Hardwood Floors December 2017/January 2018

WFOY WINNER SPOTLIGHT:

Victor Mulbauer of Michigan Hardwood Floors Services LLC based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been in the hardwood ooring industry for 10 years. He started his business with modest beginnings in the basement of his home. “I started out with hardwood ooring and painting, but a er a short period of time, realized that I was more a racted to the art of hardwood ooring,” says Mulbauer. “Being on the job site all day long and working with wood, I felt like there was a magnet between my hands and the wood. It was like the wood was asking me to tell its story, to bring out its beauty and warmth.” He continued, “I knew I had to learn more about it if I wanted to be successful. I knew there must be something, somewhere, someplace where I could go and learn and be be er. It was then I found out about the NWFA and all its valuable classes.” Mulbauer joined the NWFA in 2010 and quickly obtained his Installation and Sand & Finish certi cations. He continued taking classes and made a ending the yearly NWFA Wood Flooring Expo a priority, where he rst learned about the Wood Floor of the Year awards. “I felt so honored to be among such a talented group of people, and a er seeing all those beautiful oors, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the dedication some individuals have to hardwood ooring. I decided right then and there, ‘I’m going to win a trophy just like that one year,’” says Mulbauer. At the 2017 Wood Flooring Expo in Phoenix, Mulbauer’s goal was accomplished. By Stacy Brown The Art of Storytelling Through Wood

e rst design underwent numerous modi cations as new ideas formed in Mulbauer’s head. “ e initial paper I drew my rst design on had so many markings and eraser marks that I wasn’t sure it would survive another dra ,” he shared. is project required intricate hand- carving and wire-brushing. e seven elevated wood tiles were given an enriching multidimensional look with the aid of the contrasting mosaic. Darker wood pieces of the mosaic slowly transitioned into lighter shades. Hexagonal wood tiles gave way to the bold frame surrounding the heart of this project. Hand-carved, the bold wooden frame provided a relaxing seat to the wooden leaves at each of the four corners. A thin border between the varied installation directions of the Brazilian cherry de nes the ne line between dreams and reality. “I needed to add nuances to the oor, so a er studying the wood I was working with more closely, I realized that I should show its natural color. I wanted to give a hint of color though, between the hand- carved tiles, so I came up with the idea of making one custom color using top grain cut mosaic from the wood, as well as di erent wood species that would give the mosaic-part of the oor a custom stain. I used darker wood on the edges, right near the hand-carved wooden frame, then purposely chose lighter wood as the

FLOOR FOCUS Mulbauer started his masterpiece by laying down a piece of paper on the ground in the size of the room in which the oor was to be installed. Next he sketched out what he intended the oor to look like, and then went to his workbench and hand-carved a number of hardwood oor tiles with di erent designs in them. “I was amazed by my ability to handle the chisel, seeing that it was the rst time in my life that I was doing this type of work. I then placed all those hand-carved wood tiles on my paper and played around with the design asking myself, ‘Why not a oor like this, with hand-carved tiles?’ So I decided to go with this idea: low relief hand-carved wood tiles. I was very happy to have my idea down on paper, and began working,” says Mulbauer.

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