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abrasives

Innovation drives industry. The manufacturers included in this

year’s Tools & Supplies Product Focus are producing equipment

that propels our industry forward, helping you produce superior

results and meet ever-rising customer expectations.

Tools + SuppliesProductFocus

Virginia AbrasivesDesigned for use in between-coat finish preparation, Blue Magic pads feature hard, sharp abrasive grains. Blue Magic has been tested and approved by top finish manufacturers, the company says, adding that the nonwoven material allows for a more consistent abrasion without removing too much finish.www.virginiaabrasives.com

3M3M’s Easy Change disc buffer system makes

blending scratches and chatter marks or sanding patterned hardwood floors

easier than ever, the company says. Contractors can now quickly change from one 3M Hook-it II abrasive grit to another without tools. The discs

are available in grades 20 to 150.www.3m.com

FestoolGrits for Festool’s Granat

line of abrasives range from 40 to 1,500. They are designed for

solvent-based, high-VOC surfaces and paints. These

abrasives feature a hardened aluminum oxide with ceramic grit and stearate coating. What’s more, Festool says the abrasives have exceptional anti-clogging properties.www.festool.com

Mercer Abrasives, a Division of Mercer Tool Corp.Mercer Abrasives offers heavy-duty belts and pads of various grits and sizes. Mercer says these are cool-cutting and long-lasting. Its Premium Zirconia Floor Sanding Belts feature Zirconia grain, a resin-on-resin bond and a butt-tape joint for bidirectional sanding.www.mercerabrasives.com

Bona USThe Bona Blue Anti-Static abrasive line, featuring

sanding belts and edger discs, combines grit materials and antistatic properties that help prevent dust from clinging to the belt, leading to a more consistent cut and less dust on the floor, the company says.www.bona.com

58 Hardwood Floors n June|July 2011 www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com

Bona USBona US offers a European nap roller for waterborne finishes. It features a candy stripe that shows whether the roller is dragging. The

specially designed roller is for use with Bona finishes.www.bona.com

Woodwise/Design Hardwood ProductsThe Woodwise Nap Saver suspends an applicator pad inside a polycarbonate housing so the nap doesn’t get crushed. Since the nap never touches the sides, it keeps applicator pads like new so they can be used again and again without compromising quality, Woodwise says.www.woodwise.com

Padco Inc.Padco’s Crack & Groove Tool is a lightweight applicator with a narrow woven pad that can get into hard-to-reach areas; it can be used with all stains and finishes. The applicator is made of solvent-resistant plastic and comes in 2- and 6-inch sizes.www.padco.com

Great Lakes Custom Tool Mfg. Inc.Great Lakes Custom Tool’s Great-Loc SG Universal Floor Cutters lets users change inserts and backers in order to cut different flooring profiles while still using the same cutter body, something the company says eliminates the need to purchase additional cutter bodies. Each insert is precision-ground and optically inspected.www.glct.com

Royce-Ayr Cutting Tools Inc.Royce-Ayr produces fully adjustable tooling for

the hardwood flooring industry. The company says its products combine the ETP-Cubit adjustment system with either insert- or diamond-tipped cutters to achieve precise

results, and that this combina-tion works extremely well

in high-feed applica-tions because tools can be adjusted while still mounted to save

set-up time.www.royceayr.com

applicators

floor manufacturing equipment

Glitsa, a Division of Rudd Company Inc.Glitsa’s waterborne roller cover and frame help professional finishers achieve an even finish; Glitsa’s 18-inch roller cover with 3⁄8-inch nap fits perfectly into the adjustable frame. The frame is balanced on both sides to ensure even finish ap-plication, and it adjusts to fit roller covers from 12 to 18 inches.www.glitsa.com

Mercer Abrasives, a Division of Mercer Tool Corp.

Made of premium, thick lambskin, Mercer’s applicators are available up to 18 inches in size, with or

without a wooden applicator block. Thumbscrews hold the 6-inch-wide pad in place between two 21/4-inch-wide blocks. They can be used to apply stain, sealer and surface finish.

www.mercerabrasives.com

June|July 2011 n Hardwood Floors 59

Tools + SuppliesProductFocus

www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com

Delmhorst Instrument Co.Delmhorst’s Total Check features pin and pinless moisture measurement and a thermo-hygrometer attachment that conforms to the ASTM F-2170 standard.

Advanced features include corrections for 69 wood species, a calibrated drywall scale and a reference scale for non-wood materials. Stored readings can be downloaded to a spreadsheet, providing clear, complete documentation of every job.www.delmhorst.com

Duo-Fast Floor Fastening Systems

The Floormaster 250BN is a hardwood finish nailer. It features a

patent-pending no-mar guide for precise blind

nailing, and it drives into denser exotic woods with

ease, Duo-Fast says. Also, this finish nailer offers an adjustable

depth of drive, which the company says reduces tongue splitting.www.duo-fast.com

Powernail Company Inc.Powernail’s Flex nailer can be

used to install a variety of tongue-and-groove flooring

types, including both solid and engineered flooring

from 3⁄8 to ¾ inch thick; it eliminates the need

for pads and shims through adjusting to the floor height. It uses an 18-gauge cleat and is

made from rugged cast aluminum, while its pressure-sealed body eliminates leaks, the company says.www.powernail.com

Woodwise/Design Hardwood ProductsWoodwise makes a rectangular-head nail set for L or T cleats. This tool, which is made from case-hardened impact-tool steel, sets the nail below the wood surface.www.woodwise.com

Wagner Electronic Products Inc.Wagner says contractors can instantly and accurately measure moisture content of rough- or finish-grade wood with its MMC 220 moisture meter. The tool measures from 5 to 30 percent moisture con-tent (MC) and has a species selec-tion feature, eliminating the need to

reference correction tables. It also has an extended range feature, which allows for an extended species setting range for exotics.www.wagnermeters.com

Lignomat USA Ltd.The Ligno-Scanner SDM offers indi-vidual calibration curves and calibra-tion settings for wood and the most common bamboo

floor plank styles, including horizontal, vertical, strand, natural and carbonized. The meter has two measuring depths of 1/4 inch and ¾ inch.www.lignomat.com

Porta-Nails Inc.Porta-Nails’ Porta-matic Evolution is an 18-gauge flooring cleat nailer. It is designed to install 3⁄8- to ¾-inch-thick engineered and solid

wood flooring, including bamboo products. It features an ergonomic design and fully adjust-able shoe base for increased stability.www.porta-nails.com

Hardwood Industry ProductsHardwood Industry Products offers a full line of hardwood floor-ing scrapers designed to create hand-distressed looks. Its Optimum, Ultimate and Pro scrap-

ers (pictured top to bottom) vary in handle curve and profile, offering different amounts of leverage needed for either bench-scraping or on-site applications. The scrap-ers come with a lifetime warranty.www.hardwoodindustryproducts.com

Mercer Abrasives, a Division of Mercer Tool Company

Mercer’s premium, heavy-duty scrapers allow contrac-tors to scrape without gouging any tough surface edge sanders can’t reach. They’re available with either rubber-molded or premium hardwood handles, and

they feature double-hardened, high-carbon steel blade edges, angled to reach corners, edges and recesses.www.mercerabrasives.com

Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products

Woodwise’s V-Groove Scraper cleans out V-groove flooring during the refinishing process, while its Nosing Scraper helps maintain the round surface of nosing

or tread; a 14-inch Sharpening File is also available for the Nosing Scraper, and replaceable blades are available for both scrapers.

www.woodwise.com

PrimatechPrimatech’s 250 Series is for use with 5⁄8- to ¾-inch flooring with 16-gauge L or T nails, or 15½-gauge staples. The 550 Series

is for use with 3⁄8- to ¾-inch flooring with 18-gauge L cleats. With many enhancement op-tions, Primatech says both of these nailers can be used on residential or larger jobs.www.primatech.ca

60 Hardwood Floors n June|July 2011

Product Focus | Tools + Supplies

moisture meters

nailers scrapers


Bona USBona’s sanding systems feature the Bona Portable Dust Containment System and the

Bona Edge, which offers a reduced sanding arm but maintains the ergonomics and feel of a traditional edger, the company says. Plus, the company says its dust containment systems are the only Greenguard-certified systems in the industry.www.bona.com

CS Unitec Inc.CS Unitec’s 110-volt ERS 180 rotary sander fea-

tures slide rollers for sanding along a sur-

face’s edge, and it can be paired with a vacuum

for dust collection. It includes a variable-

speed motor and lock-on button to maintain a steady speed. This sander can accommodate 7-inch discs, and it weighs six pounds.www.csunitec.com

Revolution Inc.Revolution Inc. manufactures a new product called the FlexPad. Designed by contractor Wayne Lee, this pad replaces the rubber pad

for Clarke’s B2 and S7R edgers. Revolution says this pad cuts flatter than other pads due to its “flex.” It also

sands smoother than rubber edger pads, leaving fewer scratches to take out.www.101revolution.com

Woodwise/Design Hardwood ProductsWoodwise Dust Collection Bags are made from 12-ounce brushed denim for maximum durability. All sewn edges are finished for added strength and to prevent raveling. The bags open wide for easy emptying, and hemmed drawstrings ensure complete closure. The bags are available in large sander, large edger, and double-bottom edger sizes.www.woodwise.com

Cherryhill Manufacturing CorporationThe U-Sand Pro weighs 40 pounds less than the original U-Sand and is more aggres-sive. Utilizing Cherryhill Manufacturing Corpora-tion’s patented four-pad, random-orbital design, the U-Sand Pro will not damage

the floor, the company says, adding that it works as a sander, edger and buffer to provide a single, user-friendly machine.www.u-sand.com

FestoolFestool’s RO 90 Multi-Mode Sander has a tool-less design, allowing it to quickly change

from a round pad sander to a delta-shaped, random-orbit detail sander in seconds, the company says. It also features

a rotary mode for rough surfaces.www.festool.com

U.S. Sander LLCU.S. Sander now offers the HEPA Jet Dust Containment System, which meets the EPA’s

RRP Lead Safe Work Practices requirements to sand hardwood floors in homes built before 1978. It features a large, certified and tested HEPA filter that is rated at 1000 CFM and includes indicators to show when the filter is

contaminated. The system fully outdraws up to two sanders.www.ussander.com

Clarke American Sanders

Clarke’s OBS 18 and OBS 18DC random-orbital sanders remove scratch patterns left by drum or rotary sanders. The company says these tools leave the floor smooth, flat and ready for refinishing, and that they’re

perfect for the interim “screen and recoat” process.

www.ameri-cansanders.com

Mercer Abrasives, a Division of Mercer Tool

Corp.Mercer now offers narrow, elastic-neck floor sander bags with zippers. Made with 100 percent cotton flannel and napped on the

inside, Mercer says its sander bags are perfect for heavy-duty floor sanders and edgers. Also, the company still offers its standard bags with reinforced grommets and a drawstring closure that prevents dust from escaping.www.mercertools.com

WerkmasterWerkmaster says its Viper 1700 is like having seven machines in one. This variable-speed machine can grind, polish, edge, sand, buff, burnish and strip coat-ings from concrete and hardwood. The sandpaper-less machine has a 17-inch footprint and low profile, and it edges to within 1⁄8 inch.www.werkmas-ter.com



sanding equipment




62 Hardwood Floors n June|July 2011

otherAmana ToolAmana Tool offers a full collection of cutting tools that enable users to create custom tongue and groove wood flooring inlays from

solid wood. Included in this collection are router bits, plunge router bits, a shaper cutter set, and an undercut saw blade.www.amanatool.com

FEINFEIN says flooring installers get more done faster with the quality and durability of its MultiMaster tool. As the inventor of oscillating technology, FEIN says it brings a system perfect for flooring applica-tions. With the MultiMaster, users can efficiently remove old floor coverings, plunge-cut parquet or laminated flooring with ease, and quickly trim boards and doorframes.www.themultimastersystem.com

North American Caster Limited

North American Caster says its Floor-Care brand of self-adhesive felt floor pro-tectors have super-strong adhesive. The 110-piece pack pictured contains all of the most popular sizes to accommodate all kinds of furniture, it adds. These protectors can be used with all hard-surface flooring, and they are made in Canada.

Bosch Power ToolsBosch Power Tools says its GTS1031 10-inch portable table saw is lightweight and designed to be carried in one hand. It includes an expandable tabletop to meet

cut needs up to 18 inches, and it has an all-steel base and ergonomic handle.www.boschusa.com

Mercer Abrasives, a Division of Mercer Tool Corp.Mercer Abrasives says it supplies safety products to guarantee a safe work environment. The N95 Particulate Respirator is NIOSH-approved and protects against dusts and mists produced by sanding. The soft, closed-cell nose foam and adjustable nosepiece increases comfort and ensures the compatibility of glasses/goggles.www.mercerabrasives.com

Starborn IndustriesStarborn Industries Inc.’s Smart-Bit Pro Plug system is for plugging wood flooring and decking. It features a patent-pending glue nozzle that delivers glue to the sidewalls of the plug hole. The system

includes a tool for pre-drilling and counter-boring, fasteners, a glue nozzle and plugs.www.starbornindustries.com

Bona USBona offers the Bona Microfiber Mop for cleaning the job site. When used dry it picks up loose dust particles before sealing or stain-ing a sanded floor. It can also be used to wet-tack between coats of finish. The Bona Microfiber Cleaning Pad is wash-able for more than 300 uses.www.bona.com

FestoolFestool’s CT Work-center WCR 1000 mounts to the top of its CT Dust Ex-tractor vacuum. The Workcenter features all sorts of hooks, pegs and shelves, so it can hold a variety of tools needed on the job site.www.festool.com

Powernail Company Inc.Powernail’s PowerJack 500, with its drop-down self-adjusting jaw, handles flooring from 5⁄16- to ¾-inch thick. Powernail says it speeds up instal-lation of starter and finishing rows, and that its slim design and angled handle allow users to fit it under toe kicks and cabinets, ensuring tight flooring strips by either pushing or pulling.www.powernail.com



Taylor ToolsWhile Oil-Flo 141 Urethane Buster easily removes mastic, adhesive, ink, chewing gum, and asphalt, it is especially formulated to remove cured and uncured urethane from hardwood surfaces without damage or discoloration of the finish. It is a low-odor, non-flammable solvent that is water-soluble and USDA-approved, containing no chlorinated solvents or CFCs.www.taylortools.com

Woodwise/Design Hardwood ProductsWoodwise Felt Floor Protector Pads protect wood, vinyl, parquet and

ceramic floors from scratches, dents and rust stains. By allowing furniture to glide across a floor, the pads also help prevent furniture leg joints from becoming loose. The pads come in ¾- and 1-inch sizes for the peel-and-stick kind, while the tap-in kind are available in 7⁄8- and 11/4-inch sizes.www.woodwise.comv

SKIL Power ToolsSKIL’s model 1830 router runs a variable-speed 21/4-hp motor and features both an aluminum fixed base and aluminum plunge base. A quick-release lever allows for easy adjustments and removal, while a depth rod and adjustable turret make repeatable plunging possible.www.skiltools.com

Treska ProductsGame lines are easy to install with Treska’s Line-Rite Tape Machine, the company says. The machine applies masking tape for paint-ing sports court game lines, accurately ap-plying the masking tape for each side of the line at the same time. Line-Rite is adjustable for different widths and is especially useful for applying basketball circles, key ways and three-point lines, the company adds.www.treskaproducts.com


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