From acoustic and athletic to slip-resistant and "green," specialty flooring is growing in popularity. Here's why:
* To improve the environmental "greenness" of a building
* To contribute to employee productivity with high-tech floors
* To comply with legal or municipal guidelines
* To save money in the long-run
* For overall safety reasons
Specialty Performance features include:
-Raised Access
-"Green"
-Cushioned
-Slip Resistant
-Static Control
-Antibacterial/Antimicrobial
-Low Maintenance
-Light Reflective
-Acoustic
-Athletic
Raised Access Floor
Low Profile Raised Flooring and access flooring systems for wire management and cable management.
-Fabricated from recycled steel, and is 100% recyclable and Reusable.
-Low, 2.75 or 1.60 inch height raised floor
-Accomodates large cable capacity
-Quick easy installation
-Environmentally preferred product and gain LEED credits
This product will allow older buildings to meet the current and future technology and connectivity requirements for the modern office environment. It also minimizes disruption and increases employee productivity.
Cork
Cork is a natural flooring material that's been used for more than a century. Obtained from the outer bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber), it can be harvested sustainably without killing the tree. The cork regenerates in about 10 years. Grown in Portugal, Algeria, Spain, Morocco, France, Italy, and Tunisia, all cork flooring products available in the U.S. are imported. There's almost no material waste from the manufacturing process, but agglomerating the cork requires binders to hold the ground granules together. Urea-formaldehyde binders should be avoided in favor of urea-melamine, phenol-formaldehyde, polyurethane, or all-natural protein binders. Cork flooring is typically available in a variety of shades in tile form, and in some cases is sandwiched with other flooring materials. It's durable, sound-absorbing, and naturally moisture-, rot-, and mold-resistant. Cork is typically finished with a polyurethane or wax coating, which is periodically reapplied. While cork is naturally fire-resistant, wax finishes reduce this quality.
Cork can be used for floor tiles, wall tiles, and underlayment.
Linoleum
Natural linoleum is a durable, low-maintenance flooring made from linseed oil, pine rosin, sawdust, cork dust, limestone, natural pigments, and a jute backing-all minimally processed and commonly available materials. Linoleum does not contain significant petroleum-based products or chlorinated chemicals, as does vinyl (PVC) flooring-which is often mistakenly referred to as "linoleum." The ongoing oxidation of linoleic acid in the flooring leads to offgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that taper off over time, but some argue that linoleum's VOCs, as compared to petroleum-derived VOCs, are a lesser health threat. (From BuildingGreen.com)
Low Profile Raised Flooring and access flooring systems for wire management and cable management.
Cork is a natural flooring material that's been used for more than a century. Obtained from the outer bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber), it can be harvested sustainably without killing the tree. The cork regenerates in about 10 years. Grown in Portugal, Algeria, Spain, Morocco, France, Italy, and Tunisia, all cork flooring products available in the U.S. are imported. There's almost no material waste from the manufacturing process, but agglomerating the cork requires binders to hold the ground granules together. Urea-formaldehyde binders should be avoided in favor of urea-melamine, phenol-formaldehyde, polyurethane, or all-natural protein binders. Cork flooring is typically available in a variety of shades in tile form, and in some cases is sandwiched with other flooring materials. It's durable, sound-absorbing, and naturally moisture-, rot-, and mold-resistant. Cork is typically finished with a polyurethane or wax coating, which is periodically reapplied. While cork is naturally fire-resistant, wax finishes reduce this quality. 
Natural linoleum is a durable, low-maintenance flooring made from linseed oil, pine rosin, sawdust, cork dust, limestone, natural pigments, and a jute backing-all minimally processed and commonly available materials. Linoleum does not contain significant petroleum-based products or chlorinated chemicals, as does vinyl (PVC) flooring-which is often mistakenly referred to as "linoleum." The ongoing oxidation of linoleic acid in the flooring leads to offgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that taper off over time, but some argue that linoleum's VOCs, as compared to petroleum-derived VOCs, are a lesser health threat. (From BuildingGreen.com)
