How Hardwood Floor Medallions Are Made

Contrary to what some think, most hardwood medallions are made entirely piece by piece. None are stained and today all individual pieces are cut either by CNC laser or CNC routing Hardwood medallions made by CNC router machines, with the exception of some simpler designs that can be made on the jobsite. Our preference of tool is the CNC router, as lasers have a tendency to show minuscule burning on the edges of lighter hardwood species.

Programming

What does CNC stand for? CNC is the acronym for computer numerical control. In other words a design is programmed into a computer. With the click of a mouse, the whole system performs its automated cutting of patterns. I first saw the routing system through a cabinet maker friend in the early 90's and exclaimed..."I gotta get me one of these gadgets!"

I've only had the chance to see how medallions are made by laser but look for the opportunity to see how they are done by a router system. The photo above was provided by friends in the Ukraine showing a portion of the CNC routing process. Assembly can be seen in another photo towards the bottom of this page. Such small pieces, yet incredibly precise.

Assembly

The next image shows how delicate pieces can be until Close-up view of detailed elements they are assembled into the pattern. The outer band in this design are the pieces being cut out in the photo above. Made from natural Wenge, an African hardwood, you can barely make out the seams in the photo.

The directional letters in this compass medallion is what caught my eye especially. Shown is one inserted and another set aside for the next medallion to be constructed.

Finally once all the pieces are assembled, the medallion is placed in a vacuum gizmo with a backer board applied with adhesive.

Related Pages:

• Hardwood Flooring Designs & Ideas
• Hardwood Floor Medallions
• Custom Hardwood Medallions
• Mixed Media. Hardwood & Tile or Stone
• Hardwood Floor Borders - One strip type. How they're installed
• Parquet Wood Flooring
• How Medallions Are Made
• Installing Medallions On Existing Hardwood Floors
• Installing Medallions On Concrete
• Stone Medallions