With over 40 years as a bestseller and 100 million square metres sold, iQ Optima from Tarkett has been relaunched in a decisive step towards wellbeing and inclusive spaces…
Tarkett homogeneous vinyl offers boundless versatility; its enduring qualities have made it an iconic floor that delivers technical functionality as well as outstanding design. Produced in Sweden, the iQ Optima moving nuances collection has rejuvenated the range, featuring new designs and an expanded colour palette. It has been specially designed to promote wellbeing and harmony in heavy traffic areas, making it an ideal option for settings such as education and healthcare.
Image credit: Tarkett
Contemporary emotive design
The collection focuses on design without compromising on technical performance. Drawing inspiration from soft washes of watercolour and the organic travertine mineral, the new collection offers a diverse range of colours across four distinct palettes: Basalt, Argil, Lichen, and Oxid. The idea behind moving nuances is to combine a directional effect in the design with a delicate palette of colours that evoke both movement and emotion. It features three different patterns, which are completely unique to Tarkett, including ‘blend’ (a fusion of lightness, contrast, and toned-down colours), ‘original’ (the unique directional pattern with tone-on-tone contrast), and ‘mono’ (the least contrasting as a dementia-friendly option). All were chosen for their understated, subtle nature, ideal for use across large general areas.
The new collection has been organised to reflect Tarkett’s wider range of iQ flooring, with each of the four colour palettes designed to be paired across the iQ Granit and iQ Eminent ranges. This offers architects and designers an ideal solution for creating harmonious spaces that provide user comfort and wellbeing. Moving Nuances promotes inclusivity with dementia-friendly options, and can also work alongside iQ technical ranges, such as iQ Toro SC (static-conductive), iQ Granit SD (static-dissipative), and Granit Safe.T (non-slip).
Image credit: Tarkett
Reliable longevity
Tarkett is the only flooring company to offer dry-buffing surface restoration across its homogenous vinyl flooring, which keeps floors like new. Because of this, an iQ floor will typically last for 30 or more years. The dry-buffing maintenance procedure uses mechanical friction to smooth out the floor finish removing wear patterns without taking off the protective surface, meaning floors can be continuously restored. This brings maximum durability and keeps floors more hygienic and looking their best for a much longer time. As it does not require the use of water or detergent, dry-buffing is also more environmentally friendly.
Additionally, iQ Optima also has a ‘excellent cleanability’ rating – validated by the Fraunhofer riboflavin test. It is resistant to disinfectants and antiseptics used in
healthcare settings, and suitable for ISO 4 clean room applications (ISO14644-1).
Less waste, lower emissions
The collection has been produced with a circular economy in mind. Made in Tarkett’s Ronneby production plant in Sweden, iQ Optima contains 25 per cent recycled material in average, is constructed using 100 per cent renewable energy, and lasts for 30 years. It can be recycled through Tarkett’s ReStart take-back recycling programme (offcuts from installation as well as post- use), resulting in lower carbon emissions as 1m2 of recycled iQ homogeneous vinyl saves 11,8kg CO2eq/m2*. The collection has been created with the health and sustainability standards of Cradle to Cradle principles. It uses phthalate free plasticisers, does not contain
biocides, and emits extremely low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for improved indoor air quality.
Tarkett is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Main image credit: Tarkett
