Vintage Moments: 3M's Galen Fitzel At Leisure

Oct 1, 2013

photo of Galen Fitzel with 3M team 3M sanding services specialist Galen Fitzel retired last summer, but not before this gem of a photo surfaced of him (that's him at the far right styling a genuine Johnny Carson-brand polyester leisure suit). The photo is from his early days with the company, when his 3M team won Company of the Year in the 1973 Twin Cities Junior Achievement award. The entertainment that evening was Chubby Checker, the singer who popularized the Twist, Fitzel recalls.

Read some of Galen Fitzel's most popular articles that have appeared in Hardwood Floors:

• Protecting Your Lungs With a Respirator on a Wood Flooring Job Site

Chi-Namel Graining Process Created ‘Hardwood Effects’

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History

Chi-Namel Graining Process Created ‘Hardwood Effects’

“Use Chi-Namel Graining Process to transform old, dirty looking softwood floors, doors, woodwork and furniture into beautiful hardwood effects,” says a Chi-Namel ad from the Saturday Evening Post dated April 14, 1923.

Bona Traffic HD RAW® Damage Mitigation

Bona

In addition to its superior durability, Bona Traffic HD RAW’s ultra-matte sheen can help mask surface damage when re-coating.

History

Date Yourself By Naming Something You Used to Do When You Started in the Industry

We asked wood floor pros what they used to do on wood flooring jobs that would date them today. Here are our favorite responses shared by our readers on the WFB Facebook and Instagram pages.

History

The Story Behind This Famous Wood Flooring Photo

A letter in the WFB archives reveals the origins of the most famous photo in the wood flooring industry—showing a crew of floor scrapers posed for the photographer.

History

Parquet Noël: The ‘Forgotten’ Wood Floor Pattern

The Versaille parquet pattern has been a mainstay since it was introduced in the late 17th century in Louis XIV’s famed palace. But not all French parquet patterns have stood the test of time.

Thomas De Coninck of Parquet Supplies has been creating samples of the long-forgotten Parquet Noël wood flooring pattern and sharing them on social media.

History

Flooring For Presidents and Ex-Presidents Alike

John Stern of Louisville, Ky.-based Louisville Wood Floors knows a lot of White House history, in part because he and his company are a part of it.

John Stern was responsible for supplying the material for the iconic Oval Office floor.

History

‘Dust Blowing Along the Road’: A Bottled Message From 19th-Century Floor Installers

Like many wood floor pros today, James Ritchie and John Grieve wanted to leave a small note under the floor they’d just installed at a home in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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History

Choosing a Wood Floor Finish in 1953

Before the 1940s, there were pretty much two options: shellac or varnish, with waxing recommended for each. However, a pamphlet from 1953 sheds insight on how finish decisions were made in the 1950s.

News

You Can Now Adopt a Board From the World’s Oldest Known Gym Floor

The YMCA Paris Association that houses the antique parquet floor recently launched an “adoptaboard” program to raise funds to have the basketball court restored for future generations.

News

‘When This Board Is Lifted Again…’: Floorboard Message From Irish Civil War Uncovered 100 Years Later

A floorboard with a message scrawled underneath was donated to the Louth County Museum in Ireland in December—100 years after the note was dated on Dec. 30, 1922.

A floorboard with a 100-year-old wartime message on it was donated to the Louth County Museum in Dundalk, Ireland.

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