It was the first time Lars Frohnsdorf and Athanasios Tsaprailis of Calgary, Alberta-based Spartan Hardwood Floors & Interiors tackled a rhombus pattern floor for a client. They didn’t know in the beginning that it would also be the first time they would be tackling an LED feature strip.
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It was the first time Lars Frohnsdorf and Athanasios Tsaprailis of Calgary, Alberta-based Spartan Hardwood Floors & Interiors tackled a rhombus pattern floor for a client. They didn’t know in the beginning that it would also be the first time they would be tackling an LED feature strip.
“We originally were going to add a walnut strip around the perimeter, but the homeowner wanted to add the LED strip,” says Frohnsdorf, who met Tsaprailis at a Bona training school before they went into business together.
The 5,000-square-foot home already had about 1,500 square feet of red oak installed when Frohnsdorf and Tsaprailis arrived on the scene. The patterned area of the floor measured 96 square feet, and Frohnsdorf spent 15 hours cutting the red oak pieces with a jig on a cabinet saw in their shop. They then glued the pieces down over the plywood substrate.
When the rhombus pattern was completed, they used a track saw to cut the strip in and cleaned the groove out by hand with a router plane and chisels, Frohnsdorf says.
After sanding, they applied three coats of water-based finish to the area. The LED strip, which is operated via remote control, was then installed by an electrician.
“This floor was challenging in the way we hadn’t done this pattern before. But it allowed us to lean on the many years of experience we have,” Frohnsdorf says. “It’s the type of job where you get to flex a little and produce something that isn’t common.”
All Things Wood Floor, created by Wood Floor Business magazine, talks to interesting wood flooring pros to share knowledge, stories and tips on everything to do with wood flooring, from installation, sanding and finishing to business management.
