Hardwood Floors June/July 2025

CONTENTS

PUBLICATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Robert McNamara | Chair, Sheoga Hardwood Flooring Jason Elquest | Blackhawk Floors Inc. Steve Brattin | Chair Stephanie Owen | COO Anita Howard | Sr. VP, Industry Partnerships & Meetings Brett Miller | VP, Technical Standards, Education, & Membership NWFA LEADERSHIP

Industry Insights

16 Government Affairs Transportation reauthorization 2026 already in motion. 20 Market Matters Uncertain economy: inflation,

By Dana Lee Cole

By Santo Torcivia

tariffs, and budget cuts.

Lenny Hall | Endurance Floor Company Inc. Kevin Mullany | Benchmark Wood Floors Inc. Jim Schumacher

Business Best Practices

24 Special Content How to clean and take care of wood floors. 28 Sales Savvy Lost the sale because

By Arianna Castro

Libby White Johnston | Publisher | libby.johnston@nwfa.org Burt Bollinger | Editor | burt.bollinger@nwfa.org Brett Miller | Technical Editor | brett.miller@nwfa.org Rhonda M. May | Creative Manager | rhonda.may@nwfa.org Amy Burris | Digital Manager | amy.burris@nwfa.org Bridget Norlie | Engagement Manager | bridget.norlie@nwfa.org PUBLICATION TEAM

By Paul Reilly

of price? Think again. 32 Marketing Why your last conversation with a customer matters most. At the Site 74 Tung Oil Finishes The timeless appeal of tung oil.

By Tyler Powell

14 Research Park Drive St. Charles, Missouri 63304 P : 800.422.4556 Local : 636.519.9663 F: 636.519.9664 E: news@hardwoodfloorsmag.com W: hardwoodfloorsmag.com

By Kellie Hawkins Schaffner

78 Sponsored Content The spirit of innovation.

By Berger-Seidle

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Burt Bollinger Steve Brattin Arianna Castro Dana Lee Cole John Forbes

80 Tech Talk Customers evaluating the final finish. 82 Hardwood Hints Creating the perfect cam.

Paul Reilly Kellie Hawkins Schaffner

Lenny Hall Anita Howard Libby White Johnston

Todd Schutte Santo Torcivia

Kyle Neuroh Tyler Powell

By Lenny Hall

Product Focus

ADVERTISING SALES

86 Factory Finished Flooring 89 Finishes, Applicators, Fillers, and Maintenance Products

Katie Schenk Advertising & Media Manager katie.schenk@nwfa.org | 636.736.5230

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: 14 Research Park Drive, St. Charles, MO 63304. Phone: 800.422.4556. Printing office: Walsworth, 306 N. Kansas Ave., Marceline, MO 64658. Printed in the U.S. Periodicals postage is paid at Chesterfield, MO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardwood Floors, P.O. Box 9147, Lowell, MA 01853. Copyright © 2025 by the National Wood Flooring Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Hardwood Floors' subscription base is AAM audited. An AAM audit provides advertisers and agencies with assurance that what they choose to invest in does, in fact, reach target audiences for specific ads. The AAM audit also helps media companies by documenting the quality of their audiences.

6 Chair’s Cut

By Steve Brattin

8 Business Briefs 12 Wood Stock

By Libby White Johnston

38 NWFA Wood Flooring Expo Wrap 44 NWFA Service Awards 64 Throwback WFOY 92 New Products 94 Overheard on NWFA Podcasts 95 Wood Talk: John Kiepper 96 Ad Index 66 Company Profile: NOFMA

By Anita Howard By John Forbes