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

Universal Floors Restores Historic Floor using Waterlox at Virginia’s National Sporting Library & Museum

MIDDLEBURG, Virginia – In the heart of beautiful Virginia horse country sits a legendary facility dedicated to equestrians, field sports and the arts.

The National Sporting Library & Museum, founded in 1954, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of equestrian and field sports. The not-for-profit Museum recently expanded with an addition and overall they have expanded to become an important research facility and art museum with over 17,000 books and works of art in the collections.

A major part of the renovation was taking the floors and making sure they were restored to meet the aesthetic needs of the facility, overall. According to Sprigg Lynn, principal officer for Washington, D.C.-based Universal Floors, the project was truly “historic” in every way.

“They had a beautiful museum that they expanded as well as another old historic building, and basically the expansion quadrupled the size of it,” Lynn said. “But it was all done to look like it was from the 1700s and since we had the original floors we had to do a lot of hand scraping and light sanding before we finished it.”

Once the floor was ready to be finished, the only product that Lynn would consider for such an important application was Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish.

“Waterlox brings out the original character of the wood and when it dries it literally becomes a part of the wood, rather than a surface on top of it. That’s why we use it whenever possible. It takes the rich appearance that Tung oil brings out by using Waterlox to protect and showcase floors like these,” Lynn added.

The institution, open to the public, offers free lectures on equestrian and field sports and the John H. Daniels Fellowship program supports scholarships and shares information through exhibits, seminars, publications and special events.

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.

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.

To learn more about the National Sporting Library & Museum, visit www.nsl.org.

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

Contest: Send Us Your Unique Upcoming Project and We'll Donate a Gallon of Waterlox Original Sealer / Finish!

SPECIAL NOTE: Contest deadline has been extended to Sept. 10th!

Our "fans" and clients have been so generous in sharing their completed project photos with us throughout the years that we decided to offer a different type of "contest."

Contest details: Please submit a description of your upcoming unique project (30-50 words or more), including photos, by September 10, 2011. Waterlox will judge the submissions based upon the following characteristics (not necessarily in this order): 1. Project use; 2. Species of wood; 3. Design elements; 4. Green Build elements 5. Historical / Special Story elements.

First place winner will receive 1 gallon of our Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish (or the value thereof toward other Waterlox products) and a Waterlox T-shirt in their size; Second and Third place winners will receive a Waterlox T-shirt in their size. All winners will be expected to document the use of Waterlox in their project throughout the length of the project, which should be completed by November 30, 2011.

We are excited to offer this contest to our clients; creativity will be rewarded! E-mail Kellie Hawkins Schaffner at khawkins@waterlox.com today! All entries due by September 10, 2011.

The Peery Family Discovers a Piece of Italy in East Texas

In his search for the perfect Italian home, Terry Peery found the ultimately imperfect wood floor.

For two years Peery and his wife Donna had been designing and building their dream home in Tyler, Texas, a suburb about halfway between Dallas, TX and Shreveport, Louisiana.

Peery said it was their dream to not only make the home feel Italian but feel rustic and lived-in. Altogether; they have 2,600 square feet of wood floors in the home.

“It’s our personal home and we love Italy so we wanted to build an authentic Italian farm house with old stone, stucco, etc. and so we designed it that way,” he said. “We wanted this to really be authentic so we wanted the wood floors to match.”

According to Peery, they couldn’t get a contractor in Texas to offer them the same type of lived-in look that they wanted. Many offered to scrub the surface of the wood planks they were using but that wasn’t to his liking.

“I was online searching for some type of way to finish the floors. We wanted that old, hand-rubbed lustery look that comes with time and age on the floors and we couldn’t get anyone in Texas to apply anything but traditional products; and that’s not the look we wanted,” Peery said.

“I looked at several gallery photos on the Waterlox.com website and knew instantly that that’s what I wanted. We used the Waterlox Original traditional finishing system and it turned out great, and exactly like we wanted.

Both wood working professionals and do-it-yourselfers have used Waterlox products because Waterlox produces a unique wood finishes line even amongst others who use Tung oil in their formulations. Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes are resin-modified Tung oil based wood finishes; and, because they are resin-modified Tung oil finishes, they penetrate into the pores of the wood and form a film that is water-resistant, elastic and stands up to foot traffic and common household spills.

The difference between standard products and Waterlox Original Sealer / Finish can be found simply be walking on it, according to Peery.

“You can tell the difference just by walking on the different finishing systems in bare feet,” he said. “When you walk on a urethane finished surface, it’s like walking on a plastic hard surface, but with Waterlox Original, it’s like walking on the wood; it has a totally different feeling to it. You can tell it has soaked into that wood because it’s softer and more natural.”

Waterlox 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. 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 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.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from natural 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.

Woodworker Frank Klausz Depends on Waterlox for Quality, Protection

In the world of woodworking, Frank Klausz is a legend. The Pluckemin, New Jersey master woodworker has been a significant factor in the industry for more than 50 years.

Klausz writes articles for trade journals and travels throughout North America giving woodworking seminars to professionals looking to learn from the best. His clientele has included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Christine Todd Whitman, Malcolm Forbes and Ester Johnson, of Johnson and Johnson, as well as the New Jersey State House, the Newark Museum, Zimmerly Art Museum and hundreds of private and public corporations and residences.

Educated in Hungary and a graduated journeyman in 1959, Klausz launched his own company in 1972, Frank’s Cabinet Shop, crafting everything from reception desks and conference tables to furniture reproductions including Queen Anne, Chippendale, Shaker and Egyptian pieces.

Regardless of the client or the piece, Klausz depends on one name to protect the quality, integrity and luster of his woodworking pieces – Waterlox.

“The Waterlox amber color brings out the beautiful color of the mahogany and that’s really one of the biggest reasons why I use it and why I suggest others do, as well,” Klausz said.

“Waterlox protects the quality of wood and I prefer to use it because of the Tung Oil finish,” he added. Images of Klausz’s woodwork are available for viewing on his web site at www.frankklausz.com.

Klausz shows off his jewelry box at his seminars, a great example of how Waterlox protects original, hand-crafted woodwork. The reception he gets from it is so positive that he has to touch up the top every two or three years from woodworkers handling it. (Touch ups are easy to do with Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish and sanding to bare wood to do so is not required.)

“I lean heavily on Waterlox because it really brings out the color in wood, many times I’m looking to enhance that beautiful amber color and that’s how I’m able to do it,” Klausz said. “Most of my furniture pieces are finished with Waterlox. Most of my personal residence, including my kitchen is also finished with Waterlox.”

Klausz and many other wood working professionals have used Waterlox products because Waterlox produces a unique wood finishes line even amongst others who use Tung oil in their formulations. Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes are resin-modified Tung oil based wood finishes; and, because they are resin-modified Tung oil finishes, they penetrate into the pores of the wood and form a film that is water-resistant, elastic and stands up to foot traffic and common household spills.

Further, Waterlox 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. 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 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.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from natural 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

Robert L. Hawkins Jr., Retired President and CEO of Waterlox Coatings Corporation, Passes Away Leaving a Family Legacy Behind

Robert L. Hawkins Jr., the retired 2nd generation President and CEO of Waterlox Coatings Corporation and son of its founder, passed away at the age of 89 at home of natural causes early Saturday morning, June 11th leaving a strong family legacy behind.

RL Hawkins Jr. was the 2nd generation of family to own and manage Waterlox , which was started in 1910 by his father, R.L. Hawkins, Sr. Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 16 at 11 am at the McGorray-Hanna Funeral Home of Lakewood, 14133 Detroit Ave. where friends may call Wednesday 2-4 and 6-8 pm. Interment is at Lakeview Cemetery.

In recent years, Waterlox has been run by Chief Executive Officer, Jay Hawkins – the son of RL Hawkins, Jr. – and Vice President, Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, his grand-daughter.

“My father was not only a kind and generous man but he was a pioneer in this industry”, said Jay hawkins. RL Hawkins, Jr began working at the company when he was age 15 in the 1930’s, he became a member of the Board of Directors in 1948, acted as the Executive Vice President heading the research department in the 1960’s, and took over the company as President / CEO until his retirement in 1992. Since his retirement he continued as a technical consultant to Waterlox.

“My father continued his father’s legacy of developing coatings for the automotive industry”, said Jay. “He will be sorely missed by his colleagues, friends and especially our family.”

Waterlox’s founder, RL Hawkins, Sr., developed the black paint for the floor boards of Ford’s Model T and RL Hawkins, Jr., developed and held patents for a revolutionary coating and process used in the production of rubber mats used in automobiles and later in over-the-road trucks. This process allowed the color coat and mat to be cured together in a mold. Special care was taken by RL, Jr. in color matching the rubber to the latest automobile color trends.

RL Hawkins, Jr. was a long-time resident of Bratenahl, OH and a long-standing member of Mayfield Country Club participating in curling and golf, the Hermit Club participating in the men’s choir and acting as club photographer, Mentor Harbor Yacht Club participating in sailboat racing (Dragon and 40” Alden boats) and was a World War II Army Air Force Veteran where he served his country in aerial reconnaissance. He was a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and many Cleveland-based business consulting organizations including the Business Advisors of Cleveland. He held a Masters of Science Degree from the Case School of Applied Science in both chemical engineering and industrial chemistry and was a member of Beta Theta Pi.

RL Hawkins, Jr. was the beloved husband of Gloria (nee Merreck); loving father of Robert L. Hawkins III (Joan), Ann Stevens Rody (Harold), John W. “Jay” Hawkins (Dee) and step father of William (Mary) and James (Marie) Boswell, Brian (Gina), Paul Conor (Sharon) and Christopher W. (Cyd) Donohue; dear grandfather of 12 and great grandfather of 11; brother of the late Mary Kathryn Robertson and Betty Ann Stafford. The family suggests memorial contributions to The Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 East 185th St., Cleveland, Ohio, 44119.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes handmade from natural Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer, Jay Hawkins and Vice President Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using original family formulations, 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.

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