Hardwood Flooring Installation School

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years hardwood Yfloors have earned an enviable reputation. Prized for their beauty and durability, they have become a symbol of quality and luxury to the homeowners of America.

Unfortunately, despite their sterling characteristics and industry standards which assure the quality of every bundle of flooring produced, the improper installation of a floor can shatter the homeowner's dream of luxury. In an effort to insure that every installation meet standards, the Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association and the American Parquet Association originated the Hardwood Flooring Installation School in 1979. Now they have been joined by the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association whose member firms are the primary manufacturers of athletic floor products.

Howard W. Brickman of the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association staff is director of the school which also serves as a vehicle to counter a nationwide shortage of hardwood flooring installers. In addition to installers, students include flooring distributors, dealers, sales people and others who need to be able to judge the quality of a floor installed by someone else.

A broad cross-section of students attends every session. At a recent session the capacity enrollment of 5l included students from24 states, Canada and Holland. Classes were

Story at a Glance

Hardwood Flooring Installation School guarantees labor pool of skilled workmen combats improper installation, disappointed homeowners supported by associations and manufac. turers.

held in the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tn.

The four-day sessions open with an introduction to oak flooring and how it is manufactured. Lectures, demonstrations and practice work comprise the intensified curriculum. Among the many subjects covered are job-site preparations, installation of strip, plank, parquet and block flooring, sanding and finishing techniques, and trouble shooting. Sub-floored platforms are provided for students to do practice work in an almost exact replica of on-site conditions. With the addition of the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association as a sponsor, the subject of gymnasium floors has been added.

Students tour a flooring manufacturing plant to-see how the flooring is produced. Certificates are awarded in recognition of successful completion of the course.

The teaching staff is composed of members of the sponsoring organizations and other experts in various facets of the work. Representatives of manufacturers of floor nailing machines, sanding equipment, and finishing materials demonstrate their tools and products. Gray Moulthrop is school committee chairman for the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association.

HARDWO0D FL00BING Installation School students receive inslruction in the use of a nailing machine to lay strip oak floors. The instructor is Pete DeVita, representative of Porta-Tools, Inc., Wilmington, N.C.