Floor coverings of the latest generation can generally do more than just look good and style the room. Considering the innovations of the last years, what is striking is that many of the products have additional functions capable of transforming the floor from a neglected space in a room to a playground for designers. A key benefit of using the new products is that they open up a new dimension of designing space. Most, but by no means always the innovation plays out on the visible surface. The scope ranges from floorboards and tiles that can be individually printed, technically perfected surfaces, water-proof yet cozy coverings through to carpets with sensors capable of pointing out hazards.

Choose your print motif

Many firms are exploring specially developed printing and coating technologies. Often the prime motive is to make inexpensive materials look more expensive and valuable. That said, some do not stop there, but offer new options for individual design. Alongside motifs like authentic-looking wooden grain structures, coverings made of cork, vinyl and an organic composite material can be printed with personal digital photos or computer graphics. This opens up scope for experimentation in the DTP era, but also for new visionary symbolism and imagery.

After printing, the “Printcork” line of natural cork floor coverings by Lico from Switzerland are protected using state-of-the-art varnish technologies, the aim being to prevent them from fading due to direct sunlight. When combined with water-resistant hydro synthetic backing this natural product can be click-fitted simply and seamlessly.

By contrast, the design floorings “Neo by Classen” are made of an organic composite material. The firm developed the components necessary for production itself. “Neo” consists of Composite Solid Fiberboard (CSF), a homogenous base plate in which wooden fibers are combined with food-safe polypropylene. The CSF panel is sturdy and water-resistant. On offer are differently printed and structured surfaces called “Neo Wood” and “Neo Stone”. The highly resilient yet elastic surface is created by combining several sealing layers known as “Sealtec” at Classen, to protect the digital prints. Made exclusively in Germany, the PVC-free flooring is fitting quickly and simply using the patented system “Classen megaloc”.

Invisible value-added

The objective of “ROC Varnish”, a special surface treatment for parquet flooring in restaurants or shopping centers, is not to give something inexpensive an exclusive look, but rather to preserve something valuable. The French firm Design Parquet is the brain this mixture of resin and polyurethane using nanoparticles, which makes floors especially resilient. Currently, the firm provides protection for 12 different sorts of parquet that need to be particularly sturdy, and which attain a value of seven on the Mohs hardness scale.

The highly inflammable linoleum floors of the “Linoville” series by Tarkett France are conceived for areas with heavy traffic, such as in schools or kindergartens. The color palette based on the “Natural Color System” and the well-known properties of the natural material linoleum aside, a new surface treatment known at Tarkett as “xf2” creates additional benefits. A micro-reinforced polyurethane double UV treatment creates a fine and dense surface structure, which is easy to clean. “Silencio xf2” is the name of a linoleum version that in addition to a burlap backing has a layer of polyurethane on the underside providing impact sound insulation and also enhancing heat insulation.

Swedish firm Välinge outfits its “Pure Genius” hardwood floors with a special surface designed to keep the air and floor clean. “Actio2” is a coating that contains titanic oxide. Thanks to the impact of sunlight or artificial light the metal oxide develops catalytic properties. According to the manufacturer this not only means that any stains on the wood disappear as if by magic, but also that the inside air is cleansed of pollutants.

Networked carpet

Electronic sensors turn the “ESP Detection floor” by Edel Tapijt from the Netherlands a very special floor underlay that recognizes and monitors people’s movements. This might sound like the end of the lasts vestige of our private sphere, but it does have a valuable use. For it means that people who need looking after or those in danger of falling can remain in their accustomed setting longer than was previously possible. Similarly, residents in care homes or patients in hospitals can be helped more quickly and efficiently. An efficient measure that, at a time when staffing levels are problematic, may not only assist the operators of such homes. The “ESP Detection Floor” consists of individual tiles with sensors and can simply be fitted beneath wooden or vinyl floors. Unusual movements or points of contact are reported to a control system. The software can be adapted to different needs and can, for instance, also report burglars or serve as a marketing tool to help analyze customers’ shopping behavior in a supermarket.

Water-resistant and cozy

“Tex” is the name of a carpet by Lico, which can also be fitted in all those places where previously carpets were not employed. Say in bathrooms or in small hotels that offer washroom facilities in the room as there is no space for fitting a bathroom. For the residential and contract areas Lico offers its waster-repellant “Tex” in six designs. Not only can it be wet-cleaned, but when combined with the water-resistant synthetic panel “Hydro” mentioned earlier, “Tex Hydro” enables seamless click-fitting

The Belgian Unilin Group, which belongs to the American Mohawk Group, has conducted an in-depth study of the market for luxury vinyl tiles (LVT). The market is experiencing huge expansion rates, but until now products tended to be underdeveloped, mostly manufactured in the Far East, and there was no real control over the ingredients used. Most products expand when exposed to sunlight and then shrink again, which can cause deformations and gaps that not only damage the surface, but also the concrete. Moreover, many of the products on the market scratch or stain easily. As an alternative Unilin has developed a new product with certified ingredients, which is made in Belgium (and thus in the heart of the European market) and has brought LVT high double-digit growth rates so far. Moreover, Unilin combines the new products with the tried-and-trusted qualities of its brands “Quick-Step” (for the fitting technique) and “Pergo” (for the pressure and quality of surfaces). The firm anticipates this innovation could provide new impetus to the market for LVTs.

This only leaves the expectation that manufacturers will be more open to designers and interior architects. The aim should not be to produce ever more perfect imitation surfaces at low prices, but to develop contemporary surfaces, structures and images that lend a new dimension to those areas of a room people walk on.

www.lico.ch
www.classen.de
www.designparquet.fr
www.tarkett.fr
www.valinge.se
www.edel.nl
www.unilin.com