Hardwood Floors October/November 2017

European producers have been using hard-wax oils, penetrating oils, or other products to achieve the look of a complex multi-color oor for centuries. To successfully use the cerusing technique, start with the application of a colored initial coat (any of the above), followed by a second coat of contrasting or complimentary color, which may be oil, paint, stain or other color product in order to achieve a multi-layered e ect. e most important factor when cerusing a oor is allowing for appropriate dry times and compatibility between products. e color pale e is literally endless. Additional coats of color can be added to intensify tone or dull prior application of color products. With today’s savvy customers requesting oors they’ve found on Pinterest and Instagram, our industry is literally creating nish “looks” that we have not seen before. Being creative and following the manufacturer speci c instructions allows us to take our game to the next level. Kelly Ragalie is Technical Sales Representative, NW Territory at Loba-Wakol in Tualatin, Oregon. She can be reached at kelly.ragalie@loba-wakol.com. Tito Boror is Technical Sales Representative, NE territory. He can be reached at jorge.boror@loba-wakol.com.

the trowel-on products require an additional step of removal either by special bu ng pads or towels. Most manufacturers will recommend a speci c system of application and will require speci c penetration and curing times for each product. ere have been some older techniques in practice, like using old pieces of carpet on bu ng machines. is can pose an issue due to the use of anti-stain and soiling additives previously used in the carpet remnant materials reacting with stain and color products. Other methods include rollers, lamb’s wool, trim pads, or other ooring tools. Layered Coloring: Cerusing is a buzz word used in the ooring industry today. is is a technique of layering multiple colors on top of each other, producing a unique e ect. e most recent knowledge of this technique started in the factory- nished ooring industry in which the ability to apply di erent layers of color in very short amounts of time was already built in. However, job site application was still too complicated. at changed when manufacturers took some notice of European oor work and developed new products that would allow for similar techniques on the job site. Some

Photos courtesy of Kelly Ragalie & Tito Boror

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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