Vintage Moments: Wood Flooring Maker Has WWII Roots

Mar 24, 2011

At left, patriarch Viandel 'Spider' Smith escorting a customer through a warehouse, circa 1950. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Durham, N.C.)

At left, patriarch Viandel 'Spider' Smith escorting a customer through a warehouse, circa 1950. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Durham, N.C.)

At left, patriarch Viandel 'Spider' Smith escorting a customer through a warehouse, circa 1950. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Durham, N.C.)

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Chi-Namel Graining Process Created ‘Hardwood Effects’

March 21, 2024

Recognizing Retail Excellence: Enter the 2024 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards

Recognizing Retail Excellence: Enter the 2024 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards

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Veneer Floors: A Common Phenomenon in Historic Wide Plank

'Warner had two passions besides his family: The wood flooring industry and the outdoors,' says longtime friend and fellow wood floor pro John Mayers. 'That man loved to hunt and fish.'

In Memoriam: Lifelong Industry Veteran Warner Tweed Dies at 90

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Keeping History Afloat—By Sanding a Fishing Boat

Chi-Namel Graining Process Created ‘Hardwood Effects’

“Use Chi-Namel Graining Process to transform old, dirty looking softwood floors, doors, woodwork and furniture into beautiful hardwood effects,” says a Chi-Namel ad from the Saturday Evening Post dated April 14, 1923.

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Embracing Change in Wood Flooring: Navigating New Frontiers

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As a wood flooring business owner, dealing with these changes isn't just a good idea—it's a must for staying in the game and growing to the next level.

Embracing Change in Wood Flooring: Navigating New Frontiers

Veneer Floors: A Common Phenomenon in Historic Wide Plank

Wood floor restoration expert Michael Purser of Rosebud Company discusses the high-end veneer flooring that was commonplace in expensive homes in the early 20th century.

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In Memoriam: Lifelong Industry Veteran Warner Tweed Dies at 90

Lifelong wood floor industry veteran Warner Tweed, who had an expansive career starting as a NOFMA mill inspector in 1960, died on Feb. 6 at the age of 90.

'Warner had two passions besides his family: The wood flooring industry and the outdoors,' says longtime friend and fellow wood floor pro John Mayers. 'That man loved to hunt and fish.'

Keeping History Afloat—By Sanding a Fishing Boat

The 3½-inch-thick fir deck of this 1929 commercial fishing boat has no doubt seen its fair share of swabbing, but a good bit of nautical time had passed since its last sanding.

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Date Yourself By Naming Something You Used to Do When You Started in the Industry

We asked wood floor pros what they used to do on wood flooring jobs that would date them today. Here are our favorite responses shared by our readers on the WFB Facebook and Instagram pages.

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The Story Behind This Famous Wood Flooring Photo

A letter in the WFB archives reveals the origins of the most famous photo in the wood flooring industry—showing a crew of floor scrapers posed for the photographer.

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Parquet Noël: The ‘Forgotten’ Wood Floor Pattern

The Versaille parquet pattern has been a mainstay since it was introduced in the late 17th century in Louis XIV’s famed palace. But not all French parquet patterns have stood the test of time.

Thomas De Coninck of Parquet Supplies has been creating samples of the long-forgotten Parquet Noël wood flooring pattern and sharing them on social media.

Flooring For Presidents and Ex-Presidents Alike

John Stern of Louisville, Ky.-based Louisville Wood Floors knows a lot of White House history, in part because he and his company are a part of it.

John Stern was responsible for supplying the material for the iconic Oval Office floor.

‘Dust Blowing Along the Road’: A Bottled Message From 19th-Century Floor Installers

Like many wood floor pros today, James Ritchie and John Grieve wanted to leave a small note under the floor they’d just installed at a home in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Choosing a Wood Floor Finish in 1953

Before the 1940s, there were pretty much two options: shellac or varnish, with waxing recommended for each. However, a pamphlet from 1953 sheds insight on how finish decisions were made in the 1950s.

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You Can Now Adopt a Board From the World’s Oldest Known Gym Floor

The YMCA Paris Association that houses the antique parquet floor recently launched an “adoptaboard” program to raise funds to have the basketball court restored for future generations.

‘When This Board Is Lifted Again…’: Floorboard Message From Irish Civil War Uncovered 100 Years Later

A floorboard with a message scrawled underneath was donated to the Louth County Museum in Ireland in December—100 years after the note was dated on Dec. 30, 1922.

A floorboard with a 100-year-old wartime message on it was donated to the Louth County Museum in Dundalk, Ireland.

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