When Patrick Russell of Ocala, Fla.-based All American Floor Sanding and Installation toured the home of a client whose floors he was installing, there were bats everywhere: Bat stickers adorned the ceilings, a bat door knocker greeted people at the front door, and bat signs hung in the house. The homeowners are avid volunteers, and one of their pursuits is building bat boxes. When Russell was tasked with their floor installation, he knew bats needed to be incorporated. “They were all over already, so it was one of those things where we said, ‘We have to do something cool with this,’” Russell says. The homeowners wanted a new look for their floors and gave Russell permission to experiment with the design. Russell envisioned bats around the fireplace, and fellow wood floor pro Justin Boone, who helped on the project, suggested inlaying them into a sunburst radiating from the fireplace. The combination would make it look like the bats were flying out into the living room. To create the bats, Russell cut pieces of wenge using a scroll saw and placed them onto the floor. Once he and the homeowners were happy with the placement, the bats were scribed and routed into the floor. The rest of the floor was heart pine, so when Russell applied the sealer, the color of the bats “jumped out,” he says. Russell also added a basketweave design by the front door. In the center of the section, Russell added a circular sunburst with the homeowners’ last name initial in the center. The letter was also made with wenge, so once the sealer was applied, the letter stood out like a bat signal.
SUPPLIERS: Adhesive: Wakol MS260 and MS262 | Big machine, Buffer, Dust containment, Edger, Multi-head: American Sanders Legend, Epoch, CAV 26, Super 7, HydraSand | Filler: Woodwise | Finish: Loba Duo | Moisture barrier: Wakol P280 | Moisture meter: Wagner | Nailer: Primates | Router, Saws: DeWalt | Sander (palm): Mirka
Patrick Russell included a circular sunburst with the homeowners' last name initial.Courtesy of Patrick Russell.
Bats on the floor appear to be flying out of the fireplace.Courtesy of Patrick Russell.
