New system introduced for floor refinishing.

Sister Companies Chemspec and RPM Wood Finishes Group Offer the Best of Both Worlds

Chemspec and RPM Wood Finishes Group are both members of RPM, a $2 billion world provider of specialty coatings. And their affiliation as sister companies has allowed them to leverage their respective areas of expertise to develop the new RX for Wood Floors program.

In May of this year, Varathane, a member of the RPM Wood Finishes Group, launched Renewal. This new system for restoring worn wood flooring without sanding was developed specifically for do-it-yourselfers, which represents approximately 50% of the floor refinishing market. The remaining 50% will call on service professionals to refinish worn wood flooring.

With the additional assistance of WFG's Mohawk brand, Chemspec will provide organizations which participate in its RX for Wood Floors program with the flooring products and guidance they need to handle involved repair work, such as deep gouges and pits that have penetrated the substrate, and grain lines that have been damaged through heavy abrasion.

Now available for the first time from Chemspec and RPM Wood Finishes Group is the new RX for Wood Floors system, a three-step process that restores dull, scratched wood floors to their original beauty, with no sanding. Using an advanced wood floor finishing technology, this new system chemically "sands" the floor and creates a receptive surface that bonds the underlying finish with the new, crystal clear, fast-drying topcoat. The end result is a beautiful finish that lasts longer and offers greater protection.

It is this same breakthrough technology that provides a key business opportunity for distributors and cleaning contractors to expand their business (and generate new revenue) to include the restoration of hardwood flooring. In regards to the product itself and on-the-job usage, no sanding is needed, which means no mess for the contractor or the homeowner. A typical-sized job can be completed fast -- a 15 x 15-foot room is usually finished in two hours.

The prevailing perception among homeowners with wood floors that need refinishing is that the job will require a lot of money and at least a weekend stay with relatives, not to mention dealing with the hassle of lingering fumes and dust that permeates everything in the house.

With RX for Wood Floors, the same professionals homeowners trust to clean their carpets can now refinish their wood floors inexpensively, with hardly any disruption and no fumes or dust. In less than a day, their wood floors can have a good-as-new, durable finish.

Joseph Cassadonte, owner of East Boston Carpet Cleaners, was not about to let his profits dwindle due to the decrease in carpeting and the increase in wood floors he was noticing among his established customer base. On the other hand, he wasn't too keen on investing in the expensive equipment or handling the dangerous chemicals traditionally associated with refinishing hardwood floors.

East Boston Carpet Cleaners has supported three generations of Cassadonte's. Now, thanks to Chemspec's RX For Wood Floors, Joseph can be sure his son, Vincent, who has been working with his father for six years, will inherit a thriving business.

"Hardwood floors are making a big comeback in New England. Many of my regular customers have torn up their carpeting in favor of the original hardwood floors underneath," said Cassadonte.

"I wanted to get into floor refinishing, but I was a little apprehensive about the set-up costs, not to mention the toxic chemicals involved. RX for Wood Floors provided the perfect solution. It's a great product system. It's easy to use and the results are fabulous. My customers trust that when I finish the job, their floors will look great.

Now I can do that for all of their floors -- carpet and wood."