The Commercial Flooring Report is a publication made available by LGM and Associates Technical Flooring Services: Floor Covering experts on Carpet, Laminate and Vinyl, Ceramic and Hardwood. Monthly newsletters designed to help you and your team understand challenges typical to the flooring industry and provide prevention and resolution.
Volume: 69 | Issue: 1 | Download
For all of the wonderful products and technologies the flooring industry has developed over the last several years and for all the new technology coming down the pike, how can one ask what the industry is lacking? Don't we have beautiful products in both hard and soft surfaces and don't we continue to introduce even more wonderful materials and designs? How can anything be lacking?
Volume: 68 | Issue: 1 | Download
Flooring adhesives are challenged far more than ever to perform and provide maximum bond strength for every flooring product made to be glued down. Flooring adhesives are required to perform over wet concrete sub-floors that have elevated pH/Alkali content. Often these issues
far exceed the calcium chloride test levels for moisture vapor emission
specified by flooring manufacturers' and the pH factor of 9.0 as specified in resilient and carpet installation standards.
Volume: 67 | Issue: 1 | Download
Flooring product failures, or the interpretation of a flooring failure being the reason for a disappointment, are the cause of most flooring concerns and complaints. The scenario typically follows the planning of a project, the consideration of a flooring material or materials, contemplation of the type or types of flooring to use, consideration of samples presented for use, selection of the flooring materials, the decision on what to use, where to install it, when to install it and the anticipation that it will deliver the performance expected of it. After spending a great deal of time and money the worst feeling is to see the total investment taking a turn for the worst within a short period of time after it is put into use. Why does this happen and how can you take precautions so that you aren’t a victim of a flooring failure?
Volume: 66 | Issue: 1 | Download
RH and MVER: Is There a Correlation?
When looking to determine if a concrete slab is dry enough to proceed with a finish, flooring or occupancy, there are several methods commonly specified for testing the relative humidity (or moisture content) of the slab. A dry slab is never at 0% humidity, but determining the level of moisture still held in the concrete can be the difference between a successful flooring installation and a problem-prone floor system.
Volume: 65 | Issue: 1 | Download
We track the number of read articles to the subject matter of each issue and this subject, winters effects on floor covering, has been the most popular of any issue of the Commercial Flooring Report so we wanted to print it again, with updated information.
Volume: 64 | Issue: 1 | Download
We've had several questions asked about waivers for installation of flooring materials over questionable substrates or in questionable conditions recently. In addition questions have arisen about placing a lien on a building when payment is not made for the installation of flooring materials. We'll address both these issues in simple terms here so that it will make it easy to understand what they mean, how they are used and how or if they can help you when you have a dubious situation.
Volume: 63 | Issue: 1 | Download
If you've been reading the Commercial Flooring Report for any length of time you know that I harp on two issues relative to specifying floor covering material. The first is "Get it in the door and keep it on the floor" and the second is to make sure you have the right product for the right application. Both will satisfy your expectations of performance and longevity with whatever floor covering product you select. These mantras are also pertinent to being green and environmentally conscientious and fiscally responsible by selecting the correct product, getting it installed, taking proper care of it and then continuing on with your day to day business without the concern of a failed flooring product or installation.
Volume: 62 | Issue: 1 | Download
Flooring installation failures are one of the biggest and most costly problems in the industry, regardless of the cause or who may be at fault. It's not uncommon for a commercial flooring failure to cost 10 times what the original installation did. A flooring installation failure always falls on the shoulders of the installer. This is a case of guilty until proven innocent and even if proven innocent the installers remain the guilty parties branded with a mark of mistrust. Most often an installation failure is based on a lack of understanding of the installation environment, product knowledge or lack of time to get the job done properly. And very often, by the time the flooring is installed, the project is behind schedule, the end user, architect and GC are pushing the flooring contractors and any compliance with industry standards for installing, whatever the flooring material is, may be totally ignored.
Volume: 61 | Issue: 1 | Download
Do I have your attention? One of the things that bother me most is ignorance; I can deal with stupidity as you can educate people. Ignorance and those who espouse it as truth, has a tendency to sensationalize issues that when looked at logically don't make sense. Logic is the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference. Often logic and common sense, get lost in sensationalism that would have the unsuspecting believing all statements about whatever are true. It's a reach to make a correlation between the admitted potential harmful effects of plastic nipples and baby bottles on babies to incorporate the entire populace of the world to what some would have you believe are poisonous plastics.
Volume: 60 | Issue: 1 | Download
The Hospitality Design show in Las Vegas this year showcased a multitude of new designs in textile floorcovering materials. Never before has there been such a departure from the "normal" offerings of what many would consider high styled carpet and flooring. This move in design can be considered more art than design. These styles cover all means of manufacture of textile and hard surface flooring materials.
