Surface Blog

Welcome to Surface, a blog by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. Join us in discussion about hardwood flooring wood grains & styles, home decor, green building products, trends and more.

New White Pine floor in New York looks good even without finishing

Posted by Christine Halvorson

Bob and Melissa Meyer of Alden, New York saw a Carlisle ad in Country Living Magazine and, once they decided to build a new home, contacted us and worked with Shanon Sterrett to come up with a design. Shanon, in our Stoddard offices, helped them choose Wide Plank Eastern White pine, 8" to 12" wide, and had it finished in a Bradford Umber stain and Tung Oil-what we call our "Signature floor." Bob and his father, a builder/carpenter, installed the floor themselves, and they did the finishing of the stain and oil. Shanon said the Meyers "were probably one of the sweetest couples I've worked with."
The photo Bob and Melissa sent (below) shows the floor in its installed but unfinished state, and it still looks great!

Posted on February 16, 2009 at 12:29 PM in DIY • (0) Comments
One designer’s unsolicited endorsement for Carlisle flooring

Posted by Christine Halvorson

Sales Account Manager Peter Switzer, in our Stoddard offices, has been working with Linda Sypherd, a potential customer, and getting some samples sent to her, etc. He was tickled when Linda took the time to send along this note recently:
Last night, I ran into a friend that I haven't seen for years and she does designing for new construction, etc.
Told her I wished I had bumped into her a few months before, as planning my kitchen was somewhat overwhelming; but as we talked, she was asking about my house, and then she asked the big one: What kind of flooring are you looking for?
So I told her wide planking! And she immediately said, "Carlisle was the best!" She was even more surprised that I knew that!. )
Linda moved to Egg Harbor City in New Jersey about two years ago and lives in a 2-story farmhouse on the river. Her house dates back to the 1800s and she and her husband began talking to Peter about using hickory with a hand-planed surface or antique heart pine.
Going to try and do all the floors downstairs at one time to make it look complete - kitchen, dining room, hallway & then the living room. Never know what we might come across once we get started...but that is our goal...hope!!!--Linda
Peter has now sent her some samples of, not just the two she wanted to see, but two more he thought might work in this old house. He wrote:
I also sent some samples of heart pine and even antique ash. I have been doing this a long time, and there are so many ways to make "new" wood look old. At the same time there is just something about the look of say antique heart pine that just adds 200 years to the home!

Posted on February 13, 2009 at 10:10 AM in Customer Stories • (0) Comments
Customer happy to have some leftovers with new Eastern White Pine floor

Posted by Christine Halvorson

One of our customers in Virginia completed the installation of an Eastern White Pine floor, pre-finished with Plymouth Pumpkin. The floor is 6" to 10" widths. We were a little late with the delivery of the floor because of a massive ice storm the state of New Hampshire had right around the holiday season. (You may have heard about it? Click here, if not). We're grateful that Mr. Young was incredibly nice about the whole thing and that he sent along this note and photo featuring his new floor. Thanks, Mr. Young!
The floor is beautiful, we cannot imagine a better color, and with all
those long boards it went down soooo fast....The folks living here clearly did NOT measure the floor but quoted the size from memory - and it is 15x16 not 18x16, so we have quite a pile left over. With luck, we might get a small bedroom re-floored.-- Russell Young

Posted on February 11, 2009 at 12:17 PM in Customer Stories • Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments
Random width flooring has look all its own

Posted by Christine Halvorson

Dan O'Neill from our West Hollywood Design Center in California sent us these shots he got from one of his clients, Greg Stewart, up in Regina, SA, Canada. Greg had a random width floor installed in his cabin using 4" to 8" pre-finished CG Hickory with a BU stain. Dan says a random width floor can really have a special look and these photos show that off.

Posted on February 10, 2009 at 08:53 AM in Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments
Hickory adds to beauty of northern Minnesota cabin

Posted by Christine Halvorson
Beautiful northern Minnesota just got a little more beauty added to it, with this floor that was installed in a small cabin there. Scott Ogden of our Midwest offices sent these photos along from his client, Richard Fursa, who had a 4" - 12" Hickory floor, pre-finished in our mill with Amber poly. Though Richard did a great job with the photos, Richard says-and Scott agrees-that the photos just don't do the floor justice. Here's what Richard had to say about his new floor:
We like the floor very much and are happy that we chose hickory. Its grain patterns are very striking. That coupled with the wide/long boards give the floor a look one will never see in the flooring sold at the various home improvement centers.
The photos, however, don't really do it justice. If you have ever been to the Grand Canyon and have taken photos, you will know what I mean.

Posted on February 6, 2009 at 09:56 AM in Customer Stories • Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments