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----------------------- Entryway SystemsEntryway systems are designed to scrape, brush and trap dirt and moisture before they're tracked beyond your entryway, while, at the same time, withstanding the wear and tear of high foot traffic. In order to do an effective job, your entry system must cover sufficient floor area. Four to five steps (15 to 20 feet) will ensure the best results. If an outdoor mat is feasible - if the entry area is well protected from weather conditions with an overhang or awning - then your best bet is one with aggressive, non-absorbent, scraping fibers approved for outdoor use. Mats with an open weave or mesh backing allow moisture to drain naturally, and require minimal maintenance. Removing and holding dirt and moisture at the threshold prevents it from being tracked through the building. Entryway mats are expected to do "heavy lifting," so be prepared to invest in a high quality solution. For this application a mat with a drop-through design, allowing dirt and moisture to be trapped below the surface, is a smart choice. The up-front cost may be higher but a grid product will last longer and offer ongoing labour savings. That's because accumulated debris needs to be removed only periodically - not every day. But if your budget doesn't allow for installation of a grid mat, then we recommend the use of a fiber mat made of any number of high-quality materials. A finishing mat removes whatever moisture and dust might be left on the soles of occupants' shoes as they enter the interior of the building. But don't worry that you're going to have to install something plain and utilitarian, with the look of an industrial product. At Xebec we understand that customers want to project an upscale look in their lobbies starting with the entryway mat - specific colours and/or patterns to compliment the interior design, even the company logo adorning the mat. There are many matting products on the market today that offer the upscale appearance of luxury carpet while still performing hard labour in trapping dirt and moisture. ----------------------- LaminateIf you're looking for the upscale look of wood flooring in your office environment but are concerned about the costs, you might want to consider laminate. There's no other flooring on the market today in laminate's price point that can out-perform it as far as durability and resistance to gouges, punctures and other impact damage, scratches, spills and stains. And unlike the laminates that were introduced to the market in the late '80s, today's choices look like the real thing! With advancements in photographic technology, laminates can often pass for authentic maple, oak, beech, pine - even with a texured or distressed-look finish - and newer designs are also featuring the look of stone and tilework. A tongue-and-groove interlocking system, laminate flooring is available in either planks or squares. Both styles consist of four layers; a wearlayer, a decorative print film layer, an inner core structure and some type of backing support layer (frequently high-density fiberboard). The decorative print film layer, usually a photo of actual flooring, is either fused or glued to the inner core. The top wearlayer is applied to this decorative print layer to protect the pattern. The main component of this layer - melamine resins - contains aluminum oxide and it's the compound metal - almost as hard as diamonds - that makes laminate flooring so durable and wear-and-stain resistant. Another of laminate's strengths is its easy maintainability. Periodic vacuuming followed by a rinsing with a recommended solution is all that's needed. And employees, especially asthma and allergy sufferers, will appreciate the fact that dust mites and bacteria can't survive on its smooth, impenetrable surface, yielding a healthier work environment for all. Yet another advantage is the fact that laminate can be installed over a variety of existing flooring products, including hardwood, ceramic, vinyl and linoleum. Since most laminate flooring systems are floating (i.e. they do not fasten directly to the plywood subfloor or existing flooring materials with nails or glue), they can expand and contract freely as the room environment changes. ----------------------- Carpet Tile and BroadloomWhy choose carpet? To put it simply, certain advantages are unique to carpet - like its ability to reduce ambient noise and the available range of fashion options in colours and textures - to say nothing of warmth, softness, sound barrier and safety features. That's why carpet remains the primary flooring choice for many environments. And that's not all; It's relatively inexpensive and generally easier to install and replace than other floor coverings. Carpet can hide many sub-floor irregularities that hard-surface flooring won't accept, and it can be laid over a variety of substrates and on all grade levels. Thus, installations costs are generally less than for hard flooring - clearly demonstrating that carpet provides good value. If you think carpet might be the right choice for your facility, your next decision is between carpet tile and broadloom. Carpet tile, also know as modular carpet, has been around for several decades but with today's professional environments moving away from fixed-wall offices to open-construction ones, its benefits are now widely recognized. Because the tiles are conveniently sized, they're easier to transport, stage, install and remove. They can be installed in occupied work settings without interruption to staff and activities through our unique installation technique called the XMG Lift System. And since this allows for rapid installation, and eliminates the need for dismantling and reassembling of furniture and phone, data and computer wiring, costs are lower. Modular carpet is also fully compatible with access flooring. Wiring and cabling for computers and other electronic communications devices can be easily concealed yet is easily accessible, allowing for rewiring and repairs. But probably the most singular advantage of modular carpet is its flexibility in terms of allowing for selective tile replacement. If a tile gets worn or permanently damaged, it can be replaced with a new one or swapped with one from a less visible location. Broadloom carpet is often less costly than modular and works well in a wide range of commercial applications. No matter which you choose - modular or broadloom - today's carpet styles, colours and textures blend well with any decor and with a wide variety of other flooring products. ----------------------- Specialty FlooringThese days, there's a growing interest in installing environmentally friendly flooring materials among designers, builders and facilities managers. The use of sustainable floor covering products and environmentally responsible maintenance products and procedures has become a top priority for many facilities. That's one of the reasons why linoleum is experiencing renewed popularity. It's made entirely of renewable raw materials - linseed oil, cork powders, tree resin, wood flour and clay pigments, with jute backing. Linoleum has been around for decades, but today's improvements in its manufacture, installation and maintainability - and how it performs in commercial and industrial installations - are significant. Linoleum is relatively easy to maintain (as long as it's kept well polished to avoid scuff marks) while providing a quiet, warm, cushioned surface underfoot. Add to this a lengthy lifecucle, inherent coloration and good durability, and it's clear that linoleum presents a good flooring option for many environments. Cork is a pure, natural material that does not out-gas or shed micro-fibres, thus causing no negative impact to indoor air quality. It comes from a tree commonly know as the Cork Oak, whose bark spiles naturally every 9 to 15 years and can be safely harvested, causing no harm to the tree. The bark re-grows and the cycle continues for many years - some trees have been know to continue producing for 500 years. This type of flooring is not only warm to walk on and extremely quiet, with natural sound-absorbing qualities, but also hypoallergenic and naturally resistant to mold and mildew. Installation is similar to that of hardwood flooring, and cork flooring can be finished off with urethatne, vinyl, wax or oil. Assumed by many to be a by-product of trees, bamboo is actually a fast-growing grass. Since it matures from sprouting to harvesting in three to five years, an acre of bamboo can provide significantly more flooring materials than an acre of trees. And when bamboo shoots are cut the roots remain intact - so bamboo's growth is cyclical. Bamboo is an attractive alternative to hardwood; It is eco-friendly, flame resistant, dimensionally stable, harder than many popular wood flooring species, and more impervious to moisture. Sold in planks, bamboo flooring is installed much like engineered hardwood floors - it can either be nailed or glued down or floated over a wide variety of sub-floors. There are many other materials that can be used for flooring, including fibers like seagrass, coir, jute, and sisal, all derived from natural and renewable resources. All of these come with latex backing ( synthetic or natural), making them usable in heavy traffic areas. Another major consideration for contractors, designers and facilities managers where the manufacture, assembly, or use of sensitive electronic components is ongoing is the installation of Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Flooring. The transfer of ever imperceptible static electric charges can damage memory chips or micro-circuitry, with the potential for rendering millions of dollars of equipment inoperative. Manufacturers and users of computers, photocopying machines, medical instruments, communications and defense-related equipment face this concern on a daily basis. ESD flooring - like vinyl, epoxy, carpet and rubber - grounds these static charges from the human body to earth before they can damage sensitive equipment or create a disastrous spark in a highly flammable area. This ensures that body voltage potentials are kept at very low levels. ----------------------- Vinyl and RubberWhile vinyl and rubber are both classified as resilient flooring (meaning they provide a cushioning effect underfoot), any similarity ends there. Vinyl flooring, available as vinyl composition tile (VCT) and sheet vinyl, is relatively easy to maintain but can be prone to scratching from sand or grit residue. Offered in a wider array of colours, vinyl is extremely versatile, and, if tiles are used, spare ones can be kept on hand and used to replace worn or damaged tiles. Critical to the performance of vinyl flooring is the thickness of its wearlayer. This thickness varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but, generally, the thicker the wearlayer, the longer the flooring will look new and fresh, and the more costly it will be. While it's true that vinyl flooring typically has a lower initial cost than other resilitnt materials like rubber, its maintenance requirements can often result in high total life-cycle costs. Moreover, under heavy use it is less durable than rubber flooring. Studies have shown that rubber is among the most cost-effecient material for commercial flooring. It is extremely durable, fire code compliant, resists dents and stains, is quiet to walk on and has a unique softness. It's this softness that produces beneficial qualities the ergonomic comfort, slip resistance and sound absorption/sound deadening. Rubber tiles and sheet goods are made from synthetic rubber, and come in ribbed, coin or other raised patterns. Today's manufacturing techniques allow rubber flooring to be produced in a wide range of colours, styles and patterns. And as designers, specifiers and facilities managers become more environmentally sensitive, the "green" aspects of rubber become evident; it contains no PVCs, and can be easily recycled. As a matter of fact, rubber flooring materials are being made by reclaiming our mountains of used automobile tires. Rubber is a relatively expensive flooring choice initially and must be installed by an experienced team for maximum performance. However, when evaluated based on its durability, minimal maintenance requirements, good wear resistance and length of life cycle, it offers a low-cost alternative to many other flooring options over the long term. ----------------------- |
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entryway systems |
laminate |
carpet tile & broadloom |
specialty flooring |
vinyl & rubber |