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Appalachian Haute Couture from TRC Flooring; Travertine Designer Collection from Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring; Summit Elite from TORLYS Inc.; Era Design from TRC. AUGUST 2015 | 31 Hardwood Flooring R Hardwood fl oors add character to a room by LAURIE JONES Rich, elegant, hardwood �looring continues to be the top choice for designers and consumers alike, with options ranging from classic colours to trendy tex- tures, and widths and technology that create warm and inviting spaces. Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring choices are celebrating the intricate and multifaceted beauty of natural materials in interior décor. While each species has a unique character, their designers and artisans engage in a form of meticulous play to create a palette of styles, hues and textures that embellish the essential natural character of the wood itself. "What you discover is that every wood opens up a remarkable range of dec- orative possibility," says Priscilla Bergeron, director of communications. "Woods that harken back across the ages and continents to exotic times and places share a quality of warm and timeless elegance, like our Émira and Mémoire series, with character that is boldly mod- ern or the muted luxury of our Hamptons series." Bergeron says designers are moving away from the overuse of stainless steel, chrome and brass to the smooth natural elegance of smoked woods with a soft palette of greys, taupe, whites and creams offering a weathered look texture that plays with the changing light of day. "We are very proud of our new Hampton series that epitomizes this trend re�lecting elegant and breezy homes of Cape Cod and Long Island. Smoked neutrals also work perfectly with our decidedly down- town new Greystone colour from our Urban Loft series." TORLYS Inc. has found that consumers are �lock- ing to the new character �loors that offer the matte �inish, the soft handscraping or wirebrushing. "These �loors are easy to live with as they are forgiving to everyday wear and tear, and they look beautiful with many interior design styles," says Brian Gencher, VP of marketing. "Consumers are also crazy about classic hardwoods like walnut. Walnut is a beautiful �loor that offers variation in colour and its beauty works with many interior �inishes. Walnut has been a favourite for quite a while and continues to be popular with today's decorating tastes." With TORLYS' large selection of hardwoods in seven collections, the latest in trends, colours and textures will satisfy virtually any décor. "All TORLYS hardwood �loors are designed to be environmentally friendly and conform to stringent California indoor air quality standards," says Gencher. "The �loors are hypoallergenic so they don't retain allergens or dust mites, which is great for consumers who want better air quality for their families." Most TORLYS collections have attached cork backing for sound absorption and comfort with Microban antimicrobial protection that inhibits the growth of mould and mildew. Home improvement shows regularly showcase the many ways hardwoods can create warm, inviting set- tings. But unlike some of those episodes, the days of pulling up a carpet in grandma's house and discovering a high-valued hardwood �loor underneath have faded into �iction, says Malcolm Sask, VP, Wiston Building Materials Co. "Older hardwood �loors typically have narrow board widths and are loose in manufacturing tolerances. Today, most people recognize that hard- wood �loors are made wider, longer and with more precision. In the case of factory pre-�inished �loors, the products provide a surface �inish that is far more durable than anything that was possible decades ago." Sask adds that since factory pre-�inishes are now so durable, it is simply not economical to re�inish them. "The labour and sandpaper it takes to grind off today's aluminum oxide �inishes is so consuming that it's far more economical to simply plan on replacing the �loor. Because of this, manufacturers are focusing more and more on engineered hardwood � loors, where there is 400 to 800 per cent more �looring produced from each tree while still providing the texture and appeal of real hardwood." How long will a pre-�inished �loor last? "That still depends greatly on the amount of foot traf�ic and the Taking Centre Stage

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