NATURAL
WIDE PLANK WOOD
Larry Loffer, Senior Industrial Systems Technician at Wagner Meters caught up with Joni Rocco of Artistic Floors by Design to get some tips on installing wide-plank wood flooring.
Joni Rocco is a co-owner of Artistic Floors by Design, the Colorado-based company, which specialises in creating personalised luxury hardwood floors. Recent installations by Artistic Floors by Design have won prestigious awards including "Best Residential Hardwood Installation Award” last year and the Designer’s Choice Award for “Wood Floor of the Year” in 2012.
I met up with Joni to discuss the current trend for wide boards and asked him to share his top tips for working with wood. Joni said: “Wide-plank flooring is a hot topic lately. People love it because it really is beautiful. I think it’s becoming increasingly popular because people are seeing it on sites like Houzz and they’re becoming more familiar with it.”
Although homeowners are more educated about what’s available on the market today, most of us realise the challenges of wide-plank floor installation. Because wood is hygroscopic, wide boards tend to react and move more with fluctuations in humidity than narrower boards.
As a member of the National Wood Flooring Association’s Board of Directors and with over 20 years of experience, Joni is up-to-date with technical issues. He understands that moisture is a major component when considering wide-plank flooring.
“Moisture content is a challenge. It’s necessary to ensure that the planks
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to be installed are within 2% of the substrate's moisture level,” said Joni.
Another important point is the importance of acclimatising wide planks and monitoring their moisture levels. Because it’s often difficult to manage the environmental conditions of a client’s home, environmental controls should always be considered.
“The client’s home must have a relative humidity that remains between 30-50% at all times in order to minimise seasonal cracking.”
Joni takes this step of monitoring humidity seriously and goes the extra mile with his clients after the completion of a project. He provides them with a hygrometer that shows them the exact humidity levels in their homes as the seasons change.
When asked about the best flooring materials to consider for wide-plank flooring, Joe believes a good contractor should be knowledgeable about what species of wood is appropriate for the project’s climate, regardless of board size.
“A reputable contractor should mitigate both moisture and environmental issues by carefully sourcing locally and regionally milled flooring and purchasing from a reputable distributor if flooring is exotic.”
When installing wide planks, Joni said attachment methods are very
important. He stated that you have to glue and nail in order to achieve a good result. The best type of adhesive to use is elastometric because it allows the wood to remain in place, while naturally expanding and contracting.
On the challenges encountered by Artistic Floors by Design, Joni commented: “When humidity is extremely low in certain seasons, the biggest challenge is regulating relative humidity in a client’s home. Some homes don’t have full house humidification. Those homes can fluctuate anywhere from 10% relative humidity to 35 - 45%, depending on the season.”
Joni explained how Artistic Floors by Design protect themselves while educating the client: “We state in our contracts that a client must maintain a relative humidity between 30-50% in a home where hardwood flooring is installed. Our team finds that the information not only protects the flooring installation company, but that it also provides educational information for the client, especially those clients who don’t know what their relative humidity levels are.”
“For us, moisture meters are huge. I don’t think we would have a successful business if we weren’t using moisture meters. It is as essential as measuring tape and a tool – we wouldn’t be anywhere today if we didn’t have it.”
www.wagnermeters.com
www.tomorrowsflooring.com
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