Hardwood Council’s New CD-ROM Wood Education Tool:

Furniture World Magazine

The Hardwood Council has developed a new CD-ROM specifying tool, which architects, designers and builders will find useful when they and their customers are selecting hardwoods and finishes. Called The Finishing Touch, the CD allows users to apply stain variations to photos of 21 North American hardwood species (such as oak, maple, hickory and cherry). Users also can apply stain hues to room photos that include hardwood flooring, millwork, moulding and cabinetry to see how stain affects the look of various hardwoods. As an added bonus, the CD contains physical and working properties for 21 species, a photo gallery, and lumber grade photos for seven major species. The Finishing Touch CD also contains these major sections: oFinishing Specifications: Covers considerations for selecting factory finishes and compares on-site vs. factory finishing. Wood preparation basics with descriptive photos and a glossary of finishing terms are included. oSmart Specifying: Covers information on natural variations in appearance and tips on specifying by lumber grade and species abundance. Tips & Techniques Projects: Covers how-to details on various hardwood projects from the Council's popular Tips & Techniques technical brochure series. Topics range from installing hardwood floors over radiant heating to working with crown mouldings and hardwood builtins. To order a free copy of The Finishing Touch, visit hardwoodcouncil.com. Or call or write the Hardwood Council, P.O. Box 525, Oakmont, Pa. 15139. Phone: (412) 281-4980. Fax: (412) 323-9334.