Catherine LiewenCatherine Liewen is a former managing editor/art director of Hardwood Floors.MoistureFive Points to Address Before Beginning a Wood Flooring InstallationOn your next job-site evaluation, be armed and ready with the Job Site Check List available in NWFA's Technical Manual A400: Jobsite Evaluation, Estimating and Preparation. The publication also lists questions you should answer before you begin a job. One copy is included with an NWFA membership. To order additional copies, call 800/4224556 (U.S.), 800/848-8824 (Canada), 636/519-9663 (local and international), e-mail [email protected] or visit www.nwfa.org.March 31, 2005MoistureResanding and Refinishing Historic Wood FloorsWith any job, a well-written estimate and contract is important, but when dealing with older floors, it's essential. Contingencies must be included in the contract in case unanticipated problems arise. If the floor is covered with carpeting, a final estimate can't be determined until the wood floors are completely uncovered. You may find damage to the subfloor or boards that need repair. Include a clause stating that any additional repairs will cost extra.January 31, 2005InstallationHow to Prevent Moisture From Ruining Your Wood Flooring InstallationMarch 31, 2004SafetyHow to Work Safely With SawsJanuary 31, 2004MarketingPoor Photos Make Your Wood Floors Look BadThe difference between a low-resolution and high-resolution image is quite apparent when it is printed. A low-resolution cannot become high resolution. Even if the image was originally high-res, once it becomes low-res, its digital information is lost. The more an image is enlarged, the more pixelated it becomes. Below are two shots. The top one is 72 dpi, which is the equivalent of the quality of a lower-end digital camera or scanner. It was enlarged 335 percent. The 300-dpi image at the bottom was professionally scanned from a 4-by-5 transparency and reduced to fit the photo box.When shopping for a camera, the technical jargon can be intimidating.Here’s a guide help you through your purchase.Aperture - The size of the opening of the lens that allows light in. Expressed in f-stop measurements (f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc. …). If there is too much light, you need to decrease the aperature (i.e. f/4 to f/5.6), or “stop down;” if there is too little, you need to increase the aperature (i.e. f/4 to f/2.8), or “stop up.”Exposure - The shutter speed and lens aperture setting on the camera. Set in automatic exposure mode, a camera will adjust one or both of these factors.Guide Number -The rating of a flash’s power.Hot Shoe - The bracket on top of the camera that houses an external flash.Shutter Speed - The amount of time the shutter is open to the light. Expressed in seconds or fractions of a second (1/60, 1/30, 1, 1.5, etc. …). With a higher shutter speed, less light is allowed in to expose the shot; a slower shutter speed allows more light. A tripod is recommended at slower shutter speeds, otherwise the image probably will be blurry.Floors are tricky when it comes to lighting, especially when dealing with outside light from windows. Setting a camera on automatic exposure and flash setting will rarely produce the best results. The first photo was underexposed, with not enough light to show the floor. The second photo was overexposed, with too much light “washing out” the floor. The third photo is exposed correctly, however, the glare from the glass doors washes out the floors. Better options would be to shoot the photo at a different time of day, or change the angle of the shot, as shown in the last photo.Composing a photo is essential to an effective photo. While the flooring should be prominent in the photo, there should also be other elements that show the floor in its application and give it a sense of scale.November 30, 2003Sports FlooringJump into the Sports Installation MarketDIN 18032-German Institute of Normalization. A standard used by major sports flooring manufacturers to rate the durability and safety of sports surfaces.September 30, 2003ReclaimedReclaimed Wood Flooring Has Stories to TellNovember 30, 2002SafetyKeeping Your Back Healthy With ExercisesSeptember 30, 2002Hand-scrapingDistressing Wood Floors to Make Them UniqueJuly 31, 2002FinishWhat to Know about Wax, Shellac & Other Alternative FinishesBasic information on different wood floor finishes such as wax, oil, shellac, aniline dye and more.March 31, 2002Previous PagePage 2 of 3Next PageTop StoriesDesignCraftsmanship Across the Globe: Introducing the Winners of the 2024 WFB Design AwardsHailing everywhere from Italy to Portugal to Cincinnati to Washington, D.C., to Brazil to Chicago (by way of Poland), the recipients of this year’s WFB Design Awards prove, through sweat and creativity, that true craftsmanship has no borders.Machines/ToolsMeet the Repairman Turning Edgers Into ArtworkContractingWhat’s Your Top Advice for When Things Get Slow?DesignWhite Oak vs. Red Oak: As Pressure Increases on White Oak, Red Oak Is a Versatile AlternativeSponsor ContentBona Traffic HD RAW® Damage Mitigation
