Hardwood Floors December 2018/January 2019

TECH TALK

with

Kjell Nymark

Michael Dittmer

Jason Elquest

Lenny Hall

What are some of the best practices that you use when matching existing flooring to new flooring on site-finished jobs?

client and they typically are fine with leaving the new wood new looking against the older wood. Eventually, the new wood will age, and the color match will be spot on in a few years or sooner, depending on the species (and assuming you did the other stuff I mentioned above well). MICHAEL DITTMER When matching a new wood floor to an existing older wood floor, we make sure we have the species and the cut perfectly matched for starters. I have worked with some local building demolition contractors to obtain a supply of reclaimed material to assist in a perfect match. If we are unsure, we will make samples of the new floor to make sure it matches the old material. And we always ensure the customer approves of our flooring and finish selection. Some of our methods of achieving a match range from changing the color of the stain to tinting the finish so the new matches the old. Sometimes we have even water popped the new floor so that it takes color much darker and richer to match the original. Instead of a standard lace and weave, we have increased the size of the weave to yield more material as to incorporate that additional material in with our newmaterial so that it blends better. On a recent project, the original contractor told the homeowner and me that it was red birch installed on the floors 15 years ago. To get the correct match for the client, I ordered a bundle of red and yellow birch to make sure the homeowner would be satisfied with the match. We both agreed that the floors appeared to be yellow birch so that’s what we installed, and the customer was satisfied with the results.

JASON ELQUEST Matching new wood to existing can be tricky. Even if you choose the proper grade, and of course the species, you still may have existing color issues to deal with because of the wood’s exposure to light. Yes, I said species, you would be surprised! All wood is photosensitive, which means it will either darken or fade due to its exposure to light. Most wood will darken slightly with exposure to sunlight, but in some extreme conditions, wood will fade. Much of this has to do with the species and where it lives in the home. You need to make your customer aware of these sometimes dramatic differences. Many of these color issues can be camouflaged if the floor is going to be colored, but it can be quite difficult if the flooring is going to be left natural. LENNY HALL I look to match all aspects of the floor: the grain orientation, the length average, and, if possible, the age of the wood. Aging wood is a challenge, sometimes you can salvage from other parts of the same jobsite (a sacrificial closet for example), or if you are so inclined, you can salvage from some previous jobsite tear-ups. I keep a few hundred square feet of old 2-1/4", 1-1/2" from previous jobs for those small board repairs or additions where I can intermix old stock and newmaterials on a jobsite. I never liked the idea of staining or tinting the finish on old repairs or additions when the wood tone is very far off, such as when repairing American walnut, American cherry, or Brazilian cherry. Eventually, your new wood will age under the applied stain or tint and will progress to appear differently over time. Have an in-depth explanation of aging and patina with the

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