Hardwood Floors December 2017/January 2018

CONTENTS

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

Industry Insights:

15 Government Affairs A look into what lies ahead in 2018. 20 Designer Insights Connecting pros and consumers.

By Dana Cole

By Emily Morrow Finkell

PUBLICATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Julie Russell, Chair & Board Liaison | Glitsa, a division of Rudd Company Len Daubler | Shaw Industries Inc. Avi Hadad | Avi’s Hardwood Floors Inc. Lenny Hall | Endurance Floor Company Inc. Jessica Hickman | Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring Kevin Mullany | Benchmark Wood Floors Inc. Mike Sundell

Business Best Practices:

24 Finance What type of business insurance do you really need?

By Bree Urech-Boyle

28 Business Basics Risk management 101.

By Barbara Dunn O’Neal

32 Sales Savvy Challenges facing salespeople when selling value.

Jeremy Waldorf | Legacy Floors LLC Adam Williams | Palo Duro Hardwoods

By Paul Reilly

36 Marketing How to leverage the power of online reviews. By Katrina Olson 38 Technology The top five tech resolutions for the new year. By Jodi O’Toole

PUBLICATION TEAM

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

At the Site: 46 Sponsored Content What it takes to tackle dirt and dust.

By Swiffer

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

52 Tech Troubleshooting Installing wide plank floors.

By Brett Miller

56 Maintenance How to educate customers on maintenance. 62 Finish Focus Love and care of your finishes and sealers.

By Brett Miller

By Ethan Erickson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bree Urech-Boyle Dana Cole Michael Dittmer Anita Howard Megan Lhamon Michael Martin Brett Miller Neil Newhouse Jason Elquest Ethan Erickson Emily Morrow Finkell Lenny Hall Kjell Nymark Katrina Olson

65 Tech Talk How do you help your customers By NWFA

Brian O’Bannon Barbara Dunn O’Neal Jodi O’Toole

maintain their floors after the installation? 68 WFOY Spotlight The art of storytelling through wood.

Regional Instructors

Brad Puck Paul Reilly Chris Zizza

By Stacy Brown

Product Focus: 78 Maintenance Products & Recoat Systems 84 TISE Exhibitor Showcase

ADVERTISING SALES

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

Also in this Issue:

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. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Chesterfield, MO, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 9147, Lowell, MA 01853. Copyright © 2017 by the National Wood Flooring Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

6 Chairman’s Cut 8 Wood Stock 70 NWFA Resources 90 New Products 91 Ad Index

By Chris Zizza

92 Final Coat CEO’s Message

By Michael Martin

hardwood floors

4