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Antimicrobial flooring launched by Bolidt

CRUISE Bolidt Lab.jpg
Bolidt continues to research synthetics at its Innovation Center
Netherlands-based Bolidt has created ship decking that is alleged to limit the spread of multiresistant bacteria on board ships.

Originally designed for use in land-based applications such as hospitals and kitchens, the technology is said to be bactericidal, hygienic and easy to clean.

Hybrid Flooring

The material is applied as a coating to Bolideck 525 decking, used for indoor spaces on passenger ships. The 525 system may also incorporate safety messaging, such as static or dynamic signs, social-distancing markers or lights indicating directions for where passengers should queue. 

A Hybrid Flooring concept, comprising a layer of carpet fitted on top of the Bolideck 525 system with antimicrobial coating, is also underway in collaboration with YSA Design. In the event of a future outbreak, the carpet may be stripped away to reveal safety markers beneath, also activating the solution’s hygienic and bactericidal properties.

‘Certain spaces on board a cruise vessel require plush carpeting to create that luxurious feel, but passenger ships will have to be flexible when they set sail again’, says Georg Piantino, senior architect at YSA Design. ‘With the hygiene of Bolidt’s antimicrobial technology, social distance signage and the elegance of a fine carpet, Hybrid Flooring is the perfect example of how vessels can adapt to changing requirements’. 

He went on to add that, ‘It will allow a luxury suite to be transformed into a medical area, for instance, in a short space of time and with minimal disruption.’

Research and development

Jacco van Overbeek, director of Bolidt’s Maritime Division, claims Bolidt’s antimicrobial floor cover has ‘consistently demonstrated its value on land in the healthcare sector’ and that the ‘product is ready to go.’

He added, ‘At our recently opened Innovation Center, we are researching flooring that helps to reduce viral spread not just through safety messaging but thanks to truly virucidal characteristics.’