Jonathan Swanson, who everyone in the industry knows as Swannie, is regional manager for the Bay of Plenty branch of Beejays Solution Flooring & Interiors. He and his installation team love working with Kingston tiles, because they cover all the bases.
‘Our territory stretches as far as Coromandel, covers most of Hamilton, Rotorua and Taupō, and down through Whakatāne. Most of our jobs are in the commercial and education sectors, but we also do a fair bit in healthcare, government buildings, council facilities and courthouses.’
After working with Advance for around four years, Kingston has become a preferred tile for Beejays, for many reasons: environmental and compliance benefits, a wide colour range, ease of installation, and because it works well in virtually all applications.
Acoustic tiles that go down easily
‘There’s the acoustic element, which is a big part of our business, so I push acoustic-backed tiles whenever I can. It’s about combining performance specs with aesthetics and acoustic benefits, because often we’re pricing multiple products – flooring and wall linings – and we’re putting together complete acoustic packages.’
With their built-in acoustic backing – and the comfort that comes from their 10mm thickness – Kingston is often a large part of those packages. And when it comes to putting them on the floor, Swannie’s team appreciates both how well they go down, and the finished result.
‘Kingston carpet tiles have been a standout,’ he agrees. ‘From an installation perspective, my boys reckon the lighter weight of the boxes makes a huge difference. This makes it easier on their bodies when loading and unloading boxes from vans. The tiles are forgiving to work with, too, as you can lay them in different directions without running into tufting issues, and they butt up cleanly for a seamless look.
‘Cutting them is noticeably easier, as you only need one pass with the knife to get a nice crisp edge. This means we chew through fewer blades, which saves time and money. Over thousands of square metres, that difference really adds up. Kingston tiles also behave well around tricky edges and curves, which can be a nightmare with some other acoustic-backed tiles.’
A beautiful finish with great backup
Visually, Kingston’s wide range of colours and patterns allows installers to create patterns that fit together beautifully.
‘The carpet tiles are very modern in design and have moved away from the old linear look towards more organic designs. We’ve laid them in multiple colours and patterns, and the joints stay tight and consistent. The colour blends are seamless, and they work beautifully together.’
All these benefits are backed up with Advance’s commitment to customer service, and Swannie praises the support they get from their rep, particularly around environmental and compliance questions.
‘Advance are just great to work with. We deal with a lot of the big players, but we really value the Advance team. They’re pleasant, easy to talk to, quick to get us pricing and info, and they work alongside us in a way that makes the whole process smoother. We really rate them.’
