Post on 21-Mar-2020
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Product FocusAdhesives, Fillers, Finishes + Subfl oor Prep
Pro Photography Tips – page 32
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Floors – page 48
HF02_Shamro213.indd 1 1/21/13 2:29 PM
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www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Contents
February|March 2013 Hardwood Floors 5
Vol. 26.1
February|March 2013
On the Cover:End-grain alder graces the floors, walls and some
ceilings at the new headquarters of the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.
Photo by Sean Airhart/NBBJ.
Features Putting Down RootsBy Doug DalsingA LEED-certified headquarters
for the world’s largest
philanthropy takes root in
Seattle.
page 48
Your BusinessLive and LearnBy Don ConnerSharing wisdom after a lifetime in the wood flooring
industry.
page 21
LegalBy Josh M. Leavitt and Daniel G. RosenbergJust because a clause is in your contract doesn’t make
it a lock.
page 24
MoneyBy Phillip M. PerryIs Obamacare good or bad for your bottom line?
page 29
ManagementBy Dale HallTips to invest in the right architectural photographer.
page 32
48
29
PREMIUM PARTNERS:
Sean Airhart/NBBJ
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Contents
6 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
In Every IssueChairman’s Messagepage 8
NWFA Newspage 10
Woodworkspage 17
New Productspage 64
Ad Indexpage 66
On the JobAsk the ExpertQ&As about penetrating oil maintenance, underlayment and
having too many shorts.
page 36
From the FieldBy Avi HadadHow will design decisions impact your life on the job site?
page 39
TroubleshootingBy Steve CrawfordWorkers’ fear of finish bubbles results in sheen problems.
page 41
TechniquesBy Ron CallTake steps to avoid complaints about
floating floors.
page 43
At www.hardwood-floorsmag.com, read the CONTRACTOR, INSPECTOR, NWFA and GREEN BLOGS; see what everyone’s talking about on the FORUM; and check out the Web-only content from this issue:
Product FocusAdhesives, Fillers, Finish + Subfloor Preppage 53
Special Advertising Section:
Technical Spotlightpage 61
At www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/FTFFM13:› See more photos of Avi Hadad’s contemporary installation described in detail starting on page 39.
At www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/MuseumFM13:› See more photos of John Christopherson’s “river” floor featured on page 17.
At www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/ChapelFM13:› See more angles of the famous spiral staircase in Loretto Chapel.
At www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/AirportFM13:› View more interior shots of Copenhagen Airport’s beautiful wood floors.
41
17
HF02_Mercer213.indd 1 1/21/13 2:29 PM
8 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
NWFARick Holden | Chairman
Michael Martin | CEO111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd. | Chesterfield, MO 63005
(800) 422-4556 | (636) 519-9663 | F: (636) 519-9664info@nwfa.org | www.nwfa.org
Editorial Advisory CommitteeAvi Hadad, Chair | Avi’s Hardwood Flooring
Julie Russell, Board Liaison | Glitsa, div. of Rudd Co.Joe Boone Jr. | Boone “The Wood Flooring People” Inc.
Howard Brickman | Brickman ConsultingRose Mary Cummings | Maxwell Hardwood Flooring
Len Daubler | Anderson Hardwood FloorsGalen Fitzel | 3M
Lenny Hall | Endurance Floor Co. Inc.Jimmy Nguyen | Dan’s Custom Hardwood Floor Inc.
Jim Powers | Saroyan Lumber Company Jenny Riddle | AJ Brothers Hardwood Flooring
John Shepard | Carpet One Floor & HomeGenia Smith | Accent Hardwood Flooring Inc.
HF WebsiteBLOGGERS
Scott Avery | Modern Tech Floors LLCElizabeth Baldwin | Metropolitan Floors
Howard Brickman | Brickman ConsultingAvi Hadad | Avi’s Hardwood Flooring
Wayne Lee | Cardinal Hardwood & Tile
FORUM MODERATORSCort Dunlap | Hardwood Inspections
David Harrison | Custom Wholesale Floors Inc.Roy Reichow | National Wood Floor Consultants Inc.
Publication StaffEDITORIAL
Kim M. Wahlgren | EditorDoug Dalsing | Associate Editor
Scott Maurer | Art DirectorMarjorie Schultz | Digital Production Manager
Scott Packel | Production Assistant
ATHLETIC BUSINESS MEDIA INC.Gretchen Kelsey Brown | CEO
Peter Brown | PresidentKara Clark | Controller/Circulation Director
Sadye Ring | Graphic DesignerJodi Chamberlain | Sales Coordinator
Lisa Popke | Audience Development CoordinatorErika Reise | Online Producer
Michael Gaio | Social Media ManagerSean Ray | IT Manager
ADVERTISING SALESShawn Gahagan | Group PublisherKendra Griffin | Account Executive
Editorial and Advertising OfficesAthletic Business Media Inc.
22 E. Mifflin St., Suite 910 | Madison, WI 53703(608) 249-0186 | (800) 722-8764 | F: (608) 249-1153
editors@hardwoodfloorsmag.com | www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com
>>chairman’s message
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: In order to ensure uninterrupted delivery of Hardwood Floors, notice of change should be made at least five weeks in advance. Direct all subscription mail to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 47705, Plymouth, MN 55447, call 800/869-6882 or fax 866/658-6156. For faster service, visit us online at www.nwfa.org/member/mag.aspx. Single-copy price is
$8. Subscription price is $40 for seven issues in the U.S.A. and Canada. International subscriptions (via airmail) are $65. Hardwood Floors is published bi-monthly, plus the annual industry resource book, and distributed without charge to those active in the wood flooring industry. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 47705, Plymouth, MN 55447.Publication Mail Agreement #40049791. Canadian mail distribution information: International Mail Express, Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. Printed in the U.S.A. © 2013 Athletic Business Publications Inc. and National Wood Flooring Association. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (ISSN 0897-022X) Periodicals Postage Paid at Madison, Wisconsin, and at additional mailing offices.
NWFAThe magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association
Our Expo Committee has been “thinking big” all year long.
ThinkingBig By Rick HoldenChairman, NWFA
Have you seen the agenda for the NWFA’s 2013 Wood Floor-ing Expo yet? Our Expo Committee has been “thinking big” all year long planning this can’t-miss event for our industry.
The event will kick-off with a Welcome Party on Tuesday night that will feature food, drinks and live entertainment. Last year in Orlando, more than 500 attendees networked at this popular event.
The next morning, Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest Airlines, will be our Opening Session keynote speaker. Much like last year’s popular keynote, Harley-Davidson’s Ken Schmidt, he will speak about how his company rose to the top of its industry by providing an outstand-ing customer experience.
Following Howard’s session, two days of education seminars will feature marketing, technical and management topics. These seminars will be led by industry experts who know wood fl ooring because they live it just like you. We also are offering four new CEUs for designers and architects.
Our Awards Luncheon will highlight our popular Wood Floor of the Year awards and will be hosted by HGTV’s “Kitchen Cousins” (now “Cousins on Call”), Anthony Carino and John Colaneri.
On the trade show fl oor, we have added nearly 80 booths. We’ll also offer our popular show fl oor demos, and are adding a nailing contest to create some friendly competition. And don’t forget our popular Closing Party to be held during the last two hours of the Trade Show. Last year, prizes worth more than $50,000 were given away, including a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This year, we will be giving away a kitchen or man cave makeover.
On Friday, you can extend your learning by attending the NWFA Certifi ed Professionals Symposium or the NWFA’s Field Equipment Repair Workshop. Details are available at www.nwfaexpo.org.
Now is the time for you to “Think Big.” Join us for the NWFA’s 2013 Wood Flooring Expo and take your business to the next level. Visit www.nwfaexpo.org to register today. ■
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
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Bona AbrasivesGood
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WWW.THEGARRISONCOLLECTION.COM
Old Master Products, Inc., with corporate
branches throughout the state, is reporting a year of record sales, according to Jim Hilaski, President of Old Master Products , and son of the company’s founder, Carl Hilaski.
“It’s doing everything in a manner of consistent quality and integrity…”
“Since the company’s inception in 1956”, says Hilaski, “Old Master Products has continued
top quality products
making it a point to always let the customer know
words.”
downturn, whether at the bottom or somewhere on the way back up, has not been attributed to any “one” new product, or process, but rather the
The Garrison Collection, Old Master Products’
of their success story. Originally manufactured in California back in the early 90’s, Old Master
China in the new millennium to join the trend of
“It wasn’t necessarily the direction we thought our manufacturing process would go”, says Hilaski, “but after years of partnering with more than a half
solid partnerships with top producing mills, that produce the consistent quality we are proud to put the Garrison brand on.”
“That ability and those partnerships would
workings of my partner, and Old Master Products, Inc.’s, Vice President, Shaul Dina.”
“The ability to produce a top quality product, consistently, and at a
consumers,” says Shaul Dina, Co-Owner and Vice President of Old Master Products, Inc., since 2004. “Merely producing a product that only appears
consumer, and not the manufacturer, at least not for a sustainable amount of time.”
“Merely producing a product that only appears to be top quality does no one any service…”
company in it for the long haul, not just for the time being”, says Dina.
years now to imitate the quality of The Garrison
and noted by the consumers, that actual quality and
time. A long time! When warranties are written for
that last only a few short years.”
Hilaski and Dina are also proud to announce that John Hunt has been named Old Master Products 2012 Sales Person of The Year.
John Hunt has been with Old Master Products, Inc. also since 2004 and was the #1 Producer each month last year
Old Master Products reports Record Sales Year in 2012
Jim Hilaski,President
Shaul Dina,Vice President
John Hunt
NWFAnewsnews and information from the national wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org
>>ceo message
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
The wood fl ooring
industry recently
took a big step
forward in
promoting better
installation
standards.
12 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
A Certifi ed Advantage By Michael MartinCEO, NWFA
The wood fl ooring industry recently took a big step forward in promoting better installation standards thanks to the efforts of the National Wood Flooring Association Certifi ed Profes-sionals. Under the leadership of NWFACP Marketing Committee Chairman Roy Reichow and
NWFACP Chairman Kevin Mullany, several NWFA manufacturer and distributor members have added, or are in the process of adding, the recommendation of using an NWFA Certifi ed Professional Installer to their own installation guideline publications. This represents a signifi cant advantage for certifi ed installers, as it provides consumers with the confi dence that they will be receiving quality installation services, which will ensure better product performance.
The popularity of wood fl ooring has grown considerably during the past few decades, but like so many other industries during recent years, our industry has experienced a decline in sales while
enduring a rise in complaints. This is fairly normal during periods of economic stress when consumers are attempting to get the most value out of their discretionary spending dollars. This program offers manufacturers an opportunity to minimize claims by ensuring their products are installed by certifi ed professionals.
The companies that have added, or in the process of adding, these recommenda-tions to their installation guidelines include:
Ark FloorsB & M Noble (DuChateau, Ernest
Hemingway Floors)Custom Wholesale FloorsFranklin InternationalGoodwin Heart PineJohnson FlooringMannington Wood FloorsMirage/Boa-FrancMohawk IndustriesMullican Flooring
Nydree FlooringPalo DuroPlyquet of AmericaQuarter-Sawn FlooringRobinson Lumber & FlooringShamrock/The Shannon GroupShaw Industries Inc.Somerset Wood Products Inc.Struxtur Swiff-Train CompanyW•D Flooring
NWFACP also is working with Bona US and Basic Coatings on joint certifi cation programs that would allow contractors to receive NWFACP certifi cation by meeting the qualifi cations and testing at the same time they are going through our manufacturers’ similar training programs.
The number of NWFACP certifi ed professionals has risen by 288% in the past fi ve years, and the demand for certifi ed professionals is expected to continue to grow as consumers demand superior service.
For more information about becoming an NWFACP certifi ed Installer, visit www.nwfa.org/cp-about.aspx, or contact NWFACP at (636) 728-1922. You also can reach NWFACP toll free at (866) 418-5408 in the U.S. and Canada. ■
ANTIQUE WORMY CHESTNUT
Olde Wood.Newe Perspective.
RECLAIMED HARDWOODS, WIDE PLANK FLOORING and MORE | 866-208-WOOD | OldeWoodLtd.com
RECLAIMED DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN RUSTIC.
NWFAnewsnews and information from the national wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org
>>education and training
14 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Welcome Aboard
Brett Miller is no stranger to the wood fl ooring classroom; for the past few years he’s been a fi xture at the NWFA’s technical schools. In
early January the NWFA hired Miller on full time and named him director of certifi cation and education.
In his new role, Miller will work with Frank Kroupa, the NWFA’s senior director of technical training, to expand the association’s training as more events are held regionally. He will be responsible for the develop-ment, coordination, implementation and presentation of the NWFA’s technical training schools, workshops, and on-line training, as well as the NWFA’s certifi ca-tion program, NWFA Certifi ed Professionals.
“I am honored to be a part of this organization and the staff that I’ve always respected so much,” Miller says. “I am eager to begin working on creating harmo-ny between the education and certifi cation programs to help strengthen the association and what these programs offer for the professionals in our industry.”
Most recently, Miller, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, worked as a regional man-ager at fi nish maker Basic Coatings.
NWFA 2013 TECHNICAL SCHOOL SCHEDULEFor more information: (800) 422-4556 (U.S. and Canada)
installationschools@nwfa.org | www.nwfa.org
Feb. 25-March 2 ...................................Weeklong Workshops (San Francisco)March 18-22 .........................................Weeklong Workshops* (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
*(The Field Equipment Repair workshop will not be offered here)May 16 .................................................Moisture Identification/Mitigation (St. Louis)May 17 .................................................Subfloor Preparation (St. Louis)May 18 .................................................Intermediate Installation (St. Louis)June 20.................................................Factory Finish Repair & Recoat (St. Louis)June 21.................................................Intermediate Sand & Finish (St. Louis)June 22.................................................Field Equipment Repair (St. Louis)July 26 ..................................................Reclaimed Wood/Handscraped (St. Louis)July 27 ..................................................Craftsmanship: Advanced to Expert (St. Louis)Sept. 10-13 ...........................................NWFA/MFMA Wood Flooring Basics (St. Louis)Sept. 23-28 ...........................................Weeklong Workshops (Los Angeles)Oct. 14-19 .............................................Weeklong Workshops (Houston)Oct. 28-Nov. 2 ......................................Weeklong Workshops (St. Louis)
Throughout 2013, the NWFA will move from city to city—from New York City to Los Angeles—and set up shop for a weeklong string of one-day workshops. Students will have the opportunity to pick and choose which one-day workshops they’d like to attend from Monday-Saturday. Here are the topics:
MONDAY: Moisture Identification/Mitigation | TUESDAY: Subfloor Preparation WEDNESDAY: Intermediate Installation | THURSDAY: Intermediate Sand & Finish FRIDAY: Factory Finish Repair & Recoat | SATURDAY: Field Equipment Repair
WEEKLONG WORKSHOPS >> Jan. 7-12 in New York CityThe NWFA’s Director of Technical Training Frank Kroupa and new Director of Certification and Education Brett Miller led instruction, along with these instruc-tors: Kathleen Freeman (Absolute Coatings Inc.), Josh Frink (Basic Coatings), Darin Nesline and Mike Overy (Bona US), Chris Zizza (C&R Flooring Inc.), Robert Goldstein (Carver s. r. l.), Mike Farrell (Clarke American Sanders), Steve Bews-her and Bill Ptak (DuraSeal), Brian Gamet (Glitsa, a division of Rudd Company), Steve Lima (MAPEI Corporation), David Iero and Chris Iero (Mohawk Finishing Products), Mike Hoy (PoloPlaz), George Chagnon (Powernail Company Inc.), Ste-ven Tolli (S/L Certified Inspection Service), Bob Sweezey (Stauf USA LLC), Jason Spangler (Wagner Meters), Kellie Hawkins Schaffner (Waterlox Coatings Corp.), Peter West (West Flooring & Design) and John Armfield (WoodCareUSA LLC).
EXPERT INSTALLATION >> Dec. 10-12 in Richmond, Va.Kroupa led instruction, along with Kirk Anderson (DuraSeal), Johannes Boonstra (Akzo Nobel/Synteko), Farrell (Clarke American Sanders), Doug McGrew (Colonial Hardwood & Tile), Daniel Moore (Antique Floors LLC), Jim Schumacher (3M), A.J. Winstead (Clarke American Sanders) and Rob Zehnder (CBA Sports Floors).
EXPERT INSTALLATION >> Dec. 4-8 in Richmond, Va.Kroupa led instruction, along with George Chagnon (Powernail Company Inc.), Moore (Antique Floors LLC) and Kenneth Nguyen (Dan’s Custom Hardwood Floor Inc.).
Brett Miller joined the NWFA staff in early January as director of certification and education. Here he is pictured teaching during an Intermediate Installation, Sand and Finish school in September in Las Vegas.
RECENT SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS
HF02_WoodWs210.indd 1 1/19/10 12:57 PM
WOOD■worksi n s i g h t s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e h a r d w o o d f l o o r i n g i n d u s t r y
Heavenly Sent?This staircase is long on legend and short on fact
Hammer, saw and T-square. These are the only three tools
the builder of this staircase used to create this magnificent
example of inspired craftsmanship, according to pious legend.
In effect, there are more questions surrounding the staircase,
located in Santa Fe, N.M.’s Loretto Chapel, than facts. The story
goes that the chapel’s original architect passed away, circa 1879,
before a staircase to the choir loft roughly 22 feet overhead
could be built. The sisters sought the help of local carpenters
but none passed muster, so they commenced a novena—nine
days of prayer—in hopes God would
help. “On the ninth day of the no-
vena, this man rode in from the desert
by himself on a donkey and offered
to build the staircase,” says Richard
Lindsley, curator of the chapel, which is now a non-denominational museum. “Because
they thought it was an answer to their prayers, they hired him right on the spot.” Over an
unknown amount of time the man—the sisters believed he was Saint Joseph, patron saint
of carpenters—worked inside the chapel behind closed doors. He eventually left, and later
the sisters entered the chapel to discover the staircase (originally built sans banister). Also
unknown is exactly how a spiral staircase with two 360-degree turns and no center post
remains standing—the carpenter used pegs over nails, to boot! Regardless of the staircase’s
provenance and physics, that it deserves admiration is indisputable.—D.D.
See more angles of the famous spiral staircase in Loretto Chapel at www.hardwood-
floorsmag.com/ChapelFM13.
Pho
tos
by J
ohn
Chr
isto
pher
son
A River Runs Through ItContractor installs an educational wood fl oor
Ignoring a wood flooring contractor’s typical aversion to water, John Christopherson, owner at Olympia,
Wash.-based Christopherson Wood Floors, had to get creative when tasked with displaying a river in the
wood floor at his hometown’s Hands On Children’s Museum, which opened in November. The museum
directors wanted something visually engaging to teach kids about Earth’s interconnected waterways, so
the stream winds through the museum’s differently themed play areas from rain forest to ocean. With
three coats of finish down on the floor, the company, which donated more than 600 hours of labor
and $5,000 in materials for the project, cut a ¼-inch-deep riverbed into the maple planks using
a router. Then an artist painted the waterway blue, and next Christopherson’s crew poured a
clear slow-dry epoxy over it. Last, a glossy finish coat was added over the river to make it
shine. Now the kids can learn about waterways and fine woodworking.—D.D.
See more photos of John Christopherson’s floor at the Hands On Children’s
Museum at www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/MuseumFM13.
Pho
tos
cour
tesy
of L
oret
to C
hap
el
Today traffic on the Loretto Chapel’s spiral staircase is strictly regulated. “Our goal is to preserve it,” says Richard Lindsley, curator of the chapel, which is now a non-denominational museum with 200,000 annual guests.
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 17
WOOD■works
Cou
rtes
y of
the
For
est
His
tory
Soc
iety
Pho
tos
cour
tesy
of C
open
hage
n A
irpor
t
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
VINTAGE■moments
18 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Fashionably FlyingExotic wood fl ooring is aplenty at this Danish airport
The waiting, the frustration, the bland mass-produced interiors. It’s
for good reason airports are somewhere between the carpet store
and dentist on the list of places we are most eager to visit. On the
other hand, Copenhagen Airport in Denmark should not be lumped
in there with, say, O’Hare or LaGuardia. Besides looking great, the
Copenhagen Airport’s operators are convinced the extra investment in
durable hardwood is more economical in the long run than install-
ing linoleum, for example (the airport sees 50,000 visitors a day, or
roughly 18.3 million a year). The oldest wood installations in the
airport are padauk (pictured in the airport’s shopping street in
terminal 2) and were installed in the ‘60s; since then the airport’s
directors have opted for more-affordable jatoba and merbau. All
the exotic material is sourced from Southeast Asia. For added
durability, the floors were finished with hardening oil, and care-
takers give them regular doses of Junckers conditioning oil. As
author and interior design critic Will Wiles puts it, “Airport carpets
are a byword for ugliness, but Copenhagen has this really classy
dark wooden flooring instead. It’s shrewd national branding for a
country which has a reputation for superb design.”—D.D.
View more interior shots of Copenhagen Airport’s beautiful
wood floors at www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/AirportFM13
Jatoba, merbau and padauk (pictured above and left) from Southeast Asia are on full display at Copenhagen Air-port in Denmark.
She’s Not That Into YouThere was a time when setting up a kiss-
ing booth was deemed good marketing
for a cause. In this undated photo from the
Durham, N.C.-based Forest History Society,
ladies on behalf of Atlanta’s North Side
Kiwanis dole out smooches in exchange
for tree planting. We’re not sure how many
saplings were planted from this exchange,
but it appears the woman in the fore-
ground—with eyes shut and lips locked—
might have found the whole endeavor as
off-putting as our modern-day sensibili-
ties do.—D.D.
ShIn
for
Du
lad
Kiw
for
sa
bu
g
m
o
t
Introducing the new ROYAL OAK Collection
D&M Flooring 866.963.1725 dm-flooring.com
Inspired by French Chateau’s, Italian Villas and English Manors, the Royal Oak Collection includes
naturally aged and distressed European Oak flooring that look and feel naturally worn presenting
an authentic antique old world appearance.
The timeless beauty of Royal Oak Collection compliments both contemporary and traditional
architectures lending a feeling of warmth and is ideal for new developments, commercial / retail
spaces, and private residences.
Washed Khaki Cabana Brown Black TeaUrban Gray Vintage Brown
Antique White Canewood Driftwood Terra Cotta Smoked Kona
Bringing the antique old world to your floors
in
WOOD■works
© www.CartoonStock.com
Green ■speakYour guide to green vocabulary
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
HARDWOOD FLOORING ■ mini-quiz
20 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
VPA:Voluntary Partnership Agreement
Europe is now developing
regulations similar to the U.S.’s
Lacey Act intended to prevent ille-
gally logged wood from being im-
ported, however, in the European
version, they are working on a system of international
VPA’s. A simple way to look at a VPA is as if you were
entering a country and wanted to pass through cus-
toms’ “green lane,” with “Nothing to declare.” Countries
with a VPA will be able to designate production for
the EU’s green lane. There are currently six countries
developing the systems required for a VPA, six negoti-
ating participation and many more that have expressed
interest (the U.S. is not yet one of them).
Elizabeth Baldwin is environmental compliance
offi cer at Metropolitan Hardwood Floors; this was
adapted from her HF Green Blog at www.hardwood-
fl oorsmag.com/blogs.
Answers: 1. Thick white 2. False (acclimation is dependent on moisture readings, not time) 3. a, b, c 4. True 5. a) walnut
1. When buffing a red oak floor, you’re more likely to dish out the grain with a ___________ (thick white or thick maroon) pad.
2. True or False? Typically, letting wood flooring sit, opened and stacked for ventilation, on a job site for at least 2 weeks before installation is sufficient for correct acclimation.
3. Which of the following add to the structural support of a home’s floor? (more than one an-swer possible)
a. solid 21⁄4-inch oak stripb. solid 5-inch-wide oak plankc. engineered 5⁄8-inch maple stripd. oak fingerblock parquet
4. True of False? Some hardwoods have wood that is “softer” (less dense) than some soft-woods.
5. Which of the following woods was NOT used in this 1995 Wood Floor of the Year winner by
late wood flooring legend Allan Pyne?a. walnutb. Brazilian cherryc. bocoted. wengee. cumaru
Your BusinessLive and Learn
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Sco
tt M
aure
r
February|March 2013 Hardwood Floors 21
Choose Your Words CarefullySome wisdom after a lifetime in the wood flooring industry
By Don Conner
BUSINESS BRIEFS
thing I loved like a hobby. Over the years I’ve learned that
one of the only constants in our industry is change (al-
though people might say my bad jokes are one thing that
never seem to change). I’ve also learned to choose my
words carefully, to the point where I’ve had people call
some of my sayings “Donisms.” Here are some words I’ve
heard a lot and given a lot of thought to over the years in
this business.
If common sense were common … Back in the early
’90s I was up in Alaska doing a series of seminars for a
distributor. I said, “Common sense dictates …” and later
this big old boy who was about 7 feet tall with a long
beard came up to me. He said, “If common sense were
common, everybody would have it.” So I quit using that
terminology, because he was right.
Is this acceptable? One thing homeowners like to do
is show you their floor and ask, “Is this acceptable?” Well,
if I’m at your house and we’re talking, it must not be!
Over the decades I’ve just about seen it all on wood floor-
ing inspections. (I had one inspection where there were
these strange dents all over the floor that I had never seen
before. As I was bent over looking at the floor, I glanced
up and was eye-to-eye with an aardvark coming down the
stairs.)
Would you have this in your house? This one is simi-
lar to “Is this acceptable?” When you are doing an inspec-
tion, homeowners like to show you their “flawed” floor
and ask, “Would you have this in your house?” You can’t
answer that correctly. No matter what you say, it will be
wrong. I tell them that I can’t really comment on that.
Is this to grade? A customer will show you their “se-
lect and better” prefinished floor that they paid 99 cents
a foot for and ask, “Is this to grade?” Whose grade? What
you would like to say is, “You got what you paid for.” I
went on a complaint once where the floor installed was
labeled as “cabin grade” and they were upset about the
floor. Well, by my definition, “cabin grade” means there is
something “wrong” with it.
I paid $19,000 for this floor! When they are upset,
Examining Impact
During the Great Recession, most companies went through intense belt-tightening to survive. As we be-
gin a recovery, it’s tempting to breathe a sigh of relief and loosen that belt. But, increasing sales will be all for naught if expenses go up hand-in-hand with increasing sales. Here’s a simple illustration that brings home the impact of sales and expenses on your bottom line. Assuming you have a 5 percent profit margin, only a nickel of every dollar in sales “drops” to the bottom line as profit. But if you cut a dollar from expenses, the entire dollar drops to the bottom line. Keeping this in mind is critical if profitablity is going to be maintained for any business, whether it’s in a recession or a recovery.
I grew up in the family floor covering business and
was fortunate enough to end up in the wood floor-
ing industry for my whole career. After running my
own business for awhile, by the ripe age of 28 I had to
get off my knees, so I got a job selling factory-finished
floating flooring for Harris-Tarkett. Floating floors were
brand new then; I had to find distribution with a com-
pany nobody knew with a product they didn’t believe
in and from somebody they didn’t know … but it ended
up working out, to say the least. I’ve traveled all over the
world and made a career out of getting paid to do some-
22 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
Your Business | Live and Learn
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
can hear from an installer is “I’ve been doing this for 30
years.” That’s good, but have you progressed for 30 years?
The “30 years” statement usually goes along with another
one: “No, I didn’t use a moisture meter.” You have to keep
an open mind as the industry changes. I remember sitting
at my dad’s Sunday dinner table after he retired; I was
working for Harris-Tarkett by then and my brother was
running the family business. My dad was yakking at him
about how he should do this and do that. I said, “Dad,
that’s really cool, but you’re telling him to do things that
in today’s world are illegal!” Did I mention the only thing
constant is change?
There is one important thing that hasn’t changed: The
best part of my wood flooring career has been the wood
flooring people. Thank you all for the lifelong friendships,
experiences and opportunities you all have given me. I
hope I have given some back to you all.
Although Don Conner retired from NWFA at the end of
2012, he is available for consulting. He can be reached at
(423) 557-4032 or don.conner47@yahoo.com.
To read some of Don’s notorious bad jokes, go to www.
hardwoodfloorsmag.com/LLearnFM13.
homeowners like to throw out a dollar figure at you for
how much they paid for their floor. You want to say, “You
paid what for this junk?” But instead I say, “What you paid
for this is not anything I can control or speak about, be-
cause it has no relevance in me looking at this floor.”
Wood has no “defects”: Wood doesn’t have any de-
fects, it has character. The appearance of it is created by
wood’s natural characteristics from branches and the way
it grows. I always tell designers that wood is a biodegrad-
able renewable resource, and if you don’t like the look of
it, you can call 1-800-GOD. True story: I was talking with
a woman in Oklahoma once and trying to explain to her
that for wood to have no character in it at all, a tree would
need to not have any branches. She told me, (and she
wasn’t joking, I swear) that they have those all over where
she lives—the trees have wires attached to them!
Don’t call me an “expert”: I am very picky when be-
ing introduced when teaching or for a speaking engage-
ment that nobody refers to me as an “expert.” To me,
saying you’re an expert means you stop learning. I have
learned so much from teaching, and even after a lifetime
in the industry, I’m still learning today.
I’ve been doing this for 30 years: The worst thing I
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24 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Your Business | Legal Brief
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
It is not unusual to see contracts
in the construction industry that
shift risks downstream. Especially
in markets where new projects are
scarce, subcontractors often have
little leverage to modify unfavorable
contract provisions dictated by the
project owner or general contractor.
In some instances, this has prompted
legislatures to pass a variety of
statutes designed to level the play-
ing field. Examples include “prompt
payment acts” (which are designed
to protect subcontractors from slow
payers), anti-indemnity acts and other
“construction fairness” legislation. Ad-
ditionally, in individual cases, courts
have imposed exceptions to specific
For example, if subcontractor A is
not initially paid because of a dispute
that has nothing to do with him—
such as the owner’s insolvency or the
owner’s holding payment from the GC
because of subcontractor B’s defective
work—subcontractor A may never
receive payment. Some subcontractors
try to modify the clause to require that
they be paid as long as the reason
for the owner’s refusal to pay the GC
does not stem from inadequacies
in the subcontractor’s work. Often,
though, subcontractors lack the lever-
age to negotiate these clauses.
However, some state courts do not
favor and/or will not enforce these
clauses. Other courts reinterpret
them, holding they merely require
the subcontractor to wait a “reason-
able period of time” for payment.
In other words, if the GC does not
receive his payment from the owner
or does not make the payment to the
subcontractor within that reasonable
period of time, the GC is obligated to
make the payment to the subcontrac-
tor. On the other hand, some state
courts enforce these provisions and
make the subcontractor the ultimate
banker. However, a growing minority
of states have held pay-if-paid clauses
to be unenforceable, declaring that
by preventing payment to the sub-
contractors these clauses go against
mechanic’s lien statutes.
2. Change-Order ClausesOne of the greatest sources of con-
types of contract clauses, effectively
limiting some types of liability.
It’s important to have a handle on
these risks since the effect of includ-
ing voided or unenforceable clauses
in a contract could void an entire sec-
tion or even, in some cases, the entire
contract. In short, knowing these
rules and their trends can be critical.
1. Pay If/When Paid ClausesThere are two primary conditional
payment clauses: “pay-if-paid” provi-
sions and “pay-when-paid” provisions.
Such clauses provide that the GC is
under no obligation to pay its subcon-
tractor or supplier unless (or until) the
GC is paid by the project owner.
Rendered UnenforceableJust because a clause is in your contract doesn’t make it a lock
By Josh M. Leavitt and Daniel G. Rosenberg
Private Eyes
Good retailers tend to know what their competition is up to, and now there’s an app to make that endeavor
a lot easier. Perch, developed by a former executive at MapQuest, is a tracking application for Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS that provides small business owners a bird’s eye view of competitors’ Yelp reviews, check-in specials, daily deals, Facebook and Twitter updates. (And it does so privately, so your competitors will have no idea.) Users simply bookmark a competitor’s social media sites and Perch compiles the data into a scrollable feed. Users can then keep tabs on other businesses and adapt strategies accordingly. Want to spy on your rivals? Now, there’s an app for that.
Starting with the next issue this section will answer social media ques-tions. If you have questions you would like answered, please email them to kim@hardwoodfl oorsmag.com.
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26 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Your Business | Legal Brief
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
struction litigation is making claims for additional compensation. These claims
are often based on change requests that are performed and then subsequently
denied by the GC, architect or owner as not being required in the end since
the work completed was within the scope of the original project. Most clauses
require that change orders be approved in writing in advance and impose a
number of conditions, dispute resolution procedures and time limitations be-
fore claims for additional compensation be approved by change order.
Despite the general enforceability of such clauses, some courts recognize
the difficulties that contractors face in the real world when they are directed
to perform extra work and told not to wait for formal owner approval. Some
courts recognize that the requirements for written agreement to change orders
in advance can be waived by conduct. Courts may also allow claims for extras
or orally directed work but require an elevated burden of proof. Depending
on the circumstances, some courts may look closely at whether the contractor
sent or obtained a written confirmation for an oral directive to proceed and
the basis for compensation. Practically speaking, while such clauses are often
included in contracts, in many instances it becomes a question of fact as to
whether or not they are enforceable.
3. Anti-Indemnity ClausesTypically, construction contracts require downstream parties (such as subcon-
tractors) to indemnify upstream parties (like the GC) in the event of a lawsuit
due to personal injury and property damage claims. Upstream parties typically
seek such clauses by arguing that they should not be responsible when some-
thing goes wrong due to events primarily controlled by the downstream party.
The argument goes that the subcontractor that installed the wood floor, for ex-
ample, should be responsible for the result-
ing liability, not the owner or GC. It is not
unusual, however, for construction indem-
nification clauses to require the downstream
party to indemnify the upstream parties for
any claim resulting from the downstream
party’s work—even where the downstream
indemnitor had nothing to do with the acts
giving rise to liability.
Many, but not all, state legislatures have
responded to perceptions that upstream parties have too much leverage in
these situations by passing what are known as “anti-indemnity” acts, which
limit or void the effect of certain contractual indemnity clauses. The scope
of the various anti-indemnity acts varies greatly. Some acts—known as “sole
negligence” acts—void indemnity clauses that do anything more than make a
downstream contractor responsible for its own sole negligence. Other anti-
indemnity acts—known as “partial negligence” acts—are narrower and allow
the contract to specify that the downstream party is required to indemnify the
upstream parties if the indemnitee was a partial cause of the injury at issue.
4. Additional-Insured ClausesClosely related to indemnification clauses are “additional insured” clauses.
These clauses typically require the downstream party to include the upstream
party as an “additional insured” on the downstream party’s insurance—par-
ticularly on the party’s commercial general liability insurance. This way, if an
injury occurs, the upstream party can seek insurance under the downstream
party’s policy. In their broadest form, these clauses are not limited in any way.
Some courts recognize the
difficulties that contractors face in the real world.
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28 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Your Business | Legal Brief
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
In theory, if anything goes wrong on a project, the owner
could seek coverage under the GC and all subcontrac-
tors’ policies regardless of whether the subcontractor, for
example, had anything to do with causing the liability.
There are two potential problems with additional
insured clauses. First, anti-indemnity acts increasingly bar
such clauses or severely limit their application. Legis-
latures in some states have determined that upstream
parties should not be able to force downstream parties to
provide insurance. Second, and not surprisingly, insur-
ers seek to limit and control their own exposure. Some
contractors or subcontractors may not be able to add
parties to their insurance or may only be able to do so
on a limited basis.
5. Choice Of Law ClausesParties with leverage often impose “choice of law”
clauses that allow them the protection of state laws with
which they are most familiar. Similarly, they impose
forum-selection clauses in their home states, creating cost
and time impediments to claims and affording perceived
“home court advantage” when claims are filed.
In some states, statutes have been enacted prohibiting
construction contracts from subjecting disputes to the
laws of a state other than where the project is located.
Similarly, mechanic’s lien acts and other statutes often
specify what court is to hear a construction dispute.
When it comes to the construction industry, there is
a surprising lack of uniformity to fairly common con-
tract provisions. Even within states, courts are less than
uniform in their approaches, and many statutes and
court decisions have left open critical questions about
the enforceability of certain types of clauses. To craft an
effective and enforceable contract for clients doing busi-
ness in multiple states, a drafter must be aware of state-
by-state nuances and trends. Every situation is different,
but one must also keep in mind the practical realities of
what is required in a contract. Contract provisions that
no contractor or subcontractor can comply with or that
result in extreme price increases may not serve either
party’s business interests. ■
Josh M. Leavitt is a partner at K&L Gates LLP. Daniel G.
Rosenberg is a former partner at K&L Gates LLP. This
article is not intended as a substitute for legal advice or
individual analysis of a particular legal matter.
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February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 29
Your Business | Money
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
The Healthcare OverhaulIs Obamacare good or bad for your bottom line?
By Phillip M. Perry
W ill “Obamacare” batter or bolster your bottom line? The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA)
comes at a time of rising health insurance costs for small business owners. Annual pre-
miums for employer-provided family coverage grew to just under $16,000 in 2012, a rate
some four percent higher than 2011, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Will the new federal law help put a cap on rates? If you have 50 or fewer employees, you have a
good chance of turning the new federal law to your advantage.
“Generally speaking, the law is more favorable to smaller businesses,” says Shawn Nowicki, direc-
tor of health policy at Northeast Business Group on Health, a coalition of 175 employers, unions and
health care providers. Nowicki points to a number of advantages geared toward smaller operators,
including competitive state-wide insurance exchanges, premium reform and tax credits.
Key PositivesHere’s a rundown of how you may benefit from some of the law’s provisions:
Competitive exchanges. Competition is good. That’s the theory behind the new state-wide
health insurance exchanges designed to allow small businesses to shop for plans from competing
carriers. These exchanges will be available for employers with 50 or fewer people in 2014.
“To understand how the exchanges will work, imagine navigating
to a travel website that aggregates airfares,” says Karl Ahlrichs, benefits
consultant for Indianapolis-based insurance broker Gregory & Appel.
“You type in your parameters and the site sorts your options and you
pick what you want. That’s what employees will be doing with the
exchange sites.”
Under the best of conditions the new exchanges will also help trim
the human resources overhead by providing a host of robust adminis-
trative services. “Businesses that send employees to the health insur-
ance exchanges will be getting out of the health insurance manage-
ment business,” Ahlrichs says.
Premium reform. Small businesses have long been the targets of
prohibitive premium hikes when one employee is hit with a costly ill-
ness. The new law levels the playing field. “Starting in 2014 insurance
carriers will not be able to set premiums based on health status, sex or
claim history,” says Julie Stich, director of research at the International
Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, a research organization based
in Brookfield, Wis. “That will help small group plans where one cata-
strophic claim can cause health costs to go up.”
Penalty exemption. If you have 50 or fewer full-time employees
you will be exempted from penalties for not providing health insur-
ance. If you have more than 50 employees and your employees
purchase insurance from the new state exchanges, you will pay a fine Flic
kr |
Lis
a Ya
rost
30 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Your Business | Money
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
of $2,000 per employee who does so, excluding the first 30
employees from the assessment.
Tax credit. The law provides for a tax credit for busi-
nesses with 25 or fewer employees if the company pays at
least half of the employee premiums. (See sidebar, “Figur-
ing the Tax Credit.”)
Downward pricing pressure. The law may also en-
courage more transparency in the area of fees for medical
services, Ahlrichs says. In consumer-driven health plans
people will be given a set amount of money with which
they can shop for services. They will be able to go to a
website, enter a service such as an “appendectomy” and
get a list of physicians that perform that procedure, a qual-
ity rating and a cost. “Comparison shopping should put
downward pressure on prices,” Ahlrichs says.
Transparency. Do you know how much your broker
is being paid for arranging your insurance? Today such
commissions are buried in your premiums. This may
change under the new law as pressure mounts to reduce
administrative costs. Brokers may start charging fees for
their services, which may well dampen overall costs while
promoting accountability and performance.
Employee MobilityThere is another hidden benefit the new law may provide
smaller businesses: access to higher quality personnel.
“Today at larger employers there are many high-quality
mid-career professionals who are frustrated because they
cannot be very entrepreneurial,” Ahlrichs says. “They
would love to join a smaller organization where they can
try things out, or they might want to band together and
start something.”
In the current system, says Ahlrichs, if such people quit
their current positions, they may be uninsurable. “They
may have a daughter or wife who is a diabetic or can-
cer survivor. Or they themselves may have some chronic
condition. As a result, they are handcuffed to their desks
because of healthcare.”
When the exchanges come online the handcuffs come
off. “There will be a significant shift in high-performing
talent out of the larger organizations and into smaller
ones,” Ahlrichs says. “This could be a huge benefit to small
entrepreneurial organizations which position themselves as
places where talented people can exercise some freedom.”
Decision TimeMany business owners are upset about the minimum level
of benefits required by the new law. In some cases those
levels are higher than what is currently being offered in
the workplace. That means greater expense in the form of
higher premiums.
Will employers, as a result, drop health insurance cover-
age completely and opt to pay the fine? Ahlrichs thinks
some will be tempted. “A lot of CEOs may want to tell their
employees, ‘I want out of the health care business. Go to
the exchange and I’ll pay the $2,000 fine.’”
Employers who decide not to offer the insurance should
realize there are additional ramifications, Ahlrichs says. The
first problem is that the $2,000 fine is not tax deductible.
The second problem is that the employees who go to the
exchanges find out insurance is not free. “Maybe the pre-
mium for a family is $8,000 annually,” Ahlrichs says. “Who
pays it? If the employer wants to keep the employees, the
employer may want to make them whole and give them
the $8,000 needed to pay for their insurance.”
The story doesn’t end there, adds Ahlrichs: The pre-
mium payments are now taxable, so paychecks have to be
grossed up to around $10,000, in the above example, so
the employees can pay premiums out of after-tax dollars.
Put it all together and cessation of a health insurance
program can backfire, Ahlrichs says.
Realistically, though, the decision to retain or drop health
insurance might depend less on the costs of noncompli-
ance than on what other businesses in the same employ-
ment market are doing. No one wants to lose top talent to
other employers offering better benefits.
As a result, many businesses seem to be playing a wait-
ing game. “We keep hearing statements such as, ‘We are
afraid to be the first one to drop coverage, but we are not
afraid of being the second or third,’” Nowicki says.
Maybe that’s why most employers say they will continue
to offer health insurance. “Employers see health insurance
plans as important tools for employee satisfaction, reten-
tion, and for attracting talent in the future,” Stich says. “In
Get Some Help
Knowledge pays. That goes double for a vast piece of legislation such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Want
to learn more? Check these resources:The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
has launched a website to provide information about the health care reform legislation: www.healthcare.gov.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has created an outstanding
compendium of documents summarizing the health reform legislation: www.healthreform.kff.org.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has posted infor-mation on how health care reform will affect small businesses: www.sba.gov/content/health-care-health-care-reform.
Mercer, the New York based consulting firm, has mounted a useful site with documents and guidance about health care reform, geared primarily toward larger employers: www.mer-cer.com/us-health-care-reform.
February|March 2013 Hardwood Floors 31
Your Business | Money
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
our surveys only one or two percent of employers say they will not provide
health insurance coverage.”
Act NowWhat steps should you take today? Start getting up to speed on the opportu-
nities and requirements of the new law. Then take steps toward compliance.
Employers need to take a look at their current health insurance plans and make
the changes required to be in compliance. Then communicate these changes to
employees and revise the plan descriptions and handbooks.
As for the decision whether to continue or drop coverage altogether, you will
need to tackle that one before the end of this year. The so-called “play or pay”
provision will activate in 2014. That means employers with over 50 employees
must either offer health insurance with minimum requirements or pay a fine.
“It’s not too early to look at this area,” Stich says. You will need to determine
if your organization is over the 50-employee threshold. That can be more dif-
ficult than it seems. You will need to calculate how many casual, part-time and
seasonal individuals fall into the category of “full-time-equivalent” employees.
As you tackle the vagaries of the ACA, keep in mind that the entire law is
very much a work in progress. The federal government will continue to issue
regulations that interpret the law for real-world operations. State governments
will jockey to set up exchanges of various kinds, or opt to let the federal gov-
ernment do the job. Finally, organizations competing for your employees may or
may not set up attractive health insurance programs.
Perhaps the only thing that’s certain is that change is on the way. Now’s the time
to get a handle on how the marketplace is changing. Then design a health insur-
ance program that maximizes employee satisfaction while minimizing cost.
Phillip M. Perry is a New York-based freelance writer and frequent contributor
to Hardwood Floors.
Figuring the Tax Credit
Answer the following questions: Do you have 25 or fewer full-time employees? Are their average annual wages less than $50,000? And do you contribute
more than 50 percent of your employee’s total premium costs?If your answered yes to all, you may well receive some assistance with your
health insurance premiums under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). You may be entitled to a tax credit of up to 35 percent of your contribution toward your employees’ health insurance for this tax year. The credit will increase to up to 50 percent for tax year 2014 and 2015.
For 2013, the full tax credit is available to employers with 10 or fewer employees whose average annual wages are $25,000 or less. The tax credit gradually scales down as workforce sizes and average wages increase.
Here’s an example. Suppose your business employs 10 full-time workers and the average wages are $25,000. If your annual employer health care costs are $70,000 you are entitled to a $24,500 credit in 2013. Starting in 2014 the credit will be $35,000.
For some help on calculating your own credit, see the guidance recently posted at www.irs.gov and click on “Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions,” then see “Small Business Health Care Tax Credit.”
Or, visit www.smallbusinessmajority.org and go to “Healthcare Tax Credit” in the upper right hand corner, and click on “Go to Calculator.”
32 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
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Dal
e H
all
Choose WiselyUse these tips to invest in the right architectural photographer
By Dale Hall
Not all commercial photographers are created equal. There are
studio tabletop shooters, event shooters, annual report shoot-
ers, food photographers, aerial photographers, architectural
photographers, industrial photographers and location shooters, to
name a few.
All these photographers are grouped under “commercial photogra-
phers,” but each has his or her specialty. Event shooters may not be
the best choice to shoot food. Aerial photographers may not be the
best for tabletop. And if you want photographs of the most beauti-
ful wood floor installation you’ve ever done, you probably don’t
want an event shooter. Shooters who are studio photographers have
different equipment from those who shoot on location. Large soft
boxes are great for the studio but have little use on location unless
you are shooting a business portrait (which is best left for a portrait
photographer, anyway).
If you want to get beautiful photos of your wood floors, you’ll need
to hire an architectural photographer. But how do you choose one?
Here are a few tips that should help guide you to invest wisely in
your professional photography.
1) Room scenes should have natural-looking light.Architectural photographers use existing light and “balanced” fill light
to create a natural-looking interior. The interior should appear, once
captured, as it looks with the naked eye. What you
see should be what you get. The human eye has an
iris, as does a camera, but as your eye concentrates on
different areas of a scene, it has the capability to open
and close instantaneously so a dark corner has detail
and the shade on a lamp also does. A camera does not
have that advantage—it has a much smaller dynamic
range. The trick for the interior photographer is to
create an image where there is detail in the shadows
and highlights. A “blown out” window (way too bright)
will attract the attention of the viewer to the window
instead of the interior, as will a huge “hot spot” (glare)
on the floor.
2) Photo composition should be balanced.A well-balanced interior will have a correct exposure to
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34 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
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in their portfolio, they won’t produce
your shot on location.
4) Clarify your usage rights. One thing you’ll want to clarify up
front is usage rights. The phrase “usage
rights” refers to the way photographers
charge for an image. For example,
portrait photographers charge a small
sitting fee for taking the original shots
and then charge an inflated fee when
you buy prints. Commercial pho-
tographers get their money up front
with their professional fee, and then
they may also charge for usage rights
depending how you plan to use their
photography. Basically, if you use the
shots for advertising and make mil-
lions of dollars, or if the image ends
up on the cover of a design magazine,
the photographer wants his cut.
My personal philosophy has always
been to get paid a fair price for my
shots up front and give my clients
unlimited usage. Then when my client
makes a lot of money with my photog-
raphy, they will be more likely to buy
more shots from me in the future. In
fact, I encourage my clients to use my
photography in as many different ways
as possible. I don’t resell their imag-
es—if I shoot a floor for an installer, I
can’t sell that photo to another installer!
My advice is to clarify up front if your
photographer charges usage rights, and
if he does, make sure you only pay for
the usage you need.
5) Know that costs have gone down.
Since the invention of digital cameras, a lot has changed
for professional photographers; a huge change for me is the
speed with which I can shoot on-site and still keep my qual-
ity high. Another big change is that I have greatly reduced
my out-of-pocket cost per shot, which I have been able to
pass on to my customers.
Reducing the time on site is great for you (my customer)
and even better for your client, as there is less interruption
to your residential or commercial customer. My time on-site
is less than half of what it was back when I was behind my
4x5, shooting film. My post-production time has gone up,
though, so I work the same amount of time on each shot,
just not on-site. Turnaround times have also improved, since
allow the viewer to enjoy all the parts of the photo. Com-
position is key so the photographer can direct the viewer to
the most important parts of each shot. Going back to No. 1,
note that a strong composition cannot be effective without
proper lighting balance. You can have a shot with beautiful
composition but an over-blown window, which will distract
the viewer.
3) See examples of what you want in the portfolio.Be sure to examine any potential photographer’s portfolio or
website to make sure the type of photography you want is
prominent. If they can’t show you the types of shots you need
PHOTO 1 is a sample of an interior without the correct lighting, exposure, color bal-ance and composition. It is too “hot” on the right and has too much ceiling, plus the color balance is off. Your eye is drawn to the lightest area, not the fl oor that you want to show off. PHOTO 2 has correct lighting and balance—your eye can travel around the whole image and always fi nd its way back to the fl oor.
❷
❶
Dal
e H
all
February|March 2013 Hardwood Floors 35
Your Business | Management
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
there is no running to the lab, waiting for processing and scheduling delivery. In most cases now I can deliver shots to the client within 24 hours.
6) Represent your work well.I can certainly go to a hardware store, rent a sander, get some abrasives and sand my own floor. Will I get a professional result? No! But, especially with today’s digital cameras, many people somehow think they are qualified to take their own photos. You can have the most beautiful wood floor in the world, but if the photography is average or worse, your floor will look average or worse. Remember, correct composition, lighting and color balance are what you pay a professional commercial photographer to deliver. Let the experts do what they do best—that is how the commerce of this country works. Also, pick your best jobs to advertise, but don’t forget to have examples of your day-to-day bread and butter jobs, too.
Remember that investing in great architectural photography isn’t a straight expense. If you invest well and use the images well, your photos should also be generating revenue for you and helping your business be a success.
Dale Hall is at Middleton, Wis.-based Dale Hall Photography LLC.
Beware the GlareGlare on the floor is a distraction. This can come from a window, lighting or a fireplace, like the example below. As you can see in the first photo, the glare on the floor distracts the viewer from enjoying the beautiful floor. In the second photo, the glare is taken out and this cre-ates a much more “balanced” photo. Remember, your shots should feature your floor prominently, since it is the product you are trying to sell.
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com36 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
On the JobAsk the Expert
Cleaning, ‘Barriers,’ More
Going GrayI got a call from a homeowner
who just moved into his house
and tried using his usual wood
floor cleaning product (from a
wood flooring manufacturer)
on his wood floor. He said the
floor started to turn gray. What
would cause this?
Brett Miller, director of certification
& education for the National Wood
Flooring Association, answers:
It sounds like the existing finish on
that floor was likely a penetrating oil
finish. As these finishes are becom-
ing more popular again, we’re seeing
more problems with homeown-
ers attempting to use typical wood
floor maintenance products on them
and damaging their finish. Usually
penetrating oil finish turns a grayish
or milky color when it comes into
contact with a standard wood floor
cleaner. The solvents in these cleaners
actually break down the waxes and/or
oils and can damage the finish.
Once the damage is done, the good
news is that it’s usually relatively easy
to repair the floor by re-oiling it with
the finish. Once repaired, the floor
must be maintained with the recom-
mended maintenance product (often
referred to by the manufacturer as a
soap or oil). Many times these mainte-
nance products are a derivative of the
actual finish; they are designed to be
part of the finishing system.
One way to identify a penetrating
oil finish is by looking at the finish
build on the floor. Penetrating oils
won’t appear to have very much
build, because they soak into the
wood. When in doubt, it’s best to
try any new maintenance product in
an inconspicuous spot like a closet
before cleaning the entire floor with it.
Barrier Guarantees?I have a customer who wants me
to install a solid wood floor in
a room over a crawl space. It’s
insulated but not sealed over the
ground. If I use the right under-
layment will it create a barrier
so there is no warping or move-
ment in the floor?
Roger Barker, market manager—
flooring at Fortifiber, answers:
When installing hardwood or any
other flooring material always obtain,
read and follow the floor manufactur-
er’s written installation requirements.
Those written installation require-
ments supersede NWFA Guidelines or
the guidelines for the other products
(such as underlayment) used during
installation.
Generally a minimum 6-mil poly-
ethylene over the ground in a crawl
space is recommended by most
floor manufacturers and the NWFA.
In many areas, the building codes
require one. The crawl space should
also be properly vented following
local codes, the floor manufacturer’s
installation instructions and NWFA
Guidelines.
Usually a floor manufacturer will
also require a vapor retarder, such
as asphalt felt, over a wood subfloor,
TRICK OF THE TRADE
Take the Pain Out of Staining Vents
Staining wood floor vents is both a pain and time-consuming, but here’s a trick for dark-stained vents that makes it easy and fast. Take out the grill part of the
vent, spray-paint it black and urethane it. Spray-paint the inside of the ductwork and the grill frame, too. When you sand the floor, the spray paint and finish will be sanded off the top of the vent so it can take the stain color (espresso stain was used here), and the inside of the grill will just look dark.
Thanks to Roy Reichow at Cedar, Minn-based National Wood Floor Consultants for his tip. For more tips and insights, visit his new blog at www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/blogs. Do you have a Trick of the Trade? Send it to editors@hardwoodfloorsmag.com.
When wood was selected as the fl oor covering for both levels of the Lüke
Restaurant at the Embassy Suites Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas,
Shelly Flooring took advantage of MAPEI’s complete line of products and
used Ultrabond ECO ® 995 premium wood-fl ooring adhesive. “This adhesive
worked very well with the wood,” said Project Manager Robert Cadenas. “It
bonded well, and there were no hollow spots when we tested it after drying.
The moisture-reduction barrier provided by the Ultrabond ECO 995 was an
added benefi t in terms of protection for this building located on the banks of
the river.” The sound-reduction qualities of Ultrabond ECO 995 were also a
positive for a wood-fl ooring installation in a busy restaurant.
Install with one wood adhesive, meet three needsMoisture barrier, sound reduction and superior bonding through a single product
Ask your local wood-fl ooring distributor for the complete installation solution – Ultrabond ECO 995.
On the Job | Ask the Expert
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
9 inches in length. The lower the grade or appearance of the floor-ing is, the shorter the average board length will be for that specific grade or appearance. There is no set num-ber of short boards; some manufac-turers do limit the number of shorter boards while others do not.
A good installer will disburse these shorter boards where they are not as noticeable. If you end up with a large number of shorter boards in a small area, that usually indicates you did not work the shorter boards in as needed. Try to explain to your customers that with the lower grades or appearances of wood flooring, they will get more shorter boards, and the more short boards there are, the harder it is to disperse them throughout the floor so they aren’t as noticeable.
Getting Shorted?I just installed a floor for a cus-tomer, and after looking it over he said that there seems to be a lot of short boards scattered throughout the floor. What can I tell him?
Glen Miller, a St. Louis-based in-dustry consultant, answers:
Shorter boards are allowed in all grades of flooring unless you specify you do not want any, and in that case, you can expect to pay more for the flooring. Nearly all floor-ing today is sold either in boxes or bundles that are typically 7 feet in length. The amount of shorts al-lowed will depend upon the amount of longer boards you may have in the packaging. NWFA/NOFMA al-lows for boards to be as short as
under the hardwood flooring. There are many such products available, but none will claim that their prod-ucts “will create a barrier so there is no warping or movement in the floor.” Over a wood subfloor, you do not want a “barrier” as it will trap moisture and may create other prob-lems such as mold, rot and mildew. That is why the NWFA guidelines recommend a Class II semi-perme-able (0.7≤ 1.0 perm) or Class III per-meable (1.0≤10) vapor retarder over a wood subfloor. Underlayments are designed to meet industry standards and perform best when installation recommendations are followed. When it comes to wood flooring, if there is excessive moisture and the source of the moisture is not addressed, floor-ing issues are always the result, no matter which underlayment is used.
38 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
TALES FROM THE FRONT
Hey Big Fella ...Builder inserts foot in mouth—big time
A bsolute Coatings’ Kathleen Freeman remembers an unforgettable incident at a job site back in her
contracting days. About 20 years ago in the middle of winter, she went to a job to sand and finish it. When she walked into the house, she asked the builder where the heat was. He took his hand and started to rub her belly and said, “Hey big fella, looks like you have enough to keep you warm.” “At that point, I opened up my coat to show him I was a woman and also pregnant,” Freeman recalls. “Needless to say, my guy and I had a great time with him through the rest of the job.”
If you have a true (and printable) story to share, email it with your name and phone
number to editors@hardwoodfloorsmag.com.
Consequences of DesignHow will design decisions impact your life on the job site?
By Avi Hadad
them through a ¼-inch round-over bit
at the designer’s request. The treads
were flush with the metal frame on
each side, and the front of each tread
had an overhang. After checking ev-
ery metal tread to make sure they all
were exactly the same size, the treads
were then cut to length. We used a jig
made on-site to make the cutting of
all the treads consistent, safe and fast.
• Some of the metal risers had a
gap to the vertical surfaces such as
the cedar walls. We made sure the
treads in those areas had the same
consistent 1⁄8-inch gap to match the
gap to the metal riser.
• The nosings had to be fitted
around the metal railing in some
places. That made the installation
challenging, and what made it even
more challenging was the fact that,
due to the open layout, you could see
every nosing from every angle.
• The landings had a layer of ply-
wood that was installed by the build-
er when they assembled the frame
on-site. Three sides on each landing
were open. A time-consuming detail
was having to work with ladders from
above and underneath the landings.
All the landings were sanded in place
while the crew used ladders to reach
the sides and bottoms of the exposed
nosings.
• The fireplace in the living room
was designed to be a poured con-
crete surface. It was agreed to wait
until after the wood was installed
the design called for straight, clean
lines. Choosing the wood—rift and
quartered red oak—was easy. But after
that, the job became more challenging:
• In many areas, there was vertical
T&G cedar on the walls. We had to
undercut the cedar and slide our floor
underneath, because no baseboards
were to be installed in those areas.
• The stair treads had to be in-
stalled over a metal frame. We had
the builder drill eight pilot holes in
each tread. After fitting the treads, we
screwed them from underneath with
wood screws. The treads were or-
dered with a square edge, and we ran
W hen we talk about design
for a wood floor job, we
usually think about pick-
ing out the style, width, species, stain
color and more. But different design
styles also require different skills from
the wood flooring contractor, and
realizing that before the job starts is
important for planning your time and
your bid.
As an example, let’s talk about a
contemporary design my company
recently did and what it required as
far as the installation, sand and finish.
The house had four stories with an
open layout between each floor, and
Flyt
osky
11 |
Dre
amst
ime.
com
February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 39www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
On the Job | From the Field
On the Job | From the Field
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
40 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
simple at first sight (like the treads on this job), may end
up consuming two or three times as much of your valu-
able time. ■
For more photos of this job, go to www.hardwood-
floorsmag.com/FTFFM13.
Avi Hadad is owner at San Pablo, Calif.-base Avi’s Hard-
wood Floors and is NWFACP-certifi ed in Inspection, Instal-
lation and Sand & Finish. Look for his new blog at www.
hardwoodfl oorsmag.com/blogs.
to pour the con-
crete over the floor,
because the design
concept was to make
the floor look like it
was running under-
neath the concrete.
Moisture was not an
issue because it was
such a small amount,
and there was no di-
rect contact between
the concrete and
the ends of the floor
boards.
• All the treads were
prefinished on-site to make life easier.
So, a “simple” design decision on this job was to have
clean lines and an open space between each floor. While
the decision was simple, it made the actual installation
and sand-and-finish challenging and time-consuming.
When you are bidding a job, appreciate what challenges
some designs may create for you on-site. What looks
WHAT’S WRONG?
The installer left plenty of space for the T-molding, but he glued it down to the subfloor with construction adhesive. This adhesive filled up the expansion space on both sides and then dried rock-hard. (Courtesy of Matt Skowron, The Floor Detective)
also stay connected with us onwith us on
hardwoodfloorsmag.com/enews
Sign up for the semiweekly HF E-News at:
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
On the Job | Troubleshooting
Hardwood Floors February|March 2013 41
They thought after they applied a
little stain and finish they would
be in the money … but not this time.
Shake It UpWorkers’ fear of finish bubbles creates a new problem
By Steve Crawford
The ProblemWe received a call from a contractor with a complaint
about an uneven sheen in different areas of a home his
crew had finished with satin water-based polyurethane.
The ProcedureThe flooring was impeccably milled. The distributor had
stored it properly and delivered it to the job site in time
to ensure acclimation to its new and permanent environ-
ment. After the subfloor was prepped, installers nailed in
the new floor. They
did three passes with
the big sander and
edger, and then some
screening with the
buffer “clocked” going
with the grain. They
thought after they ap-
plied a little stain and
finish they would be
in the money … but
not this time.
They applied one
coat of penetrating finish stain and two coats of single-
component satin water-based polyurethane. The next
morning, some areas of the floor appeared almost gloss,
while the hall appeared to
be matte flat. The master
bedroom area looked like
semi-gloss.
The CauseThe contractor and his fore-
man had left the finishing
to one of their newer crews.
New to water-base finishes, this crew rolled out two coats
of single-component satin water-based polyurethane as
told. Being new to using water-based finishes, the idea of
thoroughly shaking a finish seemed foreign to them, and
almost reckless. Having used an oil-based polyurethane for
years, they knew that if you shake that finish, bubbles and
foam would prevent a nice, smooth finish application for
hours afterwards.
But most modern water-based finishes contain really ef-
fective anti-foaming additives that prevent the foaming and
bubbling the crew had feared. When the label directions
encourage shaking, it is to ensure that all of the contents
become equally dispersed prior to pouring the first puddle
and line on the floor. This includes the flattening agents,
which may settle while in inventory. Gravity isn’t just a
good idea, it’s a law. When flattening agents aren’t equally
dispersed through the finish, the sheen won’t be even on
the floor, either, leading to exactly the problem they expe-
rienced on this job.
How to Fix the FloorThe floor needs to be screened well and recoated with fin-
ish that is mixed correctly.
In the FutureSometimes when you do almost everything correctly—
even craftsman-like—and drastically better than your
lowest-price competitors, bad things still happen. The
difference between getting paid by someone who’s going
to give you another enthusiastic reference and an unhappy
customer is too often risked by being left to the least expe-
rienced of the team.
As contractors transition from oil-based polyurethanes
to water-based coatings, it is important to recognize some
key differences in the technology, read a few labels, and
make sure everybody on staff is aware of the changes.
Talk with your representative at your hardwood floor
distributor and ask questions. Many features and benefits
remain constant in comparison, but there may be a key
difference or two. In this case, something as simple as
knowing that water-based sealers and finishes can be
shaken without risk would have avoided the extra trip
and recoating. Time is money, and (even more so today)
so is the gas to get there! ■
Steve Crawford is director of sales & marketing at Upper
Saddle River, N.J.-based DuraSeal.
On the Job | Techniques
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 43
I started installing floors in 1979 and have seen our industry change over the years. When I
bought my first set of tools from a guy who was retiring, my toolbox contained needle and
thread for sewing carpet seams. Fortunately, it also came with a 3-inch seam iron. I only had
occasion a couple times in my career where the needle and thread came in handy on a few sets of
stairs. The last 15 years of my contracting career I have focused my business on hardwood installa-
tion and sanding and refinishing. There have been many changes here as well, such as the switch
in the glues we use from high VOCs to water-based and urethanes. The primary method of installa-
tion has changed as well. Only 10 years ago, 90 percent of my business was glue-down prefinished
hardwood. The occasional floating floor I did was usually an edge-glued laminate. Today it has
totally flipped, and now 90 percent of the floors I install are floating wood floors and laminates.
Very seldom do I get to play in glue anymore, which is the good news, since the jobs go a little
faster and my jeans look good longer. The drawback is that they can cost you money if you aren’t
careful. The biggest problem I have found is some of the floors are a little noisy underfoot when
you walk on them. And the planks, once installed, can sometimes move and create gaps. Fortu-
nately these problems can usually be avoided; here are what I have found to be the primary causes
of these issues and how to prevent them.
Moisture & MovementEdge-glued floating floors are typically engineered floors that are assembled
with a bead of glue between the tongue and groove around the perimeter
of each board. They are assembled over a 6-mil moisture barrier and a
cushioned pad to reduce noise. These floors become one monolithic floor
(basically, the entire floor becomes one piece). If you have an edge-glued
floating floor that is making a lot of noise, chances are the issue is either
floor prep or moisture. Let’s take a look at each one.
We all know that we are supposed to leave expansion space when install-
ing any wood floor, but, because of their monolithic nature, this is espe-
cially critical when installing floating floors. Due to potential changes in the
environment, either in temperature or humidity, you must leave a proper
expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor and around any vertical
obstruction (kitchen islands, pillars, etc.) to allow for expansion and con-
traction. Because the floor acts as one large piece, T-moldings are required
to separate adjacent areas. This is because each room must be able to
expand or contract without affecting other rooms. If a floating floor installed
throughout an entire home were interconnected without T-moldings, what
happened in the kitchen would affect what happened to the floor in the
back bedrooms.
If your glued-edge floating floor is making noise, one potential cause is
that, due to moisture, the floor has expanded the maximum it can based
Floating Floor FinesseTake steps to avoid noise complaints with floating floors
By Ron Call
Ron
Cal
l
Being proactive about subfl oor preparation and customer communication will drastically increase the chances of customers being happy with their fl oating wood fl oor.
On the Job | Techniques
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com44 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
their heating or air-condi-
tioning if they are leaving
their home for extended pe-
riods of time. If they go on
vacation or if it is a second
home, they must maintain
a minimum range to avoid
drastic changes in tempera-
ture and humidity.
If the floor was acclimated
properly and the conditions
in the home have been fairly
consistent since installation,
it’s possible there is another
source of moisture. This
could be something like a
slab leak or external water
up against the slab dur-
ing the rainy season that is
wicking into the slab under
the floor. Raised garden beds
right up against the home
or sprinklers pointed in the
wrong direction can cause
the same problem. Always
make sure the property
is properly sloped so that
water drains away from the
home when it rains.
Floor Prep ProblemsIf you have a noisy floating
floor and you have removed
all your moldings and base-
boards and find there are
still proper expansion gaps,
you may have a floor prep
issue. Floating wood floors
typically require that the
substrate, or subfloor, be flat
to within a certain tolerance.
This should be included in
the directions that came with
the product; NWFA Instal-
lation Guidelines say most
manufacturers recommend a
flatness tolerance of 1⁄8 inch
in a 6-foot radius or 3⁄16 inch
in a 10-foot radius. Making
sure the subfloor is relatively
flat minimizes vertical move-
ment of the floor when peo-
ple walk on it. Note, though,
on the expansion gap left
during installation. At this
point, the floor is locked
in, hitting the walls or door
jambs around the perimeter.
You may notice that the
floor seems a little softer or
bouncier compared to what
is was right after installation.
This is because the floor is
still trying to expand and
now has no place to go but
up. What you are hearing is
the bond between the glued
boards breaking as you walk
across the floor. If you don’t
repair this quickly, the floor
may begin to show separa-
tion and gaps between the
boards. If that happens, the
floor may not be able to be
repaired, and replacement
may be necessary.
Before the floor gets that
far gone, the good news is
that repair is possible. You’ll
need to remove the base-
boards and moldings to find
where the floor is hitting
the walls or moldings and
is locked in. You will need
to use a toekick saw to cut
the floor back to allow for
proper expansion. Once
you have made the cuts, the
floor should drop back down
almost immediately and
should be fine.
Note that when this hap-
pens, it’s possible that the
floor wasn’t acclimated
properly prior to installation.
Or, it’s possible the floor was
acclimated properly but the
temperature and moisture
changed too much after
installation. Be sure you
educate customers about the
importance of maintaining
fairly consistent temperature
and moisture in the home,
and the fact that they should
never completely turn off If debris like this is left on the fl oor, it can cause excess move-ment and noise when walked on.
If a subfl oor like this one isn’t fl attened and cleaned, the resulting movement can break the bonds between the boards.
Moisture testing your subfl oor is key so you don’t install a fl oating fl oor where it will absorb too much moisture, expand and make noise. Photo courtesy Ron Call.
On the Job | Techniques
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 45
noise may also be inherent in the design of the lock-
ing mechanism of the floor itself. Let me be clear: That
is certainly not true for every glueless floating floor. But
over the last several years, as glueless floating floors have
flooded the market, some manufacturers have rushed to
keep up with others to secure their market share. As a
consequence, I have found that some glueless floors will
make noise no matter what you do.
As a contractor, I have seen my installation business
change to where almost all the floating floors I install now
are glueless-type installs. Some of these floors are easy to
install and perform well, while others can be a nightmare.
When I say “nightmare,” what I mean is that it’s all about
customer expectations. I have personally installed thou-
sands of square feet of these new products manufactured
by almost every company in the business. If a customer is
told at the point of sale that these floors tend to be a little
noisier than glued floors, there is usually no problem. If
they’re not informed of that fact, the floor may not meet
their expectations. From my experience, in general, the
wider the plank, the quieter the floor. I have found that
a 3-inch wide board made by Manufacturer X sounded
like walking on Rice Krispies, while the same floor from
that with a floating floor you will always have a certain
amount of movement, as it is installed over a pad. When
you walk, the pad compresses and the floor will move. But
too much movement—such as when the floorboards are
spanning too big of a dip in the subfloor—can cause the
floor to flex so much that the bond of the glue between
boards will weaken. Over time, the bond can break, caus-
ing the floor to fail. If this is the case, you may be hearing
loose boards beginning to rub against each other.
Even if the subfloor was properly flattened prior to instal-
lation, there is another floor prep issue that can cause noisy
floating floors: There may be loose debris under the floor
crunching as you walk. In either of these cases, whether the
problem is an uneven subfloor or a dirty subfloor, there is
not much you can do to fix the floor except pull it up and
start over, making sure that the floor prep is done properly
and the subfloor is clean of all loose dirt and debris.
Glueless Interlocking IssuesIf the floor at issue is one of the newer glueless floating
hardwood floors that lock together without adhesive, the
cause of the noise may very well be the ones I discussed
above: moisture or floor prep. But it’s possible that the
On the Job | Techniques
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com46 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
the boards. The powder will act as a lubricant and may
solve the problem. Note that you should check with the
manufacturer to make sure they approve this fix.
2) The nice thing about these floors is they can be dis-
assembled and put back together at least three times, so
if the problem is throughout the floor, you can pull it up
and glue it down, or pull it up and edge-glue it. This will
generally solve the problem, but it may affect the warran-
ty, so check on this first. I would call the technical services
department of the manufacturer and see if this can be
done; ask them to send you an email verifying you can do
this. If you don’t get it in writing, you’re leaving yourself
open to a costly replacement.
Creeping GapsSomething else I’ve noticed the last few years regarding
floating floors is that sometimes they move due to foot
traffic, exposing the expansion gaps. I have seen this
most often at the pivot point of a hallway. For example,
if the floor is installed in a hallway crossways (like the
ties of a railroad track), each board is at most 3 to 4 feet
wide. When the floor was first installed with a proper
expansion gap on both sides of the hall and the gap was
covered with baseboard or shoe moldings, it all looked
great. Now there may be a board or two that is showing
a gap between the edge of the floor and the molding.
This happens very gradually and may not appear until
several months after installation. The reason is that as the
homeowner walks and turns to go down the hallway, the
slight sideways pressure exerted by the pivoting foot cre-
ates a gap. The board(s) is moving a very slight amount
each time, and eventually a small gap begins to appear.
This can be fixed a couple of different ways. The first
is very simple—it may or may not work and is only tem-
porary. Put on a pair of good sneakers that grip the floor
and try kicking the boards back in place. If this does
work, you may have to do it on occasion, as the prob-
lem will most likely reappear later. If you cannot get the
gapping boards to move back into place using your foot,
remove the baseboard on the wall opposite the gap, take
a pry bar and gently pry the boards back to their original
location. Again, this will most likely be only a temporary
fix. To prevent the gaps from reoccurring, it will be neces-
sary to disassemble the hallway back to the affected area
and use some flooring glue (the type you would use on a
glued-edge floating floor) between the tongue and groove
and then reassemble. The glued boards will be able to
withstand the sideways pivot pressure that caused the
problem and this will be a permanent fix. Now remember,
doing this may affect the warranty, so check first.
What Can You Do?To prevent these issues from costing you headaches and
the same manufacturer in 5-inch was fairly quiet. What
is causing the noise in some of these products is the
fact that although the manufacturing tolerances of these
products lock the boards together, there is some move-
ment between boards, so they can squeak and make noise
when walked upon.
A couple years back I did an experiment on a job
where I was installing 2,500 square feet of 3-inch-wide
Product X. After installing the first room (approximately
250 square feet), every step was creaking and popping.
The floor was properly acclimated and the floor was flat-
tened and prepped to meet the manufacturer’s require-
ments. At this point I had the homeowner walk on the
floor, and he was not happy with the performance/noise
the floor made when he walked on it. I pulled the floor
completely up and re-flattened the subfloor so that it was
completely flat, exceeding the manufacturer’s require-
ments. I took photos and video of the subfloor prep and
perfect flatness (just to protect myself) and then rein-
stalled the floor. Guess what? The floor sounded exactly
the same—no change whatsoever.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with
these floors. They can be a great value for the money,
and easier to install. They can just tend to be noisier than
a glued or nailed-down hardwood floor. So, what can
you do? In the example/experiment I mentioned above,
I returned all the underlayment and kept the flooring
but switched the customer over to a glue-down instal-
lation. This did not affect the warranty, as this particular
floor could be floated or glued down directly to the slab.
Once glued down, the floor had no movement and made
no noise at all. It cost the customer the extra expense of
adhesive and a little more in labor costs, but in the end he
was happy with the installation and the floor looked great.
If you are looking at an installed floor with this problem,
there are two things you can try to help minimize the noise:
1) If the problem is localized to a small area, a tradi-
tional fix is to try sprinkling a little talcum baby powder
between the boards. Then gently tap the floor with a rub-
ber mallet so as to not damage the wood. This will create
vibrations, and the powder will migrate down between
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with
these floors. They can be a great value for the money,
and easier to install.
Mo|Mo 2012 ■ Hardwood Floors 47
On the Job | Techniques
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
with the creaking? Some people will tell you that it’s fine,
because the old hardwood floors that they grew up with
made noise and they expect it. If that’s the case, keep
going. If they tell you they were not expecting the floor
to creak and they don’t like it, stop and call the person
who sold the floor. Most salespeople don’t even know
that noise with floating installs is a potential issue. If you
don’t stop but instead finish the install and your customer
ends up being unhappy, he or she will call you or the re-
tailer. The retailer will call the manufacturer, and they will
send out a company inspector. Best to avoid this scenario
entirely by making the customer happy up-front.
As technology changes, you’ve got to keep up. Try
to attend as many manufacturer training classes as you
possibly can when they are in your area. Make sure you
schedule time to bring everyone in your crew as well;
they need first-hand training as much as you do. Also be
sure your subscription to Hardwood Floors is up to date.
Make sure you know about all the latest changes that may
affect your business as the industry moves forward. ■
Ron Call is owner at Harmony Flooring in San Diego,
Calif., and Cleveland, Ohio.
money, there are a few things you can do. First make
sure you have done the proper moisture testing recom-
mended by the wood flooring manufacturer and have
documented your testing. Never cheat on floor prep or
acclimation, since most failures in our industry are related
to either moisture or improper floor prep. If you pull up
the existing floor and discover extensive prep is required
but the customer is not willing to pay for repairs, do not
do the install. Even if they tell you something like, “I
don’t care if the floor fails later—I’m just trying to sell the
place,” etc., do not do the job. If you install it, you own
it. Even if you get it in writing that the customer was OK
with you installing it that way, if you get sued later, you
will lose in court. The judge will rule you were the pro-
fessional and you should have known better. Plus, your
name is on it, and you don’t want your name out there
associated with bad work.
Once you begin your floating install, check it after you
have installed the first several rows. Walk on it back and
forth, and if it’s quiet, you’re good to go. If it’s noisy, stop
and have the customer walk on it. Explain to them that
they chose a great floor but that some floating floors are
a little noisier than glued-down floors, and are they OK
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www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com48 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Putting Down RootsA LEED-Certifi ed Beauty For The World’s Largest Philanthropy Takes Root in Seattle
By Doug Dalsing
Lake Oswego, Wash.-based Oregon Lumber provided roughly 42,000 square feet of end-grain alder for the Seattle headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 49
SOFTWARE CREATED BY MICROSOFT
transformed the way businesses oper-
ate on a day-to-day basis. From emails, to
PowerPoint presentations, to spreadsheets,
these tools helped companies, large and small, in
myriad industries work faster, connect more easily
and be more productive. But no matter how powerful
these digital tools are, they cannot replace the ben-
efits of an in-person collaboration: the morning shop
meeting, the lunch break with colleagues, the chance
hallway encounter.Before 2011 this was something missing at the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic nonprofit started by the Microsoft co-founder and his wife. With staff spread throughout five leased buildings in
Seattle, Melinda Gates started in 2006 to craft a vision for a new campus that could support all of the nonprofit’s nearly 1,000 employees, who work to improve health, cre-ate opportunity, advance education and fight poverty around the world. The work culminated in the June 2011 opening of the foundation’s 900,000-square-foot head-quarters in the heart of the city.
Built at a cost of $500 million and occupying an entire city block, the campus comprises two office build-ings (one anchoring the lot’s northwest corner and another
to the southeast), a reception area and a visitor’s center. It boasts several fea-tures designed to lessen its carbon footprint, including a vegetation-covered, in-ground parking ramp; a million-gallon tank that stores rainwater for use in toilets, irrigation and reflecting pools; solar energy installations; and daylight-ing that keeps all workstations within 30 feet of sunlight. What’s more, over 20 percent of the campus was built using recycled or regional materials extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the job site—including some 42,000 square feet of beautiful end-grain alder wood flooring. With the assistance of
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www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com50 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
In the reception area, Seattle-based Northwest
Millworks installed end-grain alder on walls and ceiling
portions, while the GC also installed cherry-colored
acoustic ceiling cladding made by Decoustics.
foundation’s connection to the Pacific Northwest.The 1-inch-thick, 31⁄4-inch-wide alder was manufac-
tured by Lake Oswego, Wash.-based Oregon Lumber. The company, situat ed 180 miles south of Seattle, makes solid flooring, solid/engineered hybrid flooring and end-grain flooring for commercial applications such as the foundation’s campus. Most of the company’s end-grain flooring is reclaimed from pre-consumer waste, but this particular product came from FSC-certified lumber sup-plied by Cascade Lumber Inc. of Camano Island, Wash. “[NBBJ] wanted something unique; they wanted some-thing durable; they wanted something that would add warmth in an environment where there is a lot of glass and other materials that are more sterile than wood,” says Charles Couch, Oregon Lumber’s president and owner. “They also wanted something that would lend itself to the Northwest.” The wood flooring was installed in the office structures’ common spaces and stair treads, while it also features prominently on walls and ceiling in the reception building. “They liked the look of the end-
architectural firm NBBJ and subcontractors of the Pacific Northwest, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pla nted permanent roots in Seattle and can now offer its employees a holistic workplace in which they can strive to improve lives around the world.
Uptown in DowntownThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 12-acre cam-pus makes for yet another architectural destination in downtown Seattle’s Uptown neighborhood. The campus sits kitty-corner from the world-famous Seattle Center, the arts and entertainment park that is home to the Space Needle and the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project museum. On the foundation’s block, the V-shaped office buildings are the two most prominent features. Their interiors are characterized by glass, steel and expansive daylighting, and there are many common spaces where workers can see their colleagues and work in groups large and small. Underfoot, end-grain alder flooring adds an organic element and reinforces the
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of its workers would take on an area at one time, gluing and then side-nailing the alder pieces into place, Sessions says. About 7,000 square feet of alder was installed in the campus’s reception area, while 10,000 was installed in the southeast office building; the remaining 25,000 square feet was installed in the northwest office building, which includes the lion’s share of common space in a large atrium. Wherever the alder gave way to a different floor covering, Sessions’ workers installed a ¼-inch-wide strip of cork to accommodate for expansion.
With the flooring installed, the crew next flattened the floors with three drum-sander passes using a 60-80-100 grit sequence; following this, they did three passes with a multi-disc sander. After the flooring was flattened, Sessions’ crew applied a hardening-oil finish. One of the biggest challenges on this job was coordinating crews so they could finish their work while so many other contractors worked around them, Sessions says. “It had to be phased from installation, to sanding, to finish-ing,” he says. “We mapped it all out in a calendar and
grain and then wanted to highlight it in a way other than just on the floors,” Couch says.
Fashion a FloorFor installation duties, NBBJ turned to Bellevue, Wash.-based Western Flooring & Hardwood and its president, Mark Sessions. This company specializes in installing large commercial and residential floors and is the union-ized arm of Western Tile & Marble, a firm that won an NWFA Floor of the Year award in 2004 for work at Las Vegas’ Palms casino, which Sessions also led. Western Flooring & Hardwood started work at the campus by installing a layer of ¾-inch plywood that was nailed and glued to the concrete raised-access subfloor. Sessions and his team installed the plywood to minimize the chances of panelization, or separation along the sub-floor’s seams, which he’s seen elsewhere from raised-access subfloors.
With the plywood in place, Western Flooring & Hardwood next installed the alder pieces. About 15-20
Bellevue, Wash.-based com-mercial installation fi rm Western Flooring & Hardwood created nearly 500 custom stair treads used throughout the campus.
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52 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Project DetailsArchitect: NBBJ (Seattle)
General contractor: Sellen Construction (Seattle)
Lumber supplier: Cascade Lumber Inc. (Camano Island, Wash.)
Flooring manufacturer: Oregon Lumber (Lake Oswego, Wash.)
Finish manufacturer: Woca Denmark (Lunderskov, Denmark)
Flooring installer: Western Flooring & Hardwood (Bellevue, Wash.)
a unique, elegant curve to it, so Sessions and his crew were required to custom-make each tread, and then sand and finish them. In total there were 500 treads, so the task was time-consuming.
Sustainable VisionAfter work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new campus was completed, the accolades began pil-ing up. With all its energy-saving features, it has the distinction of being the world’s largest newly construct-ed nonprofit LEED Platinum-certified building in the world (NBBJ originally aimed for Silver certification). “Most satisfying is that this sustainability achievement was the result of an integrated and engaged design process, not a race to acquire points,” says Cormac Deavy, a principal at Arup, a consulting firm that assisted with the project’s design. “The design choices that the team selected have resulted in a high perfor-mance building.” The campus also garnered praise from Interior Design, winning highest honors for large corporate offices in the magazine’s Best of Year 2012 contest. (The campus has also won recognition from the American Institute of Steel Construction as well as Engineering News-Record.)
Reflected in the foundation’s sleek, new corporate headquarters is its commitment to sustainability and its philosophy that “all lives have equal value.” It makes perfect sense, then, that the foundation took that motto and applied it to future generations through building a sustainable campus. Most important is the fact the foun-dation’s employees now have a centralized office—a place that will promote creative and collaborative work among staff, a place where the foundation can finally plant roots and grow well into the future. ■
sequenced it. For a while, we’d have one group of guys installing, another sanding and another group of guys doing the application of the oil.”
“All my lead guys took a copy of the schedule, folded it up and put it in their pockets,” Sessions says. “Then they just walked around and made sure everyone was hitting their milestones. It was detailed out not quite to the hour but the half-day. They knew the flooring was dry in one spot and that they needed to apply oil and give it the right amount of dry time.”
Another challenge was applying that much harden-ing oil over such large areas; they practiced on a mock 250-square-foot alder floor. “We were confident that we had it down, but it was much more difficult when we had to take the steps we were doing on the 250-square-foot area and translate that to an 8,000-square-foot atri-um that all had to be finished at the same time for uni-form appearance.” Sessions recalls that he and his crew learned very quickly that lap marks would be their worst enemy during the finishing process. “Eventually we got it down to where we had one guy rolling and two guys behind—one guy painting between the roller lines and the other guy blending the two together. Once that was done, we let it dry for 48 hours and then applied the second coat.”
Between the first and second coats Sessions spot-applied a filler he describes as a “dough” comprising sanding dust mixed with oil finish. A third finish coat was applied using a buffer with a synthetic abrasive pad equivalent to a 400 grit, and then they applied a fourth coat—“to make it pop as we walked out the door,” he says.
The staircases throughout the campus’s office build-ings—which have six stories—posed another challenge for Western Flooring & Hardwood. Each staircase has
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SUBMIT YOUR PRODUCTSEVERY NWFA MEMBER is eligible to participate in Hardwood Floors’ product focuses at no charge. All members who have checked rel-evant product codes as published in Hardwood Floors’ Resource Book are sent product focus invitations via email. If you are not receiving these invitations, email kim@hardwoodfloorsmag.com.
ADHESIVES
Moving Forward
February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 53
Bona USBona US says its moisture-con-trolling, silane-based adhesives are unique and have a carefully weighted combination of elasticity and strength. The company says its adhesives are an integral part of the Bona system for bringing out the best in hardwood floors.www.bona.com
Ardex Engineered Cements/W.W. Henry Co.Ardex’s Henry brand 1171N SureLoc- Acrylic Urethane Wood Flooring Adhesive is a professional acrylic urethane adhesive for installing solid wood, engineered wood plank, wood parquet flooring, and cork under-layment. Ardex says it has excellent initial grab, fast strength development, high ultimate bond strength and elongation, and anti-microbial product protectionwww.ardex.com
Advanced Adhesive Technologies Inc.AAT-535C Professional Wood Flooring Adhesive utilizes proprietary solvent technology to produce an aggressive, VOC-compliant adhesive with coverage rates up to 90 square feet per gallon. The company says it requires no open time, rapidly develops tremendous strength and can be used for installing bamboo, solid and engineered wood flooring.www.aatglue.com
The adhesive, filler, finish and subfloor product categories always seem to be changing. That’s why it’s important to keep abreast of the major players, keeping an eye peeled for the greatest and
latest coming down the pike. Here, once again, is Hardwood Floors’ annual Adhesive, Filler, Finish and Subfloor Product Focus.
Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsProduct Focus
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54 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsAdhesives
Stauf USA LLCCBR 970 is a moisture-cured product designed to adhere wood flooring directly over old cut-back mastic without removing the existing cutback. CBR 970 was specifically designed to not dis-solve the old cutback and will provide a shear strength of up to 218 psi. Stauf says it will not damage finish when left on for prolonged periods of time.www.staufusa.com.
Royal Adhesives and SealantsEMC 4011 is a one-part moisture cure urethane adhesive and moisture-control system in a single product, and it can be used for glue-down installations of all types of wood flooring. For new-construction concrete applications, no moisture testing is required; it need only be dry to the touch with no visible dampness, Royal says.www.parabond.com
MAPEI Corp.MAPEI says its new Ultrabond ECO 995 provides both superior bonding and moisture vapor emission control of up to 15 pounds (6.80 kg.) MVER or 85 percent relative humidity. MAPEI says this single-component, 100 percent-solids, moisture-cure urethane system is excellent for all types of wood flooring, including exotics and bamboo.www.mapei.com
Harris Wood Floors/QEP Co. Inc.Harris’ Roberts brand R1530 is a solvent-free, 100-percent-solids moisture cure urethane product that performs as an all-in-one, single-application adhesive, moisture vapor barrier and sound reducer for wood and bamboo flooring installa-tions. It helps to protect against unforeseen moisture vapors emissions that can destroy a wood flooring installation.www.harriswoodfloors.com
DriTac Flooring Products LLCDriTac says its 7500 Eco-Urethane is the only urethane wood flooring adhe-sive to be certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Green Label Plus Program for Indoor Air Quality. Containing zero VOCs and zero solvents, DriTac 7500 Eco-Urethane offers an easy-to-spread formula that is very low in odor.www.dritac.com
Bostik Inc.Bostik’s Ultra-Set SingleStep is a one-part, trowel-applied, tacking, moisture-cure urethane adhesive, as well as a moisture-vapor and sound-reduction membrane. This scientifically formulated adhesive and mem-brane is very tenacious, has very low moisture permeability, and is formulated with the company’s patent-pend-ing Thickness-Control Spacer Technology to ensure proper thick-ness between hardwood flooring and the sub-strate, Bostik adds.www.bostik-us.com
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February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 55
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsFillers
Glitsa, a division of Rudd Co.Glitsa says its Wood Flour Cement provides an exact match between filler and flooring. It uses actual sanding dust from the same species of wood as the floor and will take on the color of the sanding dust used. Wood Flour Cement ac-cepts stain and ages consistently with the flooring since the actual sanding dust is used.www.glitsa.com
Bona USPacific Filler is a waterborne compound specifically designed for filling cracks, holes, chips, gouges and broken edges in hard-wood floors prior to finishing. Its high-solid formula is ready to use and trowelable direct from the pail, or it can be thinned with water for full-trowel filling. It is also Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified.www.bona.com
ATOM Ventures LLCGork’s GoodFilla from ATOM Ventures LLC is a water-based wood filler that does not shrink, sink or crack. ATOM Ventures says it is proudly made in the U.S. from a proprietary formula, and that it is odorless, stainable, sandable, tintable and has an unlimited shelf life.www.goodfilla.com
UFloor Systems Inc.The Pallmann brand P5 is a one-component moisture-cured silane terminated prepolymer hybrid adhesive that, UFloor says, combines the powerful flexibility of a polyurethane adhesive with the advantages of modern modified silane technology.www.ufloorsystems.com
TECH.B. Fuller’s TEC brand Multi-Powered Wood Floor-ing Adhesive can be applied to damp concrete (ranging from 75-90 percent RH) and has up to 120 minutes of open time, reduc-ing waste from product skinning. It features a strong initial grab as well as sound-deadening and crack-bridging capabilities.www.tecspecialty.com
Synthetic Surfaces Inc.Synthetic Surfaces Inc. says that many installers prefer its Nordot Adhesive #113D because it’s a user-friendly, one-part curing urethane that pours and spreads easily, unlike paste adhesives. Nordot Adhesive #113D is environmentally friendly, VOC-compliant, low-hazard and water-free, Synthetic Surfaces says. Plus, it fights mold and does not contain toxic or flammable solvents, the company adds.www.nordot.com
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FILLERS
56 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsFillers
Basic CoatingsBasic Coatings says its Emulsion Pro is designed for the wood coating professional and provides excellent de-foaming coupled with maximum leveling that makes the toughest jobs easy. Emulsion Pro is a versatile, self-sealing, dual-cure polyurethane water-based wood fin-ish that, Basic adds, offers fast dry times, water-cleanup and superior durability that common oil-based products lack.www.basiccoatings.com
Arboritec USA Inc.Arboritec says its Avenue is a high-performance commercial two-component waterborne wood floor finish, and that it is enhanced with ceramic, which provides extreme durability. It is produced with the company’s exclusive accelerated NanoTechnology and offers excep-tional flow, leveling and adhesion. What’s more, Arboritec adds that it will not show white stretch lines.www.arboritec.com
Absolute Coatings Inc.LNL-1500 Commercial Grade WaterborneWood Floor Finish incorporates added protection with aluminum oxide, Microban antimicrobial protection, and UV absorbers in a single-component, non-yellowing urethane finish, and it is backed by a 15-year residential wear warranty. Absolute Coatings says the waterborne formula is environmentally friendly, and that the finish has low odor and a fast dry time.www.lastnlast.com
Woodwise/Design Hardwood ProductsWoodwise/Design Hardwood Products says it is continuing its research and development efforts to keep up with the wood flooring industry, and its wood fillers have been formulated to meet the demands of wood flooring experts. Its line of Wood Fillers includes: Woodwise Full-Trowel Filler, Wood Patch, No Shrink Patch-Quick, Powdered Wood Filler, Pre-Finish Filler, and Epoxy Wood Patch.www.woodwise.com
UFloor Systems Inc.UFloor’s Pallmann brand Pall-X Kitt is a waterbased joint filler compound intended to be mixed with sanding dust and used for joint- and trowel-filling wood floors. UFloor says it is suitable for strip, plank and parquet flooring of all species where color-matching is important and where filler stability and adhesion are vital.www.ufloorsystems.com
Timbermate GroupTimbermate Group says its wood filler is a no-waste product. If it dries out, it can be reconstituted with water, and the filler’s excess material can be returned to the container for future use. The VOC- and toxin-free filler is freeze/thaw stable and available in 13 pre-mixed colors or a neutral tint for custom color matching.www.timbermategroup.com
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FINISHES
February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 57
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsFinishes
MonocoatMonocoat says its natural oil floor finish provides extraordinary durability and ease of maintenance. Entirely VOC-free, Mono-coat says its interior and exterior finishes are an important element in any environmentally sound application. They are available in clear as well as more than 30 colors, all of which are applied in a single coat.www.monocoat.us
Harco Clear CoatingsHarco Clear Coatings’ Radiance is a one-part oil-modified waterborne polyurethane wood floor finish. The finish does not require a catalyst or cross-linker, and Harco says it has a rich traditional oil look. What’s more, the residential and commercial finish has low odor and low VOCs.www.harcocoatings.com
Glitsa, a division of Rudd Co.Glitsa says its Infin-ity II single-component waterborne finish was developed specifically for professional wood floor-ing contractors. Infinity II is 100 percent urethane waterborne and can be used as a self-sealing system or over a sealer. Infinity II’s optional crosslinker, CrossLink, can be added for faster full curing and improved durability.www.glitsa.com
DuraSealDuraSeal’s DuraClear Water-Based Polyurethane is a high-performance, low-VOC alternative to oil-based finishes. Ideal for lighter colored wood, DuraClear spreads easily with excep-tional flow and leveling for a non-ambering floor finish without an additional hardener. The company says that floors will retain their commercial-grade durability long after application. www.duraseal.com
Bona USBona US says its industry-leading waterborne finishes have always been VOC-compliant and healthier for people and the environ-ment than most other finishes. Along with unsurpassed durability and beauty, Bona says that when using its finishes there is no need for the homeowner to vacate during the finishing process. Plus, it’s Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified.www.bona.com
Berger-Seidle AmericaBerger-Seidle says its reputation is built on providing depend-able, high-quality and environmentally friendly products at a solid price-to-performance ratio. The Berger-Seidle family of wood finish products are produced to work together as a system that will give contractors optimal confidence in achieving a beautiful hardwood floor.www.berger-seidle.com
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58 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsFinishes
WoodCareUSA LLCWOCA is a penetrating and hardening oil finish for commercial and residential applications. It provides a hard-wearing and natural-looking floor, WoodCareUSA says, and is available in many colors. This easy-to-re-pair finish is VOC-free and requires only one application when using the WOCA single-coat polishing pad, the company adds. www.woodcareusa.com
Waterlox Coatings CorporationThe Hawkins family says its American-made resin-mod-ified tung oil products have been nurturing and beautify-ing wood by penetrating and building to a film to seal and protect for over 102 years. Its finish remains elastic, is easy to maintain, and moves with the wood to accommodate changing conditions and heavy traffic.www.waterlox.com
UFloor Systems Inc.UFloor’s Pallmann brand Magic Oil 2K is a two-component oil/wax hybrid penetrating finish for residential and commercial applications. UFloor says it provides a velvety, matte finish that repels dirt and water, and that it gives the floor a rich European hand-rubbed appearance.www.ufloor-systems.com
PoloPlazNSB is the new wa-terborne sealer from PoloPlaz. It features fast drying, excellent adhesion and easy abrading. It is also resistant to sidebonding and panelization. NSB is compatible with all PoloPlaz waterborne or polyurethane finishes, and it is available in 1- and 5-gallon containers.www.poloplaz.com
Professional Coatings Inc.Pro-Coat Premium Radcoat is an aliphatic UV waterborne urethane finish designed for on-site, heavy commercial applications with limited downtime. Because of new polymerization technology, this product yields outstanding scuff-, scratch- and abrasion-resistance, Professional Coat-ings adds.www.procoatinc.com
Old Western Paint Co. Inc.Old Western Paint Co. says its Poly Faux Polyurethane Finish is a unique interior pigmented coating system designed to help create a rich faux-stain look. It offers eight colors and four sheens for covering stains, flaws and imperfections on hardwood floors, giving a beautiful look over prob-lem areas.www.oldwest-ernpaint.com
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February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 59
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsSubfloor Prep
MAPEI Corp.MAPEI offers three products for subfloor preparation. Planiprep AR (adhesive remover) softens and lifts old latex adhesive resi-dues from the concrete subfloor. Planiprep SA (scouring agent) eliminates any adhesive remover residue and etches the concrete. And Planiprep ET (epoxy treatment) caps the subfloor to control moisture emission rates and prepare the floor for new adhesives.www.mapei.com
Harris Wood Floors/QEP Co. Inc.QEP’s Natural Cork Underlayment is available in two forms—rolls and sheets—to meet the needs of an assortment of professionals. These rolls and sheets are offered in a range of thickness and lengths, making them readily available for a variety of room sizes.www.harriswoodfloors.com
Foam Products CorporationFoam Products Corporation says its Eco Ultimate Silencer is the industry’s most durable and versatile underlayment, and that it of-fers unparalleled acoustical properties. It can be used in floating, glue-down and nail-down applications, and it is made in the U.S. with recycled granulated rubber tires and high-density polyure-thane foam.www.foamprod-ucts.com
Fortifiber Building Systems GroupFortifiber’s Aquabar B Class II, HWD-15 and Seekure Class III vapor retarders for wood flooring have all earned the prestigious NWFA Accepted Product Seal. The company also makes Moistop Ultra Class I, an impermeable moisture and radon barrier for use over concrete and in crawl spaces.www.fortifiber.com/floor-ing.html
DriTac Flooring Products LLCDriTac says its Moisture Block 3-In-1 is a green concrete mois-ture control urethane wood flooring adhesive that also acts as a crack suppressant. Containing zero VOCs and zero sol-vents, DriTac Moisture Block 3-In-1 is a one-part, trowel applied eco-friendly adhesive system that offers a one-day installation of hardwood flooring when a concrete mois-ture control system is required.www.dritac.com
Ardex Engineered Cements/W.W. Henry Co.Ardex Feather Finish pro-vides a smooth, permanent finish to a variety of sub-strates prior to the installa-tion of today’s demanding floor coverings. The product mixes with water, is ready for flooring in as little as 15 minutes and covers up to 300 square feet per bag.www.ardex.com
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SUBFLOOR PREP
60 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
Product Focus | Adhesives, Fillers, Finishes + SubfloorsSubfloor Prep
Weyerhaeuser CompanyWeyerhaeuser’s premium OSB flooring product—Edge Gold—has a proprietary edge seal to help eliminate edge swell, and Down Pore drainage technology that channels rainwa-ter through the panel, reducing construction delays. Weyerhaeuser offers a 200-day no-sand guarantee plus a 50-year limited war-ranty against panel delamination.www.woodbywy.com/edgegold
UFloor Systems Inc.UFloor says its new Pallmann brand P25 self-leveling, rapid-setting underlayment and smoothing compound with Level Plus Effect has been designed exclusively for wood floor instal-lations.www.ufloorsystems.com
TECLiquiDam by H.B. Fuller’s TEC brand is formulated to be applied to concrete as little as 48 hours old (up to 100 percent RH), and is designed to reduce the MVER to less than 3 pounds per 1000 square feet per 24 hours. It penetrates to fill gaps and voids and contains low VOCs.www.tecspecialty.com
Sound SealSound Seal says its CeraZorb is a light-weight 5-mm-thick synthetic cork underlayment offering excellent thermal in-sulation under radiant floor heating systems. CeraZorb offers high-energy impact with low weight and will remain unchanged after repeated impact loads, the company says.www.cerazorb.com
Signature Innovations LLCSignature Innovations’ FlexiKork is manufactured from cork and recycled rubber. It offers sound control, flexibility and shock absorption. It is anti-microbial and has a construction height as low as 1⁄8 inch. The company says it’s suit-able for use with all floor heating systems.www.flexikork.com
RB Rubber Products Inc.RB Silent-Tread is an acoustical underlayment designed to dramatically reduce room-to-room and in-room ambient noise. RB Silent-Tread exceeds national building code and property association sound reduction requirements, and RB Rubber Products says it is the superior choice for high-rise, office, hotel and multi-family applications, or simply for the personal comfort of the homeowner.www.rbrubber.com
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONM
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Questions Answered
February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 61www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
More than anyone, manufacturers want to help your company succeed when you use their products. In our annual Technical Spotlight section, these manufacturers—all advertisers in this issue—offer insight into best practices when using their most popular products.
TECH SPOTLIGHT
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com62 Hardwood Floors ■ February|March 2013
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
OOllddee WWoooodd LLtttd....WhWhatat d doeoes s ththhe tetermrm ““rereclclclaia memed”” o orr “a“antntiiqiqueue” ” acactutualallyly mean whheen rerefefeerrrining g totot harardwdwoood d flfl ooooriringng?“RRecececlalaimimmedededed” ” oor “antique”” fl flfl o oooro ing referss t o hahaardr wowoodod productts ss maadedee frromomm t tthehee s s ssalalala vavavagegg d lumberr fror m century-old babab rns or wooden structuureses ththhaatat hh havavavve eee ouooo tltlivii ed their ppururrpopose. The wood uuses d to build theeses struccctuturreeeess s sswawawawas sss sosososourrrrced frfrf om the virirgigig n timber trees (250-0-plus years old at harvrvvesst)t)t)tofofofof o o o ourururur n n nnatioioioon’nnn s s now-prototeecce tet d old-growth foresesestststs. . During these fi rrststt y yeaaaae rsrsrrs ofofofof ss ssererere vvicecee, thtththiiis slow-grrowowo th lumber was exposeseed dd tototo o o ovevev r a centuru y oofof uuuusesese ana d d nannanatututuurarararal lll weww atheringngngg,, aging it like a a fi ne wininne.e.e. T T Thihiis s auauauthththt enenentititic c c bebb auauautyyy, dadadadarkrkrkrk sssururuu fafaacececece pata inna ananand dchchchchararararaaacteer,rrr couplp eded w wwwititith an eleee ememeemene t t offf truue AmAmmeree ican hihihihiststststoroo y, iis whw at mmakakkkes reeecclcc aiiiimemem d fl ooooriringnngng u nin que, dededed sirablb e e annd d reeeadady y for ananananotooto heh r cec ntnttturry yyy ofo service.
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OOOOOllld Mastter Products IInnccc.ThThere e are e quite a fefew w Frenchh C Cononnen ctctioion-tyype fl oorrs s out thhherererere.e. HHHHoowow ddo o I I kknoww w which is s ththe beestt pproroduductct t too bub y?ThThThe e GaGaGarrrrisisisononn C CCCololollelelectctc ioioon n dedeefi fines s ththe “best” as beingg g thhthhe prodddducucucu t thththhataat hass thththe e bbebeststst vvvalalalueueue. . . ThThTherere e e ararre e a few w lil nes that look simimimimilallar tot TTThehehehe G GGararra ririisosson CoCoCollllecectitiiononono ’s’s FFrereencncn h h CoCoCoC nnnnecction line; however, wee feel thhatatatat t t t theh bbesesse t t valuue ecaan n bebebe foundd i iinnn nn FrFFrFrenenencchch Connection, as we usee a actual FrFrenencch ooakak wwith the e eththhicicickekest wweaeaar r r lalaalayeyeyey rr,r, longest lengths ananand best sssubububu ststststss raaattte (Baltic birch). Also, we applylylyly a a sssuufuffifi fi ccient amount of oil on theee flflfl oorininng, eliminating the need for rereree-oilinngg g afa ter instalallation, which saaavevv s cooststst and increases the value of thhht e prodododuct.
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OOnneeeiiidddaaa AAiiirrr SSSyyyssttteeemmmsss IInnnnnnnnccc..WiWillll t theheh Oneneiddida Dustst CCobobrara w worork k wiwiththththt my y bubufffer aaandnd eedgerere aas well as s my ddrurumm saandndderer???Yes. TTThe D Dusu t CoC brbrb a can coc llect dustt e eee effffffececee tiit vevelyly from mmm all of yyyour eqequipmmenennt. TTThehehe DD Dusuu t t CoCoCobrra a iisisis a hhigh--susucttioioion nn n ddudust ccolleectctororo witthhh HHHEPPA A fi ltlterr mmeddia. It hhass beeeen n ceccccerrtrtifiififi e edd a a full-u-u-unit HEEPAPAA vvacacca uum annd d it mmmmeeeeeeetsts reqqquiuiireemmememeentts for ththe EPEPPA’A’A’A’s ss ReRR non vavv titit on, ReR -paaapapairi aandnd P Paiaintn ining g (R(RRPRPRR ) ) rurulee foro leaeaeaaaadeded d cocoata inings. A A AA certifififi c ccatate e isis included d wwiwiththth e e eevev ryyy u uuninn t.t. I IIItt t t tt hhhhaas threr e titimes the peperfrfrforororo mamamaancncncce off mosost shshopop vvaccuuumsms and aa fi lteeeer r ppupulsslse e clllleaeee ningggg b bbarar sso you don’t haave too o stststopopopoo aaandd rememovoovovovo e eee yoy uru fi lteer for cleaningngng. . AAlAll wawawawastsststeis ccolo lelectcteded iin a a plastiic bab g g in tttthhehehh ssteteell d drurrrum m m ffoor r eaasysysyyy a aa dndndnd s fafe e e e dididd spspsppososos llalal...
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MAPEI Coorpp..For my particulaar r prprojojecect,t, w whahat t isis t thehe b besest t adadhehesis vee ttypype?e?If it is an engineered product we confi dently recommend Ultrabond Eco 975. If it is a domestic solid on a dry concrete slab, we always recommend Ultrabond Eco 980. If it is a high-end exotic on a concrete slab with pos-sible moisture issues, we always recommend Ultrabond Eco 995. Last, if it is a bamboo product we highly encourage the installer to use Ultrabond Eco 985. Bottom line is that MAPEI has solid system solutions for virtually all types of wood and bamboo fl ooring.
www.mapei.com
Lenmar Inc.How much time shouuld I leave bbetetweweenen fifi nnisish h coats?If the fi nish has had timem to curere, , ththe e cocoatatining g nen eds to be abraded in some way for the next coat off fi nish toto a adhdherere.e. T Thehe a amount of abrasion needed is directly related to the e amamountt oof f cucuriringng t thahat t has taken place. This is a good rule of thumb: The lonngeg r the cucurere t timime,e, t thehe m more aggressively it will need to be abraded in ordere tto o achiieveve e gogoodod a adhdhesesioion n with the next coat.
www.lenmar-coatings.cs omm
TECH SPOTLIGHT
February|March 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 63www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
SSttaauuff UUSSAA LLLLCCWhWhatat i is s ththe e bebestst a adhdhhesese ivive for r my ppproror jej ctt t ttypypy e?WeWe r receceie vev queststions ccovovovovo erinnng g evvveeryttthihhingnggn from m rararadidianant t heeatat t to o gogooini g ovverer c cututbab ck masastitic.c MMMososssst,tt iif f nonot t ala l offf t t hehehehehh ses queeststs ioonsns c can be e answswwereredeonon oourur w webebsis tete aat t wwwww.w sttauauauaufufusasa.c.como . ThTT ererrrre,e,e y y ouou caanan fifi n nd d a a wewealth ooof f fteechchninicacal l knknowowleedgdge e anaa d innststststalallalatitiono viideoooeoos,s,sss aaa s s welll aaas ss ththe e momostst c ommomomon nnasskeked d ququesestitionons.s. O Ourur ttecechnhnicicccaalala d datata a sheeee tsts, ppprprprproovovooo ididede iin nn PDPDPDF F fof rmat at the e bobotttomom o off eaeacch pproroduductt, , cacaaan nnn prproovide ann iindndddndivivvivivididuaual wiw ththth aall of f thhe ininformrmata ioon n reeququqqq irireded f oror a a s sececururrreee e anand d soounnuu d d instststststalalaa lalal titionn. TThThisis information isis m monnititoreded a andd uupdpdaateded f frereququenennntltlt y.y. M osost t of thehee ttt t timimmmime e an iinsnsnsn tatallllere canfi findnd t the a ansswewer onon oouur wwebebsisitee f fasasteteteer r than thehey cooc ulululuuu d dd byby ggetettttititingngn i in n touch hwiithth t tece hnhnicicalal s sererviviceces.
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SShhheeeooooggaaa HHardwoood Flooring && Pannnneeeeellinngg IInncc..HoHow w loonngg sshohoullu d d II alallolow w mymy flfl ooro ing to acclimaatete bb efffororo e innsttalallalaatitionon??We are fffrreer quq ently y yy asasasaskekekedd d fofof r ththe ee lengngngthth of f timemememe o ooourururur 3⁄⁄⁄⁄3
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PoollooPPlllaaaazzzzHoHow w imimpoportrtana t is aairirfl fl owow i in n ththe e cucuriringng p prorocecesss of soolvvene t-baseed fi nishhess??It is critical. After solvent evaporation the fi lm is very weak. The fi lm must then build strength by crosslinkingng wwitith h oxoxygy enfrom the air directly over the coating. If the air is stagnant, the solvent vapors (which are heavier than air) blblanankeket t ththee fl oorand block access of oxygen to the fi lm. Things such as wrinkling, early scratching, blemishes, and peeling cann o occccurur. AfAfteter the fi lm has become tack-free, even slight air circulation will bring oxygen in contact with the fl oor and initiate ththe e cucurere. FoFor more details, see PoloPlaz’s Tech Bulletin on “Drying vs. Curing.”
www.poloplaz.com
Shamrock Pllank FFloorinngWhat is the ideal humidity to keep hardwood fl oors from showing gaps orcupping from changes in moisture content?Maintaining a home at 30-50 percent relative humidity will help assurethe minimum amount of movement from changes to the fl oors’ moisture content. Environeered fl ooring from Shamrock is less susceptible to cup-pippp ngggggg, , swellinggggg and shrinkingggg because it has been designed for enhanced didiimeememeem nsnsnsnsnsioioioioionanananananal l ststabaaa ilitity.y.
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Rust-OOleum CorporattiionWhat are the benefi ts of using the Nano Shield Prefi n Additive withthe Nano Shield Advanced Floor Finish?The Nano Shield Advanced Floor Finish is a commercial-grade fi nishengineered for professionals. When the Nano Shield Advanced Floor Finishis combined with the Nano Shield Prefi n Additive, it greatly improves thesppppeed of the cure time from 10 dayyyyyys to four daysyyyyyy , ,,,, allowinggggg for a faster reererer tttuuuurnrnrnrnnn tt t o o o seseseses rvrvrvrvicicicciceee.e. III Itttt llalalsoso p pror mottes bebeeeetttttttterererer a a aa adddhd esion and chemical rereeessissis stststanannnannce, , providinng g longer-lastingprprprooto eccctittititt onon o on n ala l fl oor r r types. This s issspaparrrticcululllaraaa lyly i impmpm oro tatantnt w when fi nishshinng g lamimm nanatetette flflfl oooorors s anand d prprefiefi n nisheed d fl fl oooorsrs. . Plusus, whhhhenenen u uuseses d d wiwiththth tthehe g glolossss s sheheenen, , tht e e sys sttemememe iis s s MFMFM MAMA-c-c-cererertitifi fi eded f foror gymnm asiiuium mm flfl fl flooooooo rsrsr ..
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION TECH SPOTLIGHT
New Products
64 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
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1 IndusParquet says its Brazilian rosewood has a distinctive
rose-gold hue that offers a feminine touch to any space. The
solid fl ooring comes in 25⁄8- and 3-inch-wide planks and random
lengths from 11 to 88 inches. The fl ooring is factory-fi nished with
the company’s proprietary colorless ClearVue fi nish for lasting
durability.
www.indusparquet-usa.com
2 Porter-Cable’s PCL120MTC-2 cordless oscillating multi-tool
has a tool-less design, meaning contractors can change the tool’s
accessories without bolts, washers or wrenches. It has a 12-volt
battery, an oscillation angle of 2.8 degrees and weighs 2.2 pounds.
www.portercable.com
3 Mullican Flooring recently expanded its hand-sculpted
Chatelaine Collection to include Oak Sienna, Birch Chestnut
Brown, Oak Winesap and Hickory Natural (pictured) selections.
This prefi nished solid ¾ -inch-thick fl ooring carries Mullican’s Alpha
Alumina Real World Finish, which has a 25-year warranty.
www.mullicanfl ooring.com
4 Coswick Hardwood launched its prefi nished oak Heritage
Collection in January. This fl ooring is made using a “bi-color”
technique in which darker and lighter stains are used together for
visual contrast, giving the fl oor a dramatic effect. It is available in
multiple colors (pictured is French Gobelin) and includes character
marks.
www.coswick.com
5 Columbia Hardwood’s solid oak Adams Signature Collection
comes in semi-gloss and satin stains. These ¾-inch-thick planks
have eased edges and square ends, and are available in widths of
2¼, 3¼, and 5 inches. Columbia says this product can be installed
on or above grade.
www.columbiafl ooring.com
6 Bosch Measuring Tools says its GLM 80 is the fi rst lithium-
ion-powered laser distance measurer. All it requires is one click
of a button to measure both distance and angles. What’s more,
the tool works either in a horizontal or vertical position, and it is
rechargeable via micro-USB cable.
www.boschtools.com
7 Premiere Finishing & Coating LLC says its prefi nished
EcoGrain fl ooring is an alternative to imported hardwoods. Using
what it deems “wood-grain-enhancing technology,” the company
produces EcoCumaru, EcoIpé, EcoJatoba, EcoSantos Mahogany and
EcoTigerwood (pictured).
www.ecograin.net
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
New Products
February|March 2013 Hardwood Floors 65
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8 ICA Group offers Wood Look, a software program that lets users
take a photo of a room and swap in different wood colors. Using
15 shades tailored to contemporary design trends, Wood Look lets
clients to see the fi nal result of a coating without requiring the
production of prototypes.
www.icagroup.it
9 Viridian Reclaimed Wood now offers four types of engineered
reclaimed fl ooring: Jakarta Market Blend (pictured) is made from
used shipping crates; European beech is derived from crates used
to ship wind turbines; white oak is made from industrial shipping
crates; and old-growth Doug fi r is recycled from gym bleachers.
www.viridianwood.com
10 CS Unitec’s CS 1435 wet/dry vacuum has a fi lter that
automatically cleans itself when it detects decreased airfl ow.
It weighs 33 pounds and has a 6.6-gallon capacity. Users can
connect power tools directly to the CS 1435, and the vacuum will
automatically turn on when the tool is powered on.
www.csunitec.com
11 South Mountain Hardwood Flooring’s latest product is its
Monterey Series, which is available with hand-scraped or wire-
brushed fi nishes in six different color options (pictured is Bark).
The fl ooring is 3⁄8 inch thick and 5 inches wide, comes with a UV-
cured fi nish and is available in oak, maple, birch and American
hickory.
www.southmountainfl ooring.com
12 CDC Larue’s new vacuum is the 3000 Series, an industrial-
strength HEPA-rated vacuum that can be used in continuous-duty
manufacturing operations or with surface-preparation equipment
up to 60 inches in diameter. The vacuum allows a user to fi ll the
bag, remove and replace it without shutting it off.
www.cdclarue.com
13 Allwood Floors’ solid bamboo Dream Collection is installed
using a “click” system. It has a nine-coat infused fi nish to give what
Allwood Floors calls a “paint type” look with the durability of a UV-
cured factory fi nish.
www.allwoodgrp.com
14 Rockler Woodworking’s Bench Dog Pocket Push Stick is
for pushing wood through saws, and it fi ts inside a pants pocket.
It is 9¾ inches long and made from durable polymer, which can
accommodate some stress inside a pocket or tool box to keep it
from breaking. The end is notched 90 degrees to accommodate
board corners.
www.rockler.com
13
14
10
9
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
AdIndex
66 Hardwood Floors February|March 2013
Quickly locate an advertiser in this issue using the list below:
3Mwww.3M.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Appalachian Lumber Co. Inc.www.appalachianlumber.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Basic Coatingswww.basiccoatings.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Bona USwww.bona.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Bostik Inc.www.bostik-us.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
D & M Flooringwww.dm-flooring.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
DuraSealwww.duraseal.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Garrison Collection, Thewww.thegarrisoncollection.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11
Lenmar Coatingswww.lenmar-coatings.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Lignomat USA Ltd.www.lignomat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
MAPEI Corp.www.mapei.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Mercer Abrasives div. of Mercer Tool Corp.www.mercerabrasives.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mullican Flooringwww.mullicanflooring.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
NWFAwww.nwfa.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 42
Olde Wood Ltd.www.oldewoodltd.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Oneida Air Systemswww.oneidavac.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Oregon Lumber Companywww.oregonlumber.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
PoloPlazwww.poloplaz.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Rust-Oleum Corporationwww.rustoleum.com/nanoshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Shamrock Plank Flooringwww.shamrockplankflooring.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling Inc.www.sheogaflooring.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Stauf USA LLCwww.staufusa.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wagner Meterswww.wagnermeters.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Woodwise/Design Hardwood Productswww.woodwise.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
CORRECTION
NWFA member and distributor CFS Corporation should have been listed in the Hardwood Floors 2013 Resource Book. The company’s information follows:
3371 Martin Farm RoadSuwanee, GA 30024 Contact: Philip Key Phone: (770) 614-8009 | (866) 751-4893 Fax: (770) 614-5833 www.cfscorporate.com Areas Covered: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL,
GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.
Get all the informationyou need at your fi ngertips at:hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Online. Anytime. Anywhere.
Connect with HF
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Stay connected with HF:
GUARANTEED EVEN THICKNESS
With Our Patent Pending Thickness-Control™
Spacer Technology*
www.bostik-us.com
For more information, call your local distributor or a Bostik customer service representative today at
1-800-726-7845.
When using Bostik Vapor-Lock™ or Ultra-Set® SingleStep,
you are not only getting a superior adhesive, moisture
vapor and sound reduction membrane, but you are
getting a product that is formulated with Bostik’s patent
pending Thickness-Control Spacer Technology to ensure
proper membrane thickness between the
hardwood or bamboo flooring and the
substrate. This technology incorporates
recycled rubber particles into the adhe-
sive which helps guarantee the proper
film thickness, reducing any chance of
installer error.
*Surface preparation instructions must be followed to ensure proper coverage and guarantee even thickness.
www.mullicanflooring.com 1-800-844-6356
®
HILLSHIRE� � � � � � � � � � � �
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Red OakNatural
OakCaramel
OakSaddle
OakGunstock
OakBordeaux
OakBridle
Hickory Natural
Hickory Saddle
MapleNatural
MapleCappuccino
MapleAutumn
MapleBordeaux
� � � �
in the� � � � �
AMERICAN WOODS.AMERICAN WORKERS.Mullican Flooring is proud to offer an
unmatched selection of American-made Solid
and Engineered Hardwood Flooring, including
HILLSHIRE, a new collection of 3/8" Engineered
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With our latest of four state-of-the-art U.S.
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