Caritas nursing home decide on sustainable LifeLine™ floorings

PRESS RELEASE
December 14, 2009

Caritas nursing home decide on sustainable LifeLine^TM floorings

Ethical considerations in material selection are playing a major role for constructors of sustainable and healthy environments. Responsible builders and architects are required to be increasingly aware of the consequences of such decisions for both human health and the environment.

As for many products, alternatives to PVC are being sought for flooring materials. Based on the vision that the world is moving towards less dependency on chemicals, Upofloor has developed PVC-, phthalate and halogen free flooring, LifeLine^TM, for public buildings such as schools, hospitals and offices.

Upofloor's LifeLine flooring products are helping builders and architects create sustainably safe, clean and healthy environments thanks to Enomer^TM, a unique blend of natural minerals and pure thermoplastic polymers. Enomer is entirely free of PVC, phthalates, halogens, chlorine and heavy metals - a safe material that supports good indoor environments. In case of fire, no hydrogen chlorine is released.

As well as being ecological, economical and socially responsible, LifeLine is environmentally friendly to produce, use and dispose of. It has excellent wear characteristics (classified under the highest abrasion class T), and a dirt-deflecting compact ionomer impregnated surface which is easy to clean. LifeLine is a flooring with a long life cycle.

When Caritas Betriebsführungs-und Trägergesellschaft mbH (CBT) needed to renovate its flooring in their CBT-Wohnhaus Peter Hofer, a nursing home complex in Monheim, Baumberg after 14 years of hard wear, it turned to Upofloor. As CBT-Wohnhaus Peter Hofer prides itself on offering its residents the highest quality accommodation, the flooring solution needed to live up to high standards.

Based on their CBT-standard for PVC-free building materials they chose as flooring Upofloor's PVC-free flooring LifeLine LT. Other alternatives such as linoleum or rubber floorings did not offer the same level of valued homely atmosphere and ambience, on which CBT Caritas mbH also put a great emphasis. With LifeLine they found the flooring offered a long-life flooring, good design possibilities, mindful of ecology and low maintenance costs. Around 400 sq.m of floor covering was installed at the nursing home which is home to 115 elderly people. The building boasts a modern look with a cosy atmosphere. Residents and their guests can, for example dine in the wonderful glass-domed restaurant that is a focal point of the home.

The residents and the staff are happy with the homely ambience as well as slip resistant and comfortable step properties of the LifeLine floorings. The maintenance staff is very content with the performance of their chosen flooring and appreciates the ease of mopping and the stain removal, not to mention LifeLine's excellent resistance against bacteria and hand disinfection liquids. These properties that are important for flooring in nursery homes, hospitals and clinics, are thanks to the ionomer impregnated surface.

In such a caring environment such as home for our elderly citizens, initial cost is not the driving factor in making a decision about flooring. Instead, the decision includes long-term considerations. In particular, the safety of the environment in terms of healthy indoor air for the people who live and work in public buildings needs to be considered. Also important are sustainable material choices in terms of environmental aspects as well as safety of the material choice in its daily performance and in case of sudden incidents, e.g. fire. LifeLine flooring is a responsible choice that promotes human and environment safety.

Upofloor Oy is a Finnish flooring manufacturer with more than 50 years of experience. The company is part of Karelia-Upofloor Oy Group, one of Europe's leading flooring manufacturers with its main markets being Western Europe, Russia and North America.

Picture captions:

1. Upofloor's LifeLine^TM LT provided CBT-Wohnhaus Peter Hofer with a PVC-free yet durable and easy-to-clean flooring solution.
2. For nursing homes, a homely atmosphere is equally as important as high level of hygiene.

For more information please contact:

Upofloor Oy
Mrs Liisa Teerenhovi, Export Manager
PL 8 (Souranderintie 2)
FI-37101 Nokia
Tel: +358 (0)20 740 9646
Mobile: +358 (0)400 840 071
Fax: +358 20 740 9737
E-mail: liisa.teerenhovi@upofloor.fi

Mr Teemu Kesävaara, Export Manager
Tel: +358 (0)20 740 9822
Mobile: +358 (0) 40 841 2366
E-mail: teemu.kesavaara@upofloor.fi

www.upofloor.fi / www.lifelinefloors.com