Are some floor coverings more suited to some developments than others? If so, why?
Speed and ease of installation are important factors for developers when selecting floorcoverings and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a good choice because it offers both benefits, as well as fashionable design, high performance and easy maintenance.
LVT is supplied in two different formats – stickdown or rigid ‘click’ – and each have particular benefits for different rooms of the home. Stickdown LVT is a fully adhered system which is glued to the subfloor and doesn’t expand or contract. This gives it a higher degree of stability and tolerance to temperature variations so is ideal for large open plan spaces with bi-fold glazing and conservatories. It can also be pre-installed over the entire floor area
before the kitchen is installed, or if you know that heavy furniture such as kitchen islands, American style fridge freezers or Agas will be placed over the floor. This facilitates project management and allows a job to flow more smoothly and quickly. It also delivers a very streamlined aesthetic as no expansion gaps are required around the edge of a room or fixed furniture.
Malmo™ stickdown LVT offers excellent functionality for use in the bathroom being completely waterproof to its core, R10 slip resistant, naturally warm to the touch and suitable for use with water-piped underfloor heating. The vinyl tiles are also easy to clean and are exceptionally sound absorbent.
A rigid or click style product offers particular benefits for bathrooms, cloakrooms and en-suites where space can be tight if working around sanitaryware and underneath doors.
Rigid or ‘click’ LVT and is generally faster and even easier to fit than a stickdown product. For example, our Malmo™ Rigid products feature push down end joints and each plank only requires a firm finger touch to securely click the product into place with no need for hammers or tapping tools. Products with a built-in underlay because will save developers a lot of time and make the job easier too.
Is it still the case that carpets are specified for bedrooms and hard floors in the rest of the house?
Floorcoverings are interchangeable throughout the home these days thanks to their design sophistication. We are seeing a strong rise in hard floors being chosen for bedrooms with en-suites as these are much easier to maintain with their durability and ease of cleaning. Woodgrains are popular for bedrooms with a rug thrown over for that luxury design look and our Malmo™ Senses range has proven a winner with many developers because it replicates the look and natural feel of natural wood, but is more cost effective, easy to fit and requires no ongoing maintenance.
Please explain what service you can offer housebuilders that will enable them to be as efficient as possible.
The Malmo™ LVT collection is supported by an extensive Point of Sale package for show home support that includes a sample display stand, swatches and lifestyle brochure. Housebuilders will also benefit from the security of working with a long-term brand partner, ongoing technical support, ex-stock availability from nationwide distributors in the UK and Ireland, a product range backed by a warranty of up to 25-years and responsive after sales service.
Tell us more about your latest product additions.
The Malmo™ luxury vinyl tile (LVT) collection has undergone a major design update with 13 brand new additions to its stickdown offering, further enhancing its creative scope and installation flexibility for domestic and commercial interiors.
The complete Malmo™ collection now offers a total of 57 designs; 25 stickdown designs and 32 rigid, including the award-winning Senses range.
Fashionable and functional, the thirteen new stickdown decors comprise seven planks, five tiles and a herringbone style and, with their warm colour palette, are on-point for traditional and contemporary interiors. Designs span on-trend large square tiles, elegant woodgrains ranging from warmer tones to cooler, neutral shades, and chic light grey herringbone.
Malmo™ has strategically enhanced its choice of stickdown LVT designs to ensure that the collection has a versatile offer for any application in the home or in commercial settings, including areas where a click installation is not suitable. A fully adhered floor will withstand variations in temperature and weight, ideal for instances such as a kitchen floor being installed before the cabinetry. It can also be used in conservatories and open plan spaces with bi-fold doors and skylights where there can be ‘hotspots’ from direct sunlight. There is also no need for additional trims such as door profiles or scotias as no expansion gaps are required, and this offers the flexibility to mix and match designs to zone open plan spaces or create an effortless flow of one design between rooms.
Malmo™ stickdown LVT features a 0.55mm wear layer, is tested to R10 slip resistance, is compatible with water-piped underfloor heating systems and exceptionally sound absorbent. The range has a 25-year domestic wear warranty with 10 years for commercial applications.
