(908) 232-6600
(908) 232-6600
Great floors don’t happen by chance.
They happen by design.
More than samples. A systems lab for wood flooring.
This studio helps design teams prevent wood flooring failures by testing materials, validating assemblies, and engineering project-specific flooring systems. We replace generic specs with structured, proven, performance-backed solutions. With the right system in place, your design stays stable, durable, and true to its intent.
Our Services
Selected Work
Where Our Wood Flooring Systems Live
From residences to hospitality, commercial to institutional work, our assemblies are trusted wherever flooring performance must be predictable. Every system is calibrated to the substrate, climate, and usage of the space, turning a common point of failure into a quiet certainty.
VIRTUAL CONSULTATION
A Working Session for System Design
A consultation gives you expert oversight before problems take root. We review your drawings, substrates, and site conditions, then help you choose the right materials and system so the floor performs exactly as the design intends.
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Send Drawings, Context, and Concerns
Floor plans, sections, details, photos, and your existing spec or concept. Flag anything you’re worried about—delamination, checking, buckling, cupping, moisture, acoustics, substrate irregularities, or past failures.
15–45 Minute Working Session on Zoom
We walk through risk points, design or adjust the wood flooring system, and outline all required testing, tolerances, and environmental controls.
Written Summary & Next Steps
You receive a clear summary, recommended assemblies or corrective actions, and specification-ready language you can plug directly into your drawings, specs, or owner/GC communication.
RESOURCES
Tools to keep in your standards and project folders.
Use these to brief your team, coordinate with GCs and installers, and avoid repeating past failures.
Failure Prevention
Cheat Sheet
A one-page list of the most common causes of delamination, face checking, buckling, and cupping — and what to verify in design and field to avoid them.
Great for project kickoff meetings.
Pre-Installation
Testing Checklist
A clear list of moisture, substrate, and environmental tests that must be performed and documented before wood flooring is installed.
For coordination with the GC and installer.
Proven Assemblies Overview
A short guide to wood flooring systems that have performed well in real projects — by substrate type, acoustic requirement, and use case.
Use as a starting point, not the finish line.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
CEUs for Architects and Designers Who Want Systems That Perform
Weekly Virtual CEU | AIA / IDCEC eligible
Our CEUs cover the topics that drive sound flooring specifications—emerging trends, grading standards, commercial system requirements, core fundamentals, and the details that prevent failures.
VIRTUAL CONSULTATION
Join our weekly CEU for a practical, systems-focused look at how to design wood flooring assemblies that perform the way your projects demand. Each session breaks down the conditions, decisions, and details that determine success—and the pitfalls that derail even well-intentioned designs.
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How different assemblies behave under actual project conditions
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Why delamination, face checking, buckling, and cupping occur—and how to prevent them
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Proven systems for concrete, wood substrates, acoustics, and radiant heat
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Live Q&A to workshop your current or upcoming projects
About
Founded by Joe Avila to eliminate avoidable flooring failures.
National Wood Flooring Consultants was founded by Joe Avila to eliminate avoidable flooring failures. After decades as an NWFA Certified Wood Flooring Inspector, Joe saw the same issues repeated across luxury residential, commercial, institutional, and landmark projects: floors were failing not because of products, but because complete systems were never designed.
The Problem
There’s a major disconnect between how wood floors are specified, how they’re installed, and how they perform in real conditions. Key requirements—manufacturer guidelines, moisture testing, substrate preparation, acoustics, and environmental controls—often never make it into the drawings.
Common gaps include:
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Recycled or vague specifications
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Missing moisture, RH, and substrate testing
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Overlooked acoustical and subfloor requirements
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Assumptions that “it will work” without verifying conditions
The Solution
This studio fills that gap by engineering full wood flooring systems tailored to each project—far beyond material selection. Joe’s approach, shaped by mentorship under Janoz Spitzer and thousands of inspections, prioritizes designing systems instead of relying on products alone.
What we provide:
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Project-specific assemblies built around real site conditions
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Collaboration with mills to tailor materials
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Clear, enforceable specification language
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Defined responsibilities, documentation, and on-site controls
The result: beauty, performance, and longevity integrated from day one.
National Wood Floor Consultants
Serving architects, interior designers, builders and developers, property managers, institutions, and museums.
Curating over two decades of wood flooring consulting experience.
About Us
Contact
©2026 by National Wood Floor Consultants.