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This Mobile Workshop Is Going Places
John Roberts tests the Festool CS 50 EB circular saw bench FESTOOL is known for quality that some would say is at a price. But let’s be fair in most cases (not all) you get what you pay for. My first impression was how light the tool is (21kg), making it very portable especially when working upstairs. Not only is it light but packs neatly to a square unit, with the cable wrapped around the cable clips at the unit’s side, which houses the push stick. The overall size is 600mm x 400mm x 373mm with a working height of 900mm (legs...
read moreInstalling In Wet Areas – Don’t Be Wet
Peter Daulby on safety flooring in wet areas THE selection and correct use of adhesives is more important than ever, what with the pressures for fast building, new and heated screeds, etc. When I talk to floorlayers on-site or at our training school, and I tell them about my past career as a floorlayer, sometimes they don’t believe me when I tell them about the ‘good old days’. Back then, things were ready (usually), floors were dry, and nobody was in the way. The site labourer would even work with us sweeping the worst out of...
read moreBuilders ‘opt out’ Of Faults
John Alcock on the responsibility of main contractors IT can’t be my fault, I’m the main contractor. How often do we hear this? It’s not a perfect world and flooring installations do sometimes fail and – as I have covered in so many of these columns – failures may be due to anything from human error, product issues or sometimes site conditions before, during or after installation. But as you know, I always tend to pretty much focus on these issues from the flooring contractor perspective and how problems could have been avoided...
read moreThe Cold Weather Can Leave You Guessing
Martin Cummins won’t lay in his conservatory this winter Part 2 LAST month I discussed problems using surface DPMs and primers in cold, stagnant buildings where there is little air movement and subsequently moisture. This month: smoothing compounds and adhesives. A smoothing compound is needed on virtually all modern flooring projects to ensure an absorbent medium for adhesives, a consistent smooth surface and to isolate from previous installations. All smoothing compounds I refer to require the mixing of a liquid (either water or a...
read moreFitters Are Angry About Plywood Problems
Sid Bourne on floor failures down to plywood Part 2 LAST MONTH I wrote about the increasingly common problem of plywood flooring failures. I also reported on a particular case, now the subject of legal action, where both the staple gun manufacturer and the plywood flooring supplier turned their back on the problem. After this case I asked my son Matthew to put on his website forum questions about plywood, and asking floorlayers to tell us of their own experiences: www.theflooringforum.com The forum is still open, so you are welcome...
read moreSquare Deal
Carpet tiles have aload of benefits: Balsan haslaunchedthe Infini Design Collection of carpet tiles in the UK and Ireland. This range is said to present a new approach to textile floorcoverings thanks to three structured designs taking their inspiration from the patination techniques used in architecture. Ombra, Silva and Kilt designs are described as serving to enhance workspace environments and ‘provide a limitless source of emotional inspiration’. These carpet tiles are made from 100% recycled Econyl Aquafil polyamide...
read morePut Price First And The Environment Gets It
EVERY time you undertake a refurbishment project, half the job is taking something out that was there before, be it the existing floorcovering (carpet, vinyl tiles) or the smoothing compound for replacement and such. This got me thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a system where you didn’t have to do this each and every time. I’m thinking a system where all you had to do is prepare the subfloor once then put in place ‘release’ systems. Yes I know, nothing new and you have heard about them, but they seem to be...
read moreYou Can Drive Flooring Up The Wall
WITH the focus in this month’s CFJ on hospitality and leisure, I’d like to present a popular combination of materials frequently seen in leisure centres, hotels and gyms. Hygienic wall cladding and safety flooring work excellently together in wet areas such as swimming pools, showers, changing rooms and kitchens, as well as in front-of- house areas like receptions. The question I’m often asked is, ‘What is the finishing detail between the flooring and wall junction?’ This depends on what the specification states and the...
read moreChanging The Look, But Not The Flooring
THE flooring industry is still not as environmentally friendly as it could be with many failing to embrace sustainability: Now in mid-winter people generally spend more time indoors, a good time to encourage homeowners to focus on interior improvements. Primary concerns for the client are often speedy work (to have the work completed quickly) as well as achieving the desired end result. Until recently, clients were less concerned with the environmental credentials of refurbishment. A key message we flooring professionals can...
read moreComplaint After Coming A Cropper On Concrete
Q : I am the safety manager of a large leisure centre and have recently received a complaint that the external steps leading to the rear of the centre are dangerous. The stairs are formed from cast concrete and have been in place for years; I’m not aware of any slips happening on the stairs over at least the last 12 years. A deep canopy was fitted above the steps when they were made and a handrail has always been in place. The step’s nosings are painted every year with yellow paint. I take the complaint seriously, but don’t see how I can...
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