New Homes Carpeting was formed in 1989 by Russell Freedman in a small, converted kitchen near Gants Hill, Essex. With a dedicated and experienced team, they can advise on all aspects of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, LVT and other specialist flooring, for both the Private and Commercial sector, including floor preparation and aftercare. Their aim is to provide an exceptional service to the highest standards by working closely with their clients, whilst ensuring that deadlines and budgets are always respected for each and every customer.

Josh Freedman, Director, New Homes Carpeting, decided that after eighteen years in their current establishment, it was time to give the company’s head office a complete and major refurbishment. In order to futureproof the office design for the next fifteen years, Josh chose Gradus Urban Myth carpet planks for this iconic renovation.

On specification, Josh Freedman commented, “The Gradus Urban Myth carpet flooring collection helped us to achieve the exemplary interior finish that we so much wanted that would meet our vision perfectly. We specified this product range and more specifically Ruby, Quartz, Steel, Carbon, and Lead designs for the contemporary and modern decors and for the carpet product range for its exceptional durability.”

Echoing the comments by Josh Freedman, Hannah Parkinson, Product Manager (Gerflor/Gradus) UK added, “Specifying carpet planks for the modern-day office environment has numerous benefits. Carpet planks are hard wearing, deliver a subtle but striking look and are extremely quick and easy to install, saving on downtime and budgets. The Urban Myth collection also enables designers and specifiers to create innovative and exciting looking interiors.”

The supply of the Gradus Urban Myth carpet products would come from Ipswich-based Faithfull Floorcoverings, which is supplied by the Headlam Group. Operating for over 30 years, Headlam is the UK’s leading floorcoverings distributor.

The Company collaborates with various manufacturers across the globe and distributes the broadest range of floor coverings onto the marketplace, it serves as a key player in providing a highly effective route to market, selling their products into the large and diverse trade customer base.

Key clients include independent and multiple retailers, small and large contractors, housebuilders and Housing Associations and Local Authorities. It provides its clientele with an enviable market leading service through the largest offer range, in-depth market and product knowledge, ecommerce capabilities, marketing support, and nationwide next day delivery service.

Lisa Key, Accounts Manager at Faithfull Floorcoverings said, “When our customer New Homes Carpeting specified Gradus Urban Myth carpets from Gerflor, we knew that it would be an ideal product that would more than meet their expectations and high standards. We have recently supplied Gradus Urban Myth to many of our trade customers and the feedback on both the quality and the durability has been immense.”

Commenting on the installation of the Gradus Urban Myth carpet planks, Josh Freedman said, “We had to conduct the refurbishment works. whilst our warehouse was still in operation, and the staff were ‘enjoying’ the rewards of working in several containers, whilst enduring the’ thirty-five plus heatwave. We had the usual build issues; however, the Gradus Urban Myth flooring from Gerflor went down with ease, perfectly and on time. The planks were extremely easy to install and randomly lay.”

Josh Freedman ended by saying, “We are extremely pleased with the Gradus Urban Myth carpet flooring, which always gets remarkable and complimentary. comments from our visitors. We would definitely specify Gradus carpets from Gerflor again.”

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01625 428 922, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.

Langford Budville Jubilee Hall was opened in October 2012 by HRH The Earl of Wessex, following 30 years of fundraising. The village lies some 2 miles to the Northwest of Wellington in Somerset, where far reaching views to the Blackdown and Quantock Hills can be enjoyed.

Their main hall, which has a seating capacity of 150, now proudly boasts the new Gerflor Taralay Libertex flooring which provides the basis for a vast number of activities which includes everything from bowls and table tennis, through to yoga, cinema nights, fitness classes…and even hosting meetings for the local Police! It’s a busy community hub offering a plethora of activities that all require the durability and comfort of Gerflor’s high-quality Taralay Libertex flooring to ensure a ‘fit for purpose’ environment that is also future proofed for years to come.

Commenting on the project Chris Pursey the Specification Area Sales Manager at the time for Gerflor said, “The end user David Brown contacted us for advice on floor finishes for the hall, as they use the space for various activities. David used to be an Architect before retiring and had specified Gerflor on similar projects in the past, so he had high levels of confidence in Gerflor products.”

Chris Pursey went on to say, “The subfloor was constructed of painted plywood which would have been difficult to stick adhere new flooring to, so we proposed Taralay Libertex which is a fast track, adhesive free, looselay solution. It was perfect for the hardworking space, highly durable and a credible product for delivering outstanding cushioning properties.”

David Brown who is a Trustee of Langford Budville Jubilee Hall said, “Our village hall was built eleven years ago and had a painted plywood floor which was all that could be afforded at the time. A new floor was on the agenda once funds were available. As a retired architect who has specified Gerflor on many occasions, I’m very confident in the quality of Gerflors flooring products.

We specified ‘Amsterdam Light Grey’ for its ultra realistic mineral and concrete finish that was in keeping with the look and feel we wanted to create for the community facility.”                 

The installation of the Gerflor Libertex flooring would be the responsibility of Bristol-based Rudge Brothers and James (RBJ Contracts). Rudge Brothers & James have been supplying and installing flooring products for commercial projects for over forty-five years. RBJ are a customer-focused company offering independent consultancy on the supply and fit of the best products for each individual need for each location and application. It’s a business that has established a reputation for quality, attention to detail, and delivering the best independent advice at all times, whether for its for-End Users, Architects, Interior Designers or fit out Contractors.

Jim Heal, Managing Director at RBJ commented,” We always specify Gerflor flooring when we can. Taralay Libertex is extremely easy to work with and always delivers on its technical performance, its durability and also stylish design. The Taralay Libertex flooring, which we installed at Langford Budville Village Hall, was remarkably easy to lay and went down in a noticeably shorter time. We were impressed with how quickly the refurbishment happened.”

Chris Pursey ended by commenting, “The feedback has been exceptional and immensely positive from the users in the hall, including members of the bowls club who play on it frequently. This installation has transformed the Village Hall, and its rewarding to see that the community will benefit from its investment for many years to come.”

David Brown concluded by saying, “The final result is really sensational. Perfect for our diverse facility needs and liked and appreciated by all of our users. Personally, I would specify or recommend Gerflor flooring to be used wherever possible for refurbishment and new build interior projects.

Jackie Douglas who runs a twice- weekly yoga class in the hall said, “We all agree that the new Gerflor floor is a significant improvement. The cushioning effect and its ability to absorb impact, as well as being aesthetically very nice to look at and extremely comfortable to exercise on, is a game changer for the village hall and the local community. We are delighted with the final finish.”

Taralay Libertex product overview

Pioneering adhesive-free looselay solutions has always been central to Gerflor’s research and development ethos. These solutions are ‘the present and the future’ of flooring as they are faster and cheaper to install, create outstanding working and living environments and are healthier for our planet.

Gerflor’s Taralay Libertex range is an ‘enabler,’ allowing designers to be brave and free with designs and is competitively priced for all projects.

 Taralay Libertex features a new generation of textile backing across the sheet vinyl range, specifically developed for hard working commercial applications in education, hospitality, leisure, shops, offices, care homes, as well as housing and common areas.

The Taralay Libertex collection is available in 20 striking finishes, with authentic and contemporary designs including realistic wood and mineral decors, as well as solid plains for vibrant locations and zoning in building interiors for both new build and refurbishment projects.

Taralay Libertex is the ideal flooring choice when time really is money, providing up to a 30% saving on installation costs for new builds and renovations as it can be laid directly onto most existing or uneven subfloors. Minimal subfloor preparation is required, and a direct laying capability coupled with no drying time and no need for a premise’s shutdown means that Taralay Libertex is the ideal choice for installers, as well as end users when a project requires a fast turnaround.

Taralay Libertex is a multi-layered vinyl floorcovering with a printed design which is protected by a 0,70 mm thick transparent wear layer. The product features the innovative MAX 3-layer system which is comprised of a high-density foam complex with fibre glass, an acoustic foam layer and a recycled reinforced textile backing. Taralay Libertex also provides 19dB sound insulation properties, whilst also offering R10 slip resistance and a Group T wear rating. Taralay Libertex is also treated with Protecsol® which provides easy cleaning & maintenance. The innovative surface treatment renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required.

Taralay Libertex is compatible with cold welding, hot welding, coving, and Vynaflex skirtings and includes at least 30% mineral materials and 20% renewable materials with the textile backing being made of 95% recycled PET bottles. It is also 100% recyclable and 100% REACH compliant, and its VOC emissions after 28 days (ISO 16000) are below 100 microgram / m3. It is classified A + (the best class) for indoor air quality.

Learn more about Gerflor’s Flooring Solutions: ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01625 428 922, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.

The new Seymour office refurbishment would need to be sympathetic to the existing building’s heritage, where a certain amount of unique planning and design would be required. They would turn to Windsor-based Blue Jelly to design and complete the transformation of their new workplace.

At Blue Jelly they design and fit-out workplaces, whether refurbishing or relocating their team combine creative design with an established process to deliver exceptional environments. In specifying the all-important flooring aspect of the project Blue Jelly would select some 113m² of Creation 70 LVT flooring from international flooring specialists Gerflor.

Karen Preston, Business Development & Marketing Co-ordinator, Blue Jelly commented, “Rob Ansell our Business Development and Account Manager originally met with Seymour distribution back in 2007. Ten years on, we pitched against one other company before being appointed to undertake the refurbishment in occupation”. Karen went on to add, “We chose Creation 70 LVT in ‘Gilmore’ from Gerflor for the tea-point rooms and their Creation 70 in ‘Oceanside’ was used in the breakout area”. She went on to further say, “Gerflor Creation 70 LVT was also specified for the informal meeting and collaboration rooms”.

Gerflor offer designers a superb range of stunningly beautiful luxury vinyl tile (LVT) solutions with their Creation collection. This amazing range won the 2017 CFJ/CFA Product of the year and their Creation 70 product scooped the coveted Red Dot Design award last year, which is akin to receiving a ‘Design Oscar’. With a collection of vibrant modern designs, Creation 70 is a designer’s dream, providing a tough and durable solution and is available in 58 spectacular designs. Equally stunning in looks is Gerflor’s Creation 55 which is a perfect match for moderate office traffic areas. The sophisticated Creation 70 range offers a brand-new palette of realistic wood and mineral finishes in tile and plank formats with beveled edges.

In addition to this, the looselay Clic System’s unique vertical interlocking format allows this product to be laid quickly over most existing surfaces, with no need to close premises during refurbishments saving customers time and money. The Creation range is also 100% recyclable, REACH compliant and is treated with PUR+ surface treatment, providing excellent cleaning characteristics and improved resistance to scratching.

Commenting further Karen Preston said, “Gerflor products are very easy to work with and offer great colour options for the client to work from, which helps the decision-making process on a fast-moving project like this. The Gerflor products were very forgiving, which means that we didn’t have to apply sub-floor preparation”.

Karen Preston went on to finally say, “our client is extremely happy with the project and we have selected Gerflor products for several of our other projects which we are currently pitching for”.

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01926 622 600, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.

However will Brexit take its toll on construction sector output and consequently impact on repair and maintenance programmes? According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) construction sector output dipped by 0.2% in November 2016 compared with the previous month largely due to a contraction in non-housing repair and maintenance. However a three month on three month pattern shows only a 0.1% contraction. But repair and maintenance provides the largest downwards pressure with construction output falling by both month and year.

Nevertheless, construction product sales – both light and heavy – were healthy in the last quarter of 2016. As flooring is a comparatively low budget refurbishment material, there may be greater opportunities for tried and tested flooring solutions that save both installation time and money, reduce downtime dramatically and have the aesthetics and technical performance to meet the needs of specifiers, installers and end-users when time and budgets are tight.

It is also true to say that some construction sectors are doing better than others. For example, the conversion of existing, commercial buildings into residential homes is buoyant and is helping the government reach its new housing targets. The government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is addressing the needs of schools most in need of urgent repair and the remodeling of healthcare buildings is on-going. Even if the new-build construction market shrinks further, refurbishment remains an important element and business can be capitilised upon in competitive markets by combining the right expertise with the right flooring product solutions.

Floorings that make easy work of refurbishment

The correct choice of flooring can add value to any refurbishment project and provide longer-term solutions. Innovative floorings that couple aesthetics with technical performance are therefore key in a competitive market.

Contract floorings for healthcare, education and other public buildings must meet or exceed the highest standards in safety, durability, cleanability, sustainability and contribute to good air quality, also providing extra performance characteristics like acoustic, shock absorption or conductivity resistance where needed. For example, heterogeneous, compact vinyl floorings with good abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, added comfort, resistance to static and dynamic loads, quick indentation recovery and super infection resistance, perform well in hospitals.

Moreover the maintenance costs of refurbishment materials are important budget and environmental considerations, especially in busy public buildings of constant use. Floorings that perform better for life have design incorporated through the thickness of the wearlayer, usually up to 0.75mm, to ensure lasting looks. Whereas no wax, no polish, easy-clean, scuff and stain resistant surfaces with effective microbiological treatments, can be simply cleaned using just water and detergent making low maintenance budgets and less environmental impact from heavy duty maintenance routines possible.

For where good looks count and also fast-turn around with minimal disruption are necessary, for example in shops, hospitality, leisure and office buildings, luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs) in loose-lay interlocking and removable methods of installation have been developed for super quick, straightforward refurbishment. These loose-lay systems install cleanly over most existing smooth surfaces taking as little as 4-5 hours. There is no need for adhesives or specialist tools and also the inconvenience to retailers is minimized allowing for extended opening hours.

Loose-lay, fast-renovation, interlocking decorative tiles with high resistance homogeneous wear layers for heavier duty installations will also make for rapid fitting while premises can avoid closing. Like loose-lay LVTs, individual tiles can be easily lifted for replacement.

In the housing market, statistics indicate that UK home ownership is on the decline and demands on the rental sector are on the rise, particularly private rental. In terms of refurbishment the need for quicker redecoration between tenants is increasing, notably in social housing stock which is being used for high turn-around, temporary accommodation.

Advanced, textile-backed system, ≥36/R10 slip-resistant, luxury vinyl floorings that meet HSE guidelines are addressing common issues in housing, streamlining installation, lowering remedial work and bringing longer term value to housing projects. By eliminating adhesive, reducing subfloor preparation and accelerating installation times, lower on floor costs by up to 30% compared with standard vinyl have been made possible. In addition, this flooring type with a built-in waterproof membrane can be laid where damp is an issue such as in older properties without damp proof membranes.

Leading flooring manufacturers are continually investing in innovative new technology to bring about better flooring solutions for contract and housing sector refurbishment projects. Global companies like Gerflor with expertise in many market sectors including healthcare, education, offices, sport, leisure, retail, hospitality and housing, can provide invaluable advice and advanced product solutions designed to meet both the demands of today and tomorrow.

www.gerflor.co.uk./ 01926 622600 / email: contractuk@gerflor.com