Surface Blog

New search engine helps architects, builders target the right suppliers

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

We got wind of this new search engine that helps architects and builders find the suppliers and supplies that they need for their projects. We thought we’d pass it along, complete with a note from an architect who recommends the service:

As a licensed Architect, I am faced with the same challenges you are – finding and selecting the right products for my projects. I’m so excited about the new search engine I’ve found, I had to email you and let you know that it really works…and it is amazing!

It’s called BPM Select. No irrelevant returns like the major search engines provide, just a profusion of pertinent results every time. Plus, I can easily find general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers – right from the search results screen!

Don’t take my word for it, try it – BPMSelect.com. If you like it or have comments, please let me know what you think. As a fellow architect, I thought this would be a good site to share!

Karen Christensen
Registered Architect

Posted on Feb 16, 2010 AT 01:20 AM in Home Building & Contracting • (2) Comments

Premium Heart Pine pleases this customer; she puts the leftovers every where

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

We got a nice note and some photos from customer Lyn Sturtevant to show us the end result after installing her 10-inch Premium Heart Pine  floor. The floor was delivered prefinished with Plymouth Pumpkin stain. She worked with our design and sales consultant Crystal Knowles for about a year to get this project done.  Lyn wrote:

Hi Crystal,

I am sending you pictures of my floor taken at Christmas time in my new kitchen.  You will notice a little shelf in the bathroom….the back of it is made up of extra flooring!!  Also the bead and board in the bathroom is from Carlisle too.  I thought you would get a kick out of seeing it.  My desk top is also made of extra flooring.  Hope you like the pictures.  Enjoy the day, Lyn

Posted on Feb 15, 2010 AT 01:34 AM in (0) Comments

Antique Hickory and WOCA white oil create custom look for J. Crew stores

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

We thought you might be interested in seeing this new photo of a J. Crew store in New York’s Upper East Side.  Yes, those are lovely clothes and those displays are all sitting on a Carlisle floor. We’ve been working with J. Crew for some time now. You can see much more about this in an earlier blog entry here.

Carlisle’s wide plank floors now appear in a total of five J. Crew showrooms, with a few more store designs currently on the drawing boards. The look you see here—-with its silver-gray tones—was created with WOCA white oil applied to Antique Hickory. The floor here was placed in a classic Chevron design, one of many options when considering patterns and parquets.

Posted on Feb 09, 2010 AT 01:00 AM in Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments

Monday Morning Mailbag: Family room in Maryland benefits from prefinished Antique Hickory

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

Homeowner Bruce Silver sent along these photos of the floor just installed in the family room of his Maryland home. The floors are done in our prefinished Antique Hickory, in 3- to 8-inch widths. The final coating is Amber.

Here’s what Mr. Silver wrote to us when he sent the photos:

The whole family is really thrilled with the new family room Antique Hickory flooring. The wood itself is so rich and warm and full of character. The installation was expertly performed, right down to the specially crafted shoe molding Keith made from a couple of leftover planks.

Many thanks to Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring and to Valued Homes!

Got questions about Carlisle’s prefinished floors? Check them out here.

Posted on Feb 08, 2010 AT 09:22 AM in Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments

Shuttercraft custom shutters for authentic renovations

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

Carlisle floors are often being installed in old house renovations and for good reason. They can provide a timeless, authentic look that seems unattainable with other types of floors. Custom made wood shutters by family-run Shuttercraft, Inc in Connecticutt are used in old home renovations for the same reason.  The company can customize its red cedar shutters for both interior and exterior use and deliver them either unfinished, primed, or fully painted. Shuttercraft shutters were used in four rooms of the White House to achieve an authentic look.

According to Colleen Murdock of Shuttercraft, many of her customers are renovating homes in historic districts and are trying to match the exterior look and color of shutters than might have been on these homes two centuries ago. An endless variety of cut-out patterns can be created as well. The photo below shows an old shutter with a cut-out that was matched to create an entirely new one.

Builders and contractors also come to Shuttercraft for customized shutters on new construction. The hinges and holdbacks can be customized and the shutter sized to fit non-standard windows and to be completely functional, not just decorative.

For more information, visit Shuttercraft, Inc  online.

Posted on Feb 04, 2010 AT 11:26 PM in Restoration Projects • (2) Comments