July-August 2019 Coverings

Coverings CANADA’S FLOORCOVERING MAGAZINE

July/August 2019

Next challenge: RECREATIONAL

CANNABIS Canadian companies look to measure and manage new HR variable

PROMOTING CANADIAN FLOOR INSPECTION THE CASE FOR TWO WILLS SEPTEMBER AT CERSAIE: TILE COLOURS BOLOGNA

THEN-AND-NOW

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Features 6 Recreational cannabis

Coverings CANADA’S FLOORCOVERING MAGAZINE

July/August 2019

Next challenge: RECREATIONAL

CANNABIS Canadian companies look to measure and manage new HR variable

PROMOTING CANADIAN FLOOR INSPECTION THE CASE FOR TWO WILLS SEPTEMBER AT CERSAIE: TILE COLOURS BOLOGNA

Canada’s new distorted workplace reality.

4 Commentary Serious thinking outside the Big Box.

10 News THEN-AND-NOW

Breathing room for Gaspé school Page 30

Jul-Aug 2019 Coverings.indd 1

2019-06-19 6:24 PM

July/August 2019 Vol. 44, No. 4 www.coveringscanada.ca Kerry Knudsen Editor and Publisher

kknudsen@wimediainc.ca 647-274-0507

Steve King Associate Publisher sking@wimediainc.ca

905-703-6597

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: Stephane Groleau

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

American Biltrite makes executive moves; Mohawk draws Neocon award honours; TCNA petitions against China trade practises.

13 Law When and why you should have more than one will.

18 Design Post-it Note Design: Brainstorming tactics aren’t the only path to insight.

20 Installation Waterproof floors: Don’t oversell and don’t under-test.

Associations 19 Canadian Flooring, Cleaning and Restoration Association Three opportunities to elevate the profession.

22 National Floor Covering Association Floor inspectors: A much-needed resource for Canada.

Shows 26 Cersaie 2019 The tile and stone worlds come to Bologna, Italy.

23 Products Large- and heavy-tile mortars; underfloor heating thermostat; porcelain tile collection; hardwood floor backpack vacuums; rigid core vinyl planks; waterjet cutting machinery.

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 © 2019 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

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COMMENTARY Read it here: Quality, style, selection...

Outside the big-box WHAT A GREAT YEAR. Do things need fixing? Of course, and they always will. However, look at the May building-permit report. It’s up nearly 15 percent. Did you imagine a number like that back in 2009? Other numbers are up, as well, including the TSE and the Dow, and the Canadian dollar is trading about where most pundits think it should be relative to the U.S. currency.

International trade, I guess, is a topic for debate, but, while our industry certainly has benefitted from our former trade status with China, we also have to admit the manufacturing sector and much of our retail and service economy has suffered, and the current Kerry Knudsen toss-up between the U.S. and China seems to hold more potential for us than threat. It is easier to compete when everybody follows the rules.

One area that needs adjusting is the proliferation of what we call the big-box stores. It is certain they are providing a great service to the consumers and DIYers, but it’s also a mixed blessing, with hoards of DIY wanna-bes ending up having to call in a pro to finish a job they thought was outlined perfectly in the directions.

Personally, I don’t see the big-box stores as the end of the world, for a couple of reasons. For one, the heartbeat of the economy since the beginning of time has been consolidate/diversify, consolidate/diversify, consolidate/diversify…. We have been in a consolidation mode for a while, but we can see a bit of fibrillation. The hugest of the consolidators, Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc., are facing international threats at forced diversification. And they should. Anti-trust laws have been introduced in the past for a reason, and too-powerful robber-baron conglomerates are divided up and sold. For the media, social and otherwise (anti-social?) it is high time. Note: I am not getting started on Justin’s gift of $600 million divided among about every print medium but this one. We should have voted Liberal.

Anyway, the amalgamators of old, Sears, The Bay,

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July/August 2019 July/August 2019

J.C. Penny and others have more-or-less gone by the way, and other notables in fast-food franchising and entertainment have met enough competition to keep the field level and interesting.

Interesting is important. Last month we passed the 75th anniversary of D-Day, which always gets me thinking. World domination is a sport from which we are never free, it seems, whether we are talking about geography or hamburgers. Some people simply want it all.

The American GIs had much interesting to discuss, I guess, but seldom did, except how uninteresting their food was. Far into the ‘60s it was common to insult bland, industrial, mass-produced goods as being like K-rations, those being the pre-packaged food supplied to troops in battle.

In Canada, our Compo rations fared somewhat better by comparison (except, I understand, the bacon), but are, nonetheless, not recalled with fondness. People like variety and quality.

In the end, this cuts in our favour. Folks will certainly continue to shop based purely on price, but they will also continue to prove the old saying, “buy cheap, buy twice.” In our view, nobody will ever come home on his 50th wedding anniversary and proclaim, “Honey, on a special day like this, I am buying you your fifth IKEA kitchen.” That seems to have even less oomph than a new garden tool.

So we look toward a great future for floor coverings in Canada. The economy is good, and people have the wherewith to do with, even if much of the market goes to few hands.

One way we think we can help the industry at Coverings is by providing more and better, independent and original content — something gone lacking in the “big-box” stores of the publishing world. Looking at Coverings, we would like to be twice our size. Canada is worth it, and we provide material other magazines both will not and cannot, having long-since traveled the franchise path.

We remain committed to working in unison with shows and associations, the Big Three of business communication, and you can believe that because you read it here, and did not see it on Facebook.

Comment at www.coveringscanada.ca

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REALITY in 2019: RECREATIONAL CANNABIS Confusion swirls on how to measure impairment and craft effective HR policies

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July/August 2019

NOW THAT RECREATIONAL CANNABIS has been legal in Canada since October, employers and safety experts have been taking stock of its effect on personnel at business establishments.

Not a problem? Think again. According to Statistic Canada, the number of new cannabis users is increasing. During the first quarter of 2019, 646,000 cannabis users reported trying cannabis for the very first time. This number of first-time users was nearly double the corresponding estimate of 327,000 people one year earlier, when non-medical cannabis use was not yet legal.

The results come from National Cannabis Survey, designed to monitor cannabis consumption and related behaviours before and after legalization, has collected data every three months since February 2018.

One interesting indicator is that the increase in cannabis use between the first quarters of 2018 and 2019 can be partly explained by greater use among males and people aged 45 to 64. For example, rates of cannabis consumption for males increased from 16 to 22 percent over this period, while rates rose from 9 to 14 percent for everyone aged 45 to 64.

BUT IS THIS NEW RECREATIONAL strain of cannabis your father’s drug or even the drug of your youth?

Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) is an organization based in of Mississauga, Ont., that serves 167,000 member firms and 4.1 million workers in Ontario’s manufacturing, agricultural and service sectors. According to Larry Masotti, director, Strategic Relationships, WSPS, “the surprise is that many of an older generation might think of the cannabis, marijuana, weed or whatever was around when they were growing up, but the reality is the THC or the Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol is a much higher concentration than it was in the 1970s. The point is that it is a different drug today.”

Since about 5.3 million or 18 percent of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using cannabis in the first three months of 2019, there is an almost one-in-five chance that a staff member might be impaired in any workplace. The problem for employers at wood shops and other businesses, is that THC remains in the human anatomy for close to 30 days but there is

no conclusive method yet developed to test for impairment.

Black and McDonald is a Toronto, Ont.-based integrated, multi-trade prime contractor serving government, institutions, industry and commerce across Canada, U.S., and overseas with close to 6,000 employees. Ray Pleasance, corporate director of OHandS at the multinational, says his company has faced the issue of impairment head-on.

“It has required a collaborative approach with safety and our HR group to do several different things. We re-did our drug and alcohol policies. We brought in some guidelines as far as what we require and updated language with fitness for duty requirements — given that potentially we would have individuals coming to work and expecting to work when they may be impaired. Our main concern was the advent of now having marijuana legalized and also marijuana being prescribed through medical authorizations through doctors.”

As an employer, Black and McDonald has found the key component of any cannabis usage is that there are no defined levels of impairment. “There are no testing methodologies for levels of impairment or thresholds for levels of impairment as there is with alcohol as an example,” says Pleasance. The situation has created challenges for employees at his company as well. “They need to have a structure and a framework to be able to manage that potential hazard, so that it is presented to the employee to work safely.” There is also a potential impact of being impaired on fellow employees and clients, he adds.

THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS for companies dealing with potentially impaired workers are all too real. Junaid Malik, an associate in the Litigation Group at Brampton, Ont.-based Lawrences Lawyers, has been studying the issue.

“We treat medical and recreational as the same from the employers’ standpoint,” says Malik. “You might run into hurdles if you take it to an extreme and have a zero-tolerance policy. The issues you would face in that situation are employees who have a legitimate medical right to use it for their disability and if you would infringe upon their human rights.”

With the impairment side-effects of recreational cannabis, however, Malik puts in a category, “More akin to alcohol. Just like drinking, the employer doesn’t have to know. You can have a bunch of beers. You can’t come to work drunk. That is going to be the same I think with recreational cannabis use.

“I think that employers should understand and amend their HR policies and progressive discipline policies to reflect

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that. I would also note that they should be cautious in their phrasing to ensure the distinction in medical and nonmedical use.”

Workplace policies should distinguish between medical and recreational use, agrees Masotti, pointing out that medicinal cannabis was legalized in 2001 in Canada. “But a policy should address that difference.”

Masotti believes that employers should focus on impairment and the idea of being fit for work and/or duty since impair-

What is good impairment policy?

Generally speaking, according to the Ontario Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, impairment is a state of reduced competence, or reduced physical or mental ability, which can lead to an injury, illness or incident. The Canadian Human Rights Commission describes the appearance of impairment at work as “odour of alcohol or drugs, glassy or red eyes, unsteady gait, slurring, poor coordination.”

Good impairment policy encourages a culture that prioritizes safety and allows for conversations about hazards like impairment.

It states clearly whether or not employees are allowed to use, possess, or be under the influence of certain substances while at work.

It is jointly developed by labour and management, including the Joint Health and Safety Committee.

It should specify the many sources of impairment, such as alcohol, medications (used legally or illegally), cannabis (recreational or therapeutic), any other substance, and conditions like fatigue or stress.

It ensures that all employees know and understand the definitions and sources of impairment.

It allows for education and training to be provided to all employees, including supervisors.

It defines the mechanism for reporting impairment and specifies how confidentiality will be maintained.

It gives employees the opportunity to declare if they feel they may be impaired and specifies that such a statement can be made in confidence and without fear of stigma or reprisal.

It includes prevention initiatives and employee support programs such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

It states how disciplinary actions will be conducted when they are necessary.

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July/August 2019

ment can be caused by a lot of different things. “Yes cannabis,” says Masotti, “and yes, drugs — legal or otherwise — and yes, alcohol. But even things like gambling, fatigue, sleep deprivation or illness are all also impairment risks.

“I have had employers ask me that employees know that it is legal to use recreational cannabis — but were surprised to learn they had to tell them that you can’t do it in the workplace.

“You have to be deliberate in your communication with staff, regardless of the size of your business. You have to communicate that, and you have to have policies where there is some training available. Of course, it could be a training session, or it could be a five-minute safety talk at the beginning of a shift or a day.”

IN THE ABSENCE OF IMPAIRMENT-LEVEL testing, enforcement of company policies becomes a problem. Black and McDonald is still proactive in any case and maintains particular vigilance around safety-sensitive roles.

“When we determine a role to be safety sensitive,” says Pleasance, “the only avenue that we have available to us at present is zero tolerance for any level of impairment. It is all written in our policies that if an individual is suspected of not having their full faculties and they are in a safety sensitive role, we would pull them aside and ask them specific questions.”

According to Pleasance, the company has removed some employees temporarily from their job functions because they had put themselves in jeopardy by compromising their fitness for duty. “The individuals had authorization to use medical marijuana at a fairly high strength,” he says.

“So, it does take a bit of research and understanding as to ‘what is an acceptable dose and what is not?’ The dosages in all of those cases would have rendered that employee to be impaired for a significant period of time. What we asked was for them to go back to their doctors to see if there is an alternate treatment plan available to them. To this date we haven’t had a recreational cannabis issue pop up.”

Although this may be good news for one large company, there are even more challenges on the horizon. In October 2019, cannabis edibles and infused drinks will be legalized, according to the government of Canada. The obvious gotcha moment of someone smoking cannabis on the job won’t necessarily apply then.

“Not that we understand smoking cannabis well,” says Masotti, “it is the fastest way to feel the effect of the drug. Edibles will change a lot of that complexity because it depends on how quickly somebody metabolizes something and what they eat.”

Comment at www.coveringscanada.ca

NEWS American Biltrite announces changes Sherbrooke, Que.–based American Biltrite has announced changes to its sales and marketing team. Frederic Guerin will now assume the position of senior vice president sales and marketing, AB Canada. Over the past seven years Frederick Guerin Guerin held the position of vice president, sales and marketing for the Industrial Rubber division and will now lead both the Industrial Rubber and Flooring

Scott Brazinski

John Kronemeyer

divisions sales and marketing teams. Scott Brazinski will assume the position of vice president – North American sales, Flooring division. Previously lead

separately, both the Canadian and U.S. regional sales managers will now report to Brazinski. In addition, John Kronemeyer will become vice president – International Sales, Flooring division, to support Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Mohawk Group honoured at Neocon Commercial flooring manufacturer Mohawk Group of Calhoun, Ga., earned several awards at NeoCon 2019 in Chicago, Ill., covering all segments and flooring categories, including carpet tile, broadloom, area rugs, resilient tile and resilient sheet.

Mohawk earned two Best of NeoCon Silver awards across soft and hard surface. Textural Effects (carpet: broadloom category) employs bulky, woolen nylon yarns to create a sensory aesthetic that reconnects end users with nature, while True Hues rubber sheet (healthcare flooring) employs terrazzo visuals.

The company also won a Best of NeoCon Innovation honour (carpet: contract area rugs category) with Connecting Neurons Definity, a collection of broadloom and rugs for workplace interiors. Mohawk’s Sakiori woven enhanced resilient tile won a Metropolis Likes NeoCon award. The company also received Interior Design HiP Product awards for Live & Learn (education/institutional/government flooring category), True Hues (health and wellness

Quebec architectural awards Montreal, Que.-based Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) has unveiled the winners of its 30th Architecture Excel-

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July/August 2019

flooring) and Spirit Moderne (hospitality flooring) by Mohawk’s Durkan brand.

Premier and Kennebec enter joint venture Premier Hardwood Flooring of Syracuse, N.Y., and Kennebec Lumber Company of Solon, Maine, have entered into new joint venture. The collaborative effort will construct a new finish and effect line.

The joint venture will operate under the name WW Hardwood Flooring Group out of Syracuse, N.Y., and operations are expected to begin July 2019. The joint venture will have access to 36 million square feet per year from the capacity of Premier and the Kennebec Lumber mills, with finish capacity of 21 million square feet per year.

McWilliams named Armstrong interim c.e.o.

Lancaster, Penn.-based Armstrong Flooring has announced that its board of directors and Donald Maier, president and c.e.o., have mutually agreed that he would step down as c.e.o., effective immediately. Armstrong Larry McWilliams chair Larry

lence Award. The jury, chaired by the Dutch architect Robert-Jan Van Santen, awarded the prizes among 104 entries received. Included is the Grand Prix of Excellence for the Drummondville Library, awards to the consortium composed of Chevalier Morales architects and DMA architects. The public also took part in this event as it voted online to award the public’s prize to Strøm Spa Vieux-Québec, a project (above) by LemayMichaud Architecture Design. Winning projects are featured on the Awards of Excellence website, www.oaq.com/ pea. Awarded since 1978 by the OAQ, the Awards for Excellence in Architecture are designed to recognize and showcase the exemplary architectural achievements of local architects, built in Quebec and elsewhere around the world.

McWilliams has been elected c.e.o. on an interim basis. He will focus on the company’s near-term strategic priorities and facilitate Armstrong’s management transition while the company seeks a permanent c.e.o. McWilliams is a long time executive in the retail and consumer sectors and will remain the chair of board of Armstrong Flooring. He is also the chair of board of Armstrong World Industries. Maier has also resigned from the board of directors.

Vancouver and the tallest residential tower in Western Canada.

216 metres and 64 storeys, Two Gilmore Place in Burnaby’s Brentwood town centre is said to be the tallest in Metro

Halstead, Home Depot and Välinge reach settlement Viken, Sweden-based Välinge Innovation announced that Halstead of Norwalk, Conn., Home Depot of Atlanta, Ga., and Välinge together with Willemsted, Curacao-based I4F have reached an out of court settlement of a pending litigation in the U.S. The companies entered into

EVOQ Architecture appointments EVOQ Architecture of Montreal, Que.,

Giovanni Diodati

Dima Cook

has announced the appointment of three additional directors who will carry the torch of the firm into the future. Giovanni (John) Diodati joined the firm as an associate in 1999 and has established himself as a professional known for the quality and accuracy of his building envelope analyses and remediation strategies. Dima Cook joined the firm in 1998 and has applied her multi-disciplinary expertise in architecture and project management to the firm’s projects in both the heritage Eric Moutquin conservation and Inuit and First Nations fields. Eric Moutquin joined the firm in 2003 and soon immersed himself in the realm of Inuit and First Nations development.

Vancouver to get its tallest building Vancouver-based Onni Group has started work on Western Canada’s largest residential tower, according to Renx.ca, a project which will accelerate the transformation of Burnaby’s Brentwood Town Centre. At

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NEWS a confidential settlement agreement to fully resolve the legal case between them, that has now been withdrawn on the joint request of the parties by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Välinge and I4F are satisfied that this settlement permits all parties to go forward with their activities and makes good sense for the involved parties. Välinge Innovation AB of Viken, Sweden, is focused on the development of patents and technologies for the flooring and furniture industry.

styles and trends in their home, the company says. The technology is based on the RoomVo platform developed by Toronto, Ont.-based Leap Tools. The visualization platform has been adopted by a variety of online flooring businesses such as FloorForce, Alexanian, Shnier, Crate&Barrel, Del Conca, Rugs USA and DreamWeaver. Customers take a photo of their room, upload it to the flooring vendor site, choose the product and then see it on the floor of their room.

Oglesby to lead Decorative Hardwoods Association The Decorative Hardwoods Association of Sterling, Va., has elected new board members. Wave Oglesby of Columbia Forest Products and Jeremy Manthei of Manthei Veneer, respectively, were elected chairman and vice-chairman Wave Oglesby of the board of directors. New board members include David Williams, Great Lakes Veneer, Don Tomaszewski, Besse Forest Products, and Doug Johnson, States Industries. Garret Keil of Murphy Plywood assumes the vice presidency of the hardwood plywood division and Herb Upton of Shaw the vice presidency of the engineered flooring division. Retiring after decades of board service are George Freeman and John Varner. Founded in 1921, the association represents the hardwood plywood, hardwood veneer, and engineered hardwood flooring industries.

TCNA petition tackles China’s unfair trade practises Eric Astrachan, executive director of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) based in Anderson, S.C., the trade association of America’s ceramic tile producers, has issued the following statement in response to the filing by domestic tile manufacturers of a Petition with the federal government, seeking tariff relief from dumped and subsidized imports of tile from China: “America’s tile manufacturers are happy to compete against fairly traded imports. We have been hammered, though, by a flood of unfairly traded imports from China. Chinese tile producers benefit from extensive government subsidies and dump their tile into the United States at ridiculously low prices.

“Domestic manufacturers had no choice but to seek relief from the federal government from these unfairly traded imports. The future of the U.S. industry and of our member companies’ thousands of employees and their families depends on it.”

Several of the largest U.S. ceramic tile manufacturers have filed anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions with the federal government. The industry’s anti-dumping petition seeks the imposition of tariffs on imports of ceramic tile from China to remedy unfairly lowpriced imports that have injured domestic manufacturers, according to the TCNA.

Lumber Liquidators launches floor visualizer Hard surface flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators based in Toano, Va., has launched floor visualizer, a digital tool to help customers picture the latest flooring 12

July/August 2019

The countervailing duty petition seeks the imposition of tariffs to remedy the impact of Chinese government subsidies — subsidies that have resulted in lowpriced imports that have injured domestic manufacturers.

“If the federal government, after an investigation, agrees that Chinese imports are unfairly traded and have injured or threaten to injure U.S. tile manufacturers,” Astrachan says, “the government will impose tariffs on Chinese imports. The government would first impose preliminary tariffs in a few months and would impose final tariffs at the conclusion of its investigation in approximately 16 months.”

Tarkett receives sustainability innovation award Solon, Ohio-based Tarkett has received the inaugural Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Award in the Design category

for its ethos Modular Carpet Tile with Omnicoat Technology. The Plastics Industry Association and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Sustainability Division launched the Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Awards this year. The awards are designed to recognize the companies that are pushing the boundaries of innovation — driving environmental advantages in product design, sustainable materials and end-of-life recovery. The ethos product started with a simple idea, the company says, “to create a soft surface flooring solution from safe materials, while providing a positive environmental impact without compromising quality.”

The answer came from an unexpected place: broken windshields. In 2004, Tarkett was the first to harness the PVB film in recycled windshields and safety glass, creating a time-tested alternative to traditional carpet backing polymers. The PVB film is a responsibly sourced, postconsumer material that can be taken back through Restart, Tarkett’s closed loop recycling program.

LAW When and why to have more than one

Your will(s)

In some Canadian jurisdictions, a person can have more than one will. The main reason for using multiple wills is to save probate tax.

Assume an individual, call her Betty, dies in Ontario and owns the following assets at her death: a home owned jointly as joint tenants with her spouse worth $1 million; an RRSP with her spouse named as beneficiary worth $400,000; a cottage property, solely in her name worth $500,000; private company shares, solely in her name worth $1 million; and an investment account solely in Sabrina Gismondi her name worth $500,000.

How will these assets pass on her death and what probate tax will have to be paid?

She left a will in which her spouse is the sole executor and beneficiary of her estate.

In this example, the home will pass outside her will to her spouse by right of survivorship because it was held as joint tenants. Similarly, the RRSP will pass to her spouse outside her will because the spouse was named as beneficiary.

The three assets solely in her name, namely, the cottage, the private company shares and the investment account form her estate. As executor, Betty’s spouse is responsible for collecting these assets under her will. With limited exceptions, Betty’s executor will likely have to validate her will (a process commonly referred to as “probate”) in order to deal with some of these assets. Continued

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LAW In this example, both the financial institution and the land registrar will require probate of the will before transferring those assets to her executor. Under Ontario law, in this scenario, it may not be necessary to probate the will to transfer the private company shares to her spouse.

When probate is required in Ontario for any asset that passes under a will, the estate has to pay Estate Administration Tax, commonly referred to as probate tax. Probate tax is about 1.5 percent of the value of assets that pass under the will. In this example, Betty’s estate is $2,000,000 (the total value of the cottage, private company shares, and investments) and her estate would owe approximately $30,000 in probate tax.

A better strategy How would the use of the dual will strategy save probate tax in this example?

Betty could have prepared one will to deal with the assets that require probate – the cottage and the invest-

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ment account – and another will to deal with the assets that do not require probate – the private company shares.

The dual-will strategy works as follows: allocate all the assets that will likely require probate into one will (the “Primary Will”) and allocate assets that will not require probate into a second will (the “Secondary Will.”) When Betty dies, the Primary Will would be submitted to probate and the Secondary Will would not be submitted. Based on a decision of the Ontario courts called the Granovsky Estate case, probate tax is paid only on the value of assets that pass under the Primary Will. Other provinces have apparently not accepted this practice.

If Betty allocated her private company shares to a Secondary Will, and that will did not need probate, probate tax could have been saved on the value of the private company shares. In this example, her shares are worth $1 million and by using the dual will strategy could have resulted in about $15,000 of probate tax savings.

Because Betty died with only one

will, all of the assets governed by that will (the cottage, the investments and the private-company shares) are included in the probate tax calculation.

In Ontario, the dual-will strategy is most often used to save probate tax for individuals who own private company shares of significant value. The strategy can also be used to save probate tax on the value of other assets that pass under a will but for which probate may not be required to transfer title to the executor on death i.e. contents of a home, personal effects, certain loans and assets held in trust.

A note of caution, not all private company shares that a deceased person owns are exempt from probate. The strategy is most likely to work in situations where the shares are closely held by the deceased and other immediate family members or will pass to immediate family. In situations where the private company shares are held by the deceased and arms-length third parties, the strategy may not work as the third party shareholder may not wish to take the risk of dealing with the deceased person’s shares without probate of the will. There have also been instances where the corporation’s bank has insisted on probate of both wills as part of their risk management. Both wills may also require probate if the estate is involved in litigation.

When drafting dual wills it is important to be mindful of a variety of additional planning considerations such as who will be the executors under both wills, how debts and taxes will be allocated and ensuring fair treatment of beneficiaries under both wills. To avoid potential issues it is recommended that the executors and the beneficiaries are also the same under both wills.

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For those individuals that are unable to take advantage of the use of dual-will strategy to save probate tax, there may be other ways to reduce probate tax on death, such as designating a beneficiary on plans and policies, in the right circumstances owning assets jointly, transferring assets into trusts, and gifting amounts prior to death.

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Sabrina Gismondi is a trust and estate lawyer at Lawrence, Lawrence, Stevenson LLP in Brampton, Ont.

1(800)633-4622 www.nacproducts.com

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Canada’s floorcovering magazine

15

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DESIGN Contemplation beyond sticky notes

Design by Post-it I was recently a guest critic at a student presentation at a design university. It was very slick, with excellent graphics. As it scrolled along, I felt sure that I was seeing the results of what I call Design-by-Post-It-Notes. And, sure enough, the presentation eventually showed some evidence of process and there was the picture of the Post-its on the wall. What made me think that I was viewing the results of this kind of process was a certain kind of glibness to the solutions that were being presented. This evaluation sounds unkind, but I think I have a point to make.

There has been a proliferation of the use of the term Design Thinking.

It originated in design academia and Paul Epp professional design consultancies. And now it has found its way into management courses and business schools, business media and even popular consciousness. A process is described that consists of identifying a problem, and then brainstorming, which is a very public and competitive process of expressing ideas and capturing these on Post-it Notes that are then put up on a board, organized, grouped and regrouped and arrayed in columns.

In this process, this is the heavy lifting. Post-Post-Its, the ideas are evaluated, some are chosen for further development, they are prototyped and thereby the world is saved.

This is a popular activity and is excellent in generating a lot of ideas in a hurry. By its very nature, the ideas are spontaneous and maybe even as superficial as the process. One idea suggestion leads to another and the wall is soon well posted. Fortunately, it’s almost certain that there are a few ideas that are worth further consideration.

My view is that this process yields a certain type of result, just as another process will yield different results. It’s been proven to be valuable and certainly ought to remain in our arsenal of design creativity tools. But is it always adequate? I think not.

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I tend to hear the term brainstorm as another way of saying migraine. I don’t want a storm in my brain. I want peace and quiet, conductive to reflection and consideration. This comment will reveal my introverted nature, and so be it. A lot of designers are introverted and although it’s certainly not a prerequisite for the job, it can have its utility along with its drawbacks. Another way of describing this is that a brainstorm is fast and shallow. A private and reflective process has a better chance of being deeper even if its slower. And deep is good. A lot of the problems that we designers consider are complex and difficult. There is a good argument for preparing our minds to do their subliminal work that moves us towards that elusive and critically valuable eureka moment. That will only happen if we have been considering a problem for an extended period of time and are adequately prepared to spot a solution if our good fortune presents it. We need to twist and turn a problem around, looking at it from many sides and then looking again. And probably again.

My eventual critique of the student’s presentation was based on the type of solutions that were being offered. As attractive as they were, and valuable, there was to me a conspicuous absence of the solutions that are likely only to arise from slow, private and deeper consideration. We need both.

My biggest concern with our currently popular design methodology is not that it isn’t a good tool. It is. But it’s not the only one we ought to be using. It is seductively attractive, with its speed and opportunities for showing off. It produces quantities quickly and this can (mis)lead us to a premature satisfaction that an issue has been comprehensively considered. It has become the default and its assumed that it’s the correct way to work. It’s the new orthodoxy and it has led people to conclude that design is easy and fast. But it’s not.

I actually enjoy brainstorming sessions. They can be exhilarating and deeply worthwhile in their sharing of ideas and perspectives and they are usefully stimulating. They are a way of preparing us designers for another round of idea generation, the one that takes a lot more time and doesn’t respond well to speed and public exposure. Let’s not be distracted.

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

CFCRA Connections fit members to a T:

Testing, training, Texas Moisture testing of concrete substrates is mandatory for most flooring installations. The manufacturers require it. The industry standards specify it. Yet it is a skill that few flooring installers have.

As a matter of fact, most installers do not have the equipment to perform such testing.

There are four methods that are used to test for excessive moisture in concrete.

The first method that may be employed but would not necessarily be accepted by a manufacturer is known as a mat test or ASTM D4263. The test is relatively easy. The test method involves taping an 18-inch (460 mm) square of polyethylene film onto a concrete slab and waiting at least 16 hours. Afterward, the underside of the sheet is examined Lee Senter, for signs of moisture. Any moisture conCFCRA President densation or observable darkening of the colour of the concrete underneath the sheet suggests excessive moisture and means the slab is not ready for a moisture-sensitive floor covering.

The second method used is with a concrete moisture meter. Most flooring manufacturers do not specify or accept this method of confirming a concrete substrate either. A true concrete moisture meter typically has a spring-loaded sensor pad instead of the more common flat pads. These meters can read moisture content of concrete down to approximately an inch or more below the surface. The meter can read up to 6-7 percent moisture content. Acceptable moisture content is typically between 2.5-3.5 percent with some latitude being given to concrete poured in the previous 12 months.

The third method is known as the calcium chloride test, ASTM F1869. This method is widely accepted by the flooring industry as an acceptable method of testing for concrete moisture. The problem with performing this test is twofold. The process of this test creates hazardous respirable silica and some provinces have a regulation with strict exposure limits. The other issue with this method is that it requires three trips to the site to perform and is complete after a minimum of three and a half or four days.

The fourth process and the most popular method is the ASTM F2170 RH in-situ probe test, also known as the relative humidity test. This involves making holes in

the concrete that are 40 percent of the depth of the slab. A sleeve is then inserted in the hole and capped for 24 hours. After waiting for a day, a thermo hygrometer or similar probe is inserted in the sleeve and the relative humidity of the slab is taken to ascertain whether the concrete is dry enough to accept the proposed flooring type.

With the influx of new flooring types, most of which are impermeable and trap moisture under them, the requirement of performing moisture testing is more important than ever before.

The CFCRA is partnering with the ICC group of over 500 flooring retailers to allow easy access to inexpensive probes to perform relative humidity testing of the concrete and of the ambient air. We will also be offering free training on how to perform the testing. Any CFCRA member can ask the association for free in-house training on this method. We hope that members will take us up on this and that others will want to join the association to obtain this benefit.

The CFCRA is also holding four IICRC classes that are rarely held in eastern Canada. On July 10 and 11 we will be holding a Commercial Carpet Maintenance class. On August 7 and 8 we will be holding a Repair and Reinstallation Class. On September 10 and 11 our friend Randy Pierce will come up and do a Colour Repair class. And on October 15 and 16 I will be teaching an Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning class.

All of these IICRC classes are buy one, get one free for CFCRA members. If you are not a member or would like join, we would offer you a free class if you join the association.

Our vision statement: To provide our members a platform to foster a standard of excellence. To raise the awareness of proper moisture measurements and mitigation of flooring substrate Our mission statement: To engage, inspire and strengthen our related industries through services, best practices and events.

To make available floorcovering information, such as cleaning and inspection services to the consumer and information on installation related failures of the same.

Last but not least, I want to remind everyone of the Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) Convention with the 1st Annual Convention Golf Tournament August 21-23 in San Antonio, Tex. Registration is open at www.cfiinstallers.org/cfi-convention.

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 19

INSTALLATION Don’t oversell and don’t under-test

Waterproof floors I was planning a writing evening after work and thinking about my column that would address some issues related to concrete moisture concerns in floor coverings. Coincidentally, I started my day on a conference call with several people from my company. As we were reviewing a variety of flooring products in our line, one of my more experienced colleagues had a few choice words about the category of so-called waterproof flooring that really struck a chord with me.

With the growing popularity of a resilient floating floors such as loose lay, click LVT, WPC and so on, there is more and more marketing that has the word waterproof right up front. You’d sometimes think this Christopher is a new category called waterproof Capobianco flooring that didn’t exist before. This gives the impression that somehow vinyl floors were not waterproof before, which of course is not true.

Claims are being made that these floors can be installed in wet areas because the material will never swell, and so on. But what if?

These claims can give the impression that somehow if the floor gets flooded, there is no problem. That’s certainly not true, because if a flood were to occur, the entire floor would have to be removed so that the substrate and the flooring material could be allowed to dry out; not to mention the walls if you had a bad flood. Again, technically the material is waterproof but it’s more complex than that. My colleague and I are not the only ones concerned about these products being over-sold. I prefer, when I describe these products, to talk more about the other advantages such as acoustic benefits, simpler installation, smoother transitions to adjacent floor coverings such as carpet tile, and oh, yes – it’s also waterproof so if you have a flood, theoretically you can take it all up, dry it out and put it back down again.

That covers a little about the whole of “waterproof” when it comes to moisture from above. What about

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from below? The issue of concrete moisture issues never goes away, and more frequently today, the conversation turns to some kind of floating floor as a solution. I work with a lot of rubber flooring for fitness applications and am often asked about the interlocking “puzzle” tile as an option for damp concrete. Along the same lines, products like vinyl and WPC are being sold as somehow immune from concrete moisture issues. The assumption is that that damp concrete under floating floors is okay because there is no adhesive. That’s the issue, right? Well, in a lot of cases it is, but making that assumption can also get you in trouble.

So, no glue, no moisture testing, right? Wrong. Read the manufacturer’s documents and you’ll find requirements for moisture testing. Chances are that the limits are generally higher than glue-down resilient, but there still are limits. I had a good example of this on a commercial project over new concrete when a 5 mm thick click-vinyl plank installation was curling badly. When the planks were lifted, the concrete was visibly damp, and the moisture readings were on the high side. It was assumed before the floor was installed that this was not an issue, so no testing was done. However, the manufacturer did in fact have a published moisture limit. Despite the material being “waterproof,” it can be affected by such issues related to moisture as elevated pH and alkalinity that often come as moisture emits from concrete slabs.

My biggest concern about this whole issue is trapped moisture between the substrate and the floor covering.

Whether your subfloor is wood or concrete, whether it’s water from the top or moisture from below, moisture under the floor covering creates such potential problems as mould and bacterial growth. Even if the flooring itself is not affected, these are big issues, and you can bet the floor covering dealer and installer will get called back to deal with them. For thesee reasons, I tend to be cautious about claiming a floor is waterproof or moisture-resistant. You can certainly install a vapour retarder sheet or underlayment under a lot of floors that will protect the floor covering, if that’s recommended by the manufacturer. I still worry about moisture under the sheet, but at least the flooring itself is protected.

So, all that said, what’s the installer to do? For starters, read the installation guides and the warranties for these products. You can bet there is language about moisture test-

ing and there may be warranty exclusions for elevated moisture or pH levels. Don’t forget, if moisture is moving out of concrete, it often leads to elevated pH levels on the concrete surface as the alkalinity from the inside of the slab moves with the This floating “click” vinyl floor shows curling moisture vapor. ends due to moisture vapour emissions from That’s a warranty a the concrete slab. loophole in a lot of floor coverings and adhesives.

The floor covering (or adhesive in the case of glue down floors) may resist moisture up to a high level, but if the pH reading is over a certain level, all bets are off.

So, back to a topic I’ve covered before; how to test for moisture in concrete?

The only two tests that work are the calcium chloride test (ASTM F1869*), and the relative humidity (RH) test (ASTM F2170*). Both methods have always required a three- or fourday process for test results. However, recent changes to ASTM F2170 have shortened that time to one day, which makes the whole process a lot easier. RH testing involves drilling holes in the concrete to take an internal reading, which is why it’s thought to be more accurate in predicting future movement of moisture from inside the concrete to the top. However, I still hear from floor coverers who would rather do the F1869 calcium chloride test to avoid drilling and RH meters, perhaps because they don’t have the right equipment and a test kit. However, F1869 is done incorrectly more often than not because one or more of three key steps are ignored. One is ignoring the three-day waiting period for results, two is the

need to “lightly grind an area 50 by 50 cm” before placing the test and three is the necessity of testing when temperature and humidity conditions are the same as when the space will be occupied. Missing these details makes the test invalid, so be sure This 5 mm “click” vinyl plank was installed to test completeas a floating floor but did not stay flat due ly “by the book,” to concrete moisture issues in a new slab. In meaning the other areas of the same project, planks on 2016 version of an older (dry) slab looked perfect. the test method, ASTM F1869-16a.

I’ve done several articles here in Coverings on the subject — let us know if you need a copy.

I know this seems like a lot of trouble and many of you are saying that you’ve done plenty of floating floor installations over concrete with no issues. I have been hearing the same thing for years about glue-down floors like sheet vinyl, vinyl plank and VCT. “I’ve never had a problem!” However, all it takes is one failure and the costs can be pretty high, especially if you have not followed the manufacturer’s instructions.

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 online at www.ASTM.org or call 1-877-909-2786.

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

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NFCA A much-needed resource for Canada

Floor inspectors

Floor inspections are not as straightforward as you might think. It’s a trade-within-a-trade, requiring specific training, an inquisitive mind set, an ability to write well and, of course, a character that can refrain from offering conclusions on site and let the report deliver the conclusions.

Everyday disputes around floor covering products and their installation holds up millions of dollars in payment, requiring more time and effort to be invested by management, staff, and product reps — all trying to offer meaningful reasons why the look of the finished floor just isn’t meeting expectations.

There are many reasons for issues: installation, incorrect site conditions, product- and or maintenance-reChris Maskell, lated issues and, of course, miss-set NFCA c.e.o. consumer expectations. Third party independent inspectors are incredibly important in such scenarios.

Demand is up for certified inspectors, as awareness of the value of having an independent expert, available to all involved in a project, is becoming better understood. This is the way to avoid problems, bring parties in dispute together and ultimately reduce claims.

For years local associations have operated volunteer inspection services asking industry professionals to attend sites, gather facts and issue opinions without specific inspector training to fall back on. I was one of those volunteers for years. I remember reading my first certified inspection report, being very impressed and commenting to myself, “Wow, I need to get some training if I’m going to do this properly.”

How many claims in a year? It’s hard to know for sure. However, manufacturers typically maintain a 1- to 2% annual claims rate. For a $1 billion-a-year manufacturer, that’s $10 to $20 million per year! And there are many large factories out there. The numbers are staggering. According to Flooring Consultants and Inspector Training Services (FCITS) of Dalton, Ga., across North America there are more than 200,000 inspections per year, underlining our industry’s need for more inspectors.

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What is required to become an inspector?

First and foremost, professionalism. Then a combination of curiosity, knowledge, self-control, the ability to cross-reference data to corroborate findings and determine cause without rushing to judgement. Inspectors are taught to validate everything they are saying in their report with an industry document, a standard if you will. Many of these claims do end up in a court of law and if these documents are not cited, then it’s basically hearsay and will not hold up in court.

Inspector hopefuls require a minimum of five years of flooring-related experience in some capacity. Many inspectors are retired territory managers, retail sales people or installers.

Inspector training courses cover both hard surface and carpet, everything from the manufacturing process all the way to test procedures performed at the lab. It’s important to understand all the steps necessary to manufacture a product. A lot of time is spent on the installation processes of all the floorcovering categories and what to look for concerning a variety of issues, how to identify those issues and so on. Discussed are: two test methods for measuring moisture content in a concrete slab; the latest related ASTM standards and how to read results for both; moisture meters, how they are used, how they work and when and where to use them. The course also provides tips, examples, incredible support resources and teaches how to write respectable reports.

Finally, there are two types of inspections — the first is the one we are mostly familiar with — post installation, which reports on problems after they occur. The second is called a Quality Assurance Inspection review, where construction teams agree to specify an independent (certified) inspector on to a project to bring attention to critical parts of an installation that typically are overlooked. Call it a proactive approach to inspecting. Long overdue in the floor covering industry and I’m happy to report, growing!

With this said, Canada’s third floor inspector certification course will be held in Calgary, Alta., from September 30 to October 4. NFCA has been working with Flooring Consultants and Inspector Training Services (FCITS) for the past three years to put on this course previously held in Cambridge Ontario, and Surrey B.C. For more information on how to register visit https://www. nfca.ca/calgary-fcits.html.

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

PRODUCTS

Large-and-heavy-tile mortars Mapei has introduced the Keraflex line of mortars, designed for use with large and heavy tiles. The four polymer-modified mortars are said to share the innovative trait of high material transfer onto the backs of tiles, while retaining impressive non-sag/non-slump properties. They are also suitable for edge-leveling clip applications. Easy to mix, the mortars blend quickly to a lump-free consistency, the company says. The smooth mortars are also said to be easy to trowel and cut application times. For interior and exterior applications, the line is water- and frost-resistant, with the Keraflex Super mortar in the line being highly resistant to freeze/thaw conditions. The mortars can be applied over plywood as well as over uncoupling, crack-isolation, sound-reduction and waterproofing membranes. www.mapei.com

compliant with standards EN 14411:2012 annex L group BIII and have a water absorption rating to ISO 10545-3. www.atlasconcorde.com Vertical thermostat for underfloor systems The 4iE Portrait thermostat Warmup is designed to fit a common vertical mounting box.

An expansion of the company’s 4iE product line, the Portrait series has been designed identically to the original Horizontal 4iE specification with only orientation as the difference. Both thermostats allow for efficient and convenient use of underfloor heating systems. Using the MyHeating app and a wifi-enabled device, users can choose to alter their thermostat settings manually from any location or enable SmartGeo so that the system activates automatically based on proximity to home.

Integration with voice-activated Amazon Alexa devices can also be used to set household room temperatures. www.warmup.com

Porcelain tile collection Tiles mimic natural textures Portobello America has introduced Ms. Barcelona porcelain from a fusion of materials like limestones, cements and

Marvel Edge porcelain tiles from Atlas Concorde are available in three different looks (marble, concrete, and stone) and two finishes (matte and glossy), and a new 6 mm, 48 x 109 in. format that expands the collection. The tiles are

ing veins and elements of natural stones or cement textures with aggregates, in a chromatic balance that converges into something unique.

Formats include 90 x 90 cm, 60 x 120 cm and 120 x 120 cm in grey, white and graphite colour choices. Surface finishes are polish, external and natural. www.portobello.com Geometrical ceramic floor tiles

FS Yard ceramic floor tile from Peronda offers a geometrical pattern said to bring personality to living spaces. The tile model comes in 3 colours – black, blue and sage – combinable with the company’s FS-0 model and with the FS Ivy collection. FS Yard also features a rectangular glossy monochrome wall tile model called FS Edge. The collection includes 45 x 45 cm formats, a natural finish, 10.5 mm thickness and coefficient of friction of >0.42. https://peronda.com Rigid core vinyl planks

AquaPlus rigid core vinyl planks from Floors@Work are made from a stone plastic composite. The main component Canada’s floorcovering magazine 23

basaltins. The effect is said to create a striking but minimalist surface combin-

PRODUCTS is lime stone (calcium carbonate), along with PVC powder and a stabilizer. The floor’s layers consist of a UV Coating, scratch resistant paper, decorative paper film, core board and attached under pad.

Features include: 100 percent water proof, usable anywhere indoors; environment friendly, non-formaldehyde formula; fire-protection rating Bf1; high wearing feature; moisture proof and anti-skid; antibacterial; easy to install and maintain; performs well between the temperature -20 to 60C; and, minimizes sound. https://floorsatwork.com Waterjet cutting system

Wood appearance gluedown LVT New visuals within the Art Select Wood gluedown LVT plank range from Karndean are designed with hand-carved

is designed to work well on delicate or highpolished finishes, while the 8 in. Sidewinder tool with horsehair brush is suitable for cleaning baseboards, architectural details and hard-to-reach areas. For debris along walls, the ProBlade hard surface tool cleans flush against baseboards. https://proteam.emerson.com Management and estimating software

Flow International has announced the Mach 200 series, a flexible waterjet cutting system. The system is paired with the new Pivot+Waterjet cutting head and offers 5-axis cutting not previously available on the company’s waterjet systems. Specifications include maximum traverse speed up to 400 in./min, linear straightness accuracy of ±0.003 in./3 ft and repeatability of 0.0015 in. www.flowwaterjet.com Backpack vacuums for hardwood floors There are four major benefits to cleaning hardwood floors with backpack vacuums, according to ProTeam. The company’s systems capture fine dust in a multi-level filtration system, keep the weight off the floor, clean without kicking up dust and permit users to match the tool to the surface. The 14 in. scalloped felt brush tool 24

July/August 2019

RollMaster integrated flooring business management software users can now seamlessly integrate their data with MeasureSquare estimating software. The integration is said to drastically reduce time spent on the ordering process for flooring professionals. Users can measure jobs, originate quotes (complete with catalog SKUs) out to MeasureSquare, and receive the data back, ready to order.

RollMaster and Measure Square’s collaboration also enables users to setup RollMaster SKUs within MeasureSquare so the data matches purchase-ready catalog items upon import. The technology is said to eliminate extra work, keep sales flowing and free up salespeople to go after additional bids. www.rmaster.com www.measuresquare.com

embosses and beveled edges, crafted to enhance the unique grains, knots and textures of the woods that inspired them, some of which are no longer available or are cost-prohibitive in their natural state.

Reclaimed Hickory, one visual in the 56 x 9 in. collection was developed from boards recovered at a mid-west lumber yard, the stark colour contrast between the “heartwood” and sapwood the result of over a century of growth. These logs were sawn with a wide circular blade, inspiring a new emboss which gives planks a subtle cross-sawn appearance and texture. www.karndeancanada.com Anti-microbial ceramic tiles

The Tech Land ceramic tile collection from Natucer produces the colour of fired natural clay and its wide shading. The floor tile is said to offer a high resistance both to wear in the most demanding climates. Its high anti-slip resistance makes the product suitable to be used in wet areas. The tile surface has an anti-bacteria effect provided by the Active

Oxygen produced after sunlight exposure (natural or artificial). The effect transforms any organic material falling on the surface into inert material which will be washed away without difficulty by water. Wall tiles, skirting, floor tiles and installation joint complete an antibacterial total protection, the company says, in order to ensure long-lasting hygiene over the whole ceramic surface. www.natucer.es Ceramic tile collection

The product is made from 90 percent Portland cement and sand with no loose aggregate or filler. The board is said to have a high flexural strength with up to 3x the compressive strength of competitive cement boards. Benefits include being easy to cut to any size via score and snap, as well as producing less dust and debris than other products when cut. Its unique cement formulation and MoldBlock technology is said to provide mold and moisture resistance, while tile adhesion helps to protect tile work. www.jameshardie.ca Hygienic resilient sheet and plank flooring

Tau has announced the first Capsule Edition of its Fluid collection. The two new formats added to the four-series portfolio are in 90 x 90 and 25 x 150 cm sizes. Brest is a strong wood of broad and deep vein in the new 25 x 125 format that is presented in four colours with one 90 x 90 décor piece. Rennes is another wood in the new format, available in five colours and two 90 x 90 decor pieces. Roadstone is a granitic stone to pave pathways in the 90 x 90 format, with five colours that complement the wood series. Finally, the Nantes wall tile series, available in 40 x 120 and 30 x 90, mimics a matte white marble. www.tauceramica.com Waterproof backerboard

Introduced by James Hardie, HardieBacker 500 is said to be the first and only waterproof cement board. The product passes ANSI 118.10 for waterproofness and protects tile installation and wall cavities from moisture penetration, eliminating the need for added coating.

whiskey. The tile is available in four colours, with 8 in. planks ranging from 24 to 48 in. long for a realistic look. The tile is suitable for commercial, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor and indoor use. www.lamosa-us.com Workspace flooring provides raised access for commercial spaces Raised access flooring that offers practical benefits in commercial premises has been announced by Havwoods International. The Magna magnetic raised access flooring system can be used for any of

Mats has introduced wineo PURline Fusion, an expansion of the company’s wineo PURline offering, a class of ecological, hygienic and resilient flooring made from sustainable, high-performance bio-based polyurethane, which is manufactured from plant-based oils and non-limited, naturally-occurring mineral components. The nonporous flooring is GreenGuard Gold and Cradle to Cradle Silver certified that will not negatively impact indoor air quality, energy consumption or facility costs. It is also said to be five times more durable than vinyl, making it suitable for high-traffic public buildings and healthcare facilities. wineo PURline Fusion offers all the benefits of wineo PURline in 16 varying shades of gray, from light to dark and cool to warm.

The flooring is available in 6 ft, 7 in. x 65 ft, 7 in. rolls and plank and tile sizes that include 4 x 24 in., 8 x 48 in., 10 x 59 in., and 20 x 39 in. www.matsinc.com

the company’s Venture Plank, Henley or Relik collections — totalling about 150 tongue-and-groove, engineered wood floor planks. For commercial refurbishments, the range is said to be 90 percent quicker to install compared to using glue or underlay and can be sanded and maintained just like any other engineered floor from the company. Individual planks or entire areas can be removed and replaced easily, it adds, thanks to the magnetized system, which carries a lifetime guarantee. The system provides accessibility to underfloor services that cannot otherwise be installed in wall cavities. It consists of magnetized and foam-sealed wood boards, which provide a secure connection to the supporting structural pedestals. They can be convePorcelain tile sports niently disconnected using a suction lifter wood grain appearance to allow for maintenance and repair of the Lamosa USA has introduced Old concealed services.

Fashioned, a wood-look porcelain tile www.havwoods.com with a grain that recalls the character of Canada’s floorcovering magazine 25

SHOWS Bologna welcomes the world

Cersaie 2019

The International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, also known as Cersaie, will take place September 23-27, 2019 in Bologna, Italy.

The show will have 860 exhibitors from a variety of sectors, including: ceramic tiles (452), non-ceramic flooring and wall-covering products (36), bathroom furnishings (181), raw materials, equipment for ceramics (39), materials and tools for installation, as well as showroom displays for ceramic products (56). There are 112,000 visitors expected from five continents and 40 countries, including Canada.

According to organizers, Cersaie 2019 “will be a place where meeting each other is easier and the influences will stand up and be counted.�

To reflect the many changes the show has undergone in recent years as well as broader developments in the world of architecture and design, Cersaie has adopted a new image. Each year, architects, designers, contractors, retailers and Italian and international exhibitors converge on the exhibition to get up to speed with the latest developments in the industry, while building high-level professional relationships and exploring the innovative products and projects showcased by leading Italian and international companies.

Called Open Cersaie, the new exhibition concept is to focus on diversity and reach out to new target audiences. In keeping with this idea, a pictogram and a new logo were created to give Cersaie a more comprehensive and institutional brand architecture

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July/August 2019

capable of meeting the challenges of an increasingly competitive world. The image is connected visually with Cersaie’s most important initiatives aimed at the various target audiences: the Building Dwelling Thinking program of architectural meetings; the Cersaie Business missions for international architects; the design and lifestyle meetings hosted in the Press Cafes; the practical and theory demonstrations in Tiling Town; the Italian

Style thematic shows; and the home renovation meetings for end consumers in Cersaie Designs Your Home.

Cersaie is also being transformed from an “exhibition” venue to a “relational” space. The offline and online worlds merge together, and “communication” becomes “conversation”.

New relational dynamics can be developed before, during and after the show, then continued throughout the year to main-

tain a constantly high level of interest and attention. Social media play a vital new role in this communication strategy, organizers says, as virtual spaces where Cersaie can forge a powerful identity and open its doors to exhibitors, visitors, influencers and the city itself.

Renowned for its friendly, inclusive and open spirit, Bologna is said to be the perfect place to develop this open vision, especially during the Bologna Design Week. Whether strolling around a city-centre courtyard or savouring a wine produced in the local hills while enjoying the specialties of one of the most famous regional cuisines of Italy, it is a great place for networking and building relationships or for negotiating complex business deals.

With the support of the historic city of Bologna, Cersaie is looking to the future and is ready to embrace the changes that will come into sharp focus at this year’s show.

Canada’s floorcovering magazine

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BULLETS Current business highlights Canadian municipalities issued a record $9.3 billion worth of building permits in April, up 14.7 percent from March and 18.3 percent over April 2018. —Statistics Canada National home sales in Canada rose 1.9 percent monthover-month in May, with activity up 6.7 percent year-overyear (y-o-y). —Canadian Real Estate Association The number of babies named Alexa in the U.S. has dropped from 6,050 in 2015 (which is when Amazon’s first smart speaker Echo became widely available) to 3,053 in 2018.

Having been the 32nd most popular name for girls born in 2015, Alexa’s rank dropped to 90th in 2018, the lowest it’s been since 1998. —U.S. Social Security Administration A Japan-based industry group with members such as Olympus, Canon and Nikon, reports that worldwide camera shipments dropped by 84 percent between 2010 and 2018. The steep decline was mainly driven by a drop-off in shipments of digital cameras with built-in lenses, the type that casual photographers used to rely on prior to the rise of smartphone photography. —CIPA Retail sales in Canada increased for the second consecutive month, rising 1.1 percent to $51.3 billion in March. Sales were higher in 7 of 11 subsectors, representing 39 percent of retail trade. Higher sales at gasoline stations and building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers were the main contributors to the increase. —Statistics Canada The final figures processed by the Studies Office of Acimall, the association that represents Italian machinery companies, reports that 2018 closed with domestic production at €2.514 billion, up by 10.6 percent from the previous year. —Lesprom Log exports from the U.S. to China decreased 34.7 percent y-o-y in first quarter 2019 to 910.3 thousand m3 with export value fell 44.6 percent to $190.9 million US. Log exports from the U.S. to Japan declined 11.4 percent to 441.2 thousand m3 with export value dropped 25.9 percent to $94.3 million US. —U.S. Department of Agriculture On April 1, Newfoundland and Labrador’s minimum wage increased from $11.15 per hour to $11.40 per hour. At the same time, P.E.I.’s minimum wage increased from $11.55 to $12.25 per hour, New Brunswick’s increased from $11.25 to $11.50, Nova Scotia’s minimum wage for experienced employees increased from $11.00 to $11.55, and Yukon’s minimum wage increased from $11.51 to $12.71. —Statistics Canada 28 July/August 2019

Montreal has joined Toronto and Vancouver as Canada’s hottest office markets, surpassing the West Coast city for first-quarter net absorption. Total vacancy decreased by 20 basis points to 12.1 per cent for the Greater Montreal Area, while vacancy in the suburbs decreased by 90 basis points to 16.7 per cent. —JLL The combined operating revenue of architectural and landscape architectural service industries in Canada rose 7.6 percent from 2016 to $4.8 billion in 2017. Meanwhile, the operating expenses of the two industries increased at a slower pace (3.7 percent) to $3.9 billion. This resulted in an operating profit margin of 18.4 percent, up from 15.4 percent in 2016. Architectural services accounted for just under 90 percent of the combined operating revenue of the two industries. —Statistics Canada For the first quarter in Canada, investment in new apartments y-o-y continued to increase, up 17.8 percent to $6.4 billion, with growth primarily concentrated in Central and Eastern Canada, as well as in B.C. —Statistics Canada Online shopping still only makes up about 10 percent of total retail sales, notes the report, The Future of Retail. It recently surveyed 1,500 U.S. shoppers about what they want out of their retail centres. More than 40 percent want to see open green spaces at their centre, while another 40 percent are seeking stores that offer healthy food and drink. —JLL Following a downturn in firm billings in March, business conditions at U.S. architecture firms returned to the positive side in April, with an ABI score of 50.5 (a score over 50 indicates billings growth). —The American Institute of Architects Global demand for cordless electric tools is forecast to rise 7.9 percent per year to $10.1 billion US in 2022. Global demand for all power tools is forecast to rise 4.5 percent per year to $37.2 billion US in 2022. Cordless tools have already overtaken plug-in electric tools in the U.S. —Freedonia Total U.S. ceramic tile consumption for 2018 was 3.11 billion sq. ft., up 1.5 percent vs. 2017. —Tile Council of North America According to a recent poll, 51 percent of Americans think that targeted ads are an inappropriate use of personal data, with older Americans particularly averse to being served targeted ads. Those respondents aged 18 to 24 are slightly more open to ad targeting, with 41 percent saying that targeted ads are a convenient way to see interesting products. —YouGov

EVENTS

ADVERTISERS

September 23–27 Cersaie Bologna, Italy www.cersaie.it/en/

Accu-cut / Brockie International www.accu-cut.com . . . . . . . . .

Oct. 15 – 18 SICAM Pordenone, Italy www.exposicam.it/en/

Custom Building Products www. custombuildingproducts.com . . . .

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Floors@Work www.floorsatwork.com . . . . . .

13

Oct. 19 – 23 High Point Market High Point, N.C. www.highpointmarket.org Nov. 20 – 22 GreenBuild Expo Atlanta, Ga. www.greenbuildexpo.com

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Ardex Canada www.ardexamericas.com . . . . . . .

2

Laticrete www.laticrete.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Mohawk www.mohawkflooring.com . . . .

11

NAC www.nacproducts.com . . . . . . .

23

Proma www.proma.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 Schluter www.schluter.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Tarkett www.tarkettna.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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

Nov. 27 – 29 The Buildings Show Toronto, Ont. www.thebuildingsshow.com April 20 – 23, 2020 Coverings New Orleans, La. www.coverings.com January 10-13 Domotex Hannover, Germany www.domotex.de/home January 13-19 IMM Cologne Cologne, Germany www.imm-cologne.com January 21-23 KBIS Las Vegas, Nev. www.kbis.com January 27-30 The International Surface Event Las Vegas, Nev. www.intlsurfaceevent.com

to reach Canada’s vibrant market?

Everybody reads

SALES: Stephen King | 905-703-6597 | sking@wimediainc.ca

Rates and details available at: www.coveringscanada.ca Canada’s floorcovering magazine

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THEN-AND-NOW

St. Lawrence River provides backdrop

School with a view METIS BEACH INTERMEDIATE school in small town Métis-surMer, Que., serves approximately 90 English-speaking children from Matanie, Mitis, Matapedia and Rimouski Regional county municipality. Established in 1829 on the south side of the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, the school setting provides spectacular views of the water and nearby wooded hills.

Two architectural firms, CCM2 architectes of Quebec City, Que., and Rimouski, Que.-based ProulxSavard architects, began an extension project in 2016 that would give the students more breathing room.

The existing building was too small for its purpose — the 1st and 2nd grade classrooms were in the basement, the art room was also the cafeteria, and there was no library or gymnasium.

According to Mathieu Morel of CCM2, the lead designer architect for this project, “shortly after the start of the construction of the extension, the local school board also decided to completely refresh the actual classrooms in the existing building.”

The extension contains seven new classrooms (four elementary and three secondary), a gymnasium, a fitness centre, a science laboratory, machine tool workshop and two multipurpose rooms in the basement.

However, the site was definitely a challenge.

“We wanted to reduce the impact of the building to maintain as much of the school yard as we could,” says Morel. “Therefore, this is the reason why we dug to put the gymnasium at the basement level. By doing so, 30 July/August 2019 July/August 2019

we were able to add the common room over the gymnasium and give a wonderful view over the house in front of the school, toward the St. Lawrence River.” Almost 25 percent of the outside walls are covered with energy-efficient windows.

The school installed rolls of vinyl flooring in the hallways, classrooms, common room and offices. “Ceramic tile was used for the washroom and sport-friendly rubber flooring for the gymnasium,” explains Morel. “For the countertop and integrated furnishes, solid surface was specified for the washroom and high-pressure laminate was used in other spaces.

“As for the casing of the integrated furnishes and some of the wall and ceiling finishes, we used Russian plywood to give a warm, comforting, environmentally friendly esthetic.”

The architectural consortium approached the design with the idea that not only the students would use the school but also the community. “The interior courtyard with the stage between the new and the old school is an example of this intention,” says Morel. “We thought a small courtyard could be used for the diploma ceremony or other uses if weather allows. This space is almost a small cocoon — windless but exterior — that provides the possibility of small gathering or a cocktail, let us say at the end of the schoolyear.”

It is still too soon for the teachers to confirm if all those changes have a calming effect on the students, with fewer conflicts. “The first student walked through the doors in October 2018,” says Morel. However, the teachers are said to believe that the new premises already promotes learning.

The finished Then-and-Now project is featured on each issue’s cover.

Please submit project suggestions to news@wimediainc.ca.

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