Trick of the Trade: Hand-Scraped Vent ... or Not? -
HF Editors
A flat wood vent in the middle of a hand-scraped floor just doesn’t look right, but the vents are hard to...
Q&As: Defect Allowance, Nailing Strandwoven & Staining Maple -
HF Editors
I have a customer complaining about defects in her floor I just installed. I told her I’m allowed up to 5 percent defects, but she isn’t buying it. Who’s ...
Inspections Are Supposed to Help Our Industry, Not Hurt It -
Kevin Mullany
A wood flooring inspection is supposed to be a service to the industry—a process that figures out why things went wrong when a floor fails and fairly determines ...
Career Development: Cork Maker Coaches Kids on Flooring -
Karly McMillan
Beyond New York City’s grandeur and famous high-dollar lifestyle, the reality of life in the city is still plenty tough for many of its denizens. This is why Ken Bollella...
Understanding How to Measure Moisture Can Avert Job-Site Disasters -
Andrew St. James
Everyone who works with wood floors knows that most complaints are caused by moisture problems. Keeping track of the moisture content (MC) through the various...
Tales from the Front: Repeat That? -
HF Editors
Brandon Spearman, now president/CEO of Spearhead Marketing Inc. in Langly, B.C., recalls an amazing call he got back during his days working for a hardwood flooring...
Improving Outlook: State of the Industry 2013 -
Kim M. Wahlgren
As this issue went to press, the increasingly positive news about the economy was tempered by the implementation of the government's sequestration measures. The good news for the wood flooring industry...
Social Studies: Getting Visual on Facebook -
Michael Gaio
Recently I joined our Hardwood Floors team in Las Vegas for Surfaces. It was great getting a chance to meet a lot of you, and I was impressed with the enthusiasm many of you...
Do You Have the Best Tools for Cutting Odd Angles? - Joshua Crossman
If you do enough installations, you’re bound to come across some cuts that are too steep to cut on your chop...
Motivate Top Talent in Tough Times - Brad Remillard
In difficult times, motivating top talent is critical to success. Focus on these six...
Bid the Customer: Tailoring Estimates for Each Customer - Scott Tarpinian
Every wood flooring contractor can tell you that when you walk up to someone’s house for the first time...
Recoating Prefinished Wood Floors Doesn’t Have to Be a Gamble - Kim M. Wahlgren
For wood flooring contractors, doing a recoat on a factory-finished floor can feel like playing the slots—when you arrive ...
Why Does This Wood Floor Finish Have a Milky Cast and Uneven Sheen? - Mike Sundell
I got a call about a floor with finish that showed a definite milky cast—sometimes described as a hazy look—in the overall...
Honored in Orlando: 2012 Wood Floor of the Year Winners - HF Editors
With a new NWFA Expo comes new excitement as people speculate which companies will take home the industry’s much-coveted NWFA Wood Floor of the Year awards. The winners were ...
Vintage Moments: The Boone Family's Business - Doug Dalsing
Tina Boone just laughs whenever she hears the question, “How early were you on the job?” Here she is at age 5 along with her brothers and industry notables Joe Jr., 9, and Daniel, 7, outside a ...
Collecting Accounts Receivable—On Time - Gene Siciliano
A few years ago, your business was probably running pretty smoothly, with sales and profits growing. And then the recession ...
How to Leverage Your Customer's Testimonials - Pam Lontos
Which are you more likely to believe? A company representative telling you how great his product or service is, or a recommendation from another person about ...
TechnoTip: Taking Your Music to the Job Site - HF Editors
They’re touted as tiny, but when you’ve got thousands and thousands of them on your smartphone, the luster of mp3s starts to fade. Nowadays, the most convenient way to access music ...
The Cause of 'Dry-Cupping' in Engineered Wood Floors - Dan Blake
When you're talking about problems with wood floors, nothing gets more attention than moisture and its consequences, like cupping. But lack of moisture...
Know these Facts Before Working with Bamboo Flooring - Dan Harrington
As the focus on environmental responsibility gains strength among consumers and the wood flooring industry, bamboo flooring continues to be in the spotlight...
Calculating Wood Flooring Job Costs - John Lessick
Are you charging what you should should for your wood flooring jobs?
Warning Signs of Bad Clients - Don Bollinger
Read the warning signs potential wood flooring clients send you
Taming the Buffer, Part II: Understanding How a Wood Floor Buffer Works - Galen Fitzel and Jim Schumacher
More mysteries of this wild wood flooring beast are revealed
Get a Handle on Wood Floor Staining Strategies - Kim M. Wahlgren
Some wood flooring contractors love to stain floors. They up sell their jobs by offering customers any color they desire, even without having to buy...
Step by Step: How to Set Up Your Wood Flooring Edger - Wayne Lee
If you asked 10 contractors how to run an edger, you wouldn't be surprised to get 10 different answers. That's why it's so important that you understand the basics of how and where an edger...
Taming the Buffer: Understanding How a Wood Floor Buffer Works, Part I - Galen Fitzel
Understanding the beast helps create better sanding jobs.
The Finer Details of Sanding and Finishing Wood Floors - Steve Seabaugh
Oftentimes contractors do all the major steps right, but overlook small detailson the job site. The result is a job that is good, but not great. This can make the difference...
Don't Take These Lazy Shortcuts When Installing Wood Floors - Steve Seabaugh
Don't take these lazy shortcuts when installing wood floors
