CFJ Awards Success
F. Ball took the title of ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at the CFJ Awards 2025, while Geoffrey Ball, the great grandson of company founder Francis Ball, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as successes in a number of installation award categories.
Run by the flooring industry’s premier magazine, the Contract Flooring Journal (CFJ), the awards celebrate the industry’s best products and installation successes, as well as special achievements.
The CFJ Awards 2025 were held at the Dallas Burston Polo Club, in Warwickshire, and hosted by comedian and former carpet fitter Jack Skipper.
The Manufacturer of the Year award recognises both the range and performance of F. Ball’s products, including high-performance adhesives and smoothing compounds, with the winner voted for by readers of the Contract Flooring Journal.
The company invests heavily in research and development to enhance its range and help flooring professionals meet increasing customer expectations, facilitated by on-site laboratories at its Staffordshire headquarters.
Lifetime’s work
Geoffrey Ball, whose great-grandfather founded F. Ball in 1886, was recognised for his lifetime contribution to the company and, by extension, the UK flooring industry.
He joined the family business in January 1965 before progressing to become managing director in 1982, and then chairman. His tenure has been integral in establishing the company’s standing as the UK’s leading manufacturer of flooring adhesives and subfloor preparation products.
Installation awards
There was also recognition for F. Ball in the award’s installation categories, celebrating projects showcasing excellence in flooring that involved partnerships between manufacturers and flooring contractors. These categories were as follows:
• Best use of flooring in Bars and Restaurants
• Best use of flooring in Residential Developments – Newbuilds
• Best use of flooring in offices – Refurbishments
• Best use of flooring in Healthcare – Hospitals and Medical Facilities
• Best use of flooring in Healthcare – Care Homes
• Best use of flooring in Education – Colleges and Universities
• Best use of flooring in Education – Schools
Particularly successful
Commenting on the awards success, F. Ball managing director, Darren Kenyon, said: “We are delighted by a particularly successful CFJ Awards this year.
“Winning Manufacturer of the Year is special because the winner is chosen by readers of CFJ, the people who use our products. Thank you to everyone who voted for us.
“It was great to see Geoffrey Ball receive well-deserved recognition for his role in making the company what it is today while maintaining a concern for the local community and the wider flooring industry.
“We are also delighted that F. Ball products have played a role in the flooring industry’s most prestigious and ambitious projects of the past year, across a breadth of sectors. Congratulations to customers and other partners who were involved.”