Stained to perfection
The Finishing Touch, a new brochure to help professional building and design professionals specify hardwood floors, is a 32-page booklet and stain guide that depicts 21 North American hardwoods in clear, light, medium and dark stains. The brochure also covers hardwood finishing basics and provides guidelines for specifying a factory finish.
The Hardwood Council.
Reader Service No. 205
GREEN flooring
Commercial-grade vinyl floor covering is engineered for environmental sustainability. Its three-dimensional effects are achieved through a layered manufacturing process. Luxcia is completely recyclable and has little or no VOC content and excellent indoor air quality. Available in 44 colors and five patterns.
To Market.
Reader Service No. 209
High-traffic flooring
Heavy-duty, waterproof laminate flooring has a eucalyptus hardboard core that is designed for high-traffic commercial areas, including retail stores, restaurants, hospitals, offices and other locations where impact resistance and water resistance are essential. With their tongue-and-groove systems, the Excel and Excel Grande are less prone to chipping and abrasion.
Poliface.
Reader Service No. 206
Work out
Eldersburg, Md.-based Merritt Athletic Club is over 72,000 sq. ft. When designing the building's "look," the owners specified a need for slip-resistant flooring that would be easy to care for and colorful as well. The Impressionist II flooring was chosen because it is slip-resistant. It has aluminum oxide and colored quartz throughout, with silicon carbide in the surface for long-term slip resistance and durability. It is available in 24 modern colors.
Altro.
Reader Service No. 226
Tread setters
Rubber flooring for stair treads comes with a solvent-free adhesive system that eliminates downtime, increases productivity and allows the stair treads to be walked on immediately after installation. Norament stair treads come with a 10-year limited wear warranty and are available in both raised round pastille and hammered surfaces in 25 solid colors. Best for application in schools, hospitals, arenas or industrial and corporate settings.
Freudenberg.
Reader Service No. 202
Metal and wood
Solid vinyl flooring, offered in six designs, 14 colors and three tile sizes, mixes materials for a different look. It features a durable 40-mil wear layer designed for heavy commercial traffic.
Armstrong.
Reader Service No. 223
Looks can be deceiving
Decorative vinyl flooring resembling wood tiles is made of hard wearing vinyl planks in 10 different wood tones and can be cut to create patterns and various floor designs. Polyflor Kudos is constructed with a 21 mm. wear layer, which is 1 mm. more than the recognized standard for vinyl flooring.
Bonar Floors.
Reader Service No. 224
Durable flooring
Ceramic flooring is made of millions of ceramic micro spheres converted into a urethane wear layer to combat scratches and abrasions up to five times better than other surfaces. Backed by a 20-year warranty, Tritonite can withstand high levels of traffic. Manufactured in tiles and planks, the flooring also comes in natural wood and stone.
Domco.
Reader Service No. 214
Beat of its own
Chicago's newly renovated Hard Rock Café has cast marble tile flooring because of its ability to withstand the wear and tear of thousands of fans who walk through the doors. The alternating black and white tile with multiple widths of stripes matches the rock 'n' roll feel of the restaurant. Armstone Classic 2000 flooring is ADA-compliant and backed by a 10-year warranty.
PermaGrain.
Reader Service No. 215
Slide on the surface
Rubber tiles available in 40 colors are 1/8-in. solid rubber with a pattern and color that will last for years. They resit scuffing, gouging and most chemicals and common substances. The flooring won't shrink or separate and reduces noise. It is best for schools, public buildings, ramps and malls.
Roppe.
Reader Service No. 230
Wax is out
Heavy commercial, no-wax sheet flooring for commercial applications is available in oak and beech to offer a wood-grain look. The Dignity line combines raw materials reinforced with urethane, eliminating the need for costly polishes, waxes and strippers, providing end-users with the lowest life-cycle cost product in the category.
Tarkett.
Reader Service No. 221
Coating the floor
High-performance urethane coatings simplify maintenance and enhance service life of industrial and commercial floors. The XC-701 floor coating eliminates the problem of solvent vapors when refurbishing floors in industrial and commercial buildings. The coating is a low-odor, water-based topcoat developed specifically for floors in office buildings and warehouses.
Prema-Tech Industrial Coatings.
Reader Service No. 229
Non-slip flooring
Resilient vinyl flooring that meets all ADA requirements for slip resistance is available in 12-by-12-in. and 18-by-18-in. tiles. Diamond Screen tiles are 1/8-in. thick and are available in copper, silver, pewter, gold and metallic navy textured metal colors.
Legend/KMI Inc.
Reader Service No. 207
Tread on it
Indoor and outdoor flooring made of porcelain stone is available with a slip-resistant surface for outdoor applications and a smoother easy-to-clean surface for indoor use. Aurora has low water absorption and needs little maintenance, so is therefore best for commercial outdoor walkways.
Crossville.
Reader Service No. 208
Biological floors
Flooring with fast curing, low odor, moisture insensitivity and chemical resistance is best for bio-pharmaceutical operations where aggressive environments have caused normal floors to fail. FasTop is water-based and as a finished flooring system is easy to clean. The rapid urethane-cement used allows the flooring to be installed and the floor returned to service in hours, not days.
General Polymers.
Reader Service No. 227
Don't slip
Epoxy flooring system reduces slip and fall accidents in both wet and dry conditions with an aggressively textured surface encapsulated in an epoxy base. Available in thicknesses 1/8 inch or greater, the flooring system is suitable for both foot and wheeled traffic. The SLB flooring system has virtually no odor and is available in light-reflective solid or multicolor gloss finishes.
PolyMax.
Reader Service No. 225
Without direction
Premium floor tiles are available in a wide spectrum of colors and rated for heavy commercial traffic. Both Colorpoint and Solidpoint are composed of 85% limestone for the same durability found in vinyl composition tile and have a nondirectional texture, therefore masking scratching and soiling. Colorpoint has 18 multicolored tones, while Solidpoint has 18 color choices.
Mannington Commercial.
Reader Service No. 211
Don't slip
Safety flooring system is fabricated from anti-skid traction material that consists of galvanized steel traction plates with closely spaced perforated grips that prevent slips and falls. Noslip is recommended for assembly platforms, stairs, outdoor walkways and ramps in and around industrial, institutional and commercial facilities.
Universal Industrial Products.
Reader Service No. 218
Tackle flooring
Vinyl sheet flooring in 12 wood-grain designs that look like maple, oak and beech is able to tackle high-traffic areas, including health-care and retail applications. Its surface is crafted of protective polyurethane melded into a clear vinyl wear layer, protecting Tanglewood's aesthetic appearance by reducing the effects of scuffing and tearing.
Parterre.
Reader Service No. 222
Commercial woods
High-grade hardwood flooring is now available in commercial quantities. It is durable and easy to install with a cherry tone and mahogany grain. Lyptus is available in both 2- and 3-in. widths, pre-finished or unfinished.
Weyerhaeuser.
Reader Service No. 231
Down under
Australian hardwood flooring made from rare eucalyptus or cypress trees offers 10 species in the U.S. Providing longer boards, exceeding 4 feet, and widths of 31/4 inch, the flooring comes in two grades, Classic and Australiana.
Boral Timber.
Reader Service No. 213
Silk floors
Commercial tile for building interiors has random, multitonal striped effect that creates the effect of wild silk, which inspired the product. Tussah is available in 18- and 36-in. tiles in a color line consisting of 14 natural shades. Colors such as green slate, ore, lichen and black walnut reflect the style's organic influences and coordinate with the most widely used corporate finishes.
C&A Floorcoverings.
Reader Service No. 217
Glass floor
Glass tile product available in 12-by-12-in. tiles is created utilizing a process that marries tempered glass with a polymer composite backing. Obsidian is designed for light commercial applications, including hospitality environments and retail boutiques. The floor tile is difficult to scratch or break, and it can be installed over concrete or wood subfloors. A foam underlayment provides flexibility and impact resistance.
Congoleum Corp.
Reader Service No. 210
In the woods
Wide-plank wood floors are constructed in three layers that are bonded to create a dimensional stability to resist warping, cupping or gapping. Natural plant oils and wood resins are applied to the surface, crystallizing the wood and hardening it from within. The Lunarwood Collection is wire-brushed, treated with lye and finished with white oil.
Hoboken.
Reader Service No. 216
Urban sophistication
Commercial carpet with three different scale coordinates features quadrilateral, multilevel loops juxtaposed by tip-sheared fibers in a three-ply specialty yarn. The Big Cities Collection including Tangier, Marrakech and Casablanca are all 32-ounce products with 14 stitches per inch. The series was created for corporate, retail, hospitality and restaurant applications.
Pacificrest Mills.
Reader Service No. 219
Modular carpeting
Carpet tiles come in 12 colors and are backed with two layers of thermoplastic vinyl composite material and reinforced with fiberglass for optimum stability and performance. Equilibrium is a 50-cm. square and is a free-lay carpet tile product
Interface Flooring.
Reader Service No. 220
High in the sky
High-pressure laminate collection has 19 patterns and wood grains, including "Bamboo" and "Chiasma." The Rebel-utionary collection is ideal for retail display and store fixturing markets.
Nevamar.
Reader Service No. 228