Hardwood Floors December 2019/January 2020

Wood

By Burt Bollinger and RUSTIC RUGGED

CONTRACTOR CORNER

• A recent study by SmartAsset notes construction laborer as the second-fastest growing occupation in the United States, with 40 percent growth in female employees from 2014 to 2018. • N-Hance™ Wood Refinishing has committed to donating a dollar for every kitchen or floor refinishing project to American Forests, a forest conservation organization. Each dollar donated will go toward planting one tree in large forest landscapes across the United States. • Through the Woods, Services were the winners of Bona’s DriFast Stain photo contest. Prizes included items such as a YETI cooler, Bluetooth headphones, and Amazon Alexa wireless speaker. Prestige Wood Flooring, and Excellent Floors &

A restaurant nestled near the base of a snow-covered mountain has an interior that features an extraordinary mix of rustic, antique wood finishes along with a distinctly modern twist. It serves as a showcase of how wood can powerfully transform an interior. Moreover, it shines as a perfect example of thoughtful design, and how a hardwood flooring company can spread its wings and successfully go outside of its comfort zone. “Tatonka sits at the corner of one of the busiest streets in Aspen, Colorado. The owners are extremely particular about the interior décor and the overall architectural design of their restaurants. They wanted to include as many wooden elements as they could,” explains Mika Old, Director of Sales for OldWood. “In addition to the floor, OldWood did the walls, ceiling treatments, tabletops, and we made most of the furniture for the project as well. As for the look, we were going for lots of rich, deep colors.” For OldWood, getting the aesthetic right was only one part of the challenge. The unique nature of the restaurant’s location and the attire of their clientele meant selecting a wood flooring that could withstand a tremendous amount of abuse fromwet, heavy ski boots all winter long. “The reason we chose mesquite is that we believe it to be one of the hardest, most durable floors in the world, especially when used as an end-grain,” explains Shiloh Old, VP of International Operations for OldWood.

“We used an unfinished block as opposed to one of our end-grain panels. The floor is what we call a ‘Club Mix End-Grain Mesquite.’ It is a half-inch mesquite end-grain that comes in five different sizes, which is why it is called ‘Club Mix.’ We have a diagram of a few different patterns we can use to install the five different sizes, so it comes out looking random in appearance, but the actual installation is anything but random,” says Shiloh. “The end-grain mesquite floor was then installed using Bostik Green Force adhesive and stained on-site.” “We felt the onsite seal would better prevent moisture incursion. It was a natural stain with a little bit of a golden pecan color. We used an oil-based stain with a water-based polyurethane topcoat. We did this because the contractor wanted to use stains that were readily available in Aspen,” explains Shiloh. “As a result, all of our color mixes were with just SherwinWilliams Minwax brand, which you can find at just about any hardware store in the country.” After the floor was installed, OldWood began on a three-dimensional sound dispersing accent wall made from reclaimed juniper out of NewMexican deserts. “We shipped those juniper panels for the walls pre-finished. We sold the walls as a panelized product that they then glue or screw to the substructure. We also did a straight-line-ripped, skip sanded, hit-or-miss finish douglas fir ceiling, which we pre-finished,” says Shiloh.

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