Reversible Fixings for Circular Commercial Interiors
How flooring is installed can be just as important as the material it is made from
Flooring designed for disassembly uses reversible, detachable fixing methods instead of permanent wet adhesives.
This allows floor coverings to be securely installed during their first life, then cleanly lifted, reused, replaced or recycled at the end of a project or lease.
Circular Building Solutions provides a range of reversible fixing systems for commercial flooring, including IOBAC MagTabs®, IOBAC Tab-It®, CBS 1D-Tab™ and CBS LE-Tab™, as well as CBS Magnetic Wood System for magnetic wood flooring.
These systems are designed to help architects, interior designers, contractors, developers, manufacturers and building owners create future-ready flooring systems that retain material value, protect sub-floors and support reuse.
Read on for our most commonly asked questions or to go more in-depth, book on to one of our dedicated traning sessions delivered online or at your location.
What is flooring designed for disassembly?
Flooring designed for disassembly is flooring installed using a reversible fixing method that allows the floor covering to be removed cleanly without damaging the flooring or sub-floor.
Rather than permanently bonding a floor covering to the substrate with wet adhesive, reversible fixing systems securely hold the flooring in place while allowing it to be lifted when required.
This approach means the flooring can potentially be:
– lifted and reused elsewhere
– removed for repair or replacement
– recovered for refurbishment
– separated for recycling
– replaced without damaging the underlying sub-floor
Designing for disassembly therefore considers the floor covering, fixing method and sub-floor as one complete system, rather than treating installation as an afterthought.
Circular Building Solutions’ reversible fixing systems are designed specifically to support this approach to circular commercial interiors.
Reversible Floor Fixings for Adhesive-Free Installation
Reversible floor fixings from Circular Building Solutions can provide environmental, commercial and installation benefits.
Environmental benefits
– Supports reuse and recycling of floor coverings
– Helps retain the value of materials for longer
– Protects high-value sub-floor assets
– Reduces contamination associated with wet adhesives
– Can contribute to lower whole-life embodied carbon when materials are reused – Can contribute to credits within environmental certification schemes such as BREEAM and SKA rating
Commercial benefits
– Reduces potential sub-floor remediation
– Can reduce disposal and dilapidation costs
– Helps retain the value of raised access flooring
– Supports future refurbishment and space reconfiguration
– Enables flooring to be recovered rather than automatically discarded
Installation benefits
– No wet adhesive curing time
– Fast, clean installation
– Flooring can be trafficked immediately
– Less disruption between trades for better programme efficiency
– No VOC’s or adhesive odour during installation
– Easier access to the sub-floor when required
From global clients and asset managers, to industry accreditation schemes, industry specifications for reversible, adhesive-free flooring fixings are on the increase as the commercial and sustainability benefits become more widely understood.
Developer Landsec prefers mechanical rather than chemically fixed methods for flooring within its Material Brief, whilst Google stipulates “pressure-sensitive corner tape, tiles or dots that allow for easy removal and replacement” in its global procurement guidelines.
Our products were highly commended in the prestigious 2026 Footprint+ Changemaker Awards, with IOBAC MagTabs® featured as a case study in British Land’s Sustainabiliy Brief as a more sustainable alternative to using plywood as an installation base on raised access flooring.
Leading architect Perkins and Will advocates the elimination of adhesives and nails in favor of mechanical fixings and the use of modular tile systems instead of sheet materials in its Circular Design Primer for Interiors.
The British Institute of Interior Design states “If using carpet tiles, use a glue-less system that allows easy removal and recycling of materials.” in its Sustainable Specifying Guide.
Circular Building Solutions’ systems can be used with a range of commercial floor coverings, subject to product and backing compatibility.
Compatible floor coverings include:
– carpet tiles
– Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT), generally 4 mm and above
– woven vinyl tile
– Engineered wood flooring magnetised using CBS Magnetic Wood System
The Circular Building Solutions range is used and/or approved by 16 leading flooring manufacturers including Shaw Contract, Forbo, Desso, Tarkett, Bolon and Interface.
Please contact us if you are a flooring manufacturer looking to establish compatibility and approvals for your product range.
The exact fixing should be selected according to the floor covering and its backing, and the sub-floor to which it is being fixed. Use our reversible floor fixings selector guide to help your choice.
Reversible floor fixings can be used on a range of sub-floors, including metal raised access floors, concrete, plywood, timber, marble, mosaic and other prepared surfaces. The right fixing depends on both the sub-floor and the flooring being installed.
For example, IOBAC MagTabs® are designed for magnetically receptive metal raised access floors, while IOBAC Tab-It® can be used on common non-magnetic sub-floors such as concrete and plywood.
CBS 1D-Tab™ is designed for sensitive or high-value surfaces such as wood, marble, mosaic and heritage flooring, helping to protect the sub-floor from permanent adhesive.
The sub-floor should always be assessed for condition, cleanliness, compatibility and suitability before installation.
Circular Building Solutions can advise on the most appropriate reversible fixing for your flooring and sub-floor combination. Use our reversible floor fixings selector guide to help your choice or check out our summary video.
Yes. Selected reversible fixing systems can be used as overlay solutions, subject to the condition and suitability of the existing floor.
IOBAC Tab-It® and CBS LE-Tab™ can be used in appropriate overlay applications.
An overlay installation can provide a way of changing the appearance or performance of a space without permanently bonding the new flooring to the existing surface.
The existing floor must be assessed and prepared appropriately, and compatibility should be confirmed before specification.
This case study shows how IOBAC Tab-It was used to install Tarkett Looselay Luxury Vinyl Tile quickly and cleanly over a mix of sub-floors without disrupting a busy communal workspace owned by Bruntwood.
Yes — reversible fixings can be used on reused existing sub-floors, provided that as with any flooring installation method, the correct testing and benchmark installation procedures are followed to select the most appropriate product.
This can be particularly valuable when refurbishing existing raised access floors, as reversible fixing avoids introducing a new layer of permanent wet adhesive and helps support the continued use of the existing sub-floor.
For example, IOBAC MagTabs® have been used for installation of flooring on reused raised access flooring at JLL’s headquarters, with Perkins&Will and Overbury specifying a VOC- and adhesive-free flooring installation. See our video for more details.
The condition and compatibility of the existing sub-floor should always be assessed before installation.
Existing adhesive residue, dust, oils, loose material or other contamination can affect fixing performance and may need to be removed or suitably prepared before installation.
Benchmark testing is important to confirm that the flooring, fixing system and existing substrate will perform as required.
This approach can help extend the life of existing floor assets while supporting reuse and design for disassembly.
Yes. Reversible fixings have been used in high profile projects around the world.
Reversible fixings from Circular Building Solutions have been specified and proven to secure over 1 million sqm of commercial flooring globally to date.
Our client-led projects include Google, KPMG and Bloomberg and we have worked with asset managers includind Bristish Land, Landsec and CBRE.
Architect practices specifying Circular Building Solutions’ reversible fixings include Perkins and Will, Sheppard Robson, Gensler, tp bennett and Thirdway.
Our products were highly commended in the prestigious 2026 Footprint+ Changemaker Awards, with IOBAC MagTabs® featured as a case study in British Land’s Sustainabiliy Brief as a more sustainable alternative to using plywood as an installation base on raised access flooring.
See our case studies page for examples of our high profile projects.
Circularity & Material Health
A sustainable floor covering can still become difficult to reuse or recycle if it is installed using a permanent adhesive. Reversible fixings help keep flooring materials at their highest possible value for longer.
The circular hierarchy prioritises keeping products and materials in use, over recycling and disposal.
A reversible fixing can support this by allowing both the floor covering and sub-floor to be kept clean and intact ready for future reuse.
This is particularly important for commercial interiors where floor coverings may be replaced relatively regularly because of:
– changes in tenant
– refurbishment
– changing workplace layouts
– corporate rebranding
– damage to individual areas
– lease expiry
– changes in design requirements
The fixing method is an important enabler of circularity, alongside material selection, product design, take-back programmes and recovery infrastructure.
Designing for disassembly from the outset means the future removal of the floor is considered at the specification stage, rather than when the building is already being refurbished.
Reversible installation is specifically intended to make clean uplift and subsequent reuse easier.
The potential for reuse will always depend on the condition, specification and remaining service life of the floor covering.
However, removing a floor covering without permanently bonding it to the sub-floor gives it a much better opportunity to be recovered intact.
For example, at Sheldon Square, approximately 3,000 m² of reused Milliken carpet tiles were installed using IOBAC MagTabs alongside Tarkett LVT installed using IOBAC Tab-It®. The project demonstrated how flooring can be recovered, refurbished and installed again while keeping the raised access floor protected.
We collaborate with reuse organisations such as Encore by Design to practically advance the refurbishment and reuse of flooring materials.
Designing for disassembly using reversible fixings can significantly reduce whole-life embodied carbon.
The biggest opportunity is from retaining the embodied carbon already invested in the flooring and building assets. Raised access flooring in particular is often the heaviest embodied carbon element of the total flooring system.
When the floor covering and sub-floor can be recovered and reused, the need to manufacture and install an equivalent new product can potentially be avoided, eliminating the embodied carbon associated with new materials.
Independent whole-life modelling referenced by Circular Building Solutions indicates that adhesive-free installation can deliver up to 80% carbon savings where material reuse is achieved. The actual saving will depend on the project, materials, transport, reuse pathway and end-of-life scenario.
See our video explainer for more details.
Potentially, yes. Reversible flooring installation can support the requirements of sustainable building certifications such as BREEAM, LEED and SKA Rating, earning credits around waste reduction, material reuse, indoor air quality and resource efficiency.
BREEAM attributes credits for flooring reuse under Mat 01: Life Cycle Impacts and Mat 06: Material Efficiency, with additional credits under Wst 01: Waste Management and Wst 06: Functional Adaptability.
LEEDv5 for Interior Design and Construction awards up to 4 points for demonstrating the reuse of interiors, both on-site and for new builds, and designing for flexibility.
SKA Rating for fit-out projects focuses heavily on circularity, with its schemes for both Offices and Education citing design for disassembly as a requirement for floor coverings.
Awarded credits depend on the complete project specification, assessment methodology and evidence provided.
Reversible floor fixings from Circular Building Solutions eliminate the VOCs associated with wet flooring adhesives.
Adhesive-free installation provides a cleaner installation environment, with no VOCs and adhesive odour, improving Indoor Air Quality for installers and occupants.
EN16516 tests construction products for emissions into indoor air of regulated dangerous substances such as VOCs, very volatile aldehydes.
Independent testing has confirmed that IOBAC MagTabs® comply with the “Exemplary” criteria on VOC emissions for BREEAM and exceeded all points for LEED specification.
Download certificates at:
BREEAM VOC Certificate
LEED VOC Certificate
Commercial & Installation Benefits
No. Flooring designed for disassembly using reversible fixings can provide practical commercial benefits regardless of a project’s sustainability strategy.
The ability to install efficiently, avoid wet adhesives, protect sub-floors, reduce disruption and simplify future refurbishment can all have financial and operational value.
The sustainability benefit comes from adding another important outcome: materials can potentially remain in use for longer rather than becoming waste when a space is refurbished.
That makes flooring designed for disassembly commercially relevant to offices, commercial interiors, education, retail, hospitality, public buildings and other environments where spaces are likely to change over time.
Circular Building Solutions’ whole-life cost comparisons indicate that reversible fixing installations can be around 40% lower in whole-life cost than traditional methods in appropriate applications*.
Whilst the material cost price of traditional adhesives (£0.50 – £1 per sqm) and our reversible fixing products (£0.60 – £1.20 per sqm) are very similar, comparing these alone overlooks the wider financial value of a reversible installation
,Adhesive-free installation prevents damaged building assets and saves on subsequent cleaning and dilapidation costs, delivering whole-life cost savings from:
– Reduced sub-floor cleaning & remediation – estimated at £10 – 14 per sqm
– Asset protection – no need to replace damaged sub-floors e.g. £80 per sqm for raised access flooring
– Reduced preparation required in between installations – no plywood or preparation materials required
– Improved programme efficiency – fast installation with less disruption between trades and no adhesive curing time
– Reduced disposal costs – sub-floor and floor coverings can be reused
– Reduced dilapidation costs
Our explainer video also covers this.
* Indicative costs. Actual project economics will vary.
Reversible fixings can significantly reduce the risk of sub-floor damage and associated remediation costs.
When permanent adhesive is removed from a sub-floor, cleaning and repair may be required before the next tenant can use the space.
With a reversible fixing system, the sub-floor can remain clean and intact when the floor covering is removed.
This is particularly valuable for commercial landlords and tenants where expensive raised access flooring and other high-value surfaces need to be preserved between leases.
The Peak project is an example of how flooring designed for disassembly using IOBAC MagTabs® was specified to help future-proof a commercial workspace, saving potential end-of-lease dilapidation costs of up to £35 per sq ft for the tenant.
No. Reversible, adhesive-free fixings utilise a dry-laid installation method that can improve programme efficiency compared with traditional wet adhesives.
There is no adhesive curing or drying time, so flooring can be trafficked immediately and installers can progress without waiting for the adhesive to cure. Multiple trades can also work around each other more easily.
For contractors, this can mean more flexibility on site and better use of the available installation team.
Real-world feedback from flooring contractors supports this. One contractor reported that three fitters installed 900m² of herringbone flooring in around five days using IOBAC MagTabs®, while another described the process as “quick and clean” with no issues.
See what flooring contractors have to say about using reversible fixings in practice in our Contractor Feedback. Or watch our video explainer.
Specification
Unless we rethink how flooring is designed and installed from the outset, we risk repeating the same linear mistakes with traditional adhesives.
By rethinking interiors from the outset – considering installation, use, adaptability, passporting and end-of-life – we can reduce waste, preserve value and keep materials in circulation for longer.
Our Designing for the Next Life CPD aims to avoid tomorrow’s waste with today’s specification.
It demonstrates how by considering some of the following questions at design stage, flooring can be turned from a potentially single-use finish into a recoverable building asset.
– Can the floor covering be removed intact?
– Will the fixing contaminate the flooring?
– Will the sub-floor remain undamaged?
– Can the flooring be reused?
– Does the manufacturer have a take-back or recycling programme?
– Can individual tiles be replaced without disturbing the whole floor?
– Is the fixing compatible with the floor covering backing?
– Is the fixing appropriate for the sub-floor?
– Can the installation support future changes of tenant or layout?
– What happens to the flooring at the end of the lease?
At Circular Building Solutions, we provide specification wording and list our products on NBS Source to make our products easier for architects and specifiers to include in project specifications.
In considering the flooring, sub-floor and reversible fixing as one complete system, a specifiation would ideally cover details of:
– The floor covering and backing type
– The sub-floor
– The appropriate reversible fixing
– The installation method
– The removal and reuse strategy
For example, a specification for a metal raised access floor could identify IOBAC MagTabs® rather than simply stating that the flooring is to be “adhesively fixed”.
