khengjoo

Yes I am their champion!

Well, the choices just gets better and better! They have on display now the actual mega-size planks of the new 2011 Super Largo range of decors. For homeowners with that little bit more budget; this is the 'lexus' class of floor which exult pure opulence.

No, they are not new, and to my knowledge the Kronospan group is the largest producer of laminate floor in the world today. They have several production sites in Europe, Russia, and China, which are producing for different labels/brands, and for big buyers (big brands in the USA such as Armstrong, Bruce, Shaw, etc does not have their own productions). The Krono Original brand is unique in that it is their Very Own Brand, and is manufacture Only in Lampertswalde, Germany; to represents their highest quality and standard. The word 'Original' after Krono is to differentiate it from the other Kronos which are manufactured to customer's specifications, and are not representatives of the KO products. They have Only One distributor here, and this is their website: www.krono-o.com Buyers can easily view the KO certificate of origin, and the markings 'made in germany' behind each plank for authentication. The rumours probably stamp from misleading names of some operators here such as Krono Fix (Kronofix is the name of a KO product range), 'Castellio' which can pass off as Castello (also a KO product range) if one is not careful in reading the spelling. These companies are not related to KO or their distributor here in any ways. The negative posts during the last couple of years in this forum about Krono This or Krono That, have no relation to the Real Krono Original, as they were not represented here then.

Hey man, good to hear from you, and Congrats! on taking the Big decision. "May the partnership brings you folks the best days of your lives."

Finally! they have the kronostep on the floor of their booth, and the result is SUPERD! The difference between this and the other laminate floorings in the exhibition hall is just so visibly obvious for all to see.

That was cheap! and fyi, I works for a research publication, not selling floors.

Btw, according to Greek mythology, Kronos is the leader of the titans

Hello titan, for awhile I thought you may be pissed off over the hero and angel jibe Saw that you have started the works at your new home, and am looking forward to see the pics when they are done. Wonder about Dr A, if he is still around here? About your question on the Kronos, I really don't have a clue on their positionings. Kronotex, Kronoswiss, and Kronopol are under the same group which is the Swiss Krono Group, but each operates independantly. Krono Original is from Kronoflooring of Germany, and is owned by Kronospan who claims they are the number 1 wood-panel producer in the world. I don't know about the other 2, but product wise, KO and Kronotex are on par, and to use my favourite metaphor of cars both offers a range of daihatsus to high-end toyotas, definitely not lexus class cheers, and remind lach to post her furrykids when the works are done.

Check them out, Today until next Sunday at S'pore Expo, "Creative Living 2010". From 12pm to 10pm.

Previously in another thread, I recommended a product that will protects the joints of laminate flooring from damages over time. It works as a primary, and more permanent protection from water seepage through the joints for laminate and other wood floorings using the "click" system. This product is call ClickGuard, and is now available from the same company that distributes Krono Original.

This is the latest European brand that hit town, from the largest manufacturer in Germany. www.krono-original.com They have on display at the S'pore Expo fair now 3 ranges of floorings, which imo offer fantastic value for your money The basic range is Castello; a 8mm (not crappy 7mm stuff) AC4 quality which comes with a licenced Uniclic joint. A 12mm! AC5! range call Floordreams that comes with a special backing and using a licenced Valinge click joint. And the one that I like most is Kronostep; very realistic wood texture, with the tactile surface (similar to Quick-Step Largo) that you can only find in much higher priced products. This is an 8mm, AC4 plank that comes with a licenced Valinge click. For laminate floor hunters, this is definitely a brand worth checking out.

Hi Doc, no it's not, and I'm getting a sneak preview first before it is launched, so not suppose to say or pm the brand yet It's brought in by the ex-QS guy whom I was talking to.

Yaloh, heroes walk where angels fear to tread, hehehe. Just joking Btw, got wind of a new brand which has just arrived in town. Will check it out and make a post if it's worthwhile talking about.

Berry, which I mentioned in an earlier post is a good quality product, not in the same class as Quick-Step, but on par with Tarkett if not better, as they have been making laminate floorings much longer than Tarkett; who is a johnny-come-lately. Pergo imo, is just an old brand name, and the stuff that are sold here such as the "Family" range for $3.99psf, "made in Sweden" are actually made in Malaysia, reasonably good quality with "primitive" production technology. As for distributors when I said Quick-Step is like Lexus, I must say though that their distributor looks like a second-hand car dealer

What is your question??

Look forward to see the pix of your furrykids, lach

Ask lach to include her furry pals as well, remember this Cheers

Good for you! My budget planner tells me that we will have to settle for the E, as she needs the extra saving for a new piece of furniture Hey, do share the pics when yours is done. I'm wondering if titan and lach had theirs done yet? Looking forward to see their pics

No lah never was a "fine print" person, but if I'm the beneficiary It's professional interest; as I was doing a research project on laminate flooring for a couple of months, hence the extra knowledge to share. So, what have you selected, the E or the L? or the V

Great ayukoh, btw which range from Berry did you chose? Also another piece of information concerning authencity; the flooring should come with the original packing of the manufacturer, and the underside of each plank should have the stamps of the country of manufacture (in your case, made in Belgium) and the date of production. Cheers

Hi, I believes that Berry is like a Daihatsu; a reliable product. So as long as you are being charged the right price, you shouldn't be loosing any sleep over your decision. The Hydroplus imo is just marketing sophistry, as coating or impregnating the core board with a water repelling agent are common with many other brands, and the only innovation here is the labeling. If you look at Riviera (which is the only Berry range with hydroplus) technical data on their website, it states very clearly that "the swelling" in the moisture-resistance test is <10% according to EN standard. Compare that with QS, which uses MasterCore boards for their entire ranges, you will see that their test data shows <8%. So you can see that the standard QS product actually has higher moisture resistancy than that of a Hydroplus. I hope you will find this information useful.

So you chose the Lexus, well done! Agree with titanax, the whole idea is that you never need to call in for the warranty.

Hi Dr A, I'm back and I think; in time to help you with your dilemma! Which, imo there shouldn't be, because comparing Berry with Quick-Step is like comparing a Daihatsu with a Lexus

Hi buddy, you are right, and premium brands such as Quick-Step and Faus are at the forefront of dpl technology. They are the ones who comes up with some very good innovations (not gimmicky stuff like anti-termites, air-purifier, singing/creaking planks), got them patented, and then make everyone else who copied them to pay a licencing fee. Now that's intelligent business!

High pressure and direct pressure lamination. Until some years ago, the only way to achieve higher surface abrasion on laminate was hpl, but the downside of this is that by having more layers on top to achieve Abrasion Class 5 level, it obscured the decor paper below, making it look "plasticky" or unreal. It is also more expensive because of the higher investment on the production lines, and also the additional materials for production. Dpl on the other hand has improved tremendously because of new technologies. Instead of having more layers, it uses a different kind of coating, commonly corundum, which allows it to tailor abrasion class from AC4 to AC6, without obscuring the decor at AC4 level. And of course it is cheaper to produce From what I have read though, the coating process is quite tricky, and does not come with "machines from Germany". This probably explain the inability of the Chinese and Malaysian to produce AC4 products. Now despite their claims to being AC4 or AC5 products here in Asia; which cannot be validated, I cannot find such claims by them in the western countries where they are sold, as they will surely be sued for making false claims.