How to Specify Flocked Flooring: a Tender Clause, Line by Line

Most flocked flooring specifications we receive were not written for the project. They are a data sheet pasted into the tender: a fibre count, a thickness and a weight from one manufacturer, a branded treatment, an endorsement from a particular charity, and a test standard that was withdrawn more than a decade ago. A clause like that describes one product, not the floor the building needs. Contractors cannot price it fairly and a reviewer cannot check it. This guide gives you a clause written as performance, explains every line, and says plainly which lines we can document and which we cannot.

Construction figures are not performance

Fibre density, pile height, thickness and weight tell you how a floor is built. They are useful on a data sheet, but they are poor requirements. Fibre counts are measured in different ways, so two data sheets can quote different numbers for similar floors. Weight is mostly backing, so a heavier floor is not a harder-wearing one. And once a tender asks for one maker’s exact figures, a floor that meets every performance line can still be ruled out on a millimetre.

The better approach is the one most specification systems already use: state the result and the method. “Reaction to fire Bfl-s1 to EN 13501-1” can be checked against a report. “Fibre density 80 million per m²” mostly cannot. If you want construction on record, ask for the declared value with a tolerance, and judge the floor by its test results and a sample.

The clause, line by line

The full test results, with the laboratory for each, are on our certifications page.

Three lines that are often out of date

Impact sound. Many clauses still cite ISO 140-8. It was withdrawn in 2010 and replaced by the ISO 10140 series; the single-number rating ΔLw is calculated to ISO 717-2. Ask for a figure your acoustic consultant has set, and keep it on the impact-sound line. A floor covering’s acoustic job is footfall and impact noise; echo in the room is a ceiling and wall specification. The difference is explained in what acoustic flooring actually does.

Slip. “Class DS” is not a separate test: under EN 14041 it means a dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.30 or more measured to EN 13893. Write the number and the method, and add a ramp test only where the floor slopes or gets wet.

Treatments and endorsements. A named antimicrobial treatment or a named allergy endorsement is one supplier’s programme. If hygiene matters, ask for an impervious backing, a cleaning regime the floor must accept, and an antimicrobial test method with a result. For healthcare and aged care, the healthcare flooring guide goes further.

A clause you can paste and edit

Fill the brackets for your project. Delete the optional lines your rooms do not need.

Section: Textile floor finishes, flocked

1. Product
   Electrostatically flocked textile floor covering: 100% nylon 6.6 flock
   fibre bonded upright to an impervious, dimensionally stable backing.
   Format: [modular tile / roll] as shown on drawings.
   Design: [stock design and colour] / [custom print to approved artwork].

2. Performance (test reports issued for the product and batch supplied)
   Reaction to fire ......... [Bfl-s1 to EN 13501-1] / [local class]
   Slip resistance ........... >= 0.30, EN 13893 (EN 14041 class DS)
   Impact sound reduction .... DeltaLw >= [  ] dB, ISO 10140 / ISO 717-2
   Indoor-air emissions ...... [CRI Green Label Plus / GB 18587 / local]
   Antimicrobial (if needed) . [ISO 22196 / AATCC 174], result [  ]
   Castor chair (if needed) .. ISO 4918, result [  ]

3. Cleaning
   Must accept daily vacuuming and periodic wet, extraction and steam
   cleaning without loss of the backing seal.

4. Installation
   Full-spread adhesive to the manufacturer's instructions, on a level,
   dry, sound subfloor; moisture test before laying. Entrance matting at
   external doors. Supply [2-3] % spare stock from the same batch.

5. Submittals
   Technical data sheet; dated test reports naming the product;
   sample for approval; batch number on every delivery.

How to check what the supplier sends back

• Product name on the report. The report should name the product you are buying, not a related range.
• Laboratory and date. An independent laboratory, and a date recent enough for your authority. Old reports are not wrong, but ask whether the construction has changed since.
• Classification and test result. A fire class (Bfl-s1) is a classification built on test results; a slip figure is a measured value. Check you have the document your clause asks for.
• Standard version. Match the edition your regulations cite.
• Batch. Ask for the batch number on the delivery and keep a sample from the approved batch.
• Anything missing. A supplier that does not hold a test should say so. We say so for castor chairs, appearance retention and anti-static performance.

Installation and handover

Flocked flooring is bonded with a full-spread adhesive to a level, dry and sound subfloor; there is no underlay. Specify a moisture test before laying, entrance matting at external doors, and a few percent of spare stock from the same batch so a damaged tile can be replaced with a match. The details are on the installation and subfloor page, and the cleaning regime to hand to the facilities team is in how to clean flocked flooring.

Samples, documents and lead times

For a specification stage we send samples and the technical data sheet; samples are free and the buyer pays the courier (send your courier account number, or we quote the freight before shipping). The dated test reports for the batch supplied come with the order. Our minimum is 500 m² per colour, because each colour is its own production run; custom colours and custom prints need the full 500 m². Stock designs typically take a few weeks, custom prints around 4 to 8 weeks. Architects and interior designers will find samples and print files explained on our page for designers; the buying side is in the buyer’s guide.

Send us your specification to check

FAQ