July-August 2020 Coverings

Coverings CANADA’S FLOORCOVERING MAGAZINE

July/August 2020

THEN-AND-NOW

Training enters a

New Age COMMITTEES TACKLE EDUCATION, ACOUSTICS AND UNDERLAYMENT WHO PAYS FOR BEAUTY? DO NOT NEGLECT ACCLIMATION DURING SUMMER MONTHS

Puzzle-piece town homes in Toronto

Page 30

CUSTOM GROUT SOLUTIONS ®

RIGHT GROUT. RIGHT COLOUR. FOR ANY JOB.

AVAILABLE MARCH 2020!

T he performance and handling you need — we have the right grout for every job.

40 colours, available in all grouts, to complement any tile and stone installation. n Grout Solutions are backed by the strength of Custom Building Products. n n

For the right grout — In the right colour — Count on CUSTOM. DOWNLOAD CUSTOM’S MOBILE APP

CustomBuildingProducts.com

800-272-8786

Available at The Home Depot and tile distributors nationwide.

Coverings CANADA’S FLOORCOVERING MAGAZINE

July/August 2020

THEN-AND-NOW

Training enters a

Puzzle-piece town homes in Toronto

New Age

Page 30

Feature 6 Training Virtual tools rise to the forefront of skills development.

4 Commentary Family businesses take hit but are set to outflank the big box stores.

10 News COMMITTEES TACKLE EDUCATION, ACOUSTICS AND UNDERLAYMENT WHO PAYS FOR BEAUTY? DO NOT NEGLECT ACCLIMATION DURING SUMMER MONTHS

Jul-Aug 2020 Coverings.indd 1

2020-06-17 12:56 PM

July/August 2020 Vol. 45, No. 4 www.coveringscanada.ca Kerry Knudsen Editor and Publisher kknudsen@wimediainc.ca 647-274-0507

Steve King Associate Publisher sking@wimediainc.ca

416-802-1225

Mike Edwards Contributing Editor medwards@wimediainc.ca

Lee Ann Knudsen Art Director

lak@wimediainc.ca

nsGraphic Design Graphics nspence@wimediainc.ca

Omni Data Services Circulation circulation@wimediainc.ca www.omnidataservices.com Cover photo: Michael Peart

ISSN 0848-8339 PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES 2012 AGREEMENT #41203050 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: Coverings C/O 365 EVANS AVENUE, STE #L10 TORONTO, ON M8Z 1K2

Melmart adds Phenix Carpet; Huali Floors lands in Georgia; I4F grout patents deal with Quickstyle; Roomvo rollout nabs CCA, AHF; Italian tile production resumes.

18 Law New corporate record-keeping requirements.

20 Design Creating beauty still in style in a brutal world.

22 Installation Acclimation: Also important in the summer.

Associations 21 Canadian Flooring, Cleaning and Restoration Association Generation Z is Generation Zoom.

24 National Floor Covering Association Committees tackle important construction challenges.

25 Products Decorative epoxy flooring; edge sealing compound; colour flocked vinyl backed flooring; composite wood; modular carpet; hardwood floor scrubber.

28 Bullets 29 Events and Advertisers 30 Then-and-now

Coverings is published six times annually, Jan./Feb., Mar./Apr., May/June, July/Aug., Sept./Oct. and Nov./Dec., for Canada’s floorcovering industry. Subscriptions are free to qualified participants in Canada’s floorcovering industry.

Subscribe at www.coveringscanada.ca. Readers from outside Canada may purchase subscriptons for $55 Cdn. For subscription inquiries, e-mail subscriptions@wimediainc.ca or fax 1-866-698-9061 Published by W.I. Media Inc., Box 84 Cheltenham, Caledon, ON L7C 3L7 © 2020 by W.I. Media Inc. All rights reserved.

W. I. Media Inc. and Coverings disclaim any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect to the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. The opinions of the columnists and writers are their own and are in no way influenced by or representative of the opinions of Coverings or W.I. Media Inc.

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

3

COMMENTARY Family business outlook: Snapshot in time

Better than hoped IN THIS ISSUE’S CFCRA COLUMN by Lee Senter, you will see jobs that once were left unfilled for lack of any candidates now have more applicants than can be easily reviewed. For the meanwhile, that means downward pressure on wages and a good pool of applicants. These people may not be interested in staying around as the economy returns, but the future is pretty foggy and they may find the job you have is better than the job they don’t.

The future is foggy for housing starts, as well. Bob Dugan, chief economics for the Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC), notes: “Following large declines in 2020, housing starts, sales and prices are exKerry Knudsen pected to start to recover by mid-2021 as pandemic containment measures are lifted and economic conditions gradually improve.

Sales and prices are likely to remain below their preCOVID-19 levels by the end of our forecast horizon in 2022.” However, he goes on to say, “The precise timing and speed of the recovery is highly uncertain because the virus’s future path is not yet known.”

That’s true. However, we need to look back at the beginning of the pandemic. At that time, we were told that we needed to lock down the economy to avoid overburdening hospitals in the early stages. You will recall they called it “flattening the curve.”

As a business, you need to ask yourself whether the virus’s future path will or will not lead to another lockdown of the economy. Everybody has an opinion. Mine is that it will not, for several reasons. First, our hospitals, the original reason for federal intervention, have not failed. Second, data regarding the prevalence, spread and mortality of the virus are all over the place and are being manipulated. For example, some jurisdictions are reporting mortality as deaths FROM Covid-19, while other are reporting mortality as deaths WITH Covid-19. That is, somebody could die from an associated risk factor — diabetes, for example — and be listed as a Covid-19 death. This could cause over- or underreporting on both sides, the only point being that it appears reporting is not consistent across jurisdictions.

4

July/August 2020 July/August 2020

Third, different jurisdictions clearly have different results, even when their policies are similar. This points to more controversy and less fact. For example, between Canada and the U.S., the U.S. has a higher infection and mortality rate, yet we have (or had) similar policies. Part of this may be to testing rates, and part may be because Canada has relatively more space between people, even along our crowded southern border. This analogy carries across Canada between densely populated and lightly populated provinces.

Fourth, the U.S. appears at presstime to be moving ahead with opening the country. It is said when the U.S. sneezes, Canada gets the flu. In this environment, it’s hard to argue that point.

But if the U.S. economy opens, we will have a hard time sequestering, since we will be under extreme political, economic and social pressure to follow suit.

So we don’t know what the future holds, but many point to continued openings of businesses (those that remain) and the potential for pent-up demand.

And let’s not forget that pressure on Chinese imports from the U.S. started before the pandemic and has continued throughout.

The Mortgagebrokernews.ca site picks up on this theme of demand, citing weak housing starts as a threat to supply.

That’s another way of saying there won’t be as good a supply of houses to buy, which will put upward, not downward, pressure on prices.

As we go to press on June 18, surveys out of B.C. show that brand values have dipped during Covid-19 when the brands could not keep up with supply. Given what’s happened with the big-box stores and supply, there is a chance floorcovering suppliers that have a good inventory and supply chain can recover some of the consumer base. That, combined with frustrated customers dealing with digital customer service and shoddy mass-installation artists could have an additional positive effect for family businesses.

Cheap labour, pent-up demand, more expensive imports and failing consumer confidence in box stores may point to a better-than-hoped outlook for the next several months. This may be a time to consider increasing, not decreasing margins to make up for years of downward pressure and offshore undercutting.

You’re worth it.

Comment at www.coveringscanada.ca

TREAT YOUR FEET TO Mapeheat

™

4

3

4

2

3

1 2

1

HASSLE-FREE SYSTEM

FLEXIBLE SYSTEM

4 3 2 1

4 3 2 1

Keraflex™ RS Mapeheat Mat Keraflex RS Plywood or Concrete

Mapeheat Mat is a pre-built and pre-wired floor-heating fabric designed for easy installation under many types of flooring. It is available in over 70 sizes and can be ordered custom-sized to fit any space.

Technology from

Keraflex Super Mapeheat Cable and Membrane Keraflex Super Plywood or Concrete

The Mapeheat Cable & Membrane floor-heating system offers integrated waterproofing and crack-isolation for interior residential spaces. Available in 33 lengths to accommodate areas both large and small.

Both systems are available in 120 V and 240 V, and are compatible with the Mapeheat thermostat of your choice.

Our easy-to-install, versatile and advanced electric floor-heating solutions are suitable for tile, stone, laminate, engineered wood and luxury vinyl tile/plank floors. No matter the shape or size of your room, there is a Mapeheat solution to heat your space from the floor up. For more information, visit www.mapei.ca or @MAPEICanada on social media.

THE NEW

www.mapei.ca Product calculators • Products & solutions • Video library • Architectural solutions

Have you seen it?

The

New Age

of Training and Development

By Lee Senter

I THINK WE HAVE ALL HEARD the statement “it’s a new world” enough that it’s tiring. The subject of “the new world” certainly stimulates conversation and there are always lots of responses, but exactly what is new out there? What are we going to experience? How will things be different?

The reality is that all levels of a company’s management team have likely been involved in many types of training for the last several months. The senior management group has been attending seminars from such trade associations as BOMA and most of the informational training has been offered via digital services, to include Goto Webinar, Zoom, Cisco among many others. The need for training and information has never been greater. Now, notice I am saying training and information — not training and development.

Most people will agree that regardless of how solid your company’s systems were, the likelihood that your company’s business continuity plan included having everyone work from home remotely for over three months was not included. We are stuck on the plan.

What do we need to do next? We gathered information, shared the information we could with our industry partners, peers and competitors and tried to develop an outline of issues that will have to be addressed to remain financially viable as an organization.

AFTER IDENTIFYING ISSUES that must dealt with immediately in our new world, the senior managers take the training and education they received and now develop new company policies and procedures to maintain safety, security and worker/public confidence.

6

July/August July/August2020 2020

While the new policies and procedures are being developed, the regular managers and supervisors must start training their subordinates on how to perform their tasks in a new way.

Many of the new procedures that we must learn and implement have to do with health and safety. Most companies have standard operating procedures already in place that have been written by qualified and competent individuals. The ability for senior management to assess the information offered, take what you need from the training and apply it to the risks that have been identified in the workplace is easy for some companies with extensive resources. It can also be exceptionally hard and confusing for smaller companies without many levels of managers. The point here is that smaller companies often get the training they need as senior managers, but they do not have the ability to turn this information into training and development of their staff.

WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH AND SAFETY, most companies already have an employee or committee who is responsible for this organizationally, or they hire a company that specializes in the training that is required. Often there are few service-provider options, because the necessary training requires a test and a completion certificate. The test is often offered by a governmental agency or approved service provider. Good examples of this type of training are working at heights and respirator-fit testing. You can count on there being a boom in the number of train the trainer classes that will be offered on the subject of respirator-fit test-

ing and donning/doffing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Training-the-trainer organizationally is tough; you need outside help. The ability to develop inside trainers is dependent on having the right people. When you send candidates for training they are taught on the skills and given tips on how to relay information and keep the listener’s attention. Of course, if you have a diverse workforce from many different ages and backgrounds the likelihood of needing a highly skilled person to communicate increases.

THE YOUNGER EMPLOYEES expect on-the-job training regarding how to perform their tasks. I think this expectation is greater now than it has ever been. The need for training on machinery and equipment with new hardware and software is being simplified by using video training, either online or built into the device.

In the cleaning industry, the latest trends revolve around robotics and the use of video learning built into the machine.

The technician operating the machine can simply flip on a video imbedded in the machine and it will tell him what to do. If the worker has a difficult time following the instructions, the builtin tablet or screen allows for easy rewinding and pausing to go over the instructions slowly, step by step. This is especially useful for English-as-a-second-language workers that may need a bit more time to understand the instructions.

In-house training on the use of equipment and healthand-safety issues will be in the forefront for a while. The performance of risk assessments by senior staff will identify issues in the workplace that will likely cause regular changes in policies and procedures at the company. This will result in more inhouse training and regular updating on issues.

After the pandemic the data generated by government will likely show that those who were prepared and trained in business continuity were able to accommodate the changes encountered and were financially stable.

ANOTHER HUGE ISSUE after these pandemic times will be employment or, more specifically, unemployment. We will have levels of unemployment that we have not seen in decades. People will have to consider taking jobs that they would never have considered before. Ironically there are some jobs that have been almost impossible to fill for some time. Why? Well they require specialized training! Some of these jobs are mentally challenging. Some of these jobs also require physical patience and endurance. But as the world becomes more complex and technical it’s common to require training for simple tasks. Think about it, what doesn’t have an app for it nowadays??

The same way apps have become mainstream for almost any aspect of life, the next thing to enter into the mainstream is

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

7

virtual reality and artificial reality training. This is now usually referred to as VR/AR training.

Instructors and trainers are still mastering the concept of virtual reality training. This comes in many forms of live stream, recorded training or eLearning within an artificial environment.

This kind of training has been done for years in the medical field, aviation and military.

Virtual streaming has become an instant sensation during the pandemic. I no longer call this “Generation Z,” I call it “Generation Zoom.” Some companies can adapt their live classes to such platforms as Zoom seamlessly. Some are just naturals. They have multiple webcams on the go, and lots of interactive conversations spawned by a presentation of a combination of slides and videos.

Regardless of the instructor, it is generally accepted that a student’s ability to do a live-stream class for eight hours a day for a few days in a row is really limited – especially for trades not accustomed to sitting behind a computer all day. A typical, two-day class of 16 hours is now normally done live-stream over three days.

Recorded training is now usually provided by seasoned training providers that have statistics and feedback from hundreds or thousands of classes to drive their curriculum. The trainers are often old pros. The message is delivered clearly and concisely. The slides and videos are tried-and-true, and are hosted like a television program, but in segments. The training is done in segments to allow a loose format where students can learn as they go along and at their own pace.

E-LEARNING IS A BOOM INDUSTRY. It can be very similar to recorded training, but with quizzes and exams. E-learning is also a boom industry for developers in the video game industry, as the gameification of e-learning is popular, and many believe is the way you can keep trainees awake and engaged. The feedback I get from many in the industry that are developing this type of

8

July/August July/August2020 2020

virtual-reality training is that they have fears that gameification downplays the hazards and dangers of a task. However, the virtual-reality situations trainees are put in manage to give active direction and keep them engaged. Virtual training where trainees put on blacked-out goggles, hold the handles of a virtual machine and go through the motions of operating the machine will be a mainstay for operating equipment, but it falls short on teaching how to perform multiple tasks on an actual worksite.

Artificial reality-training is being developed concurrently with virtual-reality training. The difference in artificial-reality training is that this form allows enhancement of the training by adding on or zooming in on the specific tasks. It can do these in a sequence of images or events. For example, it can highlight items of specific concern on chemical labels. It can point out where switches and keypads are.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. It’s all very interesting. For some of us old folks, it’s like the Jetsons or something. But in a world that is ever-changing, training will be required more than ever. The price of the instruction will likely go down for the training of larger groups. But what about price? Can we afford it in these times?

Well, as the old saying goes—”If you think training is expensive, try ignorance.”

Do you think in-class training is over? Well, many educators were offering combination online/in-person classes , even before the pandemic. The latest classes I took on working at heights, lift tickets and first aid, all had an element of online learning and in-person, hands-on. I think this is the way of the future. I would say that we must all learn to embrace it. Otherwise, we may be waiting for in-person training for a long time.

Lee Senter is owner of Concord, Ont.-based Senterprises, and president of the Canadian Flooring, Cleaning and Restoration Association.

FLOORING IN LESS THAN

3

The Fastest System on the Market!

ARDEX P 4

TM

Pre-Mixed, Rapid-Drying, Multipurpose Primer • Dries in as little as 30 minutes

ARDEX K 40 RAPID TM

Rapid, High Flow Self-Leveling Underlayment • Rapid Dry Technology – Install most flooring in 2 hours ing and donning/doffing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Training-the-trainer organizationally is tough; you need ® outside help. The ability to develop inside trainers is dependent on having the right people.

When you send for Fast-Track, Roll-Apply Vinylcandidates Flooring training they are taught on the skills and given tips on how to • Dry-to-the-touch in 10 attention. minutesOf course, relay information and keep the listener’s if you have a diverse workforce from many different ages and backgrounds the likelihood of needing a highly skilled person to communicate increases.

In-house training on the use of equipment and healthTM and-safety issues will be in the forefront for a while. The performance of risk assessments by senior staff will identify issues in the workplace that will likely cause regular changes in policies Adhesive and procedures at the company. This will result in more inhouse training and regular updating on issues.

After the pandemic the data generated by government will likely show that those who were prepared and trained in business continuity were able to accommodate the changes encountered and were financially stable.

HENRY 647 PlumPro

THE YOUNGER EMPLOYEES expect on-the-job training regarding how to perform their tasks. I think this expectation is greater ANOTHER HUGE ISSUE after these pandemic times will be now than it has ever been. The need for training on machinery employment or, more specifically, unemployment. We will have and equipment with new hardware and software is being simpli- levels of unemployment that we have not seen in decades. Peofied by using video training, either online or built into the device. ple will have to consider taking jobs that they would never have In the cleaning industry, the latest trends revolve around considered before. Ironically there are some jobs that have been robotics and the use of video learning built into the machine. almost impossible to fill for some time. Why? Well they require The technician operating the machine can simply flip on a video specialized training! Some of these jobs are mentally challengimbedded in the machine and it will tell him what to do. If the ing. Some of these jobs also require physical patience and enworker has a difficult time following the instructions, the builtdurance. But as the world becomes more complex and technical in tablet or screen allows for easy rewinding and pausing to go it’s common to require training for simple tasks. Think about it, Please contact ARDEX over the instructions slowly, step by step. This is especially useful what doesn’tyour havelocal an app for it nowadays??

Sales Professional or visit thebecome mainstream for almost for English-as-a-second-language workers that may need a bit The same way apps have ARDEX Americas website for systems more time to understand the instructions. any aspect of life, the next thing to enter into the mainstream is TM

and complete product details.

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

7

NEWS John Scheatzle joins Tarkett Solon, Ohio-based Tarkett has hired John Scheatzle as president of its residential business in North America. Scheatzle brings more than 30 years of experience leading and transforming businesses to the role, the company says. Most John Scheatzle recently he served as president of Mount Braddock, Penn.-based NobelClad, the welding division of DMC Global, a company providing niche technologies to the chemical, energy, industrial processing and transportation markets worldwide. Prior to DMC, Scheatzle spent nearly 20 years with Materion of Mayfield Height, Ohio, in operations and leadership roles. Scheatzle earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) after participating in the pilot program, the company says. Developed by the La Grange, Ga.-based RFCI, Assure Certified products are tested and certified by SCS Global Services of Emeryville, Calif., to ensure rigid core products are manufactured to the highest standards and meet the requirements for indoor air quality, rigorous performance and are free of heavy metals content and ortho-phthalates. To become Assure Certified, manufacturers must have a quality control procedure to control material suppliers, product traceability, chain of custody, internal QC testing and segregation of non-conforming products/materials. In addition, an on-site audit of the manufacturing facility is conducted and confirmed compliant with QC procedures, material inputs and scope of product intended for certification.

I4F signs grout patents agreement with Quickstyle Hamont, Belgium-based I4F, a group of companies providing patents and technologies to the flooring industry, has entered into an exclusive patent partnership with Quickstyle Industries of Mississauga, Ont., giving I4F the sole

Karndean meets RFCI Assure Certified standard The Korlok Select and Korlok Reserve rigid core ranges by Karndean Designflooring of Export, Pa., are among the first rigid core products to meet the stan-

dards of the new Assure Certified standard by the Resilient 10

July/August 2020

licensing rights for the company’s grout patent family in all major markets worldwide, including the U.S., Europe and Asia/Pacific. Quickstyle grout line technology has been awarded a number of U.S. patents as well as other patents abroad. The technology focuses on rigid cores with profiled mechanical joining systems combined with top layers of PVC or PVC decorative films and wear layer films. The partnership means that all new

licenses for this technology may only be obtained via I4F, with the exception of Canada, where Quickstyle will continue to license its patents directly. Both companies will collaborate to maximize worldwide awareness of this innovation as well as to further develop the technology.

Coverings Connected online show results Coverings (coverings.com), the largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America, has released post-show attendance numbers and digital resources from Coverings Connected, which took place April 20-23. The online digital experience was the first of its kind and provided nearly 4,000 industry professionals with four days of educational webinars and online networking opportunities. The virtual show was created to provide opportunities for insight regarding significant tile and stone products, technical information, trends, exhibitor announcements and other learning opportunities in a streamlined digital experience for those who had planned to attend the canceled Coverings 2020 show. Most of the Coverings Connected content and handouts are available on-demand and can be accessed at www.coverings.com.

Phenix Carpet partners with Melmart Distributors Melmart Distributors of Mississauga, Ont., has announced that it will be the exclusive distributor of McAdenville, N.C.-based Phenix Carpet in its trading area from Ontario to Newfoundland.

The partnership includes the distribution of the major Phenix brands of carpet such as Microban, Modern Contours and Stainmaster. Mannington Mills of Salem, N.J., announced their purchase of Phenix in late 2019. Melmart and Mannington have been business partners since 1991.

Huali Floors of China invests in U.S. facility Governor Brian Kemp of the State of Georgia in the southern U.S. has announced that Huali Floors will establish its first U.S. headquarters and manufac-

NEWS turing facility in Murray County, Ga., with an investment of more than $27 million US. Taizhou, China-based Huali manufactures a variety of floor covering products, including luxury vinyl tiles, stone plastic composite, and wood plastic composite flooring. The company employs more than 2,000 with revenues in excess of $360 million US. Huali currently uszes the Port of Savannah in Georgia and plans to use the Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Georgia was the No. 1 exporter among U.S. states for floor covering products in 2019, with a total export value of $485.4 million US, and Northwest Georgia is home to a majority of the state’s floor covering industries. The new inland Appalachian Regional Port is said to play a key role in Georgia’s supply chain network.

Roomvo visualization app rollout CCA Global Partners of Manchester, N.H., has chosen the Roomvo app to power the flooring visualizer on its Carpet One Floor & Home, Flooring America and

Flooring Canada websites. Mountville, Penn.-based hardwood flooring specialist AHF Products, has also chosen the Roomvo visualizer tool across its flooring brands, including Bruce, Hartco and Robbins, to make it easy for trade professionals and homeowners to work on a new flooring project. The Roomvo visualization tool is an application developed by Toronto, Ont.-based Leap Tools.

In addition, AHF Products has launched a program to ship free flooring samples for retailers to better support a more personalized “home shopping” experience for consumers, as well as announced an agreement with Taylor Ad12

July/August 2020

hesives of Dalton, Ga., a manufacturer of adhesives and coatings, to be the exclusive distributor of Bruce flooring adhesives. Taylor will assume full responsibility in North America for the day-to-day operations of all Bruce-branded adhesives as well as Bruce cleaning products through AHF’s approved distributor network.

Lagrou of M-D PRO retires Steven Lagrou, v.p. of sales and marketing for the M-D PRO division at M-D Canada in Mississauga, Ont., a division of M-D Building Products, has retired.

Lagrou started his career in the floor covering industry as an installer back in 1973. He then moved into distribution where Steven Langrou he was a partner in the Gerlinger Equipment Company out of Michigan and Ohio. It was during his time at Gerlinger where he became acquainted with the Loxcreen Flooring Group (operating today as M-D PRO) as a customer. Lagrou and his partners sold the Gerlinger business in the early 2000s, and after a brief hiatus and attempt at retiring, the Loxcreen Flooring Group was successful in convincing Lagrou to join the organization. He will continue to offer his expertise to M-D PRO on an as-needed, consulting basis and will help in the transition to the new v.p. of sales, who will be named in the coming months.

NWFA concludes Wood Flooring Expo The St. Louis, Mo.-based National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has concluded its first-ever Virtual Wood Flooring Expo. The event was held April 29-May 1 with more than 200 exhibitors participating, and more than 2,700 registered attendees. The three-day event featured live and recorded education sessions, exhibitor product demonstrations

demonstrations, technical skills demonstrations, and networking opportunities.

Each live session and demonstration were followed by a Q&A. Sessions also were recorded for later viewing. In addition to education, attendees also had numerous opportunities to interact with exhibitors.

Options were available to set virtual appointments, view videos, review press releases and learn about specific products. Exhibitors also had the option to post show specials. Live session recordings are available at https://bit.ly/30zpStq. Registration is required and is free at https://bit.ly/2YuY3jg. The 2021 Wood Flooring Expo is to be held April 28-30 in Baltimore, Md. Natural Stone Institute awards call for entries The entry period for the 2020 Natural Stone Institute (NSI) Awards Program is now open. The Oberlin, Ohio-based association call for entries is for the

Pinnacle Awards, Industry Recognition Awards and scholarship programs. All entries are due by July 20. The Pinnacle Awards honour projects where beauty, creativity, ingenuity, and craftsmanship exemplify professional mastery in the use of natural stone for commercial and residential applications in a variety of categories. A Grande Pinnacle Award, sponsored by Marmomac, will be presented to the best overall project.

Marmomac is a global showcase of stone materials and machinery held annually in Verona, Italy. The Industry Recognition Awards recognize individuals in the stone

industry for exemplary contributions to the industry over a period of time.

Available awards include the Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Women in Stone Pioneer Award and the Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year Award. Two scholarships, the Natural Stone Scholarship and the Women in Stone Empowerment Scholarship, provide hands-on educational opportunities for aspiring professionals interested in furthering their careers in the stone industry. Award recipients will be celebrated at the annual NSI awards ceremony at TISE in Las Vegas in January 2021. All awards are open to NSI members only. For more information visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/awards.

Executive leadership changes at Install Tom Flynn has succeeded Michael Capelli as Install chairman and the Washington, D.C.-based United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) general secretaryTom Flynn treasurer. A third-generation carpenter, Capelli was a member of the UBC since 1986. Flynn is a 33-year member of the UBC, formerly serving as national political director of the organization and most recently as executive secretary-treasurer of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

As political director, he worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to get Install written into the department’s master flooring specification. Install is the International Standards and Training Alliance floorcovering professionals, also based in Washington, with training centres in five Canadian provinces.

Chocolaterie wins international design award Unique Store Fixtures of Concord, Ont., has been awarded gold by the grand jury panel of the Como, Italy-based A’ Design Award and Competition, in the 2019– 2020 Interior Space and Exhibition Design Category, for KitKat Chocolatory, located at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Ont. Unique Store Fixtures,

the overall interior concept presented was fully realized from conception to implementation. All aspects of the project, including custom stonework, metal fabrication, glass and wood, were completed by Unique Store Fixtures.

creator of custom-crafted retail environments, collaborated with Toronto interior design company model/ctzn by fabricating all custom millwork and ensuring that

Unilin prevails before International Trade Commission Administrative law judge David Shaw has released the International Trade Commission (ITC) “Initial Determination” in the investigation brought by the Unilin

EcoBak Modular Backing • • • • •

PVC-free alternative backing option MODULAR BACKING Contains 20% recycled content Superior dimensional stability Class I flame resistance “Red List Free” – Living-future.org/declare/declare-about/red-list/

PVC Modular Backing • • • • •

100% phthalate-free virgin PVC Fiberglass reinforced layer Superior dimensional stability Resistant to edge-ravel Class I flame resistance CARPET TILE

 STRUCTURE FRAMEWORK RCO0001STRU19

SHNIER.CA

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

13

NEWS intellectual property company, Mohawk Industries of Calhoun, Ga., and IVC US on March 25, 2019 against 45 companies alleged to infringe Unilin’s patents in its rigid and foamed core locking patent portfolio. In a 269-page opinion, Shaw found all 48 asserted claims of Unilin’s patents US 9,200,460, US 10,233,655 and US 10,208,490 infringed and recommended a General Exclusion Order against all products that infringe such patent claims.

A General Exclusion Order is an extraordinary measure which can only be ordered by the International Trade Commission in which all products of all David Shaw worldwide manufacturers will

not be allowed entry into the U.S. if they infringe the asserted Unilin claims and are not authorized by Unilin to be imported into the U.S. The order by Shaw is subject to review by the ITC Commission, but Unilin says it is confident that no substantial elements will be revised.

Italian ceramic companies return to production After resuming the shipment of finished products on April 3, Italian ceramic companies are now restarting production activities. This step allows companies to return to full-scale operation and recall employees, logistics operators and transporters while complying with applicable regulations.

Highly stringent and precautionary measures to ensure the safety of employees are set out in the Memorandum of Understanding of April 24, signed by the Italian government, Confindustria (the umbrella

With Super SAM 125 your neighbors aren’t that loud. ®

w w w. n a c p r o d u c t s . c o m

14

July/August 2020

•

1 - 8 0 0 - 6 3 3 - 4 6 2 2

organization for industrial associations in Italy) and the trade unions, and that of April 10, signed by Confindustria Ceramica of Sassuolo, Italy, and the trade unions.

Measures announced include: circulating information as required by law; distributing personal protective equipment; more frequent sanitization of workspaces; organizing workstations and eating areas in such a way as to maintain safety distances; and making it easier for office staff to work from home. To protect drivers and shipping personnel, ceramic companies have adopted containment measures such as new entry, transit and exit procedures and the use of dedicated routes and pre-established timescales to ensure that people always maintain a safe distance. The review of all internal company procedures aims to guarantee the safety of employees while continuing to deliver the products and services expected from the Italian ceramic industry.

TCNA laboratory expands testing and research Due to increased testing inquiries during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Anderson, S.C.-based Tile Council of North America

Super SAM® 125 (Sound Abatement Membrane) 6” concrete substrate with a tile finished floor: IIC: 51 STC:54 ΔIIC: 22 6” concrete substrate with engineered hardwood finished floor: IIC: 51 STC: 52 ΔIIC: 23 Wood joist substrate with tile finished floor: IIC: 56 STC: 61 Super SAM® 125 provides up to 3/8” of crack isolation protection.

(TCNA) Product Performance Testing Laboratory is expanding its microbiologybased services to meet industry needs for up-to-date product testing and analysis. ”The broad expertise of our lab, combined with our joint-use collaboration with Clemson University, means we can address a wide range of testing Katelyn Simpson needs, including the design of custom testing,” said Katelyn Simpson, TCNA’s Director of Laboratory Services.

New services include antiviral testing to determine the survival rates/duration of viruses on different surface materials and the efficacy of common household cleaners to disinfect these surfaces. TCNA will also be joining the ASTM task force for developing surrogates for the SARS-CoV-2 virus for testing purposes.

Mohawk unveils plans for virtual summit The commercial flooring manufacturer Mohawk Group of Calhoun, Ga., has announced it will be hosting a free three-day digital event aimed to inspire attendees and build off the momentum and excitement of the Chicago, Ill.-based NeoCon trade show platform. The Design Forward Virtual Summit, marks Mohawk Group’s first online event of its kind, taking place through an interactive platform July 15-17.

The programming was developed in the wake of the cancellation of NeoCon 2020, and includes digital roundtables, webinars, podcasts and other media. To register, go to www.mohawkgroup.com/designfwd. While the event will be broadcast live, content will be archived for registered users to reference between the event’s close and the next live NeoCon from June 14-6, 2021 in Chicago.

Bird Construction awarded two projects Mississauga, Ont.-based Bird Construction has been awarded two new residential projects. The first is a construction management services contract for 185 Enfield Place Project in Mississauga for approximately $107 million for GWL

Realty Advisors. The second is a stipulated sum contract for the Louvre Residence at Century Park Project in Edmonton, Alta. for approximately $57 million under development by Procura Real Estate Services. Construction on both projects was scheduled to com-

mence in the second quarter of 2020. The 185 Enfield Place Project consists of a thirty-five storey, 366-unit tower with approximately 26,000 square metres of gross floor area. The new building is to be constructed to LEED gold standards. The Louvre is a new concrete and wood framed, mixed-use residential project comprised of 358 residential dwellings and over 800 square metres of commercial space. The building will be seven storeys tall (three concrete, four wood frame), with two levels of parking.

We are in this together. Mohawk is here to help keep your business moving forward. As we move through the next few months, we are here to offer peace of mind and flexibility for our retail partners.

Visit mohawktoday.com for the latest COVID-19 resources for your business.

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

15

When trying to achieve a desired look, choosing the right grout color to accompany a tile can be just as important as the tile itself. This is why PROMA has formulated a wide selection of the most fashionable grout colors available to help make your choice an easy one. Contact PROMA toll-free at 1.866.51.PROMA (77662) or visit www.proma.ca to order a PROMA grout color card, kit or inquire about a countertop display.

INTRODUCING ...

7 NEW Colors to Discover.

PROMA has formulated the most fashionable grout colors, including 7 NEW colors (available in all grout products), and NEW selection tools to help make your choice a successful one.

Contact PROMA toll-free at 1.866.51.PROMA (77662) or visit www.proma.ca to order a PROMA grout color card or grout kit.

NEW COLORS: 60 SEA SALT 63 MORNING FOG 62 CHESTNUT 67 GRAPHITE 65 STORM CLOUD 64 MOON DUST 61 OYSTER SHELL

LAW New record-keeping requirements

Tracking beneficial owners In case you missed it, you may be surprised to find out that the Canada Business Corporation Act (the “CBCA”) has recently been amended on a couple of occasions to introduce new record-keeping requirements.

As part of the global movement to enhance beneficial ownership transparency in an effort to curb money laundering and terrorist activities, the CBCA was amended: first, to require all CBCAincorporated private (i.e. non-public) corporations to create and maintain a new register identifying individuals with “significant control” over the corporation; and, secondly, to permit certain investigative bodies such as the Canada Revenue Agency (the Louis Vouloukos “CRA”) and the police, access to the new register, on request, in certain circumstances.

The amendments include significant penalties for non-compliance, including the potential for substantial personal liability or imprisonment for shareholders, directors and officers of a CBCA corporation.

While these recent amendments currently apply to private corporations incorporated under the CBCA, it is highly anticipated that all provinces and territories in Canada will follow suit shortly, so all provincially incorporated private corporations should take note.

The new “Register of Individuals with Significant Control” Prior to the enactment of the recent amendments to the CBCA, as you may be aware, CBCA corporations were legally required to maintain a register of legal (or “registered”) owners of shares of a corporation. However, CBCA corporations were not required to disclose information relating to “beneficial” owners of such shares or about those individuals whose influence could be exerted to control the corporation (from behind the scenes if you will).

As a result of the amendments, with few exceptions, every CBCA-incorporated private corporation is now, also, required to prepare and maintain

18

July/August 2020

a register identifying individuals (that is natural persons, not corporations, trusts or other legal entities) with “significant control” over the corporation (the “ISC Register”). Currently, an individual will be considered an individual with “significant control” of the corporation if he or she: • is the registered holder of, the beneficial owner of or has direct or indirect control or direction over a “significant number” of shares of the corporation, where “significant number” of shares means 25 percent or more of the voting shares of the corporation or 25 percent or more of all shares of the corporation, based on fair market value of the shares; or • is an individual who has any direct or indirect influence that, if exercised, would result in that individual having control of the corporation (regardless if he or she owns a “significant number” of shares).

Information to be included on the ISC Register The ISC Register must contain the following information: • the names, dates of birth and the latest known address of each individual with significant control; • the jurisdiction of residence for tax purposes of each individual with significant control; • the day on which each individual became or ceased to be an individual with significant control, as the case may be; • a description of how each individual is an individual with significant control over the corporation, including, as applicable, a description of their interests and rights in respect of shares of the corporation; • any other information required by any future CBCA regulations; and • a description of each step taken by the corporation to comply with the legal requirement to, at least once during each financial year of the corporation, take reasonable steps to ensure that it has identified all individuals with significant control over the corporation and that the information in the register is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

It should be noted that if a corporation requests any of the foregoing information from one of its shareholders, the shareholder is legally obligated to, the best of their knowledge, reply accurately and completely as soon as feasible.

Access to the ICS Register The ICS Register is not available to the public. However, at this time, the ICS Register may be accessed by both the Director of Corporations Canada, upon request, and, also, by shareholders and creditors of the corporation for certain limited purposes set out in the legislation. Further, and perhaps more to the point of the legislative changes, an “investigative body,” namely the police, the CRA and any provincial body that has responsibilities similar to those of the CRA, may access the ICS register under certain circumstances.

Upon the request of an investigative body, the corporation is required to, as soon as feasible after the request is served on the corporation provide the investigative body with a copy of the ICS Register or disclose to the investigative body any information in the ICS Register specified by the investigative body.

fence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and/or imprisonment for up to six months, or to both.

On the personal liability front, every director and officer of a corporation that knowingly authorizes, permits or acquiesces in the contravention of the requirement to create and maintain the ICS Register, who records false or misleading information in the ICS register, or who provides to any person or entity false or misleading information in relation to the ICS register, is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $200,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both. A shareholder of the corporation that contravenes the requirement to reply to the corporation’s request for information (as noted above), is also liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $200,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both.

Maintaining the ICS register is now the law. All CBCA private corporations are required to comply with these new record keeping requirements or risk significant penalties and/or imprisonment. While these amendments currently only apply to CBCA corporations, all provincially incorporated entities need to take note, as provinces are expected to follow suit shortly.

Significant penalties for non-compliance A corporation that, without reasonable cause, contravenes the ICS Register requirements or contravenes the requirement to provide the disclosure to investigative bodies is guilty of an of-

Louis Vouloukos of Brampton, Ont.-based Lawrences, specializes in corporate, commercial and franchise law.

FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS COMMENTARY

FEATURES

COLUMNS

NEWS

PRODUCTS

ASSOCIATIONS

FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Coverings monthly e-letter:

Timely. Relevant. Funny. Serious. FOR YOU. Sign up at www.coveringscanada.ca, Free subscriptions Canada’s floorcovering magazine

19

DESIGN It’s still in style in a brutal world

Creating beauty Some people desire to create beauty. It’s as simple as that.

Not only do they want to have beauty in their lives, they feel that they can create it, edifying both themselves and others.

This seems to be something embedded in our human nature, unequally distributed in the population and sometimes emerging in surprising ways. I think we all benefit, but that thought, again, is unequally distributed.

What is beauty? The most famous quotation on this topic is that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Fair enough. Beauty is rarely an objective assessment. Another frequent observation, a variation of a comment about pornography, is that “I don’t know what Paul Epp it is but I recognize it when I see it.” A safe description, to my way of seeing, is that the beautiful is an idealized version of the familiar, whether that be faces or landscapes.

Why do we find sunsets to be beautiful, or colourful patterns? Or certain forms, or motions, or sounds? It must be that there is something buried deep within us that can be awakened, and it brings us joy when this happens. Some of us are more susceptible than others, but we probably don’t mind.

At one time, it was a popular notion that Art was concerned with beauty, and that those that could achieve it were worthy of the title of Artist. That idea lingers on in the compliments that are given to successful chefs, for instance, or even graceful fly-fishers.

In fact, those that call themselves artists may not have any interest in doing beautiful things, art now often being preoccupied with other objectives.

It is more likely in the realm of the practical that we will find practitioners who are willing to admit to the pursuit of beauty. Architects, for instance, or those that make smaller things, like furniture, pots, blankets, baskets or many other things in the realm of visual

20

July/August 2020

arts. I don’t feel qualified to discuss the performing arts, which can, of course, also be dedicated to beauty.

I mentioned unequal distribution, and this pertains to cultures as well as individuals. Japan, for instance, seems to be a country with a disproportionate attention to beauty, both its creation and its enjoyment. West-coast cultures like the Haida seem to have a similar desire for the beautiful and the wellmade. The Shakers, a (mostly) 19th-century religious sect, felt that there was an equivalence between creating beauty and worshipping God, and their work remains striking for its aesthetic presence. Even so, almost all cultures will have their own traditions of beauty and the desire for them to be perpetuated.

But it is ironic that, however much beauty may be appreciated, there is often a reluctance to pay for it. Do many of us think that it should just be common property like an open operating system, without the need to compensate the creators? Perhaps.

Or maybe we are just too practical, preferring to use our exchangeable resources for more fundamental requirements?

A senior colleague of mine, some years ago, asked for my help with a project. He described me as a “form-beautiful” kind of designer, in contrast to his more practical approach, and he felt that this project needed that too. I took this as a compliment. But I have also had that turned around on me and had clients dismiss my work as superficial and without real value.

I think that there is a small concern that the appreciation of beauty isn’t a manly quality, in contrast to the acquisition of money. Perhaps.

The pursuit of beauty perseveres, regardless. People continue to do it, whether or not they are required to or are reimbursed for it. I remain gratified not only for the production of beautiful things, but for the stubborn insistence on its pursuit. Some people want to leave the world a better place than they found it and by making it more beautiful, they are achieving that. We are lucky to have them.

Paul Epp is an emeritus professor at OCAD University, and former chair of its Industrial Design department.

CFCRA New scene affects all aspects of business

Generation Z is Generation Zoom The world has not changed much since the last column. There is uncertainty everywhere. Businesses are closing and in many cases are closed forever. Many of the others are still technically open, but are hanging by a thread financially.

At my company, we have hired back the few that we laid off. We have had to do some recruiting and have hired a couple of new employees.

The recruitment process was all done online. The interview process was done on Zoom. The job offer was to work from home as a customer service rep.

The process was seamless. The interviews are all done on time. Geez, the Zoom generation seems to have forced us all to be more punctual.

Training online for office posiLee Senter, tions has proven tough. The long-term CFCRA President employees you have are likely to have to be retrained to work from home. The person working from home has many odd occurrences happen through the day that really should be controlled.

The main issues I encounter is the television being on in the background and side conversations that have nothing to do with work. We have similar problems doing our daily Zoom calls. It takes some direction and training to let people know what they look like on Zoom, it can be very embarrassing if you are not aware of the things you do when on camera during meetings and your mind starts to wander. I would keep close track of these things.

It’s all very interesting, and it gets more interesting when it comes to our workers in the field. It doesn’t matter if you are working in a warehouse, or are a driver, an installer, a helper, a maintenance person or a salesperson — all of our jobs and routines have changed. Our attitudes have to be different. We have to be trained and understand all the principles of social distancing and how to wear personal protective equipment.

Many of our installers, field workers and techs have been laid off and some cannot come back because of issues with children or spouses or high-risk relatives. Our companies are doing a wider variety of tasks to make a living. Our workers are learning skills and the tricks of the trade to perform these new tasks.

The workers have to wear masks in their own vehicles when they are driving around with their assistants.

At the time of writing this article, I, as a business owner, am wondering as we get a bit busier each day how I am going to direct Line 2 or 3 or 4 of my phone system when we all work from home.

It’s going to be interesting as we start using these phone systems that forward your call automatically when the call has not been answered in four rings. Many people are using government subsidy money to change, tweak or completely reprogram their customer relationship management systems to now text our customers rather than call them. Text is better than email for reminders and the “I’m on my way message.” Are you taking advantage of the opportunity?

The other big issue will be unemployment. Business owners who have spent the last several years being the beggars, not the choosers, in the hiring process see the tables turned. Now when we put up an ad we get so many applications we cannot get through the list. Many of the applicants have none of the prerequisites of the job, everyone is just desperate for a job. It is interesting how different the hiring process is now. This is the second time this month I am really stuck on which applicant to choose from.

I am hoping these changes in the times will allow us to finally get a great slate of candidates to choose from. The job candidates can now be chosen for skill, experience and attitude. I can train for skill. I cannot train someone to have a good attitude.

All I can say about the CFCRA in these odd times is that we are holding ourselves together as an association so that when our times get closer and closer to whatever our new normal will be, we will be there to provide our new world’s workforce the skills required to become installers and sales people.

Hopefully this time around we can improve the industry’s attitude of indifference towards manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines. Because as a flooring inspector, I see the quality of the installations getting worse, not better.

I believe it’s not just an indifferent attitude, it’s a lack of knowledge and skill that is making too many of our installations so bad.

So, while we have the quiet times, if you or your company would like to offer education or information on products and are looking for a way to get that information out, feel free to contact us here at the CFCRA. The only reason we are here is to act as a conduit for information and education to those who want it or need it. Come help us try and make a difference.

The Canadian Flooring Cleaning and Restoration Association (CFCRA) was preceded by the Flooring Institute of Ontario (FIO), a not-for-profit organization which proudly served the needs of flooring industry professionals in Ontario since 1962. www.cfcra.ca Canada’s floorcovering magazine 21

INSTALLATION Important in the summer also!

Acclimation

For floor coverers, the way we work in very cold or very warm weather is a detail that is often forgotten and, if not handled correctly, can lead to problems. We hear talk about “acclimation” and most often think of the cold weather months.

However, I’ve seen as many, if not more, problems with flooring that is not properly acclimated in the summer.

Delivering floorcovering materials to the job ahead of time to allow material to acclimate or “acclimatize” to job site conditions is a good idea no matter what time of year it is and regardless of what kind of flooring material is being installed. That said, Christopher instructions regarding acclimation are Capobianco often ignored, and industry standards have been published to call more attention to this important issue. For example, ASTM F 710, Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring* states that “General recommendations are for the installation area and materials listed above to be maintained at a minimum of 65 F (18.3 C) and a maximum of 85 F (29.4 C) for 48 hours before, during and for 48 hours after completion of the installation.”

For work done in occupied space, it’s a matter of getting the material into the space ahead of time so it can acclimate to the site conditions. This is most important when the weather is very cold or very warm. However, on new construction, the heating/ ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) systems are often not activated at the time finishes are being installed, so the conditions on site can be an issue as well. I still see many cases where material is being delivered and installed the same day, with no thought for the fact that it’s been in a hot warehouse and/or a hot vehicle.

Acclimation is an accepted practice for wood, laminate, cork, bamboo and other natural materials at all times of year. It is a common understanding that wood expands and contracts with changes in temperature and humidity so most people “get it” as far as acclimating natural products by delivering them to the job two

22

July/August 2020

or three days ahead of time and making sure the climate control system in the building is operational. However, the necessity of acclimating other floorcovering products is not as widely understood, and these products are often installed in less-than-ideal conditions.

Problems with resilient flooring or vinyl back carpet tile related to job site conditions are seen most frequently in the form of gaps in tile, which is usually blamed on shrinkage. It’s not that the material shrinks after installation, but that it stretches during handling if it is warm or may “grow” slightly. Rectangular vinyl products such as wall base, edgings or plank are easy to stretch during handling by carrying cartons over your shoulder and allowing the box to bend, pulling warm material out of the end of the carton, or stretching the material end to end as you are setting it into the adhesive. These actions can stretch the material ever so slightly, but you’ll have tight seams until the temperature cools to normal, in-use, conditions, the material relaxes back to its original size and gaps become visible. If you ever notice an installation of vinyl flooring where the floor tile, the reducers or the wall base are gapped, it’s a good bet the job was done in the summertime and the material was not acclimated.

While we are on the subject of vinyl, let’s look at rigidcore products that install as a “click” floating floor with attached cushion — sometimes called WPC, SPC or HPC. For these products, when it comes to acclimation, READ THE FINE PRINT. Some of these products are marketed as “acclimation is not necessary,” others require it, and in other cases, it’s confusing. One manufacturer says acclimation isn’t necessary but “the floor covering should be installed in a climate-controlled environment with an ambient temperature range temperature between 55-85 F (13-29 C) or average temperature of 70 degrees (21.1). So, the product doesn’t need to be acclimated but the space where it’s to be installed has to be. Make sure you are clear on this, and when in doubt, it’s not a bad idea to deliver the material a day or two ahead of time.

When it comes to stretch-in carpet over pad, most installers would probably prefer installing carpet when it’s on the warm side as opposed to in the winter months. The shop where I grew up working kept a lot of the carpet in storage in an unheated garage, so in the winter it was tough to work with if it was installed the same day. If you’ve ever handled cold carpet, you know it can be stiff as a board. But, if we got the mate-

In addition to the fact that floor coverings can be affected by warm temperatures, adhesive may set up very quickly in warm conditions, so open time and working time can be affected. There can also be issues with underlayments used for resilient floors, which may expand slightly when they go from cold to warm. ASTM F1482 Installation and Preparation of Panel Type Underlayments to Receive Resilient Flooring* has an entire section on Material Storage and Conditioning that uses a lot of this same language.

Example of vinyl plank floor with visible end joints. Material was installed in summer without acclimation. The joints were tight after installation but when the material “relaxed” the planks returned to their original length and the gaps became visible.

rial onto the job a day or two ahead of time, it was a lot easier to install.

On the other hand, warm carpet can be a problem if the carpet is overstretched, which is not hard to do when it’s warm. Overstretched carpet can pull away from walls or seams if relaxes too much as it cools. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) standards for carpet installation (CR104 for Commercial and CR105 for residential**) mention acclimation specifically, “The carpet is to be installed when the indoor temperature is between 65-95 F (1835 C) with a maximum relative humidity of 65 percent.” Proper stretching of carpet is also specified, as follows; “Due to the difference in carpet-backing types, it is required that manufacturer recommendations for carpet stretch be followed. In the absence of specific recommendations, tufted carpet with synthetic backing should be stretched a minimum of 1 percent in length and in width. Patterned carpet may require additional stretch to obtain pattern match.” If you haven’t seen these documents, it’s a good idea to get a copy and stay up to date on the latest industry standards.

Finally, moisture is another factor when it comes to acclimation of a job site. In preparing to install wood floors, a wood subfloor may be too dry or too moist if the space is not climatecontrolled. Too wide a difference in moisture level between the subfloor and the wood flooring can cause a variety of problems from gapping to cupping to buckling after the floor is installed.

In the case of concrete floors, moisture test results can be affected by the ambient conditions. For example, the ASTM F 1869 Calcium Chloride test method* calls out for very specific temperature and humidity; “The test site should be at the same temperature and humidity expected during normal use. If this is not possible, then the test conditions should be 75 ±10 F (18.3 to 29.4 C ) and 50 ±10 percent relative humidity. Maintain these conditions 48 hours prior to, and during testing.” If the test can’t be done under these conditions, don’t bother doing the test.

As you can see, site conditions and acclimation affect many aspects of floor covering installation. All flooring materials have acclimation recommendations as part of the installation instructions, but these recommendations are often ignored. Following these guidelines can eliminate a number of problems, reducing callbacks and eliminating complaints.

Christopher Capobianco has been in the floor covering industry since the 1970s in various roles including retail and commercial sales, technical support, consulting, journalism, education and volunteer work. He currently is part of the sales team for Spartan Surfaces in New York City. You can reach him via christopher@SpartanSurfaces.com. *ASTM Standards available at www.ASTM.org. ** CR 104 and CR105 available at www.carpet-rug.org.

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

23

NFCA Committees tackle important construction challenges

Finding and filling cracks Bringing attention to some of the issues that plague us as floor coverers and helping to find solutions remains one of NFCA’s main objectives. One way we do this is by inviting industry experts from around the country and from other related industries to participate on teams tasked with addressing some of the long-standing problems we know so well, yet still don’t fully understand — issues that cost us money, delay projects and let down our clients.

One of the first requirements for a committee representing a cross section of the bigger construction picture is recognizing that as individuals we all know our stuff pretty well, but as far as knowing the pressure points of the next relatChris Maskell, ed trade and why they do what they do, NFCA c.e.o. that can be somewhat of a mystery.

The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. And with that in mind, three committees have been formed to address some ongoing issues in our industry.

The Hydraulic Cement Underlayment (HCU) Committee Fourteen experts from six industries (architectural, structural engineering, general contractor, flooring contractor, related manufacturing, concrete finishing) are reviewing the problem of slab flatness and ensuring alignment between the concrete trade’s work and floor coverings. This is an important part of any specification and is required to address a suspended slab’s natural tendency to sag and lose planarity over the first few month’s post pour.

One-eighth inch over 10 feet is easily achieved if planned and budgeted for…near impossible if not.

It has been a fascinating deep dive into the topic, learning how the problem manifests differently for all involved. The goal is to find a solution that works for everyone and results in slab acceptance by the floor covering installer (as opposed to rejection).

The Acoustics Committee For decades, acoustical issues in buildings have prompted questions from homeowners to the floor covering trade such as why new hard surface flooring is so noisy and what can be done to muffle sound transference. Their high expectations that our industry can solve such noise issues are only rivaled by the high IIC and STC ratings that mislead them in the first place!

The answer to the issue ultimately lies with the architect and the design of the building involved, not with a thin foam underlay.

As a flooring salesperson faced with another frustrated homeowner dealing with an angry neighbour, all you can do is reset expectations.

For property managers and strata councils, the advice is often to add restrictions to bylaws (for example, require that condo owners cover 60 percent of any new hard surface flooring with area rugs).

This committee will work to highlight pain points and assemble industry-approved information that will help demystify the topic, set best practices and make solutions available where possible to all interested parties involved in both new builds and the renovation sector.

The Education Committee Education. Education. Education. Industry is a revolving door of retiring folks, new entrants, and everyone in between with a hunger for knowledge.

Supporting continuous, accessible learning is central to this committee’s work. Made up of both flooring contractors and manufacturers, the group is tasked with building a resource library of educational pieces in a variety of formats that get to the meat and potatoes of topics that based on a recent member’s survey, are most important to them.

Much of what goes wrong in our industry isn’t that complicated — it’s just that there is a lot of information to process and disseminate. For example, to make money these days, regardless of your role, you need to move fast from scenario to scenario, juggling multiple contracts. Managing clients requires a high level of confidence when delivering bad news that might delay a project. You need to be able to back it up in the moment and look them in the eye when you do it. This is where education is so valuable, because confidence not only sells, it inspires trust, strengthens relationships and reputations, and helps to avoid the next claim.

The National Floor Covering Association (NFCA) promotes industry standards for resilient, carpet, hardwood, laminate, cork and bamboo floor covering installations. www.nfca.ca

24

July/August 2020

PRODUCTS

Quarzite slabs for walls and floors

Quartzite Celadon slabs from Antonlini combine hints and hues that range from white to light grey and go as far as anthracite and black. The material, suitable for floors and walls, enhances expressive contemporary design, the company says, giving a feeling of welcome and hospitality. Spaces and architectural structures are underlined by the elegance of this quartzite, it adds, whose beauty is linked to the earth and to a notion of time tha overcomes styles and fashions. www.antolini.com Decorative epoxy flooring

Florock Polymer Flooring has introduced the FloroStone Decorative Flooring System, a decorative epoxy flooring that is said to combine a sanitary, high-performance traffic surface with modern, upscale aesthetics in an economical, quick-turnaround system. The system’s

slurry formulation is a departure from traditional, double-broadcast epoxy systems, requiring approximately 60 percent fewer man hours and 40 percent less turnaround time, the company says, in addition to enabling virtually undetectable repair of minor damage when needed. Available in high-gloss or satin finishes and choice of slip-resistant textures, the durable product features 12 colour blends, plus a wider selection of custom colour options. Utilizing plastic strips or tape-off methods, the commercial and institutional epoxy system can be used to create unique floor designs. www.florock.net

floor covering, while being as functional and durable as well as easy to clean as any resilient floorcovering. Available in both sheet and tile formats, the flooring range has ultra-low volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions and zero phthalates, and also holds the Allergy UK Seal of Approval. www.forbo.com VOC-free edge-sealing compound

Colour flocked, vinyl backed flooring

The Flex-Tred edge sealing compound from Wooster Products has no VOCs and is a one-part, high-solids, elastomeric sealant. The solvent release product is ready to use without mixing, priming or heating. Applied by squeeze tube, the flexible compound seals the company’s Forbo has launched a new range of its Flex-Tred anti-slip tape to all types of textile flooring designed for offices. The metal including galvanized, wood, Flotex Colour range is said to combine the particleboard, plywood, EPDM and other warmth, comfort and acoustic properties kinds of rubber, thermoplastics, thermoof textile flooring with the practical and set plastics, fibreglass and other fibre hygienic considerations of a synthetic reinforced plastics, concrete, masonry and material. The collection is available in five glass. It has excellent weather, UV and different designs: Metro, Penang, Calgary, ozone resistance, for a long service life, Savannah and Canyon. Each of the the company says, and is tack free in flooring designs is available in planks, under an hour and can be painted when sheets or tiles. In total the collection is dry. The product provides water and available in 96 different shades. Flotex moisture resistance, and resists cracking, technology flocked flooring is made up chipping and peeling. The applied bead from a solid vinyl, reinforced base with a will shrink approximately 55 percent, so densely flocked surface of nylon 6.6 no tooling is necessary for most applicafibres, that are anchored firmly into the tions. The bead surface will be tack free in base layer. The technology is dimension15 to 45 minutes, depending on ambient ally stable and has the optics of a textile conditions. www.woosterproducts.com Canada’s floorcovering magazine 25

PRODUCTS

Composite wood collections

Power 4.0 HPC-ASI 18 V Battery Pack platform and is packaged in a Systainer tool storage system. The tool is said to be ergonomic, lightweight and have a precision-performance design suitable for completing jobs in tight spaces while limiting arm fatigue. The tool features a large drilling capacity, the company says, a ½ in. keyless chuck, work area LED illumination and integrated bit storage. www.festoolcanada.com Modular carpet collection

Mohawk has added the TecWood Select line to its TecWood composite wood portfolio. The line includes two brand new collections, The Preserve Collection and The Luxora Collection, that are said to feature high fashion and easy maintenance. Both collections feature a sawn face veneer with EasyClean stain and soil protection, as well as Spill Protect moisture-resistance technology. The collections also feature a fast installation process with the company’s Uniclic MultiFit Locking System, the company says. The Preserve Collection includes eight colours with planks that are 7.5 in. wide and up to 71.6 in. long, while The Luxora Collection offers seven colours with planks that are 8.5 in. wide x 87.6 in. long. www.mohawkind.com Cordless drill screwdriver

The Festool T18 cordless drill driver is compatible with the company’s Li-High26

July/August 2020

announced an integrated app designed to allow clients to automatically connect with customers for appointment reminders and installation scheduling changes via text messaging. The goal of the integration is to keep install crews busy installing by avoiding down-time from cancellations, the company says. The app comes with a dashboard and functionality that also allows for direct text communication with customers as replies, or even text messages from customers that come in directly rather than via a phone call. This is said to include managing rescheduling or cancellation requests prior to the day of the originally scheduled installation. www.rmaster.com Stone-look LVT visuals

Light Shift, the latest modular carpet collection from Tarkett, is said to draw inspiration from scientific studies of light waves and frequencies, as well as man-made phenomena like light trails and reflections from architectural facades.

The collection includes three distinct carpet patterns, as well as a coordinating luxury vinyl tile. The most structured of the modular collection, Specular borrows its imagery from mathematical grids, but with a shifting, corrugated pattern.

Parallel Ray explores the synergy of colour and texture in a pattern of broken, parallel lines. The Glint coordinating LVT expresses the colour and pattern of light seen in the digital realm, relating the layered visual patterns seen in technological light conversions. www.tarkettna.com Text messaging app for installers RollMaster Software, a flooring specific business management software, has

Luxury vinyl tile specialist Karndean Designflooring has added six stone visuals to its LooseLay range. The non-interlocking floating floor is said to be notable for multi-directional visuals, speedy install time, acoustic properties (ΔIIC 16dB), individually replaceable tiles and seamless transition to commercial carpet tile. The visuals replicate the looks of travertine, concrete and slate in a 20 mil loose lay LVT format. The product can be laid over most existing hard floors with minimal preparation, as well as over

subfloors with an RH of up to 95 percent. www.karndean.com Stain-proofing added to cleaner/sealer line

ponent product that can be used as an adhesive only or a 5-in-1 adhesive system solution. With zero isocyanates and low odor, the adhesive helps contribute to LEED credits as it has been independently tested and certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Green Label Plus Program for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The adhesive is suitable for both residential and commercial applications. www.dritac.com Sliding tile saw with folding stand

Braxton-Bragg has added the Stain Proof

by Dry-Treat premium line of cleaners and sealers to its offerings. The line is comprised of 13 products, half of which are stone and masonry sealers and cleaners used for everything from the Sydney Opera House and the Dallas Cowboys stadium to a homeowner’s shower or backsplash, the company says. Used for cleaning and sealing stone, the products don’t have to be reapplied for 15 to 25 years, it adds. www.braxton-bragg.com Wood flooring adhesive The 7700 Easy Clean lightweight adhesive sausage from DriTac can be used with the company’s manual drive caulk gun to address applications such as floor repairs, inlays, stair treads, moldings, borders and medallions. The 20 oz.

sausage offers a premium grade, “green” sound and moisture control MS polymer wood flooring adhesive. The product is said to clean up very easily off the surface of hardwood flooring when wet or dry.

The adhesive allows for a one-day, one-step installation and is a single-com-

The sliding tile saw with folding stand from King Canada combines a 2.5 hp, 15 A motor with GFCI protected power cord.

The non-slip rubber coated aluminum sliding table provides full coverage wrap around splash guards and rear and side splash trays keep work area clean and dry, the company says. Saw head tilts 0˚ to 45˚ for bevel cuts. Units provide a plunge head that allows controlled cuts for electrical outlets, drains and AC registers, as well as two removable rubber nozzles for maximize water efficiency to blade. A laser guide system indicates the cut line and LED light for improved visibility. Units come with 10-inch diamond continuous rim blade, aluminum rip guide, blade wrench and hex key. Depth of cut capacity is 3-3/4 in. and the sliding table size with extensions is 24-1/2 x 18-1/2 in. www.kingcanada.com

the distressed visuals of overdyed vintage rugs, Crafted Surface is a three-style collection of 18 x 36 in. carpet tiles. The textural patterns incorporate a variety of colours with neutral and bright accents. Gemscape is a coordinating collection of modular carpet tile and broadloom. The carpet tile is backed by StrataWorx, which is a PVC-free product that is said to be lightweight and cost-effective. Patterns feature texture and abstract geometrics with accent stripes. Designed to expand SPC (solid polymer composite) platform offerings, Natural State is a resilient collection with an innovative, high-density core construction with dimensional stability, no telegraphing and resistance against indentation. Offered in a variety of thicknesses and installations, the collection also features acoustical benefits. www.patcraft.com Hardwood floor scrubber

Pallmann has introduced its Turbo Scrubber, suitable for the preparation of wood floors prior to recoats and to aid in the deep cleaning of hard surfaces. The unit is said to compliment the company’s Pall-X Bond recoating system, Pallmann Clean Strong (deep cleaning of wood floors), and Pallmann Clean N Prep (Magic Oil 2K Recoats) to provide greater efficiency to these systems for contractors. www.pallmann.us Canada’s floorcovering magazine 27

Commercial flooring collections The 2020 collections from commercial flooring manufacturer Patcraft have been introduced. Anew is a 7.75 x 48 in. resilient collection directly inspired by designers’ requests for a widened plank format. Products feature modern, updated wood visuals and the incorporation of a stone look. It is available in both 2.5- and 5-mm thicknesses. Inspired by

BULLETS Current business highlights The total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities decreased 17.1 percent to $6.0 billion in April. Multi-family dwellings were the only category to show an increase at the national level in April, up 4.8 percent to $2.6 billion. —Statistics Canada

In March, payroll employment in Canada decreased by 914,500 (-5.4 percent) compared with February, in line with the 5.3 percent decrease in total employment. —Statistics Canada Total U.S. construction activity for April 2020 was $1,346.2 billion US, 2.9 percent below March 2020. —U.S. Census Bureau

Real gross domestic product (GDP) in Canada fell 2.1 percent in the first quarter, owing to reduced household spending and widespread shutdowns of non-essential businesses in March. —Statistics Canada

The Pokémon Go mobile app weekly player spending jumped 70 percent between March 9-16 and hit $23 million US. —Statista/GoldenCasinoNews

U.S. sales of new single-family houses in April edged upward 0.6 percent to reach 623,000. —U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development/U.S. Census Bureau

The world’s top three online banks — Nubank, Revolut and Chime — reached 38.4 million customers in 2020, a 255 percent increase in two years. —AksjeBloggen

U.S. ceramic tile consumption in 2019 was 2.9 billion sq. ft., down 5.4 percent from the previous year and the first decline in a decade. —Tile Council of North America

Canada’s merchandise trade deficit with the world widened from $1.5 billion in March to $3.3 billion in April. It is important to note that trade deficits of more than $3 billion are not uncommon, most recently occurring in February 2019 (deficit of $3.4 billion). In volume terms, exports were down 19.9 percent in April and imports fell 24.8 percent. —Statistics Canada

The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index held steady in May, following a sharp decline in April. The Index now stands at 86.6 (1985=100), up from 85.7 in April. The Present Situation Index — based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labour market conditions — declined from 73.0 to 71.1. However, the Expectations Index — based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labour market conditions — improved from 94.3 in April to 96.9 in May. —Conference Board Real gross domestic product (GDP) in the U.S. decreased 5.0 percent in the first quarter of 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2019, real GDP increased 2.1 percent. —U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis The U.S. has committed to the largest rescue package of any country in pure dollar terms over three congressional stimulus phases ($8.3 billion US, $192 billion US and $2.5 trillion US), an estimated 13 percent of GDP. As large as that is, it actually trails Japan’s measures which equate to just over 21 percent of its GDP. In Europe where Spain and Italy have endured devastating coronavirus outbreaks, the size of stimulus packages are estimated to be 7.3 percent and 5.7 percent of GDP, respectively. —Ceyhun Elgin/Columbia University Japan’s imports of assembled flooring month-on-month dropped 21 percent in March, but year-on-year there was little change. There was a slight rise in the value of firstquarter flooring imports compared to the first quarter 2019.

—Japan Ministry of Finance 28 July/August 2020

Exports of merchandise to the U.S. in April from Canada fell 35.7 percent, while imports were down 35.3 percent. As a result, Canada’s trade surplus with the U.S. narrowed from $3.5 billion in March to $2.2 billion in April. —Statistics Canada As of June 1, the latest data shows that Sweden had 43 deaths per 100,000 of its population from Covid-19. That’s in contrast to neighbours Denmark and Finland who have recorded less than 10 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants and Norway which has had less than 5. Sweden established a more relaxed isolation restrictions policy than others in the region. —Johns Hopkins University Canadian imports of tropical hardwood fell by 5 percent in March but remain 4 percent ahead of 2019 year-to-date.

Canadian imports from Ecuador are up more than nine-fold over 2019 year-to-date. —ITTO U.S. imports of hardwood flooring rose by 12 percent in March from the previous month. Imports from China fell by 85 percent to its lowest level in more than 10 years, while imports from Brazil dropped 99 percent, to a level not seen in three years. Meanwhile, imports from Malaysia and Indonesia grew by 64 percent and 145 percent respectively. Imports of assembled flooring panels from China also fell in March, dropping 80 percent. Year-todate, imports from China are down 32 percent through the first quarter. —U.S. Census Bureau/Foreign Trade Statistics

EVENTS Aug. 12 12 ––14 14 CFI Convention Conventionand & Expo Expo Orlando, Orlando, Fla. Fla. https://cfiinstallers.org/events/ http://cfiinstallers.org/events/ Aug. 30 31 ––Sept.

Sept.32 Domotex Las Vegas Market Asia/Chinafloor Shanghai, Las Vegas, Nev. China www.domotexasiachinafloor.com www.lasvegasmarket.com Oct. Aug. 13 31 – Sept.

16 2 Sicam Domotex Asia/Chinafloor Pordenone, Shanghai, China Italy www.exposicam.it/en/ www.domotexasiachinafloor.com Nov. 94 ––13 7 GreenBuild Cersaie Expo San Bologna, Diego, Italy Calif. www.greenbuildexpo.com www.cersaie.it/en/ Dec. 22 ––44 The Buildings BuildingsShow Show Toronto, Toronto, Ont. Ont. www.thebuildingsshow.com www.thebuildingsshow.com Jan. 15 15 ––18, 18,2021 2021 Domotex Domotex Hanover, Hanover, Germany Germany www.domotex.de/en/ www.domotex.de/en Jan. 25 25 ––28 28 TISE: The International Surface Event The Las Vegas, International Nev. Surface Event Las www.intlsurfaceevent.com Vegas, Nev. www.intlsurfaceevent.com Feb. 9 – 11 Feb. Kitchen 9 – 11 and Bath Industry Show Kitchen Orlando, Fla. and Bath Industry Show Orlando, www.kbis.com Fla. www.kbis.com Apr. 13 – 16 April Coverings 13 – 16 2021 Coverings Orlando, Fla. Orlando, www.coverings.com Fla. www.coverings.com Apr. 28 – 30 NWFA Expo Baltimore, Md. www.nwfaexpo.org

ADVERTISERS Ardex

NAC Products Inc.

Custom Building Products

Proma

Ardex Canada www.mapei.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.ardexamericas.com . . . . . . . . . 9 Custom www.Building Products www.custombuilding custombuildingproducts.com . . . . 9, 31 products.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Mapei

www.mapei.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Mapei www.mapei.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Mohawk

www.mohawkflooring.com . . . . . . . . 14 Melmart Distributors Inc. www.melmart.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Mohawk www.mohawktoday.com . . . . . . . . 15

NAC Products www.nacproducts.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 www.nacproducts.com . . . . . . . . . . 14

Proma www.proma.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 www.proma.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17

Schluter Systems Canada

www.schluter.com Schluter Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 www.schluter.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Shnier www.shnier.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Shnier Tarkett USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 www.shnier.ca www.tarkettna.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Tarkett www.tarkettna.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

marketers: YOUR

biggest asset IS YOUR reputation

readers.

WITH OUR

Need to promote your brand?

Our lights are ON

Stephen King | 416-802-1225

sking@wimediainc.ca Rates and |details: www.coveringscanada.ca Steve King 416-802-1225 | sking@wimediainc.ca Canada’s floorcovering magazine

29

THEN-AND-NOW

The prefab manufacturer may have provided a solid skeleton, but interiors sport custom kitchen cabinetry, white oak engineered hardwood and porcelain tile floors.

Intertwined urban town homes

Jenga-style living

Michael Rafelson

TAKING ITS CUE from the Jenga wooden block game, Toronto, Ont.,-based design and development company Baukultur/ ca recently completed the construction of two new-build town homes integrated with sustainability in mind.

With 25 feet in width available, according to architect Felix Reicher, it was necessary for the project, called zero79 (after near-zero carbon footprint and the street address), to create an innovative concept to realize the two ground-bound family homes on one shared infill lot.

“I am taking what I am used to in Europe and adjusting it to how to use property or land that is much denser than here (Reicher is originally from Germany). ProperThe prefab approach minimized ties that you can’t neighbourhood disruptions. sever but you can still build more than one house,” he says.

The zero79 project arranges the two 2,000 square foot, three-storey homes intertwined, one behind the other. Both homes are accessible through both the sunny front yard from the street, as well as to the back where each has a private backyard and garaged parking space. The homes share a meandering inner common wall which zones spaces within each home.

The concept of arranging two homes behind each other on one lot is new to Toronto. “The city plan30 July/August 2020 July/August 2020

ning department was very much in favour of the project,” says Reicher. “But when it came time to obtain the actual building permit, that was tricky to explain.”

To build the two, four-level residences (including basements), Reicher decided to pursue the plan to prefabricate the wall- and ceiling-panels off-site. The benefits of off-site construction reduced the impact on the neighbourhood’s residents, created a shortened construction period and provided an efficient use of resources and waste reduction, along with a build where the structural system would never be exposed to the elements.

The prefabricated panels were then assembled on-site, and within five days the building was completely sheltered from the elements. Not only was the structural framing in place, when the panels were delivered and assembled on the property, but so were all windows, 6 in. of exterior insulation, the metal siding, and a temporary waterproofing membrane for the roofs.

“Our R values are about double than what the building code requires,” says Reicher about his energy conservation philosophy. “We have triple glass windows. The entire house is run on electricity, so we don’t have fossil fuels coming into the house. All of the bathroom fans and kitchen exhaust runs through an energy recovery ventilator. We also used white roof membranes to minimize the heat in summer.

“We reduced energy consumption by 60 percent compared to a house built to the building code.

“The unit on the street is sold and the other one has an interested buyer,” he says. “The new owners haven’t moved in yet but they like the design and the cool features. ” The finished Then-and-Now project is featured on each issue’s cover.

Please submit project suggestions to news@wimediainc.ca.

Introducing TruTEX™ Luxury Sheet Flooring Beautiful and healthy for those you love most.™ Trust TruTEX to resist mold and mildew while delivering Beyond Tough performance.

Breathe easy with certified asthma and allergy friendly flooring that also stands up to pets, kids and stains. www.tarkettna.com

The CERTIFIED ASTHMA & ALLERGY FRIENDLY Mark is a Registered Certification Mark of the ASTHMA AND ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA and ALLERGY STANDARDS LTD.

©Tarkett USA Inc. 2019