Vinyl flooring specialist, Gerflor Limited, is presenting its latest product innovations for the housing industry at Homes 2013: flooring collections which represent a complete offering of all residential vinyl flooring types for refurbishment and new build housing.
With a spectrum of unique benefits and differing price points, these products meet wide-ranging needs in a ‘one-stop shop’ of flooring solutions for residential housing.
Gerflor is the World’s 3rd largest vinyl flooring manufacturer, with a UK base in Warwick and dedicated R&D laboratories, where its internationally-renowned brands and pioneering product technologies are developed. It is committed to the manufacture of sustainable floorings: its production sites are ISO 14001 certified, only harmless raw materials are used in production processes, recycled waste from other manufacturers is regularly used, most products are fully recyclable and nearly all post production waste is recycled.
Gerflor is also a housing expert with proven experience in the UK’s social and private housing sectors having successfully supplied 2.7 million sq. m. of domestic vinyl for social housing installations alone.
“Where there is a smooth flooring need we have a flooring solution in a good, better and best offer to meet requirements and budgets,” says John Hardaker, Sales & Marketing Manager, Gerflor Ltd. “In addition, we specialise in the new loose-lay sheet vinyls and fast-fitting click and lock system floorings, which will interest refurbishment organisations with time constraints, as they can be laid in hours as opposed to days. As a result, they address many of the common installation and maintenance issues faced by refurbishment teams.”
Gerflor’s decorative, residential vinyl floorings are both technically and aesthetically advanced with superior features providing optimum performance and added realism in design and finish. They include loose-lay, textile-backed and traditionally bonded sheet vinyls, a comprehensive collection of lock and click system floorings and design-orientated, luxury vinyl tile (LVT’s) and plank floorings. Gerflor also specialises in ≥36/R10 slip resistant floorings and products with thermal, acoustic, water resistant and damp proof characteristics.
At Homes 2013, in Gerflor’s loose-lay, textile-backed, sheet flooring category, its flagship, ultra thick, 0.7 tog, 20db sound insulated, Easitex range is joined by the new Griptex range of colours for a mid to high offer, by Primetex at an economy level and HQR for semi-commercial applications.
These attractive, loose-lay floorings feature Gerflor’s patented, GFT (Gerflor Fibre Technology) textile backing system, which includes 97% recycled fibres. GFT floorings fast-track installation and can shave up to 30% off ‘on-floor’ costs compared with standard vinyl. They can be laid directly over most surfaces without lifting existing floorings and screeding subfloors. They are also slip resistant (>36 HSE standard), durable, easy-to-clean and maintain, waterproof and 90% RH resistant. In addition, the availability of two, three and four metre widths generally enables the floor to be laid in one piece without joins.
Ideal for new build and for renovation, Gerflor’s click and lock plank floorings are second to none and feature the latest, ingenious, interlocking technologies for fast and easy installation at speeds of up to 12 m² per hour. They do not require adhesive or specialist skills and install cleanly without creating dust or noise. They also provide an attractive and practical alternative to wood and wood laminate products in the home.
Again the offer is varied in price and performance characteristics and includes: Senso Clic, which uses Gerflor’s patented built-in, vertical tongue & groove interlocking mechanism and Top Lock and Insight Clic, which utilise Unilin’s patented interlocking technology. Gerflor lock and click interlocking floorings can be laid over smooth, clean, hard and dry surfaces and generally eliminate the need to lift existing floorings before fitting. These floorings can also be easily lifted for subsequent re-decoration and renovation purposes and only individual planks need be taken up, rather than an entire floor, if replacement due to damage is necessary.
With the same installation benefits, Top Silence, however, stands alone as an entirely original, flooring concept: a vinyl laminate product, its technologically-advanced, ‘4-tech’ system construction combines the softness of cushioned vinyl with an integrated, 16db sound-insulating, sub-layer to differentiate it from other types of flooring planks. It also incorporates a 23/32 wear layer, which is equivalent to AC4 in laminate, with a 0.35mm PureClean surface, and rapid-fitting HDF board with glue-less, 4-sided, Megaloc vertical click locking, allowing quick and easy installation.
For the new build sector, where LVT’s are the flooring of choice, Gerflor’s offer is comprehensive: flooring specifiers wanting a luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring without a heavy price tag will welcome new Artline, which caters for multiple tastes and complements differing décor within housing. It also has the qualities and performance of higher-priced flooring. For example, bevelled edges are a specific feature.
Inspirational design and exceptional quality are also trademarks of Gerflor's Insight LVT collection of decorative tiles and planks. Global design influences are evident in the 50-strong design choices, whilst the wide format of tile and plank sizes also echoes the diversity of the range. It too is sensibly priced for a high specification flooring of its class, plus it is robust enough for light commercial use.
At the top end of Gerflor’s LVT offering is Creation, a luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring of the highest quality with over 80 designs and wide range of sizes. At 2.5mm thick with a 0.7mm pure PVC wear layer, it offers top performance and superior resistance to wear and damage in both residential and light commercial installations. The addition of Gerflor’s PUR+ surface treatment to all its LVT floorings ensures that they are durable, resistant to damage and easy to clean and maintain.
Gerflor residential vinyl floorings are part of the company’s portfolio of environmentally sustainable products includes flooring innovations for domestic, communal and commercial areas of new build and refurbishment projects for housing.
