By Adam Baker, CEO, Tek Stil Concepts
Make-it-Match™ is a game changer for the flooring industry. The Make-it-Match System™ provides the tools, the tapes, and the techniques to help flooring professionals quickly and cleanly create exact matching trims, transitions, profiles, and other accessory items for rigid core vinyl plank flooring projects onsite. It is the perfect solution to have at your fingertips because all too often “coordinating” trims and transitions can hold up the job resulting in delayed payments and unsatisfied customers. When flooring transitions have the project in a bind, this system can solve the problem without having to wait on replacements. So when the trims are back ordered, the wrong trims arrive, or if the customer just doesn’t like the look of them; the flooring contractor can Make-it-Match.
Match Wrapping is a great service for the flooring contractor to add to their price list because in addition to solving problems on jobs; many retailers have large stacks of obsolete or overstocked profiles that can be made to match, turning trash into cash.
The Tools: The Plank Skinner™ Tool Kit consists of a Plank Skinner™, a double-head pressure roller, and a smoother, all contained in a canvas storage bag.
The Plank Skinner is a tool designed to remove the vinyl wear layer of rigid core LVP products. It makes this process efficient with little physical effort without disfiguring the wear layer. It is made of aircraft grade aluminum to be light weight and long lasting. It consists of a drill attachment on one end and a specially grooved shaft on the other end. It attaches to any standard drill. It can skin vinyl wear layers up to 12’’ wide and up to 40 mils thick. The double-head pressure roller helps to conform the MatchWrap adhesive tape and the vinyl wear layer into the exact shape of the items being wrapped. The two roller ends combined into one tool speeds up the process. One end is for flat rolling and the other end is for inside corners. The smoother’s thin, but rigid edges are great for tucking into tight spaces which is especially helpful when wrapping commercial profiles of metal, rubber, or vinyl.
The Tapes: MatchWrap is a special double-sided tape with a thin fabric carrier and white release paper. It is used for the surface customization of flooring profiles and other accessory items. It is wrapped around flooring accessory items such as an end cap, t-molding, stair nose, stair tread, floor vent, electrical outlet cover, etc. MatchWrap easily conforms and adheres to flooring profiles made of wood, pvc, plastic, rubber, vinyl, or metal.
The Process: After removing the release paper, the decorative wear layer (skin) of a rigid vinyl plank is then heated with a heat gun to conform to the profile’s shape while being adhered to the outside layer of the MatchWrap. This results in a perfectly matching profile. Profiles customized using MatchWrap can instantly be installed and subjected to foot traffic. The initial bond of MatchWrap is forgiving which helps the flooring professional during the surface customization process. MatchWrap comes in 3.5” and 5” widths in 130’ rolls. Unlike contact tapes, which are not designed for profile surface customization, MatchWrap will not experience adhesive displacement issues. MatchWrap is quick, clean, odorless, non-flammable, and VOC-free.
The Techniques: The Make-it-Match.com website features free video content to help users to quickly master the system. Once mastered, transitions can be customized in a matter of minutes. Be sure to register to receive Techniques updates and with new video content. For more information visit Make-it-Match.com
