Patrick Derry II of Awesome Hardwood LLC turned what could have just been scrap wood flooring pieces into a stunning pattern for a homeowner in south Tampa, Florida.
The two-story house was right on the bay with a crawl space but was elevated off the water
considerably. The first step was removing about 3,500 square feet of existing engineered floors that were glued down with no nails on plywood. Derry notes there was a lot of prep work involved, including buffing to remove the glue. After completing the demo, he waited a few months for the dry wall and other parts of the renovation process to be completed before delivering the new wood flooring for the replacement.
“We did a 10” wide, ¾” inch engineered livesawn white oak character grade with lengths of 2’ to 12’. I placed half of it on the top floor and half of it on the bottom floor to acclimate,” explains Derry. “The install was completely glue down with silane adhesives by Loba-Wakol and we did a nail assist. I had to turn the flooring in the bedrooms different directions because of the joists. Some people want it all going the same way, but we were able to explain the sanding process and how it can affect the sanding outcome going across the joists.”
As the work moved downstairs, the homeowner wanted to include a pattern but wasn’t sure which one. Derry set out a few options and they chose a 30-degree chevron pattern. This was about 700 square feet in the living room entry area.
“Because it wasn’t planned in the original estimate, I had to utilize what I needed for that pattern. We had to get more wood from the local vendor to finish a bedroom. A lot of the scrap went into making the office, which was the hexagonal rhomboid pattern. It was a great use of wood that was probably going to go in the trash. Sometimes you have to give-and-take with these projects,” says Derry.
All of the pieces for the patterns were hand cut by Derry, which he says was time consuming, but worth it. “The part of the traditional craft is making the pattern by hand,” he adds. “I think the more technology comes into the realm of woodworking, handmade is going to be more and more desired as time goes on.”
Mother Nature threw a few curveballs Derry’s way during the project. Two hurricanes hit the Tampa area while he was working on the downstairs floors.
“This house was high enough to where the water didn’t go into the crawlspace. It was really a blessing that it didn’t get affected by any kind of water underneath at all,” says Derry. “I normally have dehumidifiers and temporary settings going on throughout the project anyway. It was a nailbiter for a while because I live about an hour away from where I was working, so we had to wait a couple of days for everything to clear out and services to get back in order before we could even get back to the jobsite.”
While the storm might have messed with Derry’s schedule slightly, he says the end result turned out fantastic. Site management and preparation were the keys to his success on this project.
“My work is very methodical and is planned out to the nut and bolt and the screw and the fastener,” he explains. “Following the procedures that I’ve learned from the NWFA, regulating the moisture and interior conditions, and documenting everything with pictures and readings is vital especially when you’re on larger projects. It helps out tremendously.”