Before you begin to install ceramic tile or natural stone over gypsum concrete underlayment, you need to know a few things about the underlayment itself. Ignorance of these facts ultimately can result in an expensive installation failure.
Once your retail business model has been established, and you have begun to execute the steps critical for success, comes the time to learn from your mistakes. Not long after the start up of my flooring store, I realized that my plan and its execution were very simple and, to some degree, crude. Ongoing change and refinement would be compulsory if I expected to expand the business at a manageable rate.
During the past few years, a significant buzz about utilizing sustainable natural resources has been generated within the building and construction industry. Everywhere you turn these days, it seems we are inundated with talk of green building, environmental awareness and sustainable materials.
The jury is still out on the environmental impacts of vinyl. Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC or vinyl, is a synthetic material used in a variety of applications, including flooring, which has caused an ongoing debate: is vinyl a suitable material for sustainable building? At this point, there may not be a clear-cut answer for product specifiers.
More than ever, we have the power to avoid hazardous surface choices and opt for sustainability. Architects, interior designers and facility managers can select materials and products for the buildings they design and manage with greater certainty that they're making environmentally sensible choices.
In today's marketplace, the collateral effect of floor covering adhesives and their byproducts are a primary concern. Over the years, these products have attracted critical scrutiny due to their potentially negative impact on indoor air quality (IAQ). Also influencing the development of current-generation adhesives has been the environmental "Green Movement" and Life Cycle Assessment, and the sustainability of the floor covering system to be installed.
As the sustainable design movement continues to grow, architects, designers, specifiers, and contractors face an increased environmental emphasis on the production methods, material content and disposal of floor coverings.
Product reliability and quality, product design and styling, and distributor service/support are the top three attributes (aside from price) that affect the retailer/contractor's decision to sell/promote a particular brand or manufacturer of vinyl floor covering, according to respondents of the just-completed NFT 2004 Vinyl Flooring Market Study.
"Would you like to supersize that?" This phrase may be losing its popularity, but it remains a great example of upselling. A well-trained salesperson always offers something extra to add value to the product he or she is selling. It may be a stylish necktie to accompany your new suit, rust protection for the undercarriage of your new vehicle or an extended warranty on a new household appliance.
Increasingly, the flooring industry's resilient segment -- which includes linoleum, rubber and vinyl products -- is embracing the concept of sustainability and bringing to market an advanced generation of floor coverings that feature recycled content.
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