Hardwood Floors June/July 2019

Photos courtesy of Jerry Curran.

Learn more about the Museum of Modern Art at moma.org/about/new-moma.

Floor Focus Manufactured byWoodCo, based in San Antonio, Texas, the floors had to be perfect from the start. “The architects requested 50,000 square feet of FSC-Certified livesawn American white oak,” says Debbie George, WoodCoMarketingManager. “The wood had to be super clear with no sapwood, no knots bigger than 1/8”, and not more than one knot every 3’.The boards also had to be 1” thick.These things considered, a lot of standard 5/4 lumber didn’t make the grade, and it took nearly nine months to obtain enough lumber.” The material was milled to a standard tongue-and-groove profile, with the extra thickness being on the top. The 1” thick boards were 8” wide and measured from 6’ to 16’ long, with the majority of the boards being between 8’ and 12’ long. Installation After previously working with the architects for MoMA on the Clarke Museum VECC, J.J. Curran & Son was chosen again as the flooring contractor for the museum.

“My son, Seamus Curran, is the project manager for this job,” says Jerry Curran, Owner of J.J. Curran & Son. “He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2012 with his degree in civil engineering and is a valuable member of our team.” “We installed 25,000 square feet in the fourth- and fifth- floor galleries,” continues Curran. “We also will be installing 8,000 square feet of single directional riftsawn parquet and 2,000 square feet of end-grain block on the first floor of the museum.” The floors were stained with DuraSeal Country White and finished with Bona HD Commercial Matte. “Staining and finishing these floors was a challenge,” says Curran. “With 200’-long runs and so much added light from the ceiling fixtures, it was crucial that the stain and finish be perfect.” “This job has been the capstone of my career; it has been really cool to see it all come to life this past year,” concludes Curran. g

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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