Eric Herman, CEO of the State of the Art Wood Floor Gallery in New York City, recently embarked on a remarkable flooring project in the prestigious Hudson Yards Sky Lobby. Spanning the 36th floor, the project includes 4,350 square feet of 5 1/2-inch-wide engineered European white oak flooring with large-scale 51-inch diamond patterns crafted from the same 5 1/2-inch-wide material.

“We learned about the project through a general contractor we work with regularly,” says Herman. “The contractor was very dedicated and pretty strict about the schedule. Given the high profile of the building, which houses very high-end businesses and tight security, everyone who was going to work on the project had to go through a security and building access orientation, which was part of the process of being able to work there.”

To complete the floor design, Herman and his team worked closely with the architects to select the colors based on the ideas and visualizations provided.

However, Herman found that creating large diamond patterns from bundles of wood of any length was a significant challenge and caused unforeseen problems.

“One valuable lesson I learned was that the waste factor on a job like this was almost 50 percent. I didn’t expect that,” he explains. “We ended up about 1,000 square feet short, and it was a very time-sensitive project. They had big holiday parties booked there already, and we had to get it done. We were at the last minute, but we got it done.”

To make up for the shortage, the factory Herman was working with prioritized the extra space and promptly delivered it to their warehouse so the team could complete the project.

“Logistically, all the materials had to be delivered to the building between 9pm and 5am. This was difficult because we couldn’t get the stuff there with a regular truck or delivery person. The deliveries included 300 sheets of plywood and 200 bags of levelling compound, as well as adhesive and flooring,” he says.

Although the project was originally expected to take six to seven weeks, Herman’s team had to complete the job in about four weeks due to the tight timeframe.

“You can stamp your feet or beg all you want, but at the end of the day, many trades work together to get the job done. You have to find a way to get the job done,” he says. “In this case, we started a little later in the day, around 10 a.m., but worked until midnight.”

Another challenge arose with the stone border that surrounds the floor. Herman’s team was originally supposed to lay the floor first, but scheduling complications and logistical issues meant that other trades had to work at the same time. The stone was ultimately laid before the floor.

“Less is more when meeting with clients. Never exaggerate and never overpromise. Instead, listen to understand their goals and their ultimate vision. Then come back with what you are 100 percent confident you can achieve.”
—Eric Herman, State of the Art Wood Floor Gallery

“We measured the concrete, nailed and lasered the entire floor, and then built it up with a leveling compound so that our wood would sit perfectly flush with the stone,” he says. “This added a week to the project that wasn’t included in the original schedule. We worked day and night, often until midnight, and another crew pushed us through during the day.”

The brass border around the perimeter was another difficult aspect. “The brass strip had an L-shape at the bottom that was supposed to fit under the stone, but the stonemasons didn’t fit it as planned,” he explains. “We found that it was difficult to attach it to the stone because we had to make over 1,000 cuts in the parquet and had no room to use a saw or router. We then proposed and got approval to add a 1-inch piece of wood that touched the stone first and then the brass, so we could use a router to cut the pattern as needed.” Herman’s team also had to bend the brass to the required radii – a challenging task, but one they accomplished successfully.

Working with high-profile clients requires a cautious approach. Herman advises, “When meeting with clients, less is more. Never exaggerate or overpromise. Instead, listen to understand their goals and their ultimate vision. Then come back with what you are 100 percent confident you can achieve.”

Ultimately, the project was a success. Herman concludes: “In the end, they couldn’t have been happier. We got it done one day before the final inspection. Everything went well, they got their building permit and were able to have their planned parties. Sometimes you have to jump through hoops and sometimes they’re hoops of fire. When you get through it, it’s worth it.”