Ecora Blog

Take a Deep Breath with Eco-Friendly Paints

2010-01-11T09:19:00.000Z

Ecora, the eco paint and natural flooring specialist, launches exciting new VOC-Free Paint range.

Ecora continues its commitment to providing customers with sustainable and ecologically friendly products and has recently launched a new range of child-safe, eco-friendly and completely VOC-free paint. The carefully selected range of 144 colours comes in three different finishes and is available to purchase online through www.ecora.co.uk.

When choosing paint, people look for a wide choice of colours, quality and price, and have a range of mass-market and specialist suppliers to choose from. But few people are aware of the chemical composition in the can and the impact this will have on the environment and the air quality in their homes.

As consumers, we do not always think about the strength and variety of toxins we breathe in daily while indoors. Indoor air can, in fact, be three times as polluted as that outdoors. The US Environmental Protection Agency considers indoor air pollution to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health.

Although other toxins exist, the main culprits are a range of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs comprise hundreds of natural and man-made, carbon-based agents. They react quickly with other carbon-based compounds, and evaporate easily, making them ideal solvents. VOCs can be found in paints, cleaning products, disinfectants, pesticides, paints and other home decoration products.

Ecora’s natural VOC-Free paints provide the healthiest living environment while offering great style and colour selection. The carefully selected range of 144 colours provide a wide pallet of choice for both internal and external decorating.

Your guide to buying sustainable wood floors

2009-05-07T18:01:00.001+01:00

When buying wooden flooring consumers are showing more and more concern for environmental sustainability of products. Current trading practices do not always provide the consumers with real evidence that the product has not been sourced from either irresponsible or illegal logging. Organizations like the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) work actively to promote and govern many of the world’s loggers, but many more slip through the net. Although governing and legislating bodies in the country of origin are the ones responsible for eliminating such practices, the supply of wood is driven by a growing demand for more diverse and affordable products. It is ultimately the consumer who will bring change by insisting on purchasing wood floors and other related products that are manufactured with sustainability in mind.

Sustainable products do not necessarily need to break the bank. Although, in many cases, there will be a slight premium for FSC certified products, consumers should take comfort in the chain of custody that comes with the rubber stamp. Responsible wood floor suppliers should be able to offer a range of proven sustainable products to their clients and should discard products that come from a dubious source. They should also be in a position to offer alternatives to some of the endangered wood types. Oak is a good example of an abundant raw material that can be “worked” to achieve stunning results. Smoking (Fuming), Thermo-Treating (Baking), Ageing and Distressing can all produce diverse finishes. In addition stains and coloured oils available can achieve the desired effect.

Engineered flooring can also provide a solution as the manufacturing process usually uses as little as one-fifth of the amount of hardwood as a solid floor. The process used to produce the veneer layer on an engineered board yields massively more square metres of material per cubic metre of lumber than solid production, therefore helping reduce forest footprint. It is however worth considering the wood used for the base of any engineered board and ensuring that this also is sourced correctly.

At Ecora we are working hard to bring sustainable materials to the consumer at competitive prices. Our range includes both FSC certified and non certified products, in both solid and engineered format. Although difficult to guarantee the full chain of custody without certification, we endeavour to work with manufacturers and suppliers of non FSC products to offer environmentally sound solutions. With this in mind we are able to introduce a new range of Forest Friendly, 15mm multilayer (4mm Top Layer) Engineered flooring with the following benefits:

1. The Peeling/Slicing process used in production yields up to 1500m2 of veneer per m3 of lumber, higher than any other process.

2. The Poplar wood used to manufacture the base of the wood floor is a fast growing species (8-12 years per generation) and is a “farmed” not a “forested” wood.

3. The floors have a 30 Year Guarantee which means that nearly 4 generations of re-growth can occur during this time.

We also complement our flooring range with Eco-Friendly Wood Oils as well as our own Zero VOC Emulsion Paint range which is suitable for walls, joinery, concrete and more. Our Eco Paint are certified to BS EN71 Part 2 & 3.

If you would like to know more about this article or if you require additional information about any of the flooring or paint we supply please give us a call us on 020 7148 5265 or stop by our Showroom in Belsize Park. It will be our pleasure to help you.

www.ecora.co.uk wood floor eco paint

Bold in the Basement

2009-05-07T18:00:00.002+01:00

A solo exhibition of paintings and sculpture by Gina Bold at the Ecora Basement Gallery from 1st May - 1st June 2009

'Bold in the basement' will be the first solo show held at this new contemporary art space in Belsize Park.

A percentage of any art works sold will be dedicated to the charity Rain Forest Concern.

Private view Thursday 7th May 6pm - 8pm

Ecora Basement Gallery
Ecora Limited
20 Englands Lane
Belsize Park
London
NW3 4TG

Please see the attached flyer for more details or visit Gina's website.

www.ginabold.com
www.ecora.co.uk

Wenge, not as good as it looks

2009-05-07T17:59:00.000+01:00

Wenge (pronounced "wengay") is an African hardwood with a warm dark colour and distinctive figure. It has been used for hundreds of years in Africa to make ceremonial masks and statues paying homage to the gods.

Produced from the Millettia Laurentii tree, Wenge is a heavy and hard wood with straight grains and features a coarse texture. Its distinctive characters include dark brown heartwood and close, fine black veins and white lines. The combination of these white bands against the dark wood with the black streaks gives it its attractive look.

Wenge is similar to maple in its natural abrasion resistance although with its dark coloration and interesting figures, it makes for a dramatic-looking floor. Although freely available in the UK as flooring, very few people are aware of the fact that it is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Greenpeace Lists of Threatened Species, which means it is vulnerable to illegal and unsustainable logging.

Wenge also presents some health hazards as the dust created when sawn can cause skin allergy and respiratory problems. Proper ventilation and the use of masks and protective clothing are recommended. Add to that the high prices you’ll have to pay for this product and a question comes up; is it really worth it?

Here at Ecora we are committed to supplying our customers with reclaimed and new flooring from sustainable and well managed forests. As you have probably guessed Ecora doesn’t sell any Wenge, although we can propose a few alternative solutions such as reclaimed Panga-Panga, which we supply as reclaimed parquet flooring.

Wenge and Panga-Panga are closely related species. In fact, they so closely resemble one another that in some areas, the wood is sold interchangeably. Wenge grows in swampy areas in Cameroon, Congo, Zaire and Gabon while, Panga-Panga, grows in the open forests of Tanzania and Mozambique. Both tree species are modest in height and averaging about 60 feet and 2 foot in diameters although, they can sometimes reach up-to 90 feet in height and 3 to 4 foot in diameter. Wenge weighs between 52 and 62 pounds per cubic foot while Panga-Panga weighs 50 pounds per cubic foot. Wenge and Panga-Panga drying methods also differ slightly as Panga-Panga dries quickly while Wenge is slow drying and must be carefully checked to avoid degrade, like surface checking. Both have small movement in service.

Other alternatives available in our showroom include new Smoked or Thermo-Treated Oak, which offer a dark pallet but without the ecological concerns. The Smoked oak can be supplied in 20mm thick solid or multilayer and the Thermo-Treated Oak is available in 21mm multilayer only.

If you would like to know more about this article or if you require additional information about any of the flooring or paint we supply please give us a call us on 020 7148 5265 or stop by our Showroom in Belsize Park. It will be our pleasure to help you.

Ecora Wood Flooring