Listed below are our most recent news posts. You can also view our News Archive, containing posts from 2020 until present.
The CFA held its first Manufacturers’ Committee Meeting of the year this month. These meetings are always popular, particularly since they started being held online, and the recent meeting was no exception.
The first part of the meeting was taken up by a very topical and informative Calcium Sulfate Screeds Update delivered by Alan Jackson, National Commercial Manager at Gypsol and Andy Hone, Technical Manager UK at Anhydritec Ltd.
The presentation covered the screed market generally, the differences between anhydrite and cement-based screeds, how to identify different types of screed, product usage and surface preparation. Interesting facts to emerge included that the carbon impact of an anhydrite screed is about 94% less than that of a cement-based screed.
Other topics covered in the meeting included developments on the new EN1615 Slip Resistance Standard, full revision of BS5325 British Standard for the Installation of Textile Floorcoverings – now expected to be published in May this year. This will look similar to BS8203 for Resilient Floorcoverings, making cross-referencing between the two Standards more straightforward.
A range of updates from the CPA were also presented, including environmental issues and the Code for Construction Product Information, which is currently being consulted on. The meeting also presented the new ‘CFA report Zero Avoidable Waste in Flooring – Towards a Circular Economy’, developments on Screed Board, and updates on CFA support for members regarding Covid-19 and Brexit.
The CFA would like to welcome 14 Flooring Ltd, a New Associate Contractor Member from Essex.
In line with the recommendation in the Industry Training Board (ITB) Review undertaken by Mark Farmer, the Government is currently consulting on a proposal to merge CITB and ECITB to create a single, unified ITB to support the skills needs of employers in the construction and engineering sectors across England, Scotland and Wales.
The ITB Review concluded that there is still a need for intervention in the skills systems of the construction and engineering sectors but that the current ITB model is not having the required impact or delivering the desired outcomes. CFA members (via Build UK) have supported the continuation of the CITB Levy, and Build UK's 'Levy In – Skills Out' response to the last Consensus process set out what employers expect from CITB in return for paying the Levy. The ITB consultation offers the opportunity to reset the services provided by CITB and ECITB to support employers of all sizes in recruiting, training and retaining the skills needed now and in the future.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a consultation on amending the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), which will increase the amount of information that must be reported to the HSE. The proposed changes are designed to help tackle work?related ill health and include:
The consultation also covers improvements to the online reporting system to tackle both under and over reporting, and the deadline to submit a response is Tuesday 30 June.
The CFA would like to welcome MH Flooring Dumfries, a new Associate Contractor Member from Scotland.
The CFA would like to welcome Waterside Commercial Flooring, a New Contractor Member from Middlesex.
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The CFA would like to welcome Noble and Bradford Flooring Contractors, a New Contractor Member from Dundee.
We have been made aware of a spam email being sent to CFA members and wish to bring it to your attention.
The particular email that has come to our attention has been distributed from [email protected], although there may be other alternative emails in circulation from this company - please see the graphic at the bottom of this notification.
We can confirm that the CFA is NOT working with or in partnership with this sender or the related business. We want to reassure you that we do not generally share the CFA membership list with any third parties and should we ever enter into any partnerships with a third party for a project, we would ensure that members were made aware of this in advance.
The CFA always takes action when members receive spam or spurious emails and can confirm that we have issued the sender of the spam/scam a cease and desist instruction.
PLEASE IGNORE AND DELETE THE EMAIL FROM YOUR SYSTEM, as well as any follow-up versions. We would ask that you make sure that relevant personnel within your company are made aware that these are not genuine emails.
You can register spam emails with the ICO: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/spam-emails/report-spam-emails/ or with Action Fraud.
Following our recent alert regarding fraudulent emails impersonating the CFA, we would like to remind members to remain vigilant. The scam emails falsely requested payment of overdue membership fees and if responded to, we now know they send an invoice that copies CFA branding and styles but with different bank details. Please note that all official CFA renewal invoices will be issued on 1 April 2026 from [email protected], and our bank details have not changed. If you receive any unexpected payment requests or messages asking for different payment arrangements, please contact the CFA office directly before taking any action.
You can register spam emails with the ICO: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/spam-emails/report-spam-emails/ or Fraud emails to Action Fraud: Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): [email protected]
If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our admin team via telephone number 0115 941 1126 or email [email protected]
The CFA would like to welcome Hennessy Flooring Limited, a new Co
ntractor Member from Birmingham.
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The CFA would like to welcome Jomarc Limited, a new Contractor Member from Glasgow.
The CFA would like to welcome Ruby Flooring Ltd, a new Contractor Member from Glasgow.
The CFA would like to welcome A Woodland & Son Flooring Specialists Ltd, a new Contractor Member from Nottinghamshire.
The CFA would like to welcome Granorte UK Limited, a new Manufacturer Member from Telford, Shropshire.
The CFA would like to welcome Floortech Contracts Limited, a New Associate Contractor Member from Chelmsford in Essex.
We have been made aware of 2 spam emails being sent to CFA members and wish to bring them to your attention.
The particular emails that have come to our attention have been distributed from [email protected] and [email protected] although there may be other alternative emails in circulation from these companies - please see the graphics at the bottom of this notification.
We can confirm that the CFA is NOT working with or in partnership with these senders or the related businesses. We want to reassure you that we do not generally share the CFA membership list with any third parties and should we ever enter into any partnerships with a third party for a project, we would ensure that members were made aware of this in advance.
The CFA always takes action when members receive spam or spurious emails and can confirm that we have issued the senders of the spam/scam a cease and desist instruction.
PLEASE IGNORE AND DELETE THESE EMAILS FROM YOUR SYSTEM, as well as any follow-up versions. We would ask that you make sure that relevant personnel within your company are made aware that these are not genuine emails.
You can register spam emails with the ICO: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/spam-emails/report-spam-emails/ or with Action Fraud.
The Government has published its Warm Homes Plan, which sets out £15 billion of investment to upgrade the energy efficiency of up to five million homes, representing a significant pipeline of publicly?funded retrofit work. With home insulation rates decreasing by more than 90% from 2010 - 2024, the plan has three delivery strands or ‘pillars’:
Delivery of the Warm Homes Plan will be overseen by a new Warm Homes Agency combining the delivery functions of Ofgem, Salix and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. There will also be additional funding for the Heat Training Grant to support the upskilling of heating engineers, with a new Warm Homes Skills Programme for other qualifications in solar panels, insulation and assessment.
We would like to remind members that there are now just six weeks to go until all CSCS cards obtained via Industry Accreditation expire on 31 December and that they should have a plan in place to move workers onto the relevant card as soon as possible. CSCS has issued guidance on replacing Blue, Gold and Black Industry Accreditation cards, and there are increased CITB grant rates available for workers achieving certain S/NVQs to replace cards.
CSCS does not issue cards for non?construction occupations and any workers who are no longer undertaking a recognised construction occupation on site do not require a CSCS card.
CSCS has also announced that the initial validity of a Labourer card will be reduced from five to two years from 1 February 2025 to encourage more new entrants to start on the appropriate Red card with a recognised training pathway. Any operatives who continue in a labouring role will be able to renew their card for five years by providing evidence that they are employed as a labourer.
We have today been notified by the CLC (Construction Leadership Council) that the The Minister for Building Safety and Homelessness has made a statement regarding CE Marking for construction products.
The statement announces an extension of the recognition of CE marking for construction products in Great Britain.
This extension, as well as the longer-term future of CE/UKCA marking, is conditional on a commitment from the Government to system wide reform of the construction products regulatory regime. The full announcement can be viewed here.
In summary this means that:
• CE marking will be accepted past 30 June 2025 for construction products.
• The Government has committed to system wide construction product regulatory reform.
• UKCA marking will remain a valid and accepted regulatory mark.
• The Government will explore the long-term future of CE/UKCA marking as part of this regulatory reform.
• Any subsequent changes to the recognition of CE marking would be subject to a minimum 2-year transitional period.
• The Government will engage with UK Conformity Assessment Bodies, the UK Accreditation Service, and the wider industry to strengthen the conformity assessment market.
The Statement also makes announcements in relation to National Classes fire testing standards.
Source: CLC (2.9.2024)
We are delighted to publish a new member only document our Guidance Note on Moisture Measurement – In-Situ Probe Method. This is now available via the members area of the CFA website www.cfa.org.uk.
Following concerns raised by industry regarding moisture testing using the sleeve/probe method, work began on the guidance note in December 2022 with the formation of a working group. Whilst the changes proposed were relatively simple, the technical research to support them was discussed in detail, as was the format, and some additional critical parameters. The final document was approved for publication in June 2024.
Richard Catt (CFA CEO) commented: “This is a really important update that ensures a better understanding of the moisture condition of a subfloor. I am delighted that the CFA has been able to facilitate and deliver this work for industry.”
The CFA would like to take this opportunity to thank all those members who have been involved in the project for their hard work and support.
The CFA’s recently launched Clear Our Workspace campaign toolkit is available for members to view and download from the CFA website member area.
This initiative is designed specifically to address a significant challenge faced by our contractor members - maintaining clear and accessible workspaces on multi-trade sites.
Central to this campaign is the CFA principle of the “responsible no”, supporting members in occasionally making the tough decision to delay installation if site conditions are not suitable.
Building on the success of our first site conditions campaign “Winter Warning” (developed to helps members to achieve adequate heating on sites during the colder months) the new “Clear Our Workspace” campaign tackles another critical area: clear workspaces and uncontaminated subfloors. Every UK flooring contractor knows the frustration of working in environments where multiple trades overlap, leading to cluttered workspaces and contaminated subfloors. Such conditions not only hinder productivity but also jeopardise the quality and integrity of flooring installations. This latest campaign offers a comprehensive response to this widespread issue.
The Clear Our Workspace toolkit has several key resources to help raise awareness and foster better collaboration from main contractors and other trades on-site. Among these resources are a site poster, which can be printed and displayed on notice boards ensuring that all trades are aware of the requirements for a successful flooring installation.
The full kit includes the site poster/flyer, an email footer for members to add to their emails to highlight the importance of clear workspaces, and section 2 of the CFA Guide to Contract Flooring that applies. We have also created some tea/coffee coasters for members to use as giveaways for clients to help raise awareness. Members can obtain these by emailing [email protected] or calling 0115 941 1126 - please note supplies are limited and so will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
We are delighted to publish our digital 2024/2025 Guide to Sustainability. This annual publication highlights key information, products, services and case studies, and is fast becoming more and more important as a reference document for our sector. It aims to help anyone with a current flooring project (with sustainability at its heart) to deliver best practice. At the same time, it provides some thought leadership pieces around the future of sustainability in the commercial flooring sector.
Returning to its roots as a guide, there is a very practical article on ways that contractors can improve their green credentials outside of installing sustainable products. A whole list of accessible actions and improvements that make both environmental and business sense. Doing the right thing, whilst at the same time making a flooring contractor more attractive as a supply chain partner to work with.
Included in the Guide is an update on the CISUFLO project https://www.cisuflo.eu/. Our work has really begun to gain momentum and we are supporting trials of a circular broadloom carpet. It’s an incredibly interesting project that has many threads including design for circular products and tagging materials so that they can be identified at the end of life and recycled. Tagging concepts have included bar codes and other electronic tags read by scanning the floor with something such as an RFID reader that will provide data such as the manufacturer, design and how they can be recycled. A product passport if you like.
All of the content has a wide reach and audience and we would like to thank everyone who contributed.
Here we have our full archive of previous news posts available to view in date-order.
