German engineering is renowned and respected worldwide, and when it comes to the hardwood flooring industry it has a major foothold. Brands like Lägler, Stauf, Bosch, and Fein are revered by craftsmen the world over. The same can be said for LOBA-WAKOL, a company that seamlessly connects finish and adhesive products to produce floors that perform the way they should while looking stunning to boot.

Additionally, LOBA-WAKOL has a unique caveat when it comes to hiring their team members: in order to be in the field representing their products, it’s required you have a background in hardwood floor installation. To shine some light on LOBA-WAKOL and their team, we talked with their marketing manager Amanda Bartik as well as Micah Loberg, our local rep who has been in the hardwood industry since he was 17.

Topics: Contractor Education, Wood Floor Care, Wood Floor Finishes, Loba, Wakol

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Wood flooring has its own language. Some of the terms have to do with the appearance of the flooring, and those often are obvious. Some refer to technical aspects and are good to know when a contractor talks about how to make your wood floors perform well or how to fix those that need extra attention.

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Homeowner Education, Uncategorized

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We talked recently about wood cuts: quarter, rift, plain and live. We also talked about the forest-to-floor process. We even got in the dirt of the forest with a recent tree anatomy guide and how that anatomy relates to wood flooring.

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Homeowner Education, How Wood Flooring Is Made, Relative Humidity, Uncategorized, Wood Flooring Acclimation

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The cut of wood from a tree, the angle of how boards are cut when harvested, affects the wood flooring that will be made from that wood. It affects the costs of production and the final appearance of the wood flooring.

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Homeowner Education, How Wood Flooring Is Made, Uncategorized

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It’s so easy to buy products without knowing where they came from and the path they took before they landed at our door step. Without really knowing where, knowing something deeper than a label that only says, “Made in ______.” Without knowing how the products were made, and how that sets them apart from similar products.

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Homeowner Education, How Wood Flooring Is Made, Uncategorized

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We’ve all hiked in the woods or seen a fallen tree in a park and looked at its rings. One common bit of knowledge passed on to us since we were kids was that if we count that tree’s rings we’ll know its age. Had an infomercial announcer been on-hand, he’d have said, “But wait! There’s more.”

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Engineered Wood Flooring, Homeowner Education, How Wood Flooring Is Made, Solid Wood Flooring, Uncategorized, Wood Flooring Acclimation

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Squeaky floors. Do they drive you crazy, like fingernails on a chalkboard (when those still existed)? Maybe you block out the noises now, having tolerated them for years. Maybe you avoid walking over those especially creaky areas in your house, winding your way from the living room to the refrigerator during quick episode breaks when binging on the latest, greatest Netflix Original.

Topics: Contractor Education, Homeowner Education, Uncategorized, Wood Floor Maintenance

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Radiant Heat + Wood Flooring

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Homeowner Education, Radiant Heat, Uncategorized

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Blog Post Highlights | Benefits + Tips for Success

Topics: Contractor Education, Designer Education, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized

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How to Prepare a Concrete Subfloor

Just like with wood subfloors, concrete subfloors have to be dry and flat for a successful wood flooring installation.

Topics: Contractor Education, Subfloor Prep, Uncategorized

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