Big Picture - May 2017 - 16
BIG PICTURE May 2017 Cape May Sweet House 16 TIP "It's critical that primer dries for at least 10 days. This goes for all wallpapers. I put this in my estimate when I send it over to the client." - DAVE GIMBEL, SIGNS BY TOMORROW "We don't do floor graphics; we do graphic floors," says Tim Wirtz. The president of Graphic Image Flooring (graphicimageflooring.com) started his custom flooring business four years ago after a few decades working in signage and big-box retail. What sounds like a small niche has proved to be a slice of opportunity to help retailers, museums, corporations, exhibitors, and even residential clients "stand out in the noise." In the age of the smartphone, your average shopper is, more often than not, looking down. The floor becomes the first thing they see. "To get them in the store," Wirtz says, "you can have a plain ceramic tile, you can have a plain carpet square, or you can have something that has a wow factor that makes them go, 'Oh, what the heck is that? That's cool.' It draws them into the space." Cape May Sweet House was Googling "custom printed flooring" when they found Graphic Image. The New Jersey candy shop was faced with a unique challenge: an early-1900s location with a floor that sloped as much as 2 inches from one side of the counter to the other. Traditional flooring wasn't going to cut it. Wirtz's team put together a 630-square-foot graphic on 75-mil clear G-Floor vinyl. The wood grain-textured material is second-surface printed and backed with a floodcoat of white, and topped with a satin finish. The shop used a Vutek GS3250 printer. Graphic Image contracted out the installation for the graphic, which has become more than an architectural fix, Wirtz says. "In their eyes, it's an important part of their overall marketing and branding. If they do a second store, then you'll walk in and you'll see the same floor in other spaces." Just like that, they're telling a story.
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