The evolution of laminate flooring has been nothing short of incredible. I can remember approx 17 years ago I had a friend in Vancouver that installed the early generation of laminate flooring. It was ugly; it was 6mm thick and had to be glued down. Let me tell you, that friend of mine was a heavy drinker! After a day of brutal work installing that stuff, his knees were killing him, his hands wore a mess and he was desperate for a few beers! I, of course was always supportive and drank … [Read more...]
Surfaces 2009 flooring show, Las Vegas
February 9, 2009 By 2 Comments
Here's me at the Surfaces show in Las Vegas this past week. The show was substantially slower this year compared to the last couple of years, I’d estimate the traffic was at least 30% slower compared to last year, maybe as much as 50% slower compared to 2 years ago. This video shows a portion of the upstairs booths (there are two levels at this show). I heard the number of exhibitors was 30% less… and that seemed like a conservative number to me, I’d put it at 40%. I heard that the organizers … [Read more...]
Inside A Laminate Flooring Factory, Part 3
February 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In my last couple of posts, I showed you some videos about how laminate floors are made. First, was the paper impregnation process which fuses the photo layer onto the HDF board. The second one was about one of the ways that beveled laminate flooring is made In the third video, we show the other way that bevel edges are made, with a molding process. Take a look: Finally, the fourth video shows the molded, bevel edged product being cut and stacked. … [Read more...]
Inside A Laminate Flooring Factory, Part 2
February 3, 2009 By 1 Comment
As I mentioned in my last post, the manufacturing process of laminate flooring involves numerous steps. In the first video, you get to see the paper impregnating process. This second video shows a very cool feature on the newer generation of laminate flooring: narrow boards and bevel edging. The video I've included in this post is of me in a Chinese laminate floor factory trying to show the process they use to make a bevel edge look real. They do this in two ways: They mold the … [Read more...]
Inside a Laminate Flooring Factory, Part 1
January 29, 2009 By 1 Comment
I spend a lot of time inside factories, usually in remote places in the world. In today’s post I wanted to share what it looks like inside a laminate flooring factory, and this is part 1 of a series. This factory is located in Northern China and it was freezing! I have my suit jacket on but could have used a parka! There are numerous steps in laminate flooring manufacturing, this first video shows me walking beside a large line of equipment to show the paper impregnating process. There … [Read more...]
BuildDirect at Domotex Flooring Show in Hanover Germany
January 23, 2009 By 4 Comments
I was in Hanover, Germany last week for the largest flooring show in Europe, Domotex. Hanover is a decent looking northern German town that has really grown up over the past 20 years since it became a destination for large trade shows. I actually back-packed around Europe as a 19 year old one summer with a great buddy of mine (Jim Bjorkes: now a radio personality in Vancouver). We somehow ended up wandering the streets of Hanover, completely lost, poor and hungry. Who would have thought … [Read more...]
BuildDirect Meets Mike Holmes of Holmes on Homes
January 22, 2009 By 5 Comments
I had a great opportunity to spend some time with Mike Holmes of 'Holmes on Homes' (#1 show on HGTV Canada for several years) and I was able to spend a little time on his show (24 seconds to be exact!). Take a look: The show continues to be shown and it has received millions of audience impressions. If you are not familiar with the show, here is a brief summary of its footprint and specifically of the show I was on. It has been pretty cool getting calls from friends across the continent … [Read more...]
Hello From Rob Banks – That’s Me
January 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Hello All, Welcome to my initial blog post. As you can read in my profile, I am one of two Co-Founders of BuildDirect. The other Co-Founder, Jeff Booth (see Jeff’s blog) and I have been friends for over two decades now (ouch, getting a bit old!) and growing BuildDirect into the company it is today has been a fabulous experience. It has been a long and difficult road, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. It is my greatest joy in my professional career and other than my family & … [Read more...]
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