News
DPMs – Always Err On The Side Of Caution
John Alcock on problems in older buildings DURING the past few months we have been getting more and more calls relating to problems arising where contractors have been fitting floors in older buildings, highlighting some important issues to be aware of. One recent case involved a house built around the 1920s. A new extension had been added with laminate flooring laid throughout both new and old parts of the ground floor. However, problems had occurred just in the old section, apparently due to moisture. When the laminate was removed, a...
read moreFailure With Asphalt
Sid Bourne on wood flooring over an asphalt subfloors ONE of the most common complaints that I attend is failed flooring adhered to asphalt subfloor regardless of a smoothing compound applied over the asphalt. Asphalt is in most cases 10-20mm thick in domestic situations. When used as a moisture suppressant it is normally poured over a fibre glass type material and technically is a floating subfloor. Although the asphalt is known as a dpm (damp proof membrane) quality product it must be noted that a dpm is linked with the dpc (damp proof...
read moreHot Ticket
Underfloor heating is a growth area: Devi has extended the warranty on all cables and mats for electrical floor heating from 10 to 20 years. Product, installation and floorcovering are all included in the warranty. Vice president Jacob Madsen, head of Devi explains: ‘Reliability and quality are key. We want our customers to be able to rely on us. After many years of product development and testing, we have reached a quality level where our products maintain excellent performance over long periods of time, so it is only natural that we...
read moreSlip Resistance
Paul Rogers, technical specification manager at Forbo Flooring Systems, explains how to assess the slip resistance of flooring: ONE slip or trip accident occurs every three minutes, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Slips and trips are the most common cause of injuries in the workplace and are responsible for over a third of all reported accidents that lead to injury. In addition to the extra cost for both employers and society, there is the human suffering caused by accidents. Contractors have an obligation to ensure they...
read moreSlipping Up On Safety Can Land You In Court
David Cockhead, quality and compliance advisor at Altro, explores the dangers of taking safety at face value: DID you know that if you are involved in selecting flooring for a building, even if it’s just switching spec, you have a legal duty to ensure the safety of those using that building? That means you have a responsibility to ensure floors are not slippery, and if you get that wrong you could face litigation. So, how do you make the right choices and select flooring that is fit for purpose? Start with a risk assessment to...
read moreSafe Mode
Safety flooring plays a key role in helping to prevent accidents: Altro floors and walls were specified for a new cookery school run by celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager in the Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Located in a three-storey Regency-style building it includes a domestic school, professional school, a deli and café, as well as event space. Rosemary Shrager, a former I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here contestant teamed up with executive chef John Rogers to offer one day and half day courses. A Chef’s Table dining experience...
read moreWater-Based Adhesives Have Come A Long Way
Neil Sanders, technical manager at F Ball and Co, discusses specifying contact adhesives when working on the vertical application of skirting and coving: THESE finishing touches to a flooring installation are crucial to its final appearance. However, the wrong adhesive can compromise the aesthetics of the entire project. To maintain the durability of skirting and coving, contractors must select the adhesive best suited for the job, which in the case of vertical installations including against walls or steps, is often a contact adhesive....
read moreGiving It Stick
A bewildering array of flooring adhesives are available. Here we feature some: BAL says its new max-flex fibre is the first powder adhesive based on Fibre Strand Technology (FST), giving it more polymer action and offering a high degree of flexibility. Available in grey and white, it can reportedly be used to fix anything from large format porcelain to glass mosaics. It is designed for use on any background from an overlaid timber floor with underfloor heating in a domestic bathroom to heavy-traffic supermarket flooring. The product is...
read moreDigital Flooring
Creative Frenzy will feature its digitally manipulated marketing images for the flooring industry. Directors Stephen Bowden and Simon Tierney will attend Domotex to introduce Digital Flooring to members of the flooring industry. Creative Frenzys’ Digital Flooring service is setting out to ‘revolutionise’ marketing departments in the Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVT) sector. Using 3D software and trained staff, it has devised an innovative 3D service to digitally lay flooring into existing or stock photography designed to ensure textures are...
read moreHannover
DOMOTEX, the world’s leading floorcoverings trade show, takes place from January 11-14 in Hannover, Germany. Some 1,400 companies from 60 nations will exhibit their latest products. The event features textile and resilient flooring for the residential and contract furnishing sectors, plus carpets, rugs and laminate flooring, as well as floorlaying, care and application solutions. Exhibitors will be seen by an international audience of 40,000 trade visitors from more than 80 countries. Over 61% of these visitors come from outside...
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