JJ13_WFOYcov.indd 1 Wood Floor www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com The magazine theNationalof Wood FlooringAssociation Imported WoodFlooring of the of the NWFAN 2013 Tools + Supplies Product Focus
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HF06_3M613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:41 AM HF06_Shamro613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:42 AM ptember 30th th - Se , 20 29 13 ch ar M
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Visit bona.com for details Contents June|July 2013 Features Vol. 26.3 Big Winners By HF Editors Read all about the floors that took home 2013 Wood Floor of the Year trophies at the Dallas NWFA Expo. page 51 Toby Ponnay Photography
51 Your Business Live and Learn By Sam F. Biondo Jr. NFL fame and beer teach a lesson on this job. page 24
Legal By D. Jeffrey Craven 36 State and federal reforms could make E-Verify the norm page 28 On the Cover: Wood Floor of the Year winner in the Best Money Reclaimed category Schenck and Company. For By Phillip M. Perry more, see page 61. Employers grapple with higher workers’ Photo by Steve Chenn. compensation costs. page 32 PREMIUM PARTNERS: Management By Ronni Rebsdorf A thorough estimate can prevent job-site problems. page 36
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 Q Hardwood Floors 5
JJ13-TOC.indd 5 5/29/13 2:03 PM Contents On the Job Ask the Expert 19 Q&As on “hard finish,” the PaintCare program and acclimation. page 39
In Every Issue From the Field Chairman’s Message By Don Smithson page 8 Take this advice to eliminate sanding lines from your big machine page 41 NWFA News page 12 Troubleshooting By Scott Taylor Who’s responsible for this fracturing floating floor? Woodworks page 43 page 19 Techniques New Products By Brett Miller page 73 Do you know how to avoid these common finish failures? Ad Index page 44 page 74 44 Product Focus Tools & Supplies Special Advertising Section: page 63 Imported Wood Flooring page 71
At www.hardwood- At www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/WFOYJJ13: floorsmag.com, read › See more photos of many of the amazing 2013 Wood Floor of the Year the CONTRACTOR, winners. INSPECTOR, NWFA and GREEN BLOGS; see what COMING SOON! › Look for the launch of the free Hardwood everyone’s talking about on Floors app for iPads this month. Just search “Hardwood Floors” in the App StoreSM. Easily swipe through digital issues of HF, see extra the FORUM; and check out content only available in the digital issue, and more. the Web-only content from this issue:
6 Hardwood Floors Q June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-TOC.indd 6 5/23/13 3:55 PM HF06_Mercer613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:42 AM >>chairman’s message
The magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association NWFA John Lessick | Chairman Michael Martin | CEO 111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd. | Chesterfield, MO 63005 NWFA (800) 422-4556 | (636) 519-9663 | F: (636) 519-9664 [email protected] | www.nwfa.org Editorial Advisory Committee Avi Hadad, Chair | Avi’s Hardwood Flooring Julie Russell, Board Liaison | Glitsa, div. of Rudd Co. Joe Boone Jr. | Boone “The Wood Flooring People” Inc. NWFACP Howard Brickman | Brickman Consulting Rose Mary Cummings | Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Len Daubler | Anderson Hardwood Floors Hands-On Galen Fitzel | 3M Lenny Hall | Endurance Floor Co. Inc. Jimmy Nguyen | Dan’s Custom Hardwood Floor Inc. By John Lessick Jim Powers | Saroyan Lumber Company Jenny Riddle | AJ Brothers Hardwood Flooring Chairman, NWFA John Shepard | Carpet One Floor & Home Genia Smith | Accent Hardwood Flooring Inc. HF Website ince its inception, one of the goals of the NWFA Certifi ed BLOGGERS Professionals has been to improve the quality of wood Scott Avery | Modern Tech Floors LLC fl ooring installations by providing a means to evaluate Elizabeth Baldwin | Metropolitan Floors S and validate an individual’s technical knowledge and skills. As Howard Brickman | Brickman Consulting Avi Hadad | Avi’s Hardwood Flooring a contractor, I understand the importance and the value of the Wayne Lee | Middle Tennessee Lumber NWFACP’s program, as it provides a way for us to stand out from Roy Reichow | National Wood Floor Consultants Inc. our competition. FORUM MODERATORS Cort Dunlap | Hardwood Inspections The NWFA has worked with many of our manufacturer mem- David Harrison | Custom Wholesale Floors Inc. bers over the years to certify hundreds of wood fl ooring installers, Roy Reichow | National Wood Floor Consultants Inc. sanders and fi nishers in an effort to reach as many professionals Publication Staff as possible, and to have a bigger EDITORIAL positive impact on the industry as a Kim M. Wahlgren | Editor Any NWFA Karly McMillan | Assistant Editor whole. In recent months, NWFACP Scott Maurer | Art Director has developed a program to defi ne manufacturer Marjorie Schultz | Digital Production Manager the relationship between NWFACP’s Scott Packel | Production Assistant certifi cation program and the ATHLETIC BUSINESS MEDIA INC. member can Gretchen Kelsey Brown | CEO certifi cation programs offered by our Peter Brown | President manufacturer members. Kara Clark | Controller/Circulation Director participate in Sadye Ring | Graphic Designer Any NWFA manufacturer member Jodi Chamberlain | Sales Coordinator can participate in this program, this program. Lisa Popke | Audience Development Coordinator and it’s really quite easy to do so. Erika Reise | Online Producer Tom DePaoli | Director of Digital Media NWFACP will recognize the hands- Michael Gaio | Social Media Manager on portion of our manufacturer members’ certifi cation programs Sean Ray | IT Manager that follow the hands-on testing procedures per NWFACP format. ADVERTISING SALES The dual certifi cation recognizes hands-on skills only. All hands- Shawn Gahagan | Group Publisher Kendra Griffin | Account Executive on testing must be proctored by an approved NWFACP Certifi ed Editorial and Advertising Offices Professional. Once the hands-on skills have been validated, the Athletic Business Media Inc. individual will need to pass the NWFACP’s written certifi cation 22 E. Mifflin St., Suite 910 | Madison, WI 53703 test to receive NWFACP certifi cation. If the NWFACP written test (608) 249-0186 | (800) 722-8764 | F: (608) 249-1153 [email protected] | www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com is not passed, the individual will not be certifi ed by NWFACP. By further defi ning this dual certifi cation that has been in place for many years, NWFACP hopes to strengthen and grow the program, which will improve our industry as a whole. So if you’re a manufacturer that is already certifying contractors, 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 consider participating in this program that will enhance your 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 certifi cation process, and if you’re a contractor, earn the certifi - 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 cation status that validates your skills and industry knowledge. changes to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 47705, Plymouth, MN 55447. Publication Mail Agreement #40049791. Canadian mail distribution information: International Mail Contact NWFACP for more details at (636) 728-1922 or (866) 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. 418-5408. ■ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (ISSN 0897-022X) Periodicals Postage Paid at Madison, Wisconsin, and at additional mailing offices.
8 Hardwood Floors Q June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Chairman.indd 8 5/23/13 2:13 PM HF02_BasCoa213.indd 1 1/23/13 9:54 AM WWW.THEGARRISONCOLLECTION.COM
HF02_Garris213.indd 2 1/21/13 2:30 PM HF04_Garris412.indd 3 3/16/12 9:16 AM >>ceo message
NWFAnews and information from the nationalnews wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org
Back to a City-Wide Expo
By Michael Martin President/CEO, NWFA
any of you reading this magazine are seeing highlights of the NWFA’s 2013 Wood Flooring Expo for the fi rst time. We are profi ling the Wood Floor of the Year winners, sharing images Mof our show fl oor, recapping our education sessions, spotlighting our networking events, and showcasing our keynote speakers. One of the things you will not see in this magazine, however, is the year-long effort it takes to make a show like this happen. Each year, the NWFA gathers a group of member volunteers to help guide our show and provide valuable input about what our industry needs from a show like ours. Their efforts during the past two years have paid off signifi cantly. In 2012, the NWFA’s Wood Flooring Expo in Orlando was voted one of the 50 fastest-growing trade shows by Trade Show Executive magazine, from more than 4,000 shows they evaluated. What is even more rewarding is that the NWFA’s 2013 Wood Flooring Expo in Dallas is also being considered as a fi nalist. That is a lot of positive momentum All of the hotels in two short years of rebuilding our show. We have made progress in other areas of the show, as well. During the past few years, will be within many of our members have indicated that they would prefer more choice in selecting a hotel for their Expo participation. With this objective in mind, our 2014 Expo in Nashville a short walking will return to a city-wide format, where we will be able to offer our attendees a variety of hotels to meet differing budget needs. All of the hotels will be within a short walking distance of distance of the new Music City Center, which is where our education sessions and trade show will be held. We are also researching some entertainment options that are unlike the new Music anything we have ever offered before, so stay tuned for more news about that. Our 2015 show will return to St. Louis with the same multi-hotel format, as well. In City Center. the 10 years since the Expo was last held in St. Louis, the downtown area has expe- rienced a signifi cant revival, and the trade show will be held in a unique venue: the Edward Jones Dome, which is the home of the St. Louis Rams football team. We are already looking at what this facility and venue can offer in terms of entertainment and format, so look for more information on that in the coming months. Pre-show booth sales with early booking savings incentives have already taken place, and as of this writing, the show fl oor is nearly one-third sold. Regular booth sales will begin this month, and we fully expect to have another sold-out show with another year of double-digit growth. For more information, contact NWFA’s director of conventions and expositions, Heather Wegge, at (800) 422- 4556 (U.S. & Canada) or (636) 519-9663 (local and international). We look forward to seeing you in Nashville! ■
CLARIFICATION: In the April/May issue, the President’s column noted that NWFA and the Maple Flooring Manufac- turers Association (MFMA) were discussing “support for contractors specializing in sports floors that currently have little technical guidance on installation procedures.” To clarify, this sentence was not meant to imply that there is little technical guidance for sports floor installation, but rather that there are many NWFA contractor members who could benefit from the knowledge available in this area through MFMA’s expertise and programs.
12 Hardwood Floors Q June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-CEO.indd 12 5/20/13 8:39 AM USA
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HF06_OldeWo613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:42 AM >>education and training
NWFAnews and information from the nationalnews wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org
NWFA 2013 TECHNICAL SCHOOL SCHEDULE For more information: (800) 422-4556 (U.S. and Canada) [email protected] | www.nwfa.org 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) Volunteer instructor Al Carvalho of Margate, Fla.-based Oct. 14-19 ...... Weeklong Workshops (Houston) Max Hardwood Floors discusses moisture testing on subfloors at the NWFA Moisture Indentification/Mitigation Oct. 28-Nov. 2 ...... Weeklong Workshops (St. Louis) workshop in Deerfield, Fla. 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 work- shops. Students will have the opportunity to pick and choose which one-day Personal Perspective workshops they’d like to attend from Monday-Saturday. Here are the topics: MONDAY: Moisture Identification/Mitigation he NWFA’s weeklong traveling technical workshops TUESDAY: Subfloor Preparation stopped in Deerfi eld, Fla., March 18-22. Brian WEDNESDAY: Intermediate Installation Maloney of Deerfi eld-based MAPEI Corp. (pictured T THURSDAY: Intermediate Sand & Finish at left below) had this to say about the class: FRIDAY: Factory Finish Repair & Recoat SATURDAY: Field Equipment Repair “I enjoyed every minute RECENT SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS of this class. WEEKLONG WORKSHOPS >>March 18-22 in Deerfield, Fla. NWFA’s Director of Technical Training Frank Kroupa led instruction, along with these instructors: Steve Lima (MAPEI Corp.), Cort Dunlap (Delmhorst The instruc- Instrument Co.), Jason Spangler (Wagner Meters), Josh Neuberger (UFloor Systems Inc.), Roger Barker (Fortifiber Building Systems Group), tors were top- Wayne Lee (Middle Tennessee Lumber), George Chagnon (Powernail Co.), John Dupra (Norton Abrasives), Mike Farrell (Clarke American Sand- notch, very informative. If ers), Al Carvalho (Max Hardwood Floors), Sid Light (Mohawk Industries), Allan Nery (Loba-Wakol LLC), Bob Goldstein (Carver s.r.l.), Bryan Day you are in the fl oor-covering (Basic Coatings), Zack Calvin (Bona US), Bill Ptak (DuraSeal), Lynn Brick- industry, especially the wood man (DuraSeal) and Jim Schumacher (3M). fl oor industry, I would high- WEEKLONG WORKSHOPS >> May 16-18 in St. Louis, Mo. NWFA’s Director of Certification and Education Brett Miller led instruc- ly recommend attending this tion along with these instructors: Roger Baker (Fortifiber Building Systems Group), Cort Dunlap (M.T.E. North America Inc.), Wayne Lee (Middle Ten- nessee Lumber), Todd McDonald (Infinity Wood Floors) and Bob Sweezey traveling school.” (Stauf USA LLC).
14 Hardwood Floors Q June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Schools.indd 14 5/23/13 8:33 AM HF06_DMfloo613.indd 1 5/21/13 9:06 AM >>convention wrap-up
NWFAnews and information from the nationalnews wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org Thinking Big
fter a total relaunch in 2012, the 2013 National Wood Flooring Association Wood Flooring Expo fol- Alowed last year’s trend of expansion as the industry worked to “Think Big” in Dallas. The NWFA estimates 20 percent growth of the show over last year, which itself grew 30 percent over 2011. The show fl oor was sold out, with 242 companies represented, up from 218 in 2012.
TheThe industryiinddusttry rreunitedeuniitted att tthehhe GGlassllass CCactusacttus HowardHHowardd PPutnam,uttnam fformerormer CECEOO off SSouthwestouthhwestt nightclub for the Expo’s opening party. Airlines, delivered an inspiring and often funny keynote address at the opening ses- sion of the NWFA’s 2013 Wood Flooring Expo, reminding everyone in attendance that while “turbulence is inevitable, misery is optional.”
This year the NWFA’s Honorary Vanguard Seminar sessions degree was presented werew packed; here, to two men who have NWFA’s new direc- been fixtures at NWFA tort of certification technicaltet schools and training Brett overoov the years: Miller discusses GalenG Fitzel, sanding keys to preventing servicessse specialist at finishf flaws. (For an St.S Paul, Minn.-based article based on his 3M3 Construction and presentation, turn to HomeH Improvement page 44.) MarketsM Division, and TomT Peotter, now an Oshkosh,O Wis.-based industryin consultant. All photos by David Stluka
16 Hardwood Floors Q June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-confwrap.indd 16 5/23/13 10:23 AM WoodWWoodd FFloorlloor ooff ththehe YYeYearar nnewcomerewcomer DDeDenvernver DDust-ustt- less (Denver, Colo.) took home top honors in the 2013 Wood Floor of the Year contest, winning both the Best Residential category and the sought- after Members’ Choice award. Here company operations manager Mark Sutton is pictured with HGTV celebrities “Cousins on Call,” who emceed the awards. For complete coverage of the Wood Floor of the Year awards, go to page 51.
DuringDDuriing tthehhe CClosingllosiing PParty,artty BBrBradadd JJacksonackkson wwithiith ThThee Mullin Group dba Total Floors won the Expo’s grand prize, a $5,000 NWFA Extreme Room Makeover.
ActionA on the show floor included thet Nailed It! Nailing Contest. Nick Lux of D-Lux Hardwood Floors was thet winner, receiving a trophy, a Primatech nailer valued at $600 and a $165 Powernail palm nailer.
During the Expo the 2013-2014 NWFA board of directorsd were announced. Leadership now includes (top row, left to right): CEO Michael Martin, Mark Elwell, Chris Zizza, Jim Schumach- er, John Wooten, Wayne Cotton, Kevin Murphy, Barry Gork, Craig Dupra; (second row, left to right): Enos Farnsworth, Julie Russell, Treasurer TommyT Maxwell, Chairman John Lessick, Imme- diated Past Chairman Rick Holden, Vice Chairman JeffJ Fairbanks, Erika Wexler, Jamie Lupresto and Avi Hadad. (not pictured: Rosana Chaidez, JonJ Smith, Joe Rocco, Secretary Kim Holm)
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JJ13-confwrap.indd 17 5/23/13 10:25 AM HF02_WoodWs210.indd 1 1/19/10 12:57 PM WOOD ■works insights and information on the hardwood flooring industry
Life Nouveau Floor of the Year legend opens new showroom in Berlin
uch has happened since Floor of the Year notable Gene Klotz, co-owner of MRenaissance Floor In-Lays, formerly in San Francisco, Calif., won his tenth Floor of the Year Award in 2001. In 2008, California was hit hard by the recession, so Klotz and his wife and business partner Urzula moved back to their native Poland, where they continued to manufacture Pieces of Gene Klotz’s Art Nou- veau floor in his new showroom Renaissance’s trademark scrollwork inlays for clients in Berlin. in the U.S. and Poland. The local clients helped the company expand its catalog of patterns two-fold, and for the last two-and-a-half years, the company has been working on a mansion with 13 rooms of Klotz’s inlays. However, as the economic situation in Europe became less stable, the pair decided to move again, this time to a prime location in Berlin. “When I saw the showroom, [the] first thing that came to my mind is to create a floor in Art Nouveau style as the eye-catcher,” Gene Klotz said. The floor, which he installed in March, features a variety of patterns and images including butterflies, portraits and a take on Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.” The showroom opened for business on May 21.
For more photos of the showroom floor, visit www. hardwoodfloorsmag.com/KlotzJJ13. Photos courtesy of Gene and Urzula Klotz
Redefining Old Growth Tile manufacturer features line of petrifi ed wood tiles
eclaimed and salvaged wood floors are increasingly popular as homeown- Rers look to reduce, reuse and recycle. One tile manufacturer has taken salvaged wood to the next level: using trees that fell millions of years ago. Ann Sacks, a division of Kohler Interiors, sells a variety of tiles made from petrified wood, sourced from fossilized forests in the United States, Brazil, China, India,
Egypt and South Africa. The tiles, with distinct grain patterns, are no longer Photos courtesy of Ann Sacks wood at all—minerals replaced the organic material, leaving quartz, colored by iron, carbon and manganese, in the pattern of the grain-that-was. The unique nature of these tiles is important to remember when you see the price tag: $222.30 per square foot. For more, see www.annsacks.com.
For photos of the full petrified line, visit www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/TileJJ13.
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JJ13-Wdwks.indd 19 5/24/13 9:29 AM WOOD ■ works
Out of the Ashes Floor maker helps orchard clean up after natural disasters
ixon’s Apple Orchard had a rough year in 2011, starting with a late Dfrost that threatened production at the harvest-time hotspot. That summer, the Las Conchas Fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres in eight days, roared across the property, damaging both the apple trees and the property’s pine forest. When the blaze reached the orchard, the forest service and local firefighters called in all area volunteers, includ- Above: The remains of Dixon’s Apple Orchard in New Mexico after a wildfire and ing David Old, who is a friend of the orchard’s owners and owner of Old flood destroyed the trees and the owners’ Wood LLC. Once the blaze had passed, Old and his crew set to harvesting adobe home. Below: The end-grain pine the burned and hazardous pine trees to use for flooring at the request floor made of damaged trees from the Dixon of the state land office. The smell of the tree sap caramelized by the fire property installed in the Santa Fe Commu- attracted the infamous mountain pine beetles, notorious for killing pine nity College. trees in the Rocky Mountain area and leaving a char- acteristic blue stain in the wood. Then in August, it started to rain. Hard. Without any groundcover to hold it back, rivers of mud tore down the mountain, throw- ing massive boulders, rerouting rivers, and destroy- ing the one thing the fire hadn’t: the orchard owners’ home. Old Wood worked through six of these flash floods, watching as more and more logs wound up in the lake at the bottom of the mountain. But some- thing good did come from the natural disasters: The pine logs were brought back to the Old Wood facility and cut into beautiful beetle-kill-blue, end grain tiles, which were laid in the Santa Fe Community College student center. For more on the Dixon Apple Orchard story, visit www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/DixonJJ13.
VINTAGE■ moments Proper Posture
n this photo from the early 1920s, courtesy of Ithe Cornell University Library, Miss Ruth Kellogg demonstrates correct posture for sweeping wood floors. Originally taken for the women’s homemak- ing magazine The Delineator, this was part of a series of photos featuring Kellogg demonstrating the most ergonomic ways to perform various household tasks, from picking things up off the floor and washing dishes to pulling pans out of the oven and writing letters. Most of the photos were paired Goofus-and- Gallant style, discouraging women from slouching or hunching over their work. Photo caourtesy of Cornell University Library
20 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Wdwks.indd 20 5/23/13 3:36 PM HF06_Stauf613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:43 AM WOOD ■ works Look, it says right Green ■ speak there that as long as Your guide to green vocabulary you keep my nails SRA: trimmed I won’t hurt Spatial Risk Assessment
the wood floor at all. n our industry, an SRA is Inormally defined as as- signing risk based only on geographic location. Most people would agree that a U.S. hardwood would be considered “low risk” using an SRA. One of the problems with SRAs within our industry is that we don’t have any official ones based on governmental analysis. ENGO’s have created many types of SRAs, many of which are quite well-thought-out, but none of which are officially recognized as absolute.
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. Flickr | nationaalarchief 1951
HARDWOOD FLOORING ■ mini-quiz 1. Shellac is usually sold as flakes instead of 4. True or False? Wood cells growing later in the liquid form because… year have smaller diameters and thicker walls. a. the liquid form has a limited shelf life 5. Which of the following white oak boards b. it’s illegal to export liquid shellac from the lac bug’s native India and Thailand would be considered quartersawn? c. when mixed as a liquid the VOC content is too high d. it’s easier to mix the color you want when you mix it yourself e. all of the above 2. True or False? Leaving adequate expansion space around the perimeter of a wood floor will prevent cupping. 3. Which of the following can affect wood floor moisture content levels? a. grading around exterior walls b. interior relative humidity c. downspouts being installed A B C D E d. a damp basement
e. all of the above Answers: 1. a 2. False 3. e 4. True 5. b 5. True 4. e 3. False 2. a 1. Answers:
22 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Wdwks.indd 22 5/23/13 2:44 PM HF06_Elegan613.indd 1 5/22/13 2:20 PM Your Business Live and Learn Sudsy Suspicions NFL fame and beer combine to teach a lesson on this job
By Sam F. Biondo Jr.
’ve been in the flooring business since I was 14, and, a famous NFL coach. When I tell you what happened, you like many contractors, I’ve seen a lot of strange things might not believe me, but I swear to you, it’s true. Ihappen on a job. For me, the strangest job—and one I won’t say the coach’s name, but I can tell you that of the biggest lessons I ever learned—came when I was a where we’re from, there’s God, Jesus and this coach—in project manager for a big flooring company and we were that order. He’s a hero of mine, and knowing we were doing a job back in the mid-’80s at a restaurant owned by working for him I was excited and nervous all at the same time, especially when I saw the specs for the BUSINESS BRIEFS job. There were about Something strange six different levels, and there were lots of steps, happened as Bad Bartering and none of them were f you give me a new floor, I’ll straight—they were pie- we were doing “Iredo your website and give shaped and all sorts of the job: I kept you free hosting for a year.” Trading things. I knew it was go- products or services for something ing to be very difficult to smelling beer. in return is common, but that freebie lay out and keep the job often has a steep cost: under control. We were Swapping quickly escalates: A little trade with a neighbor on a tight time frame, and we had to glue down Hartco’s starts out innocent, but it’s a slippery slope that can even Pattern Plus floor—a commercial-grade acrylic impreg- lead to issues of embezzlement. nated floor. This was right at the beginning of glue-down Trading decreases employee morale: The employees see installations being done at all in Florida, so it was pretty the owner reap all the personal benefits of the trade, while new for us. the business as a whole gets nothing. We knew moisture was a concern on the job before we Employees often do what you do: When employees see even started because there were ceramic tiles in the hall- the owner or other family members doing trades, they often way that were popping up. Also, the restaurant had a gi- take up the practice themselves with your business. normous pool—probably 6,000 or 7,000 square feet—that You devalue your offerings: When you trade, the value of was only about 2 feet deep but was right against the side the item or service (for both parties) diminishes, because of the restaurant, and it was probably leaking and draining no money is being exchanged. underneath the slab of the restaurant. The whole scenario You can’t get equal service: Because you’re getting the did not make for a comfortable job. product or service for “free,” it’s difficult to complain when This was long before we had any sort of moisture miti- something isn’t quite right. gation products like we think of them now. At the time, the recommendation from the manufacturer for jobs where Lois Lang is a speaker and consultant with Evolve Partner moisture was a concern was to take third-grade vinyl sheet Group LLC who works on management succession, execu- goods and turn them upside down. It’s kind of funny to tive coaching and more. For more, visit www.evolvepartner- group.com or contact Lois at lois.lang@evolvepartnergroup. look back on, but at the time it seemed like a really logical com or (209) 952-1143. idea. So, that’s what we did on this job, and I had been
Nruboc | Dreamstime.com trained on installing vinyl, so when we glued it down, the
24 Hardwood Floors Q June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-LLearn.indd 24 5/23/13 2:55 PM Ultrabond ® 915 Premium Epoxy Repair Adhesive for Flooring
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seams were perfectly tight. ished up on Saturday morning in time for the restaurant to Something strange happened as we were doing the job: open the following Monday. By Saturday night I got a hys- I kept smelling beer. I started getting after my guys, accus- terical phone call from the GC. We met on the job site the ing them of drinking beer on the job, but they all denied next morning with everybody, including my hero-coach, it. Our lockup was right there and I kept looking behind and he was so mad at me. I was heartbroken. He was star- the lockup, under boxes and in buckets … all kinds of ing me down and I could hear his dirty words without him different places thinking even saying any of them. my guys had gotten into In front of us, there was a huge hump in the floor. It By Saturday the beer cage or acquired was about 2 feet tall, 8 feet long and 4 or 5 feet wide. It some beer and spilled it. ran lengthwise across the floor. It wasn’t buckled; it was night I got a I kept trying to find their just this mound in the middle of the floor. It was huge, beer so I could confront and everybody was staring at me like, “How could you hysterical phone them with it. This was my miss this?” It was one of the only times in my life I have hero-coach’s first restau- been rendered silent. I kept looking at it and looking at it. call from the GC. rant, and he would come Finally I stuck my knife between the tongue and groove of visit the job sometimes. I two boards, which was easy to do since the boards were did not want to have an pushed up off the floor. As soon as I cut the vinyl it was incident in front of one of my heroes, so I kept warning like there was a gas released, and (again) you could smell them, “If you embarrass me in front of [insert hero-coach’s beer. name here], you are over with!” Well, now I’m thinking my guys spilled beer on the Well, I kept asking them, but I never found the beer floor and it ate up the glue and they are in so much and never could figure it out. The schedule was tight, and trouble. As this is happening, people are starting to have we worked day and night to get it done on time. We fin- little side conversations about whether they’re going to
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JJ13-LLearn.indd 26 5/21/13 2:00 PM Your Business | Live and Learn
throw us off the job or not, and out of the corner of my down. This went on for about three months until all the eye I see the beer guy come in delivering kegs. He goes beer was out of the slab so we could take up the whole into a back room, leaves and comes back a second time. area and fix the floor the right way. I stopped him and asked him, “Where are you going with Of course I had to apologize to my guys. In particular those kegs? The bar is over there.” He said, “The lines run there was one who was the most mature out of the bunch, under the concrete slab,” and he makes this motion with and during the job I had been putting the whole thing on his hand pointing right over my hump. There was a little him really bad, as in: “You should be ashamed of yourself, bell that went “ding” in my head. I asked, “Is there any dude; you’re a father of children and standing here lying chance one of the lines is leaking?” He said they could to my face and I can smell this beer and don’t tell me you do a pressure test, and when he did that my giant wood aren’t drinking beer on this job.” He wouldn’t talk to me floor hump moved—it breathed. The restaurant had been for about two weeks after the job, and I ended up drop- closed for months for renovations, and the vinyl I had ping off a case of beer on his doorstep. His wife answered installed with perfect seams had trapped the vapors and and I told her, “I know he doesn’t want to talk to me, but beer in the slab. I’m really sorry I was a jerk.” This didn’t make my hero-coach any happier with me. So, on that job I learned you need to trust the people He told me, “Have it ready by tomorrow.” As a temporary you trust. I wouldn’t have had them working with me if I fix I pulled the boards apart and cut the backs of the sheet didn’t trust them from the beginning. Looking back at it, goods so the vapor could escape. I stayed there till 2 a.m. I just got a little caught up in who I was working for, and to get it to a point where it was acceptable for the grand it clouded my thinking (maybe all the beer vapors didn’t re-opening. help). Q After that, the floor would make it about a week before it would start to buckle, and I would have to come in, Sam F. Biondo Jr. is now national technical presenter for lift one board up to shave it down a little and put it back Deerfi eld Beach, Fla.-based MAPEI Corp.
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www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 Q Hardwood Floors 27
JJ13-LLearn.indd 27 5/21/13 2:00 PM Your Business | Legal Brief
Immigration Irritation State and federal reforms could make E-Verify the norm
By D. Jeffrey Craven
y now, most of us have heard by minority groups as discriminatory, enforcement agencies with respect to of the infamous “SB1070,” and by employers for the additional immigration policy. For the most part, B a law enacted in Arizona in burden imposed upon them. Employ- though, it merely enhanced and sup- 2007 that addressed compliance with ers face potential penalties for non- ported federal policies dating back immigration laws, particularly for compliance, effectively making them to 1996 that were designed to reduce employers. This law was bemoaned an extension of the government’s the number of illegal aliens getting jobs in the U.S., particularly the pro- gram known as “E-Verify.” SOCIAL STUDIES Nothing New E-Verify is a program by which em- ployers and workers submit worker Starting from Scratch information contained on the federal witter has more than 200 million users, and in business, it’s a great way to I-9 form, along with the documenta- T share updates about your company, do a little self-promoting, listen to feed- tion reviewed by the employer as part back and keep an eye on your competition. It’s fairly simple, and once you’ve built of the I-9 compliance, to a website. up followers, it can be valuable. Here are some quick tips to get started. The information is electronically 1. Complete your profile: Don’t overlook the importance of your profile. Plug compared against various federal in your company’s logo and also fill in your bio section explaining your business; databases to verify its accuracy. The this helps people understand who you are and why they should follow you. employer is either notified that the 2. Follow relevant accounts: Follow leaders in your industry, businesses worker is authorized to work in the you work with, and other companies in your community (a great place to start U.S., or, if there are discrepancies, would be @HFmag and @NWFA_WoodFloors). Hopefully these people will follow the employer is notified that it needs you back. Avoid mixing personal interests with your business’ Twitter account. to have the worker submit additional Sure, you might like Beyoncé, but don’t follow her from your business account. information to confirm eligibility for 3. Tweet regularly: Tweeting once or twice a week isn’t going to get you employment. anywhere. Make a goal to tweet once a day. Don’t know what to tweet? Try pic- Flooring contractors who have tures of your work, website updates or special promotions. Ask yourself: Will my done work for the federal govern- followers benefit from this tweet? Avoid being overly promotional, however. Twitter ment are likely familiar with this is best as a discussion platform, not a megaphone. program, as federal contractors have 4. Engage: “Engage” is an annoying, overused social media word, but it really been required to comply with E- is important. Interact. Someone asks you a question? Answer it. Someone says Verify since late 2009. However, most your company is the greatest? Retweet it. Someone has a complaint? Respond U.S. employers were not required to professionally. Interaction helps your followers connect with your company. participate. SB1070 changed that for Arizona, requiring all employers to participate in E-Verify for new hires Michael Gaio is social media manager at Hardwood Floors’ parent company, AB Media Inc. after January 1, 2008. Since the U.S. Do you have a question about social media? Send it to [email protected]. Supreme Court largely determined
28 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Legal.indd 28 5/24/13 9:53 AM
Your Business | Legal Brief
that the Arizona law was consti- What About Worker Fraud? tutional, other states have begun The same 2009 audit reported that E- adopting similar laws. Verify had only a 46 percent success rate in finding unauthorized workers, Getting with the Program and that one of the E-Verify’s weak- For most employers, the E-Verify pro- nesses was its ability to find instances gram will mostly be a nuisance and of false or forged documentation. some additional overhead cost to first Meanwhile, the I-9 rules mandate that register through the E-Verify program an employer cannot require specific and then conduct an E-Verify review documentation or demand alternative on each new hire or rehire. Beyond documentation if the documentation that, both U.S. and states’ immigra- presented on its face appears to be tion laws provide for severe penal- legitimate. In other words, so long as ties for employers who knowingly or the new employee presents facially intentionally hire illegal workers (e.g. valid documentation, the employer is up to $10,000 per violation), and the required to accept it. While partici- requirement for E-Verify compliance pation in E-Verify may offer a buffer has led to a corresponding increase for an employer from claims of in compliance audits. “knowingly” or “intentionally” hiring There are additional costs that em- an unauthorized worker, compliance ployers may incur for which, at pres- with I-9 and E-Verify may not fully ent, there is too little data to quantify. shield the employer who knows For example, locating and hiring new that the documents presented, while employees places a significant burden facially accurate, are false, forged or on employers, in addition to the costs stolen. of advertising for employment, inter- Employers may be exposed to viewing prospective employees and other avenues of fraud as well. For record-keeping for new hires. Even instance, while employers have in “right to work” states like Arizona, always been exposed to workers where employees can’t be required who “game” the system through false to join unions, a new hire can be workers’ compensation claims, the difficult to terminate. The E-Verify E-Verify program creates a unique program adds to the tightrope that an opportunity for abuse, since an em- employer must carefully walk to ver- ployer may not immediately terminate ify a worker’s authorization to work an employee who receives a “tenta- in the U.S. while ensuring that its pro- tive non-confirmation” notice through cesses do not expose it to claims of the E-Verify process. That employee discrimination. An employee whose has a certain amount of time through documentation results in a mismatch which to file documentation to sup- in the E-Verify system cannot im- port their right to work. While such mediately be fired by an employer, an employee may ultimately be yet the employee’s continued pres- determined not authorized to work in ence creates additional burden and the U.S., if the employee suffers (or risk. What employer wants to train falsely claims to suffer) an on-the-job an employee that may ultimately be injury, for instance, the employee legally unemployable and therefore may still be entitled to participate in subject to termination? Thankfully the workers’ compensation. Conversely, incidence of false negatives (where if the employer fires such an em- E-Verified workers were found to be ployee following the initial screening, unauthorized) is very low. According the employer risks being sued for to a 2009 audit, false negatives in the not complying with the law and for E-Verify initial screening occur less discriminating against the employee. than 1 percent of the time. While the process is being appealed,
30 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Legal.indd 30 5/22/13 10:11 AM Your Business | Legal Brief
the employee may still be entitled to has had a significant impact on floor- his or her salary. ing contractors, because historically, Additionally, an employer cannot the skilled labor force that performed avoid potential exposure by hiring installs were typically migrant work- workers as independent contractors. ers from Mexico who would work for While employers may avoid the bur- whichever flooring contractor needed den of E-Verify compliance by using the labor. Hiring labor only as needed independent contractors, they remain kept overhead low for the employing exposed to potential sanctions if they contractors, while the lack of verifi- knew that the independent contrac- cation processes permitted undocu- tors were not authorized to work in mented workers the opportunity and the U.S. flexibility to earn income in the U.S. without the complexity, time and cost The Road Ahead associated with obtaining a U.S. work According to the U.S. Customs and visa. This situation calls to attention Immigration website, as of 2012 there the continued need for immigration were only 404,295 employers enrolled policy reform, which likely will come in E-Verify. A flooring through the com- contractor choosing bined lobbying efforts to participate may An employer of minority groups, initially be at a com- non-governmental petitive disadvantage organizations, farming compared with those cannot avoid organizations and trade flooring contractors associations. who do not participate. potential However, in the in- However, participation terim, flooring contrac- does give a contractor exposure tors need to be mindful a “rebuttable presump- of the requirements of tion” of compliance by hiring the state(s) in which with U.S. law, and the contractor oper- likely with state law for workers as ates. Even if the state those states mandating in which the contractor participation. As more independent operates does not re- contractors comply quire compliance with with the law, the play- contractors. E-Verify, it appears that ing field should level, this is a trend that will and increasing compli- gradually be adopted ance audits and the risks associated throughout the U.S., so the savvy with non-compliance should drive contractor should plan ahead to avoid more contractors to participate. While lost productivity and minimize both the compliant contractors may not be potential increased cost and the poten- able to compete with non-compliant tial exposure for non-compliance. ■ contractors that purposefully hire undocumented and unauthorized D. Jeffery Craven, Esq., is a principal workers, over time those non-com- at Pheonix-based Thomas Cra- pliant contractors should become ven PLLC (www.tc-lf.com). He can easier to identify and report for such be reached at (280) 222-2225 or non-compliance, thereby being forced [email protected]. This article is for to shut down. general information only and not to Meanwhile, businesses that rely be construed as legal advice or the heavily upon temporary labor, and basis for formation of an attorney- particularly migrant workers, will client relationship between the reader likely be hardest hit. In Arizona this and the author.
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JJ13-Legal.indd 31 5/23/13 2:57 PM Your Business | Money
X-Mod Management Employers grapple with higher workers’ compensation costs
By Phillip M. Perry
mployers have long been concerned about the cost of workers’ compensation insurance. This year, though, the premium environment seems particularly harsh as the insurance industry Echanges the way it calculates the “experience rating modification,” or x-mod, that powerful pricing engine gear assigned to each employer. The change is expected to result in higher rates at a time when premiums are already rising quickly in response to escalating medical costs. As if all that weren’t enough, a growing number of carriers are leaving the market, diminishing the sup- ply of competing policies and putting even more upward pressure on the price of this mandated benefit. It all boils down to a challenge for employers: Workers’ compensation costs will go up.
The New Math For business owners, the most immediate concern is the change in the x-mod. The portion of each claim that will flow into the experience rating formula at its full primary value will increase from $5,000 to $10,000. (See sidebar, “Calculating the New X-Mod.”) The reason for the change, says Peter Burton, senior division executive for state relations at the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Boca Raton, Fla., is the growing mismatch between the cost of claims and the premiums employers pay. “The split point portion of the experience rating formula has not been updated for 20 years, a period during which the average cost of a claim has tripled,” says Burton. “So our actuaries looked at the program and saw it was out of balance.” Be that as it may, employers are sitting up and paying attention to the new math. “The x-mod changes are a big deal for employers,” says Karl Ahlrichs, benefits consultant for Indianapolis-based insurance broker Gregory & Appel. Those employers with historically safe workplaces are going to be better off under the new system. Those with more frequent, higher-level claims will see their x- mods increase.
Carriers Leaving the Market Another factor contributing to premium angst: a dwindling supply of carriers sservinge the market. “We are seeing a growing number of cases where multi-line (auto,(au property, umbrella, general liability) carriers are refusing to renew workers’ compcom insurance for an employer whose experience is unfavorable,” says Mike Sala- zar,zar, vicevi president and manager of client services at Gregory & Appel. The reason for carriers’carriers growing reluctance is clear: “In a low interest rate environment, carriers cannot make upup workers’ comp losses with profits from property and other insurance products.” “Employers“Emp turned down by the multi-line outfits must apply to the single-line work- ers’ers’ compco insurance carriers,” Salazar says. While the premiums at such carriers may not beb much higher, there is another problem: Insurance carriers are becoming more judiciousjudi in what they underwrite, due to the rising costs of the workers’ compensa- tiontio system. “Single-line carriers are becoming more prone to accept only employ- erse with strong claims management and risk control engineering,” Salazar says. Employers with poor histories may have to go to the state pools for coverage.
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JJ13-Money.indd 32 5/22/13 10:09 AM HF06_PaloDu613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:51 AM Your Business | Money
“These are pools you do not want to go swimming in,” Wellness programs can also play a role. “My sense is Salazar says. “They are expensive. They charge standard that there will emerge a body of data that links effective premiums, adjusted for the employers’ experience, plus a wellness programs with effective safety programs,” Ahlrichs 20 to 25 percent surcharge. And you do not get the same says. “The combination should produce a great result on service. For example, there is no engineer to come in and workers’ comp costs. Right now it’s difficult to find support- help you manage your safety program.” ing data, but it makes sense that a company with a focus on safety and well-being will gain a competitive advantage.” Hire Smart Employers can take a variety of steps to keep workers’ Back to Work comp costs under control. Right out of the gate, vetting po- Another good technique is to have early return-to-work tential hires can obviate problems down the road. “Change programs for employees who have been medically re- your hiring practices to reflect your drive to get people who stricted by physicians. The trick here is to identify alterna- value safety,“ Ahlrichs says. “It’s legitimate, for example, to tive positions for the injured worker. ask safety-related questions that are work-related.” “Suppose the worker has a medical restriction such as Also look at pre-hire assessments that can predict safety ‘Can’t lift more that 15 pounds,’” poses Salazar. “See if you behaviors. It is valid to ask applicants to perform the activi- have tasks that require lifting less than 15 pounds that you ties required of a position, for example. “This is called a ‘fit can assign the employee to while recovering.” for duty’ assessment,” Salazar says. “Can the applicant do There is an advantage to employees who cooperate, the job safely based on its requirements?” since most employers will compensate them at their nor- Finally, conduct pre-employment drug screens. “That’s mal salary but only provide partial compensation to work- a good way to avoid hiring people who will file workers’ ers who stay home. And there’s another reason: Adjustors comp claims,” Salazar says. “People who take drugs are will suspend the workers’ comp claims of employees more likely to have accidents, hurting themselves or oth- ers.” Drug abusers, too, can suffer from poor health, and when they do have accidents, usually end up with more Calculating the New X-Mod expensive claims. orkers’ compensation premiums are rising at a rate However, don’t fall into the trap of discrimination. It is Wof between 2 and 5 percent in many states this year. improper, and illegal, to reject older applicants under the One reason is a change in the calculation for the “experience belief that they will have more accidents. “Older workers modification factor,” or x-mod, which is assigned to each tend to work more safely than younger workers because employer. A higher x-mod translates into higher workers’ they know the job better,” says Burton. compensation premiums. It’s true that older workers, when they do get injured, The details of the change in the x-mod calculation can be often have costlier injuries because they do not heal as found at the web site of the National Council on Compensa- quickly, Burton notes. However, this is offset by the fact tion Insurance, www.ncci.com. Click on “Experience Rating that older workers tend to be higher paid, and this corre- Split Point” at the lower right corner of the screen. lates to higher premiums collected in the workers’ com- When calculating an employer’s x-mod, the states will pensation system. “In the aggregate, older workers do not look at three years of losses and payrolls. However, the most adversely affect the costs of workers’ comp,” Burton says. recent year is excluded. “The reason for that is that when a claim is made no one can predict the cost of the claim and Install Safety Programs set money aside to pay it,” says Mike Salazar, vice presi- Given that the x-mod rating is based on an employer’s ac- dent and manager of client services at Gregory & Appel in cident record, it is wise to put an emphasis on workplace Indianapolis, Ind. “The reality is we have to see how the claim safety. Undertake a program of constant safety vigilance. settles out.” “Hold a monthly meeting during which you review every Expect more costly x-mod adjustments ahead. “It is single accident and near-miss accident,” suggests Salazar. significant that the split point will continue to rise,” says Sala- “Develop a corrective strategy so the accident does not zar, describing the monetary limit on what can be labeled happen again to that employee or another worker.” primary loss. “It will move to $15,000 and adjust for inflation in future years.” Many employers have redesigned their work stations Rising costs in workers’ comp seems to have the greatest and introduced stretching and exercise programs to assure effect on those employers without the resources to institute good employee health. “Strains and sprains and slips and safety programs or that have especially high labor costs. “My falls are the most common claims in the workers’ comp experience has been that small businesses have a tough industry,” says Salazar. “They can be engineered out of the time absorbing these cost increases,” says Salazar. —P.M.P. workplace.”
34 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Money.indd 34 5/22/13 10:10 AM Your Business | Money
who refuse temporary positions. “Workers’ comp is there Get Help for people who cannot work for medical reasons, not for Employers can seek help from consultants who special- those who refuse to work,” says Salazar. ize in workplace safety. “Some of these people go through Can’t find a temporary position for an injured worker? special training,” says Free, who suggests employers look Then keep open lines of communication with the home- for designations such as “Associate in Loss Control Man- bound person. “Once people are hurt really badly, they agement” or “Certified Safety Professional.” Such people lose their desire to be part of a team,” says Daniel C. can teach employees good workplace practices, including Free, president and general counsel of Insurance Audit lifting properly and avoiding shoulder injuries. & Inspection, Indianapolis, Ind. “They feel forgotten and Consultants can make a big difference, but lay out alone. Their spouses may be off at work while they are parameters before the safety guru arrives. “One of the bad home with a broken leg. So we always tell our clients to raps consultants get is that they make recommendations visit them. Bring some fruit, talk for a half hour, show the that are too expensive,” says Free. So emphasize you want person you care about him and want him back as soon as suggestions on improvement that are cost-neutral. “In such possible. That really helps. The little things that employers cases these improvements pay for themselves as losses go do make all the difference.” down.” All of these steps together can communicate an attitude A safe workplace can reduce your accident load and of caring. “Adopt policies that send the right message to your thus cap or even reduce your workers’ comp premiums workforce,” says Ahlrichs. “Your message should be this: ‘We as your x-mod improves. That’s all to the good. The cost have a culture of safety. We attempt to control the variables of insurance is an integral component in competition, so people do not get hurt. If you do get hurt we will get you whether you produce a product or service. ■ back to work quickly.’ When that message gets out, people who are prone to accidents will apply at another business Phillip M. Perry is a frequent contributor to Hardwood that does not make safety a front-burner issue.” Floors.
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www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 Q Hardwood Floors 35
JJ13-Money.indd 35 5/22/13 10:10 AM Your Business | Management
Nip It in the Bud A thorough estimate can keep job-site problems from sprouting
By Ronni Rebsdorf
hether they are beginners or seasoned veterans, wood flooring contractors face problems with customers. When problems arise, having an idea of how to handle them can help W minimize consequences. The best time to prevent problems entirely, though, is during the initial meeting or estimate. Here are some of the more frequent problems wood floor contractors can avoid with a great initial meeting.
Allow Enough Time Contractors often don’t allow enough time for the estimate. Sure, you’ve been doing this for years, you’ve seen it all, and you could walk in with a tape measure and give the client an off-the-cuff esti- mate. However, in my experience, this can lead to a number of problems, including lowballing the job or giving the customer a bad feeling. Instead, give the customer an hour for the estimate. Provide a written estimate and go over it thor- oughly with the client. Explain any subfloor or moisture issues that may exist. Explain how long the job will take and how the process will work. Make sure the customer is on the same page about which way the flooring will be laid out. Also, go over timeline requirements and discuss the schedule for pay- ments. This not only protects against misunderstandings and costly mistakes but gives the customer a good sense of the type of contractor she’s dealing with and the quality of the work she can expect.
Discuss Living Conditions If the right questions are not asked, it might not be possible to advise customers on the best wood flooring for their living conditions. For example, if the kids are riding tricycles in the house or the fam- ily owns a large indoor dog, the floors will endure considerably more wear. Telling the customer that these conditions might mean they have to recoat the floor more frequently gives them the information they need to make informed decisions. This is valuable to the customer and can mean the difference between her being satisfied with the final product or not.
Don’t Overpromise Sometimes we make promises in order to get the job. However, this can blow up in our faces. When a customer asks if the job can be completed in three days, don’t answer “yes” unless it’s a certainty. While it might be possible, you need to allow time in case things don’t go as planned. Subfloor issues can arise unexpectedly, and things can take longer than anticipated, particularly if it’s a new type of project or you are using an installation technique for the first time. Materials you expect to be readily available can be out of stock, leav- ing you looking unprofessional and foolish.
Cover All Your Costs In order to be competitive, many contractors bid the going rate for Hanhanpeggy | Dreamstime.com
36 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Mgmt.indd 36 5/22/13 1:36 PM HF06_UrbanF613.indd 1 5/21/13 5:41 PM Your Business | Management
the area they work in, but this could leave a company short work to be done and the amount of money to be paid for at the end of the job. Include everything that impacts the the materials, as well as labor and remedies both parties may job’s cost: things like saw blades, trash bags, drive time and seek if there is a dispute. If your company lacks a contract the usual 5 percent cutting allowance. Include the labor form, download one online or spend a few dollars to have a costs and costs related to their work. If these are left out of lawyer draft one. It protects your company and customer. estimates, you could be losing money on many jobs. Gather References Be Professional Have references for customers to review; they demonstrate Some contractors run their businesses more like hobbies proficiency and the satisfaction of others who have used the than businesses. This is a sure way to lose customers. Show company’s services. References can be in the form of written up to appointments clean, on time and with the neces- testimonials, however, “a picture is worth a thousand words” sary tools to take measurements and assess the job. When really holds true here, so I recommend bringing a binder or the date is set to begin a project, show up on time and be tablet with project photographs to estimates. Include some prepared to work. Stick to the schedule promised. Delays photos of job sites where the work is in progress to demon- and problems arise, but if every attempt is made to live up strate the cleanliness of the job site. Put the images on your to commitments and communicate with the customers, a website, too, and add professionally produced videos. When company will win new customers through word-of-mouth. the customer can visualize the work, the job is easily won. Hopefully by keeping all of these tips in mind, problems Have a Good Contract will be less likely to appear. ■ Try as a company might to provide good quality service, disputes arise. Many contractors, especially small businesses, Ronni Rebsdorf is a fl oor sanding expert from Copenha- disregard the importance of a good contract. The contract gen, Denmark. He runs the fl oor sanding website www. is a binding legal document that spells out the terms of the GulvafslibningPriser.com.
38 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Mgmt.indd 38 5/22/13 1:37 PM On the Job Ask the Expert Hard Finish, Fees, More
Finish=Hardness? Recovery Fees Explained adopted in Oregon and California, as My customers chose a factory- The cost of my finish went up, required by their state paint steward- finished cherry floor and said and my distributor told me it ship laws. (Similar laws and programs they read that because it’s was due to the “PaintCare Recov- exist in Canada.) factory-finished, they don’t have ery Fee.” What is it, and which “Product stewardship” is a growing to worry as much about dents. products does it apply to? movement that requires manufactur- Is that true? ers of certain products to develop Paul Fresina, director of operations a system to build into the price of George Palmer, flat line sales and communications for PaintCare, the products the end-of-life cost for manager at Reidsville, N.C.-based answers: managing and disposing of either Premiere Finishing & Coating LLC, The PaintCare Recovery Fee is ap- unused products (e.g., paint) or answers: plied to “architectural coatings.” For spent products (e.g., fluorescent light No. We have had people ask us, most people, this means latex and bulbs). PaintCare Inc., a non-profit “Can you provide a hard finish?” What oil-based house paint, but for flooring organization, is charged with setting they usually want is impact resistance installers it means stains, sealers and up convenient drop-off sites where or to compensate for a soft wood most single-component clear coat- homeowners and businesses can take like pine. In reality, simply having a ings such as urethanes, varnishes, their leftover architectural coatings for “harder” finish does not give greater shellacs and lacquers. These fees are no additional charge. (Drop-off sites dent resistance to soft wood. paid by the product manufacturers are usually at retailers.) By design, the Consider that most high-quality to PaintCare and are passed down to cost for disposing and recycling left- factory finishes are applied some- distributors, retailers and eventually overs is being transferred from local where between two and three mils in consumers. So far the fee has been government-run household hazardous thickness. This is about one-tenth the thickness of a credit card. Site-applied finishes can add a few mils, but they TRICK OF THE TRADE still make a very thin film. Finishes simply do not have the bulk to resist impact or pressure on the wood un- Get a Grip derneath them, so they can’t protect the floor from dents. ere’s a simple tip that will help However, this does not mean that H you get a grip (literally) on your they cannot be durable. Minor dents wood flooring mallet. Spreading pine and scratches can be easily repaired tar—the same thing baseball players with any number of proven site-ap- use on bats—on your mallet handle plied finishes currently on the market. will help you hold onto it, even when When talking about dents and fac- your hands are sweaty. The pine tar tory finishes, two things you should can be bought at any sporting goods consider are adhesion and flexibility. store. Don’t have any handy? Rubbing You want your finish to adhere well the handle with wax candles also does so it won’t easily discolor or separate the trick. from the wood under impact, and you want it to be flexible enough that Thanks to Gus Fermanian at Middle- it doesn’t shatter under impact or turn town, N.Y.-based Gus Fermanian Hard- white when scratched. Those two wood Floors for his tip. Do you have a Trick of the Trade? Send it to editors@ things won’t prevent a dent, but they hardwoodfloorsmag.com. will not highlight it.
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 39
JJ13-Ask.indd 39 5/22/13 12:57 PM On the Job | Ask the Expert
waste programs to the consumers of and education at the National Wood wider than 3 inches, your subfloor these products. Flooring Association, answers: must be within 2 percent of the The PaintCare Program will start There is no quick answer to this flooring MC. This is all based on the in Connecticut in July 2013 and in question; whether acclimation is assumption that the environment the Rhode Island in 2014, and many other even necessary depends on what flooring is being installed in is stable states are interested. More details on type of product you’re installing. No and will remain that way after wood the program can be found by visiting matter what, though, a dry substrate floor installation. Keep in mind that www.paintcare.org or by calling (855) is critical to the lifelong performance dramatic fluctuations in the interior 724-6809. of the wood flooring. environment will affect how the A Timely Matter There are engineered factory- floor performs. finished floors that can be installed For any type of flooring, the sub- I have a customer with water right out of the box, assuming your floor must be completely dried out. damage to his floors. I told him environment is within the manufac- Once the subfloor has been dried, it will take 30 days for acclima- turer’s recommended conditions. wood can be delivered and acclimat- tion and installation of his new If you’re installing solid wood ed to the environment, if necessary. floors (one week to acclimate, floors, acclimation is all relative to If you’ll be sanding the floors, it is then installation, then two to the moisture content (MC) of the recommended that you allow some three weeks before we can subfloor and how close it is to the time for the floor to “settle” after sand, stain and finish). He says MC of the flooring. If the flooring is installation. This isn’t required, but it they were originally done in a 3 inches wide or less, your subfloor does allow any subsequent move- week. What can I tell him? should be within 4 percent of the ment within the floor to take place Brett Miller, director of certification MC of the flooring. If the flooring is prior to the finish going down. ■
40 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Ask.indd 40 5/22/13 12:57 PM On the Job | From the Field
Streaky Sanding Take this advice to eliminate sanding lines from your big machine
By Don Smithson
anding a wood floor is an not set up to cut flat. This leaves lines justing that pressure, should eliminate art. We labor many hours to on the floor on one side of the cut this cause of vertical sanding lines on Sachieve a final project deemed path. It’s a good idea to take some the floor. worthy. When using a belt or drum time to level the machine at the start • Speed of sanding can be a major sander, the sander needs to per- of your job. factor in the performance of your form to your highest expectations. • Too much drum pressure for the machine. Moving too slowly while A common complaint I get from species of wood being sanded can sanding will leave lines on both sides wood flooring contractors about their also cause this problem. The softer of the sanding path. Adjustments to big machines is that the sander is the wood (pine, fir, cedar) that is your sanding speed should be made “side-cutting,” or leaving lines on the being sanded, the less pressure you accordingly. floor. Let’s take a look at some of the need from the drum on the wood. • Sometimes a new drum’s edges reasons why this might happen: It does still happen with hardwoods are not beveled. Beveling the edges is • The most common reason that a (oak, maple, pecan, etc.), but check- a simple cure. Taking a little sandpa- sander will side-cut is the sander is ing the pressure of the drum, and ad- per and rounding off the edges will be a quick fix—most of the time. • On some occasions, the rubber TALES FROM THE FRONT delaminates on the edge of the drum, and centrifugal force causes the rub- ber to “grow” (moving away from the Hard of Hearing? center of the drum), causing vertical Evidence is otherwise on this job lines on the floor. If this is the case, the drum will need to be replaced. evin Mullany of Benchmark Wood Floors in • If nails or staples have been K Albuquerque, N.M., recalls a recent job in sanded over, this dulls and/or which he ended up being “in” on the husband’s removes the mineral on the sandpa- secret for marital harmony. The job was for an per, which can leave a line of “less elderly couple named Marge and Al. “When I sanded” streaks in the cut path. If the went out for the estimate, Marge ran the show. fastener has cut through the abrasive She also informed me that Al was hard of hearing, and we adopted her custom and gouged the drum, the drum will of yelling when speaking to Al. On the second day, Marge had to leave on an er- need to be replaced, because the rand. I asked my co-worker a question in a normal voice, and from 30 feet away, abrasive won’t be supported where Al answered. I know I looked surprised. Al said, ‘Oh, my hearing’s just fine.’ Later there is missing rubber. that day, we heard Marge yelling, ‘Al! Al! Al! ’ from the bedroom. I looked up, and • If the paper tracking is not Al was standing nearby. He put his index finger to his lips, smiled, and went the consistent, then the paper might be opposite direction toward the garage,” Mullany recalls. moving back and forth on the top roller. This also leaves vertical lines. If you have a true (and printable) story to share, email it with your name and phone number to [email protected]. Adjusting paper tracking, center- ing the sandpaper on the drum and Flickr | Kevin Krebs
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 41
JJ13-FTF.indd 41 5/21/13 3:03 PM On the Job | From the Field
WHAT’S WRONG?
checking the quality of the sandpaper are a few of the troubleshooting steps you can take. If this doesn’t work, sometimes the top roller needs to be repaired. • Wheel problems may be the cause of vertical lines. Drum sanders with steel wheels can cause vertical lines when the wheels are worn. Sometimes the steel wheels on the sander become so worn that there is no crown left. This will leave edge marks, especially on those softer spe- cies of wood. Bent truck brackets, where the machine is cutting flat but where one wheel is at a severe angle, will leave lines. Checking to make sure the wheels are in tip- top shape will help. The wheels may need to be replaced. he installer on this job only nailed every other row— • Debris on the top roller and drum (filler, adhesive, “skip-nailing”—and now every other row of the floor has etc.) will cause the sandpaper to bulge, leaving the verti- T buckled. The floor had to completely be replaced. (Photo cal lines on the floor. Keeping your machine “clean” will courtesy of Roy Reichow; read his HF Inspector Blog at solve this. www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/blogs.) • When sanding the floor, if the operator does not follow the same path on the forward and back passes, doing some troubleshooting, and making the necessary doesn’t use the proper overlap on the cut pattern, or push- repairs to your belt and drum sander, those vertical lines es on the feathering handle (too much pressure), there can should be a problem of the past. ■ be lines left on the floor. Sometimes doing these things will leave broken or skipped lines (like this: __ _ __). Don Smithson is at Lake Oroville, Calif.-based J & D So, by performing a few simple maintenance tasks, Smithson Repairs.
42 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-FTF.indd 42 5/21/13 3:04 PM On the Job | Troubleshooting
Doomed to Fail Who’s responsible for this fracturing floating floor?
By Scott Taylor
The Problem fier located on the furnace was set to 30%. I was asked to inspect a floating floor here in the Mid- After documenting measurements and moisture read- west for excessive gaps and fracturing of the faces of the ings, I waited until the supplier could forward the manu- boards. Another inspector had already found that the facturer’s installation and warranty guidelines to me (these installer was at fault for not leaving the correct amount of had not been mentioned in the first inspector’s report). As expansion around the room. inspectors, we always look at the manufacturer’s guide- lines before those of the National Wood Flooring Associa- The Procedure tion since manufacturer guidelines supersede all others. The floor was purchased from a flooring chain by a Because the product was discontinued, it took almost two builder, who hired a flooring contractor to install the weeks to get the information emailed to me. product in a new home Like other products, this product would lose its war- using the floating installa- ranty if guidelines were not followed. When I finally tion method. The product got the product guidelines, they were surprising: The 5 When I finally was ⁄8-inch-thick white minimum RH was 45% and the maximum was 60%. (The oak and was somewhat NWFA suggests 30% to 50% for a wood floor to perform got the product unusual in that it was a best.) This product was installed in the Midwest, which floating floor but had no is known for tremendous swings in RH. The high end of guidelines, they plies; the boards were the RH in summer can be as high as Florida’s, and during made up of solid pieces the winter the RH can get as low as it does in Utah. If this were surprising. glued together at the product required a RH range between 45% and 60% in sides. About 900 square order to perform, it was doomed to fail in this area. Since feet was floated using the the builder had bought the product, he was responsible product’s click system over a fir plywood subfloor in the for the failure. kitchen, living room, dining room and home office. The builder said he had tested the subfloor for moisture, al- How to Fix the Floor though no readings were recorded. Installation took place This floor was removed and replaced since the home- during summer, and problems owners had young children starting to crawl and were did not appear until the heat- concerned about potential splinters. ing season started. In the Future The Cause This floor should never have been installed in this home, When I arrived, I could see and it appears that it has subsequently been discontinued. the floor was starting to let Don’t assume that manufacturers use the same guidelines loose from its click system. The as the NWFA. Many manufacturers have their own re- problems were around the pe- search and development and write installation guidelines rimeter, near the kitchen island, under the fridge and over based on their own research. Always, always check the a heat duct. It was most noticable parallel to a heat duct manufacturer’s guidelines and use the NWFA’s “Installation and a heat register. My moisture readings of the wood Guidelines” as your backup. ■ averaged 7%, which would seem typical, and the RH was 39% that day. It was raining outside, which probaby el- Milwaukee-based Scott Taylor is an NWFACP-certifi ed evated the interior RH on that particular day. The humidi- inspector.
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 Q Hardwood Floors 43
JJ13-Troublesh.indd 43 5/21/13 4:34 PM On the Job | Techniques
Finish Flaws Do you know how to avoid these common finish failures?
By Brett Miller
remember a job from my contracting days where we were restoring some floors in a historic home in Denver. The homeowner was a cabinetmaker, and he was meticulous. We resanded Ithe home’s original fir floors, and when it came time to coat them, I was using a waterborne finish that had just hit the market (in fact, all waterborne finishes were pretty new back then). The kitchen had floor-to-ceiling windows and a lot of can lights, and it seemed to be impossible for me to get a coat of finish on the floor that looked good. I kept trying different techniques, and I just couldn’t get it to be acceptable, at least not up to this client’s standards—what nine out of 10 cus- tomers would consider to be acceptable wasn’t good enough for him. I accepted his challenge of perfection and continued to embrace what seemed to be an unattainable feat. Finally I had to call my local finish rep to come out to the job, and with his help we were able to lay down a beautiful coat of finish and get paid. I learned a lot of lessons about finish from that one job, from customer expectations to how lighting affects finish and also when and where to try out a new finish. But I am not alone: You won’t find a wood flooring contractor out there who doesn’t have plenty of finish horror stories to tell. In this article I’ll try to share some of the most common finish problems I see and talk about things I’ve learned to prevent them. But before that, let’s talk about those customer expectations. Great Expectations You need to be confident in understanding what the realistic expectations are for a site-finish wood floor and translate that confidence to your customer. Have you ever had a customer tell you there’s a problem and you need to come see it at a certain time of day when the sun hits it from a certain angle with your head cocked to one side just right? Per our industry standards, this perceived “problem” that needs to be viewed under specific conditions may not neces- sarily be a problem at all. It’s unrealistic to think a site-finished floor will end up looking like furniture or cabinets. It’s also unrealistic to think the finish on furniture or cabinets will perform the same as wood floor finishes. We don’t walk on furniture and we don’t (usually) eat on our wood floors. These finishes are manufactured to perform for different purposes and are applied using different methods; therefore the final results for wood floor coatings are completely different from cabinets or furniture. When assessing wood floor finish issues, the standard is to evaluate the floor under these conditions: • The floor should be observed from a standing position on the floor being assessed. • The evaluation must be conducted with ambient lighting, meaning the general illumination present in the room. As contractors we need to take into account what the lighting situation is specific to the job we’re on, whether that includes a big window or a row of
44 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Techniques.indd 44 5/23/13 4:18 PM TRAINING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
NWFA offers a week of one-day workshops coming to a neighborhood near you. Attend one or all of them. It’s up to you!
Monday: Moisture Identification/Mitigation Tuesday: Subfloor Preparation
Wednesday: Method of Installation
Thursday: Factory Finish Repair & Recoat
Friday: Method of Sand & Finish Saturday: Field Equipment Repair
Mark your calendar for the location nearest to you: September 23-28 in Los Angeles, CA October 14-19 in Houston, TX
October 28-November 2 in St. Louis, MO
Come to St. Louis for NWFA’s series of Summer Workshops:
June 20 Factory Finish Repair & Recoat June 21 Method of Sand & Finish June 22 Field Equipment Repair
July 26 Reclaimed Wood/Handscraped July 27 Craftsmanship: Advanced to Expert September 10-13 Wood Flooring Basic
Bonus Training: Jigs & Medallions Workshop: December 4-6 in Richmond, VA
Discounts, certification testing, degrees and scholarships available. Get more information and register online at www.nwfa.org or call 800-422-4556.
HF06_NWFAsc613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:43 AM On the Job | Techniques
can lights, and adjust our methods accordingly. product may be 25-30. Sheen levels are proprietary to • Glare from direct light sources must not be used the products. during evaluation. You can’t introduce new lighting Match Sanding Sequences: The scratch pattern on sources or wait until a certain time of the day to be able the flooring surface affects how light reflects off the fin- to evaluate the problem. ished surface. If you have a floor that you final screened Before you start the job, paint a picture for the cus- with a 220-grit and you hand sand the perimeter of the tomers of what to expect during the project and, more floor with 120-grit, the gloss level of the final coat will importantly, when the job is done. This opening con- ultimately be different around the perimeter than in the versation with your customer is extremely important field based on how the ambient lighting is reflecting and will ultimately affect how your entire job will flow. from the surface. They need to know ahead of time that wood floor fin- Keep Consistent Mil Thickness: Say you’ve got ish is designed to be walked on and that it will not look a 1,000-foot floor and two gallons of finish. You’re on or perform like their kitchen table. Once your customer your last stretch and realize you’re running out of fin- understands the complexity of applying finish in an ish and may not have enough to finish the job, so you uncontrolled environment and the potential unexpected start putting more pressure on your applicator and begin pitfalls we can endure at the time of application or dur- squeegeeing out finish to ensure you get a coat on the ing dry times, they will better accept whole floor. You will most likely get minor inconsistencies in the finished a callback due to sheen variation. product. With that said, let’s talk The thickness of the finish affects the about some problems: appearance of the sheen: The thicker The scratch the coat, the higher the gloss level. Use a New Applicator: Many UNEVEN SHEEN pattern on the contractors like to reuse their appli- Uneven sheen can happen on a final cators by washing them out and stor- coat but tends to be more of an issue flooring surface ing them in containers full of water. during repairs on an existing floor. Regardless of how clean you think In the picture on the opener page of affects how light you’re getting it, it’s almost impos- this article, the contractor attempted sible to get all the finish out of an taping off individual areas that need- reflects off the applicator. Applicators are specially ed repair. This is a standard method designed to hold onto finish; any when isolation repairs are necessary, finished surface. remaining finish in the applicator but can often create uneven sheen will be transferred to the subsequent levels. coats and can interfere with your Sometimes the appearance of dif- final coat. Many of us have always ferent sheens can just be an optical cleaned out our applicators after every job and reused illusion. Lighting and variations in subfloors can make them on the next job without problems. The problem light reflect differently off the surface of the floor. Of is the one job that goes south and becomes the job we course, good luck trying to convince your customers that don’t get paid on—that can set us back weeks, if not they’re seeing things! months, in revenue. Keeping a fresh applicator for every job takes one more variable out of the equation for Prevention: potential failure. If you’re adamant about reusing your Mix the Finish Well: Whether it’s a new floor or a applicators to save a few pennies, I recommend using a repair, mixing the finish properly is key. Matting agents designated applicator for build coats and always using a tend to settle at the bottom of the container, so if the new applicator for the topcoat (just be sure to de-shed finish isn’t mixed well, the finish will usually start out it first). Build the miniscule cost of a new applicator into shinier and end up duller. every job. Expect Sheen Differences: If you’re coating a big Give it Time to Cure: Finish sheens can change area, mix all the gallons you need into one larger con- slightly (or “mellow”) as a product cures out. If you’re tainer; this is called “batching your finish.” The sheen trying to match an existing finish, make sure you let your can vary slightly from one gallon to another or from finish totally cure before you determine if it’s a match batch to batch, so mixing the finish together avoids or not. I’ll never forget the lady who called three hours problems with these minute sheen inconsistencies on after I finished her job complaining that there were shiny your floor. Also, never assume that just because two spots on her floor. When I went to her house two days different finishes are labeled the same, like “matte” or later, everything was perfect. “satin,” they will have the same sheen. Sheen levels are Feather Finish In: When doing repairs, take your inherent to specific finishes and can vary from one man- time to assess the repair area and determine whether ufacturer’s product to another. For example, one satin you will be able to feather in your repair or need to cut product may have a gloss level that’s 15-20 and another it off at good breaking points (doorways, cabinets, etc.).
46 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Techniques.indd 46 5/23/13 4:19 PM On the Job | Techniques
I like to use the analogy of an airplane taking off and cally this problem happens with faster-drying finishes landing when discussing feathering finish. Many times like waterborne, but it can happen with any finish in a you can blend areas by simply feathering the finish into fast-drying condition. Once the finish has begun to skin the field. This method of repair is acceptable when a) over and you run your applicator through it, you are you know the finish you’re matching and b) your cus- only pulling the finish skin back into the new coating, tomer understands the importance of evaluating the which creates this “curdled” appearance. Actual bubbles repairs after the repair area has fully cured out. in the finish can be caused by many factors. Here are a Thin Down the Finish: Depending on your finish, few tips to avoid overworked finish: you may be able to thin it down and apply multiple thinned coats. This gives you more control over the Prevention: build and final appearance. Some waterborne finishes Lay it Down and Leave it Alone: When I teach some- can be thinned down by adding water, and some oil- one to coat a floor I tell them to focus on a manageable modified poly can be thinned by adding mineral spirits. work area—about 3 by 3 feet—where you can comfort- You have to check with the manufacturer to determine ably keep focus on small areas without overextending if that will work for the product you are using. This yourself. Focus on that one small area and ignore the method is extremely helpful when I have an isolation rest of the floor. If you see a small puddle or a spot you repair and need to build up the finish at the repair area missed 6 feet out, don’t touch it. Once the finish is dry for a perfect match. I like to apply multiple thinned you can do minor repairs, and that’s easier than repair- coats to the area of contention, then carefully blend out ing a big area of overworked finish. Depending on the subsequent coats beyond the area for the final blend- finish and the humidity on the job site, you may have ing. When I do this, I use a hair dryer or a heat gun to a very short window of opportunity to touch that finish speed-dry each coat and determine how my sheen levels again once it’s down. This is also a common issue when and build compare. you haven’t mapped out your coating strategy prior to Recoat Everything: When in doubt on repairs, I application. would simply recoat the entire area or room or find Don’t Wring Out Applicators: The most common good breaking points. One good approach is to look cause of bubbles I see in the field is when guys continu- for areas in the room where the light sources affect the ously “wring out” their applicators during the application appearance of the floor. Perhaps there’s a row of win- process. This is not uncommon and actually a natural dows or different lighting sources that already create a instinct to keep the applicator free from drips. Keep in difference in the perception of the finish; those are great mind that when we force the finish from the foam appli- areas where you can determine whether to feather repairs cators, we introduce air into the applicator in its place. or to find a breaking point. This will always introduce air into the finish we are applying and cause foam or bubbles. Rather than “wring- How to Fix It: ing out” your applicator, get into the habit of tapping If sheen inconsistencies become a thorn in the job, usu- excess off. ally abrading and recoating the entire floor will fix them. Don’t Use Old Finish: Older or expired finishes can be foamy or bubbly due to the defoamers that can break down over time. Proper mixing of your finish is critical OVERWORKED FINISH to how the finish performs. Always know who you’re buying your finish from and know where to check for the batch codes of each product you’re using. Create a Strategy: Probably the most important step of applying finish is mapping the job prior to getting started. When you’re coating a large cut-up floor, detail out a strategy for coating the floor in sections before you start. This way you won’t end up in a situation where you have an area half-coated and have to come back later. Figure out good cut-off points and use tape lines as necessary. Control Air Flow: Air movement across the finish causes it to not flow and level as it’s designed to do, so the more air flow there is when you’re coating, the more likely it is you’ll have problems with coating, uneven fin- In the photo you can see an area where the contractor ish, debris in the finish, streaks, etc. While you’re coating went over the finish with the applicator once the finish the floor, make sure the HVAC system is turned off. As had already skinned over and started to dry. It created soon as the finish is skinned over, you’ll want that air bubbles and the finish looks sort of curdled, and you flow circulating again to help evacuate the solvent from can even see one area where the finish peeled off. Typi- the air. The easiest way to do this is to program the ther-
www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com June|July 2013 ■ Hardwood Floors 47
JJ13-Techniques.indd 47 5/23/13 4:19 PM On the Job | Techniques
mostat so the HVAC is off while coating and kicks back create a new set of issues. on when you think the finish is ready for air flow (usu- Coat a Walk-Off Area First: This is a trick I learned ally 30 to 45 minutes later). One thing that can be more in the gym floor business that also works great for resi- difficult to manage is the fan under the refrigerator. The dential jobs. It takes some extra time, but it’s worth it only thing to do for that is to turn off the breaker for if you have difficulty backing out of a room. Say you the fridge while you’re coating (just remember to turn it have a hallway where you know you’ll be ending the back on!). job. Start by using a tape line to coat half the length Use Finish Retarders: If you are concerned about of the hallway and let it completely dry. Once it has the finish drying too fast, you can slow the dry time of dried, begin coating on the opposite side of the room. some finishes by using retarders. Some finish companies When you’re almost done coating, you can walk on the offer their own retarders that extend dry times. For some already-coated half of the hallway and pull the finish finishes you can slow drying simply by adding water. straight over the uncoated half of the hallway instead of Check with the finish manufacturer to see if slowing the having to back out. dry time is possible and what the company recommends. Push Off Instead of Pulling Back: When you’re feathering with a T-bar, it’s easier to push your applica- How to Fix It: tor away from you than it is to reach out and try pulling The best way to repair these issues is to abrade and recoat. it back toward you. Push off no further than 3 feet out in order to maintain a workable area. Again, think of the airplane taking off rather than landing. (This is where LAP LINES you also need to make sure you don’t have excessive finish on your applicator.) How to Fix It: If you have lap lines in your final coat of finish, you will likely need to abrade and recoat the floor using one of these methods to avoid getting them again. STREAKS
In this photo you can see where someone tried to back out of a hallway using a T-bar and left lap lines where the finish didn’t completely flow and level. This can hap- pen anywhere in the floor but is especially common when backing out at the end of a job. Many of the techniques for avoiding lap lines are the same as those we just dis- cussed for overworked finish. Here are some more: Prevention: Choose the Right Applicator: Always use the applica- tor your finish manufacturer recommends to apply their In this photo you can see streaks in the finish that are finish. If your finish can be rolled, use a roller instead of apparent even where the finish was applied with the a T-bar. You’ll prevent most lap lines when rolling due grain. There are many potential causes for these extreme to how the roller applies finish to the floor. A roller sim- streaks: excessive airflow during application, stiff bris- ply picks up the finish and then lays it back down uni- tles on the application tools, improperly mixed finish, formly, rather than pulling or dragging the finish as we improper coverage rates and more. do with T-bars or lambswool applicators. Rolling finish is an excellent method to alleviate lap lines. If you need Prevention: to use a T-bar, it’s easier to back out of a space using a Everything I’ve said about extending dry times applies lightweight T-bar than a heavyweight T-bar. Use a Tape Line: If you have big areas you need to here, as well as the advice about using a roller when pos- coat, use a tape line along board edges at tie-in areas. sible, especially when coating a multi-directional floor like You can coat right up to that tape line, and then when this one. One very common cause for streaks comes back you pull the line you have a nice straight edge you can to how important it is to use the proper applicator on the cut back into. I always coached my guys to treat that job and always making sure you have a new applicator taped-off area as if it were expensive white carpet—cut for final coats: into it carefully so that you don’t overlap to potentially Avoid Hard Spots on Your Applicator: Streaks
48 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-Techniques.indd 48 5/23/13 4:20 PM On the Job | Techniques
can easily be caused by hard spots/stiff bristles on your in the second shot you can see that when you’re dealing applicator. Check your applicator carefully, and remem- with a contaminated floor it will usually happen right as ber what I said before about always using a new appli- you’re coating. If you see this, you should stop before cator for your final coat. you waste more time and finish. Problems with contamination can happen on the How to Fix It: whole floor, or they can just occur in one small area. An abrade and recoat is almost always necessary to repair I’ve seen spot contamination due to overspray from this issue. Sometimes the floor may need to be abraded granite countertop cleaners, stainless steel cleaners, and with coarser grits, then repeat abrading as necessary with even Windex. proper grit sequences in order to completely remove the Prevention: ridges and scratch patterns prior to recoating. Test an Area: Always do a test area before recoating. You have to pick the area carefully, because it should BLISTERS be in an inconspicuous area but should also be some- where that would have had cleaning products applied (in closets and under area rugs don’t usually work). Some manufacturers offer kits that allow you to test for contamination. Investigate: Ask homeowners what they use to clean the floor, but never believe them. They will always tell you what they think you will want to hear. I remember a customer who showed me the recommended cleaner that she used daily on her floors, then further into the Bona US conversation she said, “Oh, my cleaning lady uses this shiny polish every Christmas on our floors, but that stuff This photo shows a good example of blisters that are wears off by St. Patrick’s Day.” I always got in the habit caused when the sun is coming through a window, mak- of being snoopy and looking in the cabinets in the laun- ing a hot spot on the floor. The finish has skinned over dry room or under the kitchen sink to see what cleaning too fast while still in its drying stages. Blisters are caused products I could find. If there is a specific cleaner you when the solvents in the finish are still trying to escape find out has contaminated the floor, sometimes you can from the finish. call the manufacturer of that product to find out how to remove it. Prevention: Again, manage your air flow so the finish isn’t skinning How to Fix It: over too fast. Also: Unfortunately, many times you’ll need to completely Avoid the Sun: You have several ways to do this. resand the floor. If you determine contamination is pres- You can cover the windows with clear plastic, which lets ent before coating, don’t try screening the floor and think in the light but prevents the heat from coming into the that’s going to effectively get rid of the contaminant. room. Better yet, you can plan your coating around the Without removing the contamination first, you are only times when the sun is hitting the floor. If you have a two- pushing the contaminant around the floor and driving it story bank of windows with sunlight baking the floor, for down into the open grain and gaps of the floor. example, you’ll want to get in there early in the morning or late in the day, so coordinate accordingly. I always hear the argument that “it’s too hard to schedule this way because we’ve got other jobs scheduled,” but at the end of the day, you’ve got to ensure the best conditions for every aspect of your job so that you don’t end up wasting time and money going back. How to Fix It: Blisters can usually be addressed by isolation repairs or a complete abrade and recoat once the source has been eliminated. CONTAMINATION Here’s a classic shot of a contaminated floor. A contami- nant on the floor caused what you see here. Fortunately,
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PEELING CHIPPING FINISH Bona US In this picture you can see that finish is chipping away Peeling finish is exactly that—as shown here, you can lift from the stain, most likely due to either the stain not be- the finish right off the floor. It can be caused by contami- ing dry or too much pigment left behind from the stain. nation, but can also occur in other situations. Prevention: Prevention: Watch Stain Dry Times: Make sure your stain has Use Compatible Finishes: Even if products are from enough time to dry. Especially now with all the quick- the same manufacturer, don’t assume they’re compatible. dry stains out there, it’s pretty common to see guys rush- We did a job once where we coated a hickory floor with ing the job and not giving the stain its recommended dry two coats of one finish and did the topcoat with the times. Finish will not properly adhere to stain that hasn’t same manufacturer’s commercial-grade finish. We got a thoroughly dried. Cooler, more humid conditions will call about a month later that the finish was peeling off also cause stains to dry much slower. in big sheets. Had we checked with the manufacturer or Wipe All the Pigment Up: You need to wipe all read the instructions first, we would have known that stains, but be especially careful with highly pigmented those two finishes weren’t compatible. (darker) stains. An ebony or mahogany stain contains Know Your Window: Many finishes have a “hot- more pigment than a nutmeg stain contains. Get in the coat” window in which they will chemically adhere to habit of wiping the floor with a white towel right before the previous coat without physical abrasion; this win- you coat (or a colored towel for white stains). If you get dow of opportunity varies from product to product and any color transfer onto the towel, you’ve still got pig- manufacturer to manufacturer. If you miss that window, ment on top of the floor that needs to be removed. you’ll likely need to mechanically abrade the floor so Use the Right Finish Over Stain: Not all finishes the next coat of finish has something to stick to. If you are made to be applied over stain; check with the manu- don’t, you risk peeling. facturer before coating over stain. Abrade Well: When you abrade between coats, use the abrasive recommended by the manufacturer and How to Fix It: make sure you do it well. Don’t leave shiny areas on the Unfortunately, if your finish is chipping away from the floor, and maintain a sharp abrasive using recommended stain on a floor, you will likely be resanding the floor. abrasive coverage rates. There is no shortcut to fixing this problem, which is all Know If the Floor Can Be Recoated: In today’s the reason why it’s so important to follow these simple market there are some factory-finished products that simply steps to achieve success. ■ cannot be recoated, no matter what you do. Test first! Brett Miller is director of certifi cation and education at How to Fix It: the NWFA. This article was adapted from a seminar he A floor that is peeling usually has to be resanded. If presented at the 2013 NWFA Wood Flooring Expo. For you’re not sure why the floor is peeling, you can send more information on the Expo, visit www.nwafexpo.org. peelings into a finish lab. They can typically determine the number of coats within the sample, the scratch pat- For a discussion of more finish problems, including poly terns, which finishes are on the floor and whether con- beads, sidebonding and white line syndrome, see the online tamination or stain residual is present, all of which can version of this article at www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/ give you the cause for failure. FinishFlawsJJ13.
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JJ13-Techniques.indd 50 5/23/13 4:28 PM Big Winners
HE THEME OF THE NWFA EXPO in Dallas in April was “Think Big,” and this year’s Wood Floor of the Year winners reflect that philosophy. The projects, whether in Russia’s Kremlin, a Texas ranch or a bedroom in New Mexico, all represent theT fruition of big ideas. Except for the Designers’ Choice, all winners were chosen by NWFA members through online voting. For details on each winning project, turn the page. Do you have a big idea in the works? For details on entering the 2014 Wood Floor of the Year con- test—free to all NWFA members—go to www.nwfa.org.
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Denver Dustless Denver, Colo. MEMBER’S CHOICE, BEST RESIDENTIAL
Remnant Remodel FTER YEARS OF showing doodles of his “woodpile” floor to friends—all of whom concluded he was crazy—Mark Sutton decided to use scraps to install his “floor art project” in his own home in Arvada, Colo., when his Awife, Jan, wanted to convert a carpeted bedroom into her quilting room. Sutton started the floor in March 2012, dry-laying the oak border first to plot out where select boards from the field would lay on top of it. After cutting out the slots for the overlaying boards, Sutton nailed down the bor- der and started the fun part. “I took probably about 12 to 15 boards and stood at the doorway and just pitched them in there, and wherever they landed, that’s where I went in and nailed them down,” he recalls. The rest, however, was more difficult. Creating the illusion of overlapping boards meant a lot of cut- ting. “I would start with a long board and start cutting the pieces out and try to continue it across the room. Sometimes it would take three, four hours to get that piece all put in by the time you cut it into eight different pieces to make it look like it was laying underneath the pile.” The final step in installing the floor was filling in the remaining gaps with walnut, meant to look like a dark subfloor. These oddly shaped pieces had to be precisely cut on a jigsaw, then sanded and filed to fit. On a few occasions, he sanded too far and had to start over. After three months of this, Sutton admits, “It was getting a little bit intense. I was at a point when I just need- ed to take a break, because you’d go up there and work on the thing forever. It’s funny, I had several people come over and go, ‘Man, are you getting anything done?’ and I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I got these 10 pieces in over here.’” After a summer hiatus, the project resumed in August. By October, the floor was sanded using only an edger and finished with a water-based finish. In all, Sutton estimates he spent more than 250 hours on the floor. “It was a labor of love,” he said after the Wood Floor of the Year awards ceremony. “This was the first time we ever entered anything. And then, of course, when we voted, we looked at all the entries, and I was just like, ‘Wow, there is some really crazy stuff going on.’ … A lot of people told me the reason I won is just because it’s way out of the box from what they typically see.”—K.M.
SUPPLIERS
Abrasive: NORTON ABRASIVES | Adhesives: Sika Corporation, Franklin Adhesives and Polymers | Distributor: Denver Hardwood Co., PALO DURO HARDWOODS | Edger: CLARKE AMERICAN SANDERS | Finish: Glitsa | Nailer: Powernail Company Inc.
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Gaetano Hardwood Floors Inc.
Huntington Beach, Calif. BEST COMMERCIAL
Commercial Collaboration ICHARD LARSON WAS born into the flooring business—he grew up working for his father’s Southern California flooring store out in “the valley,” doing floors in old Pasadena homes and Beverly Hills mansions. But even Rthen he knew he only wanted to work with wood. “I didn’t want anything to do with carpet and linoleum,” he recalls. So as an adult Larson changed his focus and his geography to better suit him, opening his own wood flooring business close to the beach, and the company has thrived there now for more than two decades, culmi- nating in this year’s Wood Floor of the Year trophy for Best Commercial wood floor. Larson’s business focuses on the high-end market, with much of the work done in collaboration with interior designers. One of those designers creates custom furniture, and when he was renovating his furniture show- room, the opportunity came about for Larson to partner with him and show off his custom wood flooring. The space was basically a big open rectangle that would have partial walls to create vignettes within the showroom. Beyond that, it was up to Larson to decide what flooring would work best in the space. “They left it up to me as to what would set these areas off; that kind of made it a little bit challenging,” Larson says. “I did scale draw- ings of what I thought would draw people into the store.” The result was a large-scale maple and wenge pattern in a main walkway, with many different parquets and species, from Indian rosewood to heat-treated red oak, in the different vignettes. Gaetano specializes in custom colors and custom surface textures, such as wire-brushing, which are also showcased in the showroom floor and have even been incorporated into some of the furniture designs. It was a big financial commitment to do the approximately 3,000 square feet SUPPLIERS of custom flooring in the showroom, but the benefit has been substantial for both Advertisers Gaetano and the designer. “He’s got a great client base with high-end furniture, and then they’ll see our floor,” Larson says. To top it off, the NWFA membership also saw in this issue the floor and deemed it a winner.—K.M.W. appear in ALL CAPS. Adhesive: BOSTIK SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS PROJECT AT WWW.HARDWOODFLOORSMAG.COM/WFOYJJ13
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Czar Floors Newtown, Pa. BEST LIMITED SPECIES
Floating Floor VERYTHING WAS CHALLENGING about this project,” says Edward Tsvilik of the 100-square-foot, Karelian birch and maple floor that earned Czar Floors of Newtown, Pa., its seventh Wood Floor of the Year “Eaward since 2007. The floor had to be precisely cut to an oddly shaped room with built-in furniture, the installation had to be 100 percent dust-free (the owner didn’t want any dust settling in the vents), and the floor had to be created to a specific thickness to transition to the adjacent carpet. Also, it’s on a boat. The floor was installed on a 187-foot super yacht named Lady Linda while she floated in the dock. While this was not the first floor Czar has manufactured for a yacht, it was the first one the company installed itself. Interior designer Evan Marshall envisioned the floor with its wave motif, and the owner requested the Karelian birch and hard maple inlay to match the surrounding furnishings made with Karelian birch veneers. Native to the Karelian region along Russia’s border with Finland, the wood is valued for its marble-like grain pat- tern and rarity. The trees grow only in the Karelian region and only 30 to 40 percent of the trees grow with the characteristic grain pattern. Those that do develop the distinctive warty look grow particularly slowly. The floor was constructed as one giant medallion inlay, and templates for the odd-shaped room were created on-site to work around the built-in furniture. Routers were used to cut the design into the maple floor on-site. The floor was glued to marine-grade plywood, which was screwed and glued to an aluminum platform with rub- ber insulation and springs to dampen the boat’s vibrations, because the owner wanted his drinks “stirred, not shaken.” Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Allstate Flooring then sanded and finished the floor. All of the edges were filled with silicone to protect the floor from potential moisture. A brass transition was added to prevent chipping where it borders with carpet. The $50 million yacht, owned by London-based Burgess Yachts, in addition to its stunning wood floor, also features a helipad, a Jacuzzi and six suites that can accommodate 12 people. It is available for Mediterranean charters this summer for as low as $420,000 per week.—K.M. SUPPLIERS Advertisers in this issue appear in ALL CAPS. Abrasive: 3M | Adhesive: BOSTIK Inc. | Finish: BONA US | Sander: LÄGLER (PALO DURO), BONA US | Sanding, Finishing: Allstate Flooring | Saws: Festool
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JJ13-WFOY.indd 54 5/23/13 3:23 PM HF06_PaloDu613.indd 2 5/21/13 7:51 AM 2013 NWFA WOOD FLOOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS Igor Dolgov | Dreamstime Yantarnaya Pryad-Parquet Khimki, Russia
The design for Yantarnaya Pryad- Parquet’s winning fl oor in the Kremlin’s Faceted Chamber was based on the colorful, patterned carpeting it replaced. BEST CNC/LASER CUT
Kremlin Carpeting HEN A HOMEOWNER decides to rip out their worn-out carpet and replace it with hardwood floors, rarely do they ask their contractor to make the floor look as much like the old rug as possible, but this was the chal- Wlenge facing Yantarnaya Pryad-Parquet as they replaced the more than 5,000-square-foot, technicolor carpeting of the Kremlin’s Faceted Chamber. In 1487, after a series of fires damaged the mostly-wooden Kremlin, Grand Duke Ivan III commissioned the limestone Palace of Facets, including the Faceted Chamber, located in the heart of Moscow’s fortress and named for its textured façade. Since the building’s completion in 1492, the Chamber has been the venue for formal receptions of the Czars, coronation celebrations, feasts and state ceremonies. The Chamber is now the official hall of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s private residence, used to receive visiting heads of state. The building holds the honor of being the oldest preserved secular building in all of Russia, despite suffering major fire damage several times throughout its history. Yantarnaya CNC-cut 16 species of wood to recreate the intricate design and variety of colors on the Chamber’s former carpeting. In order to transfer the design from the massive floor covering to the CNC machine, Yantarnaya’s designers had to draw the carpet’s pattern using AutoCAD. The pieces were then glued down and finished with a water-based gloss finish that reflects the three-story- high ceiling’s murals. Laying the 5,000 square feet of flooring took one month, and sanding and finishing took another three weeks. “As it is a historic building, it imposed on us an even greater responsibility for the successful project imple- mentation,” said Natalia Alekseeva, Yantarnaya’s manager of the foreign trade department, of the challenges the contractors faced in restoring a 500-year old national landmark. “Historically, there was no parquet in this room, only the carpet. The challenge was to fulfill the idea of designer and architect and to replicate the design of the carpet.” One small change was made in the floor’s design: In a corner of the expansive room, there is now a small ovu- lar piece with “2012” and the Yantarnaya Pryad-Parquet logo.—K.M.
SUPPLIERS Advertisers in this issue appear in ALL CAPS. Abrasive: 3M | Adhesive, Filler, Finish: Chimiver Panseri S.p.A | Edger: Mafell | Sander: EUGEN LÄGLER GMBH | Saws: Leitz Tooling Systems
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Yantarnaya Pryad-Parquet
Khimki, Russia BEST RESTORATION Royal Restoration HE STATE HERMITAGE Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, found- Ted in 1764 by Catherine the Great, is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world and is home to more than 3 million artifacts. The cornerstone of the six-building Hermitage complex is the Winter Palace, the official residence of the Russian Empire’s monarchs from 1732 to 1917. The Hermitage is home to some of the most famous wood floors in the world, and now, almost two centuries after being installed, these floors have won an NWFA Wood Floor of the Year award. This floor, just outside the Grand Church located within Winter Palace, was restored by Yantarnaya Pryad- Parquet for the first time since its original installation. Until recently, the gorgeous, 14 species, hand- engraved floor was under brown wall- to-wall carpeting. At the time of restoration, the subfloor, foundation and floor bat- tens were badly damaged, with 35 percent of the parquet’s design lost. Historical archives and paintings of the Hermitage’s halls offered some reference for re-creation. According to Natalia Alekseeva, manager of the foreign trade depart- ment for Yantarnaya, the great- est challenge in this project was matching the variety of species in the original floor. Fortunately, there were 200-year-old boards stored in the basement that the company was able to use in the restoration. The engraving on the leaves was all done by hand, and the floor was finished with water-based satin finish. This project is part of an ongoing program started in 2000 to restore the historically valuable floors in the Hermitage, created by some of the best architects of the 19th century. Since the program began, Yantarnaya has restored the intricate parquet floors in several of the hallways and the exhibit halls for French and German art, as well as the Grand Church itself. So far a majority of the floors required complete replacement. In the Grand Church in particular, centuries of foot-traffic had worn the boards down to less than three millimeters thick, scuffing away the original hand engraving. In most cases, the structures beneath the floors needed to be replaced or strengthened. As the restoration program continues, the beautiful historic floors will once more be on display for centuries to come—and hopefully never again be hidden under carpeting.—K.M.
SUPPLIERS Advertisers in this issue appear in ALL CAPS. Abrasive: 3M | Adhesive, Filler, Finish: Chimiver Panseri S.p.A | Edger: Mafell | Sander: EUGEN LÄGLER GMBH | Saws: Leitz Tooling Systems
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WD Flooring Laona, Wis. BEST MANUFACTURER FACTORY FINISHED
Into the Woods N THIS ULTRA-MODERN luxury Minneapolis penthouse, the architect and designer knew they wanted wood floor- ing. The reason? “Great spaces are created by tension,” says WD Flooring President Peter Connor. “Here we Ihad an incredibly contemporary setting meeting all these criteria: a modern building, floor-to-ceiling glass and super-clean design. They wanted something to ground all of that and make it relatable.” For the actual flooring, they turned to WD, which the architect had worked with on previous high-end projects. The penthouse encompasses 18,000 square feet on two floors overlooking the Mississippi River, and in the living room the ceilings are the height of both floors combined—more than 30 feet. Because of the openness of the space, the architect and designer wanted to use the wood flooring to humanize the space. The final decision was to scale down the space by choosing a pattern, herringbone, but then “scale up” the pattern by making the herringbone slats in a 5-by-30-inch dimension. Because the entrepreneur client is also an environmental activ- ist, it also had to be FSC-certified. After lengthy discussions with the architect and designer, samples with custom colors and hardwax oil finish were presented to the client, and he rejected all of them. After an hour and a half of the client describing what he wanted, Connor went back to his sample room and grabbed a board created for one specific job, not thinking about the challenges of sourcing it. It was a black ash floor. “When he saw it he locked on it like a dog on a bone and would not let go,” Connor recalls. “Despite our best effort to switch the job to white ash, which is easier to source, the client would have none of it. In the end, we ended up having to put a special crew in the woods to source the black ash.” Once found and milled, every piece of the 9,000 square feet of the black ash wood was hand-sanded on the edges to give it a “consistent inconsistency,” and the hardwax oil applied. Due to the lack of a freight elevator, the flooring had to be delivered to the job site via crane, and contractor Belrose & Co. installed the floor over a subfloor, including a soundproofing membrane, that was “the most complex we have ever done,” Connor says. “Hats off to Steve Belrose and his guys, who fought a tough construction environ- SUPPLIERS ment and executed beautifully,” he adds. Connor himself couldn’t be more pleased Advertisers in this issue appear in ALL CAPS. with the final floor or with winning the 3M BOSTIK company’s first Wood Floor of the Year Abrasive: | Adhesive: | Architect: U + B Architecture | CLARKE AMERICAN SANDERS trophy. “I feel like Steve Wynn winning the Buffer, Edger: | Finish: Rubio World Series of Poker. The most rewarding Monocoat | Nailer, Fasteners: Bostitch | Moisture Meter: DELMHORST thing is knowing that this award was voted INSTRUMENTS | Moisture Retarder: Fortifiber | Router, Saws: Festool on by our peers,” he says.—K.M.W.
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DM Hardwood Designs Farmington, N.M.
Under the New Mexico Sea ANY OF DAVE Marzalek’s winning floors were in the works for a long Mtime before coming to fruition and earning a trophy. Nothing if not creative,
BEST EXTREME MAKEOVER Marzalek often gathers inspiration and makes sketches for years before actu- ally starting work on a specific floor. Such was the case with this floor, which won Marzalek’s 19th Wood Floor of the Year award, making him the most hon- ored contractor since the contest began. Marzalek can trace this floor’s begin- nings to a book report he did in seventh grade on the sea god Poseidon; he’s been hooked on Poseidon ever since. The opportunity to place the god in a wood floor came in Marzalek’s own home (this marks the third time a floor in his home has won the award). Like Marzalek, his daughter loves the ocean, and for her bedroom he created an underwater oasis from top to bottom, airbrushing the ceiling himself and then turning to the floor, which originally was a just a straight-laid quartersawn David Taylor beech floor. Marzalek, along with some help from his friend Randy Harris of Eagle, Utah-based High Desert Hardwood Inc., transformed the plain floor into an elaborate, fanciful medley of sea creatures and mythical beings, from Poseidon to Aphrodite’s mother. Myriad exotic woods, among them bloodwood, padauk, purpleheart, wenge, figured walnut, kingswood, yellow- heart, Amarillo, leopardwood, zebrawood and pink ivory, were used to create different elements in the scene. There is a turtle carved from a biocomposite material, rocks from scraps of Corian and Poseidon’s trident made of brass. Pine trees were made from lacewood on which Marzalek used different-colored Sharpie markers to draw the foliage. The scrollwork for the border was hand-cut using a scrollsaw and features a design inspired by another multi-Floor of the Year winner, Eugene Klotz. Although most of the inlay was flat-sanded, other parts of the floor were hand-carved to further the effect. Seaweed was hand-carved into the floor and hand-painted by Marzalek, and the water around Aphrodite’s mother is hand-carved to enhance the effect of flowing water. The entire floor was coated with four coats of waterborne finish. After the hundreds of hours of craftsmanship put into this ultra-custom floor and the others in his home, it may come as a surprise that Marzalek has put his house on the market as he eyes a relocation to the much big- ger Denver market. He acknowledges that it will take the right buyer: “Whoever buys my house better have a daughter who loves mermaids.”—K.M.W.
SUPPLIERS Advertisers in this issue appear in ALL CAPS. Abrasive: 3M | Adhesive: BOSTIK | Applicators: Padco | Buffer, Edger, Sander: CLARKE AMERICAN SANDERS | Distributor: PALO DURO HARDWOODS INC. | Exotic Wood: Rare Earth Hardwoods Inc. | Filler: WOODWISE/DESIGN HARDWOOD PRODUCTS | Finish: ProCoat | Nailer, Fasteners: Powernail Company, Senco | Router: Bosch | Saws: Hegner, Hitachi | Wood Flooring: Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring, WD Flooring
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Schenck and Company Houston BEST RECLAIMED Steve Chenn
Trash to Treasure HE BEST WOOD floor artisans seem to always be thinking about wood floors, and they will tell you they get design inspirations from varied and sometimes unlikely sources. This floor is no different—it struck Schenck Tand Company owner Greg Schenck years ago when he noticed the ceiling while having an adult beverage. “I was sitting in a bar at the Gage Hotel in far west Texas, and I thought, ‘Man, that would be a really cool floor, but it would have to be a special wood, not just any wood,’” he recalls. The ceiling Schenck was considering was a design typical in Southwest construction called “vigas and latillas,” with exposed beams and narrow timbers. A long time passed before Schenck was struck again by a related idea. Driving by one of the many pallet yards common to Houston’s shipping industry, he thought about the piles of old pallets. “I thought, why couldn’t you do a floor from old shipping pallets? Everybody’s interested in the newer ones, not the older or broken ones.” Schenck ended up making a sample for his showroom, and he’s now sold the floor twice—to the same customer. She had it installed in her Houston home, and about 10 years later, when she was building a new home on a ranch, she wanted the exact same floor. The vigas-and-latillas-inspired pattern was perfect for the space. “I didn’t want to do a parquet, because that’s too formal—they wanted rustic—and because of the volume of the rooms we couldn’t do random-length plank because the scale was too small; it wasn’t appropriate for the room,” Schenck explains. “So I came up with this, and it seemed to work well.” The company bought truckloads of pallets, denailed them, disassembled them and searched for the right mix of hardwoods and softwoods, since “anything goes” for making pallets—any width, any thickness and any spe- cies. The boards were fumigated, and, to preserve the weathered face of the boards, they were planed from the back to get a more consistent thickness. The sharp cuts on the board were then distressed. On-site they were glued to a plywood subfloor over the slab and face-pinned with headless pins. The floor was “smoothed”—with an old screen or a nylon pad, just enough to get any roughness off—and penetrating oil sealer was burnished into the floor. Just as she did the first time, the owner SUPPLIERS loved her unique floor. “This is what we thrive on—thinking outside the box, trying Advertisers in this issue appear in ALL CAPS. to do something different,” Schenck says, Buffer, Edger: CLARKE AMERICAN SANDERS | Abrasive: NORTON “trying to take something people view as ABRASIVES trash and make something beautiful out of | Finish: DuraSeal it.”—K.M.W.
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JJ13-WFOY.indd 61 5/23/13 3:24 PM 2013 NWFA WOOD FLOOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Natural Wood Floors & Design Miami, Fl. DESIGNERS CHOICE
A Step Above T IS NOT often that a staircase wins a Wood Floor of the Year award, but the unique form of this floating stair- case caught the eye of the designer judges. I Installed in a new home in Hollywood, Fla., the staircase started as a concrete form. It was covered in ply- wood and then solid walnut. The homeowner was looking for something dark and domestic for the stairs and the home’s second floor, says Fernando Avila, president of Natural Wood Floors and Design in Miami, so walnut fit the bill with the added bonus of being easy to work with. Both the stairs and the solid, 5-inch, American wal- nut floors on the second story were given a natural-color, water-based finish. The panels in the balusters are glass with embedded slices of cattle horns. The design was coordinated with Nieto Design, also based in Miami, as well as the homeowner. The cubic design required extreme precision in every cut, as the treads do not extend out over the risers. While Natural Wood has done floating staircases before, they tended to feature stainless steel and glass, with less focus placed on the wood treads. Avila decided to enter these stairs in the contest because they looked so different from anything SUPPLIERS the company had done before. Advertisers in this issue Avila’s instincts proved correct, as the unique stairs also caught the eye of the designer judges. Avila says his team’s passion for appear in ALL CAPS. their craft is what results in such beautiful work. “Having qualified craftsmen combined with a passionate team that truly loves the art Distributor: Custom Wholesale Floors | of wood floors is key. Also lots of patience—remaining calm when BONA US Finish: faced with difficult moments—makes for wonderful finished projects,” Avila said.—K.M.
SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS PROJECT AT WWW.HARDWOODFLOORSMAG.COM/WFOYJJ13
62 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-WFOY.indd 62 5/23/13 3:25 PM ProductFocus Tools + Supplies PREPARED FOR PERFECTION aving the right tool for the job can mean the difference between perfec- tion and “Well, maybe they won’t notice.” The companies in Hardwood Floors’ annual Tools and Supplies Product Focus want to make sure you don’t have to settle for “good enough.” Turn the page for the latest in Htools and supplies for the wood fl ooring industry. Abrasives
3M Bona US 3M’s Easy Change disc buffer system Bona Abrasives have been specifi- makes blending scratches and cally developed for hardwood floors chatter marks or sanding patterned with performance in mind. The hardwood floors easier than ever, Bona Abrasives line provides the the company says. Contractors can most aggressive and longest lasting now quickly change from one 3M abrasive in the industry, without Hookit II abrasive grit to another sacrificing smoothness to achieve without tools. The discs are avail- the best surface for staining or able in grades 20 to 150. finishing, the company says. www.3m.com www.bona.com
Mercer Abrasives, Norton Abrasives a Division of Mer- Norton Abrasives introduces its next gen- eration zirconia alumina BlueFire belts, cer Tool Corp. rolls and discs. The abrasives have a pro- Mercer Abrasives offers heavy- prietary grain innovation from Norton duty belts and pads of various grits that is razor-sharp, offering a faster cut and sizes. Mercer says they are and longer life while imparting a much cool-cutting and long-lasting. Its smoother scratch pattern, the company Premium Zirconia Floor Sanding says, adding that BlueFire will outlast Belts feature Zirconia grain, a resin- conventional zirconia belts two-to-one in on-resin bond and a butt-tape joint most floor sanding applications. for bidirectional sanding. www.nortonfloorsanding.com www.mercerabrasives.com
Virginia Abrasives Revolution Virginia Abrasives says the sharp, fine grain Manufacturing LLC of its Black Magic floor prep pads is made to The FlexPad manufactured by Revolu- gently abrade factory finishes with less haz- tion Manufacturing LLC was designed ing and scratching. The pads are designed by Wayne Lee. This pad replaces the old to work with either oil- or water-based rubber edger pad and increases user finishes, will reach into bevels better than efficiency by allowing the disc to flex, screen products and have been tested and which increases the sanding “sweet approved by top finish manufacturers, the spot,” thus cutting flatter and smoother, company says. Revolution says. www.virginiaabrasives.com www.101revolution.com
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 63 5/23/13 3:46 PM Product Focus | Tools + Supplies Applicators BonaBo US MercerMercer Abrasives,Abra a BonaB says its European nap roller DivisionDivi of Mercer for waterborne finish application is ideal for parquet and cross- ToolT Corp. directional wood grain floors, and Made of premium, thick features a candy stripe to show if lambskin, Mercer’s ap- tthehe rorollerll is dragging. plicators are available up www.bona.comwww.bo to 18 inches in size, with or wwithoutithout a wooden applicator block. ThumbscrewsThumbscrews holdh the 6-inch-wide pad in place between two 2¼ -inch-wide blocks. They can be used to apply stain, sealer and surface finish. www.mercerabrasives.com
Padco Inc. Pallmann USAUSA Padco woven applicators feature a thick green pad with sturdy woven fabric 3 Pallmann offers its ⁄8-inch-inch bonded to the foam. Dense fibers are locked into the fabric so they cannot come nap,nap, nylonnylon applicationapplication rollerrolle loose, and backing forfor its waterborne sealers anda reinforces the foam finishes.finishes. This no-shed applica-appli pad for extended use, tor is designed to applyapply finishfinis the company says, smoothlysmoothly andand evenly.evenly. adding that the pad is swell-resistant for www.pallmann.uswww.pallmann.u longer life. www.padco. com/floortools
Precision Woodwise/Design Technology Hardwood Products LLC The Woodwise Nap Saver suspends an applicator pad inside a polycarbonate Precision Technology’s housing so the nap doesn’t get crushed. Anza Synthetic 12-inch Since the nap never touches the sides, it Floor Finish Brush has keeps applicator pads like new so they special synthetic filaments can be used again and again without of the highest quality, the compromising quality, Woodwise says. company says. It is suitable www.woodwise.com fforor wawater-,t oil- or solvent-based ffinishes.inishes. It cocomesm with an ergonomic handle anandd a practicapracticall storagstoragee case. www.pretechfinishes.comwww.pretechfinishes.co
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 64 5/23/13 3:47 PM Product Focus | Tools + Supplies Hot Melt Glue APPLICATOR Floor Manufacturing for Hardwood Flooring Equipment NEW
Automation Industries Corp. Automation Industries manufactures non-contact, in-process non- destructive testing systems for the detection and identification of in- ternal lack of bond defects or missing internal material. Systems are available to scan strip behind the molder or to scan full-size blanks. Quick as a Wink curing time www.automationindustriescorp.com
Great Lakes Custom Tool Manufacturing Inc. The Great-Loc Groove Flooring Cutter has a clamp integrated with the cutter body and features a positive registration system. holds fast on all concrete The precision-ground carbide inserts can be replaced quickly or wood subfloors and accurately. Cutter assembly is mounted on an ETP Cubit adjustable sleeve. The assembly can be easily adjusted to main- • Secure Start and Finish rows tain the required groove width, the company says. ww.glct.com • Insert replacement boards • Set transitions EXTRA NOZZLE Lico Machinerie Inc. for hollow spots repairs The Lico “DEL” Optimized Select Ripping System was developed more than 15 years ago specifically to satisfy the ripping requirements of modern hardwood flooring manufacturers. A typical configuration features a rip saw running at a feed speed of 450 feet per minute with five independently positioned saw blades (0.135-inch kerf). www.licoinc.net
SuperMax Tools SuperMax Tools says its SuperBrush sander distresses lumber and easily cleans reclaimed wood. SuperBrush machines are Experience Primatech available in single- or double-head configurations with a wide variety of brush heads to suit any application. from the Driver’s Seat www.supermaxtools.com
Wintersteiger Wintersteiger’s Timber Repair & Cosmetics machines come in semi-automatic and fully automated setups. The thermoplast and MORE injected into the cracks does not shrink and cures immediately, allowing for further processing without delay, the company says. The filling material comes in different colors and mixtures depending on the finishes applied. The TRC Easy is designed for smaller operation, repairing the cracks automatically but with feeding done manually. USA / CAN 1(800) 363-1962 www.wintersteiger.com [email protected]
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 65 5/23/13 3:48 PM Product Focus | Tools + Supplies Moisture Meters Nailers
Delmhorst Instrument Co. ET & F Fastening Systems Delmhorst’s TechScan is the next generation in non- ET & F Fastening says the Aerico 90 pneumatic destructive moisture measurement, the company says. fastening system economically nails plywood Made in the U.S., TechScan combines innovative features subflooring and wood nailers to concrete. High- with easy operation. Users can quickly cover large areas carbon, ballistic-pointed pins, collated 25 pins and locate high moisture spots with TechScan’s advanced per strip, are available in 1¼-inch to 2¼-inch RF technology. lengths. The powerful Aerico 90 tool assures fully www.delmhorst.com driven fasteners, achieving ¾-inch penetration into concrete for maximum holding strength, the company says. www.etf-fastening.com Lignomat USA Ltd. The VersaTec kit from Lignomat includes all the moisture measuring tools a wood floor installer and inspector needs. VersaTec can Powernail be used in pin, pinless and RH modes and Company Inc. includes a bevy of accessories. Its pinless Powernail says it is introducing the in- mode features dual-depth settings for all dustry’s first pneumatic, trigger-operated, wood species, bamboo and concrete. 20-gauge cleat nailer that offers greater www.lignomat.com precision with less split-out on even the thinnest flooring. The Model 2000 can 5 9 handle ⁄16- to ⁄16-inch tongue-and-groove engineered flooring and uses Powernail’s new 20-gauge Powercleats, available in Tramex Ltd. 1-and 1¼-inch lengths. The new Tramex Hygro-i probe used in conjunction www.powernail.com with the Tramex CMEX2 or MRH3 non-destructive moisture meters provides measurements of humidity, temperature and dew-point in structural materials as well as the environmental conditions within the building, allowing the user to perform in-situ and hood-type RH testing to comply with Primatech ASTM F2170, F2420, BS8201:2011 and BS8203. The Primatech Pneumatic 250 Adjust- www.tramexltd.com able roller-base nailer and stapler 5 7 is designed for ⁄8- to ⁄8-inch (16- to 22-mm) solid or engineered hardwood floors of domestic and exotic species. It’s “Primpact Powered,” and the compact Wagner Meters all-around striking surface enables the Designed for industry professionals, the MMC 220 closest reach to the end walls of the can instantly and accurately measure moisture flooring site. content in rough- to finish-grade wood, Wagner www.primatech.ca says. The MMC 220 features a moisture content range from 5 percent to 30 percent, selectable spe- cies settings—including “extended range” exotic species—and no manual correction tables. www.wagnermeters.com Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products Woodwise makes a rectangular-head nailset for L or T cleats. This tool, which Wolff Tools USA is made from case-hardened impact-tool steel, sets the nail below the wood surface. The Wolff Material Moisture Meter is a professional www.woodwise.com hand-held meter designed to measure the exact mois- ture content of wood and other materials. Users can select among hundreds of different wood types. The meter will compensate for temperature of measured materials in real time as conditions change. www.wolfftools.com
66 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 66 5/23/13 3:49 PM Product Focus | Tools + Supplies Sanding Equipment
Bona US CDCLarue The atomic 600 DCS (pictured) and the Bona Industries Inc. Atomic 300 DCS combine high-performance HEPA filtration and portability, providing the The Pulse-Bac PB-1050H HEPA- ultimate in dust evacuation for all sanding Certified Dust Extractor can equipment, Bona says, adding that these be used with any type of floor products deliver performance and efficiency sanding equipment, all kinds of installers demand, as well as the dust con- woods and is compliant with the tainment homeowners demand. EPA’s RRP rules when sanding or removing lead paint, the www.bona.com company says. www.cdclarue.com
Clarke American Lägler Sanders The new LED light for the Lägler FLIP edger The Clarke FloorCrafter Belt Sander upholds a has an adjustable focus and makes perfect long tradition of providing precision instruments edging easy, the company says. After extensive to a craftsman’s trade, Clarke says. It has been testing at Lägler’s Premium Sanding Technol- engineered to provide reduced vibration and be ogy seminars and positive feedback from the most aggressive belt machine in the industry, customers, the accessory is now available. The the company says. light fits on all FLIP edgers, and more than www.americansanders.com one light can be attached to the machine. www.laegler.de
Mercer Abrasives, a Oneida Air Systems Division of Mercer The Oneida Air Systems Dust Cobra is a high- Tool Corp. suction dust collector with a Rapid Pulse internal Mercer now offers narrow, elastic-neck floor filter cleaner and full-unit HEPA certification that sander bags with zippers. Made with 100 meets EPA lead RRP requirements. The Dust Cobra percent cotton flannel and napped on the runs on 110 volts and provides three times the air inside, Mercer says its sander bags are perfect performance of most shop vacuums, the company for heavy-duty floor sanders and edgers. Also, says. It works with sanders, edgers and buffers, is the company still offers its standard bags portable and weighs less than 50 lbs. with reinforced grommets and a drawstring www.oneidavac.com closure that prevents dust from escaping. www.mercertools.com
Pallmann USA ProTeam Inc. The next generation Pallmann Cobra II delivers a ProTeam’s Super Coach Pro 10 backpack smooth, aggressive sanding experience while provid- vacuum has advanced Four Level Filtration ing special safety and comfort features, the company with HEPA. It captures 99.97 percent of fine says. The chassis and handle design provide quieter dust and particulate matter for a pristine clean operation, improved sight lines and closer wall before finishing, the company says, adding that operating tolerances. Plus, it adjusts to the user’s the vacuum’s new triangular shape and FlexFit height and stride. articulating harness improve comfort and productivity. www.pallmann.us www.proteamnextgen.com
US Sander LLC Woodwise/Design US Sander LLC says its Diamond Jet Hardwood Products 600 dust containment system works Woodwise Dust Collection Bags are great for the one- or two-person made from 12-ounce brushed denim sanding crew. The twin 220-volt for maximum durability. All sewn edges motors make this a top-of-the-line are finished for added strength and to containment system, the company prevent raveling. The bags open wide for adds. The unit stores in a small van easy emptying, and hemmed drawstrings and comes with 100 feet of hose. ensure complete closure. The bags are available in large sander, large edger, www.ussander.com and double-bottom edger sizes. www.woodwise.com
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 67 5/23/13 3:50 PM Product Focus | Tools + Supplies Scrapers Other
Jig Sharp 3M Jig Sharp’s scraper and sharpener 3M says it knows that dust control is a kit lets contractors quickly sharpen challenge for floor sanders, and that a scraper. One handle accommo- is why the company created its Hand dates ¾-, 1½- and 2¼-inch blades. Masker System to protect rooms and The company’s studies suggest mill their contents. 3M says the line is easy chatter on new wood can be shaved to use, faster to work with than plastic off dust-free at a rate of about 1 poly and customized to each job, with square foot per minute. much less wasted. www.jigsharp.com www.3M.com
Jungle Jim Tools American Ultraviolet Jungle Jim Tools says its Cobra Scrapers The DecoRad Floormate, available through Amer- have many applications, from refinish- ican Ultraviolet, cures coatings on wood, concrete, ing projects to fine woodworking. For VCT/linoleum and industrial flooring. The user- rough and fine scraping, the company friendly DecoRad is CE and TÜV-approved, has an offers several handle models with 1½- or 18-inch cure width, and has a 0-inch turn radius, 2½-inch blades made from top-quality making it ideal for showrooms, retail locations, tempered steel that can be resharpened. airports, warehouses, entrances, commercial The company says woodworkers can restore just about any wood surface with a office buildings and more. Cobra Scraper. Jungle Jim is currently seeking new dealers. www.americanultraviolet.com www.junglejimtools.com Mercer Abrasives, a Division of Mer- Beno J. Gundlach cer Tool Corp. Company Mercer’s premium, heavy-duty For use with floating floors, Beno J. Gund- scrapers allow contractors to scrape lach’s No. AV2 Adjustable Floor Spacers are without gouging any tough surface 3 13 adjustable from ⁄16-inch to ⁄16-inch by edge sanders can’t reach, the rotating the red dial. The self-locking dial company says. They’re available with means these spacers won’t collapse. Spac- either rubber-molded or premium ers are ½-inch high and make wall contact hardwood handles, and they feature above any wall-to-subfloor gap. They are double-hardened, high-carbon steel sold in sets of four. blade edges, angled to reach corners, edges and recesses. www.benojgundlachco.com www.mercerabrasives.com
Burson Workwear Precision Burson work pants feature built-in knee pads, offering a solution Technology LLC for hardwood flooring installers. Precision Technology’s Anza Ergo- Wearing these pants can greatly nomic two-hand scraper comes with improve working conditions, making a comfortable soft-grip handle, ham- uncomfortable kneeling a thing of merhead, nail puller and reversible the past, the company says. tungsten carbide blade, making the www.bursonww.com scraper like three tools in one. www.pretechfinishes.com
Woodwise/Design Covermaster Inc. Hardwood Products Covermaster’s Covermate II was designed with safety in mind. Its Woodwise’s V-Groove Scraper cleans out six casters reduce point load by 33 V-groove flooring during the refinish- percent. The patented outriggers ing process, while its nosing scraper are also castered, and yellow end helps maintain the round surface of collars on each roller prevent finger nosing or treads. A 14-inch Sharpen- pinching. Roller brackets with ing File is also available for the Nosing Delrin roller bearings are attached Scraper, and replacement blades are with safety bolts, holding each available for both scrapers, as well. roller captive. Foot-operated locks www.woodwise.com anchor the system to the floor. www.covermaster.com
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 68 5/24/13 9:55 AM Product Focus Advanced Filtration
DriTac Flooring for a Products LLC DriTac’s Solid Wood & Bamboo Quality Repair Kit is an injectable two- part urethane solution designed to repair hollow spots, voids Finish and popping conditions in wood flooring installations. It saves valuable time and money, with no board replacement required, the ProTeam® Super Coach Pro™ 10 company says. The www.dritac.com attaches to a floor sander and captures fine dust for an immaculate clean prior to finishing. Easy Groove CLEANING FOR HEALTH® means a Easy Groove router bits are for cleaner finish and healthier air. job-site-created tongue-and- groove floor joints. They feature top-bearing design, durable C-2 carbide tips, heat-treated alloy arbors, replaceable cutter heads and a tough plastic container. The 5 bits are sized for ¾-inch, ⁄8-inch, and ½-inch flooring. The company 5 also produces a ⁄8-inch flooring spline. All of Easy Groove’s bits are 866.888.2168 | proteamnextgen.com manufactured in the U.S.
Mercer Abra- sives, a Division of Mercer Tool Corp. Mercer Abrasives says it sup- plies safety products to guar- antee a safe work environment. The N95 Particulate Respirator is NIOSH-approved and protects against dust and mist produced by sanding. The soft, closed-cell nose foam and adjustable nosepiece increases comfort and ensures the compatibility of glasses/goggles. www.mercerabrasives.com
O’Berry Enterprises O’Berry Enterprises’ Squeeeeek No More Hardwood Floor Fasten- ing System stops squeaks and pins down hollow spots with its snap-off screw system. The #8 screw has two pitches that pull the hardwood down; the screw then snaps off below the surface. After snapping, the screw looks like a counter-sunk trim nail. www.stopfloorsqueaks.com
The American Lung Association and ProTeam are partners in an educational campaign about Indoor Air Quality issues. The American Lung Association does not endorse products.
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 69 5/23/13 3:52 PM Product Focus | Tools + Supplies
Other continued
Primatech Inc. Roberts The G 100 Hot Melt Glue Applicator secures Roberts professional Start and Finish rows, inserts replacement line of Flooring Cutters boards, sets transitions and repairs hollow includes 9-, 13-, 18- and spots with the extra nozzle supplied. Its 25-inch Pro Flooring PrimStick quick-curing glue holds fast on Cutters. These cutters are all concrete or wood subfloors and causes no guillotine-style, manu- delay on the flooring site, the company says. factured to cut precise, www.primatech.ca clean edges on all types of flooring materials. The extendable handles provide extra leverage for more cutting power, and the adjustable cutting guide quickly swivels and locks in place for accurate angle cuts, making it easy to maintain perfect square cuts. www.robertsconsolidated.com Wolff Tools USA Wolff offers its Turbo II Stripper with a separate Hardwood Deflector Kit that allows easy stripping Woodwise/Design of hardwood floors without material and debris Hardwood Products interfering with the stripper’s wheels and under- carriage. The kit includes a deflector, underrun Woodwise Felt Floor Protector Pads protect wood, protection, special blades and a hardwood deflec- vinyl, parquet and ceramic floors from scratches, tor blade holder. dents and rust stains. By allowing furniture to glide across the floor, the pads also help prevent www.wolfftools.com furniture leg joints from becoming loose. The peel-and-stick pads come in ¾- and 1-inch sizes, 7 while the tap-in pads are available in ⁄8- and 1¼-inch sizes. www.woodwise.com
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JJ13-ToolsPF.indd 70 6/5/13 9:09 AM SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION imported woodfl ooring
Extraordinary Exotics
aple and oak are the meat and potatoes of the U.S. Mwood fl ooring industry, but sometimes a customer wants a little more spice. In the annual Imported Wood Flooring Product Focus, these companies—all advertisers in this issue—present their fi nest fl oors from forests around the world.
Elegance Exotic Wood Flooring The Garrison Collection All Elegance Wood Flooring is manufactured from premium Old Master Products says the elegance of its Garrison Col- materials and uses the highest quality raw lumber, the com- lection imported hardwood fl ooring is unmatched, adding pany says. Elegance offers smooth and handscraped solid and that its French Connection European white oak has an engineered products. Elegance Wood Flooring’s exotic collec- exquisite beauty that architects and designers are looking tions feature cumaru, African walnut and santos mahogany, for. The fl ooring is wire-brushed and comes with a beautiful among others. oil fi nish. www.elegancewoodflooring.com www.thegarrisoncollection.com Background photo: Flickr | с ethan
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JJ13-importedPF.indd 71 5/23/13 10:49 AM imported SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION woodfl ooring
Mullican Flooring Urban Floor Mullican Flooring’s MeadowBrooke Collection consists of Urban Floor says its Compos- 1 fi v e ⁄2-inch-thick engineered products that are made from er Collection resembles the tigerwood, Brazilian cherry, santos mahogany, amendoim look and feel of reclaimed and cumaru woods. Available in 3- and 5-inch widths, these hardwood fl oors, enhanced fl oors also come in extended 7-foot, random board lengths for with the performance of en- easier installation and a more beautiful room appearance. gineered fl ooring. The bow- www.mullicanflooring.com tie inlays and split surface of this ultra-wide (11.5 inch) and extra-long imported oak collection brings back the look of the fl oors used in historic colonial estates. The Composer Collection is the perfect balance between the artistry of yesterday and the innovation of today, the company says. www.urbanfloor.com
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72 Hardwood Floors ■ June|July 2013 www.hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
JJ13-importedPF.indd 72 5/23/13 10:49 AM New Products
1 Flooring Pro Fastening’s L-Cleat/T-Cleat Combo Tool works with all brands of 16-gauge 1½- to 2-inch fl ooring T and L cleats. The tool has an ergonomic, user-friendly design; a durable, high- capacity, easy-load magazine; and a swiveling air connector. A 33 non-marring mallet and additional ¾- and ⁄32-inch footpads are included. 1 www.fpfastening.com
2 3M says its Peltor X Series earmuffs protect workers at levels up to 31 decibels. The ear cups tilt for optimum comfort, the wider ear cushions create a more effective seal and the twin headband design 2 reduces heat buildup while providing outstanding fi t and balance, the company says. www.3M.com
3 Terra Legno’s Charcoal Walnut engineered fl oor, part of the 9 Annoso Collection, is FSC-certifi ed. Charcoal Walnut is ⁄16 inches thick and 5 inches wide with a micro-bevel edge and an oil fi nish. Terra Legno says the collection is durable, easy to clean and can be 3 installed with glue or staple methods. www.terralegno.com
4 CableOrganizer.com’s ChordSavers fl oor cord covers are available in dark oak, light oak, cherry and stainable for custom matching of any hardwood fl ooring. They are an ideal solution for 4 covering, hiding and protecting wires and cables while preventing trip hazards, the company says. ChordSavers are an easy snap- together system for any cable length. www.cableorganizer.com 5 5 Easy Groove Tooling LLC introduces the Cleat Card, a T&G fl ooring nail set designed to fi t in the nailing groove at a 45-degree angle. Placed next to the high cleat and “swiped” while tapping with a hammer, Cleat Card effi ciently supports and sets the cleat without damaging the fl ooring edges or bending the cleat. [email protected]
6 Maine Heritage Timber’s Great Northern engineered fl ooring collection is made from old-growth spruce and fi r trees cut in 1916 after centuries of growth and preserved in the frigid waters of Maine lakes and rivers. This assortment of river-reclaimed spruce and fir is available in four widths and an average length of 40 inches. 6 www.westbranchheritagetimber.com
7 Homasote Company tested its 440 SoundBarrier at Virginia Tech and found its underlayment improved the hardwood fl oors’ withdrawal strength. Millions of square feet of 440 SoundBarrier have been installed under hardwood fl oors in UL-listed assemblies for residential and commercial construction, exceeding STC/IIC code requirements, the company says. www.homasote.com 7
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JJ13-NewProducts.indd 73 5/22/13 10:26 AM AdIndex Connect with HF and these advertisers 24/7. Get all the information you need at your fi ngertips at: hardwoodfl oorsmag.com
Stay connected with HF: Online. Anytime. Anywhere.
Quickly locate an advertiser in this issue using the list below:
3M | www.3M.com ...... 2 Mullican Flooring | www.mullicanflooring.com ...... 76
Appalachian Lumber Co. Inc. | Norton Abrasives | www.nortonfloorsanding.com ...... 29 www.appalachianlumber.net ...... 42 NWFA | www.nwfa.org ...... 45, 59 Basic Coatings | www.basiccoatings.com ...... 9 Olde Wood Ltd. | www.oldewoodltd.com ...... 13 Bona US | www.bona.com ...... 4 Oneida Air Systems | www.oneidavac.com ...... 31 Bostik Inc. | www.bostik-us.com ...... 75 Palo Duro Collection | www.palodurohardwoods.com .....33 Brazilian Direct Ltd. | www.brazilianhardwood.com ...... 40 Palo Duro Collection | www.palodurohardwoods.com .....55 Clarke American Sanders | www.americansanders.com ....35 Primatech Inc. | www.primatech.ca ...... 65 D & M Flooring | www.dm-flooring.com ...... 15 ProTeam Inc. | www.pro-team.com ...... 69 Delmhorst Instrument Co. | www.delmhorst.com ...... 42 Shamrock Plank Flooring | Elegance Exotic Wood Flooring | www.shamrockplankflooring.com ...... 3 www.elegancewoodflooring.com ...... 23 Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling Inc. | Garrison Collection, The | www.sheogaflooring.com ...... 26 www.thegarrisoncollection.com ...... 10 Stauf USA LLC | www.staufusa.com ...... 21 Lignomat USA Ltd. | www.lignomat.com ...... 30 SuperMax Tools | www.supermaxtools.com ...... 72 MAPEI Corp. | www.mapei.com ...... 25 Urban Floor | www.urbanfloor.com ...... 37 Maxwell Hardwood Flooring | www.maxwellhardwoodflooring.com ...... 38 Wagner Meters | www.wagnermeters.com ...... 27
Mercer Abrasives div. of Mercer Tool Corp. | Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products | www.mercerabrasives.com ...... 7 www.woodwise.com ...... 18
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JJ13-Index.indd 74 5/23/13 1:26 PM GUARANTEED EVEN THICKNESS With Our Patent Pending Thickness-Control™ Spacer Technology*
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.
www.bostik-us.com
For more information, call your local distributor or a Bostik customer service representative today at 1-800-726-7845.
*Surface preparation instructions must be followed to ensure proper coverage and guarantee even thickness.
HF06_Bostik612.indd 1 5/24/12 2:31 PM • CHATELAINE • • CASTILLIAN • • LINCOLNSHIRE • HAND SCULPTED WIRE BRUSHED HAND SCULPTED HAND SCULPTED AND WIRE BRUSHED HARDWOOD SELECTIONS From our finest 3/4” Solid Hardwood Floors like Hand Sculpted Chatelaine and Knob Creek plus Wire Brushed Castillian and Williamsburg, to our Hand Sculpted Engineered selections such as Chalmette, San Marco, and Lincolnshire, Mullican Flooring is firmly committed to providing our Customers with a comprehensive array of American-made Solid and Engineered Hardwood American Flooring options. ®
www.mullicanflooring.com 1-800-844-6356
HF06_Mullic613.indd 1 5/21/13 7:44 AM