FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JESSUP, MD, December 2009


Interior Design magazine honored Tate® hardwood floor tiles with a Best of Year: Product Design merit award during the publication's 2009 Best of Year awards presentation Dec. 3 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The Best of Year awards, presented annually by Interior Design, are the pre-eminent design competition recognizing superior interior design projects and products in 64 categories. The awards program recognized Tate hardwood floor tiles in the Floorcovering: Hard category. Tate hardwood floor tiles were also featured in the winner of a Best of Year: Project Design award in the Office: Large/+50,000 square feet category – the Bancolombia building in Medellin, Colombia. Interior designers and architects selected Best of Year award honorees from among 1,200 entries via an online vote Oct. 5-11. The online voting garnered nearly 30,000 votes and narrowed the field to 247 finalists. A jury of leading architects and designers selected award winners from these finalists.

“Receiving a merit award in this competition is an accomplishment we can be proud of,” said Scott Alwine, marketing manager at Tate. “With the introduction of hardwood tiles earlier this year, we are able to provide a wider range of finishes that can compete with traditional hard floor coverings and, as this award indicates, appeal to industry experts.” Introduced at NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2009, Tate’s engineered hardwood tiles feature a 3 mm natural wood laminate bonded to an 11 mm Versacore™ wood veneer backer. Available in four standard patterns, the new laminate can be made from a variety of species of hardwoods in optional strip sizes. When installed, the 24 x 24-inch tiles reflect the variations of grain pattern and color found in natural wood – premium characteristics that identify the history of the living material and speak of quality and prestige. Tate’s engineered hardwood tiles also contribute to indoor air quality. The VOC-free tiles do not require harsh chemicals. Routine maintenance is a simple process of sweeping and damp mopping with oil soap. The floor’s botanical oil finish allows the wood to breathe, absorbing and neutralizing odors while allowing moisture and humidity to escape. The floor’s absorbent veneer further contributes to noise reduction.

ABOUT TATE® ACCESS FLOORS, INC.

Tate® is headquartered south of Baltimore in Jessup, Maryland, and is a member of the Kingspan Group of companies. Activities for Tate® include research and development, manufacturing, sales, and distribution, with over 450 million square feet of raised access floor systems installed. Tate® products provide service distribution solutions to office, education, equipment/server, public space, laboratory, casinos and clean room facilities.


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