By Louis Iannaco
Across the country, hardwood flooring resonates with more homeowners now more than ever. Bringing the natural elements indoors not only beautifies the home, it raises its value as well. On the contract side, however, the chances of seeing the warm/rustic look of real hardwood products incorporated into heavily trafficked areas is slim.
“How do we get the natural beauty of hardwood flooring into the commercial arena?” has been an age-old quandary for the flooring industry spanning generations. How can this be accomplished without the products being damaged or destroyed within months or a few short years of installation? Well, through the use of new technology, a few mills are actually giving it a try.
Armstrong Commercial Hardwood combines the styling of natural hardwood with the enhanced performance needed in today’s commercial environments, noted Daniel Call, vice president of product management, wood. “Premier Performance Hardwood and Hardwood Parquet feature an exclusive acrylic impregnation process that produces floor boards which are significantly harder than unprotected wood of the same species.
“In this process,” he explained, “liquid acrylic is combined with stain and injected throughout the surface layer of the wood to fortify the fibers and protect the floor from dents. This provides two key benefits: durability and through-color. Acrylic infusion can more than double the hardness of a wood species.
“And because the stain goes through the top veneer,” Call added, “deep gouges that may occur are harder to see.” And, Armstrong helps consumers realize there’s something unique about acrylic infusion by giving these products its highest residential and commercial warranties. The 5-ply, 3/8-inch thick, engineered pieces are available in a square edges and ends and a micro-beveled edges and ends collection and are finished with the Permion system for extra durability and reduced maintenance costs.
On the commercial side, Call has seen a lot of interest for the mill’s impregnated wood from large retail chains and the hospitality segment. “Heavy traffic and wood haven’t traditionally mixed well, but the durability and through-color advantages of acrylic infusion allow designers to feel comfortable with the product.
Expanding to residential
“There’s also a lot of residential interest,” Call added. “As wood expands into the kitchen and other heavily used parts of the home. Consumers with dogs/children appreciate the benefits of Premier Performance.”
The response from people in the field has been terrific, he noted. “It’s a gorgeous range of hardwood species in a broad selection of colors and widths, all more durable than traditional hardwood. It’s a win/win for dealers and their customers. It’s been selling very well and has beat expectations. Since the launch last year of expanded widths, colors and species, sales have steadily grown.”
Armstrong will continue to expand the species and surface treatment options of acrylic-impregnated products, he explained. “We will also be expanding the merchandising for this line, helping retailers explain the unique benefits of acrylic infusion to consumers.”
Another mill doing well with impregnated wood is PermaGrain with its Timeless Series lines. “We force liquid acrylic into the pores of the wood, then harden it,” said a spokesman for the company of its Timeless Series 3. “That way, the finish is as deep and beautiful as the wood itself. It’s highly abrasion resistant, never requires refinishing, and is easy to maintain. End users can choose from multiple species, a striking array of colors, three plank widths in both random and fixed lengths, plus accent strips, and even custom colors.” The collection comes with a lifetime wear warranty as well as a lifetime defects warranty.
The Timeless Series 4 engineered acrylic impregnated hardwood collection “is the essence of the PermaGrain concept,” he said. “It combines over 30 years of acrylic impregnation experience with state-of-the-art adhesion technology to create our fourth generation of engineered wood flooring. Our newest line of natural hardwood flooring offers a range of species, a wide variety of colors and a varied selection of formats— making it one of the most extensive collections available to the professional designer today.”
Alternate process
Not all mills making inroads in placing products into commercial applications manufacture impregnated wood.
Anderson Hardwood Floors offers Perma-Color, a natural, accelerated, aging process that changes the molecular structure in American hardwoods and, in the process, changes the natural color of the wood from light to dark.
“The benefit of the process to commercial is that the color is changed throughout the veneer and thus cannot wear off like stains or pigments that adhere only to the top of the panel,” said John Woolsey, director of marketing. “Thus the color is achieved without stains, chemicals or solvents and can be produced with formaldehyde-free adhesives.”
