The National Wood Flooring Association held an Intermediate Installation school at its headquarters in Chesterfield, Mo., near St. Louis, from June 15–18.
The school exceeded the expectations of student Mark Whatley, who traveled from Amber Flooring Inc. in Oakland, Calif., to attend.
“I was taught for the first time in 19 years about trammel points and blown away how simple it makes lining out a floor, not to mention how it’s key to a successful install,” Whatley said about the school. “The floors I got to install are not something I normally get to do.”
Whatley and eight other students learned a variety of topics geared toward the intermediate installer—job-site evaluation, installation techniques, lacing, borders and medallions. Moisture and its relation to a successful wood installation was also covered.
“The education I got on the moisture meters was phenomenal,” Whatley said. “The calculations procedure when explained to me for moisture levels in a house and how to get them are going to be one of the key components for a successful job.”
The school was led by NWFA Vice President of Education and Curriculum Brett Miller. Miller was joined by Wayne Lee of Middle Tennessee Lumber (Burns, Tenn.).
The students were Mark Whatley, Amber Flooring Inc.; Scott Carpenter, Divine Hardwood Flooring Ltd.; Ed Taylor, Backcountry Hardwood Floors; Jesse Sample, Wichita Wood Floor Specialists; Matt Patrick, Patrick Flooring LLC; Brad Puck and Colby Baugh, Brad Puck Floors; Bryan Readling, Wood Works Engineering P.A.; and Stephanie Owen, NWFA.
The Premium Partners in Education were 3M, AdvanTech, Bona US, Bostik Inc., MAPEI, Somerset Wood Products and Weyerhaeuser.
The Participating Partners in Education were 3M, All Globe Inc., Bamboo Hardwood, Beno J. Gundlach, Bostik Inc., CDC Larue Industries Inc., Colorado Dustless, Delmhorst Instrument Co., Easy Grove Tools, Festool, Flooring Pro Fastening, Fortifiber Building Systems Group, Franklin International, Freud America, Howell Hardwood, Konig North America, Lignomat, Lockwood Flooring, MAPEI, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring, Middle Tennessee Lumber, Mirage Flooring, Mohawk Finishing, Oshkosh Designs, Pallman, Pam Fastening Technology, Powernail Company Inc., Primatech Inc., Pro Knee, Schmidt Custom Floors, Somerset Wood Products, Stanley-Bostitch, Tramex, Wagner Meters and Weyerhaeuser.
