A new ‘green’ welding product from BOLON is helping create a healthier environment for floor installers.
Cold welding is typically employed during flooring installations to fuse two sides of a seam together by using a liquid substance called ‘cold weld’ or ‘chemical weld’. Considered a superior technique to ensure an invisible seam when sealing two floor coverings together, cold welding allows for a stronger seam and eliminates any dirt accumulation in the seam. Cold weld products are essential accessories for successfully seam-sealing PVC floors.
However, when Nordic flooring installers refused to use cold welding products due to its composition of hazardous chemicals, BOLON understood the need for a healthier alternative to ensure the safety of flooring professionals during installations. Flooring installers are refusing to use cold welding products due to its main ingredient – tetrahydrofuran (THF), a hazardous, highly flammable substance that puts humans, animals and the environment at risk. In addition to causing irritation of the eyes, sore throats and breathing problems, exposure to tetrahydrofuran can also damage the central nervous system and impact negatively on the human brain.
To address this work hazard and eliminate the dangerous effects of tetrahydrofuran, BOLON coordinated with another Swedish company, OHLA Plast in early 2016 to come up with a healthy alternative that would not be flammable or present any danger to people, animals or the environment.
BOLON Green Weld was launched by BOLON and OHLA Plast in October 2017 as the first ‘green’ welding product and was welcomed by the market.
“We have received a very positive response so far. Most importantly, flooring installers no longer have to skip the welding process due to the hazardous substances the welding products contain. Aside from creating a healthy cold weld that is not flammable, the installation process is also more efficient,” says Torbjörn Klaesson, supply chain and technical officer at BOLON.
BOLON Green Weld is a natural step in BOLON’s efforts towards a future without environmental footprints.
