Hardwood Floors April/May 2024

wood is dried correctly and adequately sterilized to eliminate beetle larvae. Some reclaimed wood also can contain contaminants in the form of heavy metals (lead-based paints) and other chemicals. End grain flooring is a product that has been in use for many commercial and residential applications for well over a century. End grain flooring is tough and indent-resistant. It also provides a unique visual in many formats, including squares to rectangles. This product also has different challenges regarding dimensional stability and installation. As new wood technologies and visual trends impact wood flooring consumers in the future, it is likely to assume that we will see more atypical categories, each with its own set of challenges. The products and technologies briefly highlighted in this article will be discussed in more detail by key manufacturers of these products during the NWFA Pre-Expo Symposium: The Science of Atypical Wood Flooring. Panelists will discuss manufacturing challenges, installation nuances, and what to look for when maintaining and inspecting these products. Brian Beakler, Ph.D., is the owner of Beakler Consulting Services, LLC. He can be reached at 717.449.6898 or brian@beaklerconsulting.com.

Pressure applied to the heated wood reduces the void space, increasing the wood density. In turn, the wood becomes highly indent-resistant. The treatment methods described are complex and make manufacturing these products more expensive. However, these products have performance attributes that enable them to be used effectively in environments where other traditional wood flooring cannot. The aesthetic desires of designers and consumers have created additional atypical product categories. Many companies have specialized in offering wide (12”+) and long plank (12’+) products to meet the growing market demand for these formats. Great care is needed in designing, manufacturing, and installing wide and long plank products. Wide, long-format engineered wood flooring products can show cupping and crowning more prominently if not fabricated, stored, or used correctly. Internal stress development from varying environmental conditions can cause cracking of the face veneer on wide planks before and after installation. In addition to wide and long planks, reclaimed wood continues to grow in popularity. Reclaimed wood flooring has an excellent reuse story, and its rustic visual caters to many designers and consumers. Wood flooring using reclaimed lumber or reclaimed wood has challenges. Manufacturers must pay more care to ensure the reclaimed

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