TEMPLE, Texas – Wilsonart Commercial Flooring has unveiled a new award-winning laminate flooring installation system for commercial interiors called Trac-Loc™. The Trac-Loc installation system dramatically reduces installation time and expense. It allows for quick reconfiguration of the floor to incorporate new design motifs without having to replace or remanufacture the entire floor, and speeds maintenance and repair. The system also enables the entire floor to be taken apart piece-by-piece and reused at another site. Trac-Loc received Best of Show and Grand Prize Innovation Awards at NeoCon 2002.

The Trac-Loc installation system consists of a separate aluminum track onto which laminate flooring planks are inserted. The edges of the planks are scribed with a groove. The aluminum track fits into the groove and locks the planks in place without glue. “Wilsonart designed and patented the Trac-Loc system to address the needs of commercial environments,” says Rob Tarver, National Marketing Manager for Wilsonart Commercial Flooring. “Speed is everything for flooring installers. The Trac-Loc installation system is the fastest and easiest way to install laminate flooring today. Instead of weeks to prepare, acclimate, install and cure, a typical retail space of 3,000 square feet can be completed in a few days.”

The Trac-Loc system is one of the fastest installation methods available for any type of commercial flooring. It allows on-site repair that is twice as fast as traditional tongue and groove flooring. And it dramatically increases flooring installation and design options.

NO GLUE NECESSARY
No glue or factory-installed adhesive is necessary to adhere the laminate planks together. Because of this, laminate flooring planks can be easily taken off the aluminum track and instantly reconfigured at any time. Furnishings can be placed immediately on the floor after installation, unlike other floor coverings.

The system eliminates angled installation methods, which are required by most other glueless flooring systems. This improves ease of installation for problem areas, such as toe kicks and doorjambs. Unlike most other flooring materials that require installers to start against a wall, installation of the Trac-Loc system can occur anywhere in the room. Multiple crews can work in multiple directions using the Trac-Loc system, greatly accelerating the installation process. Non-directional installation also allows installation crews to easily lay planks at right angles. This minimizes common concerns such as making turns around doorways and into halls.

DESIGN FLEXIBILITY
Because the planks are grooved on all four sides, they can be rotated to any position and locked to each other by the aluminum track. This provides tremendous flexibility to create custom designs and effects, and allows the designer to be more imaginative when creating a custom floor pattern. “Installers can change the entire floor,” says Randy Phillips, Manager of Trac-Loc Sales for Wilsonart Commercial Flooring. “For example: An Aztec design can be changed to a Herringbone design. To change the look, Trac-Loc can be disassembled. The floor pattern can be redesigned on site with little or no additional product required.”

Because the Trac-Loc system requires no glue or factory-installed adhesive, damaged planks can be quickly and easily removed and replaced. If the damaged area is close to a wall, installers can simply slide the plank off the aluminum track and slide in a new plank.

“The Trac-Loc installation system was recently used at a YMCA,” explains Tarver. “After the installation, the installer wanted to change a plank in the middle of the room. Trac-Loc has made this a much easier process. By using simple tools, such as a circular saw, screwdriver, tape, and pliers, the plank was removed. The area was cleaned, and then a new plank was adhered into place. The whole process took less than one hour and the plank change was unnoticeable.”

Unlike carpet, vinyl and wood, there are no dye lot differences because laminate flooring does not fade. Therefore, a replacement plank or tile installed years later matches perfectly.

The new Trac-Loc installation system is available immediately from Wilsonart Commerical Flooring. Wilsonart is a leading manufacturer of laminate surfaces and one of the largest manufacturers of high-pressure laminate flooring. For more information on Wilsonart Commercial Flooring, visit www.wilsonart.com or call 800-710-8846.

Contact:
Denise Radke
Axiom Marketing Communications
(612) 861-5230, Extension 19
dradke@axiomcom.com

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