Wood Cuts - July 2008

By Rick Berg

All you have to do is notice the flooring at any major retail store to know that wood flooring not only works well in a high-traffic environment, but that it’s also a much sought after design element. Tommy Hilfiger, Nordstrom’s, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Calvin Klein, The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Gymboree and others long ago made wood flooring a central part of their in-store design aesthetic. The same holds true for malls, restaurants, hotels, museums and office buildings.

So there’s only one real question for commercial specifiers and flooring retailers: What kind of wood flooring works best in installations that will inevitably demand the ability to withstand heavy foot traffic?

The answer is that the choice is more likely to come down to aesthetic preferences than to durability issues, since there are a wide variety of wood flooring species and styles that will hold up to the demands of a commercial environment.

Acrylic-impregnated wood flooring has a long history of serving the commercial sector well. In fact, the technology to create that style of flooring—in which liquid acrylic and stain are injected into the cells of the wood, creating a deep, super-hard surface that resists wear and color loss—was developed more than 40 years ago specifically to meet the demands of the commercial markets. It’s still widely used today.

Since that time, however, flooring and finish technology has evolved enough that most types of wood flooring will work well in a commercial environment.

And speaking of the environment, wood flooring is also being specified more frequently by business owners who have a strong preference for “green” building materials. Some require that the wood flooring be certified as having come from forests that are sustainably harvested—and there are many wood flooring manufacturers who now offer products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Others know that even short of official certification, nearly all wood flooring on the market today comes from sustainable sources and that, more importantly, wood is an inherently renewable resource.

Ed Korczak, CEO and executive director of the National Wood Flooring Association, notes that the members of the association have a long-standing policy of using wood only from sustainably managed forests and that wood flooring imported from outside North America be approved for logging and export by the country of origin. NWFA also recently released a lifecycle report prepared by the Wood Products Program at the University of Wisconsin, which concluded that wood flooring’s long service life and the fact that it is manufactured from a renewable resource gives wood flooring “clear advantages over many alternative products” from an environmental perspective.

Almost unlimited choices
Joe Audino, president of Los Angeles-based Rode Bros. Floors and past chairman of the National Wood Flooring Association, says he’s seen a dramatic increase in commercial installations of wood flooring in recent years, in part because specifiers have so many options to choose from. Prefinished engineered floorin g is often specified, he says, because of the ease and speed of installation.

“That’s an important factor in commercial work,” says Audino, “because the contractor wants you to be able to get in and get out as quickly as possible, so you’re not disrupting other trades.”

Solid wood flooring gets specified too, especially the increasingly popular distressed wood flooring. Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, which manufactures wood flooring both from newly harvested trees and from recovered wood, has its antique (or antique-looking) wood flooring in retail chains like Gymboree, Calvin Klein and Bass Pro Shops, where the appearance of an aged wood floor is part of the design aesthetic.

“The antique floors are very popular, but so are the textured or distressed floors, and we can make that from new wood, and that allows someone to create a look that is unique for their interior,” says Chris Sy, sales manager for Carlisle. “We actually sell more new than antique flooring, and part of that is based on price, since antique floors tend to be more expensive.”

Daniel Call, vice president of wood product management for Armstrong Floor Products, says his company maintains a broad portfolio of products for commercial installations because the specifier community demands it.

“We see a wide range of structures, species and colors being used in the commercial environment, almost as diverse as on the residential side,” says Call.

“As in residential, we see many visuals gaining popularity based on the various looks the design community would like to convey. One example is the strong growth in distressed visuals, which is a beautiful, popular visual and has the ability to help camouflage wear and tear. Also, dark, rich stains have grown in popularity. We see a combination of domestic—oak, maple, birch—as well as exotic species crafted to perform beautifully in commercial interiors.”

Audino says oak is still the most popular species among commercial specifiers, but darker species are gaining ground and imported species like Brazilian cherry and Santos mahogany are often chosen by owners and specifiers looking for a distinctive look. Bamboo is also becoming popular because of its appearance and hardness.

“It really depends on the décor they’re looking for,” says Audino. “Almost any species can work very well, although softer woods like walnut and cherry may not work well unless it’s an acrylic-impregnated product that will wear better.”

Since wear is often an issue in commercial installations, natural-finish floors sometimes work better than stained floors, because the natural finish is less likely to show wear, says Audino. Fortunately, the wide variety of species available means that a specifier can get the color he or she wants using the wood’s natural appearance.

What’s important?
In summary, most wood flooring products will work well in a commercial setting, but the specific demands of a site may make one or more of the following factors critical.

Durability: Harder woods (oak, maple and Brazilian cherry, for example) will tend to wear better than softer woods like walnut and American cherry. The National Wood Flooring Association publication, Wood Species Used in Wood Flooring, contains hardness data on many of the most popular species. Softer species can be problematic in some installations, but several companies offer acrylic-impregnated floors that will minimize the wear. Also, distressed flooring not only offers a distinctive appearance, but it will also minimize the issue of wear. In fact, the normal wear experienced by the hardwood can even enhance the antique appearance of the floor.

Speed of installation: When speed is of the essence, prefinished flooring eliminates the need for sanding and finishing. Engineered flooring can be glued directly to concrete, eliminating the need to put down a wood subfloor over the concrete. Because of that, engineered wood flooring will have a lower profile than solid wood—a key factor in matching up the depth of the wood flooring with other adjacent flooring materials. Engineered flooring is also more dimensionally stable than solid wood flooring, and so may be preferred in an environment where moisture is a concern.

Green consciousness: All wood flooring is made from a renewable resource, but if a certified sustainable product is required, there are many wood flooring products meeting that requirement.

Appearance and aesthetics: Whether the product chosen is solid, engineered, prefinished or acrylic-impregnated, there will be a product available that offers the color and texture the owner desires.

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