COVER STORY


12. GETTING THE GROUNDWORK RIGHT Nic Collins of Sika UK tackles common floor preparation challenges and shares advice on choosing the right solution and treating the floor as a complete system.


REGULARS


04. WHAT'S NEW? The latest company news and product launches from across the flooring industry.


FEATURES


14. DESIGN MEETS COMPLIANCE Elmira Magomedova of Altro explores how considered specification can create accessible, visually appealing healthcare bathrooms and wet rooms.


24. HOT STEPPER From warmer wood tones to statement parquet patterns, Luxury Flooring reveals two trends that are predicted to have lasting power.


SMOOTHING COMPOUNDS


16. THE OPTIMUM CHOICE Neil Sanders of F. Ball explains why general-purpose floor smoothing compounds should be the go-to choice for many applications, while highlighting when specialist formulations are beneficial.


FLOORING IN EDUCATION


20. EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK Junckers outlines the DfE’s new requirements for sports and multi-purpose flooring in schools and what they mean for specification.


UNDERLAY & ACOUSTIC SOLUTIONS


27. UNDERLAY, UNDERLAY Matthew Haestier of Direct Flooring Online discusses the best types of underlay for different rooms and applications.


REFURBISHMENT


30. WARMTH & DEPTH Havwoods introduces its Auburn colour collection of warm brown wood flooring designed to bring natural character and versatility to residential and commercial interiors.


Welcome to the October issue of Tomorrow’s Contract Floors.


September has been a busy month for the flooring industry, and it was great to head over to Harrogate for The Flooring Show and see such a strong turnout. There was a real buzz around the show, with plenty of familiar faces, new products to explore and, perhaps most importantly, lots of opportunity to catch up with people from across the industry.


We’ll be bringing you a full review of The Flooring Show in our November issue, including some of the key launches, trends and highlights from the event. For now, though, there’s plenty to get stuck into in this month’s issue.


In our Smoothing Compounds feature, F. Ball considers when to use general purpose products and when specialist formulations are beneficial, while Mapei looks at the practicalities of repairing and sealing cementitious screeds.


Education is another focus this month, as Junckers explains what the Department for Education’s latest requirements mean for the specification of sports and multi-purpose flooring in schools.


On the design side, we look at some of the latest trends in wood flooring, from Luxury Flooring’s warmer tones and parquet patterns to Havwoods’ new Auburn collection. We also explore how acoustic performance is helping to create quieter, more comfortable homes.


There’s also plenty of practical advice for contractors, including guidance on choosing underlay for different applications and preparing floors for refurbishment.


As ever, we hope you enjoy the issue.


Sarah Robinson, Editor


CEO: Mark Hanson (mark@opusbm.co.uk) Production Director: Hannah Wilkinson (hannah@opusbm.co.uk) Advertising Executive: Alex Lawrence (alex@opusbm.co.uk) Editor: Sarah Robinson (sarah@opusbm.co.uk) Designer: Daniel Etheridge (daniel@opusbm.co.uk) Designer: Hao Nguyen (hao@opusbum.co.uk)


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