Guest Speakers
Special "Hungarian point and herringbone pattern in LVT, PVC, and vinyl"
Floor Forum International N° 123, May 2022
‘Aim to become a preferred supplier of luxury vinyl flooring.’
Associated Weavers (AW) is one of Europe’s top producers of tufted wall-to-wall carpet. In 2018, AW launched its Invictus Luxury Vinyl floors in the United Kingdom. Last year, they brought Invictus LVT to the Benelux under the same brand name. They aim to become a preferred supplier not only of wall-to-wall carpet and carpet tiles, but also of luxury vinyl flooring for residential and commercial flooring.
Special "Wall cladding : wood versus composite"
Floor Forum International N° 123, May 2022
‘Also spreading out internationally.’
Jadimex, which is based in Lovenjoel (Korbeek-Lo, Belgium), is a specialist in wood, most of which is used for wall cladding. The firm is increasingly spreading out internationally, hence its forthcoming first appearance at the Carrefour Wood Show in Nantes.
Special "UV finishing on site"
Floor Forum International N° 123, May 2022
‘Floor maintenance with UV light is the future for permanent and durable linoleum protection.’
There’s a huge market for the periodic maintenance of linoleum and Marmoleum. All floors wear out, including linoleum and Marmoleum, so it’s advisable to protect them permanently and durably. What does this maintenance involve? We put that question to Arjan Maatkamp, general manager of UV specialist DecoRad Systems bv from Veenendaal in the Netherlands. This company offers a full assortment of portable UV-curing equipment for this purpose. The portable UV equipment from DecoRad Systems is suitable for all UV lacquers and coatings which are currently available worldwide.
Special "The issue of colouring wooden floors"
Floor Forum International N° 123, May 2022
‘For colours you have to come to us, whether you turn left or right.’
The Dutch family business RIGO Verffabriek has made paint, oil, and lacquer products since 1938 from Ijmuiden, a port town in the Dutch province of North Holland. Over the years, the company has built a sound reputation, certainly when it comes to colouring wood.
Special "Types of hygrometers"
Floor Forum International N° 123, May 2022
‘To measure is to know: Something can be present, even if you can’t see it.’
When this Dutch company from Enschede was founded over a century ago in 1920, they concentrated on specialist measurement equipment. For the first few decades, they worked on textiles, but from 1960 they changed course with an extension towards the wood industry. Then, they launched a device on the market which set the standard in the Netherlands for wood hygrometers.
Special "Colouring wooden floors"
Floor Forum International N° 122, March 2022
‘The many benefits of combining a colour oil with lacquer’
When it comes to colouring wood, Blanchon from France is very much a pioneer in this aspect of the parquet narrative in Europe and even worldwide. We asked this specialist company to outline a technique with which parquet floor fitters might not be so familiar, but which could generate extra income for them. In addition we asked them about their partnership with Debal Coatings, which is based in Roeselare, Belgium, and includes the Ciranova trademark. The Blanchon Group took over Debal Coatings in June of last year.
Special "The new sanding method with various discs, heads, brushes, and nets"
Floor Forum International N° 122, March 2022
‘The aim is still to help parquet floor fitters work as ergonomically as possible.’
What do new abrasives mean for parquet floor fitters? We called on Bona Belgium, where Michaël Devriendt is well qualified to give us some idea. Not only has he worked for 18 years as a parquet floor fitter, but also in the last three years he’s been working as a travelling sales representative for Bona Belgium with responsibility for the whole of Flanders.
Special "Who sells which products for giving wood an aged look?"
Floor Forum International N° 122, March 2022
‘You can obtain any colour yourself by combining products.’
Gérard Poulet from Easy Lab has been active for several years on the market of distressing products for wood. The company operates from Lyon and since its formation has made products for the restoration, renovation, and maintenance of mainly furniture and works of art and their surrounds, but he now operates more widely.
Special "3D wood on the wall"
Floor Forum International N° 122, March 2022
‘Working with relief has become all the rage with roasted wood.’
Bart Van Herreweghe is the manager of Product-Proof, a company we’ve mentioned elsewhere in this magazine. With its roasted wood, Shou Shugi Ban, and the soon to be launched Euro Sugi, this company is meeting the demand for roasted wood for every possible use both in and outdoors. Mr Van Herreweghe has also noticed a clear tendency to use this roasted wood as 3D wall furnishing.
Special "Flame-retardant/Fireproof lacquer or oil"
Floor Forum International n° 122, March 2022
‘Fire resistance is becoming an increasingly mandatory demand with projects.’
Barely two years ago, the German company Heidelberg Coatings, which is located in the city of Heidelberg in the north-west of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, launched its first flame-retardant finish products for wooden floors and cork floors. It did so under the name PROLiGNUM.
Special "Who sells ride-on machines for removing old wooden floors, carpet, stone, etc?
Floor Forum International n° 122, March 2022
‘Type, location, and scale of a project determine whether or not you choose Ride-On.’
When it comes to Ride-On machines, the Swedish Husqvarna Group stands out, certainly after the takeover of Blastrac at the end of 2020. They provide parquet floor fitters with an extensive range, which further builds on the range of walk-behind machines and even offers a machine which you can stand behind. In some cases you can even operate machines by remote control.
Special "Fastening systems for wooden terraces"
Floor Forum International n° 122, March 2022
When it comes to the world of invisible fastening systems, the Belgian company B-Fix hardly needs any introduction. B-Fix, based in Villers-la-Ville, has perfected products for this invisible fastening system for many years and over the years has also become a permanent fixture in many countries outside Belgium. That’s certainly the case with fastening wooden deckings and wall cladding.
Business manager Quentin van Winckel sees three different points which have led to the growing popularity of the B-Fix approach. Here, he looks beyond the delivery of a quality product, which is accompanied by the highest possible flexibility in market operation. After all, quality and service should be standard conditions in the strategy of any ambitious company.
Special "Lacquer on stain"
Floor Forum International n° 121, February 2022
‘You have to find a happy medium between convenience and adhesion.’
During their training, professionals in our sector learn that lacquer and oil are two different substances which are difficult to reconcile. Oil impregnates, whilst lacquer creates a seal. Both products are so different by nature that they would make an unlikely combination. However, in recent years, we have seen a market trend where lacquer is increasingly being applied to oil (and therefore also to stain). How on earth is it possible to ‘reconcile’ those two substances? And how have professionals responded to this trend? We asked the advice of Joeri Vervoort, managing director of Devomat Industries NV, which, amongst other things, has launched the product Devo Easy Colour. Easy Colour is a vegetable colour stain for parquet and wooden floors.