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By: Elizabeth Baldwin Credit: NWFA https://hardwoodfloorsmag.com/2021/12/20/determining-origin/ Last time I talked about “MUSA” – Made in USA Claims. Let’s dig a bit deeper into origin issues. Origin is a legal definition for Customs and it doesn’t always make sense for us regular folk. As noted, when talking about MUSA issues, making flooring in the U.S. out of foreign plywood doesn’t qualify for a MUSA label. And that concept carries through. If you ship Russian plywood to Italy and turn it into flooring, the finished product for Custom’s purposes is still Russia. This is important to understand for many reasons. The obvious one is that Customs wants to know that goods have entered the country correctly. But country of origin impacts a lot...

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By: Burt Bollinger Credit: NWFA: https://hardwoodfloorsmag.com/2022/04/15/preparedness-for-perfection/ As any successful hardwood flooring installer knows, having the proper materials and tools for an installation makes an immense difference in how a project progresses. For Oliver Barajas of Garibay Hardwood Floors in Hayward, California, ensuring a successful installation meant procuring hard-to-find wood and then properly fashioning it to meet his client’s request. “A general contractor presented us with plans to install herringbone in the dining room and living room and plank throughout the rest of the home,” explains Barajas. “Our initial challenge was he wanted the floor to be a very wide, select grade European oak. As many might understand, this can be very difficult to find right now.” Fortunately, Barajas could...

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