Nicole Holt 19 December 2022 09:47:47
We recently took part in a series of festive fundraisers to help spread a little cheer and give back to the local community and its people in the run up to Christmas.
The busy elves at Polyflor were delighted with all of the donations, after fundraising at several fun-filled seasonal events. Our aim was to raise money and collect gifts to assist the amazing work carried out by a host of regional good causes.
First off, we showed our support for Bury Council’s Fostering Team, which helps children stay connected to their community, school, friends and family. We did so by donating Christmas presents for children who will be in foster care over the festive period. A party was organised by Bury Council, where every child and young person delightedly received the gifts from Father Christmas himself.
Julie Rodgers, Acting Team Manager for Bury Council’s Fostering Team, said: “We were overwhelmed with the generous donations from staff and colleagues at Polyflor, of toys and gifts for our looked after children. To see the reaction and joy on the children’s faces at our Christmas party was priceless. We are so thankful to all the staff for their generosity, it really means a lot!”
We also helped The River Manchester, a charity which brings hope and support to those facing or fleeing domestic violence and potential poverty by empowering them to create better lives for themselves. The organisation provides people with furniture for new accommodation and offers training and emotional support at its Openshaw HQ.
To that end, we took part in the charity’s reverse advent calendar, which turns the December countdown we all know and love on its head. Instead of opening the windows and taking out treats, participants can pick a number at random and donate a corresponding item towards a food hamper, which is brimming with useful items, including food and cleaning products.
For Save the Children, which aims to improve the lives of youngsters through better education, healthcare and economic opportunities, we raised money for its beloved annual Christmas Jumper Day. When the time came, we were all only too willing to don our finest festive knitwear before making a financial contribution via the charity’s dedicated JustGiving page.
To round off our charitable campaign, we gifted £250 to Cleveland Mountain Rescue, which is reliant on the generosity of local organisations to cover its yearly running costs. The team has around 50 search and rescue members who are on call 24-hours a day every day of the year to help those that need it.
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful team members for all of their hard work and dedication, and our loyal customers for their ongoing support during 2022.
We truly appreciate it and hope that you and your families have a joyful and relaxing holiday period. We look forward to collaborating with you all again and continuing with our charitable work in 2023 and beyond!
Faye Alletson 7 February 2022 14:55:43
Building on the continued success of rigid core interlocking luxury vinyl tiles, we are delighted to announce the launch of our new Camaro Rigid Core collection. Positioned under the already established, hugely successful and market leading ‘Camaro’ brand, Camaro Rigid Core features 18 stunning new designs, spanning 3 formats; plank, tile & herringbone.
The collection features a rigid SPC core construction which acts as a strong and stable base for the 5G press fit locking mechanism, which allows installation over most existing subfloors without the use of a mallet. The 5G joint is simply pressed down by hand until an audible click confirms the joint is locked to provide a swift and easy installation method ideal for quick turnaround projects.
Other benefits of Camaro Rigid Core include a built-in acoustic underlay offering 18dB impact sound reduction and eliminating the need for separate underlay, Polyurethane Reinforcement for eased cleaning and maintenance, and the collection is 100% waterproof and suitable for use with underfloor heating.
Thomas Rollo, Marketing Director at Polyflor commented “We are thrilled to have extended our Camaro product portfolio with a rigid core solution that is perfectly suited to meet the needs of busy homes and light commercial environments. Significant investment has been made to ensure the new Camaro Rigid Core range offers a collection of contemporary designs, paired with the very latest technical innovations to create a package that is both visually engaging and extremely efficient to install”.
To present the beautiful new collection Polyflor have invested heavily in marketing items, including a 70-page brochure full of inspirational installation photography. A shadecard with a look book insert, a large retail presenter and a table top retail display stand. Sampling can be ordered free of charge on our website or by calling the Polyflor Samples Direct Hotline on 0161 767 2551.
Faye Alletson 19 January 2022 10:38:16
We are delighted to announce the launch of Architex, our new UK manufactured premium textile backed Luxury Vinyl Sheet floor covering containing 18 stunning wood, cement, and abstract designs, ideal for residential settings in private & public housing.
We have become a leading provider of residential vinyl sheet flooring delivering high quality designs that are available in multi-widths with reliable stock availability. Designed to sit perfectly alongside existing Luxury Vinyl Sheet collections, Designatex and Secura, the Architex collection has been developed to include a unique hybrid backing that combines the comfort of Secura with the textile backing of Designatex. The primary aim of the range is to offer the highest standard of vinyl sheet flooring as an alternative to other felt-backed ranges.
Architex includes features such as R10 slip resistance, 19dB sound impact reduction and a Polyurethane Reinforcement for eased cleaning and maintenance. Architex can also be loose laid in most residential interiors up to 20m2, making it quick to install as no adhesives are required and the addition of the textile backing mean the floor can be installed over damp subfloors where a Relative Humidity (Rh) of 90% is not exceeded.
Tom Rollo, Marketing Director commented, “Ideal for both public & private housing projects, our new Architex collection offers an impressive collection of beautiful trend lead designs as well as an outstanding set of performance benefits designed to enhance residential spaces.”
“With the launch of Architex we also took the opportunity to refresh the look and feel of our UK manufactured Luxury Vinyl Sheet offering and align the collections with an extensive sampling package, including a brand new retail display presence.”
The new Architex collection is beautifully presented within a sampling package which includes a brand new Luxury Vinyl Sheet brochure and retail display unit which combine all three of the Luxury Vinyl Sheet collections, Secura, Designatex and Architex, in addition to Architex specific shade cards and presenters. Sampling can be ordered free of charge on the Polyflor website or by calling the Polyflor Samples Direct Hotline on 0161 767 2551.
Faye Alletson 7 September 2021 15:44:56
The 2021 CFJ awards took place on Friday the 3rd September at Coombe Abbey where the industry gathered to celebrate all it has achieved throughout another difficult year. In addition to enjoying an exciting afternoon of networking and celebrating, Polyflor were thrilled to have been presented some prestigious awards, including Manufacturer of the Year and Installation of the Year with Macgregor Flooring for the Louisa Jordan Hospital.
Polyflor International Marketing Director, Tom Rollo commented “It was excellent to see the industry come together again and celebrate. We were delighted to have been awarded Manufacturer of the Year and thank all those who voted; your support is much appreciated, and we endeavour to continue providing the highest quality products and service levels.”
“We were also pleased to see the Louisa Jordan Hospital awarded Installation of the Year completed by Macgregor Flooring and Veitchi Flooring, the staggering installation was carried out with speed, efficiency, and safety in mind, installing the equivalent of three months’ work in just 5 days, whilst also practicing social distancing. I think we would all agree this achievement is well deserving of its recognition.”
It was important for MacGregor Flooring and Veitchi Flooring to work with a supplier that they could trust on the Louisa Jordan Project. Polyflor were committed to supporting this essential development and the day after placing their order the first delivery was made, speeding up the completion of the entire transformation. In total 10,500sqm of Polysafe QuickLay was installed, benefitting from its quick installation properties.
In addition to the Manufacturer of the Year and Installation of the Year awards Polyflor received an award for the Flooring in visitors’ attractions category with the Playzone Visitor Attraction project by Flooring Matters SW.
The standard of work throughout 2020/2021 was as high as ever and a huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists across all categories.
Faye Alletson 12 May 2021 15:38:31
What is Parquet flooring?
Parquet flooring was first introduced in the 16th century in France, traditionally made up of wooden blocks laid in a geometric pattern and typically seen in the homes of the wealthy. In recent years parquet flooring has been propelled back on trend and has become a popular choice for modern and stylish homes.
Parquet flooring offers a sophisticated aesthetic that can be seamlessly implemented into a diverse mix of interior schemes from raw and industrial, to rustic cottagecare, to ultra-modern and luxurious.
Traditionally parquet flooring was made from oak hardwood, finished with vanish, but today there are lots of alternative shades and materials available including some from within our portfolio of Luxury Vinyl Tiles and Luxury Vinyl Sheet.
Camaro Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT)
Our Camaro LVT collection features our popular Cambridge and Georgian parquet designs. The two oak shades, one darker and one lighter, create the appearance of a traditional hardwood parquet floor design with the enhanced durability and eased maintenance of an LVT.
Secura Luxury Vinyl Sheet (LVS)
Our newly updated Secura LVS collection features two new large parquet shades in a contemporary blond oak and light grey colourway. Aesthetically, the larger plank design and more contemporary shades take a modern twist on traditional parquet, whilst benefiting from its looselay sheet format in terms of comfort and durability, installation and maintenance, as well as affordability.
Designatex Luxury Vinyl Sheet (LVS)
For smaller more traditional parquet aesthetic but in the format of a looselay LVS format our Designatex LVS collection features four designs- dark, medium, and light as well as a more modern grey alternative. Similarly, to our Secura collection, Designatex benefits from comfort and durability, installation and maintenance, as well as affordability.
Our Camaro, Secura and Designatex collections can all be previewed in your own space using our room visualiser. Try it now! www.polyflor.com/visualiser
Faye Alletson 17 March 2021 15:36:22
Once more, here at Polyflor we are thrilled to have achieved “Excellent” status in our recent BES 6001 audit for responsibly sourced materials. And it had us thinking about how exactly this, and some of our other sustainability efforts, can directly benefit you and your business.
We use responsibly sourced materials.
BES 6001 is an environmental and sustainability standard, which provides a framework for the responsible sourcing of construction products. This third-party assessment reviews specific environmental, economic, and social impacts to provide recognition for suppliers embracing sustainability.
Polyflor continued to use trusted, local suppliers who are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified where possible. However, this standard does not simply focus on our suppliers though, it has been a massive undertaking by the company throughout. BES 6001 has provided direction with social responsibility management – focusing particularly on internal procedures regarding employees, as well as how Polyflor engages with its local communities and stakeholders in general.
How does our BES 6001 credential help you?
There are many benefits to specifying a product certified to BES 6001. The assurance that organisations must satisfy requirements relating to supply chain management, energy use, waste management and corporate social responsibility, including employment and modern slavery. BES 6001 certification can also secure additional credits within the Code for Sustainable Homes and contribute to the available points of a BREEAM Assessment.
Our ‘In Use’ sustainability benefits
The ‘In Use’ phase of our flooring’s lifecycle accounts for at least 80% of a resilient flooring’s environmental impact and therefore it is important to us that our products are engineered to reduce this impact wherever possible.
Our products feature an easy to maintain PUR surface treatment meaning that use of polish, water, strippers and chemical cleansers are significantly reduced. This cuts down the amount of water and chemicals needed to maintain the floor, keeps the floor looking great for longer and contributes to significant maintenance cost savings for the life of the floor.
Air Quality is also a hot topic when considering the ‘In Use’ environmental impact of our flooring products. The VOC emissions of our flooring collections are all below the very strictly set, accepted levels and have achieved Indoor Air Comfort Gold.
How do our eased maintenance and indoor air quality benefits help you?
You are able to provide a high-quality product that offers both an easy maintenance regime and stands the test of time. Because our products are certified for extremely low VOC emissions and therefore offer a better, cleaner indoor air quality, they also help in meeting WELL Building Standard® and contributing to BREEAM®, LEED®, and Green Star® projects.
Reuse or recycling of our products
Recycling is important to us all here at Polyflor, and we are proactively closing the loop, preventing postproduction and postconsumer waste vinyl from entering the waste stream via our Recofloor take back scheme. Many of our floor coverings can be reused, but if not, they are 100% recyclable through the Recofloor scheme.
How can recofloor help you?
There are a wealth of benefits to recycling with Recofloor, including demonstrating a commitment to the environment and the circular economy and helping you achieve extra points on a BREEAM® a BREEAM® assessment – crucial when every point counts! However, there can also be financial advantages. The drop-off sites are free of charge. For non-timed collections and timed collections from live projects there are fees of around £30 and £60 per tonne respectively, which could save our members up to 70% by recycling through Recofloor, rather than landfilling.
We are continuously working on our sustainability practices and how we can reduce our impact on the environment. For more information on all the steps we’re taking, visit www.polyflor.com/sustainability
Faye Alletson 24 February 2021 14:41:09
If there’s anything 2020 has taught us, it’s that home really is where the heart is. With so many of us spending more time than usual at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s no surprise that many of us have invested money in improving our properties. According to the 2020 Renovation Home Report, UK homeowners spent £55 billion improving their properties since lockdown restrictions began in March 2020. And with the surge in home improvements expected to continue this year, here we look at some of the top interior design trends for 2021. A flash of brightness The Pantone Colour of the Year is usually an accurate indicator of the sorts of tones and design schemes we’ll start to see more and more of in the home. This year, Pantone surprised the industry by announcing not just one Colour of the Year, but two – Ultimate Gray teamed with an eye-catching yellow, Illuminating.
Commenting, Pantone said: “A message of happiness supported by fortitude, the combination of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating is aspirational and gives us hope.” The grey provides a soft, neutral base for the yellow to stand out against. When decorating a room in these colours, you could choose to inject additional bright, spring shades of complementary colours such as pink, purple and blue, as seen in Pantone’s suggested Enlightenment colour scheme. Alternatively, you could opt for more earthy tones, including a darker, reddy-brown, as seen in Pantone’s Sun and Shadow palette. For the former, the Expona EnCore Rigid Loc PUR luxury interlocking vinyl flooring tiles in Icelandic Oak would tie in well thanks to its grey undertones, while Rich Hazel Oak from the same range would look great against the latter. Down to earth Dulux has announced its hue of the year, too – Brave Ground. The warm, earthy tone “creates a feeling of stability, growth and potential”, according to the paint manufacturer, and is perfect for people who are looking ahead to more positive times. The shade is ideal for rooms inspired by the environment around them and works perfectly with natural materials and tones, plus green accents. If you’re painting your walls in a colour similar to Brave Ground, think about teaming this with an emerald green sofa, rattan chair, botanical art prints, and lots of plants in either stand up concrete pots or macrame woven rope hanging baskets. A natural, warm wood-effect flooring – such as the Colonia Wood PUR in Golden Koa or Woodland Oak Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) – would help to seamlessly bring this aesthetic together. LVTs give you total flexibility when it comes to laying the flooring out, so you’re not restricted to fitting them in straight lines. Herringbone is a popular and classic look to give your home an instant update. Bold industrial Although the industrial trend has been around for a while now, it’s slowly been evolving away from dull grey tones and raw materials to a look that’s a bit more sophisticated and bolder. Yes, we’re still seeing Crittall windows, doors and partitions – those with the black steel frames – and concrete style worktops and flooring, such as the Expona Design Stone PUR in Grey Stencil Concrete or the darker Factory Cement. But to bring the industrial trend up to date, team these features with bold colours on the wall, such as a striking pink, burnt terracotta or lime green, and go overboard on your lighting and other fixtures, particularly in brass or dark coloured metal. Dark accents, which are common as part of the industrial or warehouse style, are also being seen more now on staircases. Add a daring black or dark grey paint to your steps and banisters, and team with the timeless Camaro Cambridge Parquet flooring in your hallway to create a striking, modern industrial style. Cottagecore If the harsh industrial home trend isn’t your style and you’re after something a bit softer and homely, then ‘cottagecore’ might be more to your taste. A newly emerging lifestyle trend, cottagecore embraces slow living, the great outdoors and a romanticised idea around living in a rural setting. When it comes to your home, think lots of florals and patterns inspired by the arts and crafts movement, and use simple but thoughtful touches such as jam jar plant pots, homemade candles and old wooden crates used as storage boxes to achieve the cottagecore look. Wool rugs in warm colours laid over flooring inspired by natural stone or wood, such as the Camaro Loc PUR Classic Yorkstone or the Colonia Wood PUR in Woodland Oak, will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a traditional old cottage in the middle of the countryside. Reclaimed furniture, open fires and classic colour schemes based around yellows, greens or blues, can all help to create the sense of calm and peacefulness which is at the heart of this home interiors trend. Multipurpose spaces From a more practical point of view, flexible spaces in the home are now a top priority for many. Whether that’s creating a home office, study space for children, or a snug that you can turn into a cinema room or open up to become part of the open-plan living area, flexibility in the home is a huge consideration. But just because a space is practical, doesn’t mean it can’t look great too. Neutral tones can be brought to life with artwork and accessories, while different types of lighting can help to change the mood or look depending what the space is used for. A practical, easy to maintain flooring such as Camaro Loc PUR can be used throughout such spaces to keep a consistent feel and you can separate different zones using rugs, sliding doors or wall partitions. Whichever home interiors trends you’re considering for your own home, we’re sure to have the best flooring to give it the perfect finishing look. See what our flooring looks like in your own home using our flooring visualiser and order your free samples today.
Faye Alletson 16 November 2020 10:31:59
On Thursday, 12th November, Nick Knowles hit our screens with a BBC Children In Need Special of DIY SOS: The Big Build. DIY SOS and their impressive team of volunteers joined forces with Children In Need and unique community interest company, Surfability UK to transform their Caswell Bay, Swansea Surf Centre.
Surfability UK provides surfing lessons and experiences for people with disabilities and learning difficulties however they were operating from a dilapidated out of use bus stop shelter. Ben Clifford, Director of Surfability commented “We started operating from a van in 2013, then in 2016 got our current building. We have loads of problems with flooding, the plaster is falling off and it just isn’t suitable for our needs, and those of the people that we support.
Thanks to the hard work of the DIY SOS team the inclusive surf school now operate from their state of the art eco-friendly surf centre which is fully equipped to meet all the needs of those it supports. The building's design is in a surfboard shape, and features colours to fit into its landscape, with blue, grey and driftwood shades. It also features a grassed roof.
The transformation could not have been achieved without the work of the many volunteers involved in the build and the helpful donations made. When it came to choosing the right materials for the flooring, DIY SOS turned to Polyflor as the UK’s leading vinyl flooring manufacturer. Polyflor donated Polysafe Quattro PUR, in the shade Cool Pebble to be used across the space. Polysafe Quattro is a safety floor offering sustainable slip resistance in continually wet areas whether barefoot or shod and was the perfect choice for the establishment, offering protection against slips, trips and falls. The neutral tone of Cool Pebble complemented the aesthetic of the building and Polysafe Quattro’s polyurethane reinforcement(PUR) provides low maintenance benefits, ensuring the flooring is easy to maintain and kept looking great.
The impressive project was turned around in just 24 days and Polyflor were thrilled to have been able to support such a worthy cause. Before this, the kids were having to be changed in car parks or a bus shelter but now have a lovely and dry place to change in privacy. Nick Knowles, DIY SOS Presenter commented ‘We are so grateful to those who have donated their time and materials to get us here’. The build has taken the operation to the next level, benefiting so many disabled people in Wales and across the UK.
Catch up now: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000pbx6/diy-sos-children-in-need-special-2020-caswell-bay
Faye Alletson 9 September 2020 11:49:04
We are pleased to announce that our collection of commercial and residential floorcovering is now available to download on the BIMobject platform in a range of popular native file formats.
Recognising the need for digital information to support our customers in the A&D community, we have opted to digitally innovate, capturing our entire portfolio of products as high-quality BIM objects.
BIMobject was selected as the hosting platform due to their leading position across key global markets and the broad range of native file formats offered. our full range will be available via the BIMobject platform as intelligent, native objects in the most popular formats including Revit, ARCHICAD and SketchUp. Objects in commonly used formats such as IFC, 3DS, DWG and WebGL will also be available.
Tom Rollo, Polyflor Marketing Director comments ‘After consulting with partners in the A&D community our primary objective was to ease the process involved in specifying Polyflor products. Collaborating with BIMobject has significantly broadened the number of native file formats we can offer and increased our reach in international markets, allowing us to offer greater support to specifiers during product selection.
Anastasia Moore 27 August 2020 08:57:16
Now more than ever, there is a need to focus on hygiene and infection control. As cleaning regimes and standards have increased, now is the time to further improve cleanliness and safety by considering the changes that we can make to our surroundings. Materials that have long been the norm may not be adequate for infection control, and better alternatives are available.
Polyflor vinyl flooring products are proven not to harbour dirt. The 100% impervious surface has no joints for bacteria & viruses to congregate in and no fibres for germs to cling to. Coving the product removes the gap between the floor and wall, further reducing the number of contaminants. A well-maintained vinyl floor is hygienic and doesn't support the growth of bacteria & viruses. When compared to carpet, it is clear that a smooth vinyl surface harbours less dirt & is more hygienic.
Polyflor vinyl flooring products feature smooth, resilient surfaces that are easier to clean than textile-based floor coverings. The PUR finish provides superior benefits, making cleaning quick and easy with minimal equipment. Introducing disinfectants can further enhance the maintenance regime. Most leading tablet and liquid disinfectants are safe to use with most Polyflor ranges. High-temperature cleaning can be carried out with vinyl products, helping to kill viruses present on the product surface. The 100% waterproof nature of the product also lends itself to regular wet cleaning, with fast drying times minimising disruption.
Vinyl flooring has long been the preferred choice in the healthcare sector, with carpet already removed from clinical settings. Polyflor products meet the strictest hygiene standards to be P22 NHS approved and are the ideal choice for any area where cleanliness and infection control are of high importance. Whether you are looking to update a healthcare setting or not, introducing vinyl as an alternative to carpet is the perfect way to increase hygiene and reduce the spread of infection. Visit the Creating Clean Spaces hub to find out more about maintaining a hygienic environment.
