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Good preparation of subfloors and screeds is vital if installations are to be successful: BAL states that its levelling compounds are fast, strong, smooth and reliable. The range includes: BAL Solidbase, Thickbase, Rapidbase, Fibrebase and Acrybase. Every product in the range is designed to flow quickly and smoothly, delivering a consistent flow rate throughout a 15-minute period after mixing. The products are supplied in 20kg sacks, giving typically 5sq m to 6sq m coverage at 2mm depth. BAL levelling compounds are all polymer-rich to...
read moreHere’s How Contractors Can Save Thousands
WELL what can I say, it’s an honour to be elected President of the Contract Flooring Association (CFA) and first of all I would like to express my thanks to Alan Gayle, the out-going President, for his tireless efforts over the last couple of years. Secondly, I know it is customary to use this first article to set-out my thoughts and objectives that I would like to achieve during my tenure as President, and whilst my challenges are many – which I will come on to later – the theme I would like to base my goals around is one of growing...
read moreNSCC Fair Payment Campaign
The Fair Payment Campaign was launched by the National Specialist Contractors’ Council (NSCC) to improve payment practices in the construction industry. With backing at the highest level, the award-winning campaign calls for proper and timely payment and the elimination of retentions throughout the supply chain to improve the quality and delivery of construction projects. Campaign objectives: l Certainty of Payment: Specialist Contractors should be told for every payment how much they are going to receive and when they are going to...
read moreYou Don’t Have To Go To Heaven To Get Payment In 30 Days
THERE are three steps to heaven, according to Eddie Cochran. But to get payment there are five steps. Who would have thought it takes longer to get paid than to get to heaven. But if you read on, I’ll explain. There is actually quite a lot of legislation designed to protect SMEs, but applying that legislation is not always easy and comes with the baggage of some tough commercial decisions. How much time can I spend on this? Can I really afford to upset this client? So whilst we welcome the work from NSCC on the Industrial Strategy for...
read moreLow Skills Not Beyond Our Ken
VOCATIONAL education has never been a priority for Conservative governments in Britain. Many cabinet members and major supporters attended public schools where they were led to believe that their destiny is for leadership roles in society. The thought of becoming a carpenter, bricklayer or, dare I say, a floorlayer, is seen as the ultimate indignity. Harsh as it may sound, I believe this is one cause of the current skills crisis holding back the UK construction industry. Sadly, Britain has become a low skills, low productivity economy. Now...
read moreThis Piranha Has Plenty Of Bite
Ian James rates the Wolff Piranha door case saw from Uzin WHEN reviewing tools I usually produce a list of plus points and a list of minus points and I have to admit I struggled a bit with the minus points with this particular tool. The first thing to notice is that the tool comes in a Tanos Systainer box and I use these to house the rest of my flooring tools; they all clip together nicely in the van so that is an immediate plus! The boxes have a reputation for being lightweight but still very strong. The contents of the box includes the...
read moreNeed For Apprentices Underlined By Statistics
Carol Kavanagh, group human resources director, Travis Perkins Group, explains why there is a serious need for more apprentices in the UK construction sector, particularly in housing: CHANGE is afoot in the UK housing market. House prices are seeing their highest rises since before the recession. As a result an increasing number of homeowners are looking to sell or renovate properties. Developers face a growing demand both for new housing stock, and the refurbishment of old, while the government is also under pressure to provide more...
read moreStamping Down On VOCs
Richard Harris, marketing manager at F Ball and Co reacts to the article in CFJ by Alan Best in which he suggests how much the flooring industry is responsible for VOCs: HAVING just returned from a ‘rip-roaring’ performance by the Monty Python team at the O2 Arena I sat down to read my latest copy of CFJ. Turning to page 10 of the July issue, I was delighted to see, what I initially thought was a new sketch from the Pythons, under the humorous title: ‘VOCs in Buildings Can Kill You!’ I grabbed my reading glasses fully expecting a...
read moreRising Sea Levels Call For Sea Change In Use Of Fossil Fuels
Forecasts of climatic disasters with human consequences of biblical proportions Sustainability consultant Alan Best warns of dire consequences unless our dependence on fossil fuels is greatly reduced: THE Scripps Institution of Oceanography has said that the world will reach a scientific milestone when levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reach 400 parts per million (ppm). Many scientists believe the consequences of CO2 remaining at this level are frightening. Should flooring manufacturers now redouble efforts to reduce...
read morePallmann Unveils Bonding Agent
PALL-X 350 is a two-component bonding agent developed by PALLMANN for adhesion between an existing surface and new lacquer coating without intermediate sanding. Designed to refurbish wood floor areas, the product is suitable for cases where an additional coat of protection is needed, corrections of sheen levels are necessary on newly laid pre-finished floors or in areas of light damage. The application of Pall -X 350 is designed to provide edge protection and joint closure for newly laid solid and engineered boards. Even the alteration of...
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