17 Sep East Meets St. Xavier Church
Indo Teak flooring is durable and planet-friendly, but also serves as a tribute to the travels of St. Xavier
Don’t be misled by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification that comes with this Teak flooring. It does not mean the wood came from a sustainably managed forest. Instead, it comes from deconstructed structures in Indonesia – some up to 300 years old.
And it has proven to be the perfect look for the northern foyer at St. Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati. Church administrators’ desire for sustainable products and durability was a key reason Architects Paul Duffy and Adam Luginbill at glaserworks selected it.
“But it also had to do with the travels of Saint Xavier,” Luginbill says. “He traveled to Indonesia, China and Japan. This product and others selected for other areas of the building 
reflect that eastern influence.”
Indo Teak reclaims Teak from historic buildings slated for demolition and also uses reclaimed boat wood. They make engineered and solid flooring, paneling, siding, patchwork-painted Balinese boat wood and other custom wood products.
Already known for durability, aged Teak has the added advantage of being even more dimensionally stable, so it is less susceptible to expansion and contraction with weather and humidity changes.
Unfinished, solid Indo Teak flooring and stairtreads were installed, then finished with zero-VOC plant-based oil. This finish also was selected by Glaserworks for specific advantages it offers. Unlike polyurethane, which puts a plastic-like coating on the floor, the oil finish bonds with the surface of the wood, creating a very matte finish that allows the natural wood grain to show.
More importantly, Luginbill says, is that this finish is spot-repairable. There will be heavy foot traffic in this area of the building. When areas of the finish begin to show wear, they can be easily recoated with the oil.
If the finish were polyurethane, the entire floor would have to be sanded and refinished when wear became apparent.
“That would be a maintenance nightmare,” Luginbill says. ©
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