Many flooring professionals will come into contact with old Parquetry, or wood flooring that has been adhered with Bitumen (tar), or Bituminous Adhesives.
It is therefore important that we understand the dangers of working with this type of adhesive as it ages and becomes dust particles.
Bituminous Adhesives become brittle as they age. At some point, the adhesive ‘gives up’ and no longer holds the flooring down – creating a situation where the adhesive will over time become pulverised, becoming a dust beneath the flooring itself.
When exposed, the pulverised dust (adhesive particles) can become airborne.

It doesn’t much matter whether it’s the rarest or most expensive timber species, the best install, the flattest sanding job, the most beautiful staining effort or the most intricate parquetry pattern, if your coating has a mind of its own, or your gloss is flat or your matt is shiny, you might just be in a spot of bother – well maybe! (it is a rare but welcome blessing when some folks just don’t notice it).
Fortunately, on most occasions this is not a catastrophe (unless it’s 500 metres of course) as in most cases it can generally be sorted by recoating the floor, which will hide or fix most of the probable causes of sheen variance.

After arriving in Melbourne from Ireland, I started my own company in 1999 working by myself, and have since seen JConcepts Timber Floors grow to 10 employees, expanding into Geelong and the surf coast regions.

As a flooring contractor with many years of experience sanding and coating floors, I have seen
a lot of different putties and fillers – each one promising that they are the best and will solve all my problems.
I used to apply filler such as oil putty using a putty knife and a ball of filler, pressing and slicing in
one action, to fill nail holes. Cracks were a time- consuming task… These types used to fade quickly in sunlight, so I shifted to a powder type that mixed with water. Add in a paint tinter concentrate – then voila! Just don’t mix too much, or it will set rock hard while you wait.

Timber flooring has long been a
popular choice among homeowners
and designers for its versatility, warmth, and natural beauty. Engineered wood floors have particularly gained favour due to their increased stability and resistance to moisture, along with the variety of colour selections and speed of installation. Adhesive-fixing engineered floors in place is becoming increasingly popular – with floating floor installations (in Engineered Timber) becoming less popular. Adhesive-fixing the boards gives a firm feel underfoot, has neater perimeter detailing, and often allows for better re-finishing options in the future.

I guess I need to start this article with a few words to our
industry colleagues in Victoria with the abhorrent decision to
close another world class sustainable industry. One day I hope
the politicians hang their head in shame at the pathetic legacy
they have left in their wake. So, to my colleagues and industry
friends in Victoria, we stand with you in our disgust at this
decision, and share your pain. I just cannot believe there will be
no more ‘Vic Ash’ products to showcase to the rest of the world.