Wood Flooring Wood Flooring for Building for Building GreenGreen

www.goldenstateflooring.com

Wood Flooring International is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Golden State Flooring is the registered presenter of this presentation. Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are available on request.

This program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

Learning Objectives

•Essentials of writing a hardwood flooring specification

• Pros and cons of solid vs. engineered wood flooring, including environmental impacts

• Fundamental characteristics of wood flooring: species, formats, hardness, cuts, coatings, common problems, etc.

• Environmental and health attributes of wood flooring and how they relate to LEED and IAQ regulations

Specification AttributesSpecification Attributes

Engineered vs Solid Style/pattern

Plank Strip Parquet Herringbone

Species Cut Grade Edge Detail

Color Surface Treatment Coating Thickness Width Lengths Installation Method

Adhesive Underlayment

Environmental Specs FSC, VOC’s, LEED

Solid Hardwood FlooringSolid Hardwood Flooring

• Requires acclimation at site• Nail or staple to appropriate subfloor• Can be glued in some cases – check with sub• Install on or above grade only• May be sanded or refinished multiple times

Engineered Hardwood FlooringEngineered Hardwood Flooring - more dimensionally stable- more dimensionally stable

Style• Plank• Long-strip

Construction• Multi-ply• 3-ply• HDF-core

Cross-ply backing

Real Hardwood

UV cured Aluminum oxide coating

Engineered Flooring - Installation Engineered Flooring - Installation

• Little or no acclimation• Install on any level grade• Use over variety of subfloors• Staple, nail, glue or float• Recommended over radiant heat• May be sanded and refinished

Staple/Nail Glue Float

Engineered vs. Solid Wood FlooringEngineered vs. Solid Wood Flooring

Efficient use of slow-growth hardwood

Sandable wear surface

Engineered Flooring: Top LayersEngineered Flooring: Top LayersSawn, Sliced, or Rotary-peeled

SlicedRotary-peeled

Floating InstallationsFloating Installations

• Engineered flooring only• Planks not adhered to subfloor – glued or ‘clicked’ together• Cost-effective sound control• Allows vapor barrier for maximum moisture protection

• Underlayments : foam, rubber, Cork

Acoustical Underlayment

Glue

floating

Vapor Barrier

Acoustical Membranes - Glue DownAcoustical Membranes - Glue Down

Sika® AcouBond®Double-glue over Cork

Mastic

Wood Flooring Cork

Bostik® Ultra-Set® Single Step™ adhesive/membrane

GradesGrades

• NOFMA, MFMA – grades and rules vary by species

• Industry moving toward proprietary grades

1st 3rd2nd & Better

MFMA Grades - Hard Maple

Cuts in Wood FlooringCuts in Wood Flooring

Min. waste/costMin. stability

Med. waste/costMax. stability

Max. waste/costMed. stability

Quarter sawn

Rift sawn

Plain sawn

Rift sawn & Quarter sawnRift sawn & Quarter sawn- More Dimensionally - More Dimensionally

StableStable

Plain-sawnRift/Quartered

Arrow thickness = amount of movement

Comparative HardnessComparative Hardness

Industry Standard

Janka Ball Hardness Test

ASTM D 1037-7

Wood is HygroscopicWood is Hygroscopic

• Seal concrete!

• Acclimate flooring on-site

• Maintain consistent humidity during acclimation and after installation (35% - 60%)

Problems Related to MoistureProblems Related to Moisture

Too wet:• Swelling/cupping• Telegraphing• Delamination

Too dry:•Shrinking•Dry-cupping•Cracking•Delamination

Cupped floor, caused by wet subfloor

Jobsite & Schedule ConsiderationsJobsite & Schedule Considerations

Before Delivery of Wood:

• Enclose structure

• Complete and cure concrete, plastering, and painting

• Operate HVAC system for 14 days with stable relative humidity (35% - 60%)

Radiant HeatRadiant Heat

Solid• Use narrow width• Consider Rift/Quartered• Use dimensionally stable

species• Floating subfloor or sleeper

system

Engineered• Can use wider widths• Use crack-resistant species• Float or Glue

*Check installation instructions before finalizing heating system design. Follow instructions precisely to maintain warranty.

Color ChangeColor Change

Some species change color dramatically• Air - oxidation• Light – accelerates oxidation, too much may cause

bleaching

Brazilian Cherry

New >

Aged >

White Oak

Textures & CoatingsTextures & Coatings

Treatments• Distressed• Hand-scraped• Wire-brushed

Coatings• UV-cured urethane

(factory-finished)• Oil-based

polyurethane• Waterborne urethane• Natural penetrating oil Hand scraped wood flooring

Pros: - spot repairable for easy touch-upPros: - spot repairable for easy touch-up - highlights wood’s natural feel - highlights wood’s natural feel

Cons: - requires regular maintenanceCons: - requires regular maintenance - wood is less protected from - wood is less protected from

dings/scratchesdings/scratches

RubioRubio® Monocoat Monocoat® – color and seal in one – color and seal in one coatcoat

Natural Penetrating OilsNatural Penetrating Oils

urethane

natural oil

Unfinished vs. Prefinished Unfinished vs. Prefinished

Unfinished• less durability• adds 2-3 days to

installation• emissions during drying• higher total cost• ✔easily customized• ✔solid flooring can have

square edges

Prefinished• ✔greater durability• ✔fast installation• ✔no emissions from

coating• ✔lower total cost• customize only on big

jobs• solid flooring must have

beveled edges

• Deforestation and illegal logging• Why wood is good• Forest certification• Plantations vs. natural forests• Recycled/reclaimed/salvaged• Rapidly renewable materials - Bamboo• Off-gassing/IAQ• LEED compliance & documentation

Wood Flooring for Green Building

Deforestation

70,000+ sq. mi. lost permanently each year

- more than a football field per minute

Half of all species will be extinct by 2100

Deforestation

Second leading cause of global warming, ahead of all forms of transportation combined

Deforestation

Lacey Act AmendmentsLacey Act Amendments

First U.S. ban on commerce in illegally-sourced wood:

• Civil & criminal penalties

• Forfeiture of goods (even if trading unknowingly)

Weyerhauser harvest, WA State

Deschutes National Forest -1951 Same Area – 1995

Industrial Forestry in North America

Orchard Walnut75% FSC, 25% Recycled

FSC forest

Wood products are carbon-neutral or carbon-negative

What is Certified Wood?What is Certified Wood?

Forest Stewardship Council

• Environmentally sound forestry

• Social responsibility

• Economic sustainability

Forest Stewardship Forest Stewardship CouncilCouncil

Independent, Non-profit, International

Chain of Custody (COC)Chain of Custody (COC)

Certified products are reliably tracked from forest to end-user

Sustainable ForestrySustainable Forestry

Selective felling maintains forest ecosystems• 4-6 mature trees harvested per

hectare• For each tree cut, dozens are left

behind (non-commercial trees, seed trees, juveniles)

Sustainable Sustainable Forestry in Forestry in the the TropicsTropics

Giving local people a stake in keeping forests as forests

Peten Region, Guatemala

Reserve | No Management

FSC Management

FSC post-harvest

Plantation-grown wood is not always eco-friendly.FSC does not certify plantations that replace natural forests.

Plantation-Grown Wood

FSC-certified Teak Eucalyptus in Brazil

Recycled/Reclaimed/SalvagedRecycled/Reclaimed/Salvaged

< Salvaged – logs:urban trees, agriculture, waterways, deadwood

^ Reclaimed(post-consumer):previously manufactured wood products

< Recycled(pre-consumer/post-Industrial):manufacturing by-products

Bamboo FlooringBamboo Flooring

• Biology – grass, not wood• Hardness – fact & fiction• Traditional vs Strand Woven• Environment – fact & fiction

FormaldehydeFormaldehyde

Adhesives used in wood products:UF - Urea FormaldehydePF - Phenol FormaldehydePVA – Polyvinyl AcetateEPI/MDI – Emulsion Polymer Isocyanate

Standards:E1 (Germany) – 0.1ppmO.S.H.A. – 0.1ppmGreenGuard – 0.05ppmC.A.R.B. 2012 – 0.05ppmL.E.E.D. – no added urea-formaldehyde

Occurs naturally in all wood products – there is no such thing as a “formaldehyde-free” wood or Bamboo floor

• GSF products may qualify for: EQ4, MR3, MR4, MR6, MR7

• Valid FSC COC certificate

• Free L.E.E.D.® consultation

CalPERS HQ, SacramentoBamboo Flooring

Dollar value multiplied by % certified content

- or -‘Batch/Credit’ products

valued at 100%

100% of dollar value

applied toward MR7

Visit www.credibleforestcertification.org for more information.

SFI-certified Forests:SFI-certified Forests:

• Research first - some species, grades, dimensions not

available

• Determine lead times, plan ahead

• Regularly stocked FSC and Recycled items carry much lower price premium than custom-order items

Visit www.goldenstateflooring.com/green, www.fscus.org, or www.rainforest-alliance.org

Guidelines for Selecting Sustainable Wood Products

Ensure compliance:

• Specify the supplier – contact name &

phone

• Communicate lead times in writing

• Communicate the importance of proper

documentation:

1) Valid Chain of Custody certificate

2) Invoice detailing FSC-certified

status of product on a line-item

basis

Holding the Specification

Signals future demand

Translates directly into change at the forest level

The Power of the Specification

GAP Headquarters, San Bruno, CAPrefinished Engineered Maple Flooring

Questions and AnswersQuestions and Answers

Golden State Flooring680 8th St., Suite 169-BSan Francisco, CA 94103

Showroom: 415.522.5120

This concludes the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems Program.

www.goldenstateflooring.com