FLOORING FOCUS
Floorcovering installation mastery Continuous learning is essential for anyone involved in installing floorcoverings. Apart from starting their careers with the skills and knowledge to meet customer expectations, flooring professionals need to update their knowledge and acquire new skills in order to respond to changes affecting the industry and retain a competitive edge, says Neil Sanders, technical director at F. Ball and Co. Ltd. He also explains how contractors can access the best free training available. Training has always been integral to ensuring the highest standards of professionalism in the flooring industry. Basic training should cover subfloor preparation, including the identification of different subfloor types and how they should be prepared, the use of repair and floor levelling compounds to create a smooth base ready for the receipt of new floorcoverings, and selecting adhesives based on compatibility with different floorcoverings. It should also include instruction on how to avoid common causes of floor failure, chief of which is still unmanaged subfloor moisture. Advancements in technology As well as gaining a good grounding in subfloor preparation and floorcovering installation, flooring professionals should strive to continuously improve and develop their knowledge throughout their careers. This has become particularly necessary as advances in technology have accelerated the development of subfloor preparation products and adhesives with advanced properties and applications. For example, advancements in adhesive technology have enabled F. Ball to create a specialist, solvent-free, high-temperature vinyl adhesive with pressure sensitive characteristics, which can hold floorcoverings in place over a wide range of temperatures. Similarly, combinations of new, fast-drying levelling compounds, waterproof surface membranes and adhesives mean that contractors can now install floorcoverings in as little as one day whereas it would have once taken up to three days. Armed with knowledge of these new fast track products, contractors are better-equipped to deal with increasingly demanding time constraints.
Choosing the optimum product Having a good knowledge of the range of new products available will also help contractors to choose the optimum product for a particular job and avoid compromising the finished appearance of an installation. For example, particular vinyl adhesives are recommended to avoid visible trowel serrations showing through vinyl floorcoverings. There are also levelling compounds that are designed especially to withstand heavy loads and high foot traffic and others designed to accommodate movements in flexible subfloors. Changes affecting the industry Contractors need to keep abreast of wider changes affecting the flooring industry too. For instance, calcium sulphate screeds are increasingly common in new builds and require specific treatment to ensure against floor failure. In such cases, traditional cement-based levelling compounds will not be suitable and the use of a compatible calcium sulphate-based levelling compound is recommended. Regular training helps contractors understand different materials and the benefits of using compatible products. In another change, the recent move to standards-based apprenticeships has also brought new training requirements. One hour of ‘off the job’ training must be completed for every four hours spent working by flooring apprentices, which more companies are giving opportunities to as a way to tackle their skills shortages. Accessing training Fortunately, there is no shortage of excellent training available to flooring contractors at little or no cost. Flooring industry training centres, such as Flooring Industry Training Association (FITA) training centre in Loughborough, offer a wide range of training courses, covering everything from subfloor preparation to estimating costs and quoting. Thanks to the apprenticeships levy, which came into effect in 2017, many flooring companies enrolling apprentices on training courses such as these can claim back up to 95% of the cost.
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THE STOCKLISTS June 2021
