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36 CFJCFJ MAY 2012MAY 2012

Help and adviceHelp and advice

Sid Bourne tests an instrument that ‘does what it says’

IN my role as an independentexpert I often get complaintsabout floors buckling orexpanding more thanexpected. One of thedifficulties that I have is to get‘real’ (accurate) facts fromconsumers and contractorsalike.

I am there to help and guidethe best I can. I know that usingmy experience on how a woodfloor has reacted I can say manyof the issues are down to‘internal humidity changes’(humidity fluctuations within thehome) beyond themanufacturer’srecommendations andinstructions for their products.

Speaking from experience myreports indicate what in myprofessional opinion has causedthe floor failure. However, a lotof guess work can easily betaken away, helping allconcerned – consumer orcontractor – by using a thermohygrometer.

I will often tell people that thisis what they need. They then askwhich one, where to buy it andhow much it will cost. I think Ihave found the answer with theSave Your Floor ThermoHygrometer, what a great namebecause that is exactly what youwill be doing.

I have been in discussions witha Canadian company who havesent me samples to test andthen to give my honest opinion.

Save your Floor is the onlyapproved supplier to the threelargest floorcovering buyinggroups in North America (CCAGlobal, which includes CarpetOne Floor & Home, comprising1,000 stores; Flooring Americawith 650 stores: ProSource –150 stores: Abbey Carpet – 800stores; and Shaw FlooringNetwork having over 2,000stores).

The company has also madethe units for the National WoodFlooring Association which iscelebrating its 40th year inbusiness. It has also made unitsfor flooring manufactures likeTorly’s, Mercier, WD Flooring,Shamrock Flooring and Trillium.

My opinion is that it works welland is easy to use, inexpensiveand will literally save your floors.It has all sorts of features whichmake it stand out. It has been

Something that can really save your floor

designed for hardwood flooringprofessionals. Its featuresinclude:1. Three times more accurate

than other hygrometers sold byretailers.2. It has a state of the art

polymer thin film for highersensitivity.3. It has a ceramic substrate

for faster response times.4. Large LCD clear display

with date, month and year.5. The time can be set in 12

or 24 hours.6. It even has a clock alarm if

required.The best part of this thermo

hygrometer for me, however, isthe accuracy (+/- 3%) and that itrecords minimum and maximumtemperature and humidity level,which is extremely useful ifanything goes wrong with thefloor and you suspect that theheating may have been off forsometime, but cannot prove it.With this instrument you can seestraight away by simply pushinga button.

There are so many advantageswith this instrument, not leastits inexpensive price, so you can

even give them away to yourcustomers in a professional boxand if required. You can evenhave your own logo put on theproduct.

Humidity is one of the bigissues I often come across whenfloors fail. By giving yourcustomers one of theseinstruments, it will help them tocontrol internal humidity andtemperature levels not only fortheir wood flooring, but also fortheir own health.

The end consumer will takeextra pride in their new floor bybeing able to monitor and makethe required adjustments.

This is also the best insurance

policy for flooring companies,almost ensuring that customersdon’t come back complainingthat they didn’t know thehumidity levels in their home, orthat they even needed to knowabout humidity in the first place.

For a long time I have tried toeducate retailers, contractorsand end consumers in theimportance of controllinghumidity and temperature in thehome. But until now I have neverbeen able to recommendanything that I trusted to beaccurate.

Now that I know that thisinstrument has been used inNorth America for almost threeyears, I can recommend it as thebest thing for the UK hardwoodindustry. So why risk floorsfailing when it can easily beprevented.

Now before anyone says that Imust be getting a goodcommission from the suppliers,let me tell you I will be gettingnothing. It is my choice and I amhappy to be able to recommendsomething that will save yourfloor.

This is an ideal product fordistributors to sell. So anyoneinterested in the Save Your FloorThermo Hygrometer shouldcontact me and I will email youall the contact details of thecompany and you can do yourown negotiations. CFJ

!! E: sidbourne@blueyonder.co.uk!! www.sid-bourne.co.uk!! T: 07841 500940

Quality packaging

Thin elegant size

They also have the ability toprint a Recommended level of

humidity for larger orders,otherwise there is no printing

on the back base

Easy to read LCD

The funny side of flooringThe funny side of flooring

You were right, Kev, these laminatefloors are OK for floating

By courtesy of

CFJ May 2012 p30-48 (CFA-Advice):. 16/4/12 09:07 Page 7