Cutting-Edge Technology Marries Immutable Elegance
The 2024 Wood Floor of the Year winning project in the Best Use of Technology category went once again this year to Czar Floors for a spectacular bespoke residential installation.
it now," he said. "The floor reflects myself in that I am willing to push the boundaries of my art."
Szyszka garnered his third WFOY award with his stunning Blue Wave this year. "It's about creating unique, timeless works of art," he said. "We don't do it for the awards, but it is an honor to be recognized by peers in the industry."
Entries in the Best in Colors, Finishes, and Textured Wood category utilize various types of dyes, reactive conditioners, layered color systems, faux finishing, or other finishing systems, as well as textured wood flooring surfaces such as hand-scraped, wire-brushed, distressed, sculpted, or any surface that is not traditionally flat.
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY MARRIES IMMUTABLE ELEGANCE
The 2024 Wood Floor of the Year winning project in the Best Use of Technology category went once again this year to Czar Floors for a spectacular bespoke residential installation.
This eye-popping floor features a curved border and forms an elegant oval within the home's 800-square-foot great room. The room itself was complex with its distinctive oval shape and columns," explained Edward Tsvilik, Co-founder of Pennsylvania-based Czar Floors, "and the floor presented several unique challenges such as scaling the border design and integrating it seamlessly with the room's contours."
The selection of material for the floor was driven by two factors. The first factor was the radiant heat emanating from the subfloor which dictated a need to use a very stable species. The other influencing factor was the client's color specification for an exceptionally rich reddish color. Merbau was chosen for both its intense hue and its dimensional stability. Merbau's straight grain is complemented in the design by rift sawn white oak strips with accents of hard maple and wenge.
For a floor of this complexity, the creative process begins with meticulous measurement," Tsvilik said. The Czar Floors team used an industrial Leika 3D laser scanner to determine the exact shape and dimensions of the room. From these measurements, they derived an AutoCAD design, which was input into a CNC machine. A software program developed in-house by the Czar Floors engineers was used to cut the thousands of wood mosaic pieces. The software organizes a cut list to accurately and efficiently arrange the pieces, even down to wood orientation so the pieces are perfectly formed, and waste is reduced.
The next step is dry fitting all the pieces together manually. The crew laid out the entire floor, divided the pattern into segments, and labeled everything on a map. The pieces were then individually shrink wrapped, vacuum sealed, packed and shipped to the residence in New York, where the floor was again dry fitted together. At this stage, any tiny imperfections were
SPOTLIGHT ON: WENGE
SPECIES: Millettia laurentii
ORIGIN: Central Africa
COMMON APPLICATIONS: Veneer, paneling, furniture, turnings, exterior applications, and musical instruments.
CHARACTERISTICS / APPEARANCE: The heartwood is medium brown, sometimes with a reddish or yellowish hue, and clearly demarcated sapwood. The wood is straight grained, with a very coarse texture and a low natural luster. This wood can be difficult to work and glue. It is also very splintery. It sands unevenly due to differences in density between light and dark areas. It holds nail and screws well if pre-bored and finishes well.
JANKA HARDNESS SCALE: 1,930 lbf
COMMENTS: This popular African hardwood has excellent strength and hardness properties, though it's more frequently used for the rich dark brown color, which can be dark enough to be used as a substitute for ebony. Upon application of a wood finish the wood can become nearly black. Interestingly, unlike most other dark hardwoods, the heartwood of wenge can lighten (rather than darken) when exposed to sunlight.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2024 Wood Floor of the Year award in the Best Use of Technology category?+
Czar Floors, a Pennsylvania-based company, won the 2024 Wood Floor of the Year award in the Best Use of Technology category for a bespoke residential installation.
Why was Merbau chosen for the Czar Floors winning project?+
Merbau was selected for two reasons: its dimensional stability, which was needed because of radiant heat from the subfloor, and its intense reddish hue, which matched the client's rich color specification.
How did Czar Floors measure and design the curved oval floor?+
The team used an industrial Leika 3D laser scanner to capture the exact shape and dimensions of the room, then converted those measurements into an AutoCAD design that was fed into a CNC machine.
How were the thousands of mosaic pieces cut and organized for the Czar Floors installation?+
Czar Floors engineers developed in-house software that creates a cut list arranging the pieces by wood orientation, ensuring accurate forming and reducing waste when cut on the CNC machine.
How was the completed floor transported and installed at the client's home?+
The crew dry fitted the entire floor, divided the pattern into labeled segments, then individually shrink wrapped, vacuum sealed, and shipped the pieces to the New York residence, where the floor was dry fitted again before final installation.
What are the characteristics and origin of wenge wood?+
Wenge (Millettia laurentii) originates from Central Africa and has medium brown heartwood, sometimes with reddish or yellowish hues, a straight grain, coarse texture, and a Janka hardness of 1,930 lbf. Unlike most dark hardwoods, wenge heartwood lightens rather than darkens when exposed to sunlight.