesives may be applied by roller, trowel or spray.
Strength:
Including how quickly the adhesive will “grab” the floor covering and its strength when fully cured.
Underfloor Heating:
A lot of modern adhesives are suitable for use with underfloor heating but this criteria must be checked where appropriate.
Subfloor:
What surface will the adhesive stick to most effectively including concrete, sand cement screeds, levelling compounds, plywood and chipboard.
While there are multi-purpose adhesives, specialist products will be better suited to certain surfaces.
The porosity of the floor is a key determinant of the type of adhesive to be used and its performance during installation.
Special Performance:
Certain adhesives are more suitable for damp, humid or high temperature environments.
Air Quality and the Environment:
The old wisdom that the more it smells, the better it sticks is no longer acceptable to modern consumers and solvent-based products are increasingly replaced by water-based adhesives.
ADHESIVE TYPES
Acrylic/Resin: Ideal for plasticised PVC and most modern flooring.
Bitumen: A tar-like material, bitumen has a high degree of moisture resistance and is used for damp-proof membranes and installing tiles, wood blocks and mosaics.
Epoxy Resin: A two-part chemical curing system that is used in aggressive environments such as conservatories, wet rooms, commercial kitchens and exterior installations.
Polyurethane: An adhesive with rapid bonding characteristics, typically used for wood floors.
Polyvinyl Acetate: Typically used for close fitting joints in timber, laminate floors and panels.
Tackifier: An adhesive for carpet designed to increase the tackiness – or the tack range –of an adhesive.
Water-based Adhesive: Many different types of adhesives now use water as their carrier to avoid odours and flammability issues which are common with chemical solvents.
Flooring factsheet
Buying Groups
Why join?
Buying groups have been a highly successful feature of the floor retailing scene in the last decade or so, giving independents the extra edge they need to compete effectively with the retail park chains.
More than 1000 retailers are now members of one of the several buying groups which operate in our sector and the numbers are slowly, but steadily growing.
While the benefits of bulk buying power are self-evident, the resistance to the buying group concept among nonmembers appears to be centred on fears of surrendering some control to a committee – and most particularly compromising long-established relationships and negotiated terms with current suppliers.
Pick the right one
How to decide whether to join a buying group – and which one…
• Evaluate all buying groups as they all work differently
• Talk to the main marketing contact and/or a member of the committee
• Get a list of members and call up two or three for a ‘real-world’ view
• Establish your territorial exclusivity – where’s the next nearest member of each buying group
• Ensure you understand the financial arrangements, any fees that would relate to your membership, how the bills are paid and whether your fees are refundable if it doesn’t work out. Ask the buying group for a consultation to estimate your potential savings
• Review all the extra benefits and services to see what you would actually use
• Check out the product ranges offered including the own-label options and the UK/European mix
www.beautifulflooring.co.uk
Contact: Carl Harris Tel: 01892 549050 charris31@sky.com
THE STOCKLISTS Feburary 2022
The bottom line is the bottom line. A retailer selling across a broad range of products is likely to improve margins within a buying group – but you don’t need a leap of faith to join up. Ask the buying groups for answers...
Key benefits
Increase margins
• Group purchases to get beneficial rates
• Rebates
• Exclusive higher-margin products
• Special promotions
One of the key reasons to join a buying group is to benefit from the discounts they negotiate as a bulk buyer from manufacturers. The way discounts and rebates are passed on to members varies between groups so make sure it’s absolutely clear how this will be done. You’ll need to work out how this compares with discounts you have already negotiated locally with preferred suppliers.
Access professional services
• Business and financial services
• IT and internet support
• Training and workshops
• Professional bodies
Some buying groups offer an excellent range of other services which may be valuable to your business. Financial services include invoice factoring, credit, loans and insurance. Some of the more sophisticated groups offering marketing packages, software systems to help you run your business operations and customised websites ready to use. Relationships with professional and training organisations can also offer discounts.
• Ensure you understand any rules that may limit your flexibility to run your business the way you want
Increase sales
• Best of both worlds’ proposition
• Wider ranges and exclusive products
• POS, displays and merchandising support
Your customers will like the proposition that you are independent but with the buying power of a group –this gives them (and you) the ‘best of both worlds’ with personal service and competitive pricing. Most groups will also offer you ‘own label’ ranges and support with pointof-sale, merchandising and displays. Central stockholding may also be on offer.
Network with other independents
• Members-only exhibitions with preferred manufacturers
• Regular meetings and supplier presentations
• Regional workshops
• Helpline
A lot of retailers enjoy the buying group environment of being independent but not alone out there on the High Street. Groups hold regular meetings and some have their own trade shows, regional meetings and workshops to help you develop your business. The network gives you someone to call when you need advice on, for example, an unusual installation, a technical consumer complaint, legal issue or business dilemma.
www.smg-group.co.uk Contact: Mike Reed Tel: 0118 932 3832 info@smg-group.co.uk
Flooring factsheet
Carpet types
Tufted
With advances in manufacturing technology, 95% of all carpet produced today is tufted. It takes about an hour to make a roll of carpet that might take eight hours to weave. To make tufted carpet, hundreds of yarn-threaded needles are pushed through the primary backing fabric to form loops or tufts, which may be left as is or cut. A heavy adhesive coating is applied to hold the tufts in place and a secondary backing is usually glued on for strength and stability. A wide variety of styles and textures can then be created using various techniques.
LOOP PILE
Berber – Berber carpets look like and are named after a handmade, bulky wool carpet made by the Berber tribes of North Africa and Asia. The loops are made from thick or bulky yarns of wool, nylon, polypropylene or a blend of these fibres to give a cushioned effect underfoot. These carpets are available in an assortment of colours and may be flecked and can be either level loop or multilevel loop.
Level loop – When all the loops are of the same height, a highly flexible and durable carpet is created which has a natural, casual appearance even when (commonly) it is made from synthetic fibres. The tight loop texture tends to hide marks so it’s a good blend between luxury and practicality.
Multi-level loop – The loops vary to two or sometimes three loop heights to create informal, random textures which are very forgiving for marks and stains and therefore very suitable for high traffic areas and busy family rooms.
BONDED
Bonded carpets (sometimes called ‘fibre-bonded’ or ‘fusion bonded’) are created by firing fibres into an adhesive material – the fibres are not stitched into the backing in any way. The technique is principally used for commercial carpet tiles.
CUT PILE
Freize – Frieze or frisée (pronounced freesay) carpets are similar to saxony, but the yarns are more tightly twisted and should always be heat set. They have a dense, low pile surface which creates a coarse, pebbly texture. Frieze carpets are very durable and hide footprints, dust and dirt, which makes them suitable for heavy traffic areas.
Saxony – Saxony textures are made of twisted yarns, which should be heat set. The tips remain very distinct, rather than blending together to form a very elegant finish. Saxony textures show footprints and vacuum marks so are suitable for more occasional rooms in the home. More textured variations improve the practicality of saxonies.
Twist – The popular twist carpet is the cut-pile standard. The yarn is tightly twisted and often heatset to retain this feature and the result is a versatile, textured finish that is ideal for plain colours.
Velvet – Velvet textures (sometimes called ‘velour’ or ‘plush’) all have a level surface pile of approx 5mm to 10mm height, which is then sheared to give a smooth finish. With very little twist in the yarn, the ends blend together which then further enhances the overall finish. These carpets tend to ‘shade’ with heavy use. Footprints show easily and the colour looks different from place to place because fibres lying in different directions reflect the light differently. A luxury for occasional rooms.
CUT AND LOOP
When some of the pile is cut and other left as loop, a variety of surface textures and patterns can be created (in a variety of colours). The multi-level surface is excellent for hiding footprints and stains so cut and loop is good for high traffic areas and general purpose rooms in the home.
Shag pile – Shag pile has varied in popularity. The pile is up to 50mm long and the texture is casual and loose but the surface can flatten easily and may lack durability.
Woven
Woven carpet may be in a tiny minority of today’s production but still produces some of the finest carpets which are used for prestigious installations.
Axminster
The pile of the carpet is inserted into the backing as it is woven and cut to length, creating U-shaped tufts to give a velvety surface. The process locks in the fibre to create a carpet of high durability and performance retention as well as a luxury feel. The process allows for intricate designs and colours to be used – although modern trends mean that the traditional patterned axminster has given way to current fashion trends for plain carpets.
Wilton
Wilton woven carpets are produced in a similar way to axminsters – the principal difference being that a continuous fibre is woven all the way through. The carpet can be sheared to create a range of cut and loop textured effects. The result is a high quality carpet of unrivalled durability.
Flat weave
Manufactured in the same way as wilton, flat weave is a loop pile which allows the yarn to be woven across a wider area to created a flatter, more textured effect.
Flooring factsheet
Underlay
In a tight market for margins, underlay for carpet and hard flooring offers retailers one of the best opportunities to add value to every sale – with good profitability, trade-up potential once benefits are understood and high customer satisfaction levels.
The Carpet Foundation and its Consumer Code of Practice approved by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) recommend that new carpet underlay is bought with every new carpet.
Many consumers are now aware of the benefits of underlay but more needs to be done to provide information about the different types available and their suitability for different areas of the home.
Setting up in-store demonstrations so customers can walk on samples with different grades of underlay and feel the difference has shown excellent results. Some manufacturers offer point-of-sale units and foot testers.
• Absorb the pressure of foot traffic and reduce wear
• Improve thermal insulation and warmth
• Increase sound insulation
• Smooth out sub-floor imperfections
• Last the lifetime of the carpet
Poor or old underlay will...
• Feel hard and unwelcoming
• Reduce carpet life
• Cause wrinkling and premature wear spots
• Cause carpet fibres to break down more quickly
• Not meet British Standards
How thick?
A maximum of 12mm is recommended (working with gripper will be difficult thereafter) but rooms with heavy traffic will need a thinner, denser pad. The combination of thickness and density is all important as a thick underlay with low density may not perform well. Typically, the thicker the underlay, the better quality it will need to be – 11mm is often used for luxury installations with 9mm and 7mm the common domestic thickness.
Types
PU (polyurethane) foam • This is now the market’s most popular underlay and is typically made from recycled foam offcuts. The foam provides excellent comfort and performance levels with lots of thickness options and densities and provides great insulation – and its light weight helps handling.
Sponge rubber • A more traditionally manufactured underlay available in flat or waffle patterns in a wide range of weights for different applications. It performs well for comfort and has a durable spring retention.
Crumb rubber • Flat and dense, crumb rubber is good for heavy footfall – offering maximum protection but a little less comfort (and very good over stair nosings).
Laminate underlay • There’s still an opportunity to sell underlay with laminate flooring, improving the acoustic performance of the floor and helping the boards float above any imperfections in the sub-floor.
Combination • A rubber crumb base with a felt top layer offers a good combination of protection, durability and comfort. It also allows carpet with seaming to bed into the top felt.
Underfloor heating underlay • Always ask if there is underfloor heating. Most manufacturers offer specialised products. Underlay and carpet with a combined tog rating of 2.5 can be used – which means the underlay would normally have a tog rating of 1.0.
Felt • This traditional (but environmentally friendly) undelay is made from recycled fibres – wool, jute and synthetic – to create a firm, dense pad with excellent thermal insulation. Still a very popular choice among contractors when stretch fitting woven carpets.
Pre-tackified underlay • A self-adhesive single stick underlay in both needlefelt and PU. A removable system for heavy use when comfort is desired.
Underlayment for LVT • This provides a smooth surface on which you can glue down immediately. If there is a time or acoustic issue or a problematic underfloor, a stable, smooth dual underlay system will provide the best solution.
www.floorwise.co.uk
www.carpenterunderlay.co.uk
www.unifloor.nl
www.underlay.com
www.wilsons-carpet-underlays.co.uk
Sponge rubber Crumb
Combination PU foam
Flooring factsheet
Carpet trouble-shooter
Colour matching
Carpets are produced in batches - known as creels - and usually each batch produces between 500m2 - 3000m2 in a single width, depending on the creel size. Whilst the recipe used by the dyer remains constant, and is followed to the letter, in each separate production the colour reproduction will vary from batch to batch. However production is matched back to the original or master sample to ensure that the colour remains ‘within a commercial toleranc e’.
This process if not an exact science and a commercial tolerance is subjective but nevertheless is usually the professional judgement of the head dyer based on his/her experience.
A greater level of tolerance is required on blended colours (Heathers etc). To ensure perfect colour matching it is advisable that a single width be used in any installation requiring exact colour matching.
N.B. Carpets which are laid with the pile travelling in different directions, even though they be from the same batch will appear not to match. For further information please check with the manufacturers recommendations.
Sprouting
Occasionally an odd tuft or two can work its way to the surface and stand proud of the rest of the pile. This is probably due to one end of the tuft being longer than the other i.e. J shaped tuft instead of V shaped. Remedial action merely requires that the offending tufts be scissor trimmed level with the rest of the pile. They should never be pulled out.
• shedding • pulled loops
Fading on Wool
Carpets made from wool can and do fade in use. The degree of fade can vary depending on the colour chosen and the local conditions to which the carpet is subjected.
Fading can be caused by exposure to ultra violet light which is found in daylight, but is accelerated when sunlight shines directly onto the carpet. This has the effect of lightening or “Bleaching” the colour just as exposure to sunlight will lighten human hair. Wool is after all animal hair.
Protection should be given to carpets exposed to such conditions just as you would protect other furniture or fabrics.
A complaint on fading would be considered justified if it failed to meet the required shade standard when tested to the British Standard BS1006 (1990).
Soiling
Soiling is usually the result of some local condition to which the carpet has been subjected to, or maintenance, or lack of maintenance programme. There is nothing we as manufacturers can do to prevent soiling in use. There are several types of soiling which are quite common:
Spillages - Liquids such as soft drinks, cordials or any drink which contains sugar, particularly hot drinks, is likely to leave a stain. In such instances, professional help should be sought.
Shampoo - if incorrectly applied, can leave sticky soap residues in the fibres which can result in the soiling reappearing quite rapidly.
Dust - which is carried on draughts can soil carpets in various ways, apart from the obvious soiled edges, at gaping skirting boards for instance, dark lines appearing on surface might suggest airborne dust vacuum-drawn through poorly fitted floorboards. Sometimes the shape of floorboards can be seen quite clearly. Air borne dust sometimes shows itself as spots on the carpet, this is due to the air carried on a draught under the carpet escaping through minute holes both in the underlay and the carpet, leaving dust deposited on the pile much like a filter action. In such installations, the use of a lining paper is essential as a preventative measure.
It is the responsibility of the retailer to advise the consumer when the carpet is measured of any poorly fitting doors, skirtings, or floorboards and the consumers responsibility to ensure any remedial work to seal draughts, is carried out before the carpet is fitted, if a resulting complaint is to be avoided.
Static
Carpets do not produce static but like other household fabrics and objects have the capacity to store it. Static is caused by the build up of static electricity upon personnel in a dry environment and is discharged when a person makes contact with an object which can conduct electricity (i.e. door handle or filing cabinets, etc).
The static charges will vary in intensity depending upon the individual, air humidity and the contact materials. Static is more usually associated with synthetic materials as they do not retain moisture very well but it can and does occur with wool in very dry room conditions. Preventative measures include the introduction of moisture into the room or in situ carpet treatment.
Flattening
Flattening will occur as a result of traffic which eventually flattens the pile particularly in the main areas of use.
All pile fabrics will flatten to greater or lesser degree dependant on the amount of traffic to which it is subjected and the construction (tuft density/pile fibre/height/weight) of the product concerned.
Shading
Shading occurs because the pile of the carpet has become crushed, flattened or brushed in a different direction to the natural lie of the pile whilst in situ. This causes light reflection at differing angles resulting in the creation of light and dark patches on the carpet. This will occur on all pile fabrics but can be more noticeable on plainer carpets because the shadows created by pile pressure will not be disguised by a heavy pattern or design.
Pile Reversal
Like shading, this occurs when the pile or nap of the carpet changes direction and thus reflects light at different angles showing the effects of shading which can become permanent. It is also described as ‘watermarking’. This can happen to every carpet construction be it Axminster, Wilton, Tufted, Hand Woven, Persian, Chinese, Indian or even Coir Matting. Like shading it can be more apparent on plain carpet because heavy patterns can disguise the effects. It can occur quite quickly after installation. A tremendous amount of research has been carried out over many years by many institutes to determine the cause of this phenomenon but none of it has proved conclusive. There is no commonly known manufacturing process which can cause or cure this phenomenon and therefore it is not a manufacturing fault. For further information please check with individual manufacturers recommendations.
Pulling Loops
Pulled loops occur only in looped pile carpet where one or more loops in the continuous pile is pulled through the primary backing of the carpet. This is usually due to some local condition, possibly some sharp object which has caught in a loop in situ and has resulted in a pull. Pulled loops are easily dealt with by trimming the offending end level with the rest of the pile. They should not be left as this could result in further loops being pulled and developing into a ladder.
Shedding
All cut pile carpets will lose short fibre, which is created during production when spun yarn is cut for tuft formation. These fibres fall onto the surface of the pile and appear as ‘fluff’. The effect varies with yarn type and may be removed without detrimental effect upon the carpet by vacuum cleaning. This excess fibre is only a small fraction of the total fibre contained in the carpet.
Indentations
When a carpet is subjected to a heavy point load, such as under the legs of furniture, it is unreasonable to expect the carpet not to indent. Usually, the longer the load is in place, the longer will be the time for the pile to recover. In the case of very heavy loads in place for a considerable time, the recovery time can be very considerable.
It must be remembered that it is not only the pile of the carpet that becomes indented. The underlay will also indent and the backing of the carpet may also distort into the indentation in the underlay. Some underlay’s will recover well and some less well depending upon their composition, thickness, density etc. The use of cups below furniture legs can spread the load and the net result is a larger area of less deeply indented carpet.
The ability of a carpet to recover from a heavy static load can be measured in the laboratory, using the test method described in BS 4939 and many manufacturers will have data on this aspect of carpet performance. In this test the carpet is loaded for 24 hours and the degree of recovery is measured after 1 hour and 24 hours. Since there are so many different underlay’s however, it is very rare for the recovery from a heavy static load to be evaluated on carpet and underlay.
Often normal maintenance (vacuum cleaning with a rotating brush machine) will speed up recovery but in the case of serious indentations the use of an iron and damp cloth or a steam iron together with a blunt darning needle to carefully tease up the pile can be beneficial. Care must be take not to over wet the carpet, of course.
Samples Installation
The samples held by individual retailers may not be from the same batch as current production and therefore should be used as a guide and not an exact colour match.
Telephone National Institute of Carpet Fitters (NICF) for further information – 0115 958 3077.
Vinyl is a fast growing sector of the flooring market due to its durability at relatively low cost and huge range of designs available. Sheet vinyl and cushion floor by the roll are popular but the sector is dominated by LVT. In reality, most of the products sold today are “LVP”, Luxury Vinyl Planks, as wood decors are more popular than ceramics and stone but the term LVT is still used to cover the whole non-sheet market.
Benefits
• Huge choice in terms of decors across wood, ceramic, stone and geometric designs
• Impressive realism – not just in the design but infinishing techniques that allow for wood knots you can feel, tiles you can grout, etc. See appearance options.
• Excellent performance in durability for high traffic areas, scratch resistance and cleanability. Vinyl also tends to be much more nonslip than natural materials. Some products are water resistant for bathrooms and kitchens.
• Warm and soft to touch compared to ceramic and stone floors - and a good heat insulator anyhow, and suitable for use with underfloor heating systems.
• Sound reduction – vinyl has neglible impact sound compared to the tap/click of laminate and transmits less sound and vibration compared to solid floor.
• Considerably cheaper than the ‘real’ thing – both to buy and to fit – and tile/plank approach minimises wastage.
Installation
Installation preparation
Vinyl requires a dry, sound, level subfloor as the relative thinness of vinyl and its light reflection performance will quickly reveal imperfections after installation as well as cause potential wear issues.
Exisitng wooden/MDF floors may need a plywood underlay up to 6mm thick and then the joints will need to be skimmed or taped. Non-wood sub-floors will need a self-levelling screed to be laid to ensure a suitable base for the floor. A damp-proof membrane may be required depending on sub-floor moisture levels.
However, new rigid core products are less flexible and can be laid more easily over existing floors – see Construction.
Top Coating
Wear Layer
Decor Layer
Product options
• Dry back – a sheet or tile that needs to be fixed to the sub-floor using an adhesive.
• Self-adhesive – tiles with a peel-off backing paper to stick to the sub-floor. Some tiles have adhesive overlaps to stick to each other rather than the sub-floor.
• Loose lay vinyl – tiles that simply drop onto the floor and rely on a high friction backing to keep them in place – they demand a very sound, level sub-floor but are the easiset type of tile to lay or replace.
• Click – tiles that have a mechanical jointing system to attach to one another (like a locked tongue and groove system) and ‘float’ on the sub-floor without being glued down. There are many proprietary versions of the click system which offer fast, clean installation and stability.
Appearance options
Vinyl tiles and planks cover a hugh variety of sizes and shapes and can be mix-and-matched to achieve an infinite number of designs. Current fashions include extra wide and long planks for wood through to very small planks for wood. Border effects can be easy to achieve in LVT.
Other notable options include:
• Embossed – this is where the top clear layer of the tile has been embossed to create a realistic texture that matches the style of the stone of wood decor. Registered embossed is the most authentic –the texture matches the design so that, for example, a wood knot or hand-scraped element in the wood design can be felt on the surface of the flooring.
• Grouting and grooving – vinyl tiles can be laid with grouting inlay strips or beads of vinyl for addewd realism – and there are acrylic grouts that can be applied. In wood decors, planks are available with v-grooves or bevelled edges between planks for added realism.
LVT construction
PVC Middle Layer(s)
Fibre Glass Layer(s)
PVC Base Layer
www.bramptonchase.co.uk
www.invictus.co.uk
www.krausflooring.co.uk
www.myvictoria.co.uk
Top coating – A polyurethane or aluminium oxide coating provides protection against scratches and stains and gives enhances anti-slip.
Wear layer – This is a key layer - determining the performance and resilience of the product. A 0.3mm (12 mil) wear layer is a good for heavy wear areas. Commercial installations need 0.5mm wear layers or above with 0.7mm at the top end. The wear warranties and guarantees carried by products will be based on this thickness.
Decor layer – This is the decor itself - in essence it is a paper- or filmbased photographic inkjet print. (A few LVT floors have the image printed directly to the surface of the floor but this implies less image definition and different wear characteristics.)
PVC and fibre glass layers – The construction ‘sandwich’ can vary between products but a combination of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) layers for strength and flexibility and fibre glass layers for structural stability may be used. Any click-system profile will be incorporated into these layers. Products often use a combination of recycled vinyl which is cheaper and virgin PVC which lasts longer and is more stable.
Rigid core LVT has a solid, less flexible PVC layer with maximum stability which means it can be laid over exisiting, less even flooring without showing imperfections and therefore avoiding wear problems. Base (or backing) layer – The final high density PVC layer varies according to the installation requirement and is designed for taking adhesive or as an ‘underlay’ for loose-lay and click installations.
The Stocklists
Carpet Company Directory
Abingdon Flooring
www.abingdonflooring.co.uk 01274 655694
Adam Carpets Ltd
www.adamcarpets.co.uk 01562 829966
Alternative Flooring www.alternativeflooring.com 01264 335111
Floorwise House, 22 High Street Kegworth, Derby, DE74 2DA, UK Tel: +44 (0)1509 673974 Fax: +44 (0)1509 674841
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Super Plus
The Rug Tamer! Keeps Rugs In Their Place
COMBINATION UNDERLAYS NEEDLEFELT UNDERLAYS
For orders and further information, please ring P&R Ratcliffe (Underlays) Ltd. Burnley, Lancashire BB10 3BH Tel: 01282 421026, Fax: 01282 412321 www.foxirugtamer.co.uk
In an independent survey which asked 450 retailers which of the nine trade titles they actually read, our magazine came top of the pile. Thank you!
National Sales Manager
Causeway Carpets is one of the leading carpet manufacturers in Europe supplying contemporary, quality carpet and rugs to independent retailers, interior designers and wholesale trade throughout the UK & Ireland.
We are currently enjoying an unprecedented level of growth and therefore are looking for an enthusiastic individual who can help develop the full potential of the Causeway brand within the UK and Ireland market.
This is a remotely based role with extensive travel needed. Above average salary, car allowance, pension, as well as an unlimited commission package is available.
The role is for a managerial flooring industry insider who will know how to develop , coach and motivate an existing national sales team , whilst driving key account turnover and seeking new business opportunities as well as wanting a fantastic long-term career within our team.
Please send your CV with covering letter summarising your relevant skills and experience, and outlining current salary details to grahamharris@causewaycarpets.com www.causewaycarpets.com
