i4F and PurChem Systems enter into exclusive technology partnership for breakthrough laminate technologies, including SilentTouch™ and OneLayer™

• i4F obtains exclusive licensing and enforcement rights for PurChem’s patented technologies

• Laminate acoustics significantly improved via patented elastomer treated surface layers

• Floors and furniture panels are softer to the touch and fingerprint resistant
  

TURNHOUT, BELGIUM – i4F®, a group of companies providing patents and technologies to the flooring industry, today announced that it has entered into a technology partnership agreement with PurChem Systems, Inc. for its patented technologies, including SilentTouch^tm and OneLayer^tm. These provide significant advantages over traditional laminate flooring as well as decorative furniture panels, and greatly improve in-room acoustics. Additionally, innovative technologies make panels softer to the touch as well as fingerprint and footprint resistant. As part of the agreement, i4F obtains exclusive licensing rights to PurChem’s patented technologies.

Headquartered in Brantford, Ontario, PurChem is a Canadian company specializing in innovative, formaldehyde-free adhesives and coatings for wood-based products, including flooring, furniture, and composite panels. PurChem has developed, and owns, various breakthrough technologies, including SilentTouch, OneLayer, DryCoat, and FlexWood elastic panels. 

SilentTouch enhances laminate surfaces to look, feel, and sound like natural wood, offering a durable, noise-reducing, and sustainable alternative for flooring and furniture. SilentTouch treated overlay papers are elastic, enabling HDF panels to be relaxed and stress-free as well as flexible and up to 50% thinner than traditional laminate. The patented elastomer treated paper layers also absorb room and footfall sound energy. Traditional melamine laminate surfaces amplify and reflect sound energy up to 10 times more (+10 dB louder) than SilentTouch. OneLayer is an innovative coating system that simplifies production by applying a single, high-performance layer to surfaces, enhancing durability, aesthetics, and efficiency while reducing material and energy use.

Robert Clausi, Founder & Owner of PurChem Systems, says, “We are 100% focused on the wood-based products market, and with flooring representing a substantial part of that industry, we believe a partnership with i4F, with its broad reach, will expand accessibility to these technologies. Laminate has long been an essential part of the flooring industry, but while SPC and WPC have evolved rapidly, laminate has remained stagnant. Our new technologies with elastic resins set a new standard versus traditional melamine surfaces, delivering unparalleled performance while maintaining sustainability.”

John Rietveldt, i4F’s CEO, adds, “We’re thrilled to partner with PurChem to revolutionize the laminate market with innovations that can rival new material-based products. Consumers want the beauty of natural-looking large wood planks—without the noise and fragility. Combine that with a resilient, warm-to-the-touch, fingerprint-resistant surface and an easy-to-install system, and you have a game-changer: silent, soft-touch laminate flooring! It looks, sounds, and feels like real hardwood, delivers unmatched quietness and durability, and comes at the price of premium laminate—all made from natural materials, free from plastic and PVC.”