Hardwood Floors E-News: August 30, 2010

Headline: In the News Date: August 23, 2010 Source: HWF Editors Summary: Never Expires [check] Zone: url:

Healthier Choice Flooring Acquires Flexitions

Healthier Choice Flooring (Dalton, Ga.), an acoustic underlayment and carpet cushion manufacturer, has acquired Flexitions LLC. Flexitions LLC manufactures a stainable, flexible transition molding product line for use with hardwood and laminate flooring applications. To help raise consumer awareness of Flexitions, Healthier Choice Marketing Manager Drew Holland says his company will introduce a new marketing program that will include advertising, sample kits, POP fixtures and a bigger online presence.

Scientists Make Wood Adhesive From Tofu Ingredient

Scientists meeting at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society announced development of new soy-based glues made with substances found in soy milk and tofu. The scientists reported that the new adhesive using soy flour performs as well as traditional wood adhesives in interior environments but does not have any formaldehyde. Currently, soy-based adhesives make up less than five percent of the wood adhesive market. The full release can be read here.

Hardwood Flooring Attack Ends in Gunfire

Two brothers attacked a Jefferson County, Ala., man with wood flooring Wednesday evening, according to The Birmingham News, and the confrontation ended with both brothers being shot. Authorities said two brothers, Nick Sanders and Antonio Sanders, were about to jump on their mother, Anita Moore, when Joe Woods, Moore's common-law husband, came to her aid. Woods ended up being attacked by the brothers with a piece of hardwood flooring and fired his .22 revolver at them. Nick Sanders is in fair condition, Antonio Sanders is in critical condition, and Woods is being evaluated for injuries.

Manufacturer News

Cali Bamboo (San Diego) was ranked 1,355 in Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5,000 list of fastest growing companies. The list ranks companies according to percentage of revenue growth from 2006 through 2009. Cali Bamboo also ranked as the 31st fastest growing company in San Diego as well as the 67th fastest growing U.S. retail business.

Distributor News

Floor Style Products has opened an office, warehouse and repair facility in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. Andres Zuniga, who has more than 20 years' experience in the hardwood industry and specializes in equipment repair, will head the new branch. The facility is located at 11558 E. Washington Blvd., Suites B&C, and it will primarily serve customers in California, Arizona and New Mexico. The branch can be reached at 562/692-0143. Floor Style has planned a grand opening celebration Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the second new facility for the nationwide distributor this year; the company opened a Columbus, Ohio, branch in April. In addition to these new facilities, Floor Style has branches in Florida, Maryland, Michigan and Nevada.

PC Wood Floors' branch in Waterbury, Conn., has moved to a new location at 100 Benedict St. The new location has a designer showroom and is fully stocked with hardwood flooring and supplies. That branch's phone number (203/575-8300) is unchanged, however, its fax number is now 203/413-3221.

Mohawk Finishing Products (Hickory, N.C.) has named Epic Paint Company (Houston) Distributor of the Year for the fiscal year that ended May 31. Epic was recognized for its top sales performance, support of the Mohawk Distributor Program, customer training using Mohawk products, and working relationship with customers. Epic became a distributor for Mohawk in 2006.

By the Numbers

Meet the HF Bloggers

The Hardwood Floors website now hosts blogs about some of the most important issues in our industry-the daily challenges of being a contractor, inspections and the world of "green" as it relates to the wood flooring industry. Follow our bloggers:

Contractor Blog: Cardinal Hardwood & Tile's Wayne Lee
No, We Do NOT Drop our Price
Work, work, work, work and wait... story of our lives. We have our part done and are waiting for tile, wood and plumbing to be done. ...

Green Blog: Metro Floors' Elizabeth Baldwin
Ask Your Supplier for LKS
Part of my tour in South America was done as a GFTN Mission. The GFTN (Global Forest Trade Network) is a program developed by ...

Inspector Blog: RLC Engineering's Craig DeWitt
What the Bass and Wood Floors Have in Common
Proper acclimation of wood flooring is something that comes up with every job. The goal is to get wood to the right moisture content ...

New Faces at HF

After 29 years at Athletic Business Publications, Hardwood Floors' Publisher Kris Thimmesch has resigned. "I love the hardwood flooring industry and have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it, but it is time for a change," she noted. Two current ABP staffers-Group Publisher Shawn Gahagan and Account Executive Kendra Bjorklund-are stepping into new roles at HF and will handle both print and digital advertising. Shawn can be reached at 800/722-8764, ext. 104, or [email protected]; Kendra is at 800/722-8764, ext. 107, or [email protected]. The deadline for the next issue-the October/November Prefinished Issue-is Wednesday, Sept. 8.

NWFA Member Services

There is still time to register for the Wood Flooring Basics School to be held Sept. 14-17 at the NWFA's headquarters in St. Louis. The four-day school provides a comprehensive entry-level overview of the wood flooring industry for both solid and engineered wood. Topics to be covered include wood properties, job-site preparation, installation techniques, equipment maintenance, safety, sanding and finishing, troubleshooting and floating floors. Students attending this school receive three NWFA degree credits. The cost to attend for NWFA members is $475. For more information, call 800/422-4556 (U.S. and Canada) or 636/519-9663 (local and international), e-mail [email protected], or visit www.nwfa.org.