Last week, NWFA hosted a sold-out Advanced Training school where students had the opportunity to design, install, and sand & finish floors in five NWFA offices.
“The Advanced Training event is really a unique experience,” says Brett Miller, NWFA’s Vice President of Education and Certification. “Being able to practice high skill level techniques with the guidance of other industry professionals is unparalleled.”
FLOOR FOCUS
Office #1
The field of this floor is a simple white oak parquet with a maple and hickory border. Square plug end-grain inlays of white oak and walnut were installed throughout. The center medallion is surrounded by bent walnut wrapping the curved quarter sawn maple. The starbust white oak is wrapped with bent walnut and oak highlights. The very center is a mixture of walnut and white oak end-grain set in a clear epoxy. The whole floor was stained natural and coated with a water base finish.
Office #2
The main floor is a curly red birch laid on a 45° angle. The simple border includes a maple and walnut feature strip. This border was bent at the entry to highlight the end-grain mosaic, which was hand-cut mixed species of white oak, wenge, douglas fir, and maple. The floor was finished with a natural burnished penetrating stain.
Office #3
The field of this floor is an engineered cherry laid on diagonal. This material is bordered in a rhombus pattern, which was hand-cut from white oak, wenge, jatoba, and hickory. The corner blocks were heart designs made of leopard wood and wenge. These designs were inspired by wall-art that the NWFA employee’s daughter had drawn for her. The entry is highlighted by a book matched walnut burl followed up with nearly three feet of bent jatoba. This floor was finished with an oil sealer and water based finish.
Office #4
This floor was an existing engineered heart pine that was inlaid with a hand-cut maple leaf and a maple and walnut 8-point radiating sun inlay. This floor was refinished with a golden brown burnished penetrating stain.
Office #5
This floor was made from live sawn white oak and quarter sawn maple. The pattern was laid at a 50+° angle to match the dimensions of the room and was designed to look like a wood-look tile with a maple-look grout. The open knots were filled with solder to compliment the modern look. This pattern was bordered with hickory and completed with a medium brown stain and water base finish.
Thank you to all of the instructors and sponsors that made this event possible.
INSTRUCTORS
Michael Dittmer, Dittmer Wood Floors
Avi Hadad, Avi’s Hardwood Floors, Inc.
Wayne Lee, Middle Tennessee Lumber
Toby Merrill, DuraSeal
Tom Ourada, Ourada Designs
Matt Thrane, Gehl Flooring Supply
STUDENTS
Adnan Arifovic, BayHouse Flooring
Tom Farquhar, Apex Wood Floors Inc.
Joey Gilmore, Joseph Gilmore
Chris Kacik, Green Oak Hardwood Floors
Dennis Mohring, Apex Wood Floors Inc.
Victor Malbauer, Michigan Hardwood Floors Services LLC
Vladimir Nikolin, Hardwood Perfections LLC
Vinicius Oliveira, Flip2 Hardwood Floors
Benjamin Suer, Diamond Wood Floors
Mustafa Tombak, Woodcraft Flooring Inc.
Justin Wheeler, Apex Wood Floors Inc.
PARTERS IN EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY SPONSORS
3M
Advantech
American Sanders
Bona US
Bostik, Inc.
MAPEI Corporation
Middle Tennessee Lumber Company
Oneida Air Systems, Inc.
ACADMEMY SPONSORS
Aacer Flooring
Allegheny Mountain Hardwood
Arboritec USA, Inc.
Basic Coatings
Delmhorst Instrument Company
DuraSeal
E.J. Welch Company
Fortifiber Building Systems Group
Franklin International
General Finishes
Glista, a Division of Rudd Company
Howell Hardwood Flooring
Mannington Mills
Norton Abrasives
Pallmann
Powernail Company, inc.
Primatech, Inc.
Rubio Monocoat USA LLC
Rust-Oleum Corporation
Sheoga Hardwood Flooring
Somerset Wood Products Inc.
Springcreek Flooring by McLain Forest Products
Starke Abrasives USA
Timbermate Group
Titebond
Valinge
Wagner Meters
Waterlox Coatings Corp.
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
Fang Industries, LLC
Festool
Gehl Flooring Supply, Inc.
Grill Works
Hull Forest Products
Keson Industries
Logpower.com
Oshkosh Designs
PID Floors
WOCA USA