Passionate About the Craft of Wood Flooring
Passionate About the Craft of Wood Flooring
SPECIES FEATURED IN THIS ARTICLE: CUMARU - JATOBA FIND INFORMATION ON THIS AND ADDITIONAL SPECIES AT WWW.IWPAWOOD.ORG
The National Wood Flooring Association’s (NWFA) Wood Floor of the Year awards encourage and recognize innovative craftsmanship and design in wood flooring installations. Winning entries are chosen by a panel of judges selected for their industry design knowledge. NWFA members vote to select the association’s highest award, Members’ Choice.
The top honors for this year’s NWFA Wood Floor of the Year awards went to Endurance Floor Company, which also won in the category of Best Circular/Curved Application. The winning floor incorporates Cherry, Walnut, Beech, Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), Cumaru, Ipe, Wenge, Birds-eye Maple, Santos Mahogany and brass in a stunning 10’ by 10’ circular mosaic-like floor and serves as the centerpiece of the company’s office headquarters.
The floor came about almost by chance. Lenny Hall, owner of Endurance Floor Company, was looking for a project to keep a couple of workers busy for a few days and help them hone their skills while in-between jobs. A space in their own shop seemed like a good training project. They started with no preconceptions other than to do great technical work and make it look fantastic.
The floor’s design evolved organically. “We would discuss options, think creatively, consider aspects of geometry, mathematics, aesthetics, technical aspects of the wood and laying floor,” said Hall. “We’d consider all the options and settle on what was best. I wanted to teach guys to view the aesthetic as much or more than the technical. We had a stockpile of wood pieces left over from jobs, so sourcing was not an issue. It’s also important to note we did all this with jigs, sleds and other fixtures on saws and routers. No CNC [computer] machining was used.”
The wood was selected based on characteristics such as grain, shading, depth, dimensionality and complementarity. The team set each piece in a way that would highlight certain aspects of grain or character and give dimensionality to the pattern being created.
Hall acknowledged it was tricky working with so many species. “We had to consider each species’ grain orientation, machining and expansion characteristics differently for a successful assembly and proper aesthetic. Also different densities came into play during the final sanding and sealing processes. With a soft wood, such as Walnut or Cherry, next to Cumaru, Jatoba or Wenge, we had to be careful not to dish out the softer wood and create an undulating texture.”
Three main features of the floor are the 3D effect (trompe l’oeil) of the field and the two types of curved, circular applications, i.e., bending and arc/radial cutting. Thin strips of vertical Wenge were used to create the inner rings with ¼” brass around curved cut Jatoba segments, surrounding the center Jatoba, American Walnut and brass parquet pattern.
Immediately adjacent are twelve 30-degree sectors of curved cut Beech, curved cut Cumaru and radial cut Wenge and Beech spokes, alternating with Maple and Jatoba that was built as a radial chevron pattern, using wood selection for vertical grain. The combination of the wood’s colors and grain orientation gives the sectors a trompe l’oeil effect. The trompe l’oeil field was made with Cherry, Cumaru, Ipe, Maple and Wenge in flat edge construction, net fit against the outer Beech curved element of the twelve sectors. The outer border is crafted from Jatoba planks with bent Maple strips fitted into a series of arced slots.
“WE HAD TO CONSIDER EACH SPECIES’ GRAIN ORIENTATION, MACHINING AND EXPANSION CHARACTERISTICS DIFFERENTLY FOR A SUCCESSFUL ASSEMBLY AND PROPER AESTHETIC.”
LENNY HALL • OWNER OF ENDURANCE FLOOR COMPANY NWFA WOOD FLOOR OF THE YEAR WINNER
Endurance Floor Company has won a total of seven NWFA awards since 1997. Still, Hall says it never gets old. “I am passionate about expanding my own knowledge and passing the knowledge of this craft on to others. We are very proud of this creation and the team learned a lot along the way. Plus, we’re stoked about the award,” he added.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the NWFA Wood Floor of the Year award?+
Endurance Floor Company won the top honors for the NWFA Wood Floor of the Year awards, and also won in the category of Best Circular/Curved Application.
What wood species were used in the award-winning NWFA floor?+
The winning 10' by 10' circular mosaic-like floor incorporated Cherry, Walnut, Beech, Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), Cumaru, Ipe, Wenge, Birds-eye Maple, Santos Mahogany and brass.
How was the award-winning Endurance floor fabricated?+
The floor was built entirely using jigs, sleds and other fixtures on saws and routers, with no CNC machining. The team used a stockpile of wood pieces left over from previous jobs.
What challenges come with mixing multiple wood species in a single floor?+
Each species requires different consideration for grain orientation, machining and expansion characteristics. Different densities also matter during sanding and sealing, since softer woods like Walnut or Cherry placed next to dense species like Cumaru, Jatoba or Wenge can dish out and create an undulating texture.
How was the trompe l'oeil 3D effect achieved in the floor design?+
The trompe l'oeil field was created using Cherry, Cumaru, Ipe, Maple and Wenge in flat edge construction, with wood selection based on vertical grain and careful color combinations. Twelve 30-degree sectors of curved and radial cut species gave the surrounding pattern its dimensional effect.
How were the curved elements in the floor constructed?+
The floor used two types of curved applications: bending and arc/radial cutting. Thin vertical Wenge strips formed inner rings with ¼" brass around curved-cut Jatoba segments, and the outer border featured Jatoba planks with bent Maple strips fitted into arced slots.
How many NWFA awards has Endurance Floor Company won?+
Endurance Floor Company has won a total of seven NWFA awards since 1997.