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Knowledge baseTechnical notes
The detail behind the FAQ answers: how the material is built, how it was tested, and where the limits are. Every figure below comes from our own specification sheets and test reports, and the certificates are listed with their numbers on the certifications page.
How the material is built
- Face 1.0 mm woven vinyl, on vinyl-coated PET yarns. The colour is solution-dyed, so it runs through the yarn instead of sitting on the surface.
- Core yarn High-tenacity polyester as standard, or a fibreglass core where more dimensional stability and wider seamless runs are needed.
- Backing, by product line Wall to wall flooring and floormats: 3.0 mm PVC foam. Acoustic modular carpet: fibreglass reinforced PVC with acoustic felt. Wallcovering and upholstery: PET non-woven, a 1 mm PVC foam backing, or the bare fabric where it is applied directly.
- Formats Wall to wall flooring in rolls of 200 cm ±1%, 15–25 m per roll. Acoustic modular carpet as tiles of 50×50 cm and 100×100 cm. Floormats and runners as finished pieces, 60–90 cm wide and 180–430 cm long as standard, plus customer sizes.
Seams and cold welding on wall to wall flooring
Rolls are 200 cm wide, so most rooms need at least one seam. A seam is not a butt joint: a liquid cold weld is run into the joint and sets hard, welding the woven face and the PVC backing together. The finished seam sits flat and stays closed under traffic instead of opening up.
Layout is planned before installation so that crosscut seams fall outside the main sight lines. Cold welding glue can be supplied with the order on request. Cut edges that are not welded are knife-cut, and self-binding is available where a mat or a rug needs a finished edge.
Wallcovering hangs with the same seam logic, but on the wall the joint is a wrapped, trimmed butt seam rather than a weld. Upholstery is cut and sewn, and the fabric can be supplied bare for direct application.
Impact noise and sound absorption
The acoustic modular carpet tiles cut impact noise by 22 dB (ΔLw) to BS EN ISO 140-8. Impact noise is footfall, trolleys and chair castors. This is a measure of what the floor does to noise generated on it, not a measure of how much sound the surface absorbs.
Sound absorption is αw 0.05, not classified, to EN ISO 354. In plain terms, the tiles are a floor, not an acoustic panel: they reduce impact noise, and they are not sold as sound-absorbing panels.
The work is done by the backing: fibreglass reinforced PVC with an acoustic felt layer. Tiles are die-cut, so a single piece can be lifted and replaced after damage.
Solution-dyed colour, and why tones vary
Colour is solution-dyed into the yarn, so it goes right through the fibre rather than being printed on top. That is why the surface resists fading and why cleaning does not take colour out of it.
Four yarns do the design work: two-tone yarn for the grain of natural plants, metallic colour yarn for metal and mineral tones, fluorescent yarn for the translucent look of sky in sunlight, and translucent yarn for running water and glacier ice.
Because the yarn is two-tone and the weave is ours, each roll carries its own organic marks and quiet tonal variation. Our specification sheet states it plainly: this product simulates natural materials, and variations in texture and colour are inherent characteristics, not defects. For one project, order the whole area from a single production run so the tones sit together; order a sample first and look at it in your own light. Colourways are on the collections page.
Fire classification, by product
| Product line | Classification | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic modular carpet | Bfl-s1, d0 | EN 13501-1 |
| Wall to wall flooring | Cfl-s1, d0 | EN 13501-1 |
| Floormats and runners | Cfl-s1, d0 | EN 13501-1 |
| Upholstery | Class 1 or A | ASTM E84-98 |
| Upholstery (building materials) | B2 (D-s2, d0) | GB 8624-2012 |
| Wallcovering | Class 1 or A | ASTM E84-98 |
The classification belongs to the whole product, backing included, so it is quoted per line rather than per fabric. Flooring lines are additionally tested to EN ISO 9239-1 and EN ISO 11925-2.
Light, ageing and colour fastness
Light ageing is tested to ISO 4892-3:2016 Cycle 1, lamp type UVA-340, at 1,000 hours: the flooring and mat lines rate Grade 4, the upholstery and wall lines Grade 4–5. The yarn is UV-stabilised, which is what allows mats and outdoor furniture to be used in and out of doors.
Colour fastness is reported to BS EN ISO 105-B02 for light and BS EN ISO 105-X12 for wet and dry rubbing, and BS EN ISO 105-E01 for change in colour and staining on the wall lines. Rubbing values differ by line: the flooring and mat lines are wet 4/5, dry 5; the upholstery line is wet 4/5, dry 4/5.
The supporting reports are TÜV SÜD 70.404.18.21948.01-00 (2018, AATCC TM 16.3 xenon-arc light fastness), SGS SHIN1707041322MR (2017, ISO 4892-3, UVA-340, 1,000 h) and SGS HZ1293415/TX (2013, BS EN ISO 105-X12 rubbing). The originals are held on file and can be supplied with a project.
Substances and emissions
Screening covers REACH (211 substances, SVHC screening by SGS, report NGBEC2100793807 A01), RoHS (Directive 2015/863), phthalates DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP (REACH Annex XVII, entries 51 and 52, EU 2018/2005), AZO colorants (ISO 14362-1), pentachlorophenol (CEN/TS 14494, not detected) and formaldehyde (EN 717-2). Heavy metals and specific elements are screened as well. The wall and upholstery lines are additionally tested for release of vinyl chloride monomer (0.12 mg/kg) and for materials in contact with foodstuffs (EN 1186 Part 3), and are screened to California Proposition 65.
Indoor air: our products are low-VOC formulations, and the emissions data is held with the product file.
Cleaning and maintenance, by line
- Flooring and modular carpet Vacuum or damp mop with a neutral cleaner. No waxing and no polishing. For a single tile, lift and replace; for a welded seam, cut out and re-weld.
- Floormats and runners Warm soapy water, then a rinse. Hose off outdoor mats and dry flat. Do not machine wash or dry clean.
- Wallcovering and upholstery Wipe with a damp cloth, use a mild soap solution for anything stubborn, and test other cleaners on an unseen area first.
Where these figures come from
Each product line has its own specification and data sheet, and the figures above are quoted from those sheets rather than re-stated from memory. Certificates, test reports and their numbers, and the specification sheets, application folders and sample books, are all on the certificates and documents page. Where a value depends on the collection or the construction, it is quoted per project.