Hardwood Floors August/September 2025

Wood Stock

MASTERING THE MATCH

By Burt Bollinger

Szyszka was recommended for the project after the manager read about his award-winning work in Hardwood Floors magazine. He recently had earned the 2023 Wood Floor of the Year award for Best Color and Texture, thanks to his innovative work with fuming techniques. That made him a natural fit for the job. “The project manager sent me pictures, but I told them I needed a physical sample. Without seeing it in person, there was no way to match the color accurately,” says Szyszka. A panel soon was shipped to Szyszka at his Crystal Lake, Illinois, shop, where he began the intricate process of analyzing the tones and textures.

A call from a project manager in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, set in motion a uniquely intricate restoration project for Matthew Szyszka of Floor Master Company. His task was to repair and restore a European imported wood floor as part of a renovation in a 4,000-square-foot home. But it wasn’t just any floor – it was a fumed, prefinished, hand-distressed floor originally installed 15 years earlier, and no one had been able to match its color or texture.

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