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.

Thinking “green” sometimes means looking at the product that lasts

Posted by Christine Halvorson

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. In a recent inquiry from a potential customer, M. Carroll, Ms. Carroll noted to our Sales and Design Consultant Dan O’Neil that the “green” way to go may mean buying a quality product that lasts, not one that is going to wear out or look dated after a short time. She wrote:

“…the greenest thing one can do is choose quality that lasts a lifetime, or two. I have a background in Ecology that goes back 30-plus years. Your products are as green as it gets.”

Thank you, M. Carroll!

These days we often get asked about bamboo as a flooring material. Bamboo is a sustainable product, but Dan points out that it hasn’t proven itself over time, like sustainably grown trees have. He likes to stress the “proven timeless quality” of our floors.

Read more about Carlisle’s environmental commitments here.

Posted on November 18, 2009 at 12:47 PM in Green Building • (0) Comments
Synergy Homes finds Carlisle on a fateful trip to Florida

Posted by Christine Halvorson

Synergy Homes & Design of Salt Lake City discovered Carlisle floors at the International Builders Showroom in Orlando in January 2008. It was the start of something big.

According to Dominique Powel-Naccarato, Vice President for the company founded by her husband, Kyle Naccarato, they’d been searching locally for something that was “over the top” unique for a current project, The Chateau, that would be showcased in the Parade of Homes in June. Their search brought them to that Orlando trade show and Carlisle’s floors.

“We just loved what we saw,” says Dominique.

Shortly thereafter, Carlisle’s representative met with the Naccaratos in Salt Lake City, and then they, in turn, visited Carlisle’s Denver showroom. Together they settled on 6,200 square feet of Eastern Heart Pine to install in several rooms, plus on a staircase and the ceiling of an octagon-shaped parlor. Every room got a different stain and finish—which Dominique says fools people into thinking four or five different species of wood were used— in random widths from 10 to 16 inches. “That’s really what makes Carlisle stand out. Nobody does those wide widths,” Dominique said.

Still, the Naccaratos had some apprehensions. “We didn’t have a lot of time and you worry when you order something from out of state,” she said. “The Carlisle process went smooth as can be. Our installers here said they loved working with it. It installs and lays so perfectly, and the big planks make it go quickly.”

“It was just an awesome process to integrate those floors into this home,” she said.

Even more awesome? The Chateau ended up winning “Best of Show” in the Parade of Homes event.

Since the Chateau, Synergy Homes has worked with Carlisle on a number of smaller homes. Another 10,000-square-foot home is planned, where 80 percent of the floors will be Carlisle.
Of all the vendors they saw at that Orlando trade show, Carlisle is the only one they’ve since used, Dominique said. “We were so happy we made that trip. Finding Carlisle made it so worthwhile.”

Below is the Chateau which won the People’s Choice Award for Synergy.

Posted on November 17, 2009 at 04:00 PM in Home Building & Contracting • (0) Comments
Brooklyn blogger calls his Carlisle floor smooth and creamy

Posted by Christine Halvorson

We loved finding this entry from a blogger Andy Heidel in Brooklyn, New York, who got a delivery of one of our floors back in August of this year. He appears to be starting his own bar and using Carlisle floors in them. Here’s what he had to say the day the floor was delivered:

“So i think i single handedly lifted at least 3400 lbs. I am the Hulk. Hulk Likes Lumber. Hulk Not Smash. Actually the boards are so smooth and creamy I wanted to take a nap on one. Now I have to let them acclimate to the NYC climate, but next week… Instalation! stay tuned for Floor Saga!”

Posted on November 13, 2009 at 02:30 PM in Customer Stories • (0) Comments
Installing a Carlisle unfinished or Custom Coat floor can be a do-it-yourself project

Posted by Christine Halvorson

Anyone with basic do-it-yourself skills can install a Carlisle floor, but it’s entirely up to you whether you wish to do it or have a professional come in. If you do it, we’ll send along complete instructions before your floor order arrives and we’re available seven days a week for your questions. Every member of our sales and design staff has had hands-on training in the most up-to-date installation applications and techniques. If you encounter a problem or have a question, we are only a phone call away at 800-595-9663. We want this to be a fun project for you and that the results will be something you’ll be proud of.

In addition to the time, here’s a list of supplies you’ll need to install the floor yourself. You might want to take a sneak peak at the PDF document we have that provides detailed, step-by-step instructions.

For Installing Your Unfinished and Custom Coat™ Floor:
- Power nailer or pneumatic stapler
- Chalk line
- Tape measure
- Chop, circular or radial arm saw
- Caulking gun
- Square
- Utility knife
- Rubber mallet
- Nail punch (if you are using face nails)
- Finishing nail gun
- Sawhorses
- Subfloor adhesive
- Concrete adhesive
- Floor straps and weights (for direct glue installation)
- Square notch trowels (for concrete installation)
To read a little more about the do-it-yourself process, click here.

Posted on November 12, 2009 at 01:50 PM in DIY • (0) Comments
Sometimes wood reclaimed by Carlisle becomes not a floor, but a beautiful kitchen cabinet

Posted by Christine Halvorson

We’ve written here several times about our relationship with one of our neighbors here in New Hampshire—“Crown Point Cabinetry”:http://www.crown-point.com/. Crown Point, headquartered in Claremont, New Hampshire, specializes in customized cabinetry for period style kitchens, baths, offices, laundry rooms, home bars and more, and they sell direct to the customer. We think all their work is just stunning. Their customers are often requested reclaimed wood for their customized cabinets these days and when that happens, Crown Point turns to us here at Carlisle for supplies from our various reclaimation projects.

Here’s a recent stand-out example of how reclaimed wood can be used to create a modern, sleek and definitely cool look—even when it’s made from what was once an old barn here in New England. Crown Point took the grey barnwood to make the posts and horizontal runners of this kitchen island, and they combined it with cabinetry made of wood but painted black. Stunning, don’t you think?

Posted on November 11, 2009 at 08:33 AM in Green Building • (0) Comments