Hand Safety in the Flooring Industry Flooring professionals need their hands for just about all the work tasks they do and we all need healthy hands to perform daily activities. Hand safety is very important. Hand injuries are painful as well as disabling, and can easily require you to take time off work. Fixing and…
Over the past number of years, there has been some consumer confusion and concern about rumored radon or radiation levels occurring in natural granites used for residential countertops, floor tiles, etc. The origins of this concern are advertisements published by manufacturers of competing materials. Levels of radiation from granitic products, while technically measurable, are in…
Spray-on Concrete Slab Densifiers, Hardeners & Moisture Cures These products, commonly referred to as "slab densifiers," are just different types of silicoid densifiers added to the concrete mix before the pour that have been on the market for over thirty years. They are finding new markets because of all the issues surrounding concrete moisture and…
How many times have you damaged the walls trying to remove baseboards? Maybe you've seen the damaging results of someone else's efforts to remove baseboards from the wall. Or those craters on the face of the base when the nails have been pulled out? Who would have thought you'd ruin the board if you pulled…
Guest Article Written by Jill Canty Walking around with no socks is one of summer’s simple pleasures. However, it can be hard to work up the courage to whip those socks off if your bare feet risk coming into contact with an icy cold surface, or worse, an uncomfortable material. If you want to free…
Why Industry Standards? The IICRC standards director provides an introduction to standards and an overview of the benefits of using standards and engaging in the standard-development process. Industry standards are established by consensus and provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. Standards are developed by technical experts who work together to meet…
Weighing-In On Purchasing Flooring From Internet Retailers I understand that things change and technology gives us wonderful tools for us to gain knowledge and insight, but I would caution that it does have its limits and drawbacks. I want to share my opinion and insight on buying floor coverings from Internet retailers. Stop and ask…
How Parquet Flooring Is Coming Back Into Fashion Parquet flooring had found itself on the rise in popularity recently, but what exactly is causing the increase of interest? The style of parquet flooring dates back to the 16th century and can be found in many Edwardian houses in England. The typical style of parquet flooring…
Over two years, a majority of countries have issued related environmental protection regulations to restrict volatile organic solvents. Concrete floor coatings features, such as waterborne, solvent free and high solids will inevitably be the development trend for the epoxy flooring industry.
Chinese industrial floor coatings or paints currently produced are either solvent based or solvent free coatings, with the former causing harm to human health and pollution of the environment during production and its application in construction. The solvent-free epoxy flooring coating contains a active diluent. Typically, self-leveling application techniques will be used with 1-5mm coatings for solvent free epoxy flooring finishes. (more…)
Have you ever gone to a house to do an estimate for new flooring and detected an odor of insecticide? And maybe the carpet doesn’t look all that worn or old? The combination of the 2 might mean there were bed bugs in the carpet. Some home owners (or hotel/motel/rental managers) may be embarrassed to mention it, but don’t hesitate to bring the subject up. (more…)
Jim McClain grew up in rural Plumas County, CA. After a short, but exciting stint in the US Army, where he dodged work in Germany and incoming rounds in Vietnam, he settled back into country living and took a part-time job as an installer’s helper to work his way through college. He fell in love with the business and turned it into a career. Retiring from sales & installations in 2006, he still carries on his love affair with the industry through the use of a computer, a digital camera and a little space in “teh Ether”.