Contract Flooring Journal articles from October 2002

Contract Flooring Journal archives from October 2002

Stop pussyfooting, Patricia! (Editor's comment).
October 1, 2002... IT'S an excellent idea to have one register of qualified flooring (and other) contractors on which every central government department, local authority, university and NHS trust across the UK can base their procurement process. It would cut...

Adhesive advert branded `indecent and disgusting'; a woman co-owner of a flooring business has written regarding an advertisement which has been appearing in CFJ, most recently in the September issue. (Complaint).
October 1, 2002... I WISH to complain that a respectable magazine like CFJ has agreed to publish an advert, which I consider to be dirty and indecent. This advert, which is supposed to be promoting a new adhesive, shows a near naked woman with her skirt open...

No wonder so few women enter our industry! Colin Millin, of Devon, makes some perceptive comments on the September issue of CFJ. (Readers' forum).
October 1, 2002... WHILST still being involved in the flooring industry, but no longer taking an active part in day to day business, I thought a few comments from the `outside' wouldn't go amiss. With regards to your issue last month, I have one or two...

Asbestos: the big questions: flooring contractor Chris Saunders, of Floorcraft (Reading), raises serious questions on the handling of asbestos materials. (Readers' forum).
October 1, 2002... I WRITE with concern over the article `Asbestos alert' (CFJ September 2002). Manufacturers have always insisted that all existing floorcoverings should be removed to a sound base and that the subfloor be prepared prior to the installation...

The real answers that are liable to shock! (Readers' forum).
October 1, 2002... CFJ editor Alan Bakalor writes: Chris Saunders is right to be deeply concerned. It is nearly 40 years since asbestos was scientifically shown to cause cancers and other potentially fatal ailments. Yet many workers at risk are still...

The glues brothers: the series: the golden knee pads European championships Part 8. (Readers' forum).
October 1, 2002... FOLLOWING RONNIE'S RANDOM URINE TEST THE LITMUS PAPER REMAINS BLUE I'VE PASSED THE DOPE TEST DIDN'T NEED LITMUS PAPER TO TELL ME THAT STOP SQUABBLIN'--THE QUARTER FINAL DRAW'S ON.... AND FINALLY ENGLAND V GERMANY ...

Do try to attend your regional CFA meeting. (From The President).
October 1, 2002... AS winter starts to approach and the nights begin to draw in, perhaps its time to reflect on the 12 months that have passed since those outrageous events in New York on September 11 last year and what effect, if any, they have had on our...

Site visitors can now apply for CSCS cards. (The Director's Comment).
October 1, 2002... FOLLOWING the Main Contractors Group initiative to only allow personnel on their site who hold a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card (effective from December 31, 2003), I have been approached by many people, particularly...

Flooring Industry Training Association. (fita).
October 1, 2002... Oct 7-10 advanced carpet fitting Oct 15-16 ceramic fitting Oct 21-22 Know your carpets Oct 23-24 estimating & planning Oct 28-Nov 1 intensive carpet fitting Nov...

Training directory.
October 1, 2002... NVQ TRAINING UNIBOND THOMSIT NVQ Floorcoverings (Levels 1, 2, and 3) are offered at the following Thomsit Training Centres, where advice can also be obtained on new entrant training schemes and on-site assessment and training...

Accrington comes on stream.
October 1, 2002... ACCRINGTON & Rossendale College is the latest educational establishment to offer training for floorlayers to obtain an NVQ followed by a CSCS card. Other colleges supported by the CFA providing CITB approved training for floorlayers are...

CSCS card in a nutshell.
October 1, 2002... THE CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) is controlled by a management board whose members are from: Construction Confederation, Federation of Master Builders; GMB Trades Union; National Specialist Contractors Council (of which the...

Cumulative shrinkage up close. (Problem solving).
October 1, 2002... I HAVE often referred in this column to the problem of cumulative shrinkage, or `rafting'. This is the situation which occurs, mostly in brand new floors, where the lacquer applied to the surface sticks the pieces together so firmly that when...

The silver lining over a cloudy patch. (Problem solving).
October 1, 2002... Q: A recent customer complained about his new 14mm oiled floating floor. On this occasion I have to put my hands up and take responsibility as I never advised the customer on how to maintain the floor once fitted. The customer used a wood floor...

Off balance. (Problem solving).
October 1, 2002... Safety flooring is specified more widely in the UK than anywhere else in the world. The role of flooring is one of the key areas of interest for the Health and Safety Executive--as will be explained in this new series of articles, exclusive to...

British standard still rules Ok! (Exclusive CFJ series).
October 1, 2002... Few British contractors will be aware of how close they came recently to losing the British Standard for the ceramic wall and floor tiling design and installation sector--and having a European Norm imposed by Brussels. Brian Newell, group...

Diary dates. (Problem solving).
October 1, 2002... CONSTRUCTION WEEK October 3-10 website: www.ncw.org.uk LEISURE INDUSTRY WEEK October 8-10 NEC, Birmingham Contact: Penton Media Europe Tel: 020 8232 1600 SHE SOLUTIONS Safety, Health & Environmental October 15-16...

Defects come to light: flooring contractor Kevin Mountford relates how the play of light on a vinyl floorcovering can magnify even the slightest subfloor imperfection. (A floorlayer's logbook).
October 1, 2002... MANY years ago I was working on a refurbishment in one of our local colleges. Within the working area was raised seating right in the firing line to the windows (every floorlayer's nightmare!). Light amplifies the most minor subfloor...

F Ball. (People).
October 1, 2002... DARREN KENYON joins F Ball as business development manager. He comes from Naylor Abrasives.

McAlpine Slate. (People).
October 1, 2002... PAUL HARVEY has been appointed sales director by McAlpine Slate, responsible for developing the sales of Welsh Slate architectural product range, including natural slate flooring. Paul joined McAlpine in 1996 and has been involved in the...

Camberford Law. (People).
October 1, 2002... ANDY MORRISON has joined the team at Camberford Law plc as a senior account executive with responsibility for investigating new scheme and enhancing existing schemes' products and services. He comes from Hanover Park Group.

Contract cleaning operator Regent has appointed Julian Cassell as regional manager. (People).
October 1, 2002... Contract cleaning operator Regent has appointed JULIAN CASSELL as regional manager South Wales following its recent acquisition of local contracting firms Artisan Cleaning and C&D Evans.

Truvox International. (People).
October 1, 2002... COLIN MACEY has become Triton sales manager, a newly created position in the floorcare company Truvox International. The announcement follows Truvox's recent acquisition from Addis of the Triton Line of Three-Brush speciality floor care...

Flowcrete. (People).
October 1, 2002... Flowcrete has appointed KERRI LEWIS as public relations co-ordinator.

Greg Copcutt is the new Southern area refurbishment manager at Isocrete Commercial Flooring. (People).
October 1, 2002... GREG COPCUTT is the new Southern area refurbishment manager at Isocrete Commercial Flooring. He joins with 12 years experience of the flooring industry. Isocrete has appointed CLIFF DAVIS as business development manager for Isowarm.

Alan's close encounters with sharks. (People).
October 1, 2002... ALAN COTTON (pictured right) has returned to work as Flowcrete sales manager in north east England after a four month world trip participating in extreme sports. This included diving into shark infested waters and tackling one of the world's...

Paul Cooper of Camberford Law has been promoted to associate director. (People).
October 1, 2002... PAUL COOPER of Camberford Law has been promoted to associate director. Paul looks after Camberford Law's cleaning scheme and commercial client-base.

Picture page.
October 1, 2002... Go! Go! Girls! The women's team from Tarkett Sommer who raised over 1,000 [pounds sterling] for Cancer Research UK when they took part in the Race for Life On a roll Frank Maguire, left, chairman of Maguire Wholesale, one of the...

In the dock.
October 1, 2002... * Did you get into trouble at school? Frequently--for talking too much in class. I also got a detention for holding the school bully down while my brother got his own back. That seemed most unfair as I was only restoring justice. * What...

CFA meetings. (News file).
October 1, 2002... BELOW are the provisional details for the CFA autumn meetings * Oct 22: North East (venue to be confirmed) * Oct 30: South West, Southgate Hotel, Exeter (dinner meeting) * Oct 31: West, Celtic Manor Resort (dinner meeting) *...

Advice on how to win work. (News file).
October 1, 2002... KNOWLES Commercial Services is holding a series of one-day regional seminars on winning work in the public sector, encompassing partnering, best value and continuous improvement to achieve long-term relationships based on clear measurement of...

Resin winners to be named. (News file).
October 1, 2002... THE winners of 2002 FeRFA Awards will be announced as the Resin Association's AGM on October 10. Four companies entered the best new product award: Altro Floors for Altrocast Quartz Plus flooring; Flowcrete for Mondeco seamless resin...

Tile Association awards planned. (News file).
October 1, 2002... THE Tile Association has introduced an awards scheme. Each award is sponsored by a Tile Association member. (Sponsor's name is in brackets): * Project categories: Best use of tile in a construction contract (Building Adhesives); Best use...

Obituary. (News file).
October 1, 2002... THE chapel at Lawns Wood Crematorium, Leeds, was full to capacity for the funeral of Geoffrey Wheeler on September 6. Geoffrey, who died aged 53, after a brave fight against cancer, was born and raised in Oxford. He joined the carpet...

Pownall to Sirdar. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Floorcoverings and textile group Sirdar has acquired the carpet manufacturer William Pownall for 5m [pounds sterling]. Sirdar owns Ryalux Carpets and Burmatex.

PPG on PFI job. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... PPG laid 2,500sq m of Altro Impressionist 2, over 6,000sq m of Burmatex carpet tiles and several hundred sq m of Gerfor sports floor in a PFI schools project in Wales.

Contracts room. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Tiles UK has created a contracts meeting room in Manchester for architects, interior designers and specifiers. The room, which has display areas and a free hot drinks machine, is available free. Contact: Debbie Rice. Tel: 0161 886 2215

Firm sold for 1 [pounds sterling]. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Gaskell Plc has sold its subsidiary Mid Wales Yarns to Fred Lawton for 1 [pounds sterling]. In the six months to June 30, 2002, the company made an operating loss of 350,000 [pounds sterling] on a turnover of 2.03m [pounds sterling].

Construction up. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... The latest DTI figures show total volume of UK construction output in the year to the second quarter of 2002 up by 7% compared with the previous 12 months. New work in the public non-housing sector rose by 22% with repair and maintenance work...

Prosecution. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Carpets of Worth is reported to have been prosecuted under health sand safety regulations after a carded roller machine used to remove dust from carpets seriously injured a worker. The company was ordered to pay nearly 10,000 [pounds sterling]...

Export orders. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... British-based construction firms won overseas orders worth nearly 5bn [pounds sterling] in 2001 (up from 3.9bn [pounds sterling] in 2000), according to the DTI. Projects included building hotels and hospitals in North America, Africa, Middle...

Exhibitors' support pleases organizers. (News file).
October 1, 2002... EXHIBITOR registrations and stand bookings for Domotex in Hannover (January 11-14, 2003) have already exceeded expectations, according to the organisers. `While the industry continues to struggle with slow sales, Domotex is defying the...

Domotex grants for UK companies. (News file).
October 1, 2002... UK GOVERNMENT grants are available for British companies wishing to exhibit at Domotex in Hannover next January. The grants are offered by Trade Partners UK/DTI to companies which have received British Government support in Germany on less...

Installation in a flash. (News file).
October 1, 2002... THIRTY flooring contractors watched an installation of 60sq m of of Kahrs Oak Monte Carlo Woodloc in under an hour at Liberton Golf Club, Edinburgh. The installation was conducted during a Woodloc training day, co-ordinated by Alex...

Merger leads. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Plimsoll Publishing has launched a new website aimed at owners and managers in the UK floorcoverings industry looking to make an acquisition or to sell their own company. www.whatcompany.co.uk

Becker contracts. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Becker Acroma, supplier of wood finishing products, has laid off 32 workers at its plant in Haverhill, Suffolk. The company says the UK wood finishes market is contracting at 10% a year.

Alfix expands. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Alfix (UK) has expanded its distribution network. The company supplies adhesives, grouts, tanking systems, primers and admixtures, plus the recently introduced PlaneMix rapid-setting, self-levelling range. Tel: 01462 686611

High-rise down. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Kingspan group is reported to have seen pre-tax profits fall from nearly 24m [pounds sterling] to 18m [pounds sterling] following a downturn in the US high-rise office market.

Foundation toasted. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Morphy Richards, producer of domestic appliances such as toasters, has joined the Carpet Foundation as an associate member. Tel: 01562 755568

Colour on call. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Colour Call software, with a comprehensive flooring database, has been bought by Interactivstudios. It includes Carpet Finder, a carpet colour matching system combining colour analysis technology with RGS Chromatone's Colour Atlas....

Fly to Oz. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Two air tickets to Sydney or Melbourne, Australia, can be won by independent customers of the Alternative Flooring Company to who sell the highest value of the new Allwool carpet collection before December 30, 2002. Tel: 01264 335111

Fraud costs. (Business In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Fraud is costing the construction industry at least 600m [pounds sterling] a year, according to a new report.

Highlights of Harrogate. (News file).
October 1, 2002... AMONG the new products launched at the National Floor Show, Harrogate, last month were several which particularly caught the eye: Noble one-strip parquet flooring and Cottage contract quality laminated flooring, both from BERRY WOOD, and the...

Adjudication offer. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Members of the CFA can use the services of Association of Independent Construction Adjudicators (AICA) for nothing. The normal cost for employing an AICA adjudicator is 200 [pounds sterling]. Tel: 020 7608 5221

Insurance offer. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Liability Insurance Solutions is a new company offering liability insurance policies to smaller businesses in the building and allied trades sector. Tel: 0870 873540

Violence at work. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... A booklet to help managers of small and medium-sized companies deal with work-related violence has been published by the Health and Safety Executive. Tel: 01787 881165

Slip guidelines. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... The Tile Association in cooperation with the Stone Federation, the National Federation of Terrazzo Marble and Mosaic Specialists, Ceram Research and Radlett Associates, have produced a technical paper with guidelines on slip resistance of hard...

Safety grants. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... The Health and Safety Executive has launched a pilot scheme with grants of up to 1,000 [pound sterling] available for small firms in West Yorkshire, Essex, Devon and Cornwall undertaking health and safety training. Tel: 01245 241400

CE mark okay. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... The new EN 934 standard for concrete and mortar admixtures allows producers to CE mark products. The UK Cement Admixtures Association welcomes the standard. Tel: 01564 776362

Amtico backing. (Industry In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Amtico formally endorses the Turtle Mat range of cotton doormats in nine colours. Tel: 020 8296 0366 RED FACES OF THE MONTH Greens get a laugh A press release we received from a certain manufacturer stated: `This product is free...

New Gerflor surface treatment `protects'. (News file).
October 1, 2002... GERFLOR has launched SparClean, a new factory applied surface treatment for Tarasafe safety flooring, claimed to retain lifelong colour and performance while providing a totally smooth surface that protects against soiling and staining. ...

Antibacterial floor. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Microban antibacterial protection has been incorporated into Cosmo parquet flooring, inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. Cosmo is distributed in the UK by PM Hardwoods. Tel: 01702 348877

Contact adhesive. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Euroform Products has launched Trubond, a contact pressurised spray adhesive described as a nonflammable, fast tacking and water resistant. Tel: 01925 860999

Scent of success. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Odor-Eaters is the new underlay from Interfloor, said to guarantee freshness. The product was launched at Harrogate. Tel: 01706 213131

Realitex for Manx. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Manx Carpets has installed Realitex system from Wharncliffe to handle its core order, stock, production and processing and financial facilities. Tel: 01226 298501

Stone carpets. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... BML has introduced Trans Quartz, a range of decorative aggregates for use in natural stone carpet systems. The product has been developed to complement the existing range of rounded decorative aggregates. Tel: 01892 730777

Parquet software. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Eleco has launched Parquet Studio 3.1 catalogue software to be distributed in the UK, initially by Gang-Nail Software and Support Services. Tel: 01252 334691

Wool newsletter. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... Wools of New Zealand's latest newsletter, Wool Interiors, features floorcoverings produced by licensed manufacturers. Tel: 01943 603888

Care leaflet. (Products In Brief).
October 1, 2002... A advice leaflet on cleaning and maintenance of wool carpets and rugs has been produced by WoolSafe in conjunction with British Wool. Tel: 01943 850817

Free seminar. (Events in brief).
October 1, 2002... Satra Technology Centre has a free seminar on the latest in floorcovering testing and technology for manufacturers, suppliers and retailers giving latest information on floorcovering in Kettering on October 25. Technical presentations will be...

Fair website. (Events in brief).
October 1, 2002... Scottbuild (November 5-7, Glasgow SECC) has a new website: www.scotbuild.co.uk Tel: 0131 550 6530

CFS dates confirmed. (Events in brief).
October 1, 2002... CMP Information has confirmed that the Contract Floor Show will be held from February 25-26, 2003, at the Novotel Hotel, Hammersmith, Hotel. www.nationalfloorshow.co.uk

Moscow show. (Events in brief).
October 1, 2002... Moscow Interiors fair during Russia Building Week (April 8-11, 2003) has a new flooring section. Flooring companies booked to exhibit include include Amorim, Armstrong, Arte Espina, Baltic Wood, Brintons, Beaulieu, Forbo, Gerflor, Poluflor,...

Fair in China. (Events in brief).
October 1, 2002... The 5th China International Building & Decorations Fair, July 2-5, 2003, in Guangzhou (Canton) is organised by the China Foreign Trade Centre Group in association with Merebo Messe Marketing in Hamburg, Germany, arranging European participants....

Loomah shines at Decorex. (Events in brief).
October 1, 2002... ONE of the most talked about exhibitors at Decorex last month was LOOMAH, a small company specialising in the design and supply of luxury custom hand-tufted and knotted carpets and rugs using either existing designs re-coloured and supplied in...

Person to person: good relationships with customers are critical in a highly competitive commodity product type market. Desso, which has long realized this fact, proudly proclaims as its slogan: `It's the service that makes the difference!' (Manufacturer strategy).
October 1, 2002... STEVE Baldwin, md of Desso Limited, and Carolyn Homewood, customer support manager, speak to CFJ editor, Alan Bakalor, about the key role of customer service. More and more companies are using automated telephone systems, which give...

On the move: installing an artificial grass surface for golf practise isn't unusual for a flooring contractor. However, it's a bit trickier fitting it into a caravan. (Flooring contractor profile).
October 1, 2002... ALL types of flooring installation are undertaken by P&S Carpets & Contract Flooring of Gosport Hants. But a relatively unusual niche market involves laying a specialised sports surface in trailers. `We regularly work for a company which...

The go between: underfoot comfort has long been a strong selling point for underlay, but today's materials offer several additional benefits. (Underlay survey).(high demand for wood and laminate flooring)
October 1, 2002... WHILE the volume of underlays sold for domestic situations is as much as three times larger than the contract market, there has been something of a renaissance for underlays in commercial use as a result of the growth in demand for wood and...

Come clean: effective cleaning and maintenance can keep floor surfaces looking good for many years. (Cleaning & maintenance survey).
October 1, 2002... ALTRO High Performance safety flooring has proved to be easier to clean without compromising slip resistant properties or durability, thanks to Original Easyclean Technology. Independent field trials were conducted by Cleaning Research...

Contractor cleans up with USF Blastrac machines. (Cleaning & maintenance survey).
October 1, 2002... Martin Plant Hire of Glasgow offers equipment to tackle a wide range of cleaning projects thanks to USF BLASTRAC. The md, Andrew Martin (below), says: `We detected an increasing demand for the hire of various typos of cleaning equipment. We...

The secrets of dry extraction: Mike Egerton, md of Host von Schrader UK, explains why controlling moisture is vital when cleaning carpets. (Cleaning & maintenance survey).
October 1, 2002... AROUND 85% of sell in a carpet is dry and is moot easily removed by vacuuming. Remove as much dry soil as physically possible before adding any cleaning liquids. The remaining 15% of soil is oily or greasy and cannot be removed by vacuuming....

Machines on show at NCAA exhibition. (Cleaning & maintenance survey).
October 1, 2002... THE National Carpet Cleaners Association annual conference and exhibition is at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, on November land 2. The theme for this year's conference is `Quality through education' as speakers...

You could be making more: Richard M Sudall of Chemspec Europe says there should be more profit in commercial carpet cleaning than in any other function of a cleaning contractor's operation. (Cleaning & maintenance survey).
October 1, 2002... THE maintenance of textiles is perceived by customers to require a higher degree of skill than building maintenance in general and they are generally willing to consider separate proposals for carpeted areas, They need not be priced on the same...

Making offices work: more floorcoverings go into offices than any other contract end-use area. Not surprisingly, therefore, it is a very competitive sector. (Focus on offices).
October 1, 2002... ESTIMATES put the annual UK consumption of floorcoverings in offices at around 170m [pounds sterling]. Long gone are the days when it was considered sufficient to install in offices cheap and cheerful plain coloured carpet tiles, usually beige....