It’s estimated 80% of social properties are let without floorcoverings, Donna Hannaway explores how contractors can assist with these circumstances when they arise.
BEING left without floorcoverings means social housing residents have to find their own flooring – something which can be quite expensive and overwhelming depending on the size of a space.
Every house needs proper flooring, with carpets, vinyl and other such floor coverings converting a space into a home someone can truly call their own.
In the case of social housing, carpet tiles are often the product of choice. It’s easy to see why; with the rise of affordable collections, an abundance of designs to choose from, and the ability to provide underfoot comfort for a more homely environment. Carpet tiles are also easy to clean, durable and can deliver sound deadening properties, perfect for busy homes where noise and mess needs to be kept to a minimum.
However, with the shortage of flooring in social housing, there are some 1.2m people living without this basic and accessible comfort across the UK. With this in mind, it’s important that we work together as an industry to bridge this gap and find sustainable solutions, for where budgets may not stretch to purchasing brand new floorcoverings.
In fact, many flooring manufacturers have started to work with charities and local businesses to donate surplus flooring for resale at a lower price point, or even to be supplied free of charge for those who are most in need.
Forbo is one such manufacturer, who works with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SatCOL) to repurpose flooring as part of its Take Back scheme.
This has involved donations of good quality, used carpet tiles from corporate refurbishment and renovation projects to the charity’s furniture shops around the UK, providing communities with easy access to budget-friendly and high-quality flooring.
Through this work, Forbo and The Salvation Army have been able to help people in need to find affordable flooring, as well as prolong the useful lifespan of its flooring – furthering the circularity of the flooring industry and reducing unnecessary waste. Carpet tiles are the perfect product for this kind of scheme, as a modular solution capable of being installed adhesive free and then easily lifted and replaced when needed.
As the largest charity owned textile collector in the UK, SATCoL diverts more than 250m items to good uses every year, including over 65,000 tonnes of textiles.
To learn more about Forbo’s carpet tiles, visit: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/tessera. More information on Forbo’s sustainability policy can be found here: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/sustainability.
www.satcol.org
Donna Hannaway is head of marketing UK and Ireland from Forbo Flooring Systems
