Category Archives: Hardwood / Laminate

Wilsonart Laminates Get Another Greenguard OK

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wilsonart[1]Congrats to Wilsonart Flooring high pressure laminate products  for having been awarded Greenguard Children & Schools Certification.

The second-generation label follows the Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification already received by Wilsonart.

Products receiving the latest certification include Estate Plus, Red Label, Professional Studio, Contract and
BlueFusion Flooring Seam Adhesive.

Wilsonart products are also California Air Resources Board Phase I Compliant (Classic) and California 93120 NAF Compliant (Estate Plus, Red Label, Professional Studio, Contract).

Wilsonart also said it is the first North American laminate flooring manufacturer to receive Forest Stewardship Council Certification Registration.

Shaw Tennessee Hardwood Plant FSC Certified

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7f598972-fc05-4cc4-b946-b5583c55244ffullShaw Floors said that its hardwood manufacturing facility in South Pittsburg, Tenn. has earned Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification from Scientific Certification Systems, the leading FSC certifier in the U.S.

FSC provides third-party certification confirming that materials used are harvested from well-managed forest operations.

The plant began operations in 2006 and exclusively manufactures the company’s Epic engineered hardwood flooring brand.  Veneers used in Epic are obtained from North American managed forests deemed sustainable by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and all styles are in compliance with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements.

Shaw manufactures FSC-certified Epic hardwood products by special request only. Lead time and minimum quantities will be regulated, the company said.

Shaw Develops New Scuff Resistant Wood Finish

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7f598972-fc05-4cc4-b946-b5583c55244ffullShaw has rolled out a new high performance hardwood finish that is initially being used on its Epic engineered products.

Branded ScufResist Platinum, Shaw said the finish increases the product’s durability while keeping aesthetics intact and resists scuffs up to six times better than the competition.

According to Anderson President and CEO Don Finkell, the finish is one of the first innovations to come out of Shaw’s new Hardwood Research & Development Group.

The Group formed in September 2009 as part of Shaw’s hardwood reorganization plan.

The finish is now being used to improve Shaw’s Epic products and will be used in the future to on all of Shaw’s hardwood products. By April 1, all Epic products will be shipped with new finish.

Thanks to Floor Daily for the breaking news!

Acacia – What is it?!?

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Mannington AcaciaOn the Pierce Flooring and Design blog Infloormation, a post about Acacia Hardwood by Mannington made me want to learn more about Acacia. As it turns out, it’s quite the versatile shrub/tree.

According to Wikipedia: Acacia (pronounced /??ke???/) is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. The plants tend to be thorny and pod-bearing, with sap and leaves typically bearing large amounts of tannins.

Where is it found?

Tasmania, Australia, Africa and America

What all is it used for?

Not only is it used for hardwood flooring, but it can also be used for:

  • In Thailand it is used for soups, curries, omlettes and stir fries.
  • In Mexico, the seeds are used raw in guacamole, sometimes cooked and made into a sauce, fritters and the dried seeds can be toasted and made into a snack.
  • Acacia is listed as an ingredient in Fresca, a citrus soft drink, RC Cola, Barq’s root beer, Full Throttle Unleaded Energy Drink, Strawberry-Lemonade Powerade[9] as well as in Läkerol pastille candies, Altoids mints,Langer’s Pineapple coconut Juice and Wrigley’s Eclipse chewing gum.
  • It can also be used for medicinal purposes.
  • Ornamental species of Acacia are sometimes used for landscaping and even home protection. The sharp thorns make them ideal for placement under windows.
  • Acacia can be planted for erosion control, especially after mining or construction damage.[
  • If that’s not enough – it can even be used in perfumes!

Who knew this shrub/tree could be used for so many things! This is not to be confused with the popular Acai juice and berries that are sweeping the stores. Please let us know if you have heard of other uses for this product!

New Laminate Blog!!

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For those of you that can’t get enough flooring information…..Floor Daily let us know that The North American Laminate Flooring Association has created the blog, “All About Laminate Flooring.”

The blog will feature educational information, answers to consumer questions/concerns, industry news and NALFA member product information.

The blog facilitates discussion and encourages consumers to ask questions and provide feedback on their experiences with laminate flooring. The blog will also feature photos, podcasts, articles from guest authors within the industry and links to additional resources such as flooring industry news outlets.

Visitors can subscribe to the blog and receive instant updates when new blog posts are added.

You can find the blog at this address: allaboutlaminateflooring.blogspot.com

Terra Mai Project Feature

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thumbTerra Mai Project: Walt Disney Family Museum.

Location: The Presidio, San Francisco.

Product: Asian Rosewood Flooring.

Architect: Page & Turnbull – San Francisco.

Interior Design: Rockwell Group – New York.

The eye-popping reclaimed Asian Rosewood flooring used for the new Walt Disney Family Museum helps create a warm, vibrant atmosphere for the museum’s entry, ticket, store and cafe spaces.

The new facility, designed by Rockwell Group, occupies a former U.S. Army barracks in the beautiful and historic Presidio of San Francisco.

The Walt Disney Family Museum chronicles the life and achievements of Walt Disney, who helped raise animation to an art, transformed the film industry, and created a global and distinctly American legacy, according to the museum’s founders.

The museum uses a mix of historic materials and artifacts to tell Disney’s story through innovative displays that include listening stations, interactive media, and more than 200 video monitors. Much of the material is lent by the Walt Disney Company and private collectors.

The Walt Disney Family Museum occupies three buildings along the parade grounds of the old Presidio, a former U.S. Army base founded in 1847.

The total area of the museum’s three buildings is 77,000 square feet and includes 10 galleries, a 114-seat screening facility, a learning center, a museum store, a cafe, offices and other facilities.

The museum is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a non-profit organization.

A Floor That Will Floor You!

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DSC05051On a recent visit to a paper and stationary store, called “Scribbles“, I was flooredDSC05049 by their showroom floor. As you can imagine, I see a lot of floors. After a while, it takes a pretty neat floor to grab and keep my attention. This floor did just that. The building was a former residence with the tenant living there for over 50 years and received no updates or renovations. The current owner of Scribbles saw a vision and brought that vision to reality.

The black floors would have been elegant on their own and would have complimented her design style very well, but the extra step she took to hand paint words and phrases on the floor made me stop and take notice. The handwriting on the floor took the shop from a bunch of great fixtures on a nice floor to a room with personality and a voice that literally came to you from the floors up. This room describes the feeling we all had when naming this blog.

In a residential setting, this same technique could be used in a kitchen, keeping room, dining room, art studio, home office or even a screen porch. I imagine you would want to take care and keep the handwriting out of the traffic patterns and walkways, but can you imagine…..what a conversation starter!

Hand-Sculpted Engineered Hardwood Flooring Pairs Antiquity With Modern High-Style

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Macchiato PecanBR-111™ Enhances Antiquity® Hand-Scraped Line With New Exotic Species and Engineered Options Without Sacrificing Old-world Charm

Designers are adept at incorporating old-world pieces in a modern space.  The Antiquity® Hand-Scraped Engineered line by BR-111™ Exotic Hardwood Flooring does just that as it combines antique, custom styling with exotic wood species that give any room a contemporary flair.  The exotic hardwood flooring carries with it a one-of-a-kind signature look, produced by skilled craftsman.

Now with seven new exotic species and engineered options, the BR-111 Antiquity® Hand-Scraped Engineered product line provides more variety than ever before with the following styles: Armagnac Tigerwood, Beaujolais Cherry, Cabernet Pecan, Dolcetto Chestnut, Grenache Amendoim, Shiraz Angelim, and Zinfandel Tigerwood.

“The new Antiquity® Hand-Scraped Engineered line has been developed due to the immense popularity of our solid hand-scraped line,” says BR-111 president Ricardo Moraes.  “We wanted to offer consumers and designers a new flooring style unlike anything on the market.  This cutting-edge line delivers a sophisticated, hand sculpted look in an engineered profile with a classic French-bleed never seen before.”

Each of the new Engineered products, many with color palettes brand new to the hand-scraped line, offer a classic five-inch plank presentation, thick-sawn wear layer and crystal clear aluminum oxide finish.  The classic planks are created at lengths varying from 12 to 86 inches, adding to the flooring’s character.  The Antiquity® Hand-Scraped Engineered flooring can be used on any level of the home or office and is easily stapled, glued, or floated over approved subfloors.

To preview the many options offered within the BR-111 Antiquity® Hand-Scraped Engineered line, consumers and interior designers should visit the company’s website at www.br111.com.

ABOUT BR-111:

BR-111™ Exotic Hardwood Flooring has been transforming ordinary rooms into extraordinary spaces for nearly 20 years.  As the pioneer in exotic hardwood flooring, BR-111 offers the largest selection of exotic species, color palettes, shapes and finishes with a level of high-style and durability unattainable with common domestic hardwoods.  Three times stronger than oak and ten times sexier, BR-111 exotic hardwood is ideal for making a bold statement from floor to ceiling.  Adding to its intrigue, all BR-111 timber is eco-consciously harvested under forest management regulations stipulated by the Brazilian Environment and Renewable Resource Institute.  In addition, BR-111 is the proud founder of The BR-111 Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering socio-economic progress in Brazil. For more information, visit www.br111.com

The Warmth Of Chestnut Wood Flooring–Now Fabulously Exotic & Affordable For Everyone

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5-16 Solid Tiete ChestnutBR-111(TM) Now Offers 5/16-inch Tiete Chestnut Engineered Flooring

It’s the rich, earthy brown of real chestnut—at home anywhere, yet with just enough graining to highlight its unique personality. Although domestic Chestnut flooring is virtually impossible to obtain in the United States, BR-111(TM) Exotic Hardwood Flooring has made the impossible, possible—and affordable—with the release of its all-new 5/16-inch Tiete Chestnut exotic engineered flooring.

Imported from Brazil and harvested with the latest eco-friendly practices, Tiete Chestnut is twice as durable as its domestic counterpart, and is also readily available. Chestnut exotic hardwood flooring is most commonly desired by remodelers and homeowners for its natural and soothing look—ideal for a variety of spaces. The new BR-111 profile brings all the warmth and beauty of chestnut to virtually any room, and since it’s an engineered flooring solution, it’s surprisingly affordable. The 5/16-inch Tiete Chestnut engineered profile is priced starting at $4 per square foot, which is less than half the cost of solid chestnut flooring of the exact same width.

“People love chestnut but it is difficult to get domestically,” notes BR-111 President Ricardo Moraes. “We are able to provide designers and consumers an exotic chestnut profile that not only offers what they are looking for but provides many added benefits. This new profile truly offers an economical way to add the BR-111 ‘wow factor’ to every room in the home.”

The Tiete Chestnut flooring can be installed through a glue-down or floating procedure and a complete line of moldings is also available to complement any space. Tiete Chestnut is offered in 3-inch and 6-1/4-inch widths, as well as 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch thicknesses.

To view imagery of the BR-111 Tiete Chestnut profile, those interested should visit the company’s website at www.br111.com.

ABOUT BR-111:

BR-111(TM) Exotic Hardwood Flooring has been transforming ordinary rooms into extraordinary spaces for nearly 20 years.  As the pioneer in exotic hardwood flooring, BR-111 offers the largest selection of exotic species, color palettes, shapes and finishes with a level of high-style and durability unattainable with common domestic hardwoods.  Three times stronger than oak and ten times sexier, BR-111 exotic hardwood is ideal for making a bold statement from floor to ceiling.  Adding to its intrigue, all BR-111 timber is eco-consciously harvested under forest management regulations stipulated by the Brazilian Environment and Renewable Resource Institute.  In addition, BR-111 is the proud founder of The BR-111 Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering socio-economic progress in Brazil. For more information, visit www.br111.com.

Wilsonart Gets 3rd Party Certification for Laminate

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wilsonart[1]Through the use of materials from well-managed forests and recycled sources, Wilsonart offers High Pressure Laminate (HPL) products manufactured in the USA that provide a responsible solution for green building projects. Now the company’s key products have been certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), the global leader in third-party evaluation of environmental and sustainability claims.

Wilsonart enlisted SCS for certification services based on the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody standard (certification number SCS-COC-002415). FSC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Wilsonart is the first HPL manufacturer to earn FSC chain of custody certification, ensuring that products marked with the recognizable FSC “checkmark and tree” ecologo were sourced from responsibly managed forests.

Because the majority of the company’s laminate business lies in the commercial sector, Wilsonart understands the importance of working with customers to achieve their necessary LEED qualification requirements. “This certification can contribute to our customers’ LEED Certified projects under MR Credit 7: Certified Wood and MR 4: Recycled Content,” said Rajesh Ramamurthy, Wilsonart’s Director of Sustainability.

Wilsonart can now provide FSC solutions for its customers who require it. Laminate applications include countertops and case goods (retail fixtures, cabinets, work surfaces, wainscoting, walls, doors, signage and partitions). “FSC certification allows Wilsonart(R) Laminate to compete with other FSC products such as wood/veneer and exotic wood species, along with the enhanced performance characteristics of laminate: durability, design flexibility and longevity,” said Ramamurthy. For more information on Wilsonart’s FSC solutions, contact your local Wilsonart representative.

For over eight years, Wilsonart’s research and development team has been driving increased quality standards into the recycled paper industry, incorporating it into the company’s products without compromising quality or performance.

SCS has acknowledged the company’s efforts by certifying that Wilsonart Laminate is comprised of 20% post-consumer waste paper for its wood fiber content. “This recognition assures our customers that our environmental labels are authentic and have been verified by a third party,” said Ramamurthy.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Municipal Waste Data shows that 33.9% of total waste generated in the U.S. is comprised of paper — a staggering 251 million tons per year.

This independent recognition is the latest indication of the laminate leader’s ongoing sustainability focus. Under the direction of Ramamurthy, appointed last year as Director of Sustainability, Wilsonart has worked closely with all aspects of the company’s business, from maintenance and manufacturing to marketing, to identify and monitor sustainability programs, many of which were already in place, and to develop a plan for continuous improvement in incorporating all aspects in Wilsonart’s products and processes.

In addition, 21 Wilsonart employees from multiple disciplines have earned LEED-CI Accredited Professional status, working closely with the design and architecture communities to integrate the company’s laminate products through highly evolved technical knowledge of United States Green Building Council (USGBC) specification standards.

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