Help me find this flooring!

January 3, 2011 10:58 AM

Can anyone identify this hardwood flooring?

I was in the Banff Centre's Kinnear Centre on the weekend and they have this flooring in the "Maclab Bistro". Help me find it!

With my shoe for scale
With flash
Without flash

It's parquet hardwood, definitely real wood on the surface, in about 6" by 24" planks.

I have vigorously googled hardwood sites, the Banff Centre's page (including reading all documents related to this building), and the architect's page. I phoned the Banff Centre and they didn't know. Next step is phoning the architect, but thought I'd ask here first.

posted by some chick to home & garden (6 answers total)

It's hard to tell, but to me it looks like black walnut for the species.
posted by plinth at 11:04 AM on January 3, 2011

It's black walnut, and it's friggin expensive! It looks like someone ripped it down into 3/8" by 6" strips and glued it up, then crosscut the whole thing (effectively making boards out of it) Probably put a tongue and groove on it or ship-lapped it, since there are no visible face nails. I've never seen this manufactured before, so the only thing I could think is that someone had a lot of time and money on their hands...
posted by Glendale at 11:07 AM on January 3, 2011

Hah! Found the search term: "Fineline walnut flooring" should get you closer to what you want (one example).
posted by plinth at 11:14 AM on January 3, 2011

Glendale, I think it's some kind of engineered floor and probably not expensive because it's in a big student bistro taking abuse.

Plinth! Fineline is exactly the search term I was missing. Thank you!
posted by some chick at 11:29 AM on January 3, 2011

Yeah, if it's a veneer than you're looking at probably less than 1/16" of actual black walnut, which gives it less of a shelf life, as far as sanding and refinishing goes :( It's beautiful though! I've never seen a black walnut floor IRL before. Currently renting a house with a cherry floor, and it's beautiful too..
posted by Glendale at 12:26 PM on January 3, 2011

FWIW, that's not black walnut; the grain patterns are completely wrong. My best guess is that it's stained red oak.
posted by jon1270 at 3:48 PM on January 3, 2011 [1 favorite]