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Buying A Wood Floor? Think About The Finish
Richard Aylen on keeping up appearances ANYONE who knows about wooden floors will tell you it’s no good opting for a high quality wood floor unless it’s teamed with a professional floor finish. Choosing the right product for the intended use will make all the difference to the performance, maintenance, durability and look of the floor. Modern wood flooring surface treatments come in a variety of types, the most popular being lacquer (normally polyurethane) followed by oil and hardwax finishes. Often, what goes underneath is equally...
read moreStart With The Right Finish
Using the correct finish can add years onto the life of the floor: Arboritec says Classic+ is its best choice for a reliable one-component lacquer that meets the needs of the majority of flooring jobs. This versatile waterborne product is designed to deliver ceramic-fortified commercial protection to wood floors. It reportedly flows and levels well and is very forgiving in diverse environments and under a variety of conditions. Classic+ can even be made into a two-component simply by adding an Arboritec hardener. This option increases...
read moreSkills Crisis! Here Is The Answer!
IS it stupid to ask this question: Why is the construction industry lamenting the skills crisis when the UK has over 817,000 unemployed people aged 16-24 (official figures for March to May 2014), many of whom could undergo training and achieve apprenticeships? And that number out of work will rise this month as thousands more school leavers attempt to find jobs. Surely every unemployed young person is not work shy, a layabout, or even a benefits scrounger, as some might suggest. Many jobless youngsters could successfully take on skilled work...
read moreMaster Installers Offered Competitive Flooring Advantage
GAINING a competitive advantage and a new customer base are said to be what the Quick-Step Master Installer badge offers. Having passed the intensive three-day master installer course in either hardwood and laminate, or Livyn luxury vinyl, installers reportedly unlock a range of advantages. Each successful wood and laminate or luxury vinyl installer gets a listing on the online home of the established flooring brand. The Quick-Step website is seen as the first point of call for anyone looking to purchase one of the company’s floors and the...
read moreHands On Training
FeRFA has been busy training in in recent months with several groups of apprentices getting hands-on practical tuition at FeRFA members’ premises: Apprentices from FeRFA resin group 10 received practical experience laying pumped screeds during two days at Instarmac. In particular they learned all about flowable screeds to complete the formal training element of the scheme. FeRFA associate member, Instarmac supplied all the materials for the demonstration and hosted the training at its Tamworth facility. Following a day of classroom...
read moreApprentices From Floorskills
Floorskills trainer Daniel Fairhurst tells how Matt Bourne and other colleagues from Floorskills came to the rescue after Severn Motor Yacht Club House in Worcester was flooded: Refurbishments after flood damage can be costly and time-consuming. It can often be weeks or months before organisations are fully up and running again. Businesses with adequate insurance cover can avoid much of the cost, but for clubs and associations which don’t have access to insurance the situation can be much more serious. Even when covered by insurance,...
read moreThe Fight Back Starts Here
China supplies over 65% of wood floors sold in the UK: Low priced products with no guarantees and no back up Alex Davidson, business development manager, Kahrs (UK), says retailers can add major value for customers by promoting the guarantees from manufacturers of quality branded European floors: WHO hasn’t been annoyed when purchasing a retail item, such as a TV or mobile phone, when it comes to the extended warranty sales pitch? The warranties offered in this situation are an extension to the manufacturer’s own warranty or...
read moreNetworking Pays Dividends
Sustainability: Colossal task ahead in face of climate change denial Sustainability consultant Alan Best outlines gains by networking groups like the Flooring Sustainability Partnership, but says more needs to be done: THE need for a more sustainable approach to the manufacture, supply and disposal of flooring products has not been lost on the supply chain and many innovations have been implemented with many more in the pipeline. Some companies have joined with networking groups such as the Flooring Sustainability Partnership (FSP)...
read moreTruvox Unveils New Multiwash
TRUVOX INTERNATIONAL has launched its latest Multiwash model, the Multiwash 340/Pump Battery, which has been developed with additional health & safety benefits. Battery operation means no trailing cables, and the battery has a run time of up to 50 minutes. The 4l solution tank is removable, with a 34cm cleaning width, and it is claimed the Multiwash 340/Pump Battery is able to wash, scrub and dry both hard and soft floorcoverings in a single pass. Designed to be quiet in operation, it has a choice of brushes for normal, maintenance...
read morePolyflor – New Verona Has Special Emboss
POLYFLOR has launched Polysafe Verona PUR safety flooring in 18 shades – a variety of subtle pastel tones with bolder accent hues. Said to be carborundum-free, and to contain no visible dark aggregate, the product features a specially engineered emboss and matt finish. The product uses complementary coloured quartz in the vinyl to harmonise with the base shade and generate slip resistance. Verona is claimed to achieve 36+ on the Pendulum wet test with full conformance to HSE Guidelines and the EN 13845 50,000 cycles abrasion test....
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