"dividing strips for in situ flooring"

Specifying and installing 650m2 of Gerflor’s world class Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring in ‘Light Cherry’ would turn out to be a pivotal decision for Axminster Leisure Centre in East Devon. The refurbishment project to replace the existing flooring in their main sports hall would yield spectacular results for both the operators of the facility and the end users. The indoor sports surface solution that was specified would need to be of the utmost quality and readily available, considering how short the timescales were for the project and would need to be competitively priced for the funds available for this iconic renovation.

The John Smith's Stadium installed Taraflex® Sport M Evolution and GTI Max - Fast Track Vinyl Flooring into their sports facility.

The natural aesthetics, durable performance and extensive colour palette of Forbo Flooring Systems' Allura Wood luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) collection have all played a significant role in creating a contemporary, stand- out environment for Evoo, a new 'barzeria' in Barnsley, Yorkshire. 'Evoo- The Barzzeria' is a pizzeria and bar, which combines authentic Italian cuisine with Britian's popular cocktail cultur, forming the worlds first 'barzzeria'. Set in a once prominent building that was left derelict for years, Julie Poulter Interior Design (JPID) was tasked by restaurant owner, Jaz Boparai, to design 'the best looking bar' in Barnsley. Subsequently, the project was awarded 'commended' in the Fly Forbo competition 2018/2019.

The installer, Kent-based Arcadia Flooring installed three of Gerflor’s world- renowned sports flooring products as part of a community effort to rebuild the Dale Youth Boxing Club in Grenfell, London; Taraflex® Comfort, Taraflex® Performance and Taraflex® Surface.

Hush Acoustics was tasked with providing an acoustic separating floor solution in an extensive material change of use project in Southall. Phoenix House was being converted by Vascroft Construction from an office building to residential flats, in a project which involved building into the basement, adding two floors and expanding at the rear.The development of 149 flats, each of which comprises 2 bedrooms, 1 ensuite, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen/living area, required an effective design for the separating floors to ensure they would be effectively soundproofed throughout across multiple different floor finishes.After assessing a number of floor construction materials, Hush Panel 28 floating floor panels were selected to meet the acoustic performance targets. Using this panel meant that throughout the bedrooms and living areas a simple underlay could be laid before the finished carpets or engineered timber floor were installed. Hush Panel 28 was also suitable for the floors in the wet rooms and entrance hallways by applying Detromat on top of the panel to form an anti cracking surface.A team of more than 100 operatives worked on site, with every 1000 sq. m of floor completed per week, which Hush Acoustics supported to ensure Vascroft could meet the project’s strict delivery schedule.

School kitchen flooring refurbishment Millfield School kitchen flooring has recently been subject to a significant makeover. The existing vinyl finishes were showing significant signs of wear and needed to be replaced with a new flooring that offered better slip resistance and durability without the need for frequent repairs.The services of specialist industrial flooring installers, Inca Flooring & Structural Ltd, were called upon to offer advice and guidance in selecting the most suited school kitchen flooring solution.Millfield School required a flooring solution that could withstand the test of time in a constantly busy kitchen environment. In order to fulfil the client’s requirements to the highest standards, the contractors recommended using Degafloor’s fast curing, slip-resistant Full Broadcast System with associated coving.Degafloor Full Broadcast is specifically designed to deliver outstanding hygiene, performance and safety even in tough environments such as commercial kitchens, canteens and food technology areas.The school kitchen flooring was installed across two kitchen areas. Due to the ultra-fast curing nature of Degafloor MMA and flexibility of the contractor, the entire project was completed over the Xmas break.

In 2018 South Ayrshire Council appointed main contractor Portakabin to build a proposed new state-of-the-art Early Years Centre in Ayr, Scotland. The £2.2 million Cherry Tree Early Years Centre development now provides the largest modular modern learning environment in Scotland. Ensuring that children and staff would have a safe and comfortable environment was at the forefront of the specification process and needed to include the best quality flooring possible. The final choice of products was awarded to international flooring specialist Gerflor, who supplied 300m2 of their Taralay Impression Comfort and award-winning Taralay Impression Control products.

When Somerset House Studios based artist and researcher Phoebe Davies needed a design-orientated flooring that would also help highlight the sport aspects of her first solo show ‘Points of Rupture’ she turned to leading, International sport and vinyl flooring specialist, Gerflor. ‘Points of Rupture’ uses video, sound and installation to explore themes of tactility, training and recovery of athletes engaged in contact sports. The concept arose from Davies’ own on-going recovery from a basketball injury in parallel with her research work into contact-based sport with a group of teenage, female wrestlers in Norway.

When Les Ormes which is Jersey's premier self-catering holiday and sports centre wanted to refurbish an old tennis building by transforming it into four new netball courts they turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor to supply 2000m2 of their world class Taraflex® sports flooring.

he University of South Wales (USW) has recently installed 900 m2 of Taraflex® Area Elastic (AE) System vinyl sports flooring in ‘Maple’ from international flooring specialist Gerflor. This high-quality installation was for a replacement floor in the USW Fitzone at their Treforest campus.“USW were looking to replace their existing timber sports floor due to damages caused by flooding. As they had an installation at USW Nantgarw Sport Park One of our Taraflex Combisport system they wanted costings to install a similar system at the Treforest site.” Tony Thorne added, “We specified 900m2 of our world class Taraflex AE System, as there was existing equipment which included bleachers and doors. As part of the rigorous specification process, we had to meet the same height as the existing flooring. At Gerflor we have timber sports floors within our portfolio, however following conversations with various stakeholders on the project and due to factors, such as non-sport use and high life cycle costs due to the repeated maintenance needed for timber, we specified Taraflex as the floor finish.”Richard Lewis, Capital Projects Manager at USW said,” We decided to replace the existing sports surface due to a previous roof leak that damaged the floor. The Taraflex sports flooring has only recently been installed, but it is already exceeding our high expectations.”The installation of the Taraflex® sports system would be the responsibility of Swansea-based Artisan Flooring who have installed Gerflor products on previous projects.Lewis Williams, Contracts Manager, Artisan Flooring said, “We would choose Gerflor’s Taraflex again as it’s always been a reliable brand, especially when it comes to sports flooring. It’s a great product to work with.”Taraflex® AE systems are area elastic floors consisting of undercarriage construction topped with Taraflex® Surface. Taraflex® Surface is a compact vinyl sheet sports floor covering consisting of a D-Max™ surface - Gerflor’s own complex made up of calendered polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheets reinforced with a fibre glass grid for high durability and outstanding dimensional stability.

Taraflex® Sport M Evolution helped to create a clean look for the Kinghorn Community Centre. They benefitted from the comfort and safety provided by this sports flooring.

The prestigious law firm Mills & Reeve has refurbished its Norwich brand to create a smart office environment that incorporates a homely feel, using three shades of Allura Wood LVT from Forbo Flooring Systems. Mills & Reeve's new office was designed by architects Feilden + Mawson and has subsequently won the Highly commended prize in Fly Forbo 2017/2018.

Ensuring that their members can enjoy every aspect of the clubs facilities including the exercise meant the type of flooring specified was always going to be key. Taraflex Sport M Evolution would be the chosen product and the gym would need a total of some 324 sq m of this remarkable sports flooring.

Timbered Flooring used Bona to finish a fumed oak floor at London's new Assembly London hotel The wirebrushed blocks were finished with Bona Craft Oil 2K (Frost) buffed back for a white limed effect. Bona Traffic HD lacquer was applied as a hard wearing top coat for this busy space. The fast curing time of both enabled the team to work within a tight timetable. Maintenance involves regular cleaning with Bona Cleaner and annual resealing with Traffic HD so the floor always looks good and the expense and downtime caused by sanding back to bare wood will be avoided.

Alfresco Floors were commissioned to refurbish the external terrace of a top floor apartment located on Nile Street, London. The brand new GRAD invisible fixings clip system was supplied and installed by Alfresco Floors, their first ever GRAD installation in the UK. The unique clip and groove design at the heart of the GRAD system means that decks can be installed about 30% faster than competing products. The GRAD system can be retrofitted onto existing timber joists, installed from scratch on top of a new timber sub-frame, or mounted onto the bespoke rail system.

Providing great foundations for their aspiring sports stars, Mark Rutherford School chose a new DYNAMIK sports floor. With an emphasis on encouraging sport, Robina Garner, School Business Manager, expressed delight at the end result: “The new Sports Hall floor will support the practical sporting excellence that we deliver at the school. We look forward to reaping the rewards of our students using this exciting new provision.” Not only will the students benefit, but the positive impact of the new Sports Hall floor reaches far into the roots of the community, enabling healthy competition, team work and social opportunities.

"The most modern and largest municipal archive in Europe", Cologne proclaims, is now in their city. The future of the city archive had been uncertain for decades: first due to a lack of space, then came the collapse in 2009. The repository with its fragile treasures lay in ruins. No one expected this kind of new beginning. Through the office Waechter+Waechter Architekten, a new building was erected on a different site. With its opening, the rescued archives, the staff and the users are making a comeback - and a successful one at that. For the architects mastered the merging of two opposites. The transparency and openness of a civic archive is now in harmony with an indestructible security wing for the archives. Bronze and glass enclose the façade, of which there are actually two, because the building consists of an outer and an inner cuboid. The core houses the treasures, while the shell houses the offices, laboratories and workshops, the lecture hall and the foyer, whose interior glass façade provides a view of two atriums and the bronze body of the magazine.The staff offices and the lifts are covered with grey linoleum flooring, because Waechter+Waechter value the flooring as a sustainable and ecological product that meets high hygienic as well as aesthetic requirements and is hard-wearing at the same time. On the outside as well as on the inside, the beautifully ageing material of bronze is used again and again, as great importance is attached to the fact that the materials used haptically tie in with the task of preserving significant testimonies of time. Waechter+Waechter speak of their idea of connecting the areas through the repetition of the materials. This attention to detail is also reflected in the use of linoleum. The stair treads and the custom-made tables made of Douglas fir wood, the benches and the shelves have received an inlay of furniture linoleum "in a pastel moss green" (Bauwelt issue 20.21). Protected, the archival material is placed on gentle material for viewing, the colour tone has a soft effect, which gently dictates the handling of the treasures.

Regupol studwork isolating strips helped prevent flanking sound between suites at the new Hard Days Night hotel in Liverpool.The ChallengeWhen a suitable site was finally found for Hard Days Night, the eagerly anticipated Beatles themed hotel in Liverpool, an ambitious two-year development plan was put in place to convert the historic listed building into a prestigious four star hotel.Extensive alterations to the internal area of the building created 110 guest bedrooms, which included two exclusive Lennon and McCartney suites, bars, restaurants and function rooms as well as a wedding chapel.Designed to create a unique environment with a high quality feel, it was essential that Hard Days Night lived up to the expectations of the many visitors it would welcome. Part of this meant ensuring that bedrooms were adequately soundproofed, to ensure guests were not disturbed.As with many refurbishment projects, the floor construction was timber, which left Hornport Construction, the main contractors on the project, tasked with finding a compatible acoustic treatment that would help prevent sound transfer between bedrooms.The SolutionAlthough internal wall isolation was the specified acoustic treatment, Hornport Construction was able to make the final purchasing decision as to which products would be used. After consultation with CMS Acoustic Solutions, Regupol studwork isolating strips were identified as the most cost effective solution to deliver the required acoustic performance.Manufactured from recycled polyurethane (PUR) foam, Regupol studwork isolating strips are supplied at a standard thickness of 6mm, and widths to suit specific development requirements. Sitting beneath all types of timber partitions, the studwork strips reduce structure borne noise by absorbing sound and de-coupling the connection between floor and wall constructions.Resistant to ageing and deformation, Regupol studwork isolating strips offer long-term performance and will not collapse under high point loads.Available exclusively in the UK through CMS Acoustic Solutions, Regupol studwork isolating strips are supplied with comprehensive installation guidelines, making it simple for contractors to install independently on site. Easily laid, the Regupol material is bonded straight to the subfloor, with the partition erected directly on top.The ResultAt the Hard Days Night Hotel, Regupol studwork isolating strips were used to isolate the party walls separating the corridors and bedrooms. Designed specifically for use with timber, Regupol studwork isolating strips offered the ideal solution to isolate a party wall sitting on an existing timber floor.Gerry Abraham, site manager, Hornport Construction, concludes: “The Hard Days Night is a four star hotel, so high acoustic standards were imperative. We initially looked at timber sole plates with pre-fitted isolating strips, but this was quite an expensive route. We consulted CMS Acoustics who were able to provide a cost effective and high performing alternative with the Regupol studwork isolating strip – which was just as quick and easy to use.”

When South Bromsgrove High School in Worcestershire underwent a refurbishment and expansion programme back in 2007, they turned to international flooring specialists Gerflor to supply over 200m2 of their world class Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring for their main sports hall. It’s a huge testament to the quality of Gerflor’s high manufacturing standards that after fourteen years the Taraflex® sports flooring is still delivering optimum levels of safety and performance and continues to provide users with outstanding amounts of comfort.Wayne Andrews, Sports Specialist North for Gerflor commented, “the Taraflex Performance at South Bromsgrove High School is really standing up to the test of time due to its durability, ease of maintenance and use of a multi-sports capability.”Taraflex® technology delivers long-lasting high-performance of the products for the lifetime of the floors…a massive boon when long-term planning and budgeting are perceived as being two key considerations for specifiers.

The Les Ormes holiday resort in the St Brelade area of Jersey in the Channel Islands has converted its soccer dome into an activity centre called ‘Jump Jersey’. It’s an extremely impressive project which saw international flooring specialist Gerflor supply 1250m2 of their innovative GTI Max interlocking technical tile solution which was used throughout the activity centre as well as the café and reception areas.

The Gasholders’ architecture is anything but ordinary – 149 distinctive canalside apartments and penthouses, built within a refurbished triplet of Grade II listed, cast iron gas-holder guide frames at the heart of King’s Cross, London. Alfresco Floors supplied and installed 20mm Astor porcelain pavers across the 149 private balconies, all with views across the capital and within the radial walkway area of the project.

A BREEAM Excellent development with a Wired Score Platinum Certification, the Ewart has exemplary sustainable and technology features throughout, including Kingspan PSA grade raised access floors.Working with our certified installation specialists in Northern Ireland, Drew Wylie Building Services, we supplied circa 25,000 sq m of Kingspan RMG600 & FDEB_H systems, both tested in accordance with the PSA specification.

When a Manchester-based interior design company needed to source high quality flooring for their client’s office premises, they turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor for a fit for purpose solution. For this major refurbishment, Gerflor would supply over 1100m2 of Gradus Lunar Carpets, specifying ‘Rook’ and ‘Moretus’ as the colour choices.

Design-led flooring solutions for the customer-facing areas was decided upon, with Gerflor’s Taralay Impression Control fitting the brief by combining the specification qualities of performance and slip resistance along with aesthetics. Installed within the reception, corridors and cafeteria areas, it also unified and enhanced the décor of these hard working, communal spaces. A simple to maintain surface was also an important characteristic for the multi-function fitness studio flooring enabling it to be quickly cleaned. Meeting this brief was Gerflor’s Taraflex® Comfort in wood-effect design ‘Oak’: “Being a multi-use space, we needed a hardwearing surface but not a clinical feel or look.

Station Square Parade is a 2018 residential development right next to Colchester train station. Originally a large office building, it has now been converted into 67 luxury apartments with private balconies all set around an internal private courtyard. Alfresco Floors supplied and installed a mixture of 600×600 and 400×1200 Rowe, Moroto and Umer 20mm thick slip-resistant porcelain tiles to create a raised seating area and private balconies for all the top floor apartments. The design, supply and installation contract totalled nearly 500 Sqm of external porcelain paving and a small area of artificial grass.

The ground floor of an up-market McCarthy and Stone retirement village has been cleverly divided using a Stylefold 120 manual folding wall, allowing staff to quickly adapt the room to create a wellness area and dining facility, or a single large function room. Partitioning experts Style recommended this top hung folding wall as it is easy to manoeuvre and it also delivers an impressive 41dB Rw acoustic integrity, ensuring excellent privacy between divided areas. A smart grey laminate finish complements the contemporary interior design of this impressive new-build development,

With floor space at a premium, partitioning expert Style strives to deliver solutions that minimise space needed to create an effective room divide. For example, the fully-automatic Skyfold Zenith is stored out of sight in the ceiling cavity. At the touch of a button it slides down as almost entirely flat panels, allowing a room to be quickly divided without even moving furniture. There are four Zenith models capable of delivering laboratory tested acoustic performance ranging from Rw48dB right through to an incredible Rw59dB. There is also the sound absorption Zenith with a 0.65 NRC rating.

Floor Painters Limited, have used UltraFloor to complete a 2,100 sqm industrial flooring project at a historic steel forge.Experienced industrial flooring experts, Floor Painters Limited, have used a number of UltraFloor materials to complete a 2,100 sqm industrial flooring project at a historic steel forge in Lincoln.BackgroundBuilt over 100 years ago, the existing floors in the steel forge were damaged and unsafe. After careful consideration, it became clear that replacing the original concrete floor was not a practical option in terms of time and cost.The ChallengeThe steel forge remained fully operational throughout the project and so the challenge was to find a range of flooring materials perfectly suited for industrial use and that could be trafficked quickly so as not to disrupt any work being carried out.The SolutionWith decades of expertise, Floor Painters Limited knew UltraFloor materials were key to a successful outcome.After removing the damaged concrete floor, the concrete substrate was sealed using UltraFloor Prime IT Multi-surface Primer. Formulated to promote adhesion to all UltraFloor smoothing underlayments, Prime IT Multi-surface Primer is pigmented pink for excellent coverage control and is proven to reduce pinholing, minimising the risk of costly failures. With a coverage rate of 200sqm at 3:1 dilution, Prime IT Multi-surface Primer is a must-have product for all flooring installation projects.The following day, Level IT Base was applied, via pump, at an average depth of 50mm. Level IT Base is a heavy duty, deep fill smoothing underlayment, formulated to build depths of up to 50mm thickness. Level IT Base also boasts a high compressive strength – an important requirement for all industrial flooring applications.Once Level IT Base had cured, Level IT Top was pump applied to an average depth of 10mm and left to cure. Ideal for use with Level IT Base, Level IT Top is a heavy duty, abrasive resistant surface finish, designed for use as a wear surface, and can receive forklift traffic after only 36 hours – the ideal product for warehouses and manufacturing facilities where downtime is not an option!Both Level IT Top and Level IT Base can be pump or trowel applied for ease of application, are moisture tolerant, have a 30-40 minute working time and can receive foot traffic after just 3 hours.To complete the installation, the cured floor was then prepared by industrial grinding before the application of two coats of a solvent free epoxy coating – resulting in a flat, hard-wearing, safe and fit for purpose floor.ResultsThe project was completed in six stages, over 36 days, carrying out between 300 and 500 sqm a day, depending on the work space made available. On completion of the project, Terry Rossington, Director of Floor Painters Limited, commented: “Our client was very happy with the standard of the finish and the upgrades made to their working environment, which has improved both visual appearance and functionality of the floor.”

A temple in Chorley has recently had Nuway Tuftiguard Classic in 17mm closed construction installed by the Northern team at Master Matting. As Nuway is ideal for entrance areas of all shapes and sizes, it was perfect for the design of the architecturally striking building. With three points of access, each with their own set of revolving doors, the rigid entrance flooring system will help to stop the outside from travelling in.Due to the busy nature of the temple, removing soil from soles of shoes and wheel treads was essential in providing accidental slips and protecting interior floor surfaces. Nuway Tuftiguard classic is also reversible, which effectively doubles the lifespan of the entrance flooring.

The historic Aberdeen Music Hall has been restored and redeveloped by Architects BDP. The Category A listed concert hall has been completely refurbished and now includes a performance studio, creative learning space and a café/bar. Nearly 1,500m2 of Junckers solid Nordic Beech Classic flooring has been fitted as part of the transformation, including in the impressive 1,300 seat auditorium, which now has step-free access to all levels. Nordic Beech with its white pigmented finish offers a light and bright backdrop to the interior and makes the most of the architects’ new architectural lighting by reflecting an abundance of light. By specifying the same floor for much of the building, the various spaces are seamlessly connected by a unifying element. At 140mm wide, Junckers’ signature wide board, long-length floor boards really come into their own in the open spaces and circulation routes, offering a clean and elegant look. Solid beech is amongst the most hard-wearing timbers used for flooring and Junckers’ pre-finished floors are well-known for their durability. The flooring contractor was West End Flooring. 

This jaw dropping project featured Lazenby Light Natural polished concrete floors and cast in situ stairs. The concrete flows from the entrance hallways throughout the ground floor and up the feature staircase to the first floor landing.This 4 week phased project saw the polished concrete floor installed first. The formwork and reinforcement for the staircase was then fixed and built off the floor. Once the stairs had been cast the brass balustrades and handrails were retrofitted to the concrete.This self-supporting concrete architectural feature staircase involved discussions with external engineers who then designed the reinforcement. The complex angles, joins to other structural elements and the sleek elegance was meticulously planned and executed. The polished concrete floor joints carefully designed to enhance the creative charm of this project.Photography by David Butler

Calming colours and patterns have helped to create a special environment for mothers and babies at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Forbo Flooring Systems’ Sphera Element vinyl collection was specified throughout the Mother and Baby Unit, due to its bright and fresh appearance, high-performance and durability. Easy to work with, the Sphera sheets were laid throughout the unit and hand cut to shape to create a beautiful butterfly designs.

20,000 sq ft of brand new ‘BREEAM® Excellent’ Class A office space in Union Street, London, offers the character and qualities of Bankside’s industrial past, whilst offering a beautiful environment for modern office life. Open plan interiors featuring exposed concrete soffit and walls, full height ‘factory style’ windows, Maple timber Bathgate raised floor panels, and ‘acoustic’ decorative timber.

The North Block expansion (Cork Cancer Centre) at Bon Secours Hospital Cork incorporates a 12,500m2 7 storey development, including Radiotherapy, Oncology, Ward Accommodation, Critical Care and Operating theatre facilities.Forbo products were used almost exclusively throughout as the client recognised its durability over the years in the existing facility.Forbo was able to provide a wide range of flooring solutions from entrance ways and high quality, sustainable floor coverings, to hygienic and slip resistant surfaces.The Marmoleum range met the environmental, technical and maintenance requirements of the development with wide range of available colours assisting in the interior design development and way-finding design.

Travelodge have recently started a £100million nationwide modernisation programme as well as an increase of their Hotel brand sites. Travelodge Oxford is a New Build Development on Abingdon Road, built to help with the growing demand for affordable hotel accommodation in Oxford, mainly due to the increase in tourism as well as families visiting students in the city.The new Travelodge on Abingdon Road has 83 rooms, to supplement the demand in the area. The existing Travelodge in Oxford which was built in 1999, also has plans to be upgraded and refurbished with a new entrance, conservatory and a revamped restaurant.Soundis supplied the acoustic flooring at this Travelodge project for the Main Contractor Hinton Design & Build. The Travelodge specification for a high quality acoustic flooring system included 22mm T&G Chipboard and 19mm Plasterboard Plank, over a 30mm high density Rockfloor insulation floor slab with acoustic flanking edging band around the perimeter to separate and isolate all abutments. The whole project required over 1,200 sq metres of acoustic flooring.

For the new Calderwood primary school, part of the Calderwood Master-plan development in West Lothian, JM architects was tasked with creating an open and collaborative space for teachers and students to enjoy for years to come. Thanks to Forbo Flooring Systems' large portfolio of solutions, JM architects specifies a variety of products throughout the school, with Marmoleum and vinyl at the forefront of this new development. The project went on to be the winner of the Forbo Escapes 2021/2022 competition.