“Long but amazing week. To say I’m humbled to learn and be able to create and progress is an understatement. Don’t ever let fear tell you what you can and can not do. Ready to crush this year. Being around people that have more talent than you and always being open to learn creates the most amazing results.”
— Mac Davis, Nantucket, MA
“Thanks, American Sanders for having Daniel Boone and Kevin Brophy attend IWFA. I really appreciated their knowledge. I ended up ordering the HD hydro sander because of the hands-on demonstration by the two of them.”
— Trevor Hayden, Omaha, NE
“Awesome class for sure! I had a blast, especially thankful for all of the other talented contractors that were there that all seem willing to help should I need it. I can’t wait to try this stuff out soon! ”
— Aaron Goodman, Wamego, KS
“Great group! I learned a ton from all of you, and was very thankful to be apart of the class! Hope to do another one again sometime soon.”
— Stanton Dennison, TECKTON
“This was an experience of a lifetime, so much knowledge and inspiration and on top of all of that, there are great friendships. Such an awesome experience learning and working with some of the best of the best...making new friends and memories was an added bonus.”
— Jessica Peterson, Beaverton, MI
“Well, this Game Changer Extreme Sand and Finish school were fantastic. Learning how to create artwork with LED cured Vesting hard wax oil was a great experience for me and a game-changer for sure. Big things coming in the future. These classes are definitely a highlight of my life. I will continue to move forward to learn new things and always challenge myself. I feel very happy when I’m learning new things that will be of great use to me in growing my small company into something much bigger than I could’ve ever dreamed of. ”
— Patrick Russell, Summerfield, FL
“Brookens Wood Floors, Inc. - Erick Salrin and Andy Ogden of our company just returned from this years school with glowing reports of things learned and ideas for the future of our company. I only wish I could have been there along with a couple of more of our team!”
— Ralph Brookens, Springfield, IL
“Broadleaf Hardwoods Co. - One of the best weeks of my life”
— Ethan Abrudenau, Des Plaines, IL
“Madera Floors - This is the mosaic wood tiger I constructed alongside 15 other craftsmen from around the world. It took us 5 days to complete. This is by far the most interesting and artistic project I’ve ever been a part of throughout my entire career as a hardwood flooring craftsman. This is a 100% handcrafted masterpiece that will live on for generations to come. Thanks to the International Wood Flooring Association, Castlewood Corporation, and the Masters at Archetypal Flooring in NYC. I appreciate your hospitality, artistic talent, and overall knowledge.”
— Javier Flores, Falls Church, VA
““I just want to say thank you to Jenny for convincing me to come over to the USA to Tell City. Jenny you are a remarkable woman with so much drive and ambitions. It was great to meet you, you are a pleasure to be around wand with what you had organized with the school was an awesome great experience. Howard Brickman what a man, lots . of knowledge to boot, I like learning old school stuff as I never got taught by anyone so thanks heaps for that Howard. Avedis Duvenjian and Vartan Arutyunian, my new brothers, you guys are out of this world. Learning the mosaic with you guys was incredible. Loved every bit of it all, the information, help and guidance, learning about color blending and a whole lot more. I cannot forget about the feast, unreal. None of this would have been possible without you Jenny E Riddle. Can’t wait to come over again. Best thing of all was all the new friends I have made, I have never been around such a great bunch of bloke. The atmosphere at the school was unbelievable, no bitching, no wingers, no arguments, just the best. A big thanks to all that attended for a great experience. Even my good friend Greg Ceglarski had a good time showing others what he does. I was watching him every now and then while I was doing the mosaic. Greg was in his element, as was I, doing something new. To anyone that wants a great experience I recommend the class to anyone.”
— Troy Abbott, Upper Coomera, Australia
“National Wood Floor Consultants Inc. - Very impressive work and it shows that there still is the need for craftsmanship in the wood floor industry as it begins to be swallowed up by the LVP and SPC products. Old dogs like Howard continues to use his skills to teach at the age of 70. I feel this International Wood Flooring association will grow quickly under their current leadership. I can’t wait to see what the next extreme wood floor class will be like, again great job.”
— Roy Reichow, East Bethel, MN
“I’m not so sure the wood flooring industry is going to be swallowed up by anything in the resilient category. There will always be a market demand for real wood flooring professionals like these guys who can create from concept to completion. The consumer still knows authentic wood flooring from fake wood flooring visuals that are not real wood throughout. Let the box stores sell price and composite visuals all they want. The IWFA is going to differentiate itself pretty quickly. Kudos to Howard and the team there for getting back to what made wood flooring great in the first place. Real Wood Floors are real wood...from top to bottom. These guys would have it no other way. Neither would I.”
— David Paal, USA
“An impressive lineup of industry talent gathered in Tell City, Ind., Feb. 25–March 1 for the second Extreme Wood Floors school held by the International Wood Flooring Association.
Award-winning lead instructors Howard Brickman of Brickman Consulting (Norwell, Mass.); Avedis Duvenjian and Vartan Arutyunian of Archetypal Imagery Corp. (New York); and Greg Ceglarski of Scribed Flooring (Brisbane, Australia) led a passionate group of students as they tackled elite wood flooring skills.
Duvenjian and Arutyunian guided the creation of the school’s showpiece, a wood mosaic tiger. Constructed from various sizes and species of wood blocks, the single piece offered multitudes of lessons in custom finishing, from wood fuming and wood burning to specialized color and coating techniques.
Ceglarski shared his technique for creating his award-winning “waterfall stairs,” as well as creating jigs to easily construct custom parquet and his technique for bending engineered or solid wood.
Brickman instructed students on skills from inlay creation to scroll saw work to bending wood.
The school was hosted by Castlewood Corporation. Manufacturer representatives at the school included Bill Cavey of Loba-Wakol USA, Mark Dittmer of American Sanders and Connor Anderson of Norton Abrasives. Additional school sponsors included 3M, Delmhorst Instrument Co., DuraSeal, Festool, MAPEI Corp., Oreck, Padco, Pro-Coat, Titebond, Vesting, Wood Floor Business and Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products.”
