The multi-million-dollar new build spanned thousands of square feet and multiple flooring designs, but a 300-square-foot billiard room floor stands as one of Mike Somodean’s favorite parts of the expansive project—and for good reason.
The rift-and-quartered character-grade white oak flooring was milled by Somodean on-site for a custom French parquet pattern. And whereas the rest of the project featured prefinished flooring, in this room Somodean got to dig in with a custom sand and finish, too.
“The builder and interior designer wanted to replicate that pattern from a porcelain tile in one of the multiple laundry rooms in the house,” explains Somodean, who runs Roswell, Ga.-based M.S.C.S. Inc.
Somodean figured out the dimensions of the rectangular room and, after two days of grooving and beveling each board by hand, assembled the 865 pieces into 30-by-30-inch squares.
Somodean and his apprentice then applied full-spread adhesive over the plywood subfloor and nailed down the flooring, using the room's fireplace as a centerpoint.
They then used a planetary sander up to 80-grit before switching to wire-brushing. The wire-brushing served to bring out the character of the flooring, including its knots, which Somodean wanted to highlight.
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All this was done amid the bustle of a new construction site. But if the well-known pressure of having other trades looming on the job site wasn’t enough, Somodean also had a roughly $13,000 chandelier literally hanging over his head. Fortunately, the pricey lighting fixture was at least wrapped up while Somodean worked.
When the sanding was done, Somodean applied a charcoal-colored hardwax oil, following up with a maintenance coat when the whole house was completed.
“It was the most involved project that we were part of so far,” says Somodean, who notes that it’s the kind of project he and his crew are always training for. “It’s exciting to put all those skills to the test and push your limits.”
Suppliers:
Abrasives: Norton Abrasives | Adhesive, Moisture barrier: Wakol | Edger: Lagler North America | Finish: Rubio Monocoat | Multi-disc sander: American Sanders
