August|September 2010

Transcription

The
Green Issue
Sustainable Tropical Logging page 36
Reclaimed Product Focus page 41
Understanding the Lacey Act
Product Focus
Inlays, Borders + Vents
page 24
Go to Resource Center for more info
Some people think that environmental regulations and
compliance issues lead to inferior products. That’s not
the case with DuraSeal’s 350 VOC Polyurethane. You
still get the same exceptional flow, leveling and dry
times you’ve come to expect from DuraSeal. You also
get a product with absolutely no harsh smell, and your
choice of one- or five-gallon containers – no more
quarts! So stick to the oil-based finish you want, while
meeting the needs of new compliance issues with
DuraSeal’s 350 VOC Polyurethane.
For more information, call 1-800-364-1359 or visit
www.duraseal.com
for your nearest
distributor.
Contents Features
Vol. 23.4
The Green Issue:
From the Jungle
By John Vick
A look at this exotic flooring’s
difficult—and sustainable—
journey.
page 36
Bozovich Timber
36
Your Business
Live and Learn
By Chris Zizza
Going dustless was a great leap for this company.
page 17
Legal
By Steve Lange
Establish a Records Retention Schedule for
your business.
page 20
Management
By Elizabeth Baldwin
Use the Lacey Act to help grow your business.
24
page 24
On the Cover:
Photo ©Mailthepic|Dreamstime
August|September 2010 Q Hardwood Floors 5
Contents
On the Job
13
In Every Issue
Ask the Expert
Questions answered on matching existing flooring, drum sander
chatter and resanding engineered flooring.
page 27
Chairman’s Message
From the Field
page 8
By Robin Pharo
How will the new EPA lead regulations affect you?
NWFA News
page 10
page 29
Troubleshooting
Woodworks
By Peter Fahey
A customer gets antsy about this insect problem.
page 13
page 31
Ad Index
Techniques
page 58
By Andrew St. James
Understand the science of water and wood
for better floors.
page 32
32
Industry News
Products
page 56
Product Focus
Reclaimed Flooring
page 41
Borders, Inlays + Vents
page 46
Special Advertising Section:
Going Green
page 51
6 Hardwood Floors Q August|September 2010
Clean, Green,
and Low VOC.
The Perfect Formula for
Refinishing Wood Floors.
®
Check out Basic Coatings’ Green Products at www.basiccoatings.com or call 800-441-1934.
>>chairman’s message
The magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association
NWFA Chairman
Neil Poland
NWFA Executive Director/CEO
Edward Korczak, CAE
NWFA Offices
111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd. • Chesterfield, MO 63005
800/422-4556 • 636/519-9663 • Fax: 636/519-9664
[email protected] • www.nwfa.org
Editorial Advisory Committee
John Lessick, Chair/Board Liaison (Apex Wood Floors Inc.)
Dan Antes (Distinctive Hardwood Floors)
Daniel Boone (Powernail Company Inc.)
Joe Boone Jr. (Wood Floors Online Inc.)
Avi Hadad (Avi’s Hardwood Flooring)
Galen Fitzel (3M)
Robert Humphreys (Majestic Wood Floors Inc.)
Mike Litchkowski (Dekora Parket)
Sprigg Lynn (Universal Floors Inc.)
Robert McNamara (Bostik Inc.)
Charles Peterson (CP Wood Floors)
Jim Powers (Saroyan Lumber Company)
Genia Smith (Accent Hardwood Flooring Inc.)
Janet Sullivan (Lenmar Inc.)
Tricia Thompson (Enmar Hardwood Flooring Inc.)
Publication Staff
Kris Thimmesch
Publisher
Kim M. Wahlgren
Editor
Doug Dalsing
Associate Editor
Scott Maurer
Art Director
Marjorie Schultz
Electronic Production Manager
Scott Packel
Production Assistant
Gretchen Kelsey Brown, Peter Brown
Group Publishers
Kara Clark
Controller/Circulation Director
Sharon Siewert
Administration Director/Accountant
Sadye Ring
Graphic Designer
Jodi Chamberlain
Sales Coordinator
Lisa Popke
E-mail Marketing Coordinator
Alex Malyutin
Web Programmer
Susan Bickler, Erika Reise
Online Producers
Editorial and Advertising Offices:
Athletic Business Publications Inc.
4130 Lien Road • Madison, WI 53704
608/249-0186 • 800/722-8764 • Fax: 608/249-1153
[email protected] • www.nwfa.org
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: In order to ensure uninterrupted delivery of Hardwood Floors, notice of change should be made
at least five weeks in advance. Direct all subscription mail to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 47705, Plymouth, MN 55447, call
800/869-6882 or fax 866/658-6156. For faster service, visit us online at www.nwfa.org/member/mag.aspx. Single-copy price is
$8. Subscription price is $40 for seven issues in the U.S.A. and Canada. International subscriptions
(via airmail) are $65. Hardwood Floors is published bi-monthly, plus the annual industry resource
book, and distributed without charge to those active in the wood flooring industry. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 47705, Plymouth, MN 55447.
Publication Mail Agreement #40049791. Canadian mail distribution information: International Mail
Express, Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. Printed in the U.S.A. © 2010 Athletic Business
Publications Inc. and National Wood Flooring Association. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (ISSN 0897-022X) Periodicals Postage Paid at Madison,
Wisconsin, and at additional mailing offices.
NWFA
A New
Campaign
By Neil Poland
Chairman, NWFA
I
n this column in the June/July issue of Hardwood Floors, I
announced a National Wood Flooring Association initiative to
fund a national advertising campaign for North American hardwood flooring. Since then, the NWFA has become involved in an
exciting new program already in progress to develop a national
advertising campaign to promote the entire American hardwood
industry. The program, called the Unified Hardwood Vision
Project, will promote American hardwood and hardwood products
as sustainable, renewable and durable. In essence, it does
everything the NWFA had hoped to do with its own campaign,
and it accomplishes it on a much
larger scale without any additional
assessments to our members.
The program is already underway. Phase one of the project is
scheduled to be completed by the
end of this year. This phase will
include research into consumer and
specifier preferences, brand identity
and strategic planning. Phase two
of the project, which will include
the campaign launch, is scheduled
for Jan. 1, 2011.
The United Hardwood Vision Project is an ad hoc coalition of hardwood company leaders from a
cross section of hardwood industry sectors. The coalition formed
to address the recent economic challenges faced by the entire
hardwood industry. Their task was to evaluate current hardwood
messaging and promotion, and to develop a campaign to raise
awareness for hardwood products and promote new buying
behaviors. The campaign will employ traditional as well as digital
and social media tactics aimed at producing measurable results
in improving hardwood markets.
Never before has our industry undertaken a campaign of this
magnitude. By bringing together all sectors of the hardwood
industry—furniture, cabinets, flooring, etc.—we can approach
this campaign as a unified front, with a unified message, for a
unified purpose: growing our industry. ■
The program
will promote
American
hardwood
and hardwood
products.
NWFAnews
>>executive director/ceo message
news and information from the national wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org
Show Me the Skills
By Ed Korczak, CAE
Executive Director/CEO
O
ne of the most popular features of the NWFA’s convention each year is the on-site demonstrations we host on the Expo show floor. In fact, attendance at the demos during this year’s show
in Washington, D.C., was so high that we had to bring in additional seating to accommodate
the overflow crowd. The bottom line is that wood flooring professionals are a “show me how to do
it/hands-on” type of crowd, and once you show them, they want to do it themselves.
What these demonstrations really represent is a taste of what our instructors cover during the
NWFA’s technical training schools. Since their inception, NWFA’s schools have been tasked with
demonstrating for our students how to master a particular skill, and then giving them the opportunity
to do it themselves in a classroom environment where they can get immediate feedback on their
technique from industry experts.
NWFA’s technical schools have a strong history. Our first school was held in 1989 in
Chicago with just 35 students. Second and third schools were held in Baltimore and Sacramento, Calif., the same year. These three schools were set up and run on a trial basis.
The trial schools were overwhelmingly successful, and resulted in the development
of a dedicated hands-on education program. Over the years,
our schools have evolved to reflect technological advances as
well as students’ needs. Our classes have included Introduction
to Wood Flooring, Wood Flooring Basics, Engineered Installation, Engineered Glue Down, Factory Finished Wood Flooring
Installation, Custom Factory Finished, Intermediate Installation
and Sand & Finish, Advanced Intermediate Installation and Sand
& Finish, Subfloor Solutions, Subfloor Preparation and Wood
Flooring Installation, Subfloor Preparation and Solid Glue Down
on Concrete, Wood Flooring Makeover—Basic to Advanced,
Custom Design and Craftsmanship, Custom Design and Finish, Advanced
Installation, Expert Installation and Expert Sand & Finish.
In fact, since 1995, the NWFA has offered 132 schools
dealing with wood flooring exclusively, more than any
other organization, and more than 3,640 students have
attended those schools.
This year, the NWFA will offer more than a dozen
schools designed to meet the various needs of wood
flooring professionals—from those just starting to those
who have years of experience. Best of all, scholarships
are available to attend these schools, whether you are
an NWFA member or not. You can learn more about the
Dennis Parks (top) led the first NWFA
schools and scholarship opportunities by visiting www.
technical schools, including this one in
nwfa.org, and clicking on “Education & Schools.” ■
Baltimore, held in 1989.
Scholarships
are available
to attend these
schools, whether
you are an NWFA
member or not.
NWFAnews
>>education and training
news and information from the national wood flooring association | www.nwfa.org
Southern Summer
Some of the attendees at
the NWFA school in
Mobile, Ala., in June
show off their handiwork.
A
s business owners in the beleaguered Gulf Coast region pleaded for tourists to come visit
them this summer in spite of the disaster with the Deepwater Horizons oil leak, a group
of wood flooring professionals headed to Mobile, Ala., in June, although not to enjoy the
beaches—they were dedicating a few days of their lives to improving their skills at an NWFA Installation and Sand & Finish School. Here’s who was involved at the school.
Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish School >> June 9-11 in Mobile, Ala.
Led by NWFA’s Steve Seabaugh, volunteer instructors included: Drew Steele (Basic Coatings), Dennis Bradley (Bona US), Jeff Marcum (Cherryhill Manufacturing Corp.), Matt Crawford (Clarke American Sanders), Rob
Zehnder (Colorado Hardwoods), Bill Costello (Dura Seal), Mark Mukosiej (Ground Floor Training & Consulting), Cort Dunlap (Hardwood Inspections), Brett Butler (Lenmar Inc.), Charlton Harris (Miller & Company Inc.),
Daniel Boone (Powernail Company Inc.), and Billy Simmons (Simmons Flooring).
NWFA 2010 Technical School Schedule
For more information: 800/422-4556 (U.S. and Canada) | [email protected] | www.nwfa.org
Sept. 14-17 .........Wood Flooring Basics (St. Louis)
Oct. 11-13 ...........Expert Sand & Finish (St. Louis)
Sept. 21-24 ..........Jigs and Staircase Workshop (St. Louis)
Nov. 3-5 ..............Intermediate Installation and Sand &
Finish (Vancouver, B.C.)
Oct. 5-9 ...............Expert Installation (St. Louis)
WOOD ■ works
i n si g h t s a nd in fo r m a tio n o n th e h a r d w o o d flo o r in g in d u s t ry
Beetlemania
olorado’s pine forests are under attack. The culprit? A rice-sized beetle that
burrows underneath bark to breed and feed. The effects? Myriad, one being hazardous dead pine stands that can fuel forest fires. The solution? Thin the
stands. But what to do with all of those felled dead pine trees? Denver-based T & G T & G is turning lemons into
lemonade with its Pine Kill Beetle
Hardwood Floor Specialists is turn
turning them into flooring; its Pine Beetle Kill Flooring
Flooring.
is one of the most queried products at www.
tandgflooring.com.
“Beautiful parts of the Rocky Mountains are just covt
ered with dead pine trees, and it’s a real issue, from resort real estate
to the
t fire damage opportunity it presents,” says T & G owner Chris
Keale.
The tiny beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, introduces in the tree
K
bluestain fungus, which stains the pine’s sapwood and eventually kills
the tree.
This fungus is what gives Pine Beetle Kill Flooring its distinct appeartr
ance. “It’s very gorgeous and it has a dramatic palette,” Keale says. T & G offers
both ¾-inch lodgepole and Ponderosa Pine Beetle Kill Flooring; the products
are available with beveled or square edges, in variable-width bundles of 3½,
The rice-sized mountain pine beetle
5½
and 7½ inches, and recently T & G added a prefinished option. Now, even
has decimated Colorado’s pine
hardwood
flooring buyers can help prevent forest fires.—D.D.
stands.
TREE ■ id
What trees are these?
Turn the page to find out.
Circle of Cork
Underfoot, corks see second life
P
opping the top off a bottle of
champagne usually marks one of
life’s milestones, from the birth of a
child to matrimony. Until recently, the
cork that caps most champagne and
Visible corks are proof the
wine bottles was most likely thrown
product is recycled.
out with the paper cake plates the
morning after. Today, however, companies like Marquand, Mo.based Yemm & Hart (www.yemmhart.com) are manufacturing
flooring from post-consumer cork. Yemm & Hart combines used
wine corks with post-industrial cork granules and a polyurethane
binder; this is pressed into blocks, split into sheets and sanded
into flooring tiles. “We as a society waste much of the natural resources we extract,” says Yemm & Hart President Stephen Yemm.
“When we recycle some of this waste we are maximizing the resources and the energy used to extract it.” So the next time you’re
about to discard that wine cork, just remember how much better
cork looks underfoot than in a garbage can.
August|September 2010 ■ Hardwood Floors 13
Yemm & Hart Ltd.
USDA Forest Service
C
Erich G. Vallery
It’s the scourge of Colorado pine, but the flooring is splendid
WOOD ■ works
Bond Breaker
W
hat sets Chippewa Valley, Wis.-based EcoScrape LLC’s flooring apart from other flooring
lines with a litany of green characteristics? To our
knowledge, it’s the only flooring line manufactured
by harnessing the power of a hydrogen fuel cell.
The cell—which is about the size of a computer
monitor—first takes in water and separates it into
base components hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen is expelled
into the environThis collection of cases, tubes, jugs and dials could be the future of
ment while the
manufacturing.
hydrogen—which
burns four times cleaner than fossil fuel—is transferred to a combustible engine
that powers machines for molding, gang-ripping and end-matching. What’s more,
EcoScrape uses raw lumber locally sourced from Wisconsin and Michigan, handscrapes its flooring, and offers a prefinished option with zero VOCs. “I wanted to
create as green a product as possible,” says EcoScrape President Bill Treiber. By
lessening its carbon footprint, EcoScrape’s product represents another step in the
A sample of hand-scraped hickory
green
direction. Treiber can be reached at 651/301-0387.
flooring from EcoScrape LLC.
TREE ■ id answer
Photos courtesy of EcoScrape LLC
Manufacturer harnesses the H in H2O
VINTAGE ■ moments
Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera)
Royal Oak
Courtesy of Smith & Fong
Hardness as Wood Flooring: Varies depending on
product and its construction.
At a Glance: For many people, the coconut palm is
the ultimate symbol of tropical relaxation. The trees
are also important economically, used in plantations.
Once they have passed prime fruit-bearing years,
though, the trees are usually burned or discarded. In
recent years, wood flooring manufacturers have begun to uitilize this palm tree waste to create flooring
with a unique visual.
14 Hardwood Floors ■ August|September 2010
ohn Evelyn may have been
the first modern tree hugger.
His book Sylva, or a Discourse
on Forest-Trees, regarded as the
first book on forestry, gained
importance in 1703 when a
hurricane-force storm decimated England’s oak forests and,
consequently, its shipbuilding industry. Evelyn’s work
inspired citizens to save
ve
oaks by establishing
protective nurseries
and planting trees;
forestry was viewed
as patriotic since a
strong navy helped
ensure the empire’s
future. This is why
the oak endures as thee
national tree of England.
nd.
Creative Commons
J
Because of
John Evelyn
(left) the oak
is revered in
Britain. The
complete text
of his book Sylva
can
ca be found at
www.Gutenberg.org.
www.G
GREEN
MULLICAN
The Mark of
Responsible Forestry
P
URE
G
ENIUS.
T
E
C
HE COLOR OF NVIRONMENTAL OMMITMENT.
GREEN. It’s the color of Profitability. And so much more. It’s also a commitment to maintaining
From well-managed forest
Cert. no. SCS-COC-002109
www.fsc.org
© Forest Stewardship Council
CERTIFIED
1PURE
00%
a sustainable, renewable supply of raw materials for tomorrow. At Mullican Flooring, we are 100%
Dedicated to our Customers, to proper Forest Management, and to providing a safe and steady supply
of raw materials to ensure there’ll be plenty of forest available for future generations. The manifestation
of this ongoing Environmental Commitment is Green Haven, a line
of flooring for which Mullican has 100% PURE Certification from
the Forest Stewardship Council, testimony to our never-ending
dedication to the Planet and the Resources upon which we all rely.
GH
REEN
AVEN
www.mullicanflooring.com
1-800-844-6356
WOOD ■ works
Green ■ speak
G
Your guide to green vocabulary
Cradle to Cradle:
A green certification offered by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC).
he MBDC
Cradle to Cradle
Certification evaluates products and
materials for human
health, environmental health and
recyclability. The
concept of Cradle to
Cradle is that companies can move beyond the traditional goal of “minimizing”—reducing the negative
impacts of commerce (eco-efficiency)—to a new
paradigm of “optimizing”—increasing its positive
impacts (eco-effectiveness); for example, designing
products and materials with life cycles that are safe
for human health and the environment and that can
be reused perpetually. For more information, visit
www.mbdc.com. (Source: MBDC)
© www.CartoonStock.com
Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM is a certification mark of MBDC.
T
HARDWOOD FLOORING ■ mini-quiz
3. True or False? The Lacey Act applies to both
imported and domestic wood flooring.
4. True or False? Some varieties of bamboo can
grow more than 3 feet in one day.
5. What is this?
2. Match the following with their definition:
1) Dusts a. Substances that become airborne at room temperature
2) Fumes b. Substances, normally liquids at
room temperature, that evaporate from a liquid or solid
3) Mists c. Substances formed when solid
materials are broken down, such
as by sanding
4) Gases d. Very fine particles that occur
when a metal is melted, vaporized and quickly cooled
5) Vapors e. Tiny liquid droplets usually created by spraying
Answers: 1. c 2. 1) c 2) d 3) e 4) a 5) b 3. True 4. True 5. A cork tree with recently harvested bark
Flickr/thirstforwine
1. You need to be certified by the EPA for leadsafe work practices if you are doing work in a
home built before…
a. 1969
b. 1974
c. 1978
d. 1984
Your Business
Live and Learn
Cleaning Up
Going dustless was a great leap for this company
By Chris Zizza
s a wood flooring contractor, you’re always looking for a way to differentiate yourself from the
competition, especially when you’re in a high-end
market like mine here in Boston. I started my company
back in 1988, and we quickly grew to having multiple
trucks and doing commercial work across the country.
But the biggest change in my business happened in 2004
when I bought my first truck-mounted dust evacuation
system. It’s been the focus of our company ever since.
A
Taking the Plunge
I didn’t jump into dustless floor sanding right away. I saw
the first trailer-mounted system that came out at the NWFA
convention, but it was four years later that I finally bought
BUSINESS BRIEFS
The 5 Ds
W
Flickr/Constantin B
henever your time is being eaten
up, use The 5 Ds:
• Do It. For any task that takes 15
minutes or less, just do it now.
• Delete It. Some things do not require
your response. Just because someone sent you something
doesn’t mean you have to reply.
• Delegate It. As often as possible, pass a task on to
someone else who can handle the job.
• Decide On It. No more moving items from one stack to
another, telling yourself, “I’ll get back to that.” Will you attend
the meeting or won’t you? Make a decision. Move on.
• Date It. Choose when you will give a big-ticket item
your undivided time and attention, then block it out in your
schedule. You can forget about it until then.
Dr. Joelle K. Jay, Ph. D., is senior managing partner at leadership development firm Pillar Consulting and the author of The
Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership. For
more, go to www.TheInnerEdge.com.
one (because of our winters, we went for a truck-mounted
system instead of a trailer). At first, we offered customers
“dustless” or “dusty” sanding, but inside of the first two
weeks, we said, “What are we doing? Why are we offering
‘dusty?’” We thought we’d have to offer it for new construction, where the GC doesn’t care about dust. That didn’t
turn out to be the case, and
our quality got even better
with no airborne dust landing in the topcoat.
We bought our second
truck-mounted system within
a year and haven’t looked
back; now we have six truck
mounts and three containment units (for our high rise
business). The containment
units are not as effective as the truck-mounted systems,
but they are the best option if you are above the third
floor. There’s no hanging plastic, no wearing dust masks,
and the job sites are cleaner. My workers absolutely love
dustless floor sanding, and I’m proud that they have it so
much better than I did when I was on a sanding crew.
Of course, these systems are expensive. My trucks cost
about $65,000 each. We raised our prices a dollar a square
foot, and you have to sell “dustless.” We’ve got a pretty
good marketing plan and we advertise heavily. We recently had a media event where we brought a big black grand
piano into our showroom, and I sanded the floor next to
the piano. We passed out white gloves so the media could
run their gloves across the piano to see the end result: no
dust! An added bonus? The event made the local TV news.
Our quality got
even better with
no airborne dust
landing in
the topcoat.
Avoiding Alarm
I also talk about the health benefits of dustless. Wood dust
is a carcinogen, but I certainly don’t go into a conversation with homeowners wanting to alarm them. I touch on
the fact that wood dust can be harmful, and I discuss the
benefits of wood floors for people with allergies and asthAugust|September 2010 Q Hardwood Floors 17
Your Business | Live and Learn
ma. If you have a client with a child suffering from asthma
and you tell them you can remove the carpeting and do
the new wood floors dustless, that’s a big selling point.
Now that our market is so aware of dustless floor sanding, there are some clients who won’t consider you if
you don’t offer dustless. Of course, when you’re sanding
a floor, technically nothing is 100 percent “dustless,” but
these systems come close. I had a client with $10 million
of art on his walls, and his insurance company wouldn’t
allow him to have his floors resanded, so he had been
living with his wood floors in terrible shape. We were able
to resand his floors with the art still on the walls.
Certainly, we’ve lost jobs where the customer said,
“That’s too much money.” But more often, instead of not
going with us, they’ll do fewer rooms. Maybe they were
going to do the entire downstairs, but instead they opt for
the living room and dining room, and next year they’ll do
the family room and foyer.
a customer tell me she was going with a different company because they were dustless and so much cheaper. I
asked if they had a dust evacuation system with the hoses
coming in and out of the house. It turned out that they
had the smaller dust containment units. I told her those
are excellent but not the same thing as the truck-mounted
systems, and she ended up going with us. I tell people:
the bottom line is if it’s not evacuation, it’s not dustless.
I would encourage every wood flooring contractor to
attend—at a bare minimum—either the NWFA Convention or Surfaces, if not both, every year. I think it is a huge
mistake for any level of contractor to not attend, because
that’s where you see what’s going on in our industry and
learn how to differentiate yourself from your competition.
You have to learn what’s coming down your own pipeline
and then you’ve got to sell it. Dustless floor sanding was
the biggest leap our industry has taken in the 25 years I’ve
been in business, and it’s been a big leap for my company, too. ■
Containment vs. Evacuation
Our industry talks about “dust containment” as a catch-all
phrase for any effort to control dust, but there’s an important distinction, and you have to be clear. I recently had
Chris Zizza is president at Needham, Mass.-based C&R
Flooring and Framingham, Mass.-based Wood Flooring
Inspectors of New England.
We’re full of
bright ideas.
Let us shed some light on edgers.
Even at first glance, the Pro+ Edgers distinguish themselves
from the field. Equipped with the industry’s brightest, most
natural LED light, the CE7 Pro+ and SE7 Pro+ simply outshine
comparable edgers. Better light gives you a better look. Which you’ll
appreciate, because thanks to their two-speed motor and significantly
reduced vibrations, the finish will definitely be something you’ll want to
see. To learn more about the Pro+ Edgers or any Clarke American
Sanders product visit www.americansanders.com
Because Pride Still Matters.
A Nilfisk-Advance Brand
www.americansanders.com
©2010 Nilfisk-Advance
TRAINING
WITHIN
YOUR REACH
NWFA 2010 SCHOOL SCHEDULE
January 20 – 22
February 24 – 26
March 3 – 5
April 20 – 22
May 12 – 14
June 9 – 11
August 10 – 12
September 14 – 17
September 21 – 24
October 5 – 9
October 11 – 13
November 3 – 5
Intermediate Installation, Sand & Finish
Advanced Installation
Sub-Floor Preparation/Solid Glue Down on Concrete
Wood Flooring Basics School
Jigs & Staircase Workshop
Expert Installation
Expert Sand & Finish
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
Lexington, South Carolina
New York City, New York
St. Louis, Missouri
Mobile, Alabama
San Diego, California
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
Vancouver, Canada
Register now at www.nwfa.org or 800-422-4556
Your Business | Legal Brief
On the Record
Establish a records retention schedule for your business
By Steve Lange
ll of us know, or should
know, that we need to save
and safeguard our business records. When we start up, it’s
easy to hang on to every document,
receipt, invoice and business record.
But, after a few years, we find that
all these records we’ve been keeping are taking up more floor space in
file cabinets than the work spaces for
ourselves and our employees.
The good news is that we really
don’t have to keep all those records
forever. Yes, some we do need to
keep forever. Some we keep only
until the IRS has had its way with us.
A
And some we need to keep for only a
few years. Determining which records
need to be kept, and for how long, is
a little harder. And properly disposing
of temporary records is not as simple
as just tossing the papers into the
recycling bin.
Here is where a records retention
schedule comes into play. This document lists the types of records your
business produces (financial, personnel, employee handbooks, contracts,
operations, meeting minutes, policy
statements, online privacy statements
… the list can seem endless); identifies any legal requirements for how
BUSINESS Q & A BY JIM BLASINGAME
Key Motivators
Q:
How do I get people motivated if they’ve lost their desire to
work hard?
A:
If they were motivated once, then something is going on that is causing
them to lose their drive. There’s a reason when people aren’t motivated.
In order to help them, find the answers to these questions:
• Are they being rewarded properly? Not just financial rewards; recognition is
very important.
• What behavior is being ignored? Some tasks may seem so mundane that you
fail to recognize good work in those areas.
• Ask, “What’s getting in the way of your being able to do your best work?”
Then listen to what they have to say and take the appropriate action.
Jim Blasingame is the creator and award-winning host of the nationally syndicated
radio/Internet talk show, “The Small Business Advocate,” and author of Small Business
is Like a Bunch of Bananas and Three Minutes to Success. Find Jim’s show and more
at www.SmallBusinessAdvocate.com, plus instant answers to your questions at his small
business knowledgebase, www.AskJim.biz.
20 Hardwood Floors n August|September 2010
long the record must be kept and the
requiring authority, such as the IRS or
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; notes how
long the record is generally actively
used in business operations; and possibly contains other information as
well, such as noting that the records
contain sensitive personal identifying data (or if microfilm or digitally
scanned copies are acceptable legal
alternatives to the paper document).
Follow the Plan
Search the Internet and you will find
plenty of information about records
retention schedules and samples,
such as the one offered by Millennium Records Management at www.
millenniumrecordsmgt.com/
RecordsRetention.pdf. Remember,
however, that a sample schedule is
just a generalized representation of
what one looks like. Your records
retention schedule will be tailored to
your type of business, where you are
located, in what state(s) and/or countries you do business, whether you
are privately owned or trade shares
on the stock market, are a public institution, hold government contracts,
and myriad other factors.
You will want to work with your
accountant, legal counsel, and/or a
professional records management
company to develop and establish
yours. Implement the records retention schedule officially so everyone in
your company knows about it. This
helps ensure that your vital records
An ordinary piece of wood
doesn’t stand a chance with these guys.
Years of training and experience mean that nothing but
the finest boards make it past our employees. That’s why
every board in every Mirage box has the same exceptional
quality. It’s the dedication to our craft that keeps you
voting Mirage #1 in quality year after year.
MIR AGE PREFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS
Your Business | Legal Brief
are actually kept in the first place. Later, say you have
several file cabinets of accounts payable invoices. Your
retention schedule says you need to keep these for six
years, but experience shows you really only get into them
for three years. Knowing this, you can free up your office
space by transferring these records to secure off-site storage or an acceptable alternative storage medium.
ing boxes down to a loading dock and feeding paper into
a shredder next to a dumpster. Recently, mobile shredding
companies have proliferated. A company will drive its big
truck-mounted confetti shredders to your business, haul
your boxes to the truck, let you witness their destruction
and give you a certificate of destruction.
Staying Above Board
Safe Disposal
Once you have records that reach the end of their retention
period you can dispose of them, but you can’t simply toss
them into the recycling can. You need to have an established process for their disposal. Yes, you have to create
more documentation to get rid of old documents.
You will want to have the people who generated the
records sign off that they no longer need the records. You
should note that the records have reached the end of their
retention period according to your established records
retention schedule, and check that their retention period
has not been extended due to audits, litigation, etc.
You will want to certify when, how, and by whom, the
documents were destroyed. This is easier today than haul-
Establishing, implementing, and following a records retention schedule will go a long way to ensuring that your
company keeps and maintains the vital records you need
to continue in business. And, in a worst case scenario,
should you be caught up in litigation or the like, it will
prove your records are kept and destroyed in a regular,
approved, documented process, and not in a midnight
burn out behind the barn in an amateurish attempt to
avoid culpability and responsibility, or to obstruct the legal
process. ■
Steve Lange is the senior editor for Palo Alto Software in
Eugene, Ore. This article was reprinted from an online
version at www.bplans.com.
22 Hardwood Floors n August|September 2010
Your Business | Management
ment
Looking at Lacey
Use the Lacey Act to help grow your business
By Elizabeth Baldwin
ou love the rich look of jatoba and the wild colors of tigerwood. One customer wants bamboo
to match her new “Asian décor,” while another knows that the vertical-grain sapele will give his
new office the classic feel that will impress his clients. But you’ve heard scary rumors about the
Lacey Act—how some woods aren’t safe. And another customer shies away from a favored line because she’s worried about the rainforest, saying, “Maybe I should just look at laminate or tile instead.”
What to do? You want to have a range of colors and styles of real hardwood to offer. Rest assured that
you can, both safely and proudly.
The most important thing is to understand that Lacey can protect both the world’s forests and you.
By selecting your suppliers and choosing your product lines carefully, you can use Lacey to promote
your imported products and reassure your customers that they are helping the environment.
Y
Your Responsibilities Under Lacey
Let’s look first at the act itself, and your obligations under the law. In simple English, the Lacey Act has
two primary provisions relevant to our industry:
1) It is a U.S. federal offense to trade in illegal plants/plant-based products. Examples of illegal activities include harvesting logs illegally, trading a product without paying proper duties or
other fees, or smuggling/stealing lumber. Lacey covers material from every country, including all
wood and wood products harvested and produced in the United States.
2) Importers need to file a declaration with the U.S. government identifying what species they are
bringing in and where it came from.
Moreover, the Lacey Act confers responsibility on all members of the flooring industry—importers, distributors, retailers and contractors—to conduct “due diligence.” Due diligence is making a
reasonable and responsible effort to understand and evaluate your supply chain. To do this, you
will want to ask questions of your suppliers to make sure they are doing their best to harvest and
supply you with legal wood.
Doing “Due Diligence”
istockphoto
In order to demonstrate due diligence, keep your conversations on
the record—send a fax, an e-mail or a letter to your supplier and
ask them what actions they are taking. Do they have an environmental policy? Do they have staff responsible for monitoring Lacey
compliance? Do they question their own suppliers about the chain
of custody? Do they participate in any certification programs such
as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) or the NWFA’s Responsible Procurement Program (RPP)?
If you feel that one of your suppliers is not taking responsible
action or is not taking Lacey seriously, you may have to consider
dropping that line. However, if you receive reassuring answers, you
should be able to use the information provided to promote your
Your Business | Management
imported products as legal and positive.
Giving the Forest Value
After all, imported woods should be promoted; developing
a healthy and legal international forest industry can help
save the rainforest. In the past, countries have tried to “save
the rainforest” by banning tropical timber. Unfortunately,
this usually has the opposite effect. When the forest has no
value, people have to use the land for something that does
provide them with an income. So they simply burn the trees
and plant something people will buy, such as coconuts, bananas or palm oil. The best way to save the forest is to give
it value so people treat it as an investment and look to it
for the long-term return. The more value the wood has, the
more people will protect it and plant for the future.
Ken Snyder, tropical forest coordinator for the National
Audubon Society, has studied the effectiveness of boycotts
in conservation campaigns. Among his conclusions: “The
majority of tropical forests are in countries experiencing
extensive economic hardships and carrying massive loads of
debt. These governments are stuck in a short-term mindset
as they desperately exploit cash crops and natural resources
in order to generate foreign currency. A boycott can put ad-
ditional pressure on these fragile economies, hindering conservation programs and causing the government to increase
exploitation of resources.”
Furthermore, recent survey data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has shown
that overall, forests outside tropical regions are increasing
in size. The reason is generally attributed to healthy forest
products industries. The more profitable the forests are, the
more people will work to keep them healthy and increase
their number. This has been proven by the U.S. forest industry. The wood flooring industry can help save the world’s
forests by assisting developing nations in creating strong,
legal and sustainable forest industries.
Neither the Lacey Act nor imported products should be
feared. By practicing good “due diligence” and asking questions, companies can protect themselves from Lacey prosecution. And once they are confident in the legality of their
supply, they can promote the beauty and variety of imported woods knowing that they are doing their part to ensure
that the world’s forests are being secured for the future. ■
Elizabeth Baldwin is environmental compliance officer at
Kent, Wash.-based Metropolitan Hardwood Floors.
On the Job
Ask the Expert
Matching Oak, Chatter & More
Oak Matchmaker
My customer had a red oak
floor installed in his dining
room five years ago. Now he
wants the same flooring in the
adjacent living room. There’s a
4-foot-wide case opening dividing the rooms. Can I get the
floors to match?
Rusty Swindoll, assistant technical training director at the National
Wood Flooring Association, answers:
It’s possible. Following are some
things you need to consider before
you accept this job:
1) What grade and width is the red
oak flooring?
2) Is the floor stained? Can you
match the color?
3) What is the finish and sheen?
4) In which direction do you need
to run the flooring? Can you continue
parallel to the existing floor (the easiest)? Or do you have to lace the floor
into the existing floor, staggering the
end joints? Another option is to use a
header board as a transition.
5) Trees come from different
regions, and that can affect the color
of the red oak. So, even if you match
the width and grade, if you install
Northern red oak next to Southern
red oak, the wood may not match.
6) Color changes from light exposure can affect the wood flooring and
the finish. Putting a final coat over
both the new and old flooring will
help but doesn’t guarantee a match.
7) Is the subfloor acceptable
according to NWFA’s Installation
Guidelines and the directions from
the flooring manufacturer?
Most importantly, before you accept
any job, be confident that you can
meet your customer’s expectations.
Make samples, and have the customer
approve them.
Chattering Drum
I love drum sanders, but my
new drum sander seems to have
chatter marks when I use the
drum paper (when I try belt
paper, though, it doesn’t). How
can I get rid of the chatter with
the drum paper?
Bill Price Sr., moderator of “Shoptalk” at The Villages, Fla.-based Floormasters.com, answers:
Drum machines can tend to chatter.
Old 12-inch machines usually did not
chatter because they ran slower than
8-inch machines. A few things to try
on the fine sanding are:
• Use the lowest drum pressure
setting.
• Fold the new paper using the
old paper from the machine, not the
template.
• Back off slightly on the cams.
• Check your belts for cracks or
chips.
• Check all pulleys for chips.
• Make sure your wheels are clean.
• Check the fan blade in the fan
assembly for chips.
• Be sure that your drum is true.
• Check all four corners of the paper to be sure they tighten equally.
Most important, insert your shim
behind the flap of the fine paper. This
will reduce the size of the slot.
TRICK
RICK OF
OF THE
THE TRADE
RADE
Stacked Up
J
oshua Crossman, owner at Yelm, Wash.-based contracting company P.T.L.
Hardwoods, wanted an inexpensive way to stack his extra bundles of wood
lying around so they would be separated and organized. He came up with this
setup for around only $30. Just lag-bolt 4-by-4s to your wall, drill 1-inch holes
and insert 2-foot-long 3⁄4-inch steel pipe. Use three to four evenly spaced.
Thanks to Joshua Crossman for his tip. Do you have a Trick of the Trade? Send it to
[email protected].
On the Job | Ask the Expert
Resanding Engineered
We are refinishing more and
more engineered floors. What
should we be aware of when
sanding this type of flooring?
Genia Smith, president at Durham,
N.C.-based Accent Hardwood Flooring Inc., answers:
Good question. If at all possible, determine how thick (or thin!) the top ply
is and whether you think the flooring
can be sanded at all. If you determine
it can’t be sanded, recommend replacement or recoating. If it can be sanded,
include this type of language in your
contract: “There is a possibility that we
will sand through the top veneer of
this flooring. Should this happen, repair or replacement may be necessary.
The cost of this repair will be $__ per
hour plus material. The cost of replacement will be $__.”
Proceed with sanding as usual.
Rotary disc sanders are an excellent
choice for refinishing this type of
flooring. Be particularly careful not
to sand too deep, especially around
vents and edges, which are notoriously uneven and/or high. Instead
of “sanding flat,” you will want
your machines to ride on top of the
surface.
Unfortunately, you will end up
sanding through the top ply occasionally. Be prepared. Keep several types of common engineered
flooring on hand in popular widths
and sizes for repair jobs. When it
happens, chisel the affected area out
of the flooring. If the sand-through
is on an edge, take out the adjoining board, as well. The trick to this
repair is that you must take material
off the bottoms of the new boards.
We use a table saw and fence to
Premiere Finishing
slice through (half at a time to keep
your fingers!) the new boards. A
planer will work, as well. Dry-fit the
new boards until they are slightly
below the rest of the flooring. Trimming the boards slightly, as well
as using suction cups, makes this
process easier. When you get the
boards just right, glue them in. The
height of the glue will bring the
boards back up to the proper level.
We put down plenty of glue so we
can adjust the height to slightly
above the unaffected boards. Now
when you sand the new boards
there is enough material to sand
them flat without taking any more
material off of the adjoining area.
Fortunately for us, acres of this
flooring is being installed every day
and will need to be refinished by
a professional at some point. That
professional is you. ■
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• Equal benefits and beauty at a lower cost
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To learn more:
Contact Jeff Beach or George Palmer.
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On
O
n th
the Job | From the Field
Lead Laws
How will the new federal regulations affect you?
By Robin Pharo
ven though we’ve had lead
protection laws in place since
in the U.S. since 1978, regulation and enforcement have been
lax. As a result, the EPA enacted the
Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule on April 22; it requires
contractors to follow lead-safe work
practices when renovating or remodeling certain buildings. To help enforcement, there are significant fines,
starting at $37,500 per day, with each
E
fine doubling for willful disregard of
the standard; there is no cap on the
total fine amount for a company.
Compliance
Lead-safe practices set forth by the
rule must be followed when disturbing more than 6 square feet of
a coated surface in any pre-1978
child-occupied facility or home. Also,
the rule only applies to individuals working for compensation, so
TALES FROM THE FRONT
homeowners who do their own work
are exempt if they are working on a
single-family home.
To clarify, “coatings” includes any
paint, stain, shellac or varnish—the
rule does not just apply to paint.
Unfortunately, there is a chance
nearly any coated surface contains
lead, including stained wood. This
means that wood flooring contractors performing any remodeling
work (like floor sanding or removing
baseboards) that disturbs any coated
surface must follow the new rule.
Exemptions
Getting a Lift
A callback for levitation
Avi Hadad, owner at El Sobrante, Calif.based Avi’s Hardwood Flooring, recalls
one job with a unique problem. It started typically: He got a call from one of his
GCs to see a job “ready for the wood floors,” but when he showed up, the HVAC
was not on and the moisture content in the subfloor was too high. Avi notified the
GC that he could not deliver the wood until the the MC was correct, and the GC
got upset. After much fuss, the GC agreed to wait. Once living conditions were
achieved the floor was delivered, acclimated and installed. The client was happy
and so was the GC. When Hadad showed up for the final walk-through, though,
the client mentioned something was wrong with one of the wood vents. Hadad was
perplexed and followed the client upstairs to look at the problem. The client covered
the vent with a rug and turned on the heat. The air blew so hard through that one
vent that it lifted the rug a few inches off the floor. Hadad smiled, took a picture,
received the final payment and let another contractor deal with that callback.
If you have a true (and printable) story to share, e-mail it with your name and phone
number to [email protected].
There are some exceptions to having to follow the lead-safe practices
set forth in the rule. For example,
you’re exempt from the rule if you’re
working in housing for the elderly or
disabled, housing with zero bedrooms (like efficiencies, dorms or
hotels), or you’re working in housing
that has been tested and proven to
be free of lead-based coatings. You’re
also exempt if you’re working on a
building that was built after 1977, but
you must have some legal document
showing this.
Certification
There are two types of certification—individual and firm—and you
need both of them. First, a company
must have at least one worker who
has gone through the new eight-hour,
EPA-accredited training session; this
Industrial strength time
and dust remover.
The ProTeam Super CoachVac® HEPA
attaches & detaches to floor sanders, capturing
fine dust before it re-enters the environment.
On the Job | From the Field
makes that worker a “certified renovator.” The cost of
individual certification is set by training providers, not by
EPA, so the cost varies; usually it’s around $300. Next, that
individual’s company must become a Lead-Safe Certified
Firm, which costs $300 for all companies. (To compensate
for a dearth of training providers, EPA delayed the firm
and individual certification requirements until Oct. 1 and
Dec. 31, respectively, but contractors working in target
housing are
still required to
follow lead-safe
work practices.
EPA has said it
is simply giving
firms more time
to get certified.) A certified
renovator is required to be on each job site for the posting
of work area signs, initial job site contamination setup and
final clean-up. That worker isn’t required to be on the job
site at all times; he just needs to be available by phone
while coated surfaces are under renovation. This might
enable your company to get by with having just one certified renovator. Both certification types last for five years.
At EPA-approved training, topics range from what is
covered (and excluded) under the rule, regulated work
practices, cleaning procedures, and required documentation for all jobs. Also, there is a significant portion of
hands-on training dedicated to new work practices that
have been found to limit exposure of lead to occupants.
I recommend you review the requirements of the law
to determine if your company will need to comply so you
can protect your business and clients. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm. ■
To help enforcement,
there are significant
fines, starting at
$37,500 per day.
Robin Pharo is owner of Healthy Home Reports, a leadsafe training provider in Wisconsin.
866.888.2168
www.pro-team.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.
WHAT’S WRONG
WITH THIS PICTURE?
Answer: The installer used cardboard to try to
level the subfloor.
ProTeam’s LineVacer® meets the EPA’s definition
of a HEPA Vacuum under the Lead Safety
Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. For
more information go to www.pro-team.com
On the Job | Troubleshooting
Insect Invasion
Customer gets antsy about insect problem
By Peter Fahey
The Problem
I received an inspection request call from a retailer. A consumer with a solid 5⁄16-by-2¼-inch prefinished oak floor in
her condo was complaining of shrinkage gaps and loose
boards. Shrinkage gaps in solid wood flooring in Ohio
in February are not an unusual complaint, but there was
more: She said there were ants emerging from the gaps,
and she blamed the wood flooring for the insects!
The Procedure
The single-level senior condo had wood flooring glued to
the slab in the kitchen. According to the retailer, the floor
was installed in August using the recommended adhesive.
She said
there were ants
emerging from
the gaps.
The Cause
At the time of the inspection, the relative
humidity (RH) was
25.1% at 70.7 degrees
Fahrenheit. Moisture meter readings
revealed a moisture
content (MC) at the
surface (1⁄4-inch depth) ranging from 5.9 to 6.9%, with
an average of 6.2%. Gaps between the long edges of the
boards were visible. Most were less than 1⁄16 inch; there was
one 1⁄8-inch gap in front of the refrigerator where the heat
from the condenser blower
hit the floor. The boards were
solid and well-bonded, but
showed some hollowness
below the largest gap.
Small dark ants less than
1
⁄8 inch long were visible on
the floor. Some insects are
associated with wet, damaged
wood. Termites are common
in the warmer Southern areas
of the U.S., but usually not in
Ohio. Carpenter ants also can be a problem. Both termites
and carpenter ants live in and tunnel into wood.
Grease or thief ants are one of the smallest ants found
in homes; they are yellow to dark brown and only 1⁄16 inch
long. Indoors, these ants nest in cracks and crevices of
walls and cabinets, under floors and behind baseboards.
They prefer to eat grease, fats and meats, and can move in
a column of ants between the food and the nest. Another
small pest are “sugar” ants. Sugar and grease ants have no
defensive sting or bite.
Carpenter ants are one of the largest members of the
ant family (1⁄4 to ½ inch). They prefer to excavate wood
that has been damaged by water. Carpenter ants are usually black. They often set up satellite colonies inside homes
from parent colonies located outside.
The Cure
Winter heating causing seasonal drying and gaps between
boards is the most common wood flooring complaint in
Ohio; humidification is the usual fix, so a humidifier was
recommended to close the gaps. For the one spot with
the hollow sounds, an epoxy glue gun was used to inject
epoxy adhesive under the area.
In this case, since the ants were not carpenter ants, we
could conclude that the wood flooring had nothing to do
with the ant infestation, so a pest specialist was necessary.
Ant nests are difficult to locate since the pests travel 30
feet or more in search of food. Ready-to-use insecticides
applied into cracks and crevices in the vicinity of the nest
may be effective, though re-appearance of the ants is
common. Better success results with poison ant baits, but,
of course, households with pets and children must take
safety precautions with poison baits.
The Future
Be sure to always prepare customers for seasonal gaps if
the flooring will be subjected to low humidity. Regarding
ants, customers can be reassured that although carpenter
ants can be a sign of wet and damaged wood, small ants
are a nuisance not related to flooring or other wood. ■
Peter Fahey is flooring division manager at Clem Lumber & Distributing in Alliance, Ohio, and is an NWFACP
Certified Inspector.
On the Job | Techniques
Under the Microscope
Understand the science of water and wood for better floors
Andrew St. James, Ph.D.
e all know the majority of wood flooring complaints are moisture-related. Although the
relationship between water and wood can seem mysterious and complex, wood actually responds to moisture changes in predictable ways. Here’s a look at the basic science
behind why wood moves the way it does when it comes in contact with moisture. Once we understand that, we can end up with fewer problems, better floors and happier customers.
W
Under the Microscope
The cell is the basic structural unit of wood. Most wood cells are hollow cylinders, which you can
see in the photo below. In softwoods, the long dimension is typically 100 times greater than the
diameter, and cells can average ¼ inch long. Hardwoods have a more varied cell structure, but the
basic shapes are similar. The vertical direction in the stem of a normal tree is called the longitudinal
direction; most cells are oriented in this direction.
Variations in cell type, size, and wall thickness give rise to the visual characteristics of wood such
as growth rings and grain. Cells formed early in the growing season—earlywood—usually have
larger diameters and thinner walls. Cells growing later in the year—latewood—have smaller diameters and thicker walls. Several layers comprise the cell wall, but most of the structural properties
are dominated by the thickest layer, called S2.
Ray cells are aligned from the center
toward the bark radially instead of longitudinally. The light flecks, or rectangular
patches, in quartersawn white oak are
rays. The number of ray cells varies considerably between species; this affects the
appearance and structural characteristics.
Large rays contribute to both stability of
quartersawn lumber and its tendency to
check along the rays.
Where the Water Goes
Andrew St. James
The hollow centers in living wood cells
usually contain water. When liquid water is
present, the wood is above the fiber saturation point (FSP). Above the FSP wood does
not shrink or swell when its moisture content (MC) changes. Below the FSP, however,
wood changes size when the MC changes.
This cross-section of cypress shows cells that
are approximately 0.002 inch across; rays are
horizontal.
MC is defined by the ratio of the weight of water in wood
to the weight of all the other material (its dry weight).
Cellulose typically accounts for almost half of wood’s
dry weight. Cellulose is a chain polymer that is extremely
long compared with its width and has high bond strength,
which gives resistance to elongation or breaking. Cellulose mostly aligns with the long axis of the cell. Along the
sides of the cellulose molecules there are locations where
water molecules can attach with a chemical bond. When
relative humidity (RH) increases, more water molecules
adhere to the sides of the cellulose—it gets fatter but not
longer. The result is that the cell walls get thicker, causing
the boards to expand. However, there is almost no change
in cell length, so there is almost no change in the length
of the board. When the humidity goes down, the process
reverses: Water leaves the cell walls to go into the air and
the wood shrinks.
Reaching Equilibrium
The Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) as a function of
humidity is not strongly species-dependent. EMC values
are in the Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering
Material (the new “Centennial” version is available for free
download from the Forest Products Laboratory at www.
fpl.fs.fed.us/products/publications). Realize, though, that
wood properties can vary between different pieces within
the same species, so several readings should be taken to
measure flooring MC (a wide variation in MC can indicate
a problem).
Many species have longitudinal shrinkage from FSP to
ovendry in the range of 0.1 percent—small enough to be
unimportant in most flooring installations. But shrinkage
of 10 percent is not unusual for flatsawn board face widths
for the same MC change. For most species, quartersawn
lumber is significantly more stable (1.5 to 2 times). The
difference is caused by the ray cells, the different stability
of earlywood and latewood, asymmetric cell wall structure,
MC vs. EMC
Moisture Content (MC): The mass ratio of water content
to wood substance. In theory, it can be measured at any
instant.
Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC): The MC that
wood will reach when it has been in an unchanging environment for a long enough time. Relative humidity tables
are given in terms of EMC.
An easy way to understand MC versus EMC is to think
about putting a piece of cold iron in a hot oven. It will have a
temperature at any time but only after long enough will the
temperature be that of the oven.
The center piece demonstrates compression set: It was cut,
soaked while restrained from swelling, and redried. It is now
slightly narrower.
and pit location. Since expansion takes place in the cellulose, portions of wood that are denser tend to shrink more.
Flatsawn and quartersawn expansion coefficients (tangential and radial) and shrinkage values are available in
the Wood Handbook; shrinkage values are also at www.
fpl.fs.fed.us/research/centers/woodanatomy. You can use
these to calculate change in size for moisture changes. If
you know the seasonal change in humidity, you can predict how much the wood will change in size. Or, you can
do the reverse: If a board changes size, you can calculate
the moisture change necessary to account for the change.
When humidity changes, wood eventually reaches a
new EMC. This takes a significant amount of time as the
water diffuses through the wood, so we shouldn’t expect
a wood floor to reach a new equilibrium in just a few
days. Floor finishes slow the rate of moisture change in
wood but do not stop it. The process of shrinking and
swelling can be repeated many, many times, although
some of the water bonding sites are lost after numerous
cycles, so the dimensional change diminishes.
Wreaking Havoc
With non-equilibrium conditions, it is possible for a
moisture-caused dimensional change to generate unbalanced forces within wood. Cupping is an example:
Internal forces generated by swelling of the wet side of a
board are sufficient to distort it. Compression set, when
boards swell against each other, is another example of
swelling generating large forces within wood. The force
is greater than the compression strength, thus the cell
structure changes. Unlike cupping, which is often reversible, compression set remains after the wood dries (see
the photo above).
Too-rapid kiln drying can cause other failures. In the
kiln, as the outside (shell) of wood dries, it shrinks. The
center of the piece, however, is still at a higher moisture
level, so it shrinks less. Tension is created in the shell.
If the tension is below the elastic limit, the deformation
will reverse when the force is removed. But if the force
is above the elastic limit, the wood does not recover its
original size when the force is removed (case hardening).
In more extreme cases, the wood cracks (drying checks).
Even if the checks appear to close later in drying, damage
remains and the product is susceptible to failure. Residual
internal forces can become evident when part of a board
is sawn off and the board distorts as it is sawn.
Of course, plywood has better stability. In plywood,
shrinking and swelling caused by moisture changes can be
diminished by 95 percent compared with flatsawn boards.
The more stable longitudinal crossplies restrain the less
stable flatsawn wood (tangential) of the adjacent plies.
For engineered flooring,
low humidity during the
heating season in
cold climates or arid regions
can cause cupping.
Dry Cupping
Engineered flooring is often constructed with a thin piece
of solid wood glued to plywood. In dry conditions the
wood in the top layer attempts to shrink across its face.
The shrinkage of the plywood backer is considerably less.
This can cause dry-cupping or even promote cracks in the
face similar to checks formed in rapid drying. Concerns
arise when the EMC is significantly different from the
manufactured value. With solid wood, we usually think of
excessive moisture causing cupping, but for engineered
flooring, low humidity during the heating season in cold
climates or arid regions can cause cupping.
When planning wood floor installations, it is important
to start with the moisture of the flooring at the appropriate
level for the site. The difference in expansion coefficients
between the longitudinal and cross-grain directions makes
moisture issues especially important for installations with
borders or feature strips.
Wood is a complex composite material that takes some
experience to master. But with a good background in the
behavior of wood and careful planning, you should be
able to avoid the disappointment of seeing thousands of
dollars of product curl up. Instead, you can enjoy the satisfaction of seeing floors look great years after installation. ■
Andrew St. James, Ph.D., is COO at Micanopy, Fla.-based
Goodwin Heart Pine.
From the Jungle
A closer look
at this exotic
flooring’s difficult—
and sustainable—
journey
By John Vick
T
ROPICAL HARDWOOD FLOORING IS
increasingly popular, but not many people are
aware of the lengthy, difficult process involved
in getting this product from its source in the rainforest
to the end user. At the same time, when considering
using tropical species, people are often concerned about
the destruction of the rainforest. Here’s a behind-thescenes look at how the company I work for—Lima,
Peru-based Bozovich Group—handles the process
of getting tropical flooring to market, from using
sustainable forestry practices to shipping the product
safely to the United States.
Cumaru (Dipteryx spp.) grows in Costa Rica, Panama,
From the Jungle
A closer look
at this exotic
flooring’s difficult—
and sustainable—
journey
By John Vick
All photos courtesy Bozovich Timber
Above, All wood species are determined before
a cutting plan is determined.
Left, Cumaru logs can be from 10 to 24 feet long
and weigh up to five tons each.
T
ROPICAL HARDWOOD FLOORING IS
increasingly popular, but not many people are
aware of the lengthy, difficult process involved
in getting this product from its source in the rainforest
to the end user. At the same time, when considering
using tropical species, people are often concerned
about the destruction of the rainforest. Here’s a
behind-the-scenes look at how the company I work
for—Lima, Peru-based Bozovich Group—handles the
process of getting tropical flooring to market, from
using sustainable forestry practices to shipping the
product safely to the United States.
Cumaru (Dipteryx spp.) grows in Costa Rica, Panama,
Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, which
is where Bozovich sources it. Cumaru trees are large
overstory trees that can grow up to 160 feet tall. Like
other species, they are scattered throughout the forest.
In fact, there are on average over 100 different timber
species per hectare (equivalent to 2.5 acres) and over
3,000 botanically recognized timber species in the
Peruvian rainforest. Because of the diversity of the forest,
the average number of trees sustainably harvested in
the Peruvian jungle is one tree for every 2.5 acres (clearcutting is not used). Only a small portion of the Peruvian
rainforest can be utilized for harvesting. About 40
percent belongs to native communities, about 35 percent
belongs to the National System of Protected Areas
(parks, reservations, historical or scenic sanctuaries)
and approximately 25 percent belongs to Forests of
Permanent Production, where private forest businesses
can have access with a legal authorization for a forest
concession if they meet all the government requirements.
The process of selecting cumaru trees begins with
planning based on sustainable forest management
principles as outlined by the United Nations’ Food
and Agriculture Organization. The General Forest
Management Plan from the Peruvian government
gives information to develop strategic management
All photos courtesy Bozovich Timber
Above, All wood species are determined before
a cutting plan is determined.
Left, Cumaru logs can be from 10 to 24 feet long
and weigh up to five tons each.
Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, which
is where Bozovich sources it. Cumaru trees are large
overstory trees that can grow up to 160 feet tall.
Like other species, they are scattered throughout the
forest. In fact, there are on average over 100 different
timber species per hectare (equivalent to 2.5 acres)
and over 3,000 botanically recognized timber species
in the Peruvian rainforest. Because of the diversity of
the forest, the average number of trees sustainably
harvested in the Peruvian jungle is one tree for every
2.5 acres (clear-cutting is not used). Only a small
portion of the Peruvian rainforest can be utilized
for harvesting. About 40 percent belongs to native
communities, about 35 percent belongs to the National
System of Protected Areas (parks, reservations,
historical or scenic sanctuaries) and approximately 25
percent belongs to Forests of Permanent Production,
where private forest businesses can have access with a
legal authorization for a forest concession if they meet
all the government requirements.
The process of selecting cumaru trees begins with
planning based on sustainable forest management
principles as outlined by the United Nations’ Food
and Agriculture Organization. The General Forest
Management Plan from the Peruvian government
gives information to develop strategic management
From the Jungle
and long-term
m pr
projections for the utilization of
the forest during the period of the concession. At
this point an inventory of the whole concession
is done to determine the volume of permissible
use. Soil and hydrology conditions are also studied
to provide the necessary information for harvest
strategy, road planning, etc. Once the potential use
of the concession is determined, a Five-Year Plan
is made. This plan checks closely for many things,
including high conservation values (HCV), which can
be environmentally based or culturally based. One
example is the endangered Peruvian bald eagle, which
only nests in certain tree species; those species are
identified and avoided.
The Five-Year Plan area is divided into five parcels
that will be worked on a yearly plan—the Yearly
Operative Plan, or POA (its initials in Spanish). In this
plan, 100 percent of the trees are located using a GPS
system. Every tree is codified. Seedlings and minimum
diameters for harvesting are respected, and the goal is
In the past, barges were
often used to transport the
logs by river, but now roads
are the main means of
transportation.
to harvest the small percentage of older trees that are
already in the end of their life cycle. The cumaru trees
suitable for harvesting are cut into logs with chainsaws
and transported by specialized mechanical equipment
following principles and guidelines of Reduced Impact
Logging from the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF).
Cumaru often grows in areas that flood during the
rainy season. Because of this, harvesting is done only
in the dry season, from June to November. Trying
to operate in the rainy season would destroy roads
and equipment. It is difficult enough to operate
in the dry season where, in addition to poisonous
snakes, malaria, yellow fever, and biting insects, the
temperature ranges from 85 to 100 degrees, and the
humidity averages over 90 percent. Some logs are
stored in the dry season so that the sawmills can
continue to saw the logs during the rainy season,
creating continuous flooring production.
Once transported to the sawmill by truck, logs are
sawn into blanks, which are air-dried on stacking
From the Jungle
Above, Logs are measured to determine cuttings.
Right, A warehouse where lumber is stored on
sticks for drying.
sticks. After 30 to 60 days on sticks, the blanks are
placed in steam kilns for drying. They are kiln-dried
to 6 to 8 percent moisture content—the standard for
the U.S. market and an important factor for stability
and quality.
After leaving the kiln, the blanks are graded and
enter the flooring factory, which is equipped with
high-quality German machinery. There, they go
through several processes, starting with the moisture
content control, then into the planer and optimizer,
and finally the molding machine and the end-matcher,
where they will emerge as the tongue-and-grooved
four-sided product. Much of the quality control and
grading of the product is done at this point.
Next, the flooring is banded together in minibundles according to the width. The product is
covered with a stretchy transparent plastic wrap to
protect it from humidity, sunlight and dust. All bundles
are stored in a warehouse until shipment. The bundles
are then loaded in 20-foot ocean containers at the
main Bozovich yard in Lima, Peru. Consolidation
Soil testing is performed to
gather information for harvest
strategy and road planning.
of containers is done by a specially trained crew;
Bozovich is a certified member of the worldwide
organization Business Alliance for Secure Commerce,
which was created to promote supply chain security
in cooperation with government agencies and
international organizations, including U.S. Customs
and Border Protection.
The paperwork and documentation involved in
exporting and importing flooring is coordinated by
personnel in Peru and at Bozovich’s North American
headquarters in Evergreen, Ala., for Lacey Act
compliance. (Paperwork is also involved for FSC
compliance—Bozovich offers some FSC-certified
lumber and hopes to offer FSC flooring in the near
future.) The culmination of all the hard work means
that when customers choose the right exotic product,
they get a product that is not only beautiful, but also
environmentally sound. ■
John Vick is the Evergreen Ala.-based sales manager at
Lima, Peru-based Bozovich Timber Products Inc.
ProductFocus
Reclaimed Wood Flooring
he green trend continues to place an emphasis
on reclaimed wood flooring. Flip the pages for
a look at Hardwood Floors’ exclusive charts
summarizing the options in this important segment of
the market. For more information on a company, see its
website listed immediately after its name. (Please note
that each company was limited to listing one line.)
T
Antique River Logs’
Owner/Curator William
Joiner with “Logzilla.”
© 2010 Kelly Lee Flora Photography
Aged Woods Inc.
American Heart Pine
Corporation
Antique & Vintage
Woods of America Ltd.
Antique River Logs
Appalachian
Woods LLC
Authentic
Pine Floors Inc.
Birch Creek
Millwork Inc.
Centre Mills
Antique Floors
Century Wood
Products Inc.
Chestnut
Specialists Inc.
East Teak Fine
Hardwoods Inc.
Elmwood Reclaimed
Timber Inc.
Ackerson-Stevens Inc. | www.asihardwood.com
Custom Plank
■
Aged Woods Inc. | www.agedwoods.com
Aged Woods
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Appalachian Woods LLC | www.appalachianwoods.com
Antique Plank
■
Authentic Pine Floors Inc. | www.authenticpinefloors.com
Old Dirty Goat
■
Birch Creek Millwork Inc. | www.texturewood.com
Texturewood
■
Teak
■
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Antique & Vintage Woods of America Ltd. | www.antiqueandvintagewoods.com
■
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Antique flooring highlighting Antique Heart Pine
■
Poplar
■
American Heart Pine Corporation | www.americanheartpine.com
■
Washington
Antique River Logs LLC | www.antiqueriverlogs.com
Antique River Flooring
Heart pine
Pine
Cypress
Chestnut
Beech
SPECIES
Oak
Parquet
Engineered
Solid
TYPE OF FLOORING
Goodwin Heart Pine Co.
Hemlock
Creative at Home Inc.
Douglas fir
Cochran’s Lumber
& Millwork Inc.
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Byrne Wood Floors
■
Heritage Classics
■
Centre Mills Antique Floors | www.centremillsantiquefloors.com
■
Antique Plank Flooring
■
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Century Wood Products Inc. | www.centurywood.com
■
Chestnut Specialists Inc. | www.chestnutspec.com
Remilled Antique Oak
■
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Cochran’s Lumber & Millwork Inc. | www.cochranslumber.com
■
Shenandoah Plank
■
Creative at Home Inc. | www.creativeathome.com
Dan River Reclaimed Heart Pine Collection
■
East Teak Fine Hardwoods Inc. | www.eastteak.com
FSC Recycled 100% Teak
■
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Elmwood Reclaimed Timber Inc. | www.elmwoodreclaimedtimber.com
■
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Hardwood Designs
& Marketing
Henderson Corporation
Old Florida
Lumber Company
Pioneer Millworks
Rehmeyer Precision
Millwork Inc.
■
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Flooring
Thickness
(inches)
Widths
(inches)
any
any
Custom sizes and grades.
⁄2,3⁄4
2-15
FSC-certified.
⁄4
3,4,5,6,8,10
⁄4,1,11⁄4
3-16
Durability of oak; mellow color; accepts stain well.
3
⁄4-11⁄2
2-10
River-reclaimed, mineral-infused oak; other species reclaimed from historic buildings.
⁄2,5⁄8,3⁄4
3-15
Custom thicknesses also available; custom orders welcome; nationwide job-site delivery.
⁄16 (eng.), 3⁄4 (solid)
4-10
Available site-finished and prefinished with authentic handrubbed oil.
⁄4
3-11
⁄4
3-14
⁄4
random 3+
⁄8-11⁄2
31⁄2-111⁄2
⁄4,25⁄32
3-16
Pictured floor (page 41) is blend of red and white oak in 5- to 9-inch widths.
⁄8,3⁄4
2-12
In-house prefinished line and reclaimed engineered line.
⁄4
71⁄2,81⁄2,11
Prefinished, wire-brushed, chisel-edge, natural character in 3- to 12-foot lengths.
⁄8,1⁄2,3⁄4
3,4,5
Custom thicknesses and widths available; recovered from old structures by hand.
⁄2,5⁄8,3⁄4
up to 11
Maple
Hickory
Ash
Walnut
DIMENSIONS
■
1
3
■
■
3
■
■
■
■
1
9
3
■
■
■
3
■
■
3
■
5
3
■
■
■
5
3
3
■
■
■
■
1
Additional Comments
Reclaimed heart pine; 95-100% heartwood; available prefinished and in vertical grain.
Available with 3⁄8-inch lamella when saw marks and weathering specified.
Elm and cherry also available; custom thicknesses and widths; FSC-certified.
Southern Wood Floors
SouthFloor
Goodwin Heart Pine Co. | www.heartpine.com
Goodwin Heart Pine Precision Reclaimed Wood
■
Hardwood Designs & Marketing | www.hardwooddesigns.net
■
Hardwood Designs Reclaimed
■
Henderson Corporation | www.hendersoncorporation.com
Antique Patina
■
Old Florida Lumber Company | www.oldfloridalumber.com
Dade County Pine and Antique Heart Pine
■
Pioneer Millworks | www.pioneermillworks.com
The World’s Most Eco-Friendly Engineered Flooring
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Rehmeyer Wood Floors | www.rehmeyerfloors.com
Rehmeyer Custom Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring
■
Renick Millworks LLC | www.renickmillworks.com
Reclaimed Wide Plank Flooring
■
Ridgefield Industries | www.getwoodflooring.com
Ridgefield Reclaimed Flooring
■
Southern Wood Floors | www.southernwoodfloors.com
Antique Reclaimed Heart Pine
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SouthFloor | www.southfloor.com
Antique Heart Pine
Timeless Wood Floors Inc. (GA) | www.timelesswoodfloors.com
■
Timeless Green Existence Line
Triton International Woods | www.tritonwoods.com
Triton International Woods
■
Verona Hardwood | www.veronahardwood.com
Bella Storia
■
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Vintage Lumber & Construction Co. Inc. | www.vintagelumber.com
■
■
Vintage Collection
Viridian Wood Products | www.viridianwood.com
Jakarta Market Blend
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■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
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West Wind Hardwood Inc. | www.flooringbywestwindhardwood.com
■
■
Enviro Collection
Woods Company Inc., The | www.thewoodscompany.com
Antique Wood Flooring
■
■
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■
■
Teak
Poplar
■
■
■
Heart pine
Pine
Cypress
Chestnut
Beech
SPECIES
Oak
Parquet
Engineered
Solid
TYPE OF FLOORING
Timeless Wood
Floors Inc. (GA)
Hemlock
Ridgefield Industries
Douglas fir
Renick Millworks LLC
Triton
International Woods
Verona Hardwood
Viridian Wood Products
West Wind
Hardwood Inc.
The Woods
Company Inc.
Flooring
Thickness
(inches)
Maple
Hickory
Ash
Walnut
DIMENSIONS
⁄8,3⁄4
5
⁄2,5⁄8,3⁄4
2-14
⁄4
21⁄2-71⁄2
⁄8
4-6
FSC-certified; unfinished or prefinished; no VOCs; LEED-point eligible.
⁄4
3-10
Species and widths vary based on individual needs; custom prefinished or unfinished.
⁄16 (eng.), 3⁄4 (solid)
3-12
Engineered has 12-mm Baltic birch substrate with 5-mm wear layer; all species.
⁄8,3⁄4
2-10
Sourced from antique barns and other buildings circa 1800; end-grain available.
⁄16,3⁄4
3,4,5,6,8,10
⁄16,3⁄4
3-10
Prefinished engineered; unfinished solid; 95% heartwood.
⁄16-1
2-16
Custom milling; several grades; stair parts, floor vents and beams to match.
⁄2-2
2-12
⁄8,1⁄2,5⁄8,3⁄4
3-8
⁄8,1⁄2,3⁄4
21⁄4,3-11+
⁄8
21⁄2
⁄8,3⁄4
21⁄4,41⁄2
FSC-recycled.
⁄2,3⁄4
21⁄2-15
FSC-certified.
3
■
5
3
■
■
■
■
■
11
■
5
9
9
■
■
■
■
7
■
1
■
■
■
3
3
5
5
■
■
■
■
21⁄2,31⁄4,51⁄4 ,7,9 Same average length as company’s solid wood flooring; made in Florida.
4-9
1
■
Additional Comments
⁄8,3⁄4
5
■
Widths
(inches)
1
Milled from recycled agrarian structures.
Specializes in antique lumber; hand-milled for reuse.
Solid, engineered, prefinished, unfinished; wide variety of grades.
Elm also available; turnkey and custom specification programs offered.
Precision millwork; custom sizes up to 17-inch width; flooring accessories; stair parts.
Mix of tropical wood species sourced from ship crating from Asia.
ProductFocus
Inlays, Borders + Vents
ffering prefabricated inlays, borders and vents is a
great way to upsell your hardwood floors. Whether a customer needs a stunning inlay for the
foyer or a collection of elegant wood vent covers,
these manufacturers have plenty of choices. As
always, visit the manufacturer’s website, listed after
the product description, for more information.
All American
Wood Register Co.
Airwood Vents
Airwood Vents produces high-quality
dampered wood floor
grills and wall-mounted cold-air returns. The
grills are available in
a wide range of wood
species from oak to
Brazilian cherry, as well as 57 colors to match most prefinished hardwood floors. Immediate delivery is available
on all standard sizes, and custom service is provided for
special orders.
All American Wood Register offers a line of quality,
solid wood collars designed to fit over the standard plastic duct diffusers
for the four most popular
brands of high-velocity
heating/cooling systems.
These low-profile, 3⁄8-inch collars are available with a
smooth unfinished surface in any of the company’s 56
wood species.
www.airwoodvents.com
www.allamericanwood.com
Artistic
Finishes Inc.
Atlanta Inlaid
Floors by Laser
Tech
Artistic Finishes says
its prefinished hardwood vents in flush or
surface-mount styles
complement virtually
any wood floor. The
vents are available in
more than 50 species,
and the standard lead
time is 10 days. Complementary moldings, stair treads
and starter steps are available, and distributor inquiries
are encouraged.
Atlanta Inlaid Floors by
Laser Tech’s newest medallion, The Majestic, comes
in various sizes from 24 to
48 inches and is manufactured from custom-matched
white oak and walnut. All of the
company’s medallions and borders come in many standard thicknesses, finishes and sizes, and new designs
can be viewed on the website.
www.artfinishes.com
www.atlantainlaidfloors.com
Avantgarde Inlays by
Universal Wood Products
Avantgarde Inlays’ Avanti 36-inch
medallion is classically inspired and
features a combination of exotic and
domestic hardwoods. The company’s
detailed, quality medallions and borders are available prefinished or unfinished at competitive prices, it says.
www.hardwoodflooringinlays.com
WAGNER MOISTURE METERS
FEATURING ADVANCED
IntelliSense Technology
™
Measuring moisture IN the wood, not ON the wood
More accurate* & over 10 times faster than pin-type meters
Quick & easy deep measurements without the damage
Proudly manufactured and supported in the USA
Providing fast and accurate moisture measurements, Wagner’s
CLEARLYADVANCED moisture meters have been the preferred choice
of professionals for over 25 years.
www.wagnermeters.com 1-800-634-9961
*Accuracy proven by multiple independent university studies.
Cherryhill
Manufacturing Corp.
Cherryhill manufactures laser-cut
medallions, borders and corners. All
inlays are hand-assembled using domestic and exotic hardwoods. Inlays
come in various sizes and can be
customized.
www.cherryhillmfg.com
®
WOOD FLOORING ADHESIVES - CRI GREEN LABEL PLUS CERTIFIED!
Certified For Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)!
®
Zero VOCs & Zero Solvents
1001
®
All-In-One
7500
Eco-Urethane
®
‘Green’ Urethane Adhesive
‘Green’ Urethane
+ Concrete Moisture Control
Wood Flooring Adhesive
®
+ Sound Control Membrane
+ Crack Suppressant
®
7700
®
Easy Clean
9200
FasTac ‘Green’
®
®
‘Green’ MS Polymer
High Solids, Wet-Lay
Polymeric Resin
Other CRI, Green Label Plus Certified DriTac Products:
tDriTac 7700 SMC Easy Clean - “Green” MS Polymer Adhesive + Sound Control Membrane
+ Concrete Moisture Control + Crack Suppressant System
tDriTac Eco-8000 Moisture Guard - “Green” Concrete Moisture Barrier & Crack Suppressant
All of DriTac’s products are VOC compliant and help contribute to LEED point qualification.
®
FLOORING PRODUCTS LLC
60WebroRoadtClifton,NJ07012
(973)614-9000t(800) 394-9310 tFax:(973)614-9099
Email:[email protected]
Product Focus | Inlays, Borders + Vents
Czar Floors
Czar Floors’ Athens Collection carries an
antique Greek theme. The inlay is produced
using CNC equipment and micro router bits
to achieve high-level detail. It is available in
different thicknesses, unfinished or prefinished, and in many choices of wood species.
The collection recently netted Czar Floors a
2010 NWFA Wood Floor of the Year award
in the Best CNC/Laser Cut category.
www.czarfloors.com
Distinctive Hardwood Floors
ors
Distinctive Hardwood Floors specializes in
n
custom design and fabrication of wood floor
accents and details. Its CNC router produces
inlays with greater tolerances and none of
the burned edges that cause black outlines
in laser cut inlays, the company notes. Also
available are beveled and distressed inlays
and medallions to match any finish.
h.
www.distinctivehardwood.com
com
co
Dynamic Laser Applications
Dy
Dynamic
Dy
D
yn
Laser Applications has been in the
business
of laser-cutting wood inlays for more
buss
bu
than
th
ha 24 years and specializes in producing any
custom
design a client may desire, the comcu
u
pany
says. The photograph shows a custom
p
fraternity
logo made from multiple domestic,
ffrr
dye-impregnated
and exotic wood species.
d
www.dynamiclaser.com
w
Grill Works Inc.
Grill Works says its one-directional vent
is so popular as a custom item that the
company has added two standard sizes
of its Flush No Frame model. The model
is most commonly used in wall-mount
applications for return air use but can also
be used in doors and stair risers.
www.grillworksinc.com
Homewood Inc.
Homewood manufactures wood vents and grills
in standard and custom sizes. Its wall and
floor vents feature an optional metal or ABS
adjustable register. Base vents are available
with horizontal or vertical slats in angled
or flush configurations. Large single-directional, bidirectional and custom-gridconfiguration vents are also offered.
www.homewoodinc.com
Lighthouse Laser Arts
Lighthouse Laser Arts creates floor art
with an alluring medley of wood and
stone inlays with 3-D shading and
multi-color designs for prefinished
flooring. These are made by lightly
carving the surface and applying a
tinted finish to any brand, color or
species of flooring. 3-D sculpted designs are available for hand-scraped
flooring as well.
www.lighthouselaserarts.com
Louisville Wood Floors
Louisville Wood Floors’ products feature custom accents. The company’s
made-to-order inlays are available in
any custom thickness, scale, species
and texture, unfinished or prefinished. The company says its inlays
fit well in residential, commercial or
institutional accent areas, and that
Louisville can include anything from
a corporate logo to a family coat of
arms in a hardwood floor.
www.louisvillewoodfloors.com
Product Focus | Inlays, Borders + Vents
One Meter can do it all
--Ligno-VersaTec-Multi-function meter allows a
complete diagnosis
for floor,
subfloor,
concrete,
air.
Oshkosh Designs
The Alhambra medallion mixes natural
and man-made elements, and it pays
tribute to the skill of Muslim craftsmen
who created the Alhambra palace in
Granada, Spain. Wenge couples with aluminum to create this historic design.
www.oshkoshdesigns.com
great for multi-layered materials
Ridgefield Industries offers a new high-output, flush-mount wood vent
that allows for 30 percent more airflow and features an integrated, easily
removable sliding damper. The company
currently stocks this vent in 20 species
in all the standard sizes, and it’s offered
in a normal or wide frame.
www.getwoodflooring.com
reu
sa
ble
sen
so
r
new
Sheoga Hardwood Flooring
& Paneling Inc.
Sheoga offers solid, hand-crafted wood vents. The
vents are available unfinished or prefinished in
domestic or imported species. Available styles include: flush-mount, flush-mount with frame, selfrimming, three-dimensional and cubed. Standard
and custom sizes are available.
www.sheogaflooring.com
The new BL2 datalogger can record
relative humidity or wood moisture.
A great diagnostic tool
for the inspector.
After being out on the job, the unit
plugs directly in your PC to download
the test data.
SouthFloor
SouthFloor’s complete line of vents, grills, grates and diffusers is made from
the same new and reclaimed heart pine
as the company’s solid and engineered
wood flooring. They are available in a
range of styles and sizes, with or without
dampers. Flush-mount or self-rimming
drop-in style in louvered, linear or eggcrate designs are offered.
www.southfloor.com
Yarema Marquetry
try
Any questions? Contact
Lignomat at 1-800-227-2105
.lignoma
t.com
www.lignoma
.lignomat.com
PO Box 30145, www
Portland, OR 97294 E-Mail: [email protected]
Manufacturer of 14 NWFA Wood Floor of thee
Year winners, Yarema Marquetry offers a diverse selection of medallions, borders and
parquet patterns. The company can also
assist clients in creating custom designs to
fulfill their unique vision. The company
says all of this can be done with efficiency
and surprising affordability with its new advanced fabricating and manufacturing facility.
www.ymfloors.com
m
SPECIAL A
ADVERTISING SECTION
Green
Going
TTURNS
URNS O
OUT,
UT THE
TH E PROGNOSTICATORS
PROG NOSTIC
CATOR S who
h said
d this
h ‘‘whole
h l
green thing’ was just a fad were wrong. Flip the pages to learn
how you can leverage the green qualities of these products—
from full-page advertisers in this issue—to sell more floors.
Basic Coatings | www.basiccoatings.com
Basic Coatings’ StreetShoe 275 is a low-VOC water-based finish. The product was
originally engineered for sale in states with low-VOC laws, but today it is available
across the U.S. The company says builders can secure jobs in LEED-compliant
buildings with ease by using StreetShoe 275. In addition, the finish can be applied
with a roller, T-bar or paint pad, and it flows extremely well. With StreetShoe 275,
there is no waste, and a coat can be applied at night with resumed traffic the next
day. This finish comes in four sheens and can be used for commercial, sports and
residential applications.
DriTac Flooring Products LLC | www.dritac.com
DriTac Flooring Products offers a complete line of green adhesives, concrete
moisture sealers and repair systems for wood flooring installations that contain
zero VOCs and zero solvents; many are also CRI-certified for indoor air quality.
DriTac 1001 All-In-One is a one-component product that encompasses the
attributes of four products in one 4-gallon pail. When applied, DriTac 1001 AllIn-One is not only a green wood flooring adhesive, but it also acts as a concrete
moisture sealer, sound control system and crack suppressant system that
offers major time and labor savings for the installation of hardwood flooring.
Installers can now finish in one day what normally takes two or more days.
Green
Going
SPECIAL
SP
S
PEC
E
ADVERTISING SECTION
Dura Seal
D
S
| www.duraseal.com
Dura Seal offers a variety of polyurethane and water-based finishes, including its X-Terra and 2000 ZC-2,
as alternatives to its existing oil-based finishes. These innovative formulas allow contractors to maintain
green job sites while retaining the traditional look of an oil-based finish—without the need for a hardener.
The finishes are applied in the same manner as oil finishes, but only warm water is required for cleanup.
X-Terra is recommended for commercial and high-traffic residential hardwood floors, while 2000 ZC-2
boasts a single unit containing both cross-linker and finish bottles. Dura Seal water-based polyurethane
guarantees excellent overall durability and remarkable stain resistance, the company says.
MAPEI Corporation | www.mapei.com
As the floor covering industry moves into the future, MAPEI says it is moving along
with innovative new products that help construction contractors build greener.
The latest addition to the Ultrabond ECO line is MAPEI’s family of urethane
wood-flooring adhesives. Phthalate-free formulations, based on the use of rapidly
renewable materials, are being incorporated into Ultrabond ECO 995, Ultrabond
ECO 990, Ultrabond ECO 980 and Ultrabond ECO 975 adhesives to provide a wide
range of bonding systems for nail-free wood flooring. Virtually odor-free, these eco-friendly products are also low in VOCs.
Mirage/Boa-Franc | www.miragefloors.com
Mirage says it is looking for new ways to protect the Earth while improving its products and caring for
its customers every day. To protect the world’s forests, Mirage is FSC- and PEFC-certified, the highest
standards in the industry, and ensures full compliance with the Lacey Act. Mirage develops products that
have real environmental benefits. For example, Mirage Lock is made of HDF that contains wood that is
from 100-percent-post-industrial recycled fibers, uses six times less hardwood than conventional wood
flooring, and fully complies with Phase I of CARB 93120 certification. What’s more, its Nanolinx finishes
release no VOCs or formaldehyde. Mirage also offers a variety of products that can help earn LEED credits.
National Wood Flooring Association | www.rpprogram.org
NWFA’s Responsible Procurement Program recognizes wood flooring companies that
work to sustain our world’s forests. The program is supported by the Forest Stewardship
Council-US and the FSC Family Forests Alliance, which recognize the NWFA RPP as a valid
incremental approach toward socially and environmentally responsible forestry. The
program is transitional to higher levels of environmental responsibility based on increasing
tiers of voluntary participation and associated certification.
Owens Flooring by Colonial Craft | www.colonialcraft.com
Owens Flooring by Colonial Craft is dedicated to providing hardwood flooring in an environmentally responsible
way. Its CARB-compliant products were developed to provide a hardwood floor that has the same life expectancy
as solid flooring, but with better utilization of the resource, the company says. Only the wear layer is from solid
lumber, so Owens can create four strips of flooring rather than one solid piece, and the wear layer is made from
responsibly harvested lumber. This best utilizes the resource without any sacrifice to beauty, Owens says. For
added strength, durability and versatility, the wear layer is applied to birch plywood, a composite material that
best utilizes wood fiber.
Green
Going
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Reall W
R
Wood Floors | www.realwoodfloors.com
Real Wood Floors says it has expanded its reclaimed flooring line in an effort to meet the increasing
demand for green materials. The company has partnered with Stanton, Calif.-based Fontenay Woods to
manufacture its Vintage Barrel Collection, a reclaimed engineered line made from wine barrels. Real
Wood Floors has also added a line of reclaimed heart pine taken from old textile mills, as well as a line
of reclaimed nautical timbers that were in use from 1944 to 1978. The company is making engineered
flooring products out of each of these materials and pressing them on FSC-certified Baltic birch. Real Wood
Floors is CARB-compliant and is pursuing full FSC certification for its entire product line.
W.D. Flooring LLC | www.wdflooring.com
W.D. Flooring LLC is a vertically integrated, FSC-certified flooring mill and has just
added a new UV Roll Coat line that produces its all-organic, zero-VOC products.
This new technology and new product line offer a distinctive designer look to
all eight products in the Stang-Lund™ offering in the company’s Conservation
Grade™ in northern hardwoods. The versatility of the line allows the company to
do custom colors and looks, all of which garner LEED points. W.D. Flooring LLC
says it is the only company it knows of that can take raw material from forest floor
to a finished product that can provide an architect or designer with LEED points.
Industry News | Products
1
Wagner Electronic Products Inc.’s Rapid RH WiNet is a longrange transmitter for remote monitoring and data collection of RH
and temperature readings in concrete slabs.
www.rapidrh.com
1
2
Kährs International’s Woodloc 5S is the next iteration of its
Woodloc system that was first introduced in 1999. Kährs says this
latest offering can be installed 25 percent faster since the boards are
connected vertically, instead of at an angle.
www.kahrs.com
2
3
3
BambooTrim.com
4
Lubrizol Advanced Materials Inc.’s Turboset Ultra Pro is a
self-crosslinking waterborne polyurethane dispersion designed to
perform comparably to 2K waterborne finishes. The product does
not require a crosslinker at the job site.
www.lubrizolcoatings.com
4
Porta-Nails Inc.’s Portamatic Evolution is an 18-gauge flooring
cleat nailer designed for installing 3⁄8-inch to 5⁄8-inch engineered and
solid wood flooring, including bamboo. It works with 1½-inch and
1¼-inch L-type barbed flooring cleat nails.
www.porta-nails.com
Z Largest inventory in
Stand Out
North America
in the All-New
Z Lowest prices
Z Same day shipping
Online
Resource Book
Z Ask us about our free
The HWF Microsite
Advantage
nationwide shipping!
Microsites Maximize Exposure:
• Pop-to-the-top search priority
• Digitized catalogs
• Video
• Company profile
• Product releases
• Exclusive leads from the
“Request a Quote” feature
We specialize in bamboo
trim of all colors, grains,
and profiles, including
treads, risers, and vents.
To get your 12-month
Microsite, contact Kris:
Contact us at:
[email protected]
or
kris@hardwoodfloorsmag.com
800/722-8764, ext. 107
(800) 404-TRIM
The magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association
hardwoodfloorsmag.com
56 Hardwood Floors August|September 2010
Q
Industry News | Products
5 Jelight Company Inc.’s JUVC-5A is a 110-volt hand-held UV
floor cure system. Its 5-inch cure width and compact design make it
ideal for curing stairways, edges and other intricate areas.
www.jelight.com
6
5
Elastilon is a self-adhesive, non-toxic and emission-free underlay
membrane. It has ergonomic, thermal and acoustic properties. It
allows stick-and-peel installation of 5⁄16-inch to 1-inch hardwood.
www.elastilonusa.com
7
BR-111 Imports & Exports Inc. has released new Brazilian
pecan flooring options inspired by a tortoise’s shell. Macciato Pecan
has a warm color and is available in widths of 31⁄8 (solid), 3¼ or 5
inches (both engineered). It is available in a wide range of styles.
www.br111.com
6
7
8
3M has several new products that reduce job site tracking of dirt
and dust. Its Dirt Catcher Super Tacky Mat is for interior entries;
the Floor Gripper Anti-Slip Runner adheres to carpet, hardwood,
tile and other screeds; and its Flex & Form Conformable Runner is
available for staircases and hand railings.
www.3m.com
8
US Sander
WWW.USSANDER.COM
Phone (866)-877-2637
2010 NWFA Booth 212
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Use inside or out. Over 450 CFM @ 120” waterlift.
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AdIndex
G e t mo r e in fo r ma tio n a b o u t
a d v e r tis e r s in th is is s u e b y
v is itin g Ha r d wo o d F lo o r s ’
o n lin e r e a d e r in q u ir y s e r v ic e .
Online Resource
Center www.hwfmag.com/resourcecenter
Quickly locate an advertiser in this issue using the list below:
3M
www.3M.com ............................................................ 2
Mullican Flooring
www.mullicanflooring.com..................................... 15
Appalachian Lumber Co. Inc.
www.appalachianlumber.net .................................. 56
NWFA
www.nwfa.org ......................................................... 39
BambooTrim.com
www.nwbambootrim.com ...................................... 56
NWFA
www.nwfa.org ......................................................... 19
Basic Coatings
www.basiccoatings.com............................................ 7
Bostik Inc.
www.bostik-us.com ................................................. 59
Clarke American Sanders
www.americansanders.com .................................... 18
DriTac Flooring Products LLC
www.DriTac.com .................................................... 47
Dura Seal
www.duraseal.com .................................................... 4
Floor Style Products Inc.
www.floorstyle.com ........................................... 54-55
Frank Miller Lumber Co.
www.frankmiller.com ............................................. 35
Glad Tech
www.gladtech.com ................................................. 49
Grill Works Inc.
www.grillworksinc.com .......................................... 49
Lignomat USA Ltd.
www.lignomat.com ................................................. 50
MAPEI Corporation
www.mapei.com ..................................................... 23
Oneida Air Systems
www.oneidavac.com ............................................... 48
Owens Flooring by Colonial Craft
www.colonialcraft.com ............................................. 9
Premiere Finishing & Coating LLC
www.prefinishfloors.com........................................ 28
ProTeam Inc.
www.pro-team.com ................................................. 30
Real Wood Floors
www.realwoodfloors.com ....................................... 25
www.ridgefieldindustries.com ................................ 53
Shamrock Plank Flooring
www.shamrockplankflooring.com ............................ 3
Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling Inc.
www.sheogaflooring.com ....................................... 22
Sticks & Stones Dist. Inc. (Shaver Hardwood)
www.sticksandstonesdist.com ................................ 57
U.S. Sander LLC
www.ussander.com ................................................. 57
Mercer Abrasives, div. of Mercer Tool Corp.
www.mercerabrasives.com ..................................... 11
W.D. Flooring
www.wdflooring.com ............................................. 60
Mirage/Boa-Franc
www.miragefloors.com ........................................... 21
Wagner Electronics
www.wagnermeters.com ........................................ 47
MP Global Products
www.quietwalk.com ............................................... 26
Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products
www.woodwise.com .............................................. 33
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It takes a lot of salt
to be a single source mill.
To run over 430 products, to supply the biggest and best
distributors in the country and be a single source mill
takes a lot. It takes the relentless pursuit of quality and
consistency. It takes acumen, attention to detail and
dedication. It takes accountability on every level. It takes the
ability to run a matrix and understand algorithms. It takes
something few have—a keen ear. You need to listen to your
customers, understand their needs and be able to fulﬁ ll them.
But, most of all, it takes what you can’t practice or learn—it
takes guts—it takes what our grandfathers would call “salt.”
The single greatest problem a contractor faces: humidity levels. For a limited
time and while supplies last, WsD is offering a free Save Your Floor hygrometer
with every ﬂoor over 500 square feet that is sold. See your local distributor.
© 2 0 0 9 W sD F L O O R I N G , L L C
W D FLO O R I N G.CO M