The Story Behind This Famous Wood Flooring Photo

Oct 25, 2023

It is perhaps the most famous photo in the wood flooring industry, showing a crew of floor scrapers posted for the photographer. A dive into the WFB archives reveals its origins in a letter dated September 1, 1989, from a wood floor pro named Neil Schneiderman of Howell, N.J.-based Schneiderman Enterprises. He wrote:

"It was taken in 1921 and just happened to be taken the day my father, Louis Schneiderman (far right in the picture) started at his first floor scraping job. Can you imagine doing floors that way? I wonder what they'll say seventy years from now looking back at how we do them today."

By 1930, Louis Schneiderman started his own company, Louis Floor Services, which operated in Cleveland for 50 years. Neil Schneiderman told the magazine that he started working for his father "pushing a broom when I was 8 years old."

Chi-Namel Graining Process Created ‘Hardwood Effects’

March 21, 2024

Bona Traffic HD RAW® Damage Mitigation

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

Keeping History Afloat—By Sanding a Fishing Boat

History

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.

Recognizing Retail Excellence: Enter the 2024 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards

Wood Floor Business

Entry forms for the 2024 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards are open. The deadline to submit is June 1 at 5 p.m. CST.

Recognizing Retail Excellence: Enter the 2024 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards

History

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.

History

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.

History

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.

History

‘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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History

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.

News

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.

News

‘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.

Next Gen

The Next Generation: Black Wood Floor Pros Look to the Future of the Industry

WFB spoke with Black wood flooring pros from across the U.S. and beyond to share their thoughts, experiences and advice for building and uplifting the next generation of Black hardwood flooring pros.

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