The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, Volume 01, No. 05, May 1895 | Page 3

order any design desired.
When placed in a new house floors of 7/8 inch or 1-1/4 inch are usually
to be preferred, and are made in sections of convenient size for
shipment at the factory, and finished after they are in place.
Most of the makers nail thin parquetry work through from the surface
and fill the nail holes with putty, although in some cases blind nailing is
used.
Western manufacturers have in the last few years been making rapid
progress in this industry. While J. W. Boughton, who is one of the

oldest and best known makers of ornamental flooring, is still doing a
large and increasing business, Western houses are catering to and
obtaining a great deal of the best trade. The Interior Hardwood
Company of Indianapolis, under the business management of its
vice-president, Mr. Charles Hinman Comstock, has doubled its
capacity in the last year and shows commendable energy in pushing its
business. S. C. Johnson of Racine, Wis., is also in the front rank in
first-class trade. The Wood-Mosaic Company of Rochester should also
be considered as one of the leading and reliable houses. Its collection of
designs is full and varied and its work of the best.
Architects will find the catalogues of these firms most valuable
reference books.
The finishing of a good floor requires care and attention as well as
special knowledge. Oil, varnish, shellac, and wax are the finishes
ordinarily used, but wax is usually the most satisfactory.
The floor should be carefully and thoroughly smoothed, so that no
waves or plane-marks will be seen, and then filled if the wood is at all
porous or open grained. This is done with preparations manufactured
by any of the firms mentioned above, or with fillers specially made for
the purpose such as those sold by Harrison Brothers & Company of
Philadelphia, or the Chicago Wood Finishing Company of Chicago.
The wood filler made by the latter firm is especially adapted for this
purpose and will give excellent results. The finish is then applied in one
or more coats as required, oil and shellac finishes usually requiring
more than one application and an intermediate rubbing down with fine
sandpaper. Shellac and ordinary varnish are usually unsatisfactory from
their tendency to wear unevenly. The Chicago Varnish Company of
Chicago supplies a varnish under the name of "Supremis," which has
proved by years of use under trying conditions, such as those of
asylums, hospitals, and public buildings, to be of exceptional merit. It
is elastic, tough, and gives a fine waxy surface which can be rubbed
and will preserve its finish. It has the additional merit of being easily
applied. It dries quickly and is remarkably durable. Wax should be
carefully applied and then polished to the required finish with a

weighted brush.
Of wax finishes one very largely used is that made by the Butcher
Polish Company of Boston. It has all the best qualities of other wax
finishes and has stood the test of time and experience.
There are numerous variations in the products referred to above suited
for different purposes. The Wood-Mosaic Company makes end-wood
mosaic 7/8 inch thick made of small blocks joined by means of a lead
tongue; wood carpet similar to that of S. C. Johnson; and thick and thin
parquetry. S. C. Johnson also makes a flooring of 1/4 inch face glued to
a backing of pine to make 7/8 inch, 1 inch, or 1-1/4 inch stock which is
found to stand the changes of temperature in American houses
remarkably well. The thicker floors of 7/8 inch and upwards are
frequently made with tongued and grooved joints and blind nailed.
These patterns when properly chosen are just as appropriate for stairs,
walls, or even ceilings, as for floors, and are frequently used for these
places.

Modern Mosaic Floors.
The use of mosaic floors, especially for corridors and entrances of
public and business buildings and in some positions of private
residences, is rapidly increasing, and every specimen of work gives this
art impetus. The laying of a mosaic floor is not so simple a matter as it
appears to many architects, and the fact that anyone cannot do it is
proven by the bad work one constantly runs across. It is, therefore,
advisable that work of this sort be entrusted to a concern that can be
found after the job has been finished and paid for, and that has a
reputation to maintain and a willingness to make good any imperfection
that a few months' wear will bring to light. As this number of THE
BROCHURE SERIES will often be referred to where ornamental
floors are being designed, we take pleasure not particularly in
recommending a house for executing such floors, but rather in calling
attention to some of the work