Recycled-content Resilient Flooring Mimics Nature

Inspired by nature, Lonseal’s vinyl flooring product is also GREENGUARD certified.

By Takashi Abe, Lonseal’s Executive Vice President and CEO

Bringing the beauty and calm of serene surroundings into interior settings is an aspiration of architecture and design; yet we’re increasingly challenged as an industry to echo the inspiration of Mother Nature without taking from it. Manufacturers of interior products such as furniture and flooring are “mimicking nature” by using synthetic materials to replicate wood looks. Experimenting with natural colors, textures and organic patterns, manufacturers have achieved products resembling the world’s most rare and precious commodities.

Lonseal, a designer and manufacturer of resilient surfacing, recently introduced its Lonzebra collection, a sustainable, synthetic solution that pairs the warm aesthetic of wood with the design impact of resilient surfaces. The company’s first running line product in its expanding vertical surfacing portfolio, Lonzebra is a sheet vinyl solution that can be adapted into a variety of environments, while protecting itself from the threat of dirt and abrasions with its embossed-wood grain texture.

As a pliable, vertical surfacing product, Lonzebra can be applied on the floor, wall or even the ceiling. At 60-mil. thick and available in 10 exotic colors, Lonzebra’s striated linear pattern masks dirt and other blemishes. Lonzebra’s authentic wood-like aesthetic doesn’t take away from the very thing that provided its inspiration: nature. Lonseal’s heterogeneous sheet vinyl is composed of more than 35 percent pre-consumer recycled content. A protective first layer is easy to clean and provides maximum resistance in environments where there are increased vertical abrasions, while a middle layer provides dimensional stability and sound-absorbing properties. Its bottom layer, which is molded to the backing cloth, provides stabilization. Lonseal’s flooring surface materials emit low VOCs and may contribute to LEED points (4.1 and 4.2).

For more information, visit www.lonseal.com.


Reader Service No. 204

New Technology Improves Construction Environment

Mer-Krete Systems’ dust-less thin-set mortar is being used for tile applications in guest rooms in a major Las Vegas resort casino.

By Randy Schultz, LTG&A

Las Vegas usually conjures images of neon lights set against a vast, arid desert landscape, but new construction techniques and products are giving the town a noticeably “green” appearance. Mer-Krete Systems, a division of ParexLaHabra, Inc., reports that its new 7d10 Dust-Less Thin-Set Mortar is being used for tile applications in the thresholds, entry foyers and bathrooms of more than 2,000 guest rooms in a major Las Vegas resort casino. The 61-story tower now under construction will include 2,054 rooms, a 74,000-square-foot casino and a full complement of restaurants, nightclubs, world-class retail outlets and a 50,000-square-foot health spa.

What’s missing, however, in the construction phase is the considerable amount of dust often kicked up during building activity. Featuring 80 percent less dust than ordinary thin-sets, Mer-Krete’s 7d10 Dust-Less Thin-Set Mortar is designed to improve air quality, promote healthier working conditions, reduce mess and accelerate cleanup, thereby lowering total application costs. This product mixes just like ordinary thin-sets and spreads easily and evenly, with great workability. Quick curing and bond strength add to its list of attributes.

With organizations such as OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency setting stricter guidelines, products such as Mer-Krete’s dust-less thin-set make it cost-effective to follow a more environmentally friendly process. Many tile and floor surfacing professionals also see the opportunity to earn potential LEED credits. For more information, visit www.merkrete.com/breathe.


reader service no. 205

Woven Bamboo Replicates the Look of Hardwood

EcoTimber’s woven bamboo flooring can be used in homes and offices.

By John Reed, Elevator Communications, LLC

To meet the needs of homeowners and professionals that want the look of hardwood in a product that is much harder than other bamboo flooring options, EcoTimber has introduced a new woven bamboo flooring product that is sustainably harvested.

For use in homes and businesses, the flooring provides a new option for a durable green flooring product. The new product, which took two years to develop, can be sanded and refinished just like hardwood flooring. The finish, by Bona of Sweden, is specially formulated for enhanced durability, flexibility and adhesion. This new flooring product also has very low moisture content, providing stability and longer life.

EcoTimber bamboo reaches maturity in five years, compared to woods of comparable hardness that take 50 to 150 years to mature, the company reports. In addition, the bamboo does not require pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

EcoTimber’s woven bamboo flooring is made without urea-formaldehyde. EcoTimber was also the first company to switch to formaldehyde-free adhesives in its standard bamboo line last year.

“We understand that being green means harvesting our wood or bamboo sustainably, and keeping toxins out of the air in our customer’s homes,” said Lewis Buchner, CEO of EcoTimber. “Our goal is to remain on the cutting edge of what it means to be a green company, with our products and with our own operations.”

More information about this woven bamboo flooring and sustainably harvested EcoTimber wood products and can be found at www.ecotimber.com.

READER SERVICE NO. 206

If you have a unique green or sustainable product story to share, e-mail hucalm@bnpmedia.