FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Submitted by Annette Callari, Allied ASID; CMG

When you look at this sweet, winter-shrouded home, it has all the cozy essence of a Thomas Kinkade painting.  But it’s actually a real homestead in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  This is the original location of a small cottage industry that started out as Historic Floors of Oshkosh. Founded by Tom Peotter and Lee Bettes in 1992, these gentlemen worked from the basement of their home specializing in wood floors and specialty floor products for historic home restorations. But you can’t keep exceptional craftsmanship a secret for very long.  Their focus expanded to the new home builder market, and they soon outgrew the meager surroundings of their basement business.

Today, they are known as Oshkosh Designs and their expanded company is located in Winneconne, Wisconsin.  What a great story!  And what a great line of products these two gentlemen originated.  It has since expanded to include intricate floor medallions, hardwood floor inlays, wood floor borders, and parquet floor tiles.  Some of their specialty products include intricate wood mouldings for fireplaces and chairrails, decorative stair treads and risers, backsplashes and even ceiling treatments.  The medallions are categorized by themes and encompass everything from animals to sports.  Other themes available are music, botanical, tropical, compass/stars, and even nautical.  If you don’t see something already templated among their collections, their artisans will work with you to create one of your own.

When Oshkosh outgrew its grass roots beginnings, the move to a bigger location brought with it advancements in production and technology.  The company implemented laser technology, allowing it to specialize in even more intricate cutting.  Later, they started using water jet technology to incorporate stone, recycled glass and non-ferrous metals into their classic designs.  You can imagine the unique projects Oshkosh Designs has attracted over the years, given these capabilities. I first learned about them through Galleher in Southern California, who is the Distributor for this line in California, Arizona and Nevada.  I definitely decided I needed to share this discovery with you, and I hope I’ve captured your interest enough that you will do your own research at oshkoshdesigns.com.  The website will direct you to a distributor in your own area, and even give you a direct contact number for Oshkosh.

The menu of contrasting materials these craftsmen utilize is intriguing. They’ve mastered the art of combining contrasting natural hardwoods, stone, marble, leather, brass, copper and aluminum. For the consumer, this means you have a diverse number of material combinations to choose from to produce your very own “work of art” for your floor. These medallions are appropriate for residential or commercial applications, so if you own your own business, imagine how awesome it would be to have your company logo crafted into a medallion!  These unique medallions feature the Oshkosh exclusive Artisan™ Finish.  This is a top quality sealer plus a top coat of a cross-linked semi-gloss finish.  This protective coat adds exceptional durability.  Oshkosh offers a “matching” warranty to the manufacturer’s warranty (that being the warranty offered by the hardwood manufacturer providing the wood field floor). 

In this 21^st Century, it’s a fact that we’ve lost a lot of the “American-made” pride and craftsmanship that used to be the hallmark of quality products. I see a company like Oshkosh Designs working hard to bring back that pride and establish a true American brand—a brand with value and longevity.  We can all be encouraged that fine craftsmanship is not a lost art.

Submitted by: Steve Cooper

There are few greater annoyances—more than annoyances, really—than discovering scratches, scuffs, dents and other damage to new wood flooring. Makes you feel like beauty has become the beast.

Fortunately, avoiding damage is possible. It’s a matter of taking a smart first step when you buy flooring. Look for products made to resist everyday assault from dog claws, grains of sand, dining room chairs, high heels, and such. Brand-name companies continually work to harden their finishes.

Anderson Hardwood has built its reputation on floors that stand up to punishment while also attracting attention through the natural appeal of wood. Specializing in popular dark floors, the company offers exquisite products in oak, maple, hickory, cherry and birch. The company makes planks up to seven inches wide and some are hand-scraped, which makes for a memorable finish.

Homeowners can be confident that these will stand up to abuse because Anderson floors are made from the hardest part of the tree. Compared to wood flooring sold strictly on price, this makes their pecan planks 102 percent harder, maple planks 77 percent harder, and oak planks 41 percent harder.

Not strong enough for you? Anderson has now added a new finish called Luster-Lock Ultra, a proprietary smooth, glossy surface. This formula makes the floor six times more scuff- and abrasion-resistant than competing finishes.

Based on performance of the new finish, Anderson is doubling finish warranties on their 3/8-inch, 5-ply products to 30 years and their 1/2-inch products to 50 years. Smooth-faced products also get 30-year finish warranties and solid-textured floors get 50-year warranties.

No more beast. Just beauty.

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There’s more late-breaking news about Anderson Hardwood flooring:

1. All Anderson flooring is now GREENGUARD Children & Schools certified, which guarantees products will contribute to good indoor-air quality. For certification, flooring was tested for the presence of more than 10,000 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to make certain that formaldehyde is present only in exceedingly small amounts (less than 13.5 parts per billion). To maintain the certificate, flooring is regularly retested.

Go big green!

2. Flooring in the Tropical Reflections collection features Anderson’s exclusive PermaColor natural aging process. This process creates a deep, high-gloss finish without the use of stains, solvents or chemicals.

Breath easy, people.

How do I clean hardwood floors? 

How can I restore the luster to my wood floor? 

Is it okay to wear stilettos on hardwood flooring? 

What cleaning products should I use to clean hardwood floors? 

Get answers to these common questions and more!  Recently, Chris Davis (president and CEO of WFCA) was interviewed by Allison Lind (writer for AOL’s blog shelterpop) on this topic.  To learn more about the dos and don’ts of cleaning hardwood floors and to read the full article, click on the picture of the adorable puppy below.

Question:

Could you please tell me if I can use a steam cleaner on my laminate or hardwood floor?

Answer:

We cannot find a manufacturer of either laminate flooring or hardwood flooring that will recommend the use of this type of equipment on their floors.  To clean and maintain your hardwood or laminate flooring, sweeping and/or using a vacuum cleaner (without the beater bar used for vacuuming carpet) should be sufficient. Occasionally clean with a mop (micro-fiber or terrycloth hooded for laminate floors) slightly moistened with a cleaning product recommended by the flooring manufacturer. Wipe up spills quickly. NEVER flood either of these floors with water. Also on the “no-no” list are soap-based detergents, abrasive cleaners, scouring powder, wax or any type of polish. Also, use “walk-off” mats at entrances and exits so people and pets might lose some of those things that sometimes stick to feet prior to stepping onto your floors.

For more information on cleaning and care for your floors contact the flooring manufacturer or visit www.wfca.org.

By Annette M. Callari, ASID; CMG

Every now and then something comes along in the world of floor coverings that really stirs up some hefty design waves.  I think Armstrong Floors has done just that with the introduction of their Barrel Creek hardwood floor collection.   It’s so gratifying to discover something unique and full of personality, and Barrel Creek fits the bill on both those counts.

Picture rolling hills covered with ripe, manicured vineyards.  You could be in Napa Valley or even the south of France.  Of course you visualize wineries stocked with miles of seasoned oak wine barrels, right?  Well, interior designers seem to be having an on-going love affair with a charming, vintage design style that embraces all the accoutrements of winemaking. Everything from vine-covered upholstery fabrics to furniture pieces fabricated right from wine barrels!  Now Armstrong Floors has taken that inspired styling a step further.  Imagine solid strips of premium rift and quartered oak (the very same material coopers use to make fine wine barrels) now crafted into beautiful hardwood floors.  According to Armstrong’s marketing announcements, “…these floors have been painstakingly reconstructed to reflect every detail of original barrel floors, complete with Vintner’s marks burned into random strips, and authentic cooperage stamps.”  I would say that these floors do tell a story, and in your home have the power to become a focal point and an amazing underscore to authentic vintage design.

There are three color offerings in this collection:  Vintner Cellar, Aged Oak, and Winemaker Harvest.  Each of these colorways features a blend of high-contrast, 2-1/4” oak boards to create an authentic look.  Then the manufacturer applies a deep color wash to enhance the grain and give the wood an aged appearance. This technique gives birth to a perfect harmony of color and texture and, in essence, produces a three-dimensional look.  Finally, a high-quality urethane finish is applied to protect the floor and make it functional as well as beautiful. (Armstrong provides a 25-Year Residential Warranty for these solid hardwood floors.) The end result is a hardwood floor that speaks volumes!

So if your design aspirations include capturing the whimsy of wine country, make it a point to research the Barrel Creek Collection by Armstrong.  Whether you are creating a wine cellar of your own, or a vintage kitchen or family room design, these floors are versatile and unforgettable. You will find yourself seeking out the Vintner’s markings and enjoying the sense of history Barrel Creek floors seem to inspire.  Armstrong deserves kudos for their creativity and “next generation” thinking.  When you blend history with new-age performance, you are bound to come up with a product that exceeds expectations, and that is exactly what they have done.