North Carolina’s Reclaimed Lumber & Beams Uses Waterlox to Protect 200-Year-Old Antique Lumber Floors, Beams & Mantels

LENOIR, North Carolina – Deep in the mountains of North Carolina, Dale and his partners are constantly looking for barns, cabins, smoke houses and other wood structures that have been left behind for years.

Dale and his partners operate a company that takes wood, most of it hundreds of years old, and repurposes it. They specialize in repurposing Wormy Chestnut, Chestnut, Antique Heart Pine and White Oak for use as lumber, siding, flooring, beams and mantels.

 According to Ballew, his company’s business is truly a “Green” type of company simply by reclaiming the Appalachian’s finest recycled antique lumber.“We think it’s a great company because we are kind of as green as you can get,” said Ballew. “We’re keeping woods alive and out of the landfill and in some ways we’re finding woods that are the ultimate salvageable item. It’s almost like picking up an old artifact.”

The company searches through the mountains of North Carolina seeking old antique barns, houses, sheds, animal shelters and more, all in the effort to reclaim some of America’s most beautiful woods.

“We’re actively taking down barns and houses because we’re after the wormy Chestnut but we recover a lot of antique lumber doing that,” he said. “We produce all types of lumber products as well as flooring, millwork, tables and you name it. In the reclaimed wood business that’s kind of what we supply.”

Reclaimed Lumber & Beams provides lumber to a number of sources, hence the need for quality finishing. “We deal with architects, general contractors, homeowners, millwork houses, cabinet manufacturers and they all come with specifications and we try to hook them up with antique lumber items,” he said. “But finishing and restoring a several-hundred-year-old piece is important and that’s why we use Waterlox.”

“When I Waterlox and how it works, I loved it. We do live edge saw and slab. We take logs at saw mills with curly Maple or just a Walnut with some figure; we saw all the way through it and make 40 inches wide 12 feet long 2 feet thick for outdoor areas, cooking areas, conference rooms, flooring etc.

“The flooring guys we work with told us about Waterlox and suggested we use it. Once we did it, it made the color just ‘pop.’ We’ve been using it and recommend it. It brings the real color of wood out that all of the other finishing products don’t and can’t.”They use Waterlox because the product delivers durability and ease of installation when applying it.“Normal polyurethanes don’t get as thick a coat as Waterlox and when you stand them up next to each other, the Waterlox just makes it look 10 times better. Waterlox bottom line makes the product look better and it goes on easy.”

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation. Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.

About Waterlox

Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application.

For more information about Waterlox, please visit http://www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. To visit Waterlox on Facebook, click HERE, or you can follow Waterlox on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes.

Media Contact:
Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing
630-768-1404, cell
630-389-0572, office
ed@demaskmarketing.com

Master Craftsman Aaron Saxton Uses Only Waterlox Finishes Because “There’s Waterlox and Then There’s Everything Else”

When Aaron Saxton moved to the United States a few years ago from his native Australia, he settled into a nice niche business designing and building custom furniture for collectors as well as preparing mid-century pieces for auctions. Saxton, an accomplished craftsman in his own right, developed his own list of clients and associated himself with auction houses that were in need of his services to prepare antique, mid-century pieces through restoration for upcoming auctions.

“I do a little modern work but my specialty is the restoration of vintage pieces because the woods the people attending these auctions really are seeking are pieces made out of solid maple oak or birch and you can’t get that kind of furniture anymore,” Saxton said. “To put it bluntly the quality of new furniture these days just isn’t as good as previous built items.” Saxton worked with a long-time craftsman to finish his items but his finishing partner would never tell him the source of the products that he used to complete the pieces, until he retired. “You see, my work had always been good, excellent maybe, but my finish was never the look I sought,” he said. “When my friend the master craftsman was retiring he finally introduced me to his secret - Waterlox.

“Since I have been using it the quality of my finishes doesn’t just make people compliment the work as they used to, it makes them stare and wonder how wood could ever look that good. Waterlox isn't a secret - it's a trade secret. I view my finished items now with the pride I always wanted to. I am truly thankfully for them producing the actual finest finishing product I have known - and I have used them all. There is no near second place to Waterlox. There's Waterlox and then there’s everything else.” Saxton literally has people stop and ask him how he finished a piece of wood furniture so incredibly beautiful since he started using Waterlox. “A piece of wood is only as good as what you last do to it. You know that look that wood has after a nice finish, it beams and it talks to you. It’s almost dry oil. That’s what Waterlox gave me. I didn’t even know the finish was there, I could almost feel the wood like it was cut yesterday. To this day it looks the same as the day I applied it. I’ve cleaned it I’ve had objects on it and it still feels like I oiled it yesterday. It’s a showstopper and people are grabbed by it and think I got it at auction and no I finished it myself here. “I threw away all of the other finishes once I saw Waterlox. I didn’t even finish the cans; it’s that good in my opinion. I’m in the process of sanding down every other piece I’ve had in my own home to pull off the old finishes to redo them with Waterlox.” Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation. Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes. About Waterlox Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application. For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. To visit Waterlox on Facebook, click HERE, or you can follow Waterlox on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes. Media Contact: Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing 630-768-1404, cell 630-389-0572, office ed@demaskmarketing.com

Geoffrey Warner Studio Leans on Waterlox for Protection And to Bring Out Wood’s True Beauty in his Owl® Furniture Brand

Geoffrey Warner’s furniture design-build business, Geoffrey Warner Studio, has been very busy the last several months. Not only does Warner design and build beautiful custom furniture creations sought after by his clients, but he also recently launched a new line of affordable designer furniture.

“We can design and build anything our clients want,” Warner said. “We specialize in smart design, use beautiful woods to solve problems, and place a strong emphasis on traditional craftsmanship and its importance.

“As we grow, the one thing I don’t want to lose track of is being a master craftsman and using the wood as a basis for my designs. With that in mind, I look at a piece of wood and try to answer: ‘How can this beautiful slab of wood best be represented?’ To us, our products are the second life of a tree. We work a lot with big live edge slabs of wood and try to showcase the natural beauty with what we do.”

Warner’s line of furniture is sold under the Owl brand name and it has been extremely popular. “Our Owl line started with one simple stool and the entire branding effort grew from there”, he said.

“In a nutshell, about four years ago we launched our line of furniture with inspiration from our first piece, the Owl Stool,” says Warner. “This is what I’m most excited about. I set out on a mission to come up with a design that would be more affordable for my friends and neighbors. Since most studio makers’ projects are very expensive, I wanted to fill a well-needed niche.

“The philosophy behind our Owl line is that everything honors local community, economy and the environment. We strive to continue being smart with our designs to keep them affordable.”

Since introducing the stool, Warner has debuted stools with backs on them, stools on wheels (the ‘Rolling Owl’); as well as a desk (the ‘Peanut’) and an iPad holder attachment (the ‘Feather’).

A large part of Warner’s Owl furniture brand is the importance of designing pieces that highlight the wood and bring out its natural beauty. To do this, Warner depends on Waterlox and its Original Tung oil finishes.

“Waterlox is a very natural looking finish that makes every project we make look great,” Warner said. “It’s a finish that’s in the wood rather than on the wood and that’s exactly what we’re looking for here.

“I’ve been using Waterlox for probably about 10 years now. I discovered some left-over Waterlox on a construction site while installing some custom cabinetry. When I used Waterlox on a piece of furniture for the first time, I realized that its durability was far superior to all of the finishes I had used previously. In researching the product, I also learned that Tung oil is known for its water-resistance; which is why it’s used on working surfaces such as hardwood floors and wood counter tops.”

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation.

Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application.

For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. Visit Waterlox on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and on our new Pinterest site.

Media Contact:
Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing
630-768-1404, cell
630-389-0572, office
ed@demaskmarketing.com

Waterlox Original Tung Oil Finishes Provide Protection for Larry Daniel’s Residential Master Bath Remodeling Project

The one thing that Larry Daniel had been used to reading on his “honey-do” list was master bath remodel. In Larry's words, his master bathroom had been “stuck in the ‘80s.”

Larry’s wife had been patiently awaiting a new master bathroom so when the time came to tackle the project, she had some magazine articles, pictures and examples with the ideas she had in mind for the look and feel of the remodel.

“My wife is the one that had seen an article and pictures of a bathroom in Architectural Digest Magazine where someone had used wood around the tub,” he said. “For the remodel, we decided to make the tub surround and vanity top out of Walnut. Since this project was in the bathroom, we wanted a product that not only protected it, but also enhanced the wood’s beauty too.”

After doing quite a bit of Internet research on Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes (www.waterlox.com), Larry went to his local paint store, Askew-Taylor Paints, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and shared the scope of his project. Askew-Taylor Paints has carried and sold Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes for many years. They agreed that Waterlox would provide the protection Larry and his wife were looking for as well as bring out the natural beauty of the wood.

“Waterlox made the Walnut tub surround and counter top in our bathroom remodel look really rich and beautiful and I decided to use it anywhere I could in the remodel,” he said. “It highlights the grain of the wood and it makes it really warm in appearance. The Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish was so easy to use; I just applied it and let it dry. I hate painting but this was so DIY friendly it was really easy to use.”

Larry also decided to make a teak corner “shower caddy” and finished it with Waterlox’s Marine Finishing System. “Even the really nice and expensive shower caddies that are on the market today have to be hung on the shower arm and don’t look very nice,” Larry added. Larry cut strips of teak and slipped them into a 3/8” stainless steel channel in one corner of the shower for all their shower essentials (Waterlox suggests being diligent about removing any soap or shampoo that comes in contact with the shelves as these will soften the finish). “Of course my wife uses two out of the three shelves!” laughs Larry.

The couple was so impressed with the performance of Waterlox, they used the leftover product they purchased to seal the front door of their home, which had been fading over the years. “We’ve got a teak front door, kind of an Asian design with several inlaid panels,” he added. So I sanded, cleaned and applied the Waterlox products as described in the Waterlox Marine Finishing system guide on Waterlox.com. It looks tremendous,” said Larry. “I really look forward to using Waterlox again in the future. It’s a great product with endless applications and uses.”

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation.

Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application.

For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. Also, Like Waterlox on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes.

HistoricalSalvage.com Depends on Waterlox Original Tung Oil Finishes

In Monroe, Virginia, Mario Halkyer’s firm, HistoricalSalvage.com, has a firm grasp on the restoration market. Halkyer specializes in using materials from buildings slated for demolition or destruction for renovation and remodeling projects, including flooring, furniture and more.

According to Halkyer, the types of structures he is able to “salvage” wood from ranges in a wide variety.

“We’ve pulled from just about every type of structure that was about to be dismantled, from houses and barns to sheds, cabins and historic buildings,” Halkyer said. “It’s really been our focus to take the wood from meaningful buildings – historic or not – and repurpose it so that we’re able to save a little on the environment but also salvage the memories of those buildings by reusing them in other forms.”

HistoricalSalvage.com does just about all types of wood-focused projects, Halkyer said, from custom flooring, hand-hewn or rough sawn beams, to mantels and hand-made furniture. And with all of his projects over the last 25 years, he’s had a chance to use a variety of different sealers and finishes.

“I use Waterlox because it’s a great product that always does the job for me,” Halkyer said. “It brings out the real natural color of a wood and it soaks in to seal it in a way that most products can’t. It’s one thing to be reclaiming salvaged woods but to be able to protect them and make them look the way they did yesteryear, that’s important. And that’s why I use Waterlox Original Tung Oil finishes.”

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation.

Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application.

For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. To visit Waterlox on Facebook, click HERE, or you can follow Waterlox on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes.

Media Contact:
Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing
630-768-1404, cell
630-389-0572, office
ed@demaskmarketing.com

Waterlox Donates Product to Virginia Tech University for its Farmer's Market Community Project

At Virginia Tech University, the School of Architecture + Design’s design/buildLAB is designed to give students a real-world experience by developing and carrying out projects that literally are a part of the community.

Professor Keith Zawistowski, along with his wife Marie, also a professor at Virginia Tech, led the students in 2011 on a magnificent journey of community restoration and invigoration.

According to Zawistowski, the goal of the course is “to teach students the skills necessary to confront the design and realization of architecture projects, with a consciousness for social and environmental issues. By removing the abstraction from the making of architecture, the course engages students’ initiative and encourages them to ask fundamental questions about the nature of practice and the role of the architect.”

The students studied farmers markets all around the areas near their university and found one in Covington that could truly use a rehab.

“The neighboring town to Covington is Clifton Forge and there was an old sawmill converted to tire retreading facility and the local organizations got together with county government to move the facility out to an industrial park,” he said. “Then they bought it out and they wanted to develop it to a park, so our students dismantled the old saw mill and that wood became the ceiling of the farmer’s market.”

In a town where the residents are dominantly employed by one local manufacturer, new buildings and architectural projects are rare, to say the least. But the new farmers market gave the entire community a new 150-foot-wide by 30-foot-wide overhang under which they could gather each week.

“It’s the most prominent building in town and the first new one in town, so it stands out,” he said. “It’s a very agrarian material palate, it’s designed with the materials you’d expect in a barn so it’s great for a farmer’s market because while aesthetic its agrarian look appeals to everything in the area.”

The entire project depended on donations and grants to make it happen. With a budget of $150,000, products and services were both donated. To seal the wood ceiling on the project, Waterlox donated several gallons of Waterlox Original Sealer / Finish to the university.

“The students donated their time to make it happen for the community and it relied very heavily from donations from companies like Waterlox,” he said. “We’re extremely happy with the Waterlox because it will allow the wood to age naturally as it’s already an antique project.

“If you put polyurethane on it then it would’ve had a plastic look but Waterlox allows it to age natural and get more beautiful with age. It reveals the nature color of the wood instead of a high sheen. It lets the wood be wood.”

In addition to the quality of the project being solidified by using Waterlox, Zawistowski says the students involved in the project learned about the corporate citizenship aspect of public projects as well as they were able to use a product that had no learning curve.

“Beyond the quality there’s the idea of Waterlox being a good corporate citizen, which helped make the project happen,” he said. “They just gave it to us and that’s awesome. The other thing about Waterlox is that it’s very easy to use because it’s a self-leveling product. You don’t need to be careful putting it on you can roll it on and go. There’s no special training needed so it was definitely easy for the students to apply.”

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation.

Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.

Waterlox finishes penetrate into the pores of the wood and build up to a film that protects and nurtures the wood; and on top of all that are easier to restore and re-coat.

For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. To visit Waterlox on Facebook, click HERE, or you can follow Waterlox on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes.

PHOTO: © Jeff Goldberg / ESTO

Media Contact:
Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing
630-768-1404, cell
630-389-0572, office
ed@demaskmarketing.com

U.S. Department of State Building “Protected” by Waterlox as Universal Floors Brings Out the Natural Look in its Historic Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Only a few blocks from The White House in the nation’s capitol, the U.S. Department of State is headquarters for the country’s diplomatic missions abroad and for implementing foreign policy.

Its offices at the Harry S. Truman Building are adorned with beautiful hardwood floors that are a welcome to visiting dignitaries and are home to numerous meetings every month to ensure our policies overseas are carried out as planned.

Sprigg Lynn, principal officer for Washington, D.C.-based Universal Floors, was the one responsible for restoring the floors of the Diplomatic Reception rooms and bringing them back to their natural, beautiful appeal.

“We had a tremendous opportunity to work with the government at the State Department’s facility and we chose to use Waterlox to protect the floors because it provides a strong natural bond that becomes a part of the wood floor,” said Lynn. “The pictures really are a thousand words in this case, the before and after images tell the entire story.”

Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish was used, both for its drying abilities and the fact that Tung oil brings out a remarkable appearance that other products cannot match.

“It was truly a tremendous honor to be working on these floors, knowing how many foreign and domestic dignitaries will see the work we did for years to come,” Lynn added. “The floors are beautifully crafted and over time, like any floor, they needed to be restored. Waterlox was the perfect product because it delivers long-lasting protection while enhancing the wood’s appeal.”

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation.

Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application.

For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. To visit Waterlox on Facebook, click HERE, or you can follow Waterlox on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes.

Media Contact:
Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing
630-768-1404, cell
630-389-0572, office
ed@demaskmarketing.com