Special Producers of solid or multilayer Hungarian point and herringbone

Floor Forum International N°140, November 2024

Oosterlinck nv responds to rising demand for herringbone and Hungarian point with a new production line
Oosterlinck, a Wingene-based family business founded back in 1952, started out as a classic timber merchant. In the early 1980s, it started producing interior doors and solid parquet, to which multi-layer parquet was added from 2014. From the very beginning, the company built itself a strong reputation by constantly responding to changing customer needs. This market sensitivity is also behind the very recent investment in a production machine, purchased specifically for the production of herringbone and Hungarian point parquet.

Special Bamboo a floor with guarantee

Floor Forum International N° 140, November 2024

‘With MOSO® Bamboo, we can offer up to 30 years warranty’
The warranty a flooring manufacturer can provide is inherently linked to the durability and strength of a material. Bamboo is a material with high stability, high hardness and fire-resistant properties. It is therefore no surprise that MOSO®, the reference player in bamboo products, can offer guarantees of up to 30 years. Besides the intrinsic strength of bamboo, Sales Manager Edwin van Houten also refers to its high quality standards. "All our products are produced and certified according to European standards. We have been able to smoothly scale up our warranty terms over the years." Edwin takes us through the world of bamboo, warranty terms and the company MOSO® that continues to innovate.

Special Staircase renovation with LVT, PVC and vinyl or laminate

Floor Forum International N° 140, November 2024

‘Making staircase renovation accessible for everyone!’
There is a stronger relation between floors and stairs that many do not recognize. It is an important feature of the interior decoration entering the house. Aligning the floor and the stair decor is a winning combination in every house! Because of its complexity and the high costs involved to renew the staircase, stair renovation by using components is a new and innovative solution. Van Dijk Staircase Solutions is a specialist manufacturer in this segment. Both B2B and B2C solutions are made here to satisfy its customers. The Dutch manufacturer is increasingly emerging as the European reference when it comes to staircase renovation components. "In addition to the standard components we produce, we focus strongly on customisation. After all, every staircase is unique,’ Flip Kitslaar explains. He refers among other things to the brand new tool ICM20 for measuring stairs quickly and efficiently as well as a new introduction in LVT that is also available as a ‘made-to-measure’ through ICM20.

Special Strong points of silane adhesives

Floor Forum International N°140, November 2024

What are the strengths of silane adhesives for bonding PVC, vinyl or LVT floors?
We talked about the advantages and disadvantages of silane adhesives in previous editions. Here, we mainly looked at their use in combination with wood, where they now occupy a dominant market position. We now look at how they can be used in bonding LVT, PVC and vinyl flooring. We knock on the door of specialist Kaneka, a firm of Japanese origin with also a production facility in Belgium, whose capacity was significantly expanded in 2019 and 2024, for further explanation.

Special Producers of multilayer floors

Floor Forum International N°140, November 2024

‘Producing bespoke products in an authentic, passionate and helpful way’
Dutch flooring manufacturer Lieverdink is increasingly emerging as a reference in the field of multilayer parquet. ‘Our two-layer parquet has become our core business and is enjoying success in the residential sector, but also increasingly in the project sector,’ says Manager Commercial Hein Brunsveld. ‘We deliver a lot of customisation and, in addition, our two-layer parquet is easy to install,’ adds managing director Willem Smid. Both gentlemen take us to Achterhoek, the region in the Netherlands where this originally family-owned company is growing into a producer with ambition. ‘We are now also looking towards Belgium as a sales market.’

Special Veneer floors

Floor Forum International N°140, November 2024

Parky, next generation wood flooring
‘Our veneer flooring is a growing category within wood flooring, combining true look and feel, durability and performance to become the next generation of wood flooring." Griet Fournier, Product Manager at Parky, is clear about the place of wood veneer flooring. Founded in 1990 as a Decospan Group brand, Parky has been on a strong run forward in recent years. This is proven by the extensive product range, the variety of spaces and projects Parky floors end up in, and the new collection launched in October.

Special Who produces SPC floors in Europe

Floor Forum International N° 139, September 2024

Corkart, forerunner in SPC flooring with European and sustainable production
Corkart saw the light of day in the 1980s when the father of current CEO Gonçalo Neves started producing cork products. In the 1990s, floating floors made of cork were added. ‘In our family we have cork running through our veins,’ says Gonçalo. The energetic CEO takes us through the story of this family-owned manufacturing company that is increasingly committed to SPC flooring. "We are fully committed to European production, even though production costs are higher here. After all, this local anchoring provides several advantages."

Special Hybrid (wood powder) wooden floors

Floor Forum International N° 139, September 2024

Bjelin shows off Woodura floors in herringbone pattern
Bjelin is a resounding name in the flooring world. The Swedish manufacturer has since gone global and this sister company to the Swedish innovations company Välinge (both part of Pervanovo Invest AB Group) is a forerunner in the industry. "Bjelin and Välinge are characterised by several innovations. The Wood Powder technology underlying our Woodura flooring range is one of them,’ says Fredrik Alfredsson. Woodura floors are now also available in the herringbone pattern, a pattern that remains particularly popular. Fredrik takes us on a tour and passionately tells us about Bjelin, its development in a competitive market and the need to keep innovating.

Special Battery cut-off and mitre saws

Floor Forum International N° 139, September 2024

Batteries are an increasingly decisive factor, including for crosscut and mitre saws
It is impossible to imagine the world of professional floorers without cross-cut and mitre saws. Metabo, the company that can blow out 100 candles, is excellently placed to take a look at the ins and outs of these kinds of working tools. What emerges? Batteries and battery interchangeability are playing an increasing role in the choices professionals make. We had a nice conversation with Patrick Vermeulen. This Brand Manager at Metabo Belgium NV takes us into the world of the German company, the CAS platform, the LiHD batteries and the crosscut and mitre saws.

Special Levelings

Floor Forum International N° 139, September 2024

‘Leveling knowledge at least as important as product quality’
Lecol, the Dutch manufacturer of parquet adhesives, among other products, and part of Maiburg since 1998, has become a reference player in various product groups over the past decades. These include, for example, primers and levelling products. ‘In recent years, the levelling agents segment has grown rapidly,’ Pieter Pruyn kicks off the conversation. Pieter has been a regular at Lecol since 1990 and is now working as Product Manager. Floor Forum spoke to him about the range of levelling agents and the importance of sharing knowledge with installers as well as commercial people. "Our recently launched course “levelling & PVC bonding offers answers to the many questions the market has about the correct use of primers and levelling agents.”

Special Filling machines

Floor Forum International N° 139, September 2024

Fillers, direct added value for the end result
"Fillers for wood are still too often treated as a stepmother on the market and considered an expensive investment. However, players who regularly use mechanical or manual wood fillers know that this investment brings tangible value to the look and feel of the end result," Geert Van Loocke quips. The managing director of CSP Engineering tells us passionately about fillers and his brand CosmetiWood. "This autumn, we are launching two improved variants of our product, a version for manual filling and a version for machine filling." We are already on the edge of our seats.

Special Filling machines

Floor Forum International N°139, September 2024

'Wintersteiger stands out for its extremely thorough pre- and after-sales support’
Wintersteiger combines 5 product areas for the timber industry under the umbrella term "World of WOODTECH": precise thin-cutting and surface repair of wood, saw blades engineered and produced in-house, mobile and stationary sawmill technology, automation solutions, as well as cutting solutions for a range of materials including lightweight materials. But the company is much more than only the timber industry. "At WINTERSTEIGER Group, we develop solutions for the the agricultural sector, the metal industry and the sports industry, among others.

Special UV curing machines for use on site

Floor Forum International N°139, September 2024

‘The UV world needs specialists, not generalists...’
"In times of less financial breathing space, innovation always runs a little less smoothly. Companies review their spending patterns and revert to traditional, less expensive solutions, including the sustainable story being put on hold for a while. This is exactly what we saw happen in the past two years with the UV coating story."

Special Cork floors : the many advantages of a cork floor at a glance

Floor Forum International N° 139, September 2024

‘Introduction of digital print makes cork boom further in the flooring world’
As a material, cork has been on the rise for several years. This is not surprising: can you think of a more ecologically responsible material than cork? After all, it has a 100% natural cycle from harvesting to recovery of the material, with a particularly low environmental impact. In addition, it is water-repellent, insulates extremely well both thermally and acoustically, can be used under various forms,...

Special Suppliers of textured, embossed and ageing brushes

Floor Forum International N° 138, July 2024

CardoTech, 6th generation of engineering around brush tools

The brush tools sector is a specific niche within the industry, but no less relevant for parquet producers and floor installers, among others. Brushing tools can play an essential role in finishing wooden floors. Just think of brushing, embossing or 'texturing' floors. We were allowed to have coffee with Dominique Vittot, president of CardoTech, the French family-owned company that is quietly preparing to be succeeded by the 6th generation. "For us, customisation is not optional, it is simply the standard we follow. And that customisation also includes ensuring the project from A to Z," Dominique Vittot said.