of carpet tile backings - Interface

14
Just the facts about backings
Types of carpet
tile backings
Polyurethane-based
backings
Polyurethane is a polymer
material that can take different
forms – liquid, solid or foam. It
is resilient, flexible and durable.
Polyurethane foam has been
used for many years as a
backing alternative, particularly
in the speciality or comfort
backing sector, as it provides
extra cushion as well as sound
insulation and absorption.
We currently recommend our
ReCushion Bac ® , a 100%
polyurethane foam backing
option to customers who want
particular comfort or acoustic
performance. InterfaceFLOR
uses polyurethane foam that
contains 85% post-industrial
recycled polyurethane, which
reduces energy use significantly
compared to virgin material.
However, its chemical structure
makes it very difficult to recycle
the backing at end of life.
Polyolefin-based
backing systems
Polyolefin is a type of polymer
used independently or in
combination with other
copolymers. Generally olefinbased
systems are very energyintensive.
Unlike PVC, polyolefin
compounds do not require the
use of plasticizers. This type
of backing is quite new to the
market and accounts for a very
small proportion of the sales
in Europe. At InterfaceFLOR,
we offered a polyolefin backing
option in the 1980’s and have
since further explored the
use of polyolefin as a backing
material but concluded that in
our view, Graphlex ® backing is
still the best option.