Kingspan Access Floors has warned about the dangers of contractors taking up raised floors from buildings being renovated or demolished and then reusing them elsewhere. Kingspan Access Floors Managing Director Terry Newman said: “There is a relatively new but growing trend of contractors attempting to recycle complete second hand flooring systems. of contractors attempting to recycle complete second hand flooring systems. This is causing some concern because it is impossible to determine what wear or damage has been inflicted on the system during its life or whilst it is being dismantled and removed, particularly as it is a structural product.

“The primary performance specification in the UK, the PSA Specification, recommends that a raised floor should have a life of at least 25 years so the floor will see numerous changes over its life, some of which might have a detrimental effect on its structural performance, especially if it has been overloaded".

Mr Newman said Kingspan would not provide any ongoing warranty for a floor that had been reused unless it was only a few years old and had been inspected by Kingspan before it was reused. “Reusing a flooring system would be admirable from a recycling point of view if the practice was not open to so many risks. Kingspan is committed to the environment and recycling, and we offer a service where we will take back our old raised flooring systems and recycle the steel and chipboard cores for reuse,” added Mr Newman.