FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

By Steve Cooper

In today’s market, there is no shortage of sellers trying to put new wood flooring into your home. There are flooring retailers, online outlets and big-box stores, each promising the best material. If finding products is easy, how will you know what to buy? Consider these three characteristics of wood floors as you shop:

How is it made?

Real-wood flooring materials are either solid or engineered wood products. Solid flooring is simply that—each piece is solid lumber all the way through. Engineered wood is more like plywood, with a top beauty layer sitting on a foundation of several plys. Generally, two pieces of oak flooring—one solid, one engineered—will perform about the same until it is time for a refinishing. Then, the solid wood can be sanded as needed, but the top layer of an engineered wood is so thin, it may only allow one or two sandings.

If you are thinking about engineered wood flooring, be forewarned about one thing. Purchase only name brands that you trust. This is not a product to buy on price alone because some low-cost import products are poorly assembled, which means you could be facing costly repairs or replacement when the material can’t stand up to household traffic.

Is there a cost difference?

There won’t be much difference in purchase price between a solid wood and an engineered wood floor, if both are the same common species. But the engineered floor may cost substantially less if it is a less-common species. Engineered may also cost less for installation. If you are investing for the long haul, however, look seriously at solid. Remember, it can be refinished many times through the years.

Will it last?

Your new floor may look wonderful on the day it is installed, but if it won’t hold up to foot traffic, you’re probably not going to be a satisfied customer. Durability is a key factor. There are two chief considerations: hardness of the wood and hardness of the finish.

The Janka Hardness Test (JHT) was invented to determine wood hardness. JHT is a scale that puts hardness into number form. The higher the number, the harder the wood. Generally, any woods in the 1000 to 2000 range will give you many years of good performance. But make sure you know the specifics of the species you consider. For instance, Black Cherry has a hardness of 950 and Brazilian Cherry has a hardness of 2350. The former may get damaged by constant heavy traffic, while the latter should stand up well.

The other factor is the hardness of the finish. For an active household, shop for a baked-on clear topcoat. Purchase from a brand name and get products with warranties of 25 years or longer.

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

Submitted by Annette M. Callari, Allied ASID; Chair Holder, CMG

I just returned from one of the most important trade shows of the year for the floor covering industry—Surfaces/Stone Expo in Las Vegas.  I work my way through this show every year with a keen eye for products that fall into the category of being a ‘true discovery’.  Amidst all of the me-too products, there are a handful of gems that truly are discoveries, and it’s pretty exciting to be the first to bring this one to your attention.  Before I do, let me share something with you that I learned in my college History of Furniture classes:

……..The amazing technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration as far back as the 16th Century in Florence, Italy.  These early techniques employed marble (and the inlay of intricate semi-precious stones) to create masterpieces in floors, religious altars, and even columns.  At the same time, cabinet makers in Antwerp adapted marquetry techniques to wood, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury.  By the mid 17th Century, the craft migrated to France and was employed to decorate Versailles and the royal residence of Louis XIV.

Now why am I giving you a history lesson about this? Because you will better appreciate the finely-crafted products I am about to share.

Yarema Marquetry and Parquet floors are crafted by YM Floors, a domestically-based company located just north of Detroit, Michigan. The lost art of parquetry (marquetry applied to floors using contrasting woods) has been resurrected by this company and translated to masterpieces that can be called works of art. Their product line includes stunning designs in wood parquet floors, creative medallions, and intricate borders. I’ve not seen anything like this in the twenty years I’ve done interior design!

Brilliantly conceived, the Yarema portolio of products translates well to both traditional and contemporary interiors. Finding a wood floor medallion to suit a contemporary interior is quite a challenge, but here is a company that effortlessly met that need. Custom designs are available, just in case you want a creation that is a true original.

Let’s talk about the parquet floor selections. The term “parquet floor” simply does not do this line justice. Abstract, asymmetrical designs are non-existent in hardwood applications, right? Wrong. Yarema identified a void in hardwood flooring designs and filled it beautifully. Take a look at their Portfolio Collection (ymfloors,com) and you will see exactly what I mean. The interplay of light and dark woods gives some of their more contemporary designs a three-dimensional look. When you walk into a room designed around one of these floors, you realize that the floor takes center stage as the natural focal point.

Other winners in their line-up of styles include: Skyline, Classic, Journey, Vineyard, and Centerpoint. This roster of names will come alive for you once you log on to their website and look for yourself. Request a catalog and you’ll get an even better feel for the richness of these floors. White Oak, Wenge, Cherry, Maple and Walnut are used like colors on an artist’s palette, mingling and harmonizing, to produce a singular work of art for the floor.

In the Color and Marketing classes I taught at Surfaces, I identified key marketing trends that are making headlines in 2011 and 2012. One of those emerging trends is called “New-Stalgia” (as taken from research from Color Marketing Group International). Consumers are searching for new products built on heirloom designs and fine craftsmanship. That’s New-Stalgia in a nutshell. What’s old is new…but with a twist! I cannot think of a better example of this prediction coming true than what I see from Yarema designs. They’ve resurrected a delicate craftsmanship rooted in the 16th and 17th centuries and have translated it to modern, relevant flooring. It doesn’t get better than that, and all that’s left to say is well done!

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.