Welcome to the 10^th Annual Installation Awards where we are celebrating the flooring installation industry’s talented craftsmen and women in both residential and commercial settings. Contestants were asked to share what makes their installations special and the challenges they encountered along the way. This year, we received double the entries, and each one tells a great story.

We are excited to share those stories, and we hope you walk away with ideas for your projects and inspiration to try new things after viewing these winning projects that are the product of experience, creativity and skill. Next year, our hope is that even more folks will submit their amazing work!

Photo: Artisan Floorworks

Residential Winner: Tile & Stone

Patrick Casey
Artisan Floorworks
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Project: Flower Shower 

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Photo: Artisan Floorworks

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Photo: Artisan Floorworks

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Photo: Artisan Floorworks

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Photo: Artisan Floorworks

Challenges: My mother and I wanted to create a unique shower and decided to do a shower with a floral theme. The drawing of the vine came easy, but it was a challenge to figure out what colors to use for the mosaics in the shower floor and niche. I started with blue petals, but then decided that it didn't accent the vine as well. We laid out different colors on the floor until we found a good combination next to the greenery. The white petals were the best choice with a mix of teal, blue and periwinkle.

Another challenge was scribing the mosaics into the field tile on the side wall. I pre-mounted the vine mosaics onto sheet membrane using Mapei's Mapelastic Turbo. I placed the field tile onto the floor and traced the pre-mounted vine mosaics and a blue butterfly with a marker. I used a grinder, IQ table saw and cone bit to carefully grind out the areas where the mosaics were going to be installed.

The intricate details of the shower floor and niche required me to lay the mosaics individually. I started with the flowers and vinery and then filled in between with petals. For the back wall of the niche, I pre-mounted the mosaics to a piece of sheet membrane using Mapei's Mapelastic Turbo.

All of the outside corners were mitered to include the curb and niche. I used a grinder blade to get close to the edge and a 60-grit polishing pad to fine tune the edge. After installation, I decided to fill the miters with Tenax epoxy. This involved custom color matching the epoxy to the tile. Filling the miters was a challenge because it was my first experience with epoxy.

Unique Features: This project is special to me because it is something I was able to design with my mother. It has become more than a shower; it is a piece of artwork in her bathroom. The vine coming out of the drain and up the wall is like a metaphor of a seed that sprouted from the drain and grew into a beautiful vine from the shower floor up the wall. I thought of the petals as arrows pointing towards the drain and representing the flow of water. The vine on the shower floor has four tendrils with an aqua flower at the center of each spiral. I wanted the petals to appear to flow out of the spiral. I've been told by my peers that the petals give the shower a Van Gogh feel to it. After Googling his artwork I can see why people think that. My brother told me that the back wall of the niche is like looking out a window. Using custom mosaics in a shower can give it unique characteristics.

Photo: Roland Thompson

Residential Winner: Carpet

Roland Thompson
Thompson Flooring, Installation & Consultant Services
Frederick, Maryland
Project: Custom Grand Staircase 

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Photo: Roland Thompson

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Photo: Roland Thompson

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Photo: Roland Thompson

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Photo: Roland Thompson

Challenges: Keeping the Milliken carpet pattern balanced and following the curve of the steps where it’s wide at the top and bottom and narrow in the middle. I had to make a template of the area using felt paper, allowing for the pattern to line up both ways. Transferring the carpet and cutting it off-site was also challenging. Everything must be centered on the template.

Unique Features: What made this unique is the customer wanted no staples to be used on the steps. They also wanted the runner to follow the nose of the steps with no staples. I needed to think outside the box on how to achieve this. I came up with the idea to use Kool Glide tape and iron. Using this method extended the project time considerably; however, this resulted in a very happy customer.

Photos: Floors by the Shore

Residential Winner: Hardwood/Laminate

Adam Bissey
Floors By the Shore
Belmar, New Jersey
Project: Beautiful Coastal Home

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Photo: Floors by the Shore

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Photo: Floors by the Shore

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Photo: Floors by the Shore

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Photo: Floors by the Shore

Challenges: Making the client feel comfortable with us as their flooring contractor was my biggest challenge. This was an 8,000 square-foot residential installation; our largest one to date. Although I was highly recommended to my clients by their builder, they were hesitant and came into my showroom to ask about my process, products and installers. Talking about my business, my process, how I work and my crews along with my knowledge of the products I use and the confidence I have in them was easy because I believe in all of it.

I think my dedication to my craft and my confidence in my team ultimately convinced them to choose us. However, to quote our client on their acceptance email, “We are counting on you and your Team to take us to the Promised Land.” This was certainly a challenge. I am happy to say that they are extremely happy with the result, specifically, the quality of our work and our people and they look forward to future projects together.

Unique Features: We created a louvre pattern at the entrance that had to also go down a 40’ hallway between the kitchen and great room. We installed that same pattern on the second level entrance to the balcony. Creating a louvre pattern for any room requires precise customization in order to make the pattern look perfect no matter the size of the area so to do this, we had to adjust the size of the pattern to the space in order for it to look perfect and to maintain an even layout.

Photos: J&R Tile

Commercial Winner: Tile & Stone

J&R Tile
San Antonio, Texas
Project: UTSA Mural

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Photo: J&R Tile

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Photo: J&R Tile

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Photo: J&R Tile

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Photo: J&R Tile

Challenges: J&R Tile's project manager Gus Tolleson with James Fierros engineered a temporary, modular structure from the building with metal framing. This metal framing has bolts where the tile assembly can be removed and moved to a different location at a later date if the University of Texas at San Antonio chooses. James even painted the metal framing to match the color of the painted back walls while tile was being made for a seamless look.

Another challenge was approval from the artist, Mark Hogenson, on the color samples of the porcelain tile before installation.

The 12"x12" custom porcelain tile had to be perfectly installed on a grid, and the layout to perfectly fit took major planning in J&R's structural development with the space given. Black coordinating ceramic and painted metal trim was used for a custom seamless look at finishing end pieces.

After approval, special scaffolding was put up and taken down every shift to work on this 600 square-foot mural.

The biggest challenge was fighting the over 100-degree San Antonio summer heat. The mortars kept flashing over and a new plan had to be made to overcome the challenges of product limitations and specifications.

The installation team moved to hours of 11pm to 7am to ensure adhesives were properly applied and cured under 95 degree heat.

Exterior porcelain requires 95% mortar coverage, and the LED lights create "wall washing" accentuating the lippage at night. The installation team ensured substrates and tile were perfectly flat to overcome this challenge.

Unique Features: The beauty of the custom porcelain tile mural by local artist Mark Hogenson is an outstanding feature alone!

Silicone movement joints were placed where tile panels could be removed at a later date with the engineering done by Gus & James, with CAD drawings on locations for future disassembly if the University chooses to move the mural elsewhere.

This project is located in the city center of downtown, across from City Hall, and San Fernando Courtyard (2022 Commercial Tile & Stone Project of the Year). Downtown San Antonio is visited by millions every year, and you can see pedestrians taking photos in front of this installation currently.

Photos: Image Flooring

Commercial Winner: Carpet

Image Flooring
Lenexa, Kansas
Project: Flint Hills Discovery Center Kidscape

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Photo: Image Flooring

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Photo: Image Flooring

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Photo: Image Flooring

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Photo: Image Flooring

Challenges: The Flint Hills are a unique tallgrass prairie ecosystem in which grasses can grow up to 10 feet tall and have a root system that can grow up to 15 feet deep to reach limited groundwater. The Flint Hills Discovery Center is located in the northern portion of the Flint Hills in Manhattan, KS. The learning center was built to educate and inspire the next generation of land stewards. In 2022, the remodeled 2nd floor of the Discovery Center, was funded 100% by the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization, with no City tax dollars spent. The new 2nd floor is now called Prairie Playscape.

The Flooring Layout was conceived as an abstracted topographical map and has curved geometrics that echo the terrazzo floor geometry featured in the main atrium space. Bold colors were intentionally chosen to coordinate with Discovery Center branding and to create moments of color intensity at different interactive exhibits. Mohawk carpet tile was chosen for the bright colors in the patterns Color Balance and Color Beat. Each of the three color areas corresponds with an educational theme. Exploring the Land, represented in blue, is where kids can identify prairie flowers, see live animals, and explore wind on the prairie. Working the Land, represented in red and brown, is an area where visitors can learn how people have adapted to the land with skills like stone fence building and cattle ranching. Sharing the Land, represented in green, is an area where you can see how the food we eat is produced on the prairie and transported across the country and around the world.

Determining how to exactly replicate the curves of the topography drawing into the carpet was a challenge. Each curve and each color section had to fit within and around the equipment. Some changes needed to be determined and made by the installers during the installation to adjust for the size of the furniture and equipment going into the space. Our installers took the care and the time to make sure the carpet pattern flowed correctly in the actual space while also adhering to the architectural drawings.

Unique Features: Our installers did an amazing job to cut 12"x36" carpet tiles into shapes that represent a topography map!

Photo: H.J. Martin and Son

Commercial Winner: Resilient 

H.J. Martin and Son
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Project: Wrightstown Elementary School

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Photo: H.J. Martin and Son

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Photo: H.J. Martin and Son

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Photo: H.J. Martin and Son

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Photo: H.J. Martin and Son

Challenges: Over the course of 13 months on-site, the crew encountered various challenges. They had to work within a tight timeline to finish the installation before the school's fall opening, covering over 46,000 square feet with resilient and carpet flooring. The resilient flooring presented a unique hurdle with its offset staggered pattern, requiring careful planning to achieve both an appealing look and a perfect fit for the space. Aligning the long lines of colored resilient with the painted soffits demanded precision.

To ensure flawless alignment, the installers diligently self-leveled every square foot of flooring before laying down the resilient and carpet tiles. The phased installation required consistency, so the same skilled installers were deployed for each stage to maintain quality and continuity. Despite these challenges, the crew's expertise and dedication prevailed, resulting in a successful project completion that met the school's requirements.

Unique Features: One outstanding feature is the use of multiple colors in a block pattern for the resilient flooring. This creative design choice added a striking visual appeal to the space, making it stand out from conventional installations.

By incorporating multiple colors in a block pattern, the installation achieved a vibrant and dynamic look that enhanced the overall aesthetics of the area. The interplay of colors not only created a visually engaging environment but also helped define different sections and zones within the school.

Photo: Bjelin

Commercial Winner: Hardwood/Laminate

Bjelin, U.S. Headquarters
Milton, Georgia
Project: Charlottehaven in Copenhagen, Denmark

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Photo: Bjelin

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Photo: Bjelin

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Photo: Bjelin

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Photo: Bjelin

Challenges: This large-scale project in Copenhagen, filled with high-end Danish design, valued quality work and despite the flooring arriving late in the process, the installers managed to carry out the installation perfectly within the confines of the refurbishment. Due to the nature of these hotel apartments, where families with children and pets stay for weeks or months at a time, the floor needed to be sturdy, long-lasting and waterproof. The installers managed all those expectations due to the hardened wood flooring’s advanced floor-locking.

“We believe we have achieved something that is perfect,” says Charlottehaven’s Operations Manager Kristian Vöttrup. “We want to use quality products and the floor fits our long-term plans very well.”

All the interior design choices had already been made when the floor was chosen, meaning kitchen cabinets and so on had already been installed. At the beginning of the project, the installers had to make some adjustments with regards to the end joints, in terms of how close or tight they had to be to the already installed panels. But once they figured this out, they said “the installation went perfectly.”

Unique Features: 44 apartments were renovated in this furnished hotel apartment building, so it was a large project on a tight deadline since the floor was selected at the end of the interior design process. The installer praised the leakproof mechanical floor locking system, 5G Dry that’s incorporated into the floors, explaining that “it was a pleasure to work with.”The floors are installed in the entire apartments (except the bathrooms) including the kitchen, hallway and next to the sliding balcony doors where there might be spills or wet shoes, whereby the incorporated watertight joints were invaluable, with installers managing to create a leakproof flooring experience without any extra waterproofing.

Photo: Certified Finishes

Commercial Winner: Toppings & Overlays

Certified Finishes
Atlanta, Georgia
Project: Epcot—Project G—Communicore Flooring

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Photo: Certified Finishes

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Photo: Certified Finishes

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Photo: Certified Finishes

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Photo: Certified Finishes

Challenges: Maintaining the schedule with the park open every day to thousands of guests created unique challenges for material delivery, employee access to work areas and sound control.

We poured over 47,000 square feet of Durabella at the Club Cool, Creations Shop and Connections Cafe locations at Epcot in many different designs without the use of transition pieces required with traditional terrazzo to create seamless designs. Our certified installation crew also used 3D models to create unique patterns on the floor to help with wayfinding and also created outlines for areas of shopping, gathering and dining.

The bio-based terrazzo was also selected for the staircases, display cases, and planters so our team had to create molds for these areas to install them vertically.

The job was delayed for several weeks due to factors unrelated to the flooring, so our team brought in additional resources and was able to install double the flooring per day than what is standard to keep the project on schedule for the General Contractor.

Unique Features: In the magical world of Walt Disney World, dreams come to life, imagination knows no bounds and the magic never stops. The Gamma project at Epcot is a shining example of Walt Disney World's unwavering commitment to excellence and a dedication to pushing the boundaries of innovation with the selection of Duracryl's Durabella bio-based, seamless terrazzo.

In the Club Cool space, our flooring artisans created the flooring design featuring 3 color changes without the use of any transition pieces. A similar design was used in the Creations Shop but this area included 4 different colors and the use of 3D inlays were used to create unique star patterns on the floor.

At the Connections Cafe and Eatery, our experienced team was able to utilize 3D inlays to incorporate the original layout that Walt Disney had for Epcot, as well as create vertical applications of the bio-based terrazzo.

Learn more about the Installation Awards and see past winners!