With an unbeatable combination of performance attributes, Flotex FR flocked floor coverings have seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years and are now challenging conventional carpets in all sectors, including the international transport market where demanding conditions require flooring to be subjected to particularly rigorous cleaning regimes in order to maintain appearances.

Here, we discuss why operators in the rail and marine sectors are increasingly specifying flocked floor coverings for their interior environments and, with reference to recent research, show how the construction of this innovative type of floor covering offers unrivalled cleanability when compared with textile flooring.

Key performance benefits

Flotex FR electrostatically flocked floor coverings offer exceptional performance and provide a unique flooring solution, combining properties found in conventional resilient and textile flooring. Like resilient floor coverings, they are safe, hygienic, durable and washable, yet at the same time they offer the warmth, comfort, acoustic characteristics and slip resistance of textile flooring. These properties, together with the availability of fire resistant ranges and a phenomenal choice of aesthetic styling options, make flocked floor coverings an ideal solution for rail and marine interiors.

Cleanability

The dense surface pile of a flocked floor covering makes it extremely durable, while its upright nylon filaments and impermeable PVC backing means it can be cleaned right down to the base. The nylon pile captures airborne allergens and fine dust, which is easily released with regular use of a standard upright vacuum cleaner. This contributes towards better indoor air quality – indeed Flotex is the only textile to carry the Allergy UK Seal of Approval™.

A recent Cleaning Research International study compared the cleanability of a flocked pile floor covering with a loop pile and cut pile carpet. Identically sized samples were conditioned, weighed and then soiled in accordance with BS EN 1269:1997 following Method B, using 10g of standard soil. They were then reconditioned and reweighed before being vacuumed with an upright cleaner fitted with a brush, a spray extraction, and a contra-rotating brush cleaner. At each stage, when dry, the samples were reconditioned and weighed to determine how much soil had been removed. The results below clearly demonstrate the superior cleanability of the flocked floor covering which had the least amount of soil remaining after each cycle, with a 77.7% mean of soil removed after the use of a contra-rotating brush cleaner.

Drying times

How long it takes for a floor covering to dry will also be of major concern to transport operators keen to minimise turnaround times. The research study also looked specifically at this aspect and tested the drying characteristics of flocked floor coverings alongside six different carpet constructions. Each floor covering was subjected to two passes using an industrial spray extraction machine and the remaining moisture content was measured after various periods of time, to establish how long each type took to dry.

The graph below shows that after just two hours, the flocked pile sample was substantially drier than all the other constructions of carpet, with only 0.57% moisture remaining, and after five hours, the pile was almost completely dry whereas other samples still retained significant amounts of moisture.

A superior solution for transport applications

Flocked floor coverings are clearly different to any other carpets on the market in terms of cleanability alone. Add in their more rapid drying times, their durability, allergy benefits, acoustic and slip resistant properties, fantastic styling options and the availability of an FR collection (reaction to fire EN 45545-2 : HL2) , and it’s clear to see why this innovative floor covering is really going places in the transport sector

To find out more about the full range of Forbo’s flooring solutions available to the rail segment, which include Flotex FR Flocked Flooring, Coral Move FR Carpet, Coral FR Entrance Flooring, Marmoleum FR Linoleum and Tessera FR Carpet then please visit http://www.forbo-flooring.com/rail. Alternatively, if you wish to look at our latest rail brochure please click here. And to allow us to keep you updated with new products or designs as well as key installation references then please sign up to our quarterly TRANSPRESS newsletter here.

For further details please contact;

IKAM Marketing Team
Forbo Flooring Systems UK Ltd
High Holborn Road
Ripley
Derbyshire
DE5 3NT
UK

email: transport@forbo.com
Tel: +44 (0)1773 740121