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.

IS IT REAL OR ISN’T IT?  NEW “STONE” COLLECTION LAUNCHED
Submitted by Annette M. Callari, A.S.I.D.; CMG

Everyone knows Dal Tile is a leader in tile and stone products for the floors.  Now they have introduced an incredible new collection of manufactured stone products for your walls!!! This is being introduced as we speak, so products will be market-ready very shortly.

Each collection replicates natural rock, stone or bricks with amazing accuracy.  The advantage to exploring these new products is that they are lightweight versions of the real thing, come in at a cost savings while giving you the look of real stone.  Each stone is manufactured of Portland cement, lightweight aggregates, and mineral oxides for coloration.  The molds are cast from natural stone to get the most realistic man-made stone products possible.  The thickness of each stone ranges between 0.75 to 1.65” thick.  With the recommended installation mortar, finished thickness will be 1.25” to 2.65” depending on the style.

So where exactly could you apply these amazing stone looks?  Both interior and exterior applications are approved (residential and commercial), but remember, they are built for vertical installations.  Because they are lightweight and considered “veneer” manufactured stone, they are not appropriate for floors.  Sealing is recommended, of course, to prevent staining, especially in exterior applications where rust or dirt could penetrate the surface.  Dal Tile is backing these products with a 75-year warranty (with recommended installation procedures, proper care & maintenance).  That definitely tells you they have performance and confidence built right in.

Let’s talk about the aesthetics, which truly is the main attraction here.  The authenticity of these products exceeds expectations.  Ridged Field Stone, Grecian Limestone, Velvet River Rock, Sculpted Leger Stone—these are just a few of the collections available, and each one has the “wow” factor.  (Visit www.DalTilemanufacturedstone.com for a gallery of all the collections and more information.)

It is likely that you will not be able to tell the manufactured version of these stone products from the real thing, and that is a major accomplishment from a design standpoint.  But before you get too excited about every possible design scenario running through your mind, there are just a few non-recommended applications:

• No submerged water applications (pools, spas)
• No direct exposure to flames, coals or ashes
• No applications in contact with chemicals

Given those few parameters, the door is still wide open for you to get creative and put these stunning new products to use in a myriad of ways. So have fun, explore your options, and get creative!

Submitted by Annette M. Callari, A.S.I.D.; CMG

Daltile is the largest manufacturer and distributor of ceramic tile and natural stone in the United States, and they have a reputation of product development that is always on the cutting edge of good design. With the announcement of a new line, the Athena Mosaic tile collection, Daltile is sweetening things up a bit. Trends in design continue to gravitate towards contemporary, urban looks that incorporate generous splashes of color. Athena is a clean, sophisticated, glazed porcelain mosaic that features a rainbow of 33 satin-finish colors. The mesh-mounted ½” x ½” mosaics have slightly cushioned edges for that űber-modern look. Applications are limitless—brought to life through your imagination. Create linear works of art for your walls, or colorful borders for your floor. You can even take Athena outdoors to add flavor to your backyard hardscape.

Color options include: Arctic White, Almond, Urban Putty, Elemental Tan, Crisp Linen, Cornsilk, Cypress, Ice Gray, Stone Gray, Spa, Baby Blue, Pepper White, Artisan Brown, Avocado, Black, Galaxy, Camel, Blue Jean, Pebble Tan, Flower Wood, Suede Gray, Navy, Cityline Kohl, Mustard, Gold Coast, Cherry Blossom, Ocean Blue, Aegean, Carnation Pink, Coral Reef, Orange Burst, Wild Lilac and Periwinkle.

In addition to a generous palette of solid colors, Athena boasts eight color blends that randomly mix as many as four complementary colors onto a 12” x 12” mesh-mounted sheet. These color mixes are an excellent way to create fresh harmonies that are pure fun to live with. Athena is suitable for floors, walls, backsplashes and countertops in both residential and commercial settings, as well as exterior walls in freezing and non-freezing climates. Athena mosaics may represent a candy-store range of colors, but the approved applications tell you this tile collection has strength and substance!

Visit Daltile Products for more information.

For more than 30 years, Waterworks has brought impeccable style, craftsmanship and service to the American bath. Based on an appreciation for a time when all objects were made by hand and held to exacting standards, Waterworks melds European artisanal quality with 21st century precision for today’s home. Their products now encompass bath and kitchen faucets, surfaces, bathtubs, washstands, accessories, home furnishings and much more.

A unique collaboration of designers, artisans, and manufacturers create each Waterworks product. Every fitting or fixture, tile or textile meets their uncompromising standards for quality assurance and excellence – proving that functionality and inspired aesthetics go hand-in-hand.

Shown here is a collection of glass called Tempo. Notice the incredible detail of each mosaic. These pieces are the type of tile that set a room apart from any other.  These tiles can be used sparingly for an accent effect or in large formats for a WOW effect. Imagine these tiles as wainscoting on a bathroom wall, a kitchen, bath or wetbar backsplash, an accent stripe in a shower or tub surroud, a border for an area rug created out of tile, a mirror frame, an accent wall in a powder room, a wall plaque in a shower – imagine the possibilities!

These are just a sampling of the many unique and decorative products available from Waterworks. For more selections, check out their website.