Robert Varden, Nexicor's KoolGlide Featuring Sinch Technology

By Matthew Spieler
Hicksville, N.Y.—No one will argue that installing floor covering is a physically demanding job. Regardless of the type of flooring material being installed, the very nature of the job requires mechanics put physical stress on different parts of their bodies. From heavy lifting, constant bending and kneeling to cutting/ scoring, drilling/banging and so on, the life of an installer is not easy.

But, in recent years, things have been getting easier. No, the physical attributes of the job are not going away; but many of today’s tools are being manufactured with the installer’s well-being in mind.

Today’s tools are now being designed to do more than just get the job done. Whether from a pure physical standpoint by making a product that has less impact on the person’s body or by helping the user be more efficient, these enhancements can help mechanics earn more money while their bodies take less of a pounding.

While federal and state safety laws and regulations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have helped spur some of these innovations, many were borne of necessity by frustrated installers who knew there had to be a better and easier way.

A perfect example is Daniel Bennett, the inventor of the Seamer Down Now machine. Though he is just 25, Bennett has been installing full-time since he was 16 at his sister’s store, Mod Floors in Chester, Va. Four years into his profession, he was competent enough to lead a team of installers to install more than 10,000 square feet of flooring at the Norfolk airport. He has already received his Residential I and II and Commercial I and II certifications from the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI).

The Seamer Down Now invention came from his frustration of having to wait 15 to 30 minutes for the glue in a seam to cool before being able to stretch and work the carpet in place. With the Seamer Down, mechanics can work the carpet almost immediately, as the device literally sucks the heat from the seam. And, in doing so, it actually makes the seam stronger, noted Charles Bennett, general manager.

“The point is, it not only makes the job more efficient, it’s a quality maker,” he added. “So, you are making stronger, tighter seams and completing them faster. This means you can either install more yards of carpet per day or go home earlier. Either way, it makes an installer’s life easier.”

While Seamer Down has helped installers, Daniel is not done finding solutions. In about three months, his latest invention is expected to hit the market, a patent-pending iron that works in conjunction with Seamer Down. Instead of melting the glue in rows, Bennett explained, it puddles up so the adhesive goes into every nook, hole and cranny of the backing. “The bottom is totally different than what there is now.”

The younger Bennett is also in the final stages of inventing an installation tool for VCT. The only information FCNews was given is it is not a cutter and that it will be part of the Daniel Paul Bennett Signature Tool Line. “Like the other tools, it’s not expensive and every installer will get his mind blown when he sees how it works.

“That’s the thing,” he added, “all these tools are simplistic solutions to common problems.”

While Seamer Down makes a mechanic’s life easier once a seam is made, Nexicor’s KoolGlide and KoolGlide Pro are raising eyebrows for their ability to quickly and easily make the seam.

KoolGlide, featuring Sinch technology, or a microprocessor, is a lightweight, handheld electric tool that works from on top of the carpet and doesn’t get hot. It precisely melts the tape adhesive and works on all types of carpets and thicknesses. It’s not an iron so the machine never gets hot on the outside. But inside, it automatically adjusts to give a stronger bond with no warping or damage to the carpet. A few of the major benefits is, it allows you to rework a seam at anytime by reversing the bonds, includes a transverse mode for working near walls and doorframes, and allows you to perform quality patching.

Robert Varden, a 25-year installer who has achieved the highest certification offered by CFI, Master II, feels KoolGlide will take over seaming the way the iron replaced handsewing. “Once you get this in your hands and make a seam, you will never want to give it up.”

He added, the pro model features three settings with the low being the same as the standard model. The other two have more to do with the environment, such as if you are working with cold carpet or on wood. Unlike the original, installers must be certified by the company in order to purchase the pro model.

Carpet installers are not the only ones to benefit from friendlier tools and equipment. Tool maker Bosch has expanded its RotoZip Xbits line to include spiral saw bits that cut ceramic tile, underlayment and laminate floors, not to mention introducing Bulldog, a battery-powered, three function rotary hammer that is faster and more durable than most corded products.

“For all professionals time is money,” said Jason Feldner, public relations manager for RotoZip by Bosch. “And the more efficient and effective one is, the more that goes to the bottom line.”

He noted, the bits are designed to be five times more durable than regular ones, “so they won’t break down in the middle of a job. Also they give more precise, cleaner cuts over a longer period of time.”

The Bulldog hammer, Feldner added, is a “great tool” because it works as a drill, and is good for wood, metal and concrete; a rotary hammer, which pounds the bit when drilling in hard surfaces, and a chipper, allowing installers to chip off tile very effectively.

“The best part is,” he explained, “Bulldog delivers corded power and speed—even faster than some models—in a compact and lightweight design. Which also means less stress on the person, so he is not only able to do more professional quality work, he can do so with far less discomfort.”

Finally, there is the Cove-Pro II System by American Carpet Enterprises (A.C.E.). The company’s Ron Taylor, said this is a new installation concept for vinyl and rubber cove base. “It is a constant, uniform system that saves time, energy and materials using installer friendly tools and techniques that are easy to learn and quick to master.”

Cove-Pro II features numerous components that can be purchased separately, such as the LR Adhesive Gun. This four-foot gun holds one tube of glue which the installer applies to the base from a standing position, thus eliminating the need to bend and crawl.

Other items include Cove Master, which notches out a consistent, uniform relief groove on the outside corners and even collects its scraps as it cuts, and The Base Runner, a stand-up applicator that lifts and rolls the glued based from the floor to the wall with a smooth-gliding motion that creates an even boot with no glue lines.

“The stand-up tools are long overdue,” Taylor said. “Here at A.C.E. we all know that time is money. A.C.E. is bringing floor covering installation out of the dark ages and into the modern world. You won’t believe your own eyes when you see this system in action.”