News
Measuring The Real Cost Of A New Floor
Mark Burton on lifecycle costs WHEN considering the real cost of any new flooring it’s essential to include the initial purchase and installation, as well as ongoing cleaning and maintenance for the whole life of the product. Detailed lifecycle analysis has shown that over a 20 year period, cleaning and maintenance represent, on average, 92% of a flooring’s total cost, with purchase and installation accounting for only 8%. So it follows that products offering easier, more cost-effective cleaning and maintenance will deliver...
read moreIf The Joint Is Jumping You’re Caught On The Hop
Howard Golder on good riddance to bad welds - part 2 LAST month we looked at common reasons why welds turn out badly, and explained that inattention to preparation and detail is often at the root of the problem. So what can you do to avoid bad welds and deliver a professional job? The most effective, time proven way to weld joints is to overlap the sheet edges and cut in the joint using a hook blade to follow the edge of the bottom sheet. An alternative is to use a scoring blade to run along the edge of the top sheet...
read moreBeing Flexible But Not At Full Stretch
Stuart Whiteley on flexible underlayments THIS new series on the technical challenges of flooring installations begins with advice and information on flexible smoothing underlayments. Some fibre-reinforced underlayments can ‘flex’ once cured to accommodate the likely movement of some substrates, including plywood. Although not immediately obvious, there are several environments in which the flexibility of a new flooring installation needs careful consideration. In a factory, for example, an office area may sit on a...
read moreWhy You Should Always Be In Your Prime
John Alcock on being a prime-timer HERE is a question that really divides opinion. When is the right time to use a primer when laying a floor? On one hand there are benefits from ensuring the subfloor is in the best state to accept the finish, and help the work to be as neat and as durable as possible. Yet on the other hand, for many jobs it can seem like just another extra hassle. One school of thought is that given the quality of modern smoothing compounds, a primer won’t really offer anything extra to the standard of work, and...
read moreBeware Of Ghosts Of Fitters Past
I AM often asked whether a floor that has been installed for a number of years can still have moisture issues. The answer is very definitely yes! I first came across this when working for Protimeter at Marlow before the company was acquired by GE. I was doing some demo work in a warehouse in Didcot with Ardex. The floor we were working on was over 10 years old and consisted of a power floated concrete slab 8in deep; a Visqueen membrane had been installed before the concrete was poured. RF (radio frequency) search mode readings came...
read moreSteer Clear Of Steam Cleaning Wood Flooring
Roy Wellard on maintenance MOST contractors I speak to know how a wooden floor should be maintained after installation and finishing. But when floor-owners call me to discuss problems with the look of their floor, I often find they are maintenance related and they have no instructions for on- going care. So here is a recap of the most important points: Whatever treatment a wood floor has received it will require some form of maintenance, which will be affected by many factors such as the type of finish, level of trafficking,...
read moreSubfloors – Think Before You Go Overboard
Martin Cummins on overboard floors A LONG established method of preparing a subfloor before laying resilient or textile floorcoverings is to overboard the area with a suitable grade of plywood or hardboard. The floorcoverings can then be loose-laid if required on a domestic project or bonded, more usually, if it’s a commercial project. Usually there is a need to feather out any discrepancies from screw heads, joints between sheets etc, to give a continuous smooth floor. But more and more there is a desire to apply a continuous...
read morePile Driving
Contract carpets must stand up to heavy traffic areas: Axminster Carpets Commercial supplied woven carpets for Brockencote Hall Hotel, Worcestershire. A mixture of almost 1000sq m of bespoke, Ready to Weave and stock designs were laid in the hotel’s public areas and west wing bedrooms and corridors. Fitted by AJ Rudd Contractors of Kidderminster, the carpets were specified by Nicholas Hollinshead Interiors in collaboration with The Eden Collection, owner of Brockencote Hall Hotel . The drawing room carpet was inspired by a photograph...
read moreHow To Choose Between An Oil Or Lacquer
Tony Bicknell, area sales manager, Kährs UK, explains a critical choice: THE ‘surface innovators’ in our industry have been hard at work. From the rustic tactile, matt finish, to a timber surface that’s so shiny you can see your reflection in it, there’s never been so much choice. And who can grumble; more choice allows us to reach a far wider market. But, this choice brings with it responsibility in terms of education, especially on maintenance in commercial areas. Most modern wood floors have a lacquer or oil prefinish...
read morePhoto Finish
The correct finish is vital for achieving a good appearance: Bona haslaunchednew lacquers ahead of the Flooring Show! New Bona Resident Plus is a one component, NMP free, polyurethane lacquer which, although designed for domestic environments, reportedly does not compromise on quality. Surpassing one component Bona Novia and with an improved performance compared to original Bona Resident, new Resident Plus is said to offer great chemical and wear resistance. Bona Wave is a new two-component lacquer which sits between Bona Mega...
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