retailers’ guide to selling hardwood...

5th edition

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Retailers’ Guideto Selling

HardwoodFlooring

Retailers’ Guideto Selling

HardwoodFlooring

fcnews August 3/10, 2015 I 3

hardwood basics

Wood floors come in a variety of options to meet the demands oftoday’s busy lifestyles: factory finished, unfinished, solid, engi-

neered, strip, plank, parquet and acrylic impregnated. Helping a customerchoose the style that best suits her needs will be based on numerous fac-tors including family size, decorating preference and location.

ColorsWood floors come in a rainbow of colors to fit any décor. Unique, one-of-a-kind looks can be achieved with custom stains and finishes.

SpeciesToday’s wood floors come in more than 50 species—domestic and ex-otic—spanning the spectrum of colors, hardness and price ranges.

GradesThe appearance of the wood determines its grade. All grades are equally strong and serviceable, buteach affords a different look:• Clear wood is free of defects, though it may have minor imperfections.• Select wood is almost clear but contains some natural characteristics such as knots and color vari-ations.• Common wood—No. 1 and No. 2—has more natural characteristics such as knots and colorvariations than either clear or select grades and is often chosen because of these natural featuresand the character they bring to a room. No. 1 Common has a variegated appearance, light anddark colors, knots, flags and wormholes. No. 2 Common is rustic in appearance and emphasizesall wood characteristics of the species.• First grade wood has the best appearance, natural color variations and limited marks.• Second grade wood is variegated in appearance with varying sound wood characteristics ofspecies.• Third grade wood is rustic in appearance illustrating all characteristics of the species.

CutsThe angle at which a board is cut determines how the finished product looks. Wood floor-ing is either plainsawn, quartersawn or riftsawn.• Plainsawn is the most common cut. The board contains more variation than the othertwo cuts because grain patterns resulting from the growth rings are more obvious.• Quartersawn produces less board feet per log than plainsawn and is therefore more ex-pensive. Quartersawn wood twists and cups less and wears more evenly.• Riftsawn is similar to quartersawing but the cut is made at a slightly different angle.

The options

There are many reasons con-sumers will gravitate toward the

hardwood displays in a store, but it be-gins with aesthetics. Wood flooring en-hances the décor of any room andprovides timeless beauty that will in-crease in value over time. Other attrib-utes include:

Ease of maintenanceMaintenance of modern wood floors isfairly easy. New technology in stains and fin-ishes call for regular cleaning that takes lit-tle more than sweeping and/or using a dampmop, with occasional use of a professionalcleaning product. Make sure the consumerknows to use a cleaning product recom-mended by the manufacturer, installer orother wood flooring professional.

EcologicalWood floors are ecologically friendly. Becauseit is a natural resource, wood is both renewableand recyclable. Many of yesteryear’s old woodships, warehouses, barns and other structuresoften find a second life in wood flooring.

AffordableToday’s wood floors are economical options. Overtime, they maintain their value. When other floor-ing options are looking tired and worn out, woodwill maintain its beauty and timelessness.

VarietyThere are more available styles, colors and speciesnow than ever before. From traditional oak, rusticpine or exotic Wenge, there are options and designsto fit any décor.

The benefits

There are three styles of woodfloors available on the market

today: strip, plank and parquet.Each is offered in a variety ofspecies, colors and widths, sochoosing the right style is simply amatter of which look the customerprefers.

1. Strip flooring ranges from 1½ to 3 inches wide and creates a lin-ear effect in a space, often making the area appear larger. Strip flooring

is generally considered “traditional”wood flooring.

2. Plank flooring typically rangesfrom 3 to 7 inches wide. While plankflooring is linear, like strip flooring,its wider widths often create a morecasual look.

3. Parquet flooring can vary insize and usually generates a geometric, non-linear look. Parquet hasthe ability to be either very simple in design or somewhat complex.

The styles

Strip Plank Parquet

4 I August 3/10, 2015 fcnews

There are two types of hardwood floors:solid and engineered. Both are com-

prised of 100% real wood, both are offeredwith a factory finish or can be finished on thejobsite, and both can be refinished. But that’swhere the similarities end.

Solid wood When a manufacturer references solid floor-ing, it is referring to a 3⁄4-inch thick piece ofsolid wood. Although solid floors are availablewith a factory finish, they can also be finishedon the jobsite. In addition, they may be in-stalled on or above grade, but not on a slab.The wood is generally nailed to a plywood

subfloor. One thing to keep in mind: Solid floors

may not perform well in areas of high humid-ity or areas with significant temperaturechanges. Because solid flooring is a 3⁄4-inchthick section of a tree, it responds to waterand moisture as it would in nature. If the airis hot and humid, the floor will soak up thatmoisture, causing it to swell.

When the air dries out, the floor willshrink, leaving gaps between the boards. Thewider the boards, the bigger the gaps and themore likely it will cup, so most solid woodfloors are either 21⁄4 inches or 31⁄4 inches wide.

A SUPPLEMENT TO

Construction: Solid vs. engineered

Engineered hardwoodSolid hardwood

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( OVERVIEW)

Eight years ago, Floor Covering News publishedits first Retailers’ Guide to Selling HardwoodFlooring as a way to train retailers and theirsalespeople on the basics of hardwood flooringalong with tips on how to sell, merchandise andmarket the product. Immediately, we receivedrequests for additional copies from retailersand distributors—even a home center re-quested copies for every one of its stores. Thisoverwhelming response led us to publish asecond edition two years later, a third in 2011, afourth in 2013 and now we are proud to publishthis much anticipated fifth edition.

This updated guide again aims to help theretailer and salesperson sell the proper floorsfor their customers’ lifestyles. That’s why

you’ll not only find information on issues likesolid vs. engineered hardwood and different in-stallation methods, but you’ll also see a guideto wood’s many species as well as their hard-ness ratings as determined by the Janka sacle.While the basics remain the same, this edtionalso features new articles on selling, merchan-dising, trends and more.

We have again enlisted the help of oursponsors to provide information on their re-spective companies as well as educational ma-terial designed to help retailers develop aprofitable wood flooring business. These sub-missions also guide salespeople in how theycan convey to customers the features and ben-efits of owning wood floors.

All you need to know about selling hardwood

hardwood basics

Continued on page 44

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Sometimes breaking from tradition means embracing an en-tirely different custom in a novel way. Despite the American

market’s strong affinity for polyurethane-fin-ished floors, hard-wax oiled floors have beenthe standard in Europe for centuries. By bring-ing European-inspired floors to customersstateside, the design community has beenabuzz with excitement at the possibilities thatcome with hard-wax oiled hardwood.

In Europe, the floors in public spaces con-sist of hard-wax oiled wood that was installed30 to 50 years ago. A well-maintained oiledfloor only gets better with age—the ultimate color of the floor be-coming even more distinct in that time.

Hard-wax oil is made from all-natural ingredients, includinglinseed oil, tung oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, beeswax, carnaubawax, candelilla wax, resins and colloidal clay. These natural oilspenetrate deep into the wood fibers to protect from within, whilethe moisture-repelling waxes remain on the surface to create an

appealing matte finish and protective layer. Extremely water andstain resistant against wine, soda and coffee, hard-wax oil not onlynourishes and protects the wood but also preserves its natural lookand feel, which are sometimes lost in the higher luster ofpolyurethane finishes.

Repairs on a hard-wax oiled floor are quitesimple with minimal maintenance required.Spots and scratches can be minimized and ofteneliminated with buffing and a small application ofthe same oil. It is often recommended to reapplyat least once a year or as needed to keep the floorperforming as it should. Thankfully, the process iseasy enough to do without the need for a profes-sional service or expensive equipment. Withproper care, a hard-wax oil floor will not need to

be professionally sanded either.In comparison, polyurethane and lacquer finishes commonly

used today create a thick film on the surface of the wood. Thoughextremely durable, repairs can be difficult because these finishes donot bond chemically to previous layers and grip only where the sur-face has been thoroughly abraded. These floors typically need to besanded down and refinished.

BY JOSE ALONSOBrand strategist, DuChâteau

hardwood 101: finishes

The benefits of hard-wax oil

W hen choosing the right type of finish for a hardwood floor, a customer’s lifestyle and maintenance preferencesmust be considered. All wood floors will require routine maintenance, such as sweeping or dust mopping,

to keep them looking attractive and new, but different finishes will have a significant impact on how floors are caredfor long-term, as well as how they will look in the years to come.

Surface finishes are very popular because they are durable, water resistant and require minimal maintenance.They remain on the surface of the wood to form a protective coating. Surface finishes are blends of syntheticresins and are often referred to as urethanes or polyurethanes. There are several types of surface finishes fromwhich to choose:

1. Water-based finishes appear clear and will resist turning yellow over time. They dry in two to three hoursand are very durable.

2. Oil-based finishes appear amber in color. They dry in about eight hours and are exceptionally durable.3. Acid-cured finishes appear clear to slightly amber. They dry in about two to three hours and are ex-

tremely durable.4. Moisture-cured finishes appear clear to amber. They will dry in about two to three hours in humid

conditions. They are more moisture resistant than other surface finishes.5. Wax finishes soak into the pores of the wood and harden to form a protective penetrating seal,

which will appear low luster and amber in color. They will dry in a variable amount of time dependingon the type of wax used and the jobsite’s conditions. Wax finishes are durable but will show spots fromwater and other contaminates.

6. Acrylic impregnated finishes are injected into the wood to create a super hard, exceedinglydurable floor. They are rarely used in residential applications; rather, acrylic impregnated finishes areoften used in very high-traffic areas and commercial settings.

The finishes

hardwood basics

Finishes impact the longterm maintenance and

appearance of hardwood.

Natural ingredients in hard-wax oiledfloors nourish and protect the wood.


Grade and quality are two separate meas-ures that when combined will help deter-

mine a product’s value. Grade can be bestdescribed as the visual of natural wood. It isevaluated along a wide spectrum that rangesfrom very uniform in appearance—withoutknots or other standout qualities—to signifi-cant color variations, short lengths, openknots, streaks, shake, worm holes, wane andother woodworker-specific characteristicsused to describe wood’s natural features.

value. For this very reason, product warrantiesare almost always tied to quality and are lessdependent on a wood’s grade.

The following table lists grades, alongwith a brief description of the characteristicsand allowable defects found within each cat-egory. Unless specified, the allowable defectslisted are considered part of the industry’sstandard 5% waste factor allowed for all bet-ter wood flooring grades (this can be as muchas 15% to 20% for low grades).

Quality, on the other hand, is manufactur-ing related. So while grade is what the treegave you to work with, how that natural woodis manufactured to create the final planksplays another key role in the overall value ofthe flooring. For instance, a high-grade woodmay have manufacturing defects, whichwould lower the flooring’s quality and overallvalue. Conversely, a low-grade wood may havelittle to no manufacturing defects, whichwould increase its quality and thus raise its

hardwood basics

The grades

Prefinished wood grades Unfinished wood grades Wood characteristics Allowable defects

Prime/A Grade/Clear Grade

Standard/B Grade/Select/ #1 Common and better

#2 Common/C Grade/Builder/Mill Run/Character/Rustic/Sapwood/Natural/Shorts

Cabin/Tavern (no structural warranty)

#3 Common/D Grade/Utility (no structural warranty)

Shop (no warranty)

Clear Grade/1st Grade/Select and better

Select/2nd Grade/ No. 1 Common/Common and better

#2 Common/C Grade/Builder/Mill Run/Character/Rustic/Sapwood/Natural/Shorts

Cabin/Tavern (no structural warranty)

#3 Common/D Grade/Utility (no structural warranty)

Shop (no warranty)

These boards represent the top gradewithin each wood species. Woods are cutfrom the center of the log and have ahighly uniform appearance with few knots.The sap content of this wood is low, andcolor variations are minimal. After finish-ing, the face of the boards will have the“cleanest” appearance of that species.

While the face of these boards containsmore wood characteristics relevant to thespecies, the face is still even and smoothafter filling and finishing.

Boards within these grades include most ofthe wood’s spectrum of natural character.Woods include more color, bigger knotsand creamy-colored sapwood. A limitedamount of unfilled or unfinished open char-acteristics on the face are also allowed.Also expect to find overall shorter pieces.

This grade may include some low-gradewood characteristics and quality imper-fections such as machining issues. For themost part, this grade has shorter boardlengths, more color variations and smalldings, and is thus expected to have morethan a 10% waste factor. Because qualitydefects are allowed, there is no structuralwarranty offered on this wood.

This grade has the shortest board lengthsand includes most wood imperfections andmachining issues. It is expected to havemore than a 10% waste factor.

This grade can be a great value; however,expect more labor and waste.

• Natural color variations• Off-color streaks 6 inches in length or the equivalent • Occasional small burls; very small, tight knots, and fine pinworm holes

• No pieces with less than a 3⁄4 inch full tongue • Includes boards with the longest plank lengths

• Small worm holes• Season and kiln checks• Dime-size broken knots• Larger open knots, if properly filled and finished• Other limited small unfinished/unfilled open characteristics• Minor imperfections from machining• Some sapwood, torn grains and burns

Allowable defects include a limited amount of pieces withsome finish irregularities, including bubbles, small skips,lines, stain or color variations, surface handling scratches,minor trash issues.

• A small amount of unfilled knots• Small finish defects such as skips, color variations, scratches and bubbles

Most wood imperfections and machining issues

All imperfections

Source: World Floor Covering Association


Above grade Any surface that isabove the level of the surroundingground.

Acrylic impregnated Acrylicmonomers are injected into the cellstructure of the wood to increase itshardness then finished with a wearlayer over the wood.

Acrylic urethane A slightly differ-ent chemical composition thanpolyurethane with similar benefits.

Aluminum oxide Added to thewear layer of a urethane finish for in-creased abrasion resistance; popularon better grade wood floors.

Below grade Any surface that isbelow the level of the surroundingground.

Better A quality of wood that hassmall knots and light dark graining.

Eased edge Also known as a micro-beveled edge, some manufacturersadd this slightly beveled edge to boththe length and end joints of theirhardwood planks.

Finish in place Unfinished hard-wood floors that are installed, sandedand finished with an application oftwo to three coats of urethane on site.

Floating floor With this method,hardwood floors are not mechani-cally fastened to any part of the sub-floor. Instead, a thin pad is placedbetween the wood and the subfloorand a recommended glue is appliedin the tongue and groove of eachplank.

Glue down The process in which ahardwood floor is adhered to a sub-floor using a recommended adhe-sive, spread on with the propersized trowel.

Beveled edge Hardwood boardswith a distinctive groove in them, asseen in informal and country decor.With today’s urethane finishes, theseedges can be completely sealed, mak-ing these floors easy to clean.

Buckle When humidity is high,wood expands and gaps disappear. Insituations of too much moisture, thewood may cup or “buckle.”

Clear An expensive quality of woodthat has no visual blemishes or knots.

Cross-ply construction A tech-nique in which wood plies arestacked on top of each other in oppos-ing directions. The result is a woodfloor that is dimensionally stable andless affected by moisture.

Cupping Warping with a concavecondition in which the center islower than the sides.

Graining Texture seen in a cut sur-face of wood.

Janka hardness test The standardtest for determining a wood’s hard-ness rating in which the force re-quired to embed a .444-inch steelball to half its diameter in a piece ofwood is measured. A higher ratingtranslates to a harder wood.

Knot The round, harder, typicallydarker cross section of a piece ofwood where a branch once joinedthe tree trunk.

Longstrip plank Similar to engi-neered floors in that multiple lay-ers or plies are glued together ontop of a center core that is typicallya softer wood material also used tomake the tongue and groove. Theresult is a board that appears to bethree rows wide and several plankslong.

glossary

With an improved economy and a pent-up demand for floor-ing, hardwood is becoming an increasingly popular choice.

In a more active home buying market, homeowners have the op-portunity to make more money in a sale when hardwood is in-stalled in their homes.

There are three major ways to make veneers for engineeredwood floors: sawn-cut face, slice-cut face and rotary-cut face. Ve-neer is sliced directly from the log or lumber, and the way it iscut/sliced determines the quality, surface, pattern and stability forthe floors. In addition, how the wood is processed before it iscut/sliced/rotary peeled also plays a factor in its quality. Properhandling or preparation of the logs before they are cut will createa better, quality veneer.

Sawn-cut face: Experts in the industry agree that sawn-cutveneer provides the best quality and stability for engineeredfloors. Sawn-cut allows for the thickest veneer (4mm) with thehighest degree of stability, which gives solid hardwood flooringvisuals. It is made by tilting the log to a slight angle so the slicesare more perpendicular to the growth rings. This process creates

a beautiful wood grain and higherquality product, which is unique tosawn-cut face engineered floors.

Slice-cut face: Sliced-cut (orflat cut) veneer is the second mostcommon way to create a wood ve-neer and is better than the tradi-tional rotary-cut. There are twoways to create sliced-cut veneers.The difference is the direction of the knife when cutting the log. Inthe common method, the log is repeatedly sliced parallel to the cen-ter. It’s the same way most boards are cut, just in much thinner lay-ers (2mm or less). However, according to the experts, to produce abetter slice-cut face veneer, the log should be cut from the topdown, creating less stress on the veneer during the slicing process.This new progressive process was developed for the sole purpose ofincreasing one thing: stability.

Rotary-cut face: Traditional rotary-cut face allows for a thinner(2.5mm or less), more efficient cut. Spinning the log and peeling offa continuous sheet creates this veneer (think of a roll of paper tow-els). Rotary-cut top layers accentuate the natural grain pattern andhave a more pronounced grain appearance.

BY SYLVIA BULANEKMarketing manager, Hallmark Floors

hardwood 101: construction

Creating a better, quality veneer


Moisture-cured urethane Achemical similar to solvent-basedurethane, but requires humidity ormoisture to cure.

Moldings Devices used to cover ex-pansion joints that enhance the per-formance and appearance of ahardwood floor.

Nail-down floor Nailing cleats areused with a wood flooring nailer anda mallet to attach hardwood flooringto a subfloor. This method of installa-tion is typically used with ¾-inchsolid products, although adaptersexist for thinner floors.

No. 1 Common A quality of woodthat has some knots and some darkgraining.

No. 2 Common A quality of woodthat has even more knots and darkgraining.

Sliced cut A hardwood cuttingprocess that shows a more uniformpattern.

Solid A piece of wood that hastongue and groove sides. It can comeunfinished or prefinished and is sen-sitive to moisture.

Solvent-based urethane oil Usedas part of the chemical compositionof a polyurethane finish.

Square edge When the edges ofall hardwood boards meet squarelyto create a uniform, smooth sur-face that blends the floor togetherfrom strip to strip or plank toplank.

Staple-down floor A method ofhardwood installation in which sta-ples are used to attach the wood tothe subfloor. A pneumatic gun isoften used.

On grade At ground level.

Polyurethane A clear, durable fin-ish applied as a wear layer over hard-wood floors.

Prefinished wood Hardwoodflooring that comes sanded, stainedand finished at the manufacturingplant, ready for installation in ahome. These products typically pro-vide a harder, better-protected sur-face because several coats ofurethane are applied and UV dried.They come in a wider variety ofwood species and save hours oflabor and clean up.

Rotary cut A hardwood cuttingprocess that displays a larger andbolder graining pattern.

Select A quality of wood that hassome small knots but very little darkgraining.

Strip A classic hardwood floor withnarrow board widths. Most commonspecies are red oak, white oak,maple, cherry, white ash, hickoryand pecan.

Tongue and groove The joiningof two hardwood boards, one hav-ing a tongue on its edge that fitsinto the groove in the edge of theother.

Unfinished Not prefinished in afactory. It allows homeowners to cus-tomize their floors and finish themon site by sanding or staining.

UV cured Hardwood finishes curedin a factory with Ultra Violet (UV)lights vs. heat or moisture.

Water-based urethaneA polyurethane finish that includeswater in its chemical composition,dries clear and is non-yellowing.

Insulayment: High-performing underlayment for wood floors A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: MP GLOBAL

MP Global Products, a leading manufacturerof underlayments, offers Insulayment, an eco-friendly, high-performing fiber acoustic under-layment engineered specifically for glue- downand nail-down hardwood and engineeredwood floors. It offers many notable bene-fits and, therefore, is a smart choice forhomeowners, builders and developers concerned with the quality and perform-ance of the overall floor assembly.

Insulayment is an exceptional acousticunderlayment with strong sound absorp-tion capabilities that would be appreciatedin single-family homes and multi-familyhousing. Featuring randomly air-laid fibersthat cushion the floor and create a capil-lary effect, Insulayment is designed todampen impact noise and decrease air-borne sounds from traveling to the roombelow.

In field testing for sound performance, In-sulayment earned a Field Impact Insulation (F-IIC) rating of 60 when tested under 3⁄8-inch gluedown engineered wood over 8-inch concretewith no ceiling assembly, an Impact Insulation

Class (IIC) rating of 52 and a Sound Transmis-sion Class (STC) rating of 53.

The IIC rating is a widely accepted test forevaluating an assembly for sound that travels

from one living area down to another and meas-ures the ability of a particular floor/ceiling as-sembly to block impact sound by measuring theresistance of impact noise or structure-borne

noise. As the International Building Code (IBC)minimum standards for multi-family dwellingsfor new construction (tested in a controlled lab-oratory environment) and condo and high rise

associations typically require an IIC ratingof 50, Insulayment is a good choice for in-stallations aiming to meet or beat thosenumbers.

Here’s a feature attractive to environ-mentally minded customers: Insulaymentis third-party certified by SCS Global Serv-ices that the underlayment is made from100% pre-consumer recycled textile con-tent. Manufactured in America from lo-cally sourced material—eliminatingoverseas shipping and minimizing trans-portation costs—it is LEED compliant andwill contribute to MRc4.1-4.2 credits.

Insulayment is warrantied for 15 yearsto suppress the transfer of lateral cracking ofup to 1⁄4-inch from concrete subfloors to the

covered flooring material. The .11-inch thicknessof Insulayment helps smooth out little subfloorimperfections and the air-laid filaments resistcompression.

MP Global’s Insulayment is known for its strong sound absorption capabilities.


AUSTRALIAN CYPRESSOrigin: AustraliaColor: Cream-colored sapwood; heartwood is honey-gold to brown with darker knots throughoutGrain: Closed

BRAZILIAN CHERRYOrigin: BrazilColor: Sapwood is gray-white; heartwood is salmon red toorange-brown when fresh and becomes russet or reddish-brown when seasoned; often marked with dark streaksGrain: Mostly interlocked; texture is medium to rathercoarse

BRAZILIAN MAPLEOrigin: Brazil Color: Pale cream to yellow cream; no contrast between sapwood and heartwoodGrain: Straight, fine, uniform

BRAZILIAN WALNUTOrigin: Brazil Color: Can vary from light, yellowish tan with greenovertones to almost blackish-brown; exhibits a largerange of coloration when freshly milled; darkens overtime to medium to dark brownGrain: Fine to medium, straight to very irregular

BUBINGAOrigin: AfricaColor: Pink, red or red/brown with purple streaks orveins; changes from pinkish-rose when freshly milledto burgundy red when agedGrain: Fine; straight or interlocked, can be highly fig-ured

CUMARUOrigin: South AmericaColor: At first, red-brown or purple-brown with lightyellow-brown or purple streaks, after exposure uni-form light brown or yellow-brownGrain: Fine texture, interlocked, waxy or oily feel

JARRAHOrigin: AustraliaColor: Heartwood is uniformly pinkish to dark red,often a rich, dark red mahogany hue, turning a deepbrownish-red with age and exposure. Frequent blackstreaks with occasional ingrown grainGrain: Frequently interlocked or wavy. Texture iseven and moderately coarse

MERBAUOrigin: Southeast AsiaColor: Heartwood is yellowish to orange-brown whenfreshly cut, turning brown or dark red-brown upon ex-posure Grain: Straight to interlocked or wavy; coarse texture

PADAUKOrigin: AfricaColor: Heartwood is vivid, reddish orange whenfreshly cut, darkening to reddish- or purple-brown orblack over time; very uniform in colorGrain: Straight to interlocked; coarse texture

PURPLEHEARTOrigin: Mexico, Central and South AmericaColor: Heartwood is brown when freshly cut, turningdeep purple to purplish-brown over timeGrain: Usually straight; medium to fine texture. Pres-ence of minerals in some boards may cause unevencoloration

SANTOS MAHOGANYOrigin: South AmericaColor: Dark reddish-brownGrain: Striped figuring in quartersawn selections; texture is even and very fine

SAPELEOrigin: AfricaColor: Medium to dark red-brown; darkens over timeGrain: Fine, interlocked

SPOTTED GUMOrigin: AustraliaColor: Heartwood is light to dark brown, sapwood ispale and may be as wide as 3 inchesGrain: Interlocked, moderately coarse. Frequentpresence of wavy grain produces “fiddleback” grain.Slightly greasy; gum veins are common

TASMANIAN OAKOrigin: AustraliaColor: Pale straw with occasional pinkish highlights,tan colors, some medium gray/brown colors; overtime overall color variation is muted with an amber-ing of the straw colors to darker tanGrain: All riftsawn

TEAKOrigin: AsiaColor: Heartwood varies from yellow-brown to darkgolden brown; turns rich brown under exposure tosunlight. Sapwood is a lighter cream colorGrain: Straight; coarse, uneven texture

WENGEOrigin: AfricaColor: Heartwood is yellow-brown when freshly cut,turning dark brown to almost black with alternatelayers of light and dark. Sapwood is yellowish-whiteand clearly demarcated from heartwood Grain: Straight when quartersawn; coarse texture

Exotic hardwood species


AMERICAN CHERRYColor: Heartwood is light to dark reddish-brown, lus-trous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pink-ish tone. Color darkens Grain: Fine, frequently wavy, uniform texture. Distinc-tive flake pattern on true quartersawn surfaces. Tex-ture is satiny, with some gum pockets

ASHColor: Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwoodis creamy white. Similar in appearance to white oak,but frequently more yellowGrain: Bold, straight, moderately open grain with oc-casional wavy figuring. Can have strong contrast ingrain in plainsawn boards

BEECHColor: Heartwood is mostly reddish-brown; sap-wood is generally pale whiteGrain: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniform tex-ture. Coarser than European beech

BIRCHColor: Sapwood is creamy yellow pale while heart-wood is light reddish-brown tinged with red. In sweetbirch (B. lenta), sapwood is light colored and heartwoodis dark brown tinged with redGrain: Medium figuring, straight, closed grain, eventexture. Occasional curly grain or wavy figure in someboards

BLACK WALNUTColor: Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich dark brownto a purplish-black. Sapwood is nearly white to tanGrain: Mostly straight and open, but some boards haveburled or curly grain. Arrangements of pores is similarto hickories and persimmon, but pores are smaller insize

DOUGLAS FIRColor: Heartwood is yellowish-tan to light brown.Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be con-fused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radicalcolor change upon exposure to sunlightGrain: Normally straight, with occasional wavy orspiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grainor riftsawn clear-grade material

HEART PINEColor: Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turnsdeep pinkish-tan to warm reddish-brown within weeksdue to high resin content. Sapwood remains yellow,with occasional blue-black sap stainGrain: Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn is swirled;rift- or quartersawn is primarily pinstriped. Curly orburl grain is rare

HICKORY/PECANColor: Pecan heartwood is reddish-brown with darkbrown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white withpinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish; sap-wood is white to cream, with fine brown lines Grain: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregu-lar. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition;somewhat rough-textured

HARD MAPLEColor: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish-brown; sapwood is pale to creamy whiteGrain: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figur-ing and uniform texture. Can show quilted, fiddle-back, curly or bird’s-eye figuring. Figured boardsoften culled during grading and sold at a premium

MESQUITEColor: Light brown to dark reddish-brownGrain: High in character, with ingrown bark andmineral streaks. Most commonly used in flooringas end-grain block, which has small irregularcracks radiating across the grain

RED OAKColor: Heartwood and sapwood are similar, with sap-wood lighter in color; most pieces have a reddish toneGrain: Open, slightly coarser (more porous) than whiteoak. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grainappearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, lowfiguring; quartersawn has a flake pattern

SOUTHERN YELLOW PINEColor: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orangeto reddish-brown or yellowish-brown; sapwood islight tan to yellowish-whiteGrain: Closed, with high figuring; patterns rangefrom clear to knotty

WHITE OAKColor: Heartwood is light brown; some boards mayhave a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Sapwood iswhite to cream. Grain: Open, with longer rays than red oak. Occasionalcrotches, swirls and burls. Plainsawn boards haveplumed or flared grain; riftsawn has a tighter grain pat-tern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern.

Domestic hardwood species

Use of domestic exotics on the rise

The use of non-traditional North American wood species—generally referred to as domestic exotics—hasrisen dramatically over the last five years. There are numerous reasons as to why.

The environment: From the U.S. revising its 100-year-old Lacey Act and other countries strengtheningtheir own laws concerning illegal logging to consumers becoming more conscious and knowledgeable aboutsustainability issues, all corners of the industry have growing environmental concerns.

The economy: The decline in the economy from 2006 to 2012 also eroded demand for foreign exotics. Peo-ple continue to want hardwood floors, and they are willing to spend more money so they can achieve the lookof domestic exotic wood.

Trends: The popularity of domestic exotics began in the fine furniture and cabinetry industries. As differentexotic woods became more popular in home furnishings, the demand rose for flooring with similar looks.

Engineered wood: Architects and designers have been using wider planks for most projects. Because oftheir stability, engineered products are often the preferred choice.


Isn’t it tiresome to sell tons of red oak? And more red oak?Although this is a common sentiment amongst retailers,

they continue to sell it. And then they complain about thequality, stating that it is average at best and margins con-tinue to erode. The complaint often heard is, “I can’t makemoney in the hardwood business selling red oak.” The solu-tion? Sell a better quality red oak product and quantify it, or

better yet, how aboutgetting out of the redoak species alto-gether? Yes, there arealternatives.

Oftentimes theconsumer asks foroak because that isall she knows abouthardwood floors. Buttoday’s shopperwould like to bemore educated anddoesn’t necessarilywant her mother’s

floor; therefore it is important to talk to her about availablealternatives.

How about white oak? It has similar characteristics tored oak, is more stable, has a higher Janka rating (1360 vs.1290) and in most cases is a little less expensive than red.When stained, white oak is virtually undetectable from redand retailers get a better margin. How? By selling its fea-tures. In addition, a rift and quartered white in natural isan impressive looking floor.

White ash, for example, makes a striking floor. It hasgood graining to help hide scratches and dents, stains bet-ter than both white and red oak, has a Janka rating of 1320and is hard enough to make baseball bats. That is a prettygood selling feature.

Hickory contains many contrasting colors and charac-teristics to help with its maintenance; this species has re-cently been one of the hottest in the marketplace. It canalso be stained and has a Janka rating of 1820.

And let’s not forget the other North Americanspecies—maple, birch, beech, American walnut and Amer-ican cherry.

If dealers want to make more money in the wood floor-ing industry, they should make sure they know alternativespecies and what makes them unique. It is also important tounderstand their distinctiveness. When a retailer is well edu-cated and understands product details, he can quantify thisinformation to consumers and get out of the red oak rut.

BY WADE BONDROWSKIDirector of sales, Mercier Wood Flooring

hardwood 101: species

Getting out of the red oak rutT he majority of floor covering

shoppers are not in the mar-ket for hardwood. Some perceivethe product as too expe

Tip No. 1: Product knowledgeFor any floor covering retailer, thefront line for conveying the fea-tures, benefits and value of prod-uct

xxxxxxxxxx

Continued from page 13

Species like this hickory are in vogueand offer retailers a viable

alternative to red oak.


(Source: National Wood Flooring Association)

Consumers in the market for hardwood flooring must sort through nu-merous options—each offering different features, benefits and varied

product details. To simplify the process for bothshoppers and retail sales associates, asking spe-cific questions is an important first step when itcomes to qualifying a customer and making sureshe purchases the right product for her needs.Here are 10 points RSAs can use to start the con-versation.

1. What’s your lifestyle like at home? Areyou retired? Do you have teenagers livingin the house? Young children or pets?Determining the lifestyle of the customer to isprobably the most important qualifying processfor helping her select the product that will per-form best based on her specific needs. This canhelp determine the kind of traffic the floor willget.

Wood floors can stand up to any lifestyle, butdifferent products are made to perform well in different environments,both geographically and based on traffic. The species selected can have amajor impact on performance as well.

Each wood species is rated for its hardness and durability using some-

thing called a Janka scale (see page 14). The Janka scale gives a good indi-cation of how likely a wood is to dent or show other wear. For example,domestic black cherry is ranked at 950 on the Janka scale, while Brazil-

ian cherry is ranked much higher at 2820.

2. Is your home built on a slab, or over a crawl space or basement?Knowing how the foundation of a home is con-structed can help determine which products willwork best. If a customer’s home is built on a slabfoundation, an engineered wood flooring prod-uct will likely perform best because of the wayengineered wood floors are constructed (see page4). Engineered wood floors will expand and con-tract less during fluctuations in humidity andtemperature. They are also less susceptible tomoisture related issues, which can be more com-mon with slab construction.

Solid wood floors are manufactured usingone solid piece of wood instead of multiple woodveneers. The grain of a solid wood floor runs in

one direction only, which makes it more susceptible to reacting to changesin temperature, humidity or moisture.

Both floors will perform well when used in the right environment. Inaddition, once installed, both a solid and an engineered wood floor made

selling

Medium woods like hickory or oak will make aroom appear more warm and cozy. Pictured here

is Mannington’s Black Isle hickory 5-inch wideplank format with rich colorations.

Top 10 questions retailers can ask before

The perception of engineered hardwood flooring has undergonemany shifts in the minds of designers and customers, but

there’s no question the quality and range of available options havenever been better. With various choices and different kinds of cus-tomers, it’s important to keep the following in mind when sellingengineered hardwood.

Style and luxuryEngineered hardwood flooring manufacturers put a heavy empha-sis on finishes, which translates to options dealers can offer thatmight not be available in solid constructions. Color choices, multi-ple species, semi-gloss to matte finishes, even a variety of surfacetextures—from smooth to more distressed wire-brushed orscraped—are relevant comparisons when selecting a floor.

DurabilityBecause engineered hardwood floors are all prefinished, manufac-

turers provide surface coatings that look great as soon as they’re in-stalled. These companies may also offer added protection if de-sired. Families with young children, for example, are always goodcandidates for this option.

Stability Engineered hardwood is typically two veneers of hardwood sand-wiched around a stable core of plywood or fiberboard. This stablecore helps resist movement and warping that can occur due tochanges in temperature and humidity.

Easy installation Installing engineered hardwood floors is a breeze, which is proba-bly why they are a common DIY choice. But they make profes-sional installers’ lives easier, too. Designed to float over mostexisting flooring, locking engineered floors typically snap or clicktogether to form a tight joint and usually do not require specializedequipment. Not only can this reduce the cost for customers ontight budgets, but a whole floor can be finished easily in just a fewhours and used immediately—no sanding, no staining, no mess.

BY HARRY BOGNERSenior vice president, Unilin Hardwood

hardwood 101: selling

The advantages of engineered hardwood flooring

from the same species will look identical.

3. What temperature do you normally maintain in your home?Wood floors will perform best when the household is kept within a nar-row range of fluctuation in both temperature and humidity. This is be-cause wood is a hygroscopic material, which means it will lose or gainmoisture based on its environment. Keeping the surrounding space con-sistent will minimize any significant changes in performance or appear-ance.

Most wood flooring will contract or shrink during periods of low hu-midity, which can cause seasonal gaps to appear between floorboards.Then, during periods of high humidity—usually during the summermonths—these seasonal gaps will close. This effect can be minimized bymaintaining the home environment within the range identified as opti-mal by the installer. Generally speaking, wood floors perform best whenthe interior environment is maintained within a temperature range of 60to 80 degrees fahrenheit and 30% to 50% humidity.

4. What’s your home décor like? Is it formal, traditional, casual, country, modern or rustic?A customer’s home décor will provide a big clue about which wood floor-ing types and species may work best in a space. Homes that are modern,traditional or formal will likely look best with wood floors that have asmooth surface, while homes that are casual, country or rustic will matchwith wood floors that have a rough or distressed texture. Smooth textureswill also work better in homes with little foot traffic, while distressed tex-tures will perform well in homes with small children and pets as they canbetter camouflage small scratches and dents.

The appropriate species can often enhance the home’s décor as well.Generally speaking, dark woods like walnut or mahogany will make aroom appear more stately and refined. Medium woods like hickory or oakwill make a room appear more warm and cozy. Light woods like ash ormaple will make a room appear more open and airy.

Imported species can offer a wide variety of colors, from the pinkishred of African bubinga to the creamy honey-gold of Australian cypress.More options include the dark reddish brown of South American Santosmahogany, the deep purplish brown of Mexican purpleheart or the dra-matic blackish brown of African wenge.

Light woods like ash or maple will make a room appear more open andairy. Pictured here is Mirage’s Maple Grey Drizzle offering.

selling wood flooring


A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: URBANFLOOR

A world of options to meet every taste and budget

Urbanfloor’s Lifestyle Collection display features five different species that give RSAs various selling options from contemporary

finishes to time-worn distressing.


Urbanfloor’s No. 1 goal is to be a profitable brand for its distributor part-ners and authorized dealers. From product placement on television tosocial media campaigns and nationwide design magazine advertising,Urbanfloor seeks to maximize brand awareness with the goal of bring-ing customers to its dealers’ doorsteps.

Urbanfloor’s sample and display systems are easy to set up, heavilysubsidized and readily available in both the U.S. and Canada. In addi-tion, the company has three shipping locations to optimize the logis-tics of delivery and shorten product arrival time. Its knowledgeable,dedicated support staff is always on call to answer any questions orconcerns that may arise.

Beyond brand name recognition and superior customer service, Ur-banfloor offers product versatility and variety that will draw all kindsof consumers. With nearly 100 hardwood flooring options to choosefrom, there is not a taste or budget that it won’t be able to easily satisfy.Urbanfloor offers eight diverse collections designed to cater to the fullspectrum of client needs and preferences.

Urbanfloor invests in the longevity of its clients and the planet bystructuring the business to comply with all environmental standardsand regulations, including mandates on formaldehyde emissions. Thehealth and safety of its customers and employees is of utmost concern,and it honors this cause by conducting rigorous third-party testing onall of its flooring and accessories.

Urbanfloor is a brand dealers and consumers alike can trust, notonly for its record sales and popularity, but also for its integrity at everystage of the flooring process.


5. Will you be in your home long term or for just a few years?Wood floors can last for the lifetime of a homewhen they are properly installed and maintained.This is especially important if a customer plans toremain in her home for many years. It can help tosteer her toward high-end products that can lastfor generations, or toward solid wood floors,which can be sanded and refinished numeroustimes.

Conversely, if a customer plans to be in her home for just a few years,it might make sense to steer her to products that are more affordable, ortoward engineered wood floors, which often cannot be sanded and refin-ished. This is not, however, true of all engineered products. Some engi-neered wood flooring is very high end, has an exceptionally thick wearlayer and can be sanded and refinished during its service life.

6. Is choosing an environmentally friendly flooring option important to you?Wood flooring is the most environmentally friendly flooring option avail-able. Sustainable forest management makes it possible to harvest woodwithout any serious impact on the environment because trees are a re-newable resource that can be replaced time and time again.

Trees are produced in a factory called a forest by a renewable source

of energy called the sun. According to the U.S.Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the av-erage annual net growth for hardwood is greaterthan average annual removals. For every cubicfoot of hardwood removed, 1.66 cubic feet isadded. In all, the standing hardwood volume inthe U.S. currently is 328 billion cubic feet, an in-crease of nearly 90% since 1953.

Wood floors are also carbon neutral.Through the process of photosynthesis, trees ab-sorb carbon dioxide and water from the atmos-phere, into which oxygen is released back. This

process makes wood—and wood floors—a carbon-neutral product.

7. Are you concerned with improving the indoor air quality ofyour home?According to a study conducted by the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, wood floors do not harbor allergens, microorganisms or harmfulpesticides that can be tracked in from outdoors. In addition, dust, moldand animal dander contamination is minimal in homes with wood floors,which improves overall indoor air quality, particularly for allergy suffer-ers.

A life cycle analysis of wood flooring conducted by the University ofWisconsin indicates wood flooring improves indoor air quality as well.The study compared five different floor coverings in regard to four sub-

Determining the prospective customer’s lifestyleis critical for an RSA. Is the customer a retired couple with no grandchildren or a family with

three small children and a large dog?



selling

Hardwood floors are a sound investment for any homeowner.While the initial outlay can be higher than some other types of

flooring, hardwood floors are remarkably durable, comfortable andaesthetically appealing. They are derived from natural renewablesources that are sustainable and no other mate-rial can replicate their inherent warmth andbeauty. These are all selling advantages for retailsales associates.

When selling engineered hardwood specifi-cally, it is important to understand the construction of the product,along with how it is made.

There are three main cutting methods for the hardwood toplayer of an engineered floor. The dry, solid sawn involves letting thewood dry out slowly to keep the moisture from inside the woodcells intact, reducing the risk of cupping. Once the wood has dried,it is precisely sawn to the desired thickness for a better look andperformance.

The advantages of this method are numerous:• Gives the appearance of solid hardwood • Preserves the natural color variations, uniformity and grain of

the species • Ensures no repetitive patterns, as each board is unique• Ultra-thick wear layer• Can be sanded and refinished if required• Provides a smooth and splice-free surface• Less stress to the woodThe two other methods are rotary peeled and slice peeled. Ro-

tary peeled entails boiling the log for a certain amount of time at aspecific temperature to prepare the wood. Afterit is scraped from the log with a blade workingfrom the outside in, it is then pressed flat. Theslice peeled process includes the same boilingmethod, but after the wood has been prepared it

is sliced from the end and then pressed to create a veneer. Themain disadvantages of these methods are repetitive patterns, re-semblance to plywood and an ultra-thin wear layer that can showimperfections.

Engineered hardwood combines the classic appearance ofsolid hardwood with the added benefit of technology to createmore stability in any area of a home. It is generally faster to install,offers greater permanence under humid conditions and is suitablefor more specialized spaces such as condominiums and basements.It is also offered in wider and longer planks, which is a popularchoice in expansive spaces.

BY PRISCILLA BERGERONCommunications manager, Lauzon


Natural attributes, construction of engineered wood create appeal


I t is easy to understand why hardwood flooring has emerged as sucha strong consumer preference. Homeowners gravitate toward wood

for its clean look, inherent value and environmentally friendly attrib-utes. It also adds value to the home.

Still, the product does not sell itself, and is not necessarily the bestflooring option for every job. Savvy flooring dealers know that sellinghardwood is as much learning and understand-ing as it is explaining the difference between en-gineered and solid.

Tip No. 1: Know your customer’s needsHardwood is often the flooring of choice, butthe bigger issue is “knowing when to sell hard-wood to a customer and when to move her toanother product,” said Olga Robertson, presi-dent of FCANetwork.

The majority of consumers desire hard-wood floors but many times an active lifestylewith pets and young children or structural issues can be a concern. “Ex-plain the trade-off because hardwood will scratch and dent,” Robertsonsaid. “I don’t care what the manufacturer states on the warranty. Yet,

the majority of people want hardwood, so make sure you have a nicemix of products by species, price points and separate engineered fromsolid. This will streamline the process.”

Allen Clouse, director of retail sales at Star Lumber in Wichita, Kan.,said if a customer is early in the process of shopping, his RSAs are trainedto first ask a few open-ended questions to gauge the level of use/wear the

customer’s floor will endure. “Based upon the re-sponse, we try to guide the customer to choosinga species of wood that will help her gain the per-formance she needs. After we narrow down thespecies based on Janka ratings and wood charac-teristics, we help the customer find the color andprice point that best fulfills her desires.”

Tip No. 2: Product knowledgeWood floors can stand up to any lifestyle, butdifferent products are made to perform well indifferent environments. The species selected

can have a significant impact on performance. Knowing as much as pos-sible about a customer’s daily routine, family and environment can helpto steer her in the right direction.

selling

Before jumping into the features and benefits ofa product, RSAs should first conduct a lifestyle

interview to see if hardwood is a good fit.

Leading retailers share intelligence on

Converting shoppers into happy purchasers is every retailer’s goaland hardwood is a powerful tool to help reach that objective. For

most folks, there is great value in hardwood; its inherent aesthetic ap-peal and quality of real wood floors are important to homeowners.

StyleThere are hardwood floors to complement anystyle, from traditional to trendy and rustic to re-fined. Smooth floors have a timeless appeal,while distressed offerings mimic the weatheredlook of aged or reclaimed wood. Handscrapedfloors offer a range of textural variations designedto create the look of handmade vintage woodfloors.

LifestyleChoosing the right hardwood floor that meets customers’ expecta-tions for durability is key. Some species of wood are naturally harderthan others, thus more resistant to dents, dings and natural signs ofwear. The hardness of a species can be increased by adding acrylic tothe wood. For active homes, customers should be advised to choose

floors with residential finish warranties of 25 years or lifetime.

ValueWhat makes one type of hardwood cost more than another? Thelaws of supply and demand determine the relative pricing of differ-ent species. Abundant American species like oak and maple are themost affordable while high-demand exotics will often have the high-

est prices. Within a species, price varies based onthe grade of the lumber. Added treatments like dis-tressing, handscraping, color washing, etc., aremore labor intensive, which impacts price.

SourcingWhere hardwood is grown and manufacturedmakes a difference. Retailers and their customerscan feel good about purchasing domestic hardwoodfloors, especially from reputable manufacturers thatensure responsible practices.

Preference t is important to show customers variety. Even if they just come in for aspecific item, give people a chance to view all products in the category.Use the power of brands to highlight quality and profitable products.Customers will be confident and feel comfortable with the value.

BY BRIAN JONESVice president, product management wood, Armstrong


Simple talking points guide customers through selection process

Handscraped floors offer a range of textures designed to create the look of

handmade vintage wood floors.

Dealers said the biggest mistake salespeople make when sellinghardwood is selecting the wrong product for the job. Any RSA that sellshardwood should know if the application is below grade or on slab andwhether or not it involves heat. With this information, every salesper-son should know which product is best.

Salespeople need to have considerable product knowledge while theselection has to offer a reasonable value proposition that can be commu-nicated to the customer. Salespeople are often encouraged to attendproduct knowledge seminars hosted by distributors, manufacturers andtrade associations, which are especially important today considering themyriad of new products, species, qualities and finishes available in themarket. The more you know, the more products you can sell.

“When you’re selling hardwood, you’re showing the value andlongevity of the floor,” said Janice Clifton, owner of Abbey Carpets Un-limited Design Center, Napa, Calif. “We have a brochure we hand to everyhardwood customer, informing her about the expectations of finishedproducts and maintenance. We try to cover those bases ahead of time.”

Tip No. 3: Qualify the customerBefore getting mired in the minutia of engineered vs. solid or hickoryvs. maple, RSAs should first conduct a lifestyle interview to determineif hardwood is, in fact, the right product for the customer. “If it is, thenI move forward making sure the customer understands the importanceof humidity and temperature regulation before getting into features andbenefits of engineered or solid hardwood,” said Kevin Murray, owner ofMurray Floor & Window Coverings in Billings, Mont. “Jumping intofeatures and benefits too soon could be a waste of time if hardwood isnot a good fit for the client.”

Carlton Billingsley, president of Floors & More in Benton, Ark., saidwhen selling hardwood floors his sales team qualifies the customer by

asking about foot traffic, pets and the room or area for the job. “Fromthere we ask about types of colors, finishes and species of wood she maylike. Last, we want to know what the expectation is for the finishedproduct and overall room design.”

Tip No. 4: Stay on top of the latest trends Trends come and go in the wood flooring industry, but a seasoned pro-fessional will always stay on top of the latest. The typical customer maybe a few years behind the latest trends because she is looking at howother people have decorated their homes.

“We are constantly pulling samples that are not selling and addingnew colors and styles in the store,” Clifton said. “You have to invest inyour showroom and new samples.”

Keeping up with trends can enhance selling skills, which also helpssalespeople close more sales.

Tip No. 5: Be upfront with your customersBilly Mahone III, manager of Atlas Floors in San Antonio, said rule No. 1is to be upfront with customers when discussing hardwood floors becausethey typically require more care and maintenance vs. other flooring op-tions. In the end it will be worth it, Mahone said. “No other flooring op-tion adds the warmth and beauty to your home like a real hardwood floor.”

Flooring dealers need to invest in new samples and be willing to pull those that are not selling to replace them with new colors and styles.


closing techniques

Elegance Exotic Wood Flooring is not thelargest player in the hardwood flooring market,but it has secured partnerships with many ofthe top flooring retailers because it simply doesthings the right way.

It all starts with being a reliable companywith which to do business. Over the years, Ele-gance has formed long-lasting partnershipswith key retailers in their respective regions andthen protected each dealer by being exclusiveto them. In other words, an Elegance dealer inSan Mateo, Calif., will not have to worry about acompeting retailer in his market getting thesame product. It is a two-way street; if a majorretailer is pushing the Elegance line, Elegance,in turn, will protect that relationship.

Claims—or lack thereof—are another rungin the Elegance success ladder. In fact, one of

the company’s leading flooring retailers hascited zero claims in eight years with the sameproduct line. That is almost unheard of todayand speaks to the quality control that Eleganceimplements throughout its production process,

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: ELEGANCE EXOTIC WOOD FLOORING

A reputable source that stands behind its productsfrom idea to implementation.

No manufacturer can carve out a long-standing, successful business without havingquality product in its lineup; Elegance offersboth quality and value. For example, along withrich colors and exotic species is a wear layerthat is much more thick than the average engi-neered product.

To further meet customer needs, over thelast 10 years the company has scaled back to bemore responsive to market needs. If a dealerneeds a 7.5-inch Acacia, the company can de-liver it. Elegance makes sure its products are al-ways available and in stock.

Flooring retailers who work with Elegancecan be assured of quality products from a well-funded company, with a long-term outlook thatis fiercely loyal to its dealer partners.

Along with rich colors and exotic species, Elegance offers a thicker wear layer.

stances considered harmful to the atmosphere:carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide andparticulate matter. The results of the studyshowed that wood flooring had minimal emis-sions for carbon dioxide and no emissions formethane, nitrogen oxide or other particulates.

8. Are you looking to increase the value of your home?Wood floors can add significant value to a cus-tomer’s home. In a survey conducted with realestate agents across the country, 99% agreethat homes with hardwood floors are easier tosell, 82% agree that homes with hardwoodfloors sell faster, and 90% agree that homeswith hardwood floors sell for more money, upto 10% more. This means that if a homeownerwere to invest $10,000 in hardwood flooringvalued at $200,000, at an increased home salesvalue of 10%, the home potentially could sellfor $220,000, doubling the homeowner’s ini-tial wood flooring investment.

9. How many days can you and your fam-ily realistically not use the room in whichthe wood will be installed? Chances are it will take more than one day toinstall new wood flooring, especially if oldflooring must first be removed. It also may be

tion of the home and the weather. Acclimationcan take from three days to a week or more.

10. Do you expect your wood flooring tolook the same 10 years from now? It is very important that the customer has re-alistic expectations about her wood flooring,which includes the assumption that the ap-pearance of her floor will likely change overtime.

Certain wood species may lighten, whileother wood species may get darker. Thischange can be accelerated or pronouncedwhen exposed to natural light. For example,wood flooring that is covered with an area rugmay turn a noticeably different color over timerather than wood flooring that is constantly ex-posed to sunlight. The effect can be minimizedby periodically moving furniture and area rugswithin a room and by closing blinds duringpeak sunlight hours or installing light-filteringtints on large picture windows and skylights.

Wood floors will also show wear and tearover time. Small scratches and dents may ap-pear in the finish, or even the wood, andshould be expected. These minor markingscan be repaired, but many homeowners be-lieve these small imperfections add to thecharacter and appeal of the wood as a flooringmaterial.

necessary to repair the subfloor, remove base-boards or shave down existing doors.

In addition, an unfinished wood floor willrequire more time than a prefinished woodfloor. Unfinished wood floors provide morecustomization options, but they also requiremore hands-on time.

Generally speaking, the floors will besanded several times on the jobsite and willhave several coats of finished applied. Each ofthese finish coats must dry and then be slightlyabraded before the next coat. Typically, threecoats of finish can be expected, but this willvary by manufacturer, job location and finishtype.

An on-site finishing job can take severaldays before the floor can be walked on, severalmore days before furniture can be put backinto place and up to several months beforearea rugs can be placed on them.

A prefinished wood floor has finish ap-plied at the manufacturing facility, so no cus-tomization is possible. It can be walked onimmediately following installation, and furni-ture, throw rugs and appliances can be putback into place right away.

All wood flooring must be acclimated tothe jobsite before it can be installed. The timerequired for proper acclimation will dependon the type of flooring, the species, the loca-


Best known for its exclusive hardwood floors andvinyl DeLuxe collections, DuChâteau is an encom-passing lifestyle brand that specializes in thefine manufacture of luxury architectural fin-ishes. The nearly decade-old company burstonto the scene in 2006 as the first to take wide-plank, hard-wax oiled hardwood floors to theAmerican market. The company’s innovativeproduction techniques and artful designs haveplaced DuChâteau in high favor among de-signers and architects.

DuChâteau has continued to expand, an-swering the call of retailers clamoring formore. The San Diego-based company recentlydropped its “Floors” moniker to reflect its evo-lution as a curator of fine goods. Its luxury of-ferings now encompass wall coverings,porcelain flooring and more. Each piece re-mains true to the brand as completely unique designstatements that balance classic and modern aes-thetics.

The pinnacle of DuChâteau’s artistry still re-

mains with The Atelier Series, the brainchild ofDuChâteau’s master craftsman, Tom Goddijn, which

offers the highest quality, European-inspired hard-wood flooring. Each top-selling color commands at-tention and brings an uncommon aesthetic anddurability to any design space—the result of meld-

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: DU CHÂTEAU

Maintaining a reputation as trendsetter and design innovatoring traditional processing methods with modern en-gineering and state-of-the-art technology.

Equally arresting in its elegance, the manycollections of DuChâteau provide a striking di-mensionality to the design environment.DuChâteau gives customers the options in awide-plank, hard-wax oiled flooring fromultra-modern, smooth surfaces found in theVernal collection to heavily distressed and rus-tic finishes notable of the Vintage Remainscollection. Intricate, bold and well crafted,these offerings bring luxury finishes to theforefront of the design-minded.

Part of DuChâteau’s growth is due to itscommitment to its customers as well as theenvironment. DuChâteau stands by its prod-ucts, its manufacturing and its promise to pro-vide high quality, luxury products that neither

sacrifice sustainability nor put profits above thehealth and safety of customers. That is whyDuChâteau stands out as a trendsetter and designinnovator.

Known for its wide-plank, hard-wax oiled hardwood floors,DuChâteau is a design innovator of the highest order.


selling


L istening to a potential customer’s needs is the key to asuccessful selling experience. A dealer or sales associ-

ate who considers and cares about the customer’s requestswill always encourage her to engage more than she wouldwith the competition. The following steps include meth-ods that should be used to help close a wood flooring sale.

1. Analyze the situation using open-ended questionsKnowing the biggest concerns the consumer has about

her project can helpto anticipate objec-tions and help theRSA be more proac-tive in the sales ap-proach. For example,is timing an issue? Isshe on a tight budgetfor this purchase?Ask questions aboutthe type of projectshe is planning. Isthis a new home or is

she renovating? These types of questions could uncovermajor details of the project.

2. Find out product detailsAsking about the square footage of the space and the sub-floor are obviously basic questions that need to be ex-plored, but knowing if the job will be performed by acontractor or if it is a DIY project is crucial to adapt to acustomer’s needs with the right product recommendationand installation type.

3. Determine what the customer wants in a productFind out what the customer’s level of comfort is when itcomes to shopping for wood flooring. Consumers increas-ingly have access to information via the Internet, whichmeans any questions they do ask are likely to be more in-depth and very specific to their own needs. Keeping frontline staff up to date and in a position where they can con-fidently answer questions from concerned consumers willnaturally create a greater feeling of confidence.

4. Determine the appropriate productDescribe the various wood categories as well as any differ-ences among them. Help customers understand the mainpoints to consider when choosing a floor: design, quality,durability and cost. Try to steer the discussion away fromprice and focus on the long-term value of various products.

BY LUC ROBITAILLEVice president of marketing, Boa-Franc


Understanding your prospect

selling

Consumers don’t usually require much convincing when it comes to purchas-ing hardwood; the product comes with multiple positive attributes, only

one of which is its visual appeal. In addition to a wide variety of finishes, stylesand designs to choose from, its environmental friendliness and flexibility withinstallations also make hardwood attractive. But for the customer who is con-cerned about her budget, a little bit of upselling might help seal the deal andgive her what she truly wants.

1. Ask discovery questionsBefore upgrading a customer, it is imperative to find out whether hardwood isreally the right fit for her lifestyle. “First and foremost we have to discover whatproduct is going to suit her needs,” said Terry Patzner, sales, Hennen Floor Cov-ering in Freeport, Minn. “You don’t want to oversell her on something and you

don’t want to sell her somethingshe doesn’t need. If she has fivedogs and 10 kids, hardwoodisn’t the best option for her.”

By asking the customer dis-covery questions including “Isthe environment controlled allyear round?” and “Is theregoing to be a lot of water in thearea?” Patzner is able to deter-mine if hardwood best suits herneeds. If she is a candidate forwood but she’s checking out aless expensive product like lam-inate, he recommends compar-ing the two and demonstratinghardwood’s natural charm.

“I show her the true beautyof hardwood. You can never get that with an imitation product—no matter hownice or how high quality the laminate or vinyl.”

2. Sell the valueOther types of floor covering materials may cost less than hardwood at the onset;however, hardwood is a major investment that lasts for many years and will provecost-saving in the long run. Unlike other floors, there is no need to replace woodevery few years because it tends to wear better over time in comparison. Retailsales associates should encourage customers to see hardwood as a value productrather than consider it in terms of dollars.

For example, the lifetime cost of wood is less expensive than replacing car-pet and offers more years of service. Any color changes, scratches or dents thatoccur only add to the character of the wood as opposed to becoming a glaringflaw in the floor. In addition, if the homeowner wants to change the look of herfloor, refinishing services and different staining techniques allow her to do sowithout replacing the entire room.

3. Offer financing optionsFinancing offers give consumers more flexibility to upgrade to a higher qualityproduct whether it’s going from laminate or vinyl to hardwood or simply choos-

Simple techniques help

With so many effects and designs available in hardwood—such as handscraping—customers

should be made aware of all their options.

Steering the discussion away from priceand focusing on long-term value is onetip for a successful selling experience.

upsell the customer

ing a more expensive hardwood over a less costly option. Today’s consumerexpects financing options when it comes to large purchases and having theability to pay a monthly rate opens up opportunities for her to spend a littlemore than she initially planned, ultimately ensuring she gets exactly what shewants.

“Research shows that consumers who participate in retail financing pro-grams either purchase more goods or better quality goods,” said Keith Spano,president of Flooring America. “It certainly helps the trade-up process andhelps people stretch into a product they couldn’t afford without financing.What we have seen is the average ticket almost doubles from the averagecredit card purchase to a finance purchase.”

4. Don’t be afraidFor starters, RSAs should never automatically assume anything about a cus-tomer; the only way to provide her with what she wants is to show her all op-tions. Customers look to retailers and RSAs as experts and, in turn, seekguidance from them. Being afraid to show customers something more ex-pensive with the fear of scaring her away not only minimizes profits, but alsodoes a disservice to the customer. Oftentimes RSAs will lead a customer tosale merchandise when in reality she might have spent more had she knownbetter quality goods were available to her.

5. Share your knowledgeHardwood floors may seem complicated to the average consumer, whetherit is her first flooring purchase or fifth. With so many advances in technol-ogy, it is overwhelming to think about all the different styles and types ofhardwood flooring let alone the benefits and drawbacks of each. As with anyproduct, educating the customer about her options is vital. With prefinishedproducts, salespeople should take the time to explain different finish tech-nologies and product warranties.

It also helps to show the consumer different products; no amount ofwords can better explain the differences between an engineered red oak in anautumn leaf stain and a solid handscraped hickory. Visuals help the customercommunicate her ideas and hopes for the space. Large product samples, man-ufacturers' brochures and portfolios of past work are all tools sales profession-als can use every day to upsell.

Hardwood tends to wear best over time, making it a long-lasting, value product.


In an industry now flooded with products touting descriptionslike “reclaimed,” “distressed” and “hard-wax oil,” Hallmark Floorshas once again aimed its sights on creating a product that standsout among the herd. In this spirit, Hallmark Floors’ flagship hard-wood Organic collection is poised to take a dominant position inthe flooring industry with its extensive list of unique and desir-able features.

One distinguishing aspect of the Organic collection is its of-fering of both a 3⁄4-inch solid and 9⁄16-inch engineered in a total of16 colors. Thesolids feature 3-and 4-inch plankswhereas the engi-neered offers 5-, 6-and 7-inch randomwidth planks—truly the first col-lection of its kind.Hallmark Floors’trademark longer6-foot, 2-inch ran-dom lengths fur-ther enhance thesegenerous widths.Both solid and en-gineered Organicproducts boast thesame three guar-anteed sandingsand the highestpossible stabilitywith solid dry sawnfaces. Further-more, Organic 567Engineered in-cludes HallmarkFloors’ Truecore Centerply birch core, topped with a 4mm sawncut veneer face.

Organic also embraces a fusion of classic and contemporarydesign styles, utilizing a 10-step reclaimed proprietary processthat grants the face of the flooring a dynamic, rustic and fash-ion-forward visual. This true reclaimed look is expanded uponwith natural aging techniques applied to French white oak, Amer-ican hickory and walnut, and coated with Hallmark Floors’ exclu-sive NuOil hybrid multi-layer oil finish for a tasteful matte lusterthat requires no immediate re-coat during installation. NuOil alsoallows for a less rigorous maintenance schedule and flaunts ahigher durability than traditional hard-wax finishes.

To back up these claims, Hallmark Floors continues to en-deavor to create a green product that is both environmentallyand consumer friendly, placing the Organic collection under itsHallmark Healthy Homes product lineup. With a 100% VOC-freefinish and exceeding CARB 2 compliance standards by over 50%,Organic and its sister collections are a healthy choice for anyfamily. Compounded with the highest green third party certifi-cations, Hallmark also fervently seeks a minimal impact to theenvironment in the creation of its products.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: HALLMARK

Solid and engineered 567: The best of both worlds

Hallmark’s Earl Grey from the popular Organic 567 collection of engineered floors, is

constructed of a Truecore Centerply birch core topped with a 4mm sawn cut veneer face.


(Source: World Floor Covering Assdociation)

Amanufacturer’s warranty can be a great selling point for retailers.Warranties such as lifetime finish or 50-year limited residential

use provide assurance that a product will meet or exceed consumers’expectations for long-lasting wear. But before selling hardwood flooringto a customer, it is important to make her aware of exactly what a prod-uct warranty covers and what it does not.

With any hardwood flooring product the sole purpose of the man-ufacturer’s warranty is to protect the consumer if the purchase is foundto be damaged or defective in some way.

Because planks are made of natural materials, certain imperfectionsare to be expected and are actually allowed per flooring industry stan-dards. This includes, but is not limited to: finish imperfections, gradingdiscrepancies, milling defects, color differences and general cuttingwaste. If flooring is found to be defective or damaged per the specifica-tions of the warranty, the manufacturer typicallyagrees to replace or repair the defective product orrefund the purchase price.

Straightforward? Not quite. This is becauseas an installed product, hardwood flooring can beimpacted by many factors: improper installation,inadequate maintenance or post-installation dam-age caused by negligence, fire, water, excessivemoisture, heat, extreme weather conditions, pets,insects and even high-heeled shoes. These can allcause flooring to sustain significant damage. Andwhile these damages may impact the performanceof the floor, rarely will those resulting from any ofthese circumstances be considered a product de-fect and thus be covered under a manufacturer’swarranty. So, what protections does a manufacturer’s warranty offer theconsumer?

1. Structural warrantiesStructural warranties guarantee the milling, grade and moisture con-tent of the wood has been manufactured within industry standards andthat the resulting planks are stably sound and won’t split, crack or warpwhen properly installed. Many top name brands offer lifetime struc-tural warranties on their products, which can include both unfinishedand factory-finished flooring. These warranties often detail specificflooring prep and installation guidelines that must be followed to vali-date them.

2. Finish warrantiesThese cover the finish on factory-finished hardwood, guaranteeing thefinish will not wear off under standard use. Finish warranties differ fromstructural warranties in that they will almost always place a time limiton the number of years for which the warranty is valid. Commercialwarranties cover fewer years due to the product’s exposure to highertraffic. But finish warranties imply a lot more coverage than they mayactually provide. For example, a finish warranty does not coverscratches, dents, gouges or damage to the finish caused by moisture or

from dragging a heavy or sharp object across the floor—the main causesof most finish damage.

What most warranties do not coverIn addition to some of the items mentioned, here are some exclusionsunder most manufacturers’ warranties:

1. Natural wood characteristics: Factors such as age, wood gradeand exposure to sunlight will also impact the visual appearance of wood.Naturally occurring characteristics of a particular species such as color,graining, mineral streaks and knots are not considered defects if they areappropriate for the grade of wood being purchased.

2. Natural expansion/contraction of installed planks:As a natu-ral material, wood expands and contracts as a result of temperature

changes and varying humidity levels. It is thustypical for properly installed flooring to experi-ence some separation or spacing between planks,but this will not warrant a claim.

3. Moisture-related issues:Adhesion break-down or dimensional changes caused by moistureor water damage are not covered under a manu-facturer’s warranty.

4. Exposure to sunlight:Exposure to sunlighton a daily basis will likely cause wood flooring tochange in shade or color. Floor mats with rubberbackings can also cause finish discoloration.

5. Gloss reduction:Normal surface wear may cause a reduction inthe glossiness of hardwood flooring. This may be more noticeable withhigh-gloss flooring or flooring in darker stain colors.

6. Structural support issues:Hardwood can sometimes produce asqueaking noise. This is often the result of floor planks rubbing togetherdue to improper or weak support from the subfloor. This and other is-sues related to the flooring’s structural support are not considered amanufacturing defect.

7. Improper use of flooring: Hardwood flooring is manufacturedfor indoor use only. Flooring installed in areas that are directly exposedto the outdoor elements is not protected by the manufacturer’s warranty.

8. Repaired flooring: Any attempt to repair flooring that is deter-mined to be damaged will void most manufacturers’ warranties.

9. Failure to follow written manufacturer’s installation instruc-tions, or failure to maintain flooring per manufacturer’s guidelines.If consumers and/or installers do not adhere to manufacturer’s instruc-tions for installing or maintaining a floor, the warranty is essentiallyguaranteed to be void.

selling

Any attempt by a homeowner or installer to repair flooring will void most warranties.

Warranties as a selling point


As the hardwood flooring industry continues to expand its prod-uct offerings, customers report being confused by the many

options available. Problems that arise because ofthese concerns can be easily fixed if the retaileris knowledgeable about products, manufactur-ers and the installation process.

The first questions retailers should ask thecustomer should be where in the home she in-tends to have the flooring installed and what typeof subfloor will be underneath the new floor. Re-tailers should also know whether the customer in-tends to use a professional installer.

The answers to these questions often dic-tate whether the customer will be purchasing a solid or an engi-neered product. While some homeowners may be able to chooseeither, many will find they are limited to one product type or theother. These inquiries help narrow the focus.

Another important factor for retailers and customers to con-sider is wood species. Customers often focus on a specific speciesfor its aesthetic features rather than its functional attributes. Justas each species has a distinct grain pattern, each also has a specificdegree of hardness. Spaces that are expected to see a lot of abuse

should have a harder wood on the floor. The remaining decisions to be made by cus-

tomers when purchasing flooring tend to bepurely visual and rather subjective. Each manu-facturer offers a variety of colors, textures andtreatments. Add in the variation of lengths,widths and thicknesses of the flooring available,and the customer can become overwhelmed bythe abundance of choices.

Retailers can be most helpful by offering abroad array of samples. Shoppers like to see and

touch various options and compare them side-by-side. Brochuresfilled with information about specific manufacturers, product offer-ings and sustainable practices have proven to be effective tools to ed-ucate RSAs and consumers about the available options.

BY BRIAN GREENWELLVice president, sales and marketing, Mullican


Product knowledge is the first step to true customer service

A s a fashion product, hardwood flooring is merchandised bestwhen displayed prominently on the showroom floor, preferably

via large samples to help consumers visualize the planks in theirhomes. Following are some methods used by top flooring retailers toshowcase the product.

1. Large sample sizesNebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) useslarge samples to designate in-stockproducts. This tactic sets the productsapart from the rest of the vendor sam-ples and shows them off in a betterlight. “Customers are naturally at-tracted to the larger format becausethey can more easily visualize it in theirhomes,” said Dave Snedeker, divisionmerchandising manager, flooring, NFM.

Using large samples has increased NFM’s sell-through rate onstock goods to about 50% of its total wood sales. “This has been a veryeffective use of space and concentrated sales where we want them tobe,” he continued.

Snedeker believes the best strategy to sell wood flooring is simplyto show the consumer her options and answer questions thoroughly.“Let her make informed decisions as to what works best for her fam-ily’s lifestyle. With over 50 different wood selections in stock, we think

we have whatever she needs to improve her lifestyle.”

2. Position it prominentlySince many consumers aspire to own hardwood flooring, why not dis-play it prominently? That’s the idea at Worldwide Wholesale, with

three New Jersey locations. “We posi-tion our wood department near the en-trance of each store,” said DarrenBraunstein, vice president. “We fea-ture our stocking wood in large panelsthat show the natural variations ofgrain and color. We also have many dis-play floors installed throughout thewood department. This helps our cus-tomers to visualize and make a deci-sion.”

Worldwide Wholesale offers a large selection, but avoids overlap-ping styles and colors from different brands. “We find success in show-ing more displays of fewer SKUs,” Braunstein noted.

3. Bold assortmentIn recent years, D&M Interiors Flooring America in Appleton, Wis.,has reconfigured its entire assortment from mostly soft surface to60% hard surface. Hardwood was the centerpiece of the transforma-tion.

merchandising

The Vertical Connection’s 10,000-square-foot showroom in Columbia, Md., which includes 20-foot high ceilings, has

had a tremendous impact on business.

Customers should choose a speciesbased on strength as well as aesthetics.

How retailers make a first—and lasting—

“We have an entire roomapproximately 18 x 26 feetdedicated solely to hardwoodwith an array of flip racks, wa-terfalls and 3 x 3 wall panelswith our specials or go-toproducts,” said Bill Huss,owner. “We carry many var-ied-width and handscrapedproducts that seem to be thehot styles or looks at this time.From a strategy standpoint wesell away from solids due tothe radical climate change andhumidity levels in Wisconsin. Also, the machine-finished products give youa more consistent top coating and many carry aluminum oxide for more re-sistance to scratching.”

Huss said the big box stores have driven down the retail price point onwood; his average midpoint retail price is $7.99 per square foot, however75% of sales are from $5.99 to $8.99. “The difficult part is still attainingmargins on identifiable products due to intense competition. I’ve workedhard to find unique lines and some private labels through Flooring Americato create separation from my local competitors.”

4. Fresh perspectiveBob Wexler, owner of Advanced Wood Floors in San Antonio, Texas, hatesthe phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Why? “Because it will break someday,” he said. “If you are not paying attention, it is going to break and yourbusiness will suffer.”

Advanced Wood Floors has been in business for decades exclusively asa hardwood flooring dealer. Wexler said keeping things fresh is one key tosuccess. In his 2,500-square-foot showroom, merchandising displays aretweaked on an ongoing basis. The displays every year are reset, and every fiveyears there is a major overhaul of the merchandise and how it is displayed.

“We have full-sized samples on the walls, but not a ton of them,” headded. “There is a free flow to the showroom and there isn’t any clutter. It’sabout providing a visualization for your customers to see the different looks.”

5. Impactful showroomWith its 20-foot ceilings and 10,000-square-foot space, the showroom at TheVertical Connection in Columbia, Md., resembles a trade show floor. Since ex-panding its space in 2011, the Carpet One store has seen business climb, withhardwood sales up 15% in the past year.

“The showroom has had a tremendous impact on our business,” saidAdam Joss, co-owner. “It certainly has been a worthwhile investment. Hard-wood seems to be selling itself these days. Wood just seems to be in muchgreater demand than carpet.”

D&M Interiors Flooring America in Appleton,Wis., has reconfigured its entire assortment

from mostly soft surface to 60% hard surface with hardwood as the centerpiece.

impression


Thirty years ago David Lauzon had a dream and a vision. Fromthat grew what has become a North American leader in supply-ing customers with premium hardwood flooring.

Long before it became fashionable, Lauzon made a commit-ment to building a business around environmental and social re-sponsibility. The company knows the beauty of a wood floorbegins with a sapling and it is deeply aware of how precious thatresource is, so it rigorously adheres to forestry stewardship bestpractices and holds itself to the highest environmental stan-dards. As stewards of the nearly 2 million acres of forest in itscare, the manufacturer carefully plans and executes all harvestsand works tirelessly to do things right, from forest to floor.

When customers choose a Lauzon floor, they can take com-fort in knowing its policies are designed to protect the forest forgenerations to come. Whether Canadian or imported, Lauzonchooses wood sourced only from sustainably managed forests.Its portfolio even includes a selection of FSC-certified products.

Lauzon is ISO 14001 and Rainforest Alliance Certified, whichguarantees the products it manufactures have been grown andharvested according to environmentally and socially responsi-ble practices.

A state-of-the-art sawmill allows the company to preciselycalibrate production for high-yield use of every block of wood. Tominimize its environmental footprint, it has also implemented azero waste policy.

All of Lauzon’s aesthetically appealing, superior quality hard-wood floors are manufactured without solvents, volatile organiccompounds (VOCs) or formaldehyde, and they meet the stricteststandards for toxic emissions. All hardwood, including the com-pany’s engineered flooring series, is fully compliant with CARB2—the strictest norm in the industry. Lauzon products have beentested according to ASTM D6007-14 standards for formaldehydeemission, and the results indicate an emission level so low it isbarely within the detection limit. In addition, Lauzon’s Titaniumfinish uses an advanced antimicrobial treatment to prevent thegrowth of bacteria and fungi.

With advanced technologies, customers are able to acquirestriking and strong hardwood floors while taking comfort in pro-tecting their families’ health and the environment.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: LAUZON

Green footprint, sustainablepractices paramount to success

Aside from their environmentally friendly features, Lauzon floors are known for distinctive looks such as this red

hickory from the Ambiance collection.

H andscraped hardwood looks arewithout a doubt still trending, but

the range of possibilities is continuing togrow when it comes to scrape techniquesand texture variations. Subtle scrapingand wire brushing are two textures thatare becoming increasingly popular.Heavy-scraped and distressed looks, likewhat one might find in the Texas market,can be a little too harsh for many con-sumers, so there is now more demand forsubtler, more contemporary looks.

“It used to be that you could find ei-ther scrape or smooth, but now there aremany variations in between,” said NatalieCady, category manager, hardwood,Shaw. “When you develop a productnow, you don’t just say A or B. You say,‘Well, we can have this color but also thistexture, let’s see what it looks like.’ It be-comes part of the development processwhereas previously texture wasn’t repre-sented until the very end.”

Shaw has five texture categories forits products: smooth, subtle scrape, wirebrushed, heavy scrape and distressed.“Subtle scrape has subtle undulations,maybe just a scrape but not a chatter,

while heavy has chatter, scrape and a lotgoing on,” Cady explained. “Wirebrushed is somewhere in between be-cause we have products that are wirebrushed across the complete board andwe have products wire brushed sporadi-cally in which you don’t scrape the wholeboard—just certain aspects of it to get anatural variation.”

Wire-brushed texture is a very differ-ent technique from handscraped becausethe scrape runs along the grain pattern,accentuating it and giving it a weatheredyet sophisticated look whereas hand-scraped is an all-over movement acrossthe board. “Wire brushing has beenaround for a while, but it’s been about theevolution of the overall picture,” Cadynoted. “Wire brushing can be a great ac-companiment to [a certain] color palette.It becomes an entirely new product.”

Whether heavy, subtle or wirebrushed, incorporating some kind of tex-ture elongates the overall life of a floor astexture tends to hide everyday wear. Giv-ing consumers more options allows themto utilize texture while staying true totheir styles and preferences.

Subtle, refined textures offer additional options


Shaw’s Mineral King features a sophisticatedwire-brushed texture that accentuates the

natural grain pattern in the floor.

Understanding the needs and wants of consumers is animportant part of closing a sale in today’s market. It iscrucial for RSAs to keep their fingers on the pulse of thelatest trends in tones, textures and sizes of hardwoodflooring.

It is no secret that the visuals and textures of hard-wood are desired by many of today’s consumers; thesecharacteristics even influence styles in laminate, tile andluxury vinyl tiles and planks. When it comes to the ac-tual surface of the hardwood, handscraping techniquesremain popular while wire brushing, the latest design

method, offers alighter texture andmore natural ap-peal. With thistechnique an ac-tual wire brushscrapes the softwood off the top ofthe plank, leavingonly the hardestwood and exposingthe striking grainunderneath. Con-sumers often pre-fer these hardwoodplanks for their en-hanced character.

As for thehottest colors inhardwood floor-ing, gray tones arepopular for home-

owners looking to bring a modern yet neutral palette tointeriors. Consumers are also moving away from red andorange hues, going for darker, chocolate-colored planksthat are richer, warmer and easier to match when mak-ing decorating changes over the years. Airy white washesand gentle grays make up the more neutral palette de-sired by some end users. A pale, antiqued floor can softlybrighten a smaller room and add an open, light feel.

The size of hardwood planks also makes a differenceas wider widths have become exceedingly popular. Widerplanks make rooms look and feel larger, and they createfewer seams, resulting in less lines and a more luxuriousvisual overall. These selections also allow for a fasterinstallation as installers are dealing with fewer planksthan they would with those that are narrower and/orhave varied lengths.

Consumers now often prefer multi-width plankswithin the same floor as opposed to only using one con-sistent width throughout the entire space.

Mohawk hardwood collections feature a wide rangeof color, width and texture options so dealers can helptheir customers create their perfect hardwood floors.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR:MOHAWK

The latest in tones, textures, sizes

Mohawk’s Sawbridge collection in hickory is featured in widths

of 4, 6 and 8 inches.

trendspotting


best for residential re-model work becausethey can blend with ex-isting wood palettes.“New construction cango that route [of coolergrays], but when you’redoing renovation work,you don’t want to redoeverything,” Finkellsaid. “Having complexneutrals allows [endusers] to modernize certain pieces that canblend with wood colors if [they] have woodworking in [their homes].”

The amount of warm or cool tones addedto a base ultimately determines where thecolor will work best. For example, a brownbase with a hint of gray will work for most tra-ditional markets, whereas a gray base with atouch of brown or beige can go into a moreurban demographic.

The blending of these tones can also takea trend from the West Coast to the East Coast.“Most color trends start on the West Coast andwork their way east,” said Tammy Perez, seniorbrand manager, Mohawk Hard Surfaces. “Howdo you bring these coastal colors east? Coastalcolors aren’t really appropriate for everyone sothey found a happy marriage with greige. It’sabout blending those colors together to createsomething that works for everyone.”

G reige is the color combination of gray andbeige and, more elegantly, the French

and Italian translation for “raw silk.” It is acolor trend that has been building steam forsome time and is now emerging in the hard-wood industry, riding on the coattails of gray’songoing popularity. Greige is the industry’smost recent response to this gray trend, but ithas been softened for the residential marketand given more flexibility and staying power.

“Taupes and warm grays are definitelytrending,” said Allie Finkell, vice president ofadministration, American OEM. “Residen-tially, the grays are not as icy as some of thecommercial grays and browns are gettingmore of a gray base than a red base. It’s aboutadding gray to brown and to other neutrals—more of a European palette.”

While cooler and smoky grays are stillvery popular, they can be found mostly incommercial work and new construction,while warmer grays like greige tend to work

The latest neutral opens grayto more markets

Mohawk’s Northfield collection in HearthstoneOak demonstrates a blend of gray and beige

that broadens its reach.

A s a floor covering sales professional, a knowledgeable dealerwill encounter a customer who may ask, “How do I coordi-

nate the wall color with my hardwood flooring?” Remember, thehomeowner comes to a flooring specialist because she needs hisexpertise. That’s what separates alocal dealer from the big boxes.The more you know about floor-ing—and the basics of interior de-sign—the higher the probability ofclosing the sale.

Sometimes a customer justwants something easy that willwork with her décor. Guess what?That option does, in fact, exist.These choices are called neutral col-ors and are not meant to make anybold statements—yet they still canprovide an appropriate style thatcan be appreciated. Despite the

color or hue of the hardwood floor, these wall colors are sure tomesh very well—consider white, ivory, cream, tan and taupe.

Center of attention: All eyes on the floorThere are times when flooring becomes the center of attention inthe room. Providing contrasting colors could work in this situation,but there may be a better idea: selecting a color based on intensity.

Say a customer has dark woodfloors and wants to be sure they re-main the focal point. In that case, theRSA may want to offer a lighter colorsuch as light gold, pale blue or peach,creating a contrast that would putmore emphasis on the floors than thewalls. It’s a design technique used tokeep the floor at center stage.

Remember: Retail sales associatesshould never be afraid to ask for some-one’s opinion on an idea; in the end itcan expose the customer to additionaloptions that give her more design pos-sibilities.

BY TONY MEGREHVice president, marketing and customer relations, Urbanfloor

hardwood 101: design

Interior design expertise can help sell floors

Knowing the basics of interior design, such as how hardwood flooring meshes with a room’s overall décor,

can help RSAs close the sale.


trendspotting

It wasn’t long ago that 5-inch wideplanks were considered the standard

of wide plank hardwood flooring, butthat trend has seen a significantchange. “There’s definitely been a cen-ter point established, which is some-where between 7 and 8 inches, thathas become extraordinarily popular,”said Dan Natkin, sen-ior director, residentialproducts, Mannington.

Wider planks havebecome more achiev-able now because ofthe increased popular-ity of engineered hard-wood. There aren’tmany solid woods thatcan go wider than 5inches, and if they dothey’re much more ex-pensive. Wider plankscan also be more sensi-tive to temperature andhumidity and, there-fore, can expand orcontract more than anarrower plank. Engi-neered products im-prove the dimensionalstability of these selec-tions.

The popularity ofrealistic, natural ef-fects in hardwood isalso driving this trend as wider planksoffer larger canvases for design ele-ments. Aesthetically, wider planks alsooffer consumers a unique look andallow for fewer seams in the floor.

Mixed widths and lengthsthroughout the floor are also gainingprominence. “Multi-width formats inconjunction with these wider widthscreate more variation throughout thefloor,” Natkin said. “It’s almost a throw-back to the floors of old, where theytook whatever lumber they could andput the natural mix down on the floor.”

But Natkin believes the wideplank trend is beginning to cap out. “Ithink it’s going to stabilize. First, be-cause of raw materials; trying to findenough raw materials to produce a 7-or 8-inch wide plank requires oldgrowth trees, and there is only a cer-tain amount of them out there. The

other [reason] is because of the ap-proachability from a consumer stand-point—if you have a small house or asmall room, a really wide plank does-n’t work.”

Wide planks can both simplify andcomplicate the installation process. Ona basic level, wider planks mean in-stallers don’t have as many planks toinstall. On the other hand, wider prod-ucts can be more unstable, so remem-ber that proper installation practicesbecome even more important whendealing with these larger options.

Wider planks, multi-widths redefine traditional hardwood

Mannington’s Mercado Oak line offers 7-inch wide planks that showcase its handcrafted features

and variation from plank to plank.

Since Mercier Wood Flooring pioneered the prefinished hard-wood market more than 35 years ago, it has continued to bea visionary and an innovator in the marketplace with its oilfinishes: Mercier Generations with Greenguard certification

and Pure Expression byMercier.

The Mercier Gener-ations finish with Green-guard certificationguarantees both retail-ers and customers canbe assured the manu-facturer is producingwith environmental in-telligence and safety inmind. Made from 100%pure soybean oil, thisparticular finish is hy-poallergenic, antimicro-bial and non-yellowingalong with no VOCs.With 35-year residentialfinish and five-year com-mercial finish war-ranties as standards,this assurance is un-equaled and outshinesthe competition.

With the Pure Ex-pression by Mercier fin-ish, dealers can feelcomfortable selling thebest looking and mostdurable oil finish in themarket. Its 10-yearmaintenance-free war-ranty (regular oil floorsrequire an annual main-tenance program)

proves again that Mercier Wood Flooring is on the forefrontof innovation and technology.

What are customers looking for in a quality finish? Ob-viously durability and long-lasting beauty along with easeof maintenance—qualities that are assured with Mercier fin-ish capabilities. The manner in which the company appliesits finishes not only makes its products the most durable,but also provides one of the clearest and most transparentfinishes. This is truly the key characteristic for making ahardwood floor look better and maintain its finish for a life-time.

Whether the floors are sold at the distributor level or ona retail showroom floor, the winning products should havethe finish qualities that appeal to consumers, such as thosefrom Mercier Wood Flooring. Selling floors without thesequalities short-changes the customer.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR:MERCIER

The importance of buyingquality, prefinished hardwood

Mercier continues to be a market innovator with distinctive

products such as its Pub series.


In recent months the topic of formaldehyde levels in products man-ufactured in China has been spotlighted in the national news. For

flooring manufacturers and specialty retailers, this trending issueprovided an opportunity to leverage their expertise and win over con-sumers by ensuring the products they sell are from reputable manu-facturers who adhere to CARB 2 standards.

The issue of compliance comes at a time of heightened aware-ness among consumers who are showing greater interest in whereproducts come from, how and where the raw material is sourced, andwho stands behind these offerings.

The bottom line is compliance matters more now than ever be-fore, which is why RSAs are at the ready to assure customers theproducts they are about to purchase are manufactured responsiblyand without the addition of harmful chemicals.

If further selling support is needed, here are some additional tips:Made in the USA: Look for the American flag on product mer-

chandising and labeling. Whether out of a sense of patriotism, a de-sire to help the American economy or the belief that U.S.-made

products are of higher quality, con-sumers increasingly want to shop Madein the USA products.

Third-party certifications: Retail-ers and consumers deserve the peace ofmind in trusting that their flooringproducts are sourced, manufactured,distributed and serviced responsibly. Certifications show the actionsmanufacturers have taken to assure their products can be part of ahealthy indoor environment.

FloorScore: FloorScore certifies that hardwood flooring meetsstrict indoor air quality standards.

California Air Resources Board: California Air Resources Board(CARB) ATCM 93120 Phase 2 certification ensures hardwood floor-ing meets formaldehyde emissions standards.

Lacey Act: The Lacey Act certifies engineered and hardwood prod-ucts are legally harvested and compliant. This landmark legislation isthe world’s first ban on trade in illegally sourced wood products.

Today’s consumer desires a hardwood floor that complements therest of the décor in her home. She also wants to know the product isgoing to be safe to live with long term.

BY MOLLIE SURRATTSenior director, public relations, content and social media, Mohawk

hardwood 101: compliance

Why product safety is important today

Earlier this year “60 Minutes” aired a reportthat exposed high levels of formaldehyde

in Lumber Liquidators’ laminate flooring. Thisexposé ultimately gave a warning for flooringproducts other than laminate, including hard-wood. It served notice to the flooring indus-try about the importance of being compliantwith regulations such as the California Air Re-sources Board (CARB) and the Lacey Act,which prohibits the import of illegally loggedtimber in the U.S.

Following is a list of 10 key points thatflooring dealers should know about bothCARB 2 and Lacey Act compliance.

1. Check for proper labelsManufacturers must show the following whenproperly labeling finished goods containingcomposite wood products:

• Manufacturer’s name• Date of production• Statement of compliance

2. Keep proper recordsSuppliers must include a statement with prod-

3. Inspections

All retail facilities that sell or supply compos-ite wood products are subject to inspection byCARB staff, who may purchase goods for lab-oratory testing to determine compliance withemissions standards.

4. Be preparedAs of today, the Composite Wood ProductsRegulation—one of the most stringent regu-lations in effect to limit formaldehyde emis-sions from composite wood products—is onlybeing implemented in California. While otherstates have not adopted similar regulations yet,the Environmental Protection Agency is de-veloping a national regulation based on Cali-fornia’s, which could take effect nationwide inthe near future.

5. Responsibility for non-compliant products

The importer will ultimately be held respon-sible for non-compliant products. However,all players in the supply chain from the rawboard manufacturer to the retailer are poten-

ucts denoting compliance with regulations;dealers should have this information handy.Check for a statement on invoices or bills of allproducts made with HWPW, PB or MDF. Re-tailers must keep records of invoices and of all

regulated purchases of finished goods. It is im-perative for records to show the date of purchaseand the supplier, and they must be kept for atleast two years.

environmental

This engineered hickory from Armstrong is certified as CARB 2 compliant.

Compliance: What dealers need to know


tially liable until enforcement investigationsdetermine otherwise. There is no product cer-tification or chain of custody that will insulateanyone from an enforcement action; CARBenforcement staff will evaluate each situationon a case-by-case basis. It is important to notethat CARB will enforce this standard throughrandom product testing and a strict chain ofcustody requirement.

6. Promote LaceyThe Lacey Act can help a business if it pro-motes its compliance. By selecting the rightsuppliers and choosing product lines carefully,dealers can use Lacey to enhance their im-ported product offerings and reassure cus-tomers of green efforts.

7. Know your responsibilitiesIt is a U.S. federal offense to illegally handleplants/plant-based products. Examples of suchactivities include harvesting logs against reg-ulations, trading a product without payingproper duties or other fees, and smuggling orstealing lumber. Lacey covers material from

market, ask more questions. • Knowing where wood was harvested. Ifit is coming from a higher risk country,then realize the risk is greater. If it comesfrom a low risk country, verify that it wasnot first imported from a high-risk area.Use third-party certifications when pos-sible.

10. Red flagsThe Department of Justice expects the follow-ing flags to trigger additional questions by theimporter/buyer and could mean that partiesinvolved with these transactions must meet ahigher standard of care:

• Goods that are significantly below goingmarket rate

• A lower price is offered for goods with-out paperwork

• Paperwork is suspect, such as notmatching product ordered or antici-pated possible country of origin

• Unusual sales and delivery methods areused, and rational answers to questionsare not forthcoming

every country including all wood and woodproducts harvested and produced in the U.S.

8. Due diligenceThe Lacey Act confers responsibility on allmembers of the flooring industry, includingretailers, to conduct due diligence in makinga reasonable effort to understand and evalu-ate their supply chains. To do this, flooringdealers should ask questions of their suppli-ers to make sure they are doing their best toharvest and supply legal wood.

9. Be vigilantNo dealer should passively rely on others tomake the risk assessment for them. Some sim-ple guidelines include:

• Creating a written company policy stat-ing the intent to buy/sell only legal woodproducts.

• Documenting actions. In the event of aninvestigation, written policies, check-lists and protocols will be primary evi-dence that due care was exercised.

• If the price of a product is well below

Buyers are more comfortable spending again, andthey want an attractive, quality product for theirdollars. Hardwood is all about beauty and quality;it continues to be desired by homeowners as the ul-timate complement to any design style and taste,and is often the flooring of choice.

Unique and specialty visuals stimulate con-sumer interest while retailers offering dramaticstyles and differentiated products at competitiveprices win sales. Designer driven, high performanceproducts at desired prices, like Armstrong’s PrimeHarvest, American Scrape and Performance Pluscollections, appeal to today’s consumers.

Guiding customers through the selectionprocess and making the sale is easy with collec-tions that meet various needs. For example, thepopular American Scrape hardwood now includesmaple. Ten new colors are available in both solidand engineered constructions. In Armstrong’ssmooth traditional offering, Prime Harvest fea-tures maple, hickory and oak. With multiple color,width, species and construction options, PrimeHarvest makes it easier than ever to find the per-fect floor. Finally, in the performance hardwood

category, the popular Performance Plus hardwoodcollection now includes 15 low-gloss options andnew color choices. All floors are crafted from pre-mium-grade Appalachian hardwood and are man-ufactured at Armstrong’s U.S. facilities.

In the retail showroomArmstrong is simplifying the hardwood selection

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: ARMSTRONG

Quality, innovation from a world-class brandprocess by offering options that can be tailoredto the customer’s taste and lifestyle to makeboth the shopping process for consumers and theselling process for retail sales associates trou-ble-free.

A new modular merchandising system for allArmstrong hardwood products is transformingthe retail showroom and changing the wayproducts are shown in store. The displays areflexible, versatile and offer uniformity at retailwith a consistent design, regardless of format,across categories for both the Armstrong andBruce brands.

Armstrong’s new wood selling system offerscustomized solutions for each region. A retailercan pick a customized display footprint and woodassortment from a recommended list, with sep-arate categories for the four most popular hard-wood categories: traditional, handscraped,specialty and performance. The display is organ-ized by design, color and price, with clear mes-saging graphics to guide the selling process.Retailers can also visit Armstrong Connect forany training needs.

In Armstrong’s smooth traditional offering, Prime Harvest features maple, hickory and oak.

about Lacey Act, CARB

Several years ago, Floor Covering News published comments onchoosing a Chinese supplier. At that time, it was fairly easy to

offer some common sense suggestions when dealing with prod-ucts manufactured in China. “Make sure your supplier under-stands the business with respect to consumer expectations andclaims” and “Make sure they have feet on the ground in China tooversee production” were good pieces of advice a few years ago.

While those suggestions still have merit, the flooring businesshas gotten much more complicated. Sure, lots of hardwood flooringis still produced in China, but what about Cambodia, Vietnam, In-donesia, Guatemala and now Mexico? What about component pro-duction, in which a product is partially produced in one country andshipped to another for scraping, finishing and packaging? While itmay seem like this only happens on the other side of the world,think again. Some U.S.-based companies make use of lower costlabor in Mexico or Guatemala for the same end result, namely tooffer the consumer an attractive product at a more affordable price.

Whether manufacturers like it or not, this is a global econ-omy, and for better or for worse, Made in America doesn’t alwaysapply to a variety of consumer goods like electronics, clothing,cars and, of course, hardwood flooring. Whether a product iscompletely produced off shore or is component produced, onecommon theme prevails for the buyer to remember—buy from areputable company. That’s what it comes down to and it’s not thatcomplicated. With respect to hardwood flooring, almost anyonecan design a few SKUs and find a mill in any country to producethe flooring under his or her label, or worse yet, an existing labelas a private-label distributor or dealer. China, Mexico, Indonesia,Cambodia, Vietnam, Guatemala or even the U.S.—it doesn’t mat-ter; buy from a reputable company.

What does it mean to buy from a hardwood flooring supplierthat either fully or partially manufactures its products overseas?What does a business need to do to protect itself as a buyer,whether that business is a distributor, retailer, contractor or de-signer?

• Buy from a reputable company that has been in business forat least 10 years. Let it be the importer of record and purchase ata delivered price.

• Buy only CARB 2-compliant products regardless of whatstate in which they will be sold. Be sure to ask for pictures of themill’s packaging that shows CARB-compliant certificates and se-rial numbers.

• Be aware of market prices and be suspect of a new supplierthat is well below the market price.

• Most important, remember this is still a people business, sobuyers should do business with people they know or people whocome recommended from colleagues or friends.

BY BILL SCHOLLMEYERCEO, Johnson Hardwood Floors

hardwood 101: sourcing


Hardwood flooring is a classic option when building or remodeling aliving space. While an old favorite, consumers will still have many

questions about hardwood, including its environmental aspects. Beloware some commonly asked questions and helpful answers for customers.

Does wood flooring promote a healthy indoor environment?�Yes. Bacteria, dust and dirt do not embed themselves in wood flooring.Simple regular maintenance—such as dust mopping, sweeping or vacu-uming—keeps wood floors clean.

Is wood flooring hypoallergenic?�Millions of people suffer from sensitivity tochemicals and toxins. Tests by leading aller-gists have proven wood flooring provides ahealthier environment for allergy sufferers aswood doesn’t harbor irritating dust and mi-croorganisms.

Is the natural environment protectedduring the harvesting and manufacturing of wood flooring?Yes. Far from a depleting resource, hardwoodis sustainable and commercially more avail-able now than ever before. On the 486 mil-lion acres of forestland in the United Statesclassified as commercial, significantly morewood is added in new growth each year thanis harvested. For hardwood species, 90%more wood is added annually in net growththan is removed through harvest.

Once installed, how often must wood flooring be replaced?�Every 100 years or so. In fact, the heart pine

floors in historic Bacon’s Castle in Virginia are more than three centuriesold and counting. Simple care and maintenance keep wood floors visu-ally appealing for a lifetime. Instead of laying an entirely new floor whenthe original is worn, hardwood can be rejuvenated with sanding and re-finishing. When completed by a wood flooring professional, wood floorsneed only to be refinished every 10 to 15 years, or 10 to 12 times duringa floor’s life. And when a wood floor’s useful life is over, it is completelybiodegradable.

Is recycled wood flooring available?�Yes. Wood salvaged from a variety of sources, including old barns and fac-tories, is a popular design trend. Wood recovered from riverbeds is an-other style becoming more widespread in the industry. Logs that sankduring logging operations years ago are being recovered by a number ofcompanies and are used to create unique flooring. Today’s only significantsource for heartwood from long-leaf pine is through reclaimed timbersfrom warehouses and factories constructed during the late 1800s and early1900s. Chestnut, hemlock, poplar, walnut and cypress are other options.

environmental

Common questions Navigating the waters of overseas production


W ith numerous advances in the flooring industry over the past few decades,customizing a wood floor is easier than ever. Dealers can help their cus-

tomers create differentiated designs with simple upgrades, unique looks ormixed products—all at an affordable price.

BordersBorders create a frame effect in a room or area and usually contrast to the mainpart of the room. For example, a simple installation of a medium-colored woodsuch might include a border in a contrasting darker species. Borders can also in-corporate stone, marble, brass, stainless steel, nickel and other metals.

MedallionsMedallions are usually installed in the main field of the floor, typically in areassuch as foyers. These designs can incorporate multiple wood species and othermixed products like stone, metal or leather. Factory-finished medallions can berouted into existing floors with minimal disruption.

Hand distressing Distressed wood offers the opportunity of one-of-a-kind designs. For those whocan’t find the specific look they want through digital printing, or who may wantspecific features in designated areas, hand distressing offers a unique and an-tiqued appearance that appeals to many end users.

customization

Consumers have a wide variety of choices when it comes toflooring. In addition to understanding the various benefits of

solid and engineered hardwood,staying up to speed on designtrends is a key way for retailersto be trusted advisors and builda rapport that can foster sales.

Flooring selection can havea significant impact on the lookand feel of any room. Hardwoodfloors can complement and cre-ate a wide range of styles fromcontemporary to classic. Graytones, reclaimed looks, andlonger and wider planks con-tinue to be popular with con-sumers. Rustic and distressedhickory floors, for example, canlook as if they might have beenin an ancient barn or even a

long-closed factory, bringing immediate warmth and character toa home.

While the rich color and natural grain and knots that comefrom hickory species remain among the most sought after looksthroughout the country, lighter colors with the clean visuals avail-

able in oak are becoming in-creasingly popular. A hot trendon the West Coast for the pastfew years, this style is nowemerging as a preferred look onthe East Coast as well.

Asking a series of questionsto understand where and howthe flooring will be used, budgetparameters and the look and feelthe customer is aiming to estab-lish can lead to a more satisfyingpurchase experience. Above all,it’s about understanding the cus-tomer’s priorities, and, as al-ways, matching a product withher performance and designneeds.

BY KATIE FORDHard surfaces marketing director, Shaw Floors

hardwood 101: design

Helping customers sort through their options

Out-of-the-box designs

From contemporary to classic, hardwood floors can complement and enhance a wide range of styles and preferences.

Painted floorsRather than buying a colored wood, a customer might want to customize herfloor in specific areas. Painted borders, for example, can transform a floor into awork of art reflecting personal style and creativity.

Mixed materialsRetailers can create a custom floor by mixing wood with other materials such asstone, tile, slate, marble, metal and even leather. Highlighting a marble foyerwith wood makes a dramatic entryway, while incorporating brushed nickel ac-cents into a kitchen wood floor can accent appliances.

Exotic woodExotic species are available in colors that can add an entirely new look to anyroom; carrying these species offers retailers an advantage over the big boxes. Forexample, Bubinga from Africa has a reddish-pink hue to enhance a room’s décor.

StainingRetailers may want to consider offering staining as an add-on service for cus-tomers not yet in the market to replace wood floors. Dark, light or mediumstains can all give floors a completely different look.Source: National Wood Flooring Association

for one-of-a-kind floors

At last, the hardwood floor has evolved. Thenew Q-Wood assortment by Quick-Step offersengineered floors designed to fit perfectly inhomes everywhere. These floors are made inthe USA and crafted from North Americanspecies like oak, walnut, maple and hickory.

Unmatched aestheticsQ-Wood floors come in a variety of colors andshades with three distinctive surface texturesdesigned to complement any style. Theirsmooth surfaces give floors a sleek, refined fin-ish that evenly displays the color and grain ofthe wood, while the soft-scraped surface op-tions give the feel of fine, hand-tooled wood,sculpted to add dimension to any room.

Unsurpassed performanceStyle is nothing without substance, and thatis why Q-Wood engineers its floors for the ul-timate in performance as well as aesthetics.

Each plank is comprised of a face veneerand back veneer sandwiched over a hard-wood, multi-ply core. The faces and backs arematched to create a balanced panel that re-duces warping and movement.

The Uniclic locking system means Q-Woodfloors simply click together to create a tight-locking joint and easy installation. The plankscan be floated over most existing floors or sub-floors and can be glued or stapled down.

Each floor in the collection is prefinishedwith the exclusive Opulux Performance En-hanced Finish. This coating penetrates into thewood grain, illuminating the natural elementsof the wood while shielding against scratchesand everyday wear. Q-Wood floors have the ap-pearance of an oil finish with the performancecomparable to a standard urethane floor. Plus,

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: Q-WOOD

Style plus substance equals a winning formulathe exclusive coating can be refreshed with Re-newal Revitalizing Solution, one of the many in-novations that make Q-Wood one of the mostunique floors on the market today.

Unrivaled commitmentAs a part of the Quick-Step brand family, Q-Wood’s commitment to its customers goes be-yond designing and engineering exceptionalartisan floors. Q-Wood manufactures all of itsfloors to be safe for the environment both in-side the home and out. The company hasworked to be sure its engineered wood flooring

meets or exceeds the most stringentformaldehyde emissions standards in theworld for composite wood products.

Q-Wood achieved this green goal by usingthe patented PureBond technology in its man-ufacturing process. PureBond replaces theurea-formaldehyde traditionally used in themanufacturing of composite wood products.As a result, Q-Wood has eliminated formalde-hyde emissions associated with adhesives inits engineered floors, secured FloorScore cer-tification and has met stringent California AirResource Board (CARB) requirements.

The new Q-Wood assortment features a variety of colors and shades with three distinctive surface

textures designed to complement any style.



education

Despite the rise in digital and mobile marketing in recentyears, consumers still rely heavily on in-store sales asso-

ciates to assist them in making purchases.Several recent surveys support the notion that RSAs, es-

pecially those who arewell trained, can per-suade consumers at thestore level. In fact, con-sumers are looking to re-tailers for their guidanceand expertise.

According to a newreport by the Luxury In-stitute, the majority ofsurvey respondents re-vealed they do not re-search exactly what theywant to buy before enter-ing a store. Instead, theyrely on the in-store retailexperience when makingpurchase decisions.

Another new research report from Experticity, a retail-branding firm, confirms that empowered employees sell87% more on the floor. The report further explains thatstore associates play a major role in the brick-and-mortar ex-perience. Why? By offering customers product recommen-dations and guiding them through the browsing and buyingjourney, associates can influence sales. This is why associatetraining is vital to improving store sales and engagement.

RSAs are particularly important when it comes to floor-ing; as a purchase that takes place every seven to 10 years,their influence is even more important to the sale. A majormanufacturer recently conducted a survey that found threeout of four consumers rely on the expertise of dealers andwill purchase products based on their recommendations.

It can be easy for RSAs, even those who are experienced,to feel a little daunted these days, with social media andother digital platforms bombarding consumers with moreinformation than they can process. And yet, while con-sumers are much more knowledgeable than ever before, soare salespeople.

What does it all mean? RSAs have more power and con-trol than they realize; much like people rely on the expertiseof doctors when they go for a checkup, consumers in themarket for hardwood flooring want the RSA to explain thedifferences between products on the showroom floor.

BY LUKASZ PIATEKVice president. sales and marketing, Elegance


Retailers still have thepower to persuade

W hen it comes down to buying from one retailer over another, a cus-tomer takes numerous factors into consideration. If both retailers offer

great prices and a wide variety of options, what is it that helps her decide?Studies show that salespeople are extremely influential in the purchas-

ing decision, especially on big-ticket items such as wood flooring. The moreretail sales associates know about wood flooring products and the salesprocess, the better equipped they are to influence potential customers.

National Wood Flooring Association Certified Professionals (NWFACP)offers a certified sales advisor program designed to provide comprehensiveproduct knowledge, decrease claims and improve profitability.

Sales advisor certificationwith NWFACP includes a writ-ten exam that tests an RSA’swood flooring knowledge. Toprepare for the exam, comple-tion of an NWFA- or NWFACP-recognized sales school isrequired.

The written exam coverseight areas of wood flooringknowledge, including proper-ties, characteristics and types,selling the right product for the

job, subfloors, installation techniques, identifying problems, troubleshoot-ing, trends and maintenance. The test is administered online and results aredisplayed immediately upon completion.

Once certification is achieved, continuing education is required to main-tain certified sales advisor status. A minimum of three continuing certifica-tion units are required annually. Credits can be earned for attending NWFAand NWFACP education programs, approved NWFA member education pro-grams, NWFA’s annual Wood Flooring Expo and NWFACP’s annual sympo-sium.

Becoming an NWFACP certified sales advisor validates an RSA’s woodflooring knowledge and sales expertise. The certification will help him guidecustomers through each stage of their wood flooring purchase by selectingthe right species, flooring type, installation method and finish to meet theirlifestyles.

But the benefits from NWFACP certification don’t stop there—RSAs canuse the NWFACP logo on all of their promotional materials; access promo-tional materials to advertise their certified status; be listed on the NWFAwebsite for consumers who are looking for certified wood flooring profes-sionals; be recognized prominently in the NWFA annual Resource Book;prove credible to customers, industry professionals and for appearances incourt, and potentially grow their careers into other facets of the wood floor-ing industry.

Retailers in the business of selling wood floors need to take advantage ofevery opportunity they get to one-up the competition; NWFACP certificationcan provide that edge. For more information or to learn more about the ben-efits of certification, visit nwfa.org.

NWFACP sales advisor certification

Consumers in the market forhardwood flooring want the RSA

to explain the differences be-tween solid and engineered.

http://nwfa.org


When most people think about installingwood floors, they typically envision a

hammer, nails and a lot of back-breaking work.There are, however, several options available,and choosing one will depend on the flooringused, whether it is installed above or belowgrade, and the subfloor material.

There are three methods used to installwood floors: nail down, glue down and floating.

Nail downNailing down wood floors is the most commoninstallation method. The process involves nail-ing the flooring directly to a wood subfloor. Typ-ically, the flooring is blind nailed through thetongue so the nails are not visible after installa-tion. This method works for solid and engi-neered floors, but only on wood subfloors.

Nailing schedules are critical to ensure qualityinstallations. The National Wood Flooring Associ-ation Installation Guidelines recommend fasten-ers be spaced 8 to 10 inches for solid flooring, and4 to 8 inches for engineered flooring. Using fewer

nor glued to the subfloor but floated above it.The flooring, usually engineered, is glued orclipped to itself, tongue to groove, and at endjoints. This gives the floor stability without actu-ally fastening it to the subfloor. This installationmethod is ideal over existing floors such as tile,which can be difficult to remove.

Before beginning a floating installation,make sure the subfloor is dry and level, espe-cially at any high or low spots. A moisture bar-rier underlayment will decrease any hollowsounding areas that could occur. The underlay-ment should wrap up the wall to completely en-capsulate the flooring. Then, when the lastboard is installed, the excess should be trimmed.

The same principles apply to each method:follow manufacturer recommendations for in-stallation, rack the wood to avoid “H” joint andstair-stepping, and allow for enough expansionarea.

fasteners could result in cracks or squeaks, whileusing more could result in split tongues.

Glue downThe glue down method involves adhering floor-ing to the subfloor. Adhesives work by creatinga bond between the subfloor and the woodflooring through a chemical reaction process.While all adhesives work by chemically chang-ing from a viscose liquid to a solid, they differ inthe carrying agents or catalysts that activatethem.

There are three types of wood flooring ad-hesives available today: water-based, solvent-based and moisture-curing. Because each typehas different application and performance char-acteristics, installers will need to choose whichto use based on application ease, product per-formance and VOC regulations. (For more, seeadhesives story on page 45.)

FloatingUsing this method, the flooring is neither nailed

installation

Nail down, gluedown or floating?

In a nail down installation, the flooring is blind nailedthrough the tongue so the

nails are not visible.

Mirage, a hardwood flooring brand renownedfor quality, now offers DuraMatt, a finish like noother in the market, that is specially designedto provide an ultra-matte look and greaterdurability.

As a result of years of research and develop-ment, the new polyurethane DuraMatt finish is20 times more resistant to wear than a conven-tional oil finish. It stands up to stains andscratches and provides the look of an oiledfloor while offering easy maintenance fea-tures. Like other Mirage finishes, DuraMatt ishypoallergenic and free of volatile organiccompounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde.

At Mirage, finishes are developed with thegoal of bringing out the grain of the wood whileprotecting the floor from wear. DuraMattrecreates the look of an oiled floor without thehassles of regular oil application. This innova-tive finish provides better protection for thefloor’s surface and comes with a 35-year war-ranty against finish wear—a first in the industry

for an oil-look finish. Mirage prides itself onbeing the first company to develop such an in-novation.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: MIRAGE

New DuraMatt finish gives the look of oiled hardwood floors

The DuraMatt finish is available on all floorsthat are part of Mirage’s recently introducedFlair collection, which features wide boardsand wood with character. It is the third finishsystem developed by Boa-Franc, parent com-pany of the Mirage brand. The others are Nano-linx, created using nanotechnology andlaunched in 2006; and Alumix, launched in1999.

Mirage prefinished hardwood floors, de-signed and manufactured by Boa-Franc inSaint-Georges, Quebec, are synonymous withsuperior quality, aesthetics and durability, andguarantee product consistency, added valueand lifelong good looks. Mirage epitomizes at-tention to detail and the desire to create aproduct in perfect harmony with its environ-ment. For more than 30 years, Mirage has beencommitted to operating in an environmentallyresponsible manner in order to ensure sustain-able development for current and future gen-erations.

The DuraMatt finish is available on all floors in Mirage’s new Flair collection, including white oak.


of finish must dry before the next coat.

Engineered woodEngineered wood consists of a range of var-ious wood products manufactured by bind-ing the strands, particles, fibers or veneersof wood together to form composite materi-als. It is used in a variety of applications,from home construction to commercial

building and industrial pro-duction.

To better understandthis concept, it helps to lookat the basics. A tree uses itsroots to take water from theground and deliver it to theleaves using straw-like cellsto move the water up thetrunk. These cells getplumper when they are fullof water and shrink whenthey are dry. Just as thesecells change with moisturein a tree, they will alsochange with moisturewithin a floor. By stackingveneers with these cells fac-ing in opposing directions,no one layer can grow orshrink too much in any di-rection.

Because engineeredfloors can handle a certainamount of moisture fromthe subfloor, they can be in-stalled anywhere in thehouse; on, above or belowgrade, on concrete or ply-wood subfloors with glue ornails, or even by floating.

Most engineered floorsare finished at the factory,so they generally have alu-minum oxide in the finish.Aluminum oxide is thehardest manmade crystal inthe world and thereforeadds years to the finish war-ranty.

As for sanding and re-finishing, an engineeredfloor can be sanded abouttwice depending on thethickness of the wear layer.But, the aluminum oxidemakes it very difficult to ac-tually sand off the finish.


Construction

For this reason, solid flooring is most com-mon in areas with low humidity such as theNortheast and Midwest.

One reason people like solid hardwoodfloors is because they are traditional and can

be sanded many times. If they are finished onthe jobsite, they are relatively easy to sand andrefinish. And it is possible to achieve a truesquare edge profile with a sand and finishfloor.

On the downside, if a solid wood floor isfinished on site, it can be difficult to show acustomer a true color sample. In addition, in-stallation can take a long time as each layer

Adhesives were first used as an installa-tion method in the wood flooring indus-

try more than a half century ago. The processwas simply a matter of spreading the moltenasphalt onto the prepared subfloor, then em-bedding the wood flooring into the asphalt be-fore it began to set. The work was difficult,messy and dangerous.

Things have changed a bit since then.Today’s advanced technologies make adhe-sives an ideal installation method for mosttypes of wood flooring. Determining whenand how to use adhesives properly will be thedifference between a quality installation thatwill last for years and one that will causeheadaches for the end user. Here are seventhings to know about adhesives:

1. There are three types of wood flooringadhesives on the market today: water-based,solvent-based and moisture-curing. Becauseeach has different application and perform-ance characteristics, make sure to find theproduct that will best fit specific installationneeds. Some considerations are ease of prod-uct use, product performance span and VOCregulations where the installation will occur.

turer. Trowels have different teeth, differentwidths between teeth and different depths inthe gaps between them. Both the size and shapeof the trowel teeth and the notches between the

teeth will influencethe effectiveness ofthe adhesive as theydetermine the spreadrate.

6. As a generalrule, installers shouldput down about asmuch adhesive asthey can effectivelywork with in a 15- to

20-minute period of time. Any longer maycause the installation to fail as the bonding re-action may already have begun before the woodis installed over the adhesive.

7. Once the installation has been com-pleted, the floor should remain untouched forat least 24 hours to allow the adhesive to cureproperly. The absence of foot traffic duringthis process will greatly improve the long-term bonding performance of the adhesive.Source: National Wood Flooring Association

2. All wood flooring adhesives require thesame degree of jobsite preparation to ensure asuccessful installation. In fact, thorough jobsitepreparation is crucial in the long-term perform-ance of the floor andbecomes even morecritical if the instal-lation will occurover concrete.

3. Make surethe wood is prop-erly acclimated tothe jobsite. Whilethis takes place,turn your attentionto the subfloor. Make sure it is flat andcleaned thoroughly by removing anything thatcould negatively impact the bonding charac-teristics of the adhesive.

4. Be sure to use the adhesive specificallyrecommended by the flooring manufacturer.Different adhesives have different chemicalproperties, which impact the spread rate, flashtime and long-term performance.

5. Be certain to use the trowel type specifi-cally recommended by the adhesive manufac-

installation

Seven things you need to know about adhesives

Installers should put the adhesive down in sections.If left for too long, the bonding reaction may begin

before the wood is installed over it.


Founded in 1985 in Ronceverte, W. Va., Mulli-can Flooring first emerged as a regional sup-plier of domestic hardwood flooring. Over thepast three decades, the company has evolvedinto an international competitor with fourproduction facilities in the U.S.

Mullican Flooring begins its manufactur-ing process in the Appalachian Mountains ofthe Eastern U.S., well known for prime, slow-growing hardwoods. These woods produceconsistent grain patterns, color and durabil-ity. Harvested from sustainable forests, thelumber is shipped to one of Mullican’s produc-tion plants in four states, where hundreds ofsolid hardwood flooring products are manu-factured.

In 2012, Mullican increased its Made in theUSA production by shifting a large segment of itsengineered manufacturing from Asia to a new,renovated facility in Johnson City, Tenn., wherethe company’s headquarters are also located.This increased domestic presence has given Mul-lican an opportunity to make its high-quality

products more readily available to the market.Consumers reap benefits beyond the price point,including reduced wait times due to increased in-ventory levels.

All of Mullican’s prefinished and unfinishedsolid flooring is produced in the U.S., along witha substantial amount of its engineered floors.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: MULLICAN

Domestically made products provide greater quality, sustainabilityWith exceptional attention to detail from Mul-lican’s quality control engineers, the processesat all production sites adhere to current reg-ulatory and sustainability standards.

The Made in the USA movement is continu-ing to gain traction among retailers and con-sumers who are looking for products they arecertain meet federal regulations and come fromsustainable practices. Mullican has found thatconsumers in general—and its customers in par-ticular―place a greater emphasis on buyingAmerican-made products. This is due to in-creased awareness about potential health is-sues associated with imported products that donot meet the stringent standards required in theU.S.

Ranked among the nation’s top five hard-wood flooring manufacturers, Mullican Flooringproduces solid and engineered products that arewidely recognized for distinctive visuals and last-ing value. The company manufactures and sellsits products via a network of 40 distributors and5,000 retail stores across North America.

All of Mullican’s prefinished and unfinished flooring is produced in the U.S., including this hickory from

its LincolnShire engineered collection.


For wood floors, underlayment can bemore than just padding, and understand-

ing the features that offer benefits beyondcushioning can enable retailers and installersto recommend the best fit for their customers.

First, consider the factors that play into thechoice of underlayment: type of floor (solid, en-gineered or floating) and the performancegoals for the pad as part of the floor assembly.

The composition and characteristics ofunderlayment vary widely. Going beyond thebasics, it can include: sound abatement andreduction in sound transmission betweenfloors; insulating qualities; compression re-sistance; the ability to smooth minor floor im-perfections; moisture protection, and theability to be installed over radiant heat (someactually incorporate radiant heating elements,eliminating an installation step). There arealso underlayments made from eco-friendlyrecycled materials.

Dealers can take advantage of these multi-ple attributes. For example, for an installationwhere a new floor is replacing old vinyl as-bestos tile (VAT), it can be helpful to have un-

thermal break tohelp keep a roomwarmer in winterand cooler insummer.

Electric radi-ant heat underlay-ment for floatingwood floors candistribute quiet,clean, hypoaller-genic electric heatevenly throughouta room, providing supplemental heat overall.

Under engineered wood, padding withmoisture management reduces the possibilityof mold growth under the finished floor andcan prevent subfloor or incidental perimetermoisture from marring the floor. ��

For green projects, eco-friendly underlay-ment without VOCs can be an easy upsell.Choose one that is third-party certified andmade from recycled fibers. Incorporating thistype of pad can also contribute to LEED credits.Reprinted with permission from Hardwood Floorsmagazine.

derlayment with adequate compression resist-ance to properly support the floor while dis-persing the impact energy of each footfall(lessening strain on knee and hip joints), and tominimize small floor imperfections. As long asthe VAT is secure, using this type of underlay-ment can eliminate the need for a potentiallyhazardous tear-out that could release danger-ous fibers. Or, the same type of underlaymentcan be glued directly over secure old vinyl com-position tile, offering a smooth surface with-out removing the old tile and preparing theunderlying subfloor.

Sound absorbing, or acoustic, underlay-ment quiets impact sound and inhibits noisefrom traveling into the room below. Acousticunderlayment is available in various materi-als, including polyethylene or polystyrenefilm, cork, rubber and fiber, and someacoustic underlayment enables engineeredwood to sound more like solid wood. In multi-family housing units, acoustic underlaymentmust at least meet local code.

Some pads also have insulating properties.Those with an R-value of at least .5 act as a

underlayment

The many features and benefits

Underlayments can provideinsulation, sound abate-

ment and moisture protec-tion in addition to comfort.

What lies beneath a finished floor can have a significant im-pact on its long term performance. Underlayment is a very

important component of any new wood floor assem-bly; owners, builders and developers all benefit froma good match. There are a number of selling pointsto share with customers.

1. Quality underlayment for wood flooring canimprove comfort when walking on the floor, help with noise con-trol within the room and down to the room below, improve the in-sulating value of the floor assembly, and help with moisturemitigation. These are all attributes that more than compensate forthe relatively small increase in cost over a low-end, generic, off-the-shelf underlayment.

2. If installation of the wood flooring is above another room, it isparticularly important to use an acoustic underlayment with strongsound-control capabilities. Acoustic underlayment is designed to ab-sorb sound, quieting impact noise within the room and keepingnoise from travelling into the room below. This type of underlaymentis available in a variety of materials, including cork, rubber and fiber.

3. Underlayment for wood flooring should feature adequateuniform density and good compression resistance, which will im-prove performance and wearability of the floor and reduce fatigueunderfoot during standing and walking (an attractive attribute innew floors for older homeowners). The underlayment should be

firm enough to support the floor while also flexibleenough to form around the subfloor surface rough-ness.

4. For projects where occupant comfort is a majorconsideration, an insulating underlayment that adds

an R-value of at least .5 acts as a thermal break and helps keep aroom warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

5. Incorporating green building products has become a majorgoal of stakeholders. Therefore, hardwood flooring manufacturersand retailers are promoting products as natural and sustainable,sometimes with third-party certification of specific attributes. Forcustomers looking for eco-friendly flooring, matching the newwood flooring with underlayment made from recycled content orfrom sustainable materials is a smart decision with dividends thatreward buyers short and long term.

6. Lastly, be sure to consider that underlayment for wood floorsis widely available in both roll-out and fold-out formats.

BY JACK BOESCH Director of marketing, MP Global

hardwood 101: underlayment

Five selling points for choosing the right product


cleaning

In 2006 Shaw introduced Epic, a breakthrough in engi-neered hardwood flooring. Epic represented the first en-gineered hardwood of its kind to utilize advanced coretechnology, giving Shaw hardwood more stability andgreater performance.

Just as the successful launch of Epic changed thehardwood industry a decade ago, Shaw’s latest break-through, Epic Plus, is impacting the industry again.

Product development Shaw has remained committed to bringing its customersthe most innovative technology in hardwood. To developEpic Plus, company representatives traveled to con-struction sites to consult with climate specialists andpremier wood andconcrete scientists,testing a variety ofdifferent types ofcore construction.The result: Epic Plusbuilt with Stabilitek.

Comprised of in-terlocking woodfibers, Shaw’s Sta-bilitek core allowsEpic Plus hardwoodto expand and con-tract, helping floorsfluctuate with thechanging seasons.Glue down, float, nail or staple installation is simple withthe newly designed tongue-and-groove system that en-sures quick, easy installation and provides joint integrity.

Fresh designShaw’s award-winning design team has researched thelatest trends in home décor and crafted a collection of50 new Epic Plus styles set to launch this year. Featuringunique designs in oak, cherry, maple and hickory, EpicPlus introductions will include 3-, 5- and 7-inch widthsto create a variety of distinctive looks.

Classic textures such as smooth, subtle scraped,heavy scraped and wire brushed will continue to beprevalent in the Epic Plus lineup. Two new textures willbe featured in the summer/early fall launch: limed andetched.

Limed texture has a washed appearance that mimicsreclaimed and whitewashed visuals that have been pop-ular. Etched texture gives distinction while complement-ing the natural characteristics of wood. Inspired by therhythmic line patterns found in nature, etched reveals amultifaceted visual characteristic of timeless design.

Epic Plus products are Cradle to Cradle certified Sil-ver and meet Greenguard indoor air quality require-ments.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR:SHAW FLOORS

Epic Plus raises the baron advanced core technology

The rich color, natural grain and knots that come from

hickory remain popular for Shaw.

Problem Solution: Wax or penetrating stain Solution: Surface finish

Scratches

Dried milk orfood stains

Water stainsor whitespots

Heel scuffs

Chewinggum, crayonor candle wax

Oil andgrease stains

Dark spotsand ink stains

Wax buildup

High heelshoe dents

Wax the affected area using a soft, clean cloth.

Gently rub with a damp cloth, then rub dryand wax.

Rub the spot with #000 steel wool and wax.If this fails, lightly sand with fine sandpaperand clean the area using #00 steel wool andmineral spirits or a wood floor cleaner.Allow the floor to dry, then stain, wax andhand buff.

Rub in a small amount of wax with fine steelwool and hand buff to a shine.

Apply a plastic bag filled with ice until thedeposit is brittle enough to crumble off.(Solvent-based wax can also be applied toloosen the deposit.) Remove crayon or candle wax by placing an ink blotter on the wax and applying a hot pressing iron to the top of the blotter.

First rub area with kitchen soap having ahigh lye content or saturate cotton with hydrogen peroxide and place over the stain.Then saturate a second layer of cotton withammonia and place over the first. Repeatuntil stain is removed. Let the area dry andthen hand buff.

Try the water stains or white spots treatment. If the spot remains, apply ahousehold bleach or vinegar and allow it to soak for an hour. Rinse with a damp cloth, wipe dry and smooth with fine sandpaper. Stain, wax and hand buff.

Strip the old wax away with odorless min-eral spirits or a wood floor product made forstripping wax. Use cloth and fine steel woolto remove all residue. After the floor is dry,wax and buff.

1⁄4-inch spike heels will cause dents that require professional repair.

Repair with a touch-up kit for urethane finishes,available from any wood flooring retailer.

Use a cleaner developed specifically for urethane finishes. For stubborn spots, scrubusing the urethane cleaner and a scrub padmade for urethane floors.

Follow instructions for dried milk or foodstains.

Follow instructions for dried milk or foodstains.

Apply a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the deposit until it is brittle enough to crumbleoff. Clean the area with a product made for urethane finishes.

Follow instructions for dried milk or food stains.

Follow directions for dried milk or food stains.

Not applicable

¼-inch spike heels will cause dents that require professional repair.

Repairing scratches andstains on hardwood floorsFirst aid for wood floors depends on the type of finish used. In the following chart,

solutions in the middle column are for floors finished with wax or penetratingstains. Solutions in the right-hand column are for floors finished with polyurethaneor other surface finishes.


Keeping hardwood floors looking new is not difficult. Today’s woodfloors can be cared for with minimal effort, and in most cases a little

preventive maintenance will keep hardwood floors attractive for years tocome.

No matter the floor or the type of finished used, all hardwood floorsshould be cleaned regularly. Simply sweep, dust mop or vacuum the floorwith the beater bar turned off to remove dirt and grit. Avoid using a wetmop as it can dull the finish or even damage the wood.

Scatter rugs should be placed at all entrances, avoiding those with rub-ber backs that can discolor floors. Scatter rugs will help keep dirt and other

debris from scratching a floor. Scratching can also be prevented by placingfloor protector pads on the bottoms of any furniture that comes into directcontact with the floor.

Spills should be cleaned immediately with a dry or slightly damp cloth.Allowing spills to remain on the floor could damage the finish as well as thewood. Walking on floors with cleats or high heels in disrepair should beavoided. These can scratch the finish or even dent the floor.

It is important for end users to know which type of finish has been ap-plied for other maintenance concerns. Different wood flooring finishes re-quire different care, so proper methods must be utilized.


Most hardwood floors can be installedin a variety of methods, such as

locking, glue down, nail down, staple orfloating. The width, thickness and con-struction of hardwood boards determinehow and where they can be installed.

Engineered hardwood is typicallyinstalled with glue or staples but canalso be “floated” with glue. Interlockingfloating engineered floors do not requireglue. Solid hardwood is usually installedwith nails, although a 5⁄16-inch productinstalls with glue or staples.

Retailers and installers are encour-aged to check the installation guide fromvendors for specific recommendationsand exceptions relative to the floor spec-ified by the customer. Methods are cho-sen based on the appropriateness forsubfloor and location, and do not affectthe product’s long-term durability.Sources: Armstrong and Mannington

installation

Proper method is based on subfloor, location

Wood flooring types: Where to use itSolid Thin-Profile Solid Engineered

Board thickness ¾3⁄4-inch 5⁄16-inch 1⁄4-inch to 5⁄8-inch

Board width Strips & planks Strips & planks Strips & planks

Where installed On grade or On grade or Below grade,above grade above grade on grade or

above grade

Subfloor Wood Wood, concrete or Wood, concrete orexisting floor existing floor

How installed Nail Staple or glue Glue, staple (1)

or float(2)

Exceptions may apply. Reference individual specifications and installation instructions. (1) Some widths (2) Some profiles

Source: Armstrong

Johnson Hardwood has been inthe business of prefinished hard-wood flooring for 15 years. It haswitnessed many trends along theway and developed some ideasthat turned into popular styles.

The one trend that has becomea constant is the look of a re-claimed, aged floor. After winningFloor Covering News’ 2015 Best ofSurfaces award for Style and De-sign in Las Vegas, Johnson’s Ale-house line has become a solidcontributor to this trend. Follow-ing the manufacturer’s popularEnglish Pub series, which is alsofashioned with the look of a re-claimed custom floor, the newAlehouse series is an eye catcher.Alehouse comes in maple and oak, and startsoff with a lighter stain color in the center thatdarkens toward the outer edges.

To soften the appearance, the companyadded a random, hand-tooled edge to eachplank. The overall look of Alehouse can

brighten any flooring space under multiplelighting situations. To achieve that look, John-son was able to cultivate a staining processthat makes its oak and maple boards glow. Itcomes from the same premise as what wouldbe seen on traditional American-made furni-

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: JOHNSON HARDWOOD

The aged, reclaimed flooring trendture. The triple-hand staining andsculpting of each plank addsdepth to this line.

Alehouse has become a greataccompaniment to the EnglishPub series, which comes in hickoryand maple and offers a very solid,bold look. Introduced in 2014, Itssturdy, strong appearance hasbeen exceedingly popular amongconsumers.

Johnson has actually launchedseveral product lines that resem-ble a reclaimed or aged floor.Working with plenty of characterand truly random distressing,from wide planks to multi-widthfloors, Johnson has led the indus-try with these trends. The con-

stant is trendsetting designs and consistentmanufacturing quality that affords customersa premium hardwood floor at a reasonableprice.

Style, quality and value are hallmarks ofwhat Johnson is all about.

The award-winning Alehouse series comes in maple and oak, and starts offwith a lighter stain in the center that darkens toward the outer edges.

retailers’ guide to selling hardwood...

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