PPG Industries' building products-interior coatings group announced that Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Somerset, Kentucky, has been accredited as a member of the PPG CAP Certified Applicator Program (PPG/CAP) group and is the first program participant accredited to apply DURETHANE wood coatings by PPG to hardwood floors.

Brian Knapp, PPG director, coil and building products, said the addition of Somerset Hardwood Flooring to the PPG CAP Certified Applicator Program group represents the beginning of a new era for the program, which had previously certified only metal-coatings applicators.

“When architects and contractors work with a metal applicator certified by PPG, they know that applicator has been trained and audited to provide exceptional levels of product quality and customer service,” he explained. “With the addition of Somerset Hardwood Flooring to the program, architects can now specify Durethane coatings for prefinished commercial hardwood flooring with the same confidence they have for DURANAR metal coatings on exterior building components.”

Paul Stringer, Somerset Hardwood Flooring vice president, sales and marketing, said membership in the PPG CAP Certified Applicator Program group will expand the aesthetic and performance options available to commercial architects and interior designers.

“Somerset Hardwood Flooring has always been known for its ability to add warmth and beauty to American homes,” he said. “Now, thanks to our membership in this trusted and prestigious program, commercial architects and interior designers can confidently specify our prefinished hardwood floors in office buildings, retail stores, hospitals, museums, restaurants, bars and other high-traffic environments that have traditionally featured less attractive, more utilitarian flooring products.”

As a member of the PPG CAP Certified Applicator Program group, Somerset Hardwood Flooring completed a rigorous training and auditing program that encompassed every aspect of how to apply and cure Durethane wood coatings, and it set strict guidelines for how hardwood floors finished with the product should be handled, packed and shipped as well as installed on the final job site.

Architects and designers who work with Somerset Hardwood Flooring as part of the PPG CAP Certified Applicator Program group will enjoy many of the same benefits provided by traditional PPG-certified metal applicators. These include priority access to colored or stained flooring samples, accelerated product delivery to meet tight construction deadlines, and troubleshooting and technical support from PPG wood coatings experts.

Durethane ultraviolet (UV)-curing topcoat is a premium stain-resistant and wear-resistant coating designed to enhance the natural beauty of hardwood flooring.