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Not the commodity-type strip floor of 20-30 years ago, but as a timely and beautiful specialty, replete with new patterns, colors, textures, and applications.

Hardwood flooring has changed greatly, and those who have recognized the changes, and the business opportunities inherent therein, are profiting.

Consumers today seek natural quality in floor covering. They increasingly look for products from nature, products which bridge the gap between the substance and form of years gone by and the planned obsolescence of today. Hardwood flooring perfectly satisfies these desires. But the timelessness of hardwood floors is only one reason for their renewed popularity.

Virginia Hardwood Co., the world's largest wholesale distributor of specialty hardwood flooring, has played a leading role in the promotion of genuine hardwood flooring. From beautiful brochures and mailers to point of purchase displays and even complete wall-hanging or free-standing hardwood flooring departments, they make available everything necessary for the promotion, display, and sale of genuine hardwood flooring. Further, the company provides sales training, technical information. and maintains three complete showrooms (116 Railroad Ave., Monrovia, Ca.; 1555 East Jackson St., Phoenix, Az., and 352 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles), and places heavy emphasis on specification calls to architects, interior designers, and other specifiers.

Hardwood flooring has been adapted to todays building methods; all parquets can be easily installed over a cement slab. There is even a genuine oak plank floor

Story at a Glance

No longer a commodity type item, hardwood flooring has become a new and beautiful specialty, boasting numerous patterns, colors, textures and applications .. it is also a very profitable product to sell.

(Bruce's Village Plank) which can be installed directly over concrete. Many hardwood floors are now available factory finished. This has been a blessing to hardwood flooring for many reasons. Factory finished hardwood floors are easily and quickly installed, saving costly labor and eliminating time lost between laying, sanding, and finishing. Also, factory finished hardwood floors have simplified the consumer's selection process and help make the cost of a genuine hardwood floor comparable to other quality floor coverings. (For example, genuine factory finished hardwood parquet often is less costly than vinyl imitations).

Many factory finished hardwood parquets and planks are easily installed by the non-professional.

These factory finished products are not limited to the floor! Increasingly consumers are applying genuine factory finished hardwood flooring to walls, tables or whatever their imagination suggests!

Hardwood flooring received an important boost when the old maintenance bug-a-boo was laid to rest. Today they are as easy to maintain as any quality-floorcovering. The basic rule of thumb for maintaining hardwood floors is: When you vacuum your carpets, vacuum your hardwood floors; when you shampoo your carpets; wax your hardwood floors;'when you replace your carpets, wax your hardwood floors.

The numerous installations of hardwood flooring in shopping malls, office buildings, restaurants, and department stores has proven its practicality, durability, and ease of maintenance.

Another factor in hardwood floorings' increased popularity is the large variety of patterns, colors. and textures available. Virginia Hardwood Co. carries in inventory in its Monrovia, Ca., and Phoenix, Az., warehouses well over a hundred different hardwood parquet and plank styles and colors, featuring BondWood by Harris, Bruce Floors, PermaGrain, Wood-Mosaic, and Dura Seal floor finishes and waxes. From these locations, the company services Southern California, Arizona, Southern Nevada, and Hawaii.

The promotion and marketing of genuine hardwood flooring has changed, too. On the national level, hardwood flooring is featured editorially in home and interiors magazines. Full page ads in these magazines have further stimulated the consumers' desire for genuine hardwood flooring. Manufacturers are receiving thousands of inquiries each week from consumers requesting literature and names of local dealers.

Because of the efforts of companies like Virginia Hardwood, the major hardwood flooring manufacturers, and quality floor covering dealers and flooring contrac. tors, hardwood flooring has found its place as the quality floor covering specialty for the commercial and residential market.

Fireplace Technical Manual

Comprehensively illustrated technical manuals on Superior Fireplaces cover proquct informdtion, layout guides, in- itallation instruction3, aplplicaiion details and catalog information. Thev are being distribu-ted initially with i compfete section on E-Z Set zero clearance prefabricated fireplace systems.

Gym Floors

New illustrated literature on floor finishing systems is lrom Seal.

Replica Brlck Produetr

Z-Brick Co. publications feature a variety of ideas for installing and remodeling fireplaces with theia light- weight. non-ceramic decorative brick and stone.

Sandlng Parllcleboard

llew PIy Sfandard Data

" Plywood Commercial/ Industriql Construction Guide", a 56- struction Guide", 56-p. booklet from the American Plywood Assn., reflects Assn., reflectr luct Standard the specifications of Product Standard (PS l-74) and contains plywood usage recommendations for designing and constructing commercial and industrial buildings. gym Dura

Llghting Standard Derlgnr

Koppers' revised l2-p. brochure " Light Riser Laminated Lighting Standards," includes dimensions and illustrations for each of eieht models. desien specifications, lightin[ standard insta'ilation details and a color selection chart.

Glulam Recreatlon Bulldlngr

"Glulam Systems for Recreational Structures," a l2-p. free color brochure on the use of glued laminated timber in recreational structures, is from the American Institute of Timber Construction.

llaterlalr Handllng Manual

The new " Materials Handlins and Storage ldeas" manual bv the Na--tional Lumber & Buitding Maierials Dealers Assn., based on information compiled originally by U.S. Gypsum, is avaiiable at $25 from National Buildine Material Dealers Service Corp.. l9m M St.. N.W.. suite 350. Washington, D.C: 2ffi36.

Hardwood Floor Care

"Hardwood Floors - how to keep them beautdul for years" contains guiilelines for maintenance of newlv finished or refinished hardwood flbors. Short descriptions of Dura Seal products and use are included.

Snllf the Gedar

A new d-i-y brochure for using cedar closet panels to line closets cost 25d from fr:lp u Kendall, Inc. Huntsville, Ala.

A technical bulletin on sandins particleboard by the National Particle6oard Assn. covers the characteristics of various particleboards, the sanding system. abrasive planers, other sandeis,- grits. belts, feed speeds, belt life and san?ing equlpment.

Bridge Plan Book

"Glulam Bridge Systems Plans & Details" ($l\ l6-p. book containine design information on glued laminated timber panel deck systems for hiehwav bridges is from the American Instit-ute o? Timber Construction.

Amerlcan Colonlal }louldlng

How to use wood mouldings to establish authentic looking colonial desisn is the theme of "Ameridan Colonial,'ra folder full of detail sketches showine colonial moulding profiles and correc'l interior and exterior anplications: write Western Wood Mouldiirg & Miilwork Producers,^D.p!.^4F, P.O. Box 25278, Portland, Or. 97225.

New Water Softenen

Genova, lnc. has brochure describing water sotteners.

Jaloucie Slorm Doors

A new product sheet on the Season-all Jalousie Storm Door is available from Season-all Industries, Inc,, Indiana, Pa. l 5701

Free Reader Service

For more information on New Products and New Literature, write fhe Merchant Magazine, 4500 Gampus Dr., Suite 476, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660. Please mention issue date and page number so we can process your request faster! Many thanks!

Curhlon Tlre Llft Truck

Four major benefits plus standard features and specifications are described in a specification sheet on the ACC-120 c_tlsh-ion tire lift truck made by AllisChalmers.

Plaslic Buildlng Enclocurer

A new data sheet describing rip-proof Griffolvn. a nvlon-reinforcEd'oiastic Qb{c ior building enclosures, is' from Griffolyn Co.

a $ew fultr color their NovaSoft

Wood Mouldlng Promotlon

Promotional literature coverins moulding information for audiencei from architects to do-it-yourself buffs is among seven wood moulding sales sup- port materials available from Westein Wood Moulding and Millwork Producers. For a complete listins and description of the iteins, write Western Wood Mouldins and Millwork Propuc-ers. De_p_t-.-!, P.O. Box 25278, Portland, Or. 97225.

Steel Bathtubr

"A Close-Ilp on the Growing Demand for Steel Plunibingware" is the-latest ediiion of the Ste6l Residential Builder B.pgtt series from American Iron and Steel Institute.

Plyrood Panallng/Sldlng

An updated version of APA's "l Salnpling of Plywood for Siding,'.' offers rnlormatlon on extenor and lnterior applications of sidings.