The installation of 33-foot-long solid planks in a boutique shoe store required stunts worthy of a Mission Impossible film for San Francisco-based Hayasa Flooring Design. The company was no stranger to long planks when it was recommended for the project by wood flooring manufacturer Dinesen, but 33-foot-long, 12-inch-wide boards in this 400-square-foot San Francisco shoe store presented a puzzle, says Hayasa Co-Founder Hakob Karapetyan. Before the actual floor work, though, the first challenge was clearing the dead rats from the building's subfloor, which was in a disastrous state. After more concrete was poured and sealed, the Hayasa crew applied sleepers and installed a plywood subfloor on top. To begin installation, they spread Bostik's Best adhesive the exact length and width of one plank, then laid the first plank over it in the center of the room. Due to the dimension and weight of the flooring, each massive Douglas fir plank required one man at both ends, their feet straddling the adhesive as they carefully lowered the heavy board to the subfloor. With all of the flooring installed in this manner, they then used a Hummel and Trio with 120-grit paper to sand the floor before applying Overmat hardwax oil mixed with a custom whitewash color, which they UV-cured on-site. The company also installed and coated the matching benches and the planks adorning the back wall of the shop with Ethan Hunt-like precision. But, fortunately, unlike Ethan Hunt, they didn't have to jump out of a moving train (or streetcar, as the case may be) when their mission was complete.
See the Hayasa team’s method for installing the large planks here:
