I have been involved in the wood flooring industry on virtually every level. From production and procurement to sales and logistics. My time currently is spent on design and development of new flooring products.
My motivation to write this blog stems from a desire to facilitate an on-going conversation about emerging and growing trends in our industry.
I would really appreciate it if you signed up to be updated on the latest trends in the wood flooring industry. Feel free to leave any comments or questions.
samcobb
woodflooringtrends 
Sam;
My name is Carlos Martínez I´m the Plant manager in a small factory in Campeche, Mexico. My experience is on diferent wood manufacturers as wood rails, furniture and wood moulding, and other kind of factories (metal-mechanic and automotive) and its my first time on the Wood Flooring industry, which I had been very queekly to learn about process and non clear Customer´s specs. right now I want to find the rules or specificacions for flooring Grading, but I don´t know where can I find it.
we are producing engineering Wood Floor.
Have you an idea about this.
I will appreciate your answer.
sincerely
Carlos Martinez
Ingenieria de Madera SC de RL de CV
Campeche, Mexico
Carlos engineered flooring is not governed by a set of grading rules as in solid wood flooring. Grade specifications are set by the producer or customer and usually a mutual agreement between the two. Keep in mind, even in solid flooring the standardized grades vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer as there is some play in those guidelines. Thanks for posting, feel free to ask more questions.
Regards,
Sam
Hi Sam,
My name is Frank Kolkman, I live in the Netherlands and I am studying to become a carpenter.
To practise a bit I made a wooden floor in my livingroom out of wood I found on the streets.
If you like it you can mention it in your blog which I read with pleasure.
https://218570597177570951-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/frankhouthergebruikkunst/home/hout/100_3006.JPG?attachauth=ANoY7cpdKViGxPgTXriaHoYhoot3Rt-t6S-PlFu9IY3oPXQem0JPXDTuBW29k-MGrq6Dlm6zemj8Nud1wr0OyUZ201fqW0u4Q0maqCHtrC1I068hUXRRTJR6PD8v8TRZTVlzx_GjgsOyQrBM9m-ouWc1nedHtO92d-JO3kd54lrdfiSg8ZkujaLPxwpmzRWKXmrdkurgJKLk5HfAiajXnzRAktNc_AWBUMWFTj9zXWq31WTKreRY33Y%3D&attredirects=0
My website is at http://www.zoethout.info
Enjoy and kind regards,
Frank
zoethout.meubelmakerij@gmail.com
Thanks for commenting Frank. I looked at the floor and it’s very interesting. What types of materials did you use putting it together?
Thanks again for reading along.
Sam
Hi Sam,
The type of materials I used vary from mostly pallet wood (pine) to sometimes tropical wood, oak, poplar and triplex/multiplex. Many parts are leftovers from home improvement projects in my neighbourhood. One or two tiles I made consist of cupboard or packaging material, crates. I glued it onto pieces of thin board, 60 x 60 cm. The tiles themselves are not connected to the floor because I want to take ‘m with me in case I move to another house.
Thanks for repying,
Frank
The market for reclaimed products like this are without a doubt growing Frank. What is your next step going forward? How long till you have the contractors license?
Sam
Hey Sam, interesting blog, looking forward to reading more as time permits. I saw your post on Apartment Therapy about finding scrap flooring around the metroplex, are you in the DFW area by chance? I checked The Real Wood Floor you linked to but that listed a Missouri address? Many thanks!
Rachel thanks for visiting! I am in Missouri but if you need help finding the distributors in the DFW area let me know I know most of them. If you are looking for scrap flooring I can probably get you a list of them all. Let me know how I can help.
Sam
Hi Sam!
I found you on the NWFA website as we had a little convo about pinterest. Honestly, this is my first time reading your blog and I am impressed! I will definitely say that your blog will be a mentor to my almost non-existent one. We have all the facebook, twitter, pinterest and as you can see the wordpress. It is somewhat overwhelming because I am new to not only this industry (been in the biz for about 2 years), but I will say that I am loving the daily learning process and I know that what you are doing is something to learn from. So I guess what I am saying is that your blog will be read by me! Keep up the great work!!
Lisa thanks so much for joining in the conversation and following along on Pinterest. With the blogging, hang in there it just takes some time but if you work to gen great content over time it’ll happen. We’re not there yet but we’re making headway. What trends do you see in wood floors from the MaxxFloors perspective?
The benefits of using engineered wood floors include more resistance to higher moisture levels than solid wood flooring, which adds to their appeal to use in damp basements or in regions of the country that have higher relative humidity levels.
Am looking for dark hardwood with less character. Uniformity is what I love. I love natural wood but I saw your comment that even in solid woods the refinish is limited due to the nail or staples. Any suggestions for a dark even looking hardwood floor would be great.
Roman sounds like you need a Select & Better american walnut floor, or possibly an exotic like Select & Better Santos Mahogany, Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) or Sucapira. They are all pretty uniform in color tone and in the Select & Better grade should be free of most character markings. Feel free to contact if you have further questions. 877.215.1831
I saw your comment on apartment therapy. The post was pertaining to getting stains/dents out of wood floors but your comment referred to old floor and the potiential for getting a white halo stain. I unfortunately have a white watermark on my old floors. Any idea how to get rid of it? Thanks.
Erin if you still have this issue please call me and I’ll see if I can help.
Cheers,
Sam
8772151831
Erin try running an iron over a wet towel over the spot. Be very careful of course and don’t let it sit for long. If that doesn’t work, try just a little bit of non-gel toothpaste (the gritty white paste kind) and gently rub it on the spot and then clean. Let me know if you have further questions.
Hello, I adore the look of industrial parquet flooring but cannot find it in the US! Are you aware of any supplier in the US?
Liza feel free to give me a call to discuss I might be able to help you.
Cheers,
Sam
8772151831
Sam,
I feel so fortunate to have stumbled upon your website! Great stuff!! Is there any way you could identify the wood species in the following pictures?
http://dustjacket-attic.com/2014/03/interior-design-a-new-york-townhouse.html/
I’m sure these are original floors to the New York townhouse, any suggestions on how we might obtain this look in a new build? Any advice would be sincerely appreciated!
Thanks for any advice,
Marta
Marta thanks for your kind words. Those floors do look amazing. That is a lower grade Walnut, probably a 4″ or 5″ wide cut into what is called a “Chevron” pattern. Pythagoras makes me think those are 20″ long slats. The name Chevron comes from the “V” logo of the oil company. I would call the grade a natural, character or #2 & Better grade.
Is your installation over concrete or wood? I think I can help you find these floors. Couple things to throw in the crockpot and let simmer –
1) that is a challenging install even for experienced installers so make sure you get someone who has installed a Chevron pattern before.
2) Walnut is the only species that will lighten over time so in areas where you get direct sunlight it will become more golden and less chocolate brown over the years. I think it looks amazing but some people aren’t happy about the possible color shift.
3) Walnut is a pretty soft wood so if you have kids/pets or have parties where people will be wearing stiletto’s then expect indentations and scratches.
When is your project scheduled? And do you mind me asking where it is?
Have a good day!
Sam
Sam,
Thank you so much for your quick response! I was excited to hear that the floor is a softer wood as we are hoping to oil them and let the natural wear-and-tear of our four kids make them even more beautiful! My husband and I have restored two previous historic properties and are now working on our forever home. We purchased a 1970s rambler on an amazing lot. We are in the middle of putting a second story on the home and converting it into a modern farmhouse. These floors would be perfect- a little rustic, a little glamorous. We hope to be ready for floors after the holidays are over….better make that early Spring 🙂 We would be laying the chevron on the main and upper floors, over wood subfloors and just a straight lay over the slab-on-grade basement. We are in Salt Lake City, Utah. Do you think a stain/oil process could get me close to these New York floors?