Remodeling Swiss Federal Railways‘ Lucerne Staff Rooms

The floor covering of a room has a considerable effect on the people who live within it. Its function, material texture, as well as its color or pattern, are the factors which determine the level of quality of use.

The Better Choice
Resilient floor coverings no longer correspond to the dusty cliché of those depressingly functional wastelands they once used to be.

Modern floor coverings elegantly master the balancing act between functional requirements like hygiene, safety, appearance and cost-effectiveness, thus providing limitless possibilities to any creative interior designers.

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) was confronted with the torment of deciding on a suitable flooring, when renovation of the employees’ recreation and dressing facilities at the Lucerne site were due. The choice finally fell on a red, discreetly marbled PVC flooring, which was supposed to be laid from the entrance to the lounge area as well as the wet zones.

PVC flooring meets the functional requirements of health and hygiene standards in highly stressed residence and wet rooms in an ideal manner.

Color + Form + Material = Effect
Color is an essential element of trademarks and logos. The relocated flooring at SBB reminds one subtly, but consistently, of the red color of the house brand and at the same time ensures a relaxing, cozy atmosphere.

Effect arises not only because of a color or pattern choice but rather from decisions such as the consistent flooring design throughout all the rooms, the elastic texture, the shock and noise absorbing qualities of the PVC material, and last but not least, due to its minimalistic pattern that provides the rather stimulating red with a gentle visual damper.

The right tool at the right time
Whether remodeling or new construction, during the time in which a floor is typically installed, there are often other contractors involved in the final stages of their projects and the entire site is a flurry of activity. All the more important for the professional flooring installer are powerful tools kept close at hand, with which he can work in a focused and effective way. Floor covering installer Xherdan (name changed by the editors) tried out Leister’s new GROOVY hand-gouging tool and immediately realized all the advantages of the product declaring «this GROOVY thing just made my day!»

The «Last Mile»
A perfect weld seam requires a perfectly milled groove. However, the last few centimeters of a machine-cut groove often are not very popular. 

The problem: When using Leister’s GROOVER machine, you cannot reach the cove—where the floor meets the wall—in all situations. Typically, you would need a steel angle and joint cutter to incorporate an absolutely clean transition from a machine-milled groove to a hand-cut groove. This can translate to «arduous, time-consuming, manual-finishing of the floor layer.»

Xherdan explains one of the most common reasons for this, at the Lucerne jobsite, «in many buildings, the clunky old radiators are the biggest obstacle for the GROOVER grooving machine because I cannot mill a groove up to the connecting walls here.»

A classic situation. But Leister’s «innovation kitchen» is proving once more its heart for craftsmen and that it has the perfect solution for them. With the GROOVY gouging tool, the «problems of the last mile» are history and groove preparation finally becomes a fun job to do. 

This innovation—among others—lies within the two roller guides located on the bottom of the GROOVY. The roller guides are placed into the machine-cut joints and GROOVY—without pressure but precisely like a train on rails—easily grooves its way to the wall.

When using the GROOVY, «the last few centimeters are super easy to complete by hand and this comes as a real relief», states Xherdan, our tester. He particularly appreciates how well the GROOVY fits within the palm of his hand exclaiming, «this handle finally fits a true craftsman’s hands.»

Ergonomic Benefits
In addition to the generously-sized handle, Leister has paid particular attention to an optimal angle of inclination in order to spare hands and wrists from fatigue when working on the ground. This design helps—especially in the long-term—by preventing fatigue of the joints. 

TRIAC & GROOVY: The Basic Equipment
For welding and preparing the grooves, the savvy flooring professional needs at least one handheld hot-air welding tool, as well as a grooving device. The latter is best stowed in the storage case of a TRIAC, where it fits perfectly into the front left accessory compartment. We believe that this is a truly worthwhile upgrade!

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Leister Sales and Service Center: Headquarters Kaegiswil/OW, Switzerland
Customer: Pfister PROFESSIONAL AG, 6010 Kriens/LU
Material: PVC
Leister Product: GROOVY, GROOVER, TRIAC
Text & Imagery: Leister AG