News
Flooring That Sells
A variety of flooring is used in shopping and retail locations: Altro supplied 500sq m of Designer 25 safety flooring for installation at Meadowhall in Sheffield, one of Europe’s largest out-of-town shopping centres, attracting over 400,000 visitors a week. The product is described as a hard-wearing flooring with silicon carbide and aluminium trioxide for long-term durability and has a slip resistance value (SRV) of 36. At 2.5mm thick, it is said to give excellent protection against point-loading damage, making it suitable for a...
read moreMoisture Meters
I SAID in my April article in CFJ that I would talk about moisture meters in May: but in fact, I ended up telling you about the perils of the CE-Mark – which I thought was a more pressing topic, since there has been an awful lot of that ‘quality’ plywood about (or maybe that should read: ‘a lot of awful quality plywood!’). But now I return to the subject of moisture in timber, and the way in which it can be identified – sometimes helpfully – with a meter. And the first thing to know about moisture meters is that they do not...
read moreHealthcare: Linoleum Ticks All The Boxes
Julie Dempster, marketing manager at Forbo Flooring Systems looks at the most important factors to be considered when flooring contractors recommend floorcoverings for healthcare locations: IT goes without saying that in healthcare environments, patient welfare must be firmly rooted at the heart of all product specifications, not least the flooring. Hygiene is of utmost importance, clearly, but in this age of squeezed budgets the long-term durability and associated maintenance costs of floorcoverings are also vital...
read moreSlips And Trips
Lucy Bilotto, European marketing manager, Altro, explains how new regulations place even more responsibility on specifiers, project teams and anyone who commissions building and maintenance works to choose the right floor to reduce the risk of slips and trips: SLIPS and trips are a massive issue for the health services. More than a third of major injuries in this sector are caused by slips and trips, and 95% of those accidents result in broken bones. The cost of treating these, not to mention litigation claims for slips and trips...
read moreBetter And Better
Flooring in healthcare locations is expected to meet exceptional performance needs: Altro supplied floors and walls for the award-winning Ferndene Children and Young People’s Centre, Northumberland, to create a healing environment that is attractive, as well as safe, hard-wearing and hygienic. The £25m inpatient centre provides assessment and treatment for young people with complex health, behavioural and emotional needs, including learning disabilities. The 6,000sq m project, was conceived as a ‘hand-shaped’ design,...
read moreSome Green Pointers For Flooring Contractors
Janet Lowe, UK market manager at Forbo Flooring Systems, looks at what flooring contractors should be aware of in terms of sustainable development: FLOORING product development and design has changed significantly over the last few years, with customers demanding more environmental credentials from products than ever before. An increase in recycling and better management of waste materials has an important role to play in sustainable development, but true sustainability runs much deeper than this and should consider the overall...
read moreGreen Lights
Here are some of the growing number of flooring products meeting tougher environmental standards: Altro supplied XpressLay safety flooring for St John’s Primary School in Kent for a colourful new entrance area and corridor. Altro XpressLay is designed as an adhesive-free safety floor which can be taken up post-installation for re-use or recycling, making it suitable for temporary installations. The product has an underside emboss that forms tiny air channels that allow any moisture in the subfloor to escape, which makes it...
read moreLaminates Take Market Share From Wood
Neil Smith, flooring director at IDS, reveals the latest flooring trends and how the trade can capture market share: THE average family is spending an estimated £3,000 a year, or around £250 a month, less on discretionary spend on leisure activities, holidays and entertainment. The same caution in spending is evident too in the flooring market with today’s consumer demanding products that offer design, value and quality. As an industry we can meet this challenge because our continued focus on product innovation gives rise to a...
read moreNew Wood Floor Abrasives Are Developed
Alec Stacey, technical manager at Bona, talks rough: FEW of the flooring contractors who attend our training seminars are excited by the abrasives they use on a day to day basis! I would be the first to agree that abrasives may not be the most riveting topic for conversation but, due to changes within our industry, now is the time to be a little more inquisitive and learn how the new developments can improve your efficiency and quality of workmanship. One area of significant change is the manufacture of pre-finished floors due to...
read morePartnerships Are Giving Flooring More Stimulus
Harvey Booth, UK sales and marketing director at Kährs UK, says partnerships and customer friendly products are creating new opportunities: AS an industry, I think we’ve turned a corner. For so long, it was all about the price per square metre. Now it’s all about something else... partnerships and the added value that they can bring. The tough economic climate has reshaped the marketplace, and I believe that one of the most positive changes has been the forging of even stronger relationships. From a manufacturer stand-point,...
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