Jason Elquest, owner and operator of Blackhawk Floors Inc., in Scottsdale, Arizona, is no stranger to custom jobs. When he arrived at a recent job site, he was excited to see the task at hand.
The architect and designer of this new home had a dream for the foyer, and Elquest and his team made it a reality. Using 5/8” white oak engineered floor by Provenza, Elquest installed it in the entryway so that it mirrored the unique ceiling above.
Next came the stairs. “We did a huge radius nosing at just under 28’ and custom treads,” says Elquest. “We remilled and rebeveled the prefinished floor to match the stain that was used on the white oak in the entry and landing. It is always challenging using a prefinished product for a custom project.”
Now to the hard part – the landing. “Because the face of the exposed landing was pre-formed concrete, this became the template for the nosing. With no room for error, it was decided by the builder to use solid unfinished wood to create the radius nosing, then finish to match the floor,” says Elquest. “We used wide boards and milled them in segments, then routed them together.”
“The boards for the landing were all tapered or wedge-shaped. The angles were found on the first floor and then transferred to the second floor using lasers,” Elquest added.
Altogether, this project was 2,000 square feet and took three weeks to complete with much of the milling done on-site.
“This project turned out fantastic and was so much fun,” says Elquest. “No detail was overlooked. The entry became the focal point of the home.”