Design a learning environment that helps me reach my potential.
Schools are more than math and science. They are also the places where students find out who they are, what their talents are, and what they can contribute to the world. And so, it is up to us, as interior designers, as architects, as product manufacturers, to work together with educators to create high performance schools that nurture our children. Spaces that enable students to be healthy and safe, free to laugh, play and grow. At Tandus, we believe everyone has a part to play. Ours is to develop products with a purpose, floorcoverings specifically engineered to deliver solutions. These products are design-friendly to inspire your imagination, enhance learning and safety, budgetfriendly to meet schools needs, and environmentally-friendly to benefit us all. Children are our future. Education gives them a future. Let us make sure it s a bright one. 3
How can we create spaces that enhance learning? By addressing all the factors that nurture a child s imagination. Design an environment where I can concentrate without distraction. Noisy classrooms can affect a child s ability to understand the teacher. Proper acoustical design reduces noise, helping to improve listening comprehension. Studies show it can even raise test scores. 4
Create a place where I feel warm and comfortable. Make my surroundings colorful, calm, and cheerful. The right use of color in the classroom can create an engaging atmosphere where students can learn. Teachers have noticed that children focus better with simpler designs, as random or complicated patterns on the floor can cause anxiety and be distracting. A cushioned floor creates a cozier atmosphere, providing a softer place to sit and stand. Also, cushion floorcoverings provide the highest thermal ratings to help manage classroom temperatures and save energy costs. 5
Create a fun space where the floor becomes more than a floor. One of the greatest traits we can nurture in our children is a love of learning because it will help them prosper in every facet of their lives. 6
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Don t expose me to unnecessary chemicals. How can we protect our children s health? By ensuring they have a safe classroom environment. 8 Some carpet manufacturers treat their products with antimicrobials, which are classified as pesticides by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A healthier approach is to choose higher performing products that do not require pesticide protection. Ask your school district about their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.
Make sure the air I breathe is clean. Keep my classroom free of mold and mildew. Spills and accidents happen everyday. To ensure complete removal, specify floorcoverings that do not have open seams nor allow liquid to penetrate the surface. Moisture that gets under the flooring can stagnate, promoting the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria. Installation of some flooring products requires the use of wet adhesives that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detrimental to indoor air quality. For better health, look for floorcoverings specially designed to provide cleaner air, such as products offering a safe peel-and-stick installation virtually eliminating VOCs. 9
Put the right product in the right place. Floorcoverings that work well in other buildings may not meet the demanding needs of today s school environment. In actual applications, three of the four main flooring types were shown to pose usage problems during daily classroom activities. 10 Traditional broadloom carpet is not typically designed to withstand the high traffic, spills, and demands of K-12 environments. Hard surface floors, such as ceramic, linoleum, rubber, and terrazzo, are appropriate for science classrooms, cafeterias, labs, and restrooms. Only Vinyl Cushion Tufted Textile (VCTT)* is designed for all other areas of a school s learning environment. Modular carpet tile poses safety issues as debris can slip between the seams, causing tiles to dislodge and promoting potential health concerns.
*The flooring proven to perform best in school applications is VCTT. VCTT is uniquely engineered for schools. It s soft, comfortable, and design-savvy and it s also mold-resistant and restorable like a hard surface floor. 11
Memories of school last a lifetime. Your design choices influence how kids remember their school days. Floorcovering selection is especially important since the floor sets the stage for the tone and color palette of a school s interior. 12
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How can we safeguard our children s future? By taking the time now to care about environmental issues. My teachers talk about making smart choices. Hopefully, our school is doing the same. 14 Tandus is the only company to Ever receive the prestigious Antron Sustainability Gold Award, an honor bestowed three times in the past three years. As stewards of the environment, it is up to us to make the right choices today. This includes choosing building materials made from post-consumer recycled materials and that are 100% recyclable. Floorcoverings that meet these criteria also satisfy California High Performance Schools (CHPS) requirements and can help with LEED certification.
We always recycle at home. I think our school should too. I know school gives us an education but I want to know they are thinking about our future, too. Instead of sending used carpet to a landfill, schools can sell it to FLOORE, our buy-back program that reclaims vinyl-backed carpet after its useful life and recycles it back into floorcovering. Schools shape our children s future and, in a broader sense, so do companies who are committed to children and to sustainability. Bringing these like-minded citizens together ensures the best interest of future generations. At Tandus, that is our pledge. 15
How can we help our schools succeed? By offering long-term solutions that maximize their resources. Spend wisely so my school can invest more of its resources on us. Maintenance costs are an important consideration for tight school budgets. To ease the strain, look for floorcoverings that clean easily without needing to be removed or replaced, offer stain-resistance, and allow easy repair of select areas. 16
Choose high-perfomance products. We can t afford replacement costs. Conventional carpet and modular carpet tile often require replacement within 5 to 10 years. The most cost-effective option is floorcovering manufactured for long-term durability that installs quickly and is backed by a 25-year non-prorated performance warranty. 17
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Is education as important to you as it is to us? Tandus has designed floorcoverings to meet the demands of the school environment since 1967. Over the years, we ve listened and gained a tremendous amount of experience in this market. Our hope is to become a valuable resource for all of your design needs. Among our innovations is a high performance school floorcovering technology called VCTT or by our brand name, Powerbond. Over the years, its technology has evolved to make it the safest, most durable flooring surface for learning environments, and it will please any design aesthetic. We ve also compiled extensive research on floor-related factors that can affect learning, such as acoustics, thermal, product application, indoor air quality, maintenance, and environmental issues. Tandus, Expect Innovation. Products with a Purpose Design Technology Sustainability Flooring is our business. Design is yours. Working together with educators, we can create beautiful environments where our children can thrive and learn. 19
311 Smith Industrial Blvd., Dalton, GA 30721 tandus.com 800.248.2878 10% Cert no. XXX-XXX-000 E Printed on 10% Post Consumer Recycled Content Paper Using Soy Inks 8-07-234