• A SIDEC quartz carpet floor or wall carpet consists of millions of tiny coloured gravel grains which are mixed with epoxy resin and subsequently processed by a craftsman into a level and seamless floor. To suit all tastes and to accommodate all applications, SIDEC has developed a broad selection of gravel grains and a range of over one thousand colours. For creative people and for those seeking to add a personal touch to their environment, the SIDEC quartz carpet grains can be mixed at one’s own discretion and according to one’s own taste to form a specific colour combination or can be included in any pattern, drawing or logo. SIDEC quartz carpet adds a colourful and personal touch to your floor and guarantees maximum cosiness. By means of a SIDEC quartz carpet floor you will combine the atmosphere and warmth of fabric floor covering with the practical cleaning possibilities of tiles and the natural and stylish cachet of parquet.

• Since the ambient air lodges between the grains of your quartz carpet floor, your floor will always feel warm and comfortable. For example, in a room with a temperature of 20°C, a gravel floor will have an average temperature of 14 to 15°C, which is very comfortable.

• A SIDEC quartz carpet floor looks nice for many years. The epoxy prevents any dirt from penetrating the grains. In this way, you not only have a modern floor covering which lasts for many years, but also one which continues to look nice.

• A SIDEC quartz carpet floor is highly hygienic and maintenance-friendly. The floor’s open structure causes house dust and walk-in dirt to become invisibly lodged between the grains. This has two advantages: it never wafts up, so it cannot be inhaled and can be removed easily and completely with a vacuum cleaner. Stains of spilled soft drinks, wine, tea or coffee can be easily removed using lukewarm suds, a brush and a water sucking device.

• Last but not least, a SIDEC quartz carpet floor has soundproofing properties. This is not without meaning in our hectic times full of noise pollution and with a living room demanding peace and quiet.

• OPEN OR CLOSED STRUCTURE
  
  Gravel floors have, by nature, an open structure, which is in almost all cases the best execution and can be applied in almost all dry rooms. However, certain considerations may come into play which warrant that the space between the small stones be filled up. For one thing, it is recommended to treat rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms with a pore filler. Even when it is opted to use a grain of 1-2 mm or finer, it is absolutely essential that the quartz carpet floor be sealed!
   
• WEEKLY MAINTENANCE
  
  The maintenance of a stone carpet or quartz carpet floor with an open structure can best be compared with that of a wall-to-wall carpet. This translates into at least 1 vacuum cleaning a week (possibly several times depending on the filthiness). It is not necessary to clean with water and soap every time, as the dirt can be easily removed using a good vacuum cleaner. However, it is possible to freshen up the stone carpet using a moist mop.
   
• THOROUGH CLEANING
  
  

  If, after some time, the floor needs thorough cleaning after all, one can clean the floor using a carpet cleaner (type Nilfisk CA340) or a steam cleaner. These devices are capable of recovering 90% of the impregnated water, allowing the floor to be dry again in no time. However, we do not recommend cleaning the floor using an ordinary water sucking device as this sucks up only 40-60% of the water back from the floor. This means that the rest is to evaporate and that it can be quite a while, depending on the temperature, before the floor can be used again.

• PARTIAL FILTHINESS
  
  For partial filthiness, caused by the spilling of liquids and/or pasty products, it is best to immediately clean with warm water and a brush/sponge. Immediately after the treatment, suck up the dirty water using a water sucking device and rinse again, in certain spots, with pure water and suck up again.
  
  

  For more information, refer to our technical information via the page "Professionals"

Impact Sound Insulation

There are currently norms imposed upon story floors to avoid impact sound. The norm dictates that one may lay floor covering on the floor provided that this product has a sound improvement of minimum 10db (according to NEN 1070 or NEN 1077) in relation to the current concrete floor. A gravel floor yields, without under-carpet, a sound improvement of 4db. In order to guarantee the minimum improvement of 10db, it is essential to place a sound-insulating layer first.
 
For more information, refer to our technical information via the page "Professionals"

Colour samples Quartz Carpet	Colour samples Marble Stone

Photographs


 

• CEMENT BLINDING / BLINDING
  
  A cement blinding is porous, causing the glue which is mixed between the small decorative stones to be sucked into the sub-floor if the pores are not closed first. So, in the case of a cement blinding, the floor must be pre-treated with a primer first. For heavy loads, we recommend using a two-component epoxy primer (EQC). For lighter loads, a one-component acrylate primer (APR.01) will suffice.
  
  
• TILE FLOOR OR NATURAL STONE
  
  In order to obtain a good bond on a tile floor, it is essential that you thoroughly degrease it first before applying an appropriate tile primer (EPW). Another method is to first roughen it by means of jets and/or through polishing and to then apply a special tile primer (epoxy + silicon).
  
  
• ANHYDRITE FLOOR
  
  An anhydrite floor looks just like a concrete floor. That is why it is recommended that you first make inquiries as to whether or not your sub-floor is an anhydrite floor since the pre-treatment is different from that of concrete floors. An anhydrite floor must be polished in advance, yet this is standard procedure in the construction industry. It is recommended that you inquire about this beforehand, just to be sure. Before laying the gravel floor, the anhydrite floor is fitted with a tile primer.
  
  
• WOODEN FLOOR
  
  A wooden plank floor must be screwed in advance using waterproof OSB boards with a tongue and groove system. The thickness of the multiply or plywood will depend on the elasticity of the substrate. Since a wooden substrate continues to move, it is essential to first stretch a shrinkage mesh reinforcement (glass fibre) across the floor which is glued in a moist membrane (synthetic under-layer), similar to a plasterer applying a parget to gypsum boards. In doing so, the welds are pre-treated using glass fibre tape to avoid cracking.

• Ask if the primer (ground layer) is included in the price. Also, never let anyone tell you that a primer is not required, for it is.
  
  

  Almost every floor has pores. If these pores are not closed in advance, the binding agent of the stone carpet will be absorbed by these pores, causing far less resin to remain between the small stones and thus considerably weakening the floor, resulting in small stones coming loose over time. This ground layer also has a second function: as the primer penetrates the substrate and part of it stays on top of it for a while, two ordinarily separate floor boards are turned into one.
  You had also better opt for an epoxy primer as the binding agent of the quartz carpet also is epoxy. The adhesion of epoxy on epoxy is much better than on any other product.
  Tiles that have no pores (except for the cement joints) also require a primer! Here one must use the etching primer, thus allowing it to chemically adhere to the substrate. If a quartz carpet floor is applied to tiles whose substrate has not been pre-treated with etching primer, the floor is very likely to come loose over time.
  
  Also, it is recommended to scatter dry sand of 0.1-0.3mm or 0.3-0.8mm across the still wet primer. This enhances the adhesive force.

• Be sure to use a minimum of 7 - 8kg of resin for 100kg of gravel! If a smaller amount of epoxy is used, the floor will end up being less strong and chances are small stones will come loose over time.

• In order to obtain better wear resistance and greater resistance to UV light, a polyurethane topcoat may be placed. This is a transparent varnish layer which ensures that your gravel carpet will look nice for a longer period of time. It is especially recommended in places where there is a lot of running around going on as well as near big windows allowing lots of sunlight to enter. Attention: this is usually not included in the price.

• Furthermore, the quality of the gravel used to make your stone carpet can be easily verified. When putting it in water or a solvent, the colour must not come off.

• Always ask your supplier to leave a bag of gravel with you. Then, if you ever have a problem, you will have gravel of the same batch.