It turns out the ladder to success isn’t always vertical.

It’s probably safe to assume that just about everyone who reads Fine Homebuilding or frequents our Web site has used a ladder on a job site. But have you ever used a ladder this way to get the job done? Or even seen a ladder used this way? To obtain just the right finished shots for author and flooring expert Charles Peterson’s new book, Wood Flooring: A Complete Guide to Layout, Installation & Finishing, photographer Randy O’Rourke spent most of this nine-hour photo shoot stretched across a ladder suspended from the ceiling in Peterson’s home.

And while Peterson certainly looks comfortable relaxing on his amazing floor, I doubt the same can be said for the poor photographer. That’s what I call dedication to your art. Fortunately, O’Rourke’s assistant and Peterson rescued him from his perch at the end of the photo shoot. 

This shot won’t be one that’s heard ’round the world, but it will be one that’s seen on Fine Homebuilding’s next back cover (March 2010, #209) and in Peterson’s book.

Here’s what we wrote about Peterson’s masterful creation on the back cover:

Basking in the afterglow of winning the National Wood Flooring Association’s 2009 Floor of the Year Award for best hand-cut bedroom floor, master craftsman Charles Peterson takes a well-deserved break. Over a nine-month period, Peterson spent every spare moment designing the floor, making jigs, and hand-cutting and installing each piece of wood, metal, and stone in the 528-sq.-ft. floor.

The floor’s intricate design includes 10 different wood species cut from solid stock. It also has accents of marble and more than 300 lin. ft. of brass inlay. Color comes from 60 sq. ft. of gold-leafing, gilding, dying, and faux painting techniques. The finish is a custom polyurethane cured with ultraviolet light.

Peterson created the floor and documented each step to illustrate the techniques detailed in his upcoming book Wood Flooring: A Complete Guide to Layout, Installation & Finishing.

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