Article Per Diem Six Years In

Six Years In, Densified Wood Floors Prove Their Strength — and Enduring Beauty — at Per Diem Restaurant

When Per Diem, the signature restaurant at Hotel Rock Lititz in Pennsylvania, opened in 2018, its interior design told a story. Inspired by the backstage world of touring musicians, the space combined raw industrial finishes, refined textures, and standout materials to create a memorable guest experience. At the foundation of that experience was something brand new: the first-ever installation of densified hardwood.

Six years later, that floor is still in place, still turning heads, and still performing well above expectations.

Design-Forward, Performance-Driven

More than 1,600 square feet of densified wood was specified for the dining room, a space with constant foot traffic, frequent table reconfiguration, and heavy commercial use. The design team selected natural Hickory for its visual warmth and organic variation — key to balancing the restaurant’s mix of concrete, steel, and leather.

But unlike traditional hardwood, densified is engineered using a patented densification process that enhances real wood’s performance. The result: a product that maintains the authenticity and character of hardwood, but with 2.5x the hardness, added moisture resistance, and exceptional dent protection.

“As a designer, you don’t want to compromise between form and function,” said Joshua Funk, Restaurant Owner. “This floor proves you don’t have to. It’s a true wood floor — and it’s built to last.”

Six Years Later: No Refinish, Just a Refresh

In early 2024, after more than half a decade of uninterrupted use, the floor underwent its first deep clean — not because it was worn out, but because it had been treated with incorrect maintenance products that left a dull film on the surface. A team from Bona® used their professional-grade cleaning system to lift away buildup and grime, revealing the original beauty of the finish.

“When I first saw the cleaned section, I assumed it had been refinished,” said Wayne Mitchell, Bona Certified Craftsman Representative. “The fact that this result came from a cleaning — with no sanding or recoating — speaks volumes about how well the floor held up.”

Before-and-after photos of the same floorboards show a dramatic transformation: color and grain restored, beveled edges cleaned, and finish clarity renewed — all without mechanical abrasion.

A Real Wood Solution for High-Traffic Spaces

What makes densified wood compelling for designers is its ability to bridge the gap between aesthetic priorities and practical realities. Unlike LVT or laminate, densified hardwood is a real wood surface — not a printed image — and it ages with authenticity. At the same time, it solves longstanding concerns about wood in commercial settings: scratching, denting, and durability over time.

While the product used at Per Diem was a prototype in 2018, it’s now commercially available under the Armstrong Flooring® brand name in the TimberTones® collection, making it easily specifiable for designers working on hospitality, retail, or mixed-use spaces. These lines feature trend-forward finishes, natural character, and neutral tones suitable for a variety of palettes. New TimberTones is 4x more scratch resistance and 6x more dent resistant than typical hardwood.

“This project is a clear message to the design world,” said Funk. “You can absolutely specify real wood in demanding commercial spaces — and have it hold up. Densified wood gives you the texture and richness designers want, with the durability and cleanability clients need.”