Kim Wahlgren

Kim M. Wahlgren is the longtime editor of Wood Floor Business. Based in Madison, Wis., she manages the day-to-day operations of the WFB print magazine, website, E-News and social media. She holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin in journalism and Spanish. Away from the office, she’s busy enjoying her family, including two beautiful children, an extraordinarily silly black Labrador mutt and her husband, Brent, whom she met at … yes, wood flooring school.

Extraordinary Floors

Jurassic Jazz: This Wood Floor Demands a Second Look ... and More

Wood flooring legend Chuck Crispin created this sinuous floor, unlike any other, from mesquite burls.

December 2, 2014

Ooq 1214 Hf Ls126lo Med

Extraordinary Floors

The Wow Factor: Winning Floor Inspires Stunning Wildlife Floor

When Tom Ourada's neighbor saw his award-winning floor, he had to have a wildlife-themed custom floor of his own, and Ourada created another masterpiece, inlaying a buck into the wood floor.

October 1, 2014

Photos courtesy of Tom Ourada

The Invention That Transformed Wood Floor Sanding

October 1, 2014

Karl Lägler with one of the first Hummel belt machines ever produced.

Your Sanding Machines Don’t Look Like This, Do They?

Checklist: Edgers1) Blow them out with an air hose.2) Check carbon brushes and replace when needed. 3) Check the pad for flat spots or bent areas.4) Check wheels to make sure they are clean and spin freely.5) Check power cords for loose connectors, screws or bad spots.Service techs say the No. 1 problem with big machines is the drum. If there’s a problem with your drum, there’s no two ways about it: You’re going to see problems on your floors. Some drums can be dressed, i.e., flattened, but others should never be dressed (it depends on the manufacturer of the machine). Here are some examples of problem drums:Since Hummel drums have a very, very slight football shape, some people have been known to try to dress the drum by putting a credit card under one side of the wheel, sanding the drum, then doing the other side. But the drum isn’t centered on the machine, so that homemade dressing technique will just ruin the drum.1) Blow the machines out! (Not just off, but out, inside out, etc.)2) Inspect drive belts to make sure they are in good condition and (depending on the manufacturer) release the tension nightly.3) Check wheels and clean or replace if needed.4) Check the top roller and clean if necessary.5) Check power cords for loose connectors, screws or bad spots.6) Check for smooth operation of the control rod (the rod that raises and lowers the drum).The upper roller on your big machine is what keeps your sanding belt working. When it gets dirty, bad things can happen, particularly with your paper tracking (see the two photos on the bottom of this page). Unevenness in your upper roller will cause your abrasive belt to “hunt,” or constantly go back and forth trying to find center. That in turn causes premature wear on your drum and upper roller, which can give them a cone shape, forcing the abrasive to one side of the drum.You’ve probably heard machine experts telling you to make sure you “change your brushes” on your edger on a regular basis. What does that mean? What is a brush? What does it do? The carbon brushes on your edger don’t look like “brushes”—they are solid rectangles of carbon—and they are responsible for conducting the electricity through your motor. When you turn the switch on, the electricity travels through the brushes, which contact the commutator face, making it spin. When brushes get worn down, or when the springs in the brush block assembly are worn out, the brushes don’t contact the commutator, creating a gap like a spark plug. Then you basically have arc welding happening inside your edger motor, and the motor will start to burn.Big machine wheels aren’t cheap, and any imperfections in them transfer to the floor, so it’s surprising more people don’t take better care of them. Service guys say the biggest complaint they get about big machine wheels is that they get out of round. This can happen when the machine is being transported in your truck or van—going over potholes or railroad tracks can create flat spots. It’s a good idea to make a platform so your machine isn’t resting on its wheels. Some other typical problems are below.Filler, pine pitch and more can build up on your wheels, and the buildup can be hard to remove. But don’t resort to using abrasives or files on your wheels, which could permanently damage them. Blow the wheels off, and if they aren’t soft rubber, you can use mineral spirits to remove any buildup.Dust is unavoidable on a wood flooring job site. If left in your machines, though, eventually it will cause damage and seize up all the moving parts.

September 30, 2014

At his repair shop at distributor Blake-Stevens Wood Flooring’s Waukesha, Wis., headquarters, Mike Brown handles many machine repairs that were caused by a lack of basic maintenance.

The Recoating Riddle: Find the Right Clues When Recoating Wood Floors

What to look for before starting a wood floor recoating job to ensure the finish adheres to the floor and the customers end up happy.

August 13, 2014

Gray areas where finish has completely worn off the floor

Postcard from Germany: Sand, Check, React … And More

Last week I had the opportunity to join a group of wood flooring contractors who won a spot on the annual Lägler Fly and Sand PST (Premium Sanding Training) trip to the Lägler headquarters in Güglingen, Germany. Our lucky group was able to spend four days together in Germany hosted by Karl Lägler and Palo Duro Hardwood's Jeff Fairbanks.

July 29, 2014

Marc Schulz, Jeff Fairbanks And Karl Lägler At Lägler Headquarters In Güglingen, Germany

Solid Ground: State of the Wood Flooring Industry 2014

Manufacturers say their sales (in dollar volume) in 2013 were…Manufacturers say the prices they paid for raw materials in 2013…Manufacturers say wood flooring prices in 2013…Manufacturers expect prices in 2014 to…Wood flooring manufacturers answered that their biggest threat is:Do you agree or disagree with the Lacey Act?Should the LEED green building program recognize other wood flooring certifications besides FSC?Distributors say the dollar value of their wood flooring sales in 2013...31% of distributors said they had sold some products online in 2013.Five years ago distributors answering our survey said 19% of their sales were exotics. This year those combined numbers totaled only 6%.We asked distributors if their business had been affected by liquidators (such as Lumber Liquidators). They said:What is the outlook for 2014? Distributors answered:What is the single most important issue affecting your business specifically?Contractors say the dollar value of their wood flooring sales in 2013...(more than one answer possible)We asked contractors if their business had been affected by liquidators (such as Lumber Liquidators). They said:"I am always optimistic, otherwise I would not be in this industry.""People often want to compare prices of the premium product with [liquidators] … they do not offer customer education, and yet most consumers do not find this out till it is too late."

March 26, 2014

photo of a tree

Gary Reynolds: Founding Father of NWFA Retires

Reynolds’ path in the industry took him from DuraSeal to Galleher to, eventually, starting up the U.S. subsidiary of BonaKemi (now known simply as Bona). Most recently he was a consultant with UFloor from the time of its launch in 2007 until 2013.

March 26, 2014

Tales from the Front: Bear-Proof Your Floor Installation

Back before David Old, president at Las Vegas, N.M.-based Old Wood LLC was in the wood flooring business, he decided he would sand and refinish the Doug fir floors at the family's historic log cabin on their 2,400-acre ranch in the mountains.

March 25, 2014

photo of a bear that broke into a home

Vintage Moments: NWFA Founding Father Gary Reynolds

February 26, 2014

Gary Reynolds, far left, at the St. Louis meeting in 1985 at which the NWFA was created.

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As25 Ora Winners

Thriving Through Innovation: See the Winners of the 2025 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards

From reimagined showrooms and mobile studios to thoughtful mentorship, employee empowerment and social media marketing, these WFB Outstanding Retailers are proving that personalized service is key to long-term success.

Domestic pine three ways (from left): antique heart pine (courtesy of Joe Dawson), white pine (courtesy of Daniel Reddy) and Southern yellow pine (courtesy of Kyle Thompson).

Useful Advice When Dealing With Pine Flooring

As25 Techn Hed

How I Do These Jobs: Refinishing Decks

Shelby, Nick and Doug Lux.

How We Transitioned to a Second-Generation Family Business

Transform Red Oak Into White Oak In One Easy Step

Transform Red Oak Into White Oak In One Easy Step