Tony Stalford, owner of Sugar Grove, Ohio-based The Final Floor, has done a fair share of end grain installs during his 42 years in the industry, but installing 26,000 square feet of edge grain in the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, was a new feat that included its fair share of obstacles. "There's not a straight wall in the building," Stalford says, noting that its huge, spiraling halls made it tricky to install the white oak edge grain at the specified 49-degree angle. Having cut the pieces with a band saw, Stalford and his team began installing in the basement of the three-floor museum but quickly battled moisture issues with the concrete subfloor; the edge grain began to lift. "It was kind of like rolling across piano keys," Stalford says of the loose pieces. After switching to an adhesive with a moisture control membrane, the install crew was back on track—but still balancing a tight schedule with other trades. "You're working basically right on top of everyone else," Stalford says. Sanded and given two coats of water-based sealer mixed with sawdust and two coats of water-based urethane, the remarkable flooring now rests as a monument to veterans and, clearly, a testament to tenacity.
Suppliers:
Adhesive: Bostik | Flooring: Kaswell Flooring Systems
Photo courtesy Brad Feinknopf
