Create the best prospects for sports with high-quality sport flooring. Why you might ask? Well, because sports floors are not just floors. The right floor can help athletes perform their best at all times. It gives the ultimate freedom of movement and ensures that every athlete can fulfill his/her full
PJ Plumbing Heating & Maintenance Ltd benefited from a total floor solution from Gaia, including insulation and screed works, to a new sports facility in Norwich. The sports hall, built at the Hewett Academy, is expected to be used by Jane Austen College, the Hewett Academy, Charles Darwin Primary, and
Recofloor is celebrating in 2019 ten years since it started recycling waste vinyl flooring. The Take Back scheme was first set up back in 2009 by Altro and Polyflor and it has now recycled a total of 4,300 tonnes of waste vinyl material. “Plastics are hot news at the moment and
Aggregate Industries’ coloured asphalt solution was the choice of Nottinghamshire’s new £5 million Sherwood Forest visitor centre. The project was developed by an RSPB-led consortium and Nottinghamshire County Council and it includes flagship facilities such as a shop, a café with an outside terrace, an amphitheatre as well as a
Polished concrete floors are more popular than ever – not just in industrial environments but in homes, hotels and even restaurants. But what’s behind their popularity? The team at Total Concrete are here to tell you. Style Concrete as a material is not commonly associated with beautiful decor and surfaces,
The covers give access to vital below ground services such as drainage while blending the floor’s paving with the overall surface. They are typically used in retail parks and public areas that demand a prestige finish. FAB PAVE products can also be found at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, The Amex which is home
BAL – market-leaders in full tiling solutions – are launching two new uncoupling mat solutions for problem floors. Following the launch of the revolutionary and award-winning BAL Rapid-Mat in 2014, the Flexbone range offers two very different solutions to the UK market with the launch of Flexbone 2Easy and Flexbone
For the refurbishment of a popular visitor attraction, the client required a single flooring solution that helped maintain the highest health and safety standards, and enhanced the aesthetics of its exotic exhibits. The seamless, non-slip Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 system proved ideal for the project. Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port,
Scotland’s largest flooring contractor, Veitchi Flooring, will supply 28,500 sq m of soft floor finishes to two large scale construction projects taking place in the north of Scotland. The Cambuslang-based firm, part of the Veitchi Group, say they are one of very few flooring contractors in the UK who could
Increasing its presence further in the healthcare sector, Forbo Flooring Systems has been appointed as an approved supplier on the Department of Health’s ProCure22 Framework for NHS and social care construction schemes in England. This means the company’s floor covering solutions, from entrance to exit, are approved for the healthcare
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Create the best prospects for sports with high-quality sport flooring. Why you might ask? Well, because sports floors are not just floors. The right floor can help athletes perform their best at all times. It gives the ultimate freedom of movement and ensures that every athlete can fulfill his/her full potential. But why invest in high-quality sport flooring as a sports association, high school or college? Well, the answer is perhaps not as straight forward as you might expect. Yet it is unbelievably simple. Great sport flooring helps prevent injuries and by preventing injuries you play a role in helping athletes grow with their sport. The key features behind floor safety You might not know a great deal about the technical qualities of sports flooring and, as a result, might beprone to opt for a cheaper option to cut costs – but don’t. Floor safety and performance are closely intertwined and below you can read the key factors behind the floors’ safety and technical properties. These are the key factors which Junckers, who has provided sport flooring since 1930, has identified as being highly important for the overall experience. Shock absorption Shock absorption is the impact of energy absorbed by the floor when landing after a jump. As a result, a shock-absorbing floor minimizes the risk of injuries particularly knee and ankle injuries. Friction The correct friction rating is equally important to prevent injuries, especially, with regards to ballplayers, where it is important the floor is not to smooth as this means ballplayers cannot move rapidly or change direction without slipping. Friction rating should be between 80 and 110 for sports involving any kind of balls. If the friction value is below 80 the floor is too smooth and over 110 it becomes too solid. In both instances, it increases the risks of injuries. Ball bounce Ball bounce refers to the balls’ rebound when hitting the floor. A good rebound increases the speed of the game and control over the ball. When buying sport flooring, you will see that the ball bounce is measured in percentage. This percentage is the rebound achieved by the sports floor compared to the rebound measured on a normal concrete floor. Vertical deformation Vertical deformation is an indicator of the floors’ ability to absorb shock. It depends on its flexibility when exposed to dynamic load/impact from light running.
PJ Plumbing Heating & Maintenance Ltd benefited from a total floor solution from Gaia, including insulation and screed works, to a new sports facility in Norwich. The sports hall, built at the Hewett Academy, is expected to be used by Jane Austen College, the Hewett Academy, Charles Darwin Primary, and the new Wherry School, an independent specialist free school. “This is a great new facility for both our students and those from Hewett Academy, and a great example of how our schools work together across the Inspiration Trust,” said the head of Jane Austen College David Thomas. The company supplied tamper-proof room thermostats, a popular product in schools and public areas to the new facility. Named after Eileen Ash, a pioneering female test cricketer who lives in Norwich and is now 107 years old, the facility was officially opened in Autumn last year. Since then, the sports hall has been kitted out with new equipment, supporting a range of sports offered at the schools including netball, cricket, trampolining and basketball. “The Hewett Academy already has some of the best sports facilities in the city and we regularly welcome pupils from nearby schools for swimming, hockey and football. This brilliant new centre is a great way to continue that tradition,” commented Academy Principle Rebecca Handley Kirk of Hewett Academy. The system installed was Gaia Wet Underfloor Heating into screed, and placed in the changing facilities and lobby areas. “We worked closely with a trusted screeding contractor to deliver the total package including screed laid to falls in the shower areas. The project was a joy to work on, and there was great communication from PJ Plumbing and the main contractor from start to finish,” concluded Senior Account Manager William Theobald, who oversaw the project for Gaia.
Recofloor is celebrating in 2019 ten years since it started recycling waste vinyl flooring. The Take Back scheme was first set up back in 2009 by Altro and Polyflor and it has now recycled a total of 4,300 tonnes of waste vinyl material. “Plastics are hot news at the moment and we are proud to be instrumental in recycling our waste vinyl flooring. We, as well as Altro, invest significant amounts of time, energy and money into the scheme,” said Bob Smith, Polyflor’s Technical Director. Barry Hall, Altro’s Manufacturing and Technical Director also commented: “Companies working with Recofloor are leading the way in terms of resource recovery and circular economy. This takeback scheme is helping Altro in terms of its sustainability programme and ambitious growth plans.” With more than 700 collectors throughout the UK and Ireland and more than 60 drop-off sites accepting waste vinyl flooring, the scheme sees smooth and safety vinyl offcuts and roll ends, uplifted smooth vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) and loose lay being recycled back into new products, including flooring manufactured by Altro and Polyflor. “We are truly proud of our achievements over the past decade and certainly credit is due to all our members – flooring companies, contractors and distributors – who continue to work tirelessly to support the scheme. Everyone deserves a big pat on the back for their efforts and enthusiasm,” said Recofloor’s Project Officer Joe Gardner. Recofloor made an impact right from the beginning, winning several high-profile environmental and innovation awards for its recycling achievements within the scheme’s first five years. More than 450 tonnes were collected solely during 2011, and in 2013, the scheme was recognised with a Green Apple Gold Award for Environmental Best Practice. By the time Recofloor reached its fifth birthday in 2014, the scheme had toppled a 2,000-tonnes collection milestone. 2015 saw over 100 new members join Recofloor and by that year, the scheme had saved more than 2,000 tonnes of CO2. Further awards recognition was to come, including the Letsrecycle.com Award for Excellence in Recycling & Waste Management in 2016. The following year, Recofloor broke through the 3,000-tonnes collection total and had more than 1,500 Twitter followers.
Aggregate Industries’ coloured asphalt solution was the choice of Nottinghamshire’s new £5 million Sherwood Forest visitor centre. The project was developed by an RSPB-led consortium and Nottinghamshire County Council and it includes flagship facilities such as a shop, a café with an outside terrace, an amphitheatre as well as a play area for children. The Edwinstowe centre, which opened at the end of August 2018, provides information on the area’s rich wildlife and woodland as well information on the Robin Hood legend. In order to complement the resin bond golden gravel used on the rest of the site, contractors Woodhead Construction and RN Surfacing were required to source asphalt. They selected Aggregate Industries’ SuperColour Ultra. “Due to the high profile nature of this project, it was vital for us to work with a supplier offering innovative asphalt solutions, with extensive colour and performance capabilities. I’d like to thank Aggregate Industries for delivering a first class service throughout – by providing us with bespoke samples of their natural coloured asphalts, we were able to practically test out and decide on the best possible solution to help us meet the client’s unique aesthetic brief,” explained Amy Stamford, Quantity Surveyor at Woodhead Group. The Aggregate Industries solution is a range of distinctly coloured asphalts, which uses a translucent penetration grade, resinous hydrocarbon binder. The special binder is readily pigmented and provides a wide range of asphalt colours. Overall, Aggregate Industries supplied 60 tonnes of SuperColour Ultra in natural colour. “As an area of outstanding beauty, it was important for the new visitor centre at Sherwood Forest Country Park to be in keeping with the natural surroundings, including the materials used for landscaping and surfacing. With a selection of high performance asphalt materials at our disposal, including different colours and performance properties, we’re delighted our bespoke SuperColour Ultra succeeded in achieving the naturally appealing look and superior performance the client was after,” said Victoria Smith, general manager of Express Asphalt at Aggregate Industries.
Polished concrete floors are more popular than ever – not just in industrial environments but in homes, hotels and even restaurants. But what’s behind their popularity? The team at Total Concrete are here to tell you. Style Concrete as a material is not commonly associated with beautiful decor and surfaces, however, polished concrete can be a superb surface that can complement almost any interior design. The sleek aesthetic works perfectly in kitchens and bathrooms, as well as wider spaces like hotel lobbies – it still possesses the uniform presence of concrete, but the polished aspect gives it a little more class. Longevity Providing you make sure to maintain the concrete floor as necessary, it can last for years on end. Its strength means that it can withstand even the heaviest of footfalls – perfect for busy commercial environments like shops and restaurants – and there’s no need for major facelifts or maintenance like there may be with other types of flooring. For all commercial cleaning needs contact CHOR Services. Maintenance Concrete floors require hardly any maintenance compared to other services. All you need is a pH-neutral cleaning agent, some warm water and a mop. Wiping the floor down once every so often will ensure that marks are removed and the hygiene levels of the floor are preserved. It is recommended that you re-seal or wax the concrete every two to three years to ensure it retains its water-resistance. Cost A polished concrete floor is an investment, owing to its fantastic lifespan and the lack of costs associated with its upkeep and maintenance. It’s on-trend at the moment, too, so if you were to sell a property with a polished concrete floor in it, you can be sure the pricetag of your property would benefit from its presence. Colour options The days of concrete only being grey are long gone; now, concrete is available in a spectrum of colours. There are a couple of ways concrete can be coloured; acid staining is one such method, but a modern technique is using pre-cut coloured overlays – thin pieces of concrete – and placing them on top of the floor itself. Concrete floors needn’t just be used for warehouses and and hangars, they can be used for anything – kitchens, bathrooms, shops, you name it. All you need is a trusted installer and some high quality concrete . This article is produced by Total Concrete , proud suppliers of the highest quality concrete for customers throughout Surrey, Woking and the surrounding areas.
The covers give access to vital below ground services such as drainage while blending the floor’s paving with the overall surface. They are typically used in retail parks and public areas that demand a prestige finish. FAB PAVE products can also be found at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, The Amex which is home to Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham’s London stadium, Old Trafford, St James’ Park in Newcastle and Leicester’s King Power ground. Champions League finalists Liverpool also have a number of FAB PAVE access covers outside its club shop at Anfield FSP also has Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club onside after providing its FAB TRAY™ recessed cover during a recent Molineux Stadium upgrade while FAB TRAYs can be found at the reigning Eithad Stadium, home to Premiership League Champions Manchester City. The firm developed and supplied bespoke circular solid top access covers for a project to the Bearwood training ground where Reading FC plays and the home of British tennis at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in Wimbledon commissioned stainless steel drainage channels from FSP during improvements to its entrance. Its access covers can also be found at the nation’s footballing mecca Wembley and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Stratford, London, and FSP has also supplied products to Chelsea and Manchester City’s training complexes. Richard Hilton, Managing Director of the firm, which is based in Telford, Shropshire, said: “Our ranges are ideal for paved environments, particularly where a high quality finish is important, such as these world class sporting venues. “It is a testament to the versatility of our ranges that we have been able to make such in-roads to this sector. The ability to order off the shelf or have a bespoke design to suit specific engineering function or aesthetic design means FSP products are fast becoming the product of choice for contractors and clients.” FAB PAVE access covers have also featured in other high profile locations including the refurbishment of Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, Cyprus, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès Cannes in France where the world famous film festival takes place, and Terminal 2a, known as the Queen’s Terminal, at Heathrow Airport.
BAL – market-leaders in full tiling solutions – are launching two new uncoupling mat solutions for problem floors. Following the launch of the revolutionary and award-winning BAL Rapid-Mat in 2014, the Flexbone range offers two very different solutions to the UK market with the launch of Flexbone 2Easy and Flexbone VAried. Unique to the UK, and bound to excite fixers, contractors and distributors alike, BAL Flexbone 2Easy is a floating mat system – where NO adhesive is needed underneath the mat system i.e. the mat is truly uncoupled. David Wilson, UK Head of Technical at BAL said: “Because no adhesive is required, preparation of the substrate is reduced to a quick sweep of the floor. No removal or residue, no removal of laitance and no priming of the surface is needed. This means that contaminated and stained floors, wooden floors, cracked screeds and mixed substrates can be tiled immediately. “It can also be used direct onto difficult substrates such as bitumen, fresh sand:cement screeds or new anhydrite screeds that are not fully cured (up to 1.5% CM residual moisture). Lengthy waiting times on new screeds can be avoided with no more projects on hold while new screeds are dry enough to be tiled directly, or fixed with a traditional bonded system. “Fast track installation in possible as any residual moisture in the substrate is distributed evenly through a system of channels and can also ventilate via the covering joints through perforations in the mat.” As well as time savings from the lack of preparation, materials costs are also significantly reduced with no need for primers, plus a massive adhesive saving of 2kg/m², when compared to laying bonded cavity mat systems. Time trials indicate the removal of subfloor preparation for installations provides a circa 50% time saving. Because BAL Flexbone 2Easy is laid loose as a floating system, it is perfect for heritage projects where it is necessary to protect historic, sensitive substrates, plus areas where the ability to change the floor regularly is a requirement – e.g. rental properties. BAL Flexbone VAried is a bonded mat system, with the same installation process as other fixed cavity mat systems in the market. Unique to BAL Flexbone is the patented GripLock Technology and unique bone structure. The patented design has been independently tested to provide the highest shear strength (providing more accommodation of higher levels of lateral movement) and the highest tensile strength (to stops tiles ‘popping-off’ or cracking under pressure). These highly flexible and deformable properties ensure all tile installations are protected from lateral movement and pressures, while a special fleece provides for vapour pressure compensation. “As well as providing long-term benefits in terms of strength and flexibility, the unique bone structure also makes for significantly faster installations as the design ensures the trowelling-out of adhesive on the surface layer is fast and easy,” added David Wilson. “Fixer trials have shown that the unique bone-shaped cavities are much easier and faster to fill with adhesive than the conventional square or round cavities. “Less adhesive is required on the mat surface, and trials indicate adhesive can be spread on the mat surface circa. 30% faster.” BAL Flexbone VAried can be used anywhere – for a varied number of installation environments! BAL Flexbone VAried provides a waterproof layer, meaning no tanking is needed in wet areas such as bathrooms, showers and wetrooms when BAL Flexbone VAried is installed. The bonded mat is perfect for high load-bearing and commercial areas such as shopping malls, airports, car showrooms, office building and hospitals, as well as light or medium traffic areas. Both mats are available in 20m rolls or easy to install 2x1m sheets (ideal for small bathrooms) or wetrooms – and are suitable for use with all tile types, including natural stone. As with all BAL products, BAL Flexbone uncoupling mats come with the manufacturer’s unique 25-year guarantee – unlike other cavity mats available. When used with BAL adhesives, grouts, and sealants, this provides a fully guaranteed tiling system. To find out more about BAL’s new uncoupling solutions visit www.bal-adhesives.com
For the refurbishment of a popular visitor attraction, the client required a single flooring solution that helped maintain the highest health and safety standards, and enhanced the aesthetics of its exotic exhibits. The seamless, non-slip Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 system proved ideal for the project. Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire is home to Europe’s largest collection of sharks, as well as a host of stunning sea-life such as rays, otters and tortoises. Due to the differing floor finishes throughout the attraction’s ‘Venom’ display area, the client required a single flooring solution that made for a clearer, lessconfusing viewing experience for visitors. The new floor had to offer high levels of slip resistance on account of over-spray from a nearby cascading waterfall feature creating wet surface areas, hence the specification of Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24, a tough, solvent-free, polyurethane, seamless system. Contractor, Mike Thelwell Flooring, was selected to install the new surface, which had to be built-up in places to correct the removed floor’s differing heights. As well as its robust resistance to heavy footfall and slippage – even when flooring becomes wet – Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24’s decorative properties were crucial to its specification. It is available in a wide range of bespoke colours to suit all environments, with the client choosing a two-tone effect to create an ‘earthy’ feel in the aquarium’s Venom area. The system’s seamless aspect provided another appealing feature, as it makes the flooring simple to clean and hygiene standards easier to uphold in busy, commercial spaces. Mike Thelwell, Director at Mike Thelwell Flooring, said: “The project was complex and specific to the client’s requirements, but Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 ensured challenges were easily overcome. We worked closely with Sika and the client to ensure the surface was fitted within the agreed timeframe. We are extremely proud of the floor we’ve provided for this popular attraction. Our team’s installation skills, in conjunction with Sika’s superb floor system, made for a very successful project.” With the Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 system, which comprises Sikafloor®-3000 and Sikafloor®-300, two-part elastic, aliphatic, low-VOC, self-smoothing polyurethane resins, the aquarium has been furnished with a surface that looks as good as it performs. Non-slip, smooth and stylish, the new floor succeeds on many levels, helping enhance the visitor experience for the many thousands of people who cross the attraction’s threshold throughout the year.
Scotland’s largest flooring contractor, Veitchi Flooring, will supply 28,500 sq m of soft floor finishes to two large scale construction projects taking place in the north of Scotland. The Cambuslang-based firm, part of the Veitchi Group, say they are one of very few flooring contractors in the UK who could fund and resource such large scale contracts. They were brought on board by the Major Projects team of Robertson Construction who are the main contractor at both the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) and NHS Orkney Hospital. With a combined contract value in the order of £1.85 million Veitchi will provide 15,500 sq m and 13,000 sq m of flooring respectively to the fitting out which started on site in June. The types of soft flooring involved are wide and varied ranging from carpet tiles, vinyl and matting required around 30 fitters, many sourced from local labour pools, to complete the contracts. “Our ability to take on the big, the difficult is what we believe sets us apart from other companies,” says Veitchi Flooring’s managing director, Gordon Crawford. “These are large scale contracts which require a financial capability from the sub-contractor to resource the materials and labour in advance in order to properly service them.” At a contract value of £333 million the construction project is the largest ever undertaken by the Robertson Group. Spanning three buildings – the AECC, a 200-bed Hilton Hotel and 150-bed Aloft Hotel – it forms part of the 130 acre former Rowett Research Institute south of Aberdeen airport. The new NHS facility near Kirkwall in Orkney, meanwhile, will include a general hospital, primary care and community facilities, dental and clinical support services. “Last year we delivered a similar intergrated flooring solution at the new NHS Dumfries and Galloway hospital,” added Mr Crawford “Geography is really no barrier to us. We have flooring teams active all over Scotland often in remote locations and, indeed, the wider UK.”
Increasing its presence further in the healthcare sector, Forbo Flooring Systems has been appointed as an approved supplier on the Department of Health’s ProCure22 Framework for NHS and social care construction schemes in England. This means the company’s floor covering solutions, from entrance to exit, are approved for the healthcare environment. The ProCure22 (P22) process is designed to achieve improved value for money and reduce exposure to risk through a simplified procurement procedure. Committed to developing and offering products that contribute in a positive way to the health and comfort of the individual, Forbo’s floor coverings are designed to be good for people, good for buildings and good for the environment. Offering a 10-year warranty, with discounts of up to 47% and pricing fixed for 12 months, Forbo can ensure that healthcare environments have a product selected, which is fit for purpose and fit for the future – providing savings without any compromise. Commenting on the company’s achievement, Sharron Kapellar, National Framework Manager at Forbo Flooring Systems, said: “We have undertaken many projects within NHS Trusts and social care throughout England, including flooring for acute, mental health and community facilities, and are delighted to have been awarded with the ProCure22 approved supplier status. “The P22 process definitely reduces exposure to risk for clients. By working with an appointed framework Principal Supply Chain Partner (PSCP) NHS Trusts won’t have to undertake an oJeu procurement process. “And, from a flooring perspective, we can help create stylish and functional flooring schemes, while still meeting the various floor covering requirements outlined in Health Building note 00-10, Part A: Flooring. From sheet systems for clinical areas, static control flooring for X ray rooms, slip resistant flooring in wet clinical areas, carpet tiles in offices and entrance flooring systems, which prevent pollutants from entering facilities, Forbo has a wide portfolio of cost effective flooring solutions to meet a variety of requirements, as well as savings through transparent trading and better purchasing power. “Apart from this though, it’s our healthcare experience that really adds value to a project’s success; our area managers will assist with any specifications, technical and design advice, all supported by an efficient sample service and even a free collection service for installation waste.” Forbo also takes a proactive approach when it comes to developing its healthcare knowledge. For example, it has partnered with the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) to review over 1000 floor finishes, assessing their suitability for use in dementia-friendly environments.
