To be spec compliant.. What's in a name?

07 August 2020

We live in a world where many industries are dominated by particular brands from entertainment and sports through to food and drink. Many of us opt to buy a specific brand because of a variety of reasons from quality through to the perception that comes with that brand. However, in many cases we are simply ‘paying for the brand name’ and the underlying product is no different to its unbranded counterpart, this is true of the raised flooring industry.

The raised flooring industry has a few well known brand names, organisations with deep pockets to pay for copious amounts of advertising, sales teams and to be featured on every tool used by architects, designers, cost consultants and many more. However, in an industry such as raised flooring where the product is required to remain safe and compliant any manufacture of floor must comply with the The Property Services Agency (PSA) Method of Building Performance Specification 'Platform Floors (Raised Access Floors)', MOB PF2 PS/SPU, the manufacturers performance specification.

This specification consists of performance requirements verifiable by standard testing procedures conducted by independant test house.

Requirements covered include dimensional accuracy, moisture and thermal movement, strength grades, fire safety, floor panel finishes, electrical bonding and continuity. So in a nutshell, if you buy a Medium Grade PSA raised floor panel from a big brand OR a lesser known brand, they both legally have to meet this performance standard determined by the Property Services Agency and as such the brand name is irrelevant.

So, if one brand is featured on a specification that surely means that needs to be the brand selected? Incorrect. What is being specified is the floor type i.e. Medium Grade or Heavy Grade, the brand is actually the irrelevant part. Our PSA systems of course also offer a full system warranty. What is imperative that it matches is the grade and type of floor as this forms an integral part of the design and has been factored in due to the skill and knowledge of the architect and the design team.

If this article has made you reconsider your options for your next fit out project then please do not hesitate to contact our estimating department on 01926 425289 or email us at estimating@rmf-services.co.uk and we will be happy to answer any queries you have.

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