Nobody knows wood floors like the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA). At this year's annual NWFA trade show in Palm Springs, Calif., the more than 2,200-member-strong association demonstrated its devotion to beautiful floors through its sponsorship of the 2001 Floor of the Year Awards. Members of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) judged a cornucopia of striking entries and chose contest winners based on each installation's design compatibility with other features in the room.

The NWFA awarded Floor of the Year honors in master and expert divisions. Chicago-based Birger Juell Ltd. took home the contest's top accolade in the master division. Incorporating hickory, walnut, maple, and mahogany, the 800-square-foot entry features herringbone patterns framed between columns. Sam Rosenberg and Birger Juell designed the hand-scraped and hand-beveled floor. The company also installed, sanded and finished the floor.

A previous win in a past Floor of the Year competition is required for consideration in the master division. Overall quality and appearance are the main criteria judges consider in conferring the Floor of the Year designation on an entry.

In addition, ASID judges named a 1,300-square-foot piece submitted by Artisan Hardwood Floors of Austin, Texas the 2001 Floor of the Year in the expert division. The same installation also won the 2001 Member's Choice Award in the expert division. Member's Choice Awards are determined by a vote of convention attendees.

Housed in a ballroom, the Artisan entry features a center parquet that measures more than 40 square feet. The installation's 8-inch medallion includes quarter-sawn white oak, santos, jatoba, and a santos mahogany background. Artisan installed and finished the floor. Decorative Flooring manufactured the flooring.

NWFA trade show participants chose an installation by Renaissance Floors of San Francisco as the 2001 Member's Choice Award winner in the master division. Eugene Klotz designed the floor to complement a French rococo decorated room. The 390-square-foot installation features a 75-by-45-inch hand-cut inlay oval medallion with an oak sunburst and scrollwork border. The award-winning entry also showcases a parquet design made of red oak and santos mahogany. Asmir Begic of Renaissance Floor In-Lays installed and finished the floor.

The Renaissance Floors installation also garnered the Best Use of Wood Technology Award. Entries in the Wood Technology category are judged on the effective use of wood-crafting technology to produce an aesthetically pleasing wood floor.

Entries in the Prefinished Design category include all types of manufacturer-finished wood flooring, and are judged on the appearance and compatibility of the flooring with other design elements of the room. The Becht Corp. of Tewksbury, Mass. won in this award category for its installation at the Reebok World Headquarters in Canton, Mass. The 30,000-square-foot design features prefinished-engineered maple, zinc feature strips and inserts of carpet. NBBJ of Seattle designed the floor. Firebird Industries manufactured and finished the flooring.

In the Unfinished Craftsmanship and Design category, Legendary Hardwood Floors Inc. of Terre Haute, Ind. earned an award for its 3,000-square-foot entry made from Brazilian cherry. The piece also incorporates 36-inch diamonds of Dakota Badland granite and 24-inch parquets. Charles Crispin of Legendary Hardwood Floors Inc. designed, installed and manufactured the flooring. Berger Seidel provided the finish.

Entries for the award include unfinished wood flooring, hand-cut designs and mixed media. Installations are judged on craftsmanship and design compatibility with other design elements.

Strobel Hardwood Floors of Jefferson City, Mo. claimed the Best Limited Species Design Award. Entries in this category incorporate a combination of two or fewer wood species and stained components using finished or unfinished wood. Strobel used rift and quartered white oak in the 2,000-square-foot piece, and included white oak and walnut in the floor's border. Strobel Hardwood designed and installed the floor. Caroll Hardwood and Caneak USA manufactured the flooring. Ultradeck provided the moisture-cure urethane finish.

Extreme Flooring of North Brunswick, N.J. won the award for Best Design in a Commercial Application. This category encompasses all types of prefinished and unfinished wood flooring with hand-cut, laser-cut or mechanically cut design elements and mixed media. With a 3-inch walnut border, Extreme's entry highlights a medallion made of red oak, mahogany and cherry. Extreme Flooring designed, installed and finished the floor, which was manufactured by Oshkosh. Harvester Chemicals provided the finish.

Mission Hardwood Floor Co. of Scottsdale, Ariz. walked away from the 2001 Floor of the Year Awards with a win in the Showroom and Personal Floors category. Nearly 300 popular species of solid hardwoods - including aged woods, vintage lumber and mountain wood products - are combined in the 800-square-foot installation. As the entry's designers, installers and sanders, Peter and Beverly Fay of Mission Hardwood used Duraseal finish and sealed the floor with Woodline DS-Neutral. In the Showroom and Personal Floor category, all entries must be used in a showroom, home or office of an NWFA member in good standing.

The 2002 Floor of the Year Awards will be handed out during next year's NWFA Convention at the Opryland Hotel, Oct. 17-20, in Orlando, Fla.