HANDMADE CUSTOM MEDALLIONS
These are better Quality Floor Medallions than you see at the flooring store for 500.00
to 15,000.00! I care about quality. I am not interested in making the Inlays with
cheaper, inferior materials or big gaps between the shapes, either would make it
simple to reduce the price. The woods I use and attention to detail are the difference
between my medallions and others. While comparing medallions from someone else
look for the black filler between shapes. Check the direction of the wood grain, is it
orderly? Inspect the woods carefully, are they coordinated? These things may not
bother you, but I will not make the inlays like that. Creating the Inlays becomes more
of a factory job if I skimp. I think of myself more of a craftsman. If price is your only
concern there are many companies on the Internet that can make you similar Inlays
for less money, faster. Are they the same as my Inlays? No. Are my Inlays better?
Yes. If you want a one of a kind hand made in the US piece of floor Art, using the
highest quality materials, come to me.
WEAR LAYER
The medallions all have a hardwood "wear layer" of 1/4" to 5/8"(request only),
depending on the availability and species wood you select. Many Inlay makers claim
that their products are better because they use 1/2" or 5/8" wear layers. That is
great, but over kill. With the more expensive exotics this could put the price out of
the reach of many peoples budget. Any company that offers a minimum of 1/4" to
5/16" is making a medallion that has a thick enough wear layer. The wear layer of
90% of all 3/4" hardwood floors is 1/4" maybe 5/16". So why does the medallion
have to have a thicker wear layer than the floor? I guess in 100 years you could try to
reuse the medallion. Some clients are told that a solid 3/4" floor inlay that is tongue
and grooved(T & G) for every piece is best. NO. All hardwood floors gap somewhat in
the winter and the gaps disappear in the summer as the wood expands and contrasts
and they are T & G. The ply backer used in conjunction with current adhesives and
clamping in a vacuum press make the seams of the inlay FAR LESS LIKELY to gap or
separate than an Inlay made with 3/4" T&G flooring. That is the reason I went to the
ply backer in the first place! And I would love to see a really detailed "picture" inlay
made with 3/4" T&G, it can't be done for a realistic price or even at all. Some of the
detailed pieces in my Inlays are no bigger than 1/4" x 1", try to T & G that and keep it
from moving with no ply backer!
My inlays have other certain characteristics that I believe make them the best they
can be. These things may or may not matter to you. You decide whether it is worth the
cost and wait.
CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES & DIFFERENCES
First, I hand cut every piece of the medallion myself. This is a major difference for my
Inlays. I do not use a CNC machine or laser to cut the shapes. The small discrepancies
in my cutting gives the piece an organic feel I have not seen with a CNC or laser cut
inlay. And isn't it cool to know that a real person actually sat there and cut and sanded
all those little pieces to fit together by hand!
All of the pieces are then edge glued to one another to form a solid hardwood layer,
another Major difference in my inlays. Again, I do this by hand using type I waterproof
glue. Imagine the time and effort involved in gluing each of these little pieces
together,one by one. Most Inlay makers just set the pieces next to each other and
glue them to the plywood. This can cause the glue to come up between the shapes
actually creating gaps. I strive for tight seams, that is why I take the time to edge glue
every piece. There may be quicker methods, but none that gives the results of
inspecting every seam with the human eye while gluing. I use exterior rated adhesive
on all these edges to help keep moisture from seeping in between each shape. This is
another key main difference in my medallions compared to others. The type I glue is
gap filling, waterproof and better than the water resistant adhesives other
companies use.
Next, I adhere the solid hardwood layer to a piece of stable, Type I, plywood. Other
company's claim they use Baltic Birch(there are 10 grades!) and that it is superior
than other types of ply. Ask if they at least use TYPE I Water Resistant Baltic Birch, it is
more expensive & much more suitable than Type II Baltic plywood. Actually Baltic
Birch is not for floor Inlays at all! Sub-floor use is not even listed as a use for Baltic
Birch in its specifications! Take a look! I use MARINE grade plywood for ALL my inlays.
Boat builders use this ply for the hull of their boats! This ply wood can be boiled in
water and dried many times and no de-lamination occurs. Which means any of my
Inlays can be used outside on a deck with a proper sealer. The next step is placing
this hardwood to ply sandwich into a vacuum press using waterproof adhesive. The
vacuum press creates 1800 lbs of evenly placed pressure, far better than manual
clamping!
When the medallion gets out of the press it gets sanded flat and any gaps are filled.
Then the medallion is sealed with universal sanding sealer(shellac). This sanding
sealer is compatible with all top coats. It also makes the inlay ready for install whether
getting sanded with the floor or getting finished separately to go into a pre-finished
or EXISTING FLOOR. YES! These Medallions are easily installed in your pre-existing
floor and you do not have to sand or re-finish the entire floor to install it! The sealer
also brings out the true colors the medallion will be after finishing. Before I ship out
your Inlay I will email you a picture of the results. You can make sure it goes with your
space and is what you wanted.
I make every Inlay for 3/4" floors. If you need a different thickness, let me know
and I will change the thickness of plywood to accommodate your needs.
These are better Quality Floor Medallions than you see at the flooring store for 500.00
to 15,000.00! I care about quality. I am not interested in making the Inlays with
cheaper, inferior materials or big gaps between the shapes, either would make it
simple to reduce the price. The woods I use and attention to detail are the difference
between my medallions and others. While comparing medallions from someone else
look for the black filler between shapes. Check the direction of the wood grain, is it
orderly? Inspect the woods carefully, are they coordinated? These things may not
bother you, but I will not make the inlays like that. Creating the Inlays becomes more
of a factory job if I skimp. I think of myself more of a craftsman. If price is your only
concern there are many companies on the Internet that can make you similar Inlays
for less money, faster. Are they the same as my Inlays? No. Are my Inlays better?
Yes. If you want a one of a kind hand made in the US piece of floor Art, using the
highest quality materials, come to me.
WEAR LAYER
The medallions all have a hardwood "wear layer" of 1/4" to 5/8"(request only),
depending on the availability and species wood you select. Many Inlay makers claim
that their products are better because they use 1/2" or 5/8" wear layers. That is
great, but over kill. With the more expensive exotics this could put the price out of
the reach of many peoples budget. Any company that offers a minimum of 1/4" to
5/16" is making a medallion that has a thick enough wear layer. The wear layer of
90% of all 3/4" hardwood floors is 1/4" maybe 5/16". So why does the medallion
have to have a thicker wear layer than the floor? I guess in 100 years you could try to
reuse the medallion. Some clients are told that a solid 3/4" floor inlay that is tongue
and grooved(T & G) for every piece is best. NO. All hardwood floors gap somewhat in
the winter and the gaps disappear in the summer as the wood expands and contrasts
and they are T & G. The ply backer used in conjunction with current adhesives and
clamping in a vacuum press make the seams of the inlay FAR LESS LIKELY to gap or
separate than an Inlay made with 3/4" T&G flooring. That is the reason I went to the
ply backer in the first place! And I would love to see a really detailed "picture" inlay
made with 3/4" T&G, it can't be done for a realistic price or even at all. Some of the
detailed pieces in my Inlays are no bigger than 1/4" x 1", try to T & G that and keep it
from moving with no ply backer!
My inlays have other certain characteristics that I believe make them the best they
can be. These things may or may not matter to you. You decide whether it is worth the
cost and wait.
CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES & DIFFERENCES
First, I hand cut every piece of the medallion myself. This is a major difference for my
Inlays. I do not use a CNC machine or laser to cut the shapes. The small discrepancies
in my cutting gives the piece an organic feel I have not seen with a CNC or laser cut
inlay. And isn't it cool to know that a real person actually sat there and cut and sanded
all those little pieces to fit together by hand!
All of the pieces are then edge glued to one another to form a solid hardwood layer,
another Major difference in my inlays. Again, I do this by hand using type I waterproof
glue. Imagine the time and effort involved in gluing each of these little pieces
together,one by one. Most Inlay makers just set the pieces next to each other and
glue them to the plywood. This can cause the glue to come up between the shapes
actually creating gaps. I strive for tight seams, that is why I take the time to edge glue
every piece. There may be quicker methods, but none that gives the results of
inspecting every seam with the human eye while gluing. I use exterior rated adhesive
on all these edges to help keep moisture from seeping in between each shape. This is
another key main difference in my medallions compared to others. The type I glue is
gap filling, waterproof and better than the water resistant adhesives other
companies use.
Next, I adhere the solid hardwood layer to a piece of stable, Type I, plywood. Other
company's claim they use Baltic Birch(there are 10 grades!) and that it is superior
than other types of ply. Ask if they at least use TYPE I Water Resistant Baltic Birch, it is
more expensive & much more suitable than Type II Baltic plywood. Actually Baltic
Birch is not for floor Inlays at all! Sub-floor use is not even listed as a use for Baltic
Birch in its specifications! Take a look! I use MARINE grade plywood for ALL my inlays.
Boat builders use this ply for the hull of their boats! This ply wood can be boiled in
water and dried many times and no de-lamination occurs. Which means any of my
Inlays can be used outside on a deck with a proper sealer. The next step is placing
this hardwood to ply sandwich into a vacuum press using waterproof adhesive. The
vacuum press creates 1800 lbs of evenly placed pressure, far better than manual
clamping!
When the medallion gets out of the press it gets sanded flat and any gaps are filled.
Then the medallion is sealed with universal sanding sealer(shellac). This sanding
sealer is compatible with all top coats. It also makes the inlay ready for install whether
getting sanded with the floor or getting finished separately to go into a pre-finished
or EXISTING FLOOR. YES! These Medallions are easily installed in your pre-existing
floor and you do not have to sand or re-finish the entire floor to install it! The sealer
also brings out the true colors the medallion will be after finishing. Before I ship out
your Inlay I will email you a picture of the results. You can make sure it goes with your
space and is what you wanted.
I make every Inlay for 3/4" floors. If you need a different thickness, let me know
and I will change the thickness of plywood to accommodate your needs.
| Majestic Medallions and Inlays 10214 Saddlebred Trail, Woodstock IL 60098 - 815-206-5891 inlays@majesticmedallions.com |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Majestic Medallions and Inlays "Hardwood Inlays for any Application" 10214 Saddlebred Trail, Woodstock IL 60098 - 815-206-5891 inlays@MajesticMedallions.com |