Hardwood Floors August/September 2018

AUG /SEPT 2018

THE DATA BEHIND WOOD FLOORING’S Sustainability Story

TALKING TSCA WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS TECH FOCUS: COMMON STAINS AND DISCOLORATIONS LOW VOC FINISHES

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FEATURES

O N T H E C O V E R

The Data Behind Wood Flooring’s Sustainability Story By Rick Bergman & Steve Hubbard

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One of the many benefits of wood floors is that the raw material used to make them — trees — is sustainable. Under good forest management, trees are replanted before or after they are cut down, which replaces the material that is harvested. The same is simply not true for other flooring materials.

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Common Stains and Discolorations By Brett Miller There are unique differences between some of the stains and discolorations we often see

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Talking TSCA with Your Customers By Elizabeth Baldwin TSCA Title VI is here, and your role now is to help customers understand what it covers and — in some ways, more importantly — what it doesn’t.

in our industry. Understanding

how to identify and use each term properly should help you and your customers in proper identification of each issue, as well as how or whether it is necessary to address it.

PUBLISHING PARTNERS

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CONTENTS

Chris Zizza | Chairman Michael Martin | CEO Anita Howard | COO Bree Urech-Boyle | CFO Brett Miller | VP, Education & Certification NWFA LEADERSHIP

Industry Insights

20 Government Affairs Carbon neutrality moves forward. 22 Designer Insights Sustainability and millennials.

By Dana Lee Cole

By Emily Morrow Finkell

PUBLICATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Julie Russell, Chair & Board Liaison | Glitsa, a division of Rudd Company

Business Best Practices

26 Finance How to increase your business’ worth using value drivers. 30 Sales Savvy The future of value-added selling. 34 Technology Preparing flooring salespeople for digital transformation.

Jason Elquest | Blackhawk Floors Inc. Allie Finkell | American OEM Wood Floors Lenny Hall | Endurance Floor Company Inc. Kevin Mullany | Benchmark Wood Floors Inc. Jim Schumacher | 3M Mike Sundell

By Jonathan Benner

By Paul Reilly

PUBLICATION TEAM

By Kevin McGirl

Stacy Brown | Publisher/Editor | stacy.brown@nwfa.org Brett Miller | Technical Editor | brett.miller@nwfa.org Laura Boyle | Creative Director | laura.boyle@nwfa.org Megan Lhamon | Industry News Editor | megan.lhamon@nwfa.org Katie Schenk | Media Production | katie.schenk@nwfa.org Jodi O’Toole | Web Development | jodi.otoole@nwfa.org

38 Legal Do you have the right sexual harassment policies in place? By Norma Zeitler 42 Marketing Take your marketing to the next level with Instagram. By Katrina Olson At the Site 56 Building Science Is wood flooring becoming a victim of building science? By Bobby Parks 60 Green Finishes Working with low VOC finishes. By Kjell Nymark 69 Tech Talk Wood flooring opportunities related to sustainability By NWFA and health. Regional Instructors 70 Technical Troubleshooting

111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd. Chesterfield, Missouri 63005 P : 800.422.4556 Local : 636.519.9663 F: 636.519.9664 E: news@hardwoodfloorsmag.com W: hardwoodfloorsmag.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Elizabeth Baldwin Jonathan Benner

Stephanie Owen Bobby Parks Paul Reilly Rusty Swindoll Norma Zeitler Chris Zizza

Lenny Hall Steve Hubbard Megan Lhamon Michael Martin Kevin McGirl Brett Miller Kjell Nymark Katrina Olson

Rick Bergman Dana Lee Cole Michael Dittmer Jason Elquest Emily Morrow Finkell Bob Goldstein

Challenges with wood look “waterproof” flooring.

By Bob Goldstein

72 Health & Safety Focus Keep your eye on safety.

By Rusty Swindoll

74 WFOY Winner Spotlight Best Restoration/Makeover: Endurance Floor Co.

By Stacy Brown

ADVERTISING SALES

Product Focus 88 Green Products

Libby White Johnston Media & Advertising Sales libby.johnston@nwfa.org | 337.794.9232

94 Cork & Bamboo Flooring 95 Reclaimed Wood Flooring

Hardwood Floors (Print: ISSN 0897-022X and Online: ISSN 2475-5125) is published on a bi-monthly basis, plus the Annual Industry Guide, by the National Wood Flooring Association and distributed as a membership benefit to its member companies and without charge upon request to qualified individuals throughout the wood flooring industry. Single copy price is $8, annual Industry Guide is $50. Subscriptions: $40/ year (includes 6 issues and Industry Guide) in the U.S. and Canada. Publication office: 111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd, Chesterfield, MO 63005. Phone: 800.422.4556. Printing office: Walsworth, 306 N. Kansas Ave., Marceline, MO 64658. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals Postage is paid at Chesterfield, MO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 9147, Lowell, MA 01853. Copyright © 2018 by the National Wood Flooring Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Also in this Issue

6 Chairman’s Cut 8 Wood Stock 78 NWFA Resources 102 New Products 103 Ad Index

104 Final Coat: CEO’s Message

hardwood floors

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CHAIRMAN’S CUT

By Chris Zizza Chairman, NWFA

This issue focuses on sustainability within the wood flooring industry. The word sustainability brings many images to mind, but, in particular, I think about sustainability as it relates to the future of our industry. Establish Strong Roots in the Industry

our industry and look forward to seeing their increasing impact in the coming years. I am con dent that our industry is in safe hands for the future. I am anxious to see what this year’s “40 Under 40” holds, and encourage you to nominate a colleague today. I also encourage any of our young leaders reading this column to consider becoming a part of NWFA’s Emerging Leaders Network. is group was established to connect individuals under the age of 40 from di erent business segments of the wood ooring industry through friendship, career development, and recruitment. Together this group will communicate the interests of the younger generation as it relates to se ing association agendas, consumer outreach, and succession planning. Sept. 11-13, the Emerging Leaders will hold its rst stand-alone meeting in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the Hardwood Federation’s annual Fly-In. e HardwoodManufacturers Association (HMA) will be bringing its NextGen Leaders Council to the Fly-In as well, providing for a unique opportunity for the upcoming leaders from across the hardwood products industry to learn and work together to educate our congressional and Senate leaders.  If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a member or learning more about the Emerging Leaders Network and associated events, please visit nwfa.org/ emergingleaders .

our second “40 Under 40.” e award programwas founded in 2017 to create a mechanism so that the wood ooring industry could recognize and celebrate its next generation of talent. Forty young wood ooring professionals from around the industry will be selected as representatives of this new generation and ambassadors for our industry. We will shine the spotlight on 40 men and women whose career accomplishments have moved them to the forefront. eir professional track records, as well as their community involvement, have helped to establish them as some of today’s brightest stars – before their 40th birthday. e contest is based on nominations, and is open to any individual within the wood ooring supply chain who is younger than 40 years old as of Dec. 1, 2018. e nomination process opens Aug. 1, and nominations will be accepted until Sept. 1. e form is available at hardwood oorsmag. com/40-40-nomination-form. Winners will be featured in the December/ January print and digital issues of Hardwood Floors magazine as well as on hardwood oorsmag.com. Last year’s group was impressive and included individuals from across the entire supply chain. e achievements of these outstanding young people – both from the standpoint of their impact on our industry and their surrounding community – were phenomenal. I personally welcome these individuals to

A new generation of wood ooring professionals is establishing its roots. is generation is more diverse, collaborative, tech-savvy, and passionate than ever. ey are challenging the norm and are not afraid to nd solutions that exist outside the box. Equipped with an unparalleled understanding of technology, these millennials are raising the bar on the creativity and quality of wood ooring projects around the world. eir mission is to take our cra forward and to build on the work of the pioneers of our industry.

At 52, I know I am obviously not a millennial, but I would not suggest I am a pioneer either. So, let’s say I am somewhere in the middle in the category that learned to focus on building relationships. One thing I believe strongly in, and would love to pass on to these emerging leaders, is to always be outgoing and positive, and try to build strong relationships based on trust and professionalism. Own your mistakes and focus on quality and pro t as equal measures in the formula for success. To recognize and celebrate this group of individuals, the December/January issue of Hardwood Floors will feature

hardwood floors www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com

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Wood

• Bona announced the winner of the Be er Together Giveaway. Mike Zorzi of Delaware-based Zorzi Creations snapped the winning picture showing how his company is “be er together” with the Bona system of hardwood oor care and maintenance products. • National Wood Products in Salt Lake City, Utah, will be hosting three one-day workshops: Concrete Preparation &Moisture Testing Sept. 25, Wood Floor Claims – Evaluations & Inspections Sept. 26, and Problems, Causes &Cures Sept. 27. Contact John Bernard at 800.826.0344 to register. • Construction employment increased by 13,000 jobs in June and by 282,000 jobs during the past year, reaching a 10-year high, according to an analysis CONTRACTOR CORNER

A Refreshing Rhombus

of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America.

SUBSCRIBE TO HFM E-NEWS The latest industry news

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All photos courtesy of Jason Mack.

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MANUFACTURER MEANDERINGS

• Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.) announced the acquisition of two privately owned companies, Beaulieu Canada and Beaulieu Australia. • DriTac Flooring Products LLC announced a new distribution partnership in the United Kingdom with Introducing Interiors Ltd., an importer of interior design installation products with distribution across all of the United Kingdom and Ireland. • Lägler North America and Palo Duro Hardwoods announced the hiring of Rachel Bilchak as their new Marketing Coordinator. • Bona® US announced the addition of four new Bona employees: Brad Sco and Niko Rontzocos have joined Bona’s Canadian team as Territory Contractor Specialists; Bill Erban and Frank Coppolino are the company’s newest Adhesive Specialists. • Pioneer Millworks announced the addition of Andy McQuade as Director of Sales. • DuChâteau® has named Dennis Whitler its new Customer Service Manager. • American OEM announced the addition of Carr Newton as Executive Vice President – Sales. • UZIN announced the addition of Larry Schoppert to its Eastern sales team and Jane Pahl as Internet Marketing and Communications Specialist.

By Megan Lhamon

Jason Mack, co-owner of the father-son-owned company, Big Oak Hardwood Floor Company in San Mateo, California, has been in the wood ooring industry for 25 years. He wears many hats in the business, including working on job sites and running day-to- day operations. Jason was excited about this install, knowing that it would be a nice change of pace from the traditional customer requests for plank installations. “ e designer and architect came up with the design and layout on this particular job,” says Mack. “We used wide plank European oak in a rustic grade and installed it in a rhombus parquet pa ern.” e ooring was a full spread glue down installation over an existing plywood sub oor. “We used Sika T-35 adhesive to glue it down,” adds Mack. “ e most challenging part of the install was the border,” says Mack. “We had to bend the ooring to make the tight radius curves in several areas, which took quite a bit of skill and nesse.” “We sanded the oors using Norton Red Heat paper on the Lägler Hummel and nished with the Bona Power Drive,” adds Mack. “ e oors were stained with a DuraSeal color mix consisting of English Chestnut and Classic Grey. We nished o with Bona Tra c HD in Satin Sheen.” g

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Photo courtesy of Mark Scheller.

New Technology and Artist Work in Harmony By Stacy Brown

Mark Scheller, president of Scheller Hardwood Floors Inc. in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, is renowned for his unique designs, innovative installation methods, and uncanny attention to detail. In fact, over the course of his more than 25-year career, he has been recognized with eight NWFA Wood Floor of the Year Awards, including two Members’ Choice Awards.

“I would run into them at social events, particularly fundraisers for the symphony every year, and they would ask when I was going to do the oor,” said Scheller. “When I got the Origin, I realized that this tool would nally make this project a reality. Previously, I could have done it, but it would have required a ton of jigs and pa erns, and would have had limited accuracy. I knew that I wouldn’t be fully satis ed with the outcome.” e project began with a graphic designer who created the artwork using Adobe Illustrator. “ ere’s a tremendous amount

On this particular oor, the introduction of new technology, the Origin by Shaper Tools, allowed Scheller to nally create a musical masterpiece that had been on his to-do list for more than three years. e installation took place at the home of one of Scheller’s existing clients, a married couple consisting of a harpist for the Hershey Symphony and music teacher, and a lawyer who works from home. e duo, who prides themselves on transforming their home into a retreat, had a vision of a oor that resembled a piece of paper with music wri en on it.

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Together, the team spent a day-and-a-half inlaying the rst nine bars of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor in a 22-foot-long ribbon made from Gaboon ebony. e musical note inlays were 3/16” thick, and the sta was 1/4” thick. “ is tool is so precise; the inlays are cut a few thousands of an inch smaller than the opening in the oor to ensure an exact t,” said Scheller. “Once it was nished, it did, in fact, look like the oor was a piece of paper and somebody with a nice pen had wri en the notes on it. You couldn’t see any seams, which was what the client wanted.” e oor was then resanded to 80 grit, and then 100 grit and polished with the Satellite. Scheller also tried a unique sanding process to achieve his desired results. “Because I wanted it at, I tried something new. When I do handwork, I always favor sanding with a cork block with sandpaper wrapped around it. So I took a piece of cork ooring, and I backed up a 100 grit sanding screen,” said Scheller. “You could not feel where the

of constraint with the way music is wri en,” said Scheller. “ e way the notes are placed and the spacing within the measures, he was diligent about ge ing all that correct.” Scheller then spent two days meticulously racking the oor out to ensure that he had the perfect canvas. e product was 5” engineered maple. He rst matched the boards with more color together, and then progressed into the lighter colored boards. He also tried to match up the grain at the bu joints so that even though the boards were already long, it made them appear longer and gave the oor an even appearance. e oor was sanded before starting the inlay to 80 grit to ensure atness and that the router wouldn’t catch on anything. Next, Scheller set about placing the design within the oor using the Origin, a hand-held CNC machine. e user can transfer les to their tool using WiFi or USB. e system also relies upon a built-in camera and a special graphic tape for guidance, a visual positioning pa ern the system references to orient position and path in real time. “Origin uses a camera and

notes started; it was perfectly at. e ebony is much harder than the maple, so it’s di cult to sand evenly.” In the end, the client expressed that Scheller had more than exceeded their expectations. And Scheller credits Shaper’s innovation for helping him achieve his vision. “Projects like this show what can happen when a ooring installer is able to keep a project entirely within their own hands. We’ve seen a lot of cases where somebody has a vision and they are reluctant to pass it o to a CNC shop due to cost or loss of control. ey don’t get to see the entire project end-to-end,” said McEvoy. “Origin gives these artists the power to take the visions they have had in

specialized tape adhered to your material to build a digital version of your workspace. You can then create designs on the tool or import ones you created on the computer,” said Kiley McEvoy, Vice President of Product, Shaper Tools. “When cu ing, Origin will not only guide you where to cut, but will also auto- correct to keep the cu er exactly on your design path.” Sam Cu riss, Product Specialist at Shaper Tools, worked with Scheller in nalizing the design process.

Photo courtesy of Kiley McEvoy.

Something that McEvoy says is one of the many resources the company o ers to its users. “We’re working more and more with artists and contractors who need help with their designs. We’re helping them achieve their full vision.” Cu riss also ew in to see the project come together. “I came to help, but Mark had his process nailed pre y quickly. He is the ideal artist for a tool like Origin – he’s always looking for novel approaches to problems, and it was exciting to watch him adapt to the tool,” said Cu riss.

The system relies upon a built-in camera and a special graphic tape for guidance, a visual positioning pattern the system references to orient position and path in real time.

their minds and bring them into reality. We are really looking forward to seeing more and more projects like Mark’s oor.”  More information on the Origin can be found at shapertools.com .

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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Wood

DISTRIBUTOR DOINGS

Having been in the timber industry for a number of years, Kent McPherson and Charlie Peterson were both in the pursuit of a perfect product. After searching for a grade of wood that doesn’t exist, they decided to take matters into their own hands, hence the establishment of Quarter-Sawn Flooring, a sawmill and manufacturer located in Nashville, Indiana. Home to many veneer manufacturers, Indiana was the place to be. “ e type of log we use is generally not used in the wood ooring industry,” shares Peterson. “It is used in the veneer industry. e ones we use are even above furniture grade.” Not only does Quarter-Sawn Flooring use a log and grade unique to the wood flooring industry, but its milling process also follows suit. “The normal way to produce quarter-sawn material would be to cut the log in half, and then quarters, and saw the boards within the quarters at a 60° - 90° angle,” says Peterson. “The way we saw ours is by radial quarter-sawing, meaning that we turn the log to only cut on an 80° - 90° angle. This ensures that each piece of flooring is as stable, durable, and tight as possible.” e one-of-a-kind ooring that Quarter-Sawn Flooring prides itself on being able to produce is exactly the reason why they were chosen to manufacture the oors for the Museum of the American Arts and Cra s Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida. Scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2019, the museum is the rst of its kind in the world and expects to a ract more than 150,000 visitors each year. is $90 million museum, being built by Rudy Ciccarello, will house Ciccarello’s extensive collection of furniture, po ery, tile, metalwork, lighting, photography, and other decorative arts from the American Arts and Cra s movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A NIGHT MUSEUM AT THE By Megan Lhamon

• Horizon Forest Products promoted John Rendleman to Branch Manager in Charlo e, North Carolina. • Swi -Train Company has promoted Shane Calloway to the position of President and CEO. In his new capacity, Shane will assume responsibilities of all key functions of the business. • Haines announced that Jon England will be joining Haines as Chief Sales O cer. In his new role, Jon will report directly to Michael Barre , President & CEO. • Fishman Flooring Solutions announced that the company will begin distributing Tredsafe® products from its 36 branch locations and via the internet to areas it has not previously serviced across the continental U.S. • BuildDirect announced several new appointments to its executive leadership team, including a number of leaders from Amazon. • American OEM announced the expansion of the Hearthwood distribution group to Charleston, South Carolina-based William M. Bird. • Roberta Prospeck picked the right day to shop for ooring. e Pewaukee, Wisconsin resident went into her neighborhood Floor & Decor and walked away the big winner in a “FLOORS $1 Million Dice Roll Challenge.” RETAILER ROUNDUP

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Images and museum information courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times and Rudy Ciccarello.

Select, manufactured by Goodwin Heart Pine Company in Micanopy, Florida. is ooring will be installed in a section of the museum that will house a bungalow from California, circa 1910. “ e ooring in this area needed to be speci c so that it t well with the 1910 era,” adds Ciccarello. In his search for the right oors, McPherson and Peterson led Ciccarello to Goodwin, saying there was no be er heart pine than Goodwin’s River-Recovered. g

Albert Alfonso, the Tampa architect working on this project, described the museum as “a project of epic proportions,” and noted that Ciccarello’s commitment to excellence is evident in the quality of the building and materials used for the museum. During Alfonso’s search for the perfect oors for the museum, he was led to Quarter-Sawn Flooring. Quarter- Sawn is supplying 60,000 square feet of highly gured, radial quarter-sawn, 6’ wide, northern white oak ooring, as well as the material for the stairs in the museum. “Our process produces the most ray eck possible from any log, creating a look that is reminiscent of the Arts and Cra s Movement,” adds Peterson. “We’re looking forward to seeing this project completed; it’s going to be unique.” In addition to the white oak being supplied by Quarter- Sawn Flooring, there is also a section of the museum that will use 600 square feet of River-Recovered Heart Pine

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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All photos courtesy of Julia Valenti.

Hardwood at the Hempstead House

By Megan Lhamon

room features 105-year-old quarter- sawn white oak parquet oors. “ e aim was to restore the oor to its original grandeur,” shares Julia. “You rarely see wood with character like this anymore!” FLOOR FOCUS A er 105 years of wear and tear from weddings, large-scale events, and even movie lming, these oors were in need of a makeover. “ e oors had been sanded so many times, there wasn’t much le on them,” adds Julia. “Several of the boards were damaged and needed to be replaced,” says Julia. “We tried to save as much of the original ooring as possible because it was so amazing. e boards we used to repair

the oor had to be planed down on the underside and then our team did a glue- down installation.” FINISHING TOUCHES “A er the oors were sanded, our team applied two coats of DuraSeal Special Walnut stain to the in eld and two coats of DuraSeal Colonial Maple stain to the border,” shares Julia. “We decided that contrasting colors on the triangles at the entryway would be very striking.” “ e oor was nished with ve coats of Bona Tra c HD, the nal coat being a semi-gloss to give the oor the shine our customer wanted,” adds Julia. “We recommended a commercial application of Bona Tra c HD polyurethane to help protect these gorgeous oors!” g

Julia and Phil Valenti, owners of Valenti Flooring in Ronkonkoma, New York, have been in the ooring business for a combined 28 years. In 2016, Phil and Julia joined the NWFA and Phil earned his NWFA Installation and Sand & Finish certi cations. Valenti Flooring was

recently hired to restore the oors in the Breakfast Room of the

famous Hempstead House Mansion at Sands Point Reserve, built in 1912. e

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Wood Stock

Photo by Dirk Weiblen.

Two thousand square feet of flooring was manufactured and custom-stained in the mill in three different tones; which were then mix-installed together.

Growing up, imondi founder Robin Dell was always drawn to the world of design. His father worked in the fashion industry and his mother in interior design. He knew that deep within he had a passion for the eld, but it wasn’t until 2006 that it manifested itself in the space of reclaimed wood ooring. Dell a endedWestminster School before a ending the London School of Economics and the SDA Bocconi School of Management. While participating in an exchange program in Shanghai in 1999 during his master’s studies, he fell in love with the region and realized the possibilities it o ered. Dell was involved in a variety of ventures before that fateful day when a client back home in London helped him realize the business possibilities of wood ooring. “It has been nearly 20 years now that I’ve been working with wood and what amazes me is howmany people you speak to in

RECLAIMED Around the World

BY STACY BROWN

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mixed-tone chevron pa ern used in this project came fromNike’s European and Asian campuses that imondi worked on in 2014 and 2015 as part of Nike’s

job is taking these historical old timbers and cra ing them into ‘new’ pre nished and boxed, easy-to-install reclaimed ooring or wall cladding.”

this industry use the word ‘passion’ to describe their work and what they do. I feel incredibly lucky to have found this industry,” said Dell. “ e materials we get to work with on a daily basis are so varied and exciting. Fromwood rescued from old boats and barns to even poles from the Venetian lagoons. Our passion for design and for working with wood inspires us to produce innovative, one- of-a-kind oors that aim to highlight the material fromwhich they are derived.” He continued, “ e greatest satisfaction probably comes from those emails where a distributor sends a photo of an incredible project where our wood has been used in a way I’d never thought of before, or could never have even imagined. e whole team feels proud to be a part of that – the whole journey blows me away.” One of those recent projects was the Beef & Liberty restaurant installation located in the Ka Wah Centre, in the heart of the French Concession in Shanghai, China. e team at imondi worked closely with both the restaurant chain and the designer, AIMArchitecture, to customize a two-layer engineered, 5” wide, reclaimed oak chevron plank. Two thousand square feet of ooring was manufactured and custom-stained in the mill in three di erent tones; which were then mix-installed together. “We focus on hand-cra ed and sustainable slab rescue. is particular project uses oak estimated to have been harvested toward the turn of the 19th century, and then used in the construction of early barns and mills throughout the United States. e material was salvaged and given a second life by the imondi team,” said Dell. e oor was pre nished in the mill using Loba 2K. e inspiration for the

commitment to source from vendors focused on the environment and sustainability. e project took six months from speci cation to installation. is project was unique for the company, as Dell shares that traditionally the nished product is more rustic in nature. “We’re most famous for our authentic reclaimed look where we leave the wood raw, and you can see the hundreds of years of age.”

Photo by Oded Smadar.

This project used two-layer engineered, European reclaimed oak planks, in 5-12” mixed width plank format.

e company is now one of the largest manufacturers of reclaimed ooring in Asia with o ces in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and e Netherlands. rough their distributors, imondi has provided ooring for a number of notable clients including work with a global co ee chain in several regions, the Louis Vui on hotel in the Maldives, Jamie Oliver’s restaurants, and many of the world’s largest fashion retailers. e company has outgrown ve o ces and two factories and now operates a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility. “We have a long-termworking relationship with distributors all over the world; especially those who put importance on sustainability, quality, design and a unique story behind the products with which they work,” said Dell. “ e culmination of imondi’s obsessive focus on sustainability is our range of reclaimed wood ooring, which is both FSC-certi ed and LEED-compliant.” g

He shares that a recent private residence installation in the Neve Tzedek district of Tel Aviv, Israel, is a shining example. is project, by AviramKushmirski Interior Design, was completed using two-layer engineered, European reclaimed oak planks, in 5-12” mixed width plank format. e oor was pre nished in the mill using Osmo wax oil. e project took three months from the distributor’s order con rmation and manufacturing through to supply and install. “Our materials are truly processed the old fashioned way; there’s a lot of handwork. Many of the owners of the more modern ooring factories and sawmills are shocked when they visit our plant, and they see howmuch we’re doing by hand,” said Dell. “You have to with this wood. Any metal is removed by hand, and sometimes we even sand and nish by hand; to preserve the beautiful time- worn texture on the surface. We have about 150 dedicated workers whose only

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From the Ground Up

By Megan Lhamon

Marcus Aven, President of Green Life Floors in San Diego, California, started in the hardwood ooring industry at the age of nine, working on commercial oor maintenance under the direction of his dad. By 18, he began installing for another ooring contractor, quickly picking up various skills and developing a passion for woodworking.

The hexagon-patterned wood floor was installed flush with the concrete in the newest location of Groundwork Coffee.

concrete to be poured into that would meet the nished height of the wood ooring and allow for a 1/2” of leveling compound to be poured to provide a ready surface. “ e challenge here was that our template had to match the nal layout and sizing of a product that we had not yet manufactured,” adds Aven. “ is layout touched multiple axis points, as hexagon wood tiles were exposed on up to ve sides in the layout.” A er the sub oor was properly prepared, it was time for installation. “We installed the ooring directly to the concrete usingWakol MS 260 Adhesive,” says Aven. “We nished the oor with Loba Transparent Impact Oil using a bu er.” “ is project was a new experience for us, having the opportunity to mill an entire oor from raw wood,” adds Aven. “It’s great to hear the positive feedback from those who’ve visited the co ee shop. Everyone is so enamored by the story of the wood taking on a rebirth from the forest re to now being used as a unique oor covering.” g “Everyone is so enamored by the story of the wood taking on a rebirth from the forest fire to now being used as a unique floor covering.”

A er working together on previous end grain oors, Wick Architecture knewGreen Life Floors was the right company for this unique job; a hexagon-pa erned wood oor installed ush with the concrete in the newest location of Groundwork Co ee. “We used mesquite (prosopis) found in the Southwestern United States andMexico, a localized plant that claims a lot of footballs with its large, sharp thorns,” says Aven. “We were fortunate to nd a supply of forest- re-reclaimed slabs of su cient thickness to mill into the size ooring that was needed. We shaped all of the wood from slab at approximately 4” thickness to 3.5” hexagons that were 1/2” thick.” e biggest challenge of this installation? Amonth before the scheduled installation, Aven and his crew had to set forms for the

All photos courtesy of Marcus Aven.

The team used mesquite (prosopis) found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico.

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GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS INDUSTRY INSIGHTS CARBON NEUTRALITY MOVES FORWARD

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e greater wood products industry has long fought for recognition from the federal government on the carbon neutrality of woody biomass, and it appears the day has nally come. Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a policy statement announcing a policy direction that is intended to: • provide clear recognition of the benefits of using forest biomass for energy production at stationary sources; and • signal the agency’s intent to treat the biogenic CO 2 emissions associated with the use of forest biomass for energy by stationary sources as carbon neutral in future regulatory actions and in various programmatic contexts, in accordance with the Executive Orders and Congressional direction described above. To further entrench this scienti cally based thinking in the U.S. government decision-making process, the EPA is moving to develop a formal rule embodying the principles in the announcement. Recent meetings with EPA o cials suggest that this rule-making may be time-consuming and we should not expect nal action for a couple of years. However, we are encouraged by the signals being sent from the EPA on this critical issue, and we will continue to assist them in forging a nal policy that is bene cial to the entire biomass value chain. is action is just the latest development in years of work by the Hardwood Federation and our allies in the ght to promote the carbon neutrality of biomass. Lumber industry leaders, employees, and Washington representatives have a ended hundreds of meetings and placed countless phone calls to members of Congress and their sta s, cabinet members, and administration o cials of at least three presidents. If this seems like a lot of work to move the needle slowly and incrementally, it is. But the industry remains commi ed to this concept of codi ed biomass carbon neutrality at the federal level because it resides at the very

heart of the wood products industry’s sustainability message and it is a principle that is increasingly under a ack from anti- forestry activists. e Hardwood Federation’s ongoing education e orts with policymakers about the environmental bene ts of forest products operations emphasize the fact that timber arriving at lumber mills represents one step in a larger “carbon cycling” process. Trees are harvested and e ciently converted into oors, millwork, and cabinets at mills that, once installed in homes and commercial buildings, will store the carbon embedded in that wood product for generations.

Parts of the tree that are not t for making wood products, like bark, chip, and sawdust, are combusted for energy recovery, typically in the form of heat and power at lumber facilities or sold to pellet producers or other end-users. At the

All images: BigStockPhoto ©

point where forest biomass is combusted for energy, carbon that had been siphoned from the atmosphere and stored in the tree ber through the duration of its growing years is released into the atmosphere. But what separates wood products’ processes from industries that rely on fossil-derived materials like oil, gas, or coal is that the thriving, sustainable forests from which raw materials are sourced continue the carbon uptake cycle in a virtual loop. In other words, wood product production does not introduce “new” carbon to the atmosphere as fossil fuel combustion does. at’s why we like to describe it as “carbon cycling.” Until recently, we had assumed this was a principle that was beyond dispute. However, over the past few years, many

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By Dana Lee Cole

opponents of timber harvesting have begun making claims that forest-based biomass is a non-renewable resource. Many outside the wood products industry are unaware of – or refuse to acknowledge – the fact that robust markets for forest products actually promote the health of the nation’s forest resources. e beautiful and long-lived wood products, including ooring produced by the industry, provide critical demand for working forests so that landowners managing those forests can continue to keep those lands as forest lands. A li le-known fact is that most of the forest land in this country is privately owned in parcels that average well under 500 acres. ese small private landowner suppliers depend on a return on investment to keep their holdings forested and not convert them to other uses like row crop agriculture or development. riving markets for forest products are the primary reason there are more forested acres in this country

today than in the 1950s – a period during which the country experienced an unprecedented postwar homebuilding spree. Unfortunately, bumper sticker messaging around saving trees by not using wood is the narrative that has prevailed among many, and it is a myth we continue to debunk on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch. But we are nally seeing consistent progress toward codi ed federal government support for our sustainability message. NWFA members have been incredibly active on this issue, and we thank you for your advocacy. is is just one piece, one important piece, of the overall message we all should be delivering…wood products are environmentally friendly and sustainable! Dana Lee Cole is Executive Director at the Hardwood Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based hardwood industry trade association that represents thousands of hardwood businesses in every state in the U.S. and acts as the industry’s advocacy voice on Capitol Hill. She can be reached at dana.cole@hardwoodfederation.com.

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21

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS DESIGNER INSIGHTS

By Emily Morrow Finkell

All photos courtesy of Emily Morrow Finkell.

Sustainability & Millennials: THE FUTURE OF THE HARDWOOD FLOORING INDUSTRY IS IN THEIR HANDS

Look around where you are si ing or standing right now. See if you can spot a cloth shopping bag, a collection of used aluminum cans, or a reusable water bo le. Now, look around a li le harder, and you’re likely to see even more evidence of sustainability (or what most people think sustainability involves). Not to suggest that today’s newest consumers don’t know or understand sustainability; in fact, I’m suggesting the opposite. e de nition of sustainability has expanded and evolved since the early days of the cradle-to-cradle discussions in the design world as well as the oor covering industry. Today, it includes ideas such as carbon footprint, “farm- to-table,” and even checking hidden labels to see the

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Sustainability & Millennials (Continued)

According to a Forbes article, American 26-Year-Olds May Be Retailers’ Target, But Only One Segment Is Prime: e HENRYs , by Pamela N. Danziger, “ e 26-year-old millennials on the road to a uence, called HENRYs, are the customers whom retailers really need to zoom in on. at would be the 20-25 percent of those 4.8 million 26-year-olds who are at the top of the income distribution, or the 1.2 million earning more than 75-80 percent of their peers.” e article goes on to say, “ ose aged 26 are smack dab in the middle of the millennial generation, ‘the group of 93 million comprises people born roughly between 1980 and 2000.’ By comparison, the baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964 and numbering 78.8 million at their peak, have now declined to 74 million according to the latest census. Millennials, aged 17-37, are vital to every brand’s future, as they are ‘entering prime spending years as they buy homes

country of origin where our products are sourced and manufactured. Next, consider how frequently you’ve seen headlines or heard references made to the millennial generation. is generation is known as the next frontier for brands who seek to connect with their spending power. According to recent statistics, millennials spent approximately $200 billion in 2017, and studies have revealed their willingness to spend more on “sustainable” brands. According to an op-ed article in the Business of Fashion and the State of Fashion Report by e Business of Fashion (Bof F) and McKinsey, “nearly 90 percent of people surveyed believe they will help create more sustainable products by convincing businesses and governments to change existing practices...and would be willing to boyco a fashion brand if it was not sustainable.” What this

The definition of sustainability has expanded and evolved since the early days of the cradle-to-cradle discussions in the design world as well as the floor covering industry.

means to our oor covering industry is not yet known, but we should certainly be paying a ention. Not only are they our future consumers and homeowners, but they are also our future workforce, employees, and business leaders. Today we have emerging professionals coming into the workforce with multiple degrees, who are determined to live di erently than their parents, and are less motivated by wealth and more motivated by health. Whether they identify as millennials or “HENRYs,” this generation’s biggest challenge is discerning truth in advertising from ction. HENRY stands for high-earners-not-rich-yet and could be the most important customer segment that you’ve probably never heard of.

and make improvements. eir outlays are growing as more of the generation moves into adulthood.’ eir importance will only continue to grow up till about age 50 when their household spending is expected to peak, according to spending wave research conducted by Harry Dent. at means from now until about 2040, millennials will be the key consumer segment driving the U.S. economy.” is May, my daughter, Mary, traveled with a select group of Furman University students who spent three weeks studying “Slow Food Italy” on a small farm in Sora, Italy. She explained that we should seek out food that might take longer to grow, but is cultivated without harmful chemicals, fertilizers,

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e hardwood ooring industry can so easily be compared to our food industry here in the states. While we enjoy a vast variety of options of super cheap and super-fast foods, we are paying a price that cannot be seen or felt right away. We are bringing materials into our homes that might be inexpensive and readily available as a DIY product, but it’s important to ask yourself: “how long will it look good, how long will I want to keep it, how long will it last?” What if we could convince the HENRYs to save up for hardwood ooring that doesn’t have to be replaced, will look good for decades, and actually adds to the overall value and appeal of the home? Why wouldn’t they fall in love with premium hardwood ooring rather than loathing the cheap base-grade ooring we feel we must have as rst-time homeowners? Wouldn’t the world be a be er place if we considered our ooring as much as we do other things in our lives? It would make our homes more valuable in the short- and long-term, and help to make our indoor air quality be er with low to zero VOC hardwood. Plus, the oors will last a lifetime, which truly makes it a sustainable material. I personally think the future is in wonderful hands and I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future leaders when I spend time with my young adult children and their friends. ey are smart, kind, and very savvy. ey’ve had unique life experiences, they’ve worked hard, and are now entering the world lled with both knowledge and “heart.” And, so that you know, they also are wiser than you’d think. is generation will make an impact on our industry, so now is the time to listen. Emily Morrow Finkell is an interior designer and CEO of EF Floors & Design LLC in Dalton, Georgia, a provider of hardwood floors and home furnishings, and NWFA design contributor. She can be reached at emily@emilymorrowhome.com.

herbicides, and pesticides. Using the methods of our grandparents rather than mass-producing food is our best bet for quality health as well as the re ned enjoyment of avor and dining experiences. ese students not only studied food, nutrition, and farm-to-table methods, but also visited the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ey examined the seeds, the plants, the animals, and the preparation of each as well as the e ects on our health. anks to her explanation of what many U.S. fast food companies do to potatoes in order to make perfect french fries, I can no longer mindlessly enjoy them. As she described her own purpose in Slow Food Studies as a Health Sciences major, it occurred to me that the study of slow food is a movement going on around us all and represents a broader shi in how our younger generations are seeing the world and how they view quality living. Take the same concept of mindful eating, and apply it to mindful shopping for fashion and the home. So many companies, for example, those who produce food, fashion, and ooring, have murky marketing campaigns that create an impression of being sustainably made. It o en is hard to see through the smoke and mirrors, and as an industry, we do have a responsibility to make sure we are all being honest about what we make and how we make it. We all get that warm, fuzzy feeling when we do business with companies that have been recognized for responsible stewardship. Sometimes we come to nd out, though, that some of these labels have been misrepresented. Seeing the abuse of a trusted certi cation such as FSC, for example, it’s hard not to become confused and a li le cynical.

As an industry, we do have a responsibility to make sure we are all being honest about what we make and how we make it.