Surface Blog

LEED contributor to Green Living Smart Living

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

When Kimberly Lancaster and Joe Hageman decided to build a state-of-the-art LEED-certified green home on the Rhode Island coast, they researched both cutting-edge technologies and a host of companies that had long been known for supplying green products.

Because the home was going to be much more than merely a living residence, it was intended to be a showcase for the owners’ Green Living Smart Living consulting firm – a hands-on demonstration site where builders, architects, designers, schools, members of the media and the general public are invited to tour and learn about all the latest innovations in ecofriendly, sustainable living.

We’re proud to say that our 100 percent FSC Certified Antique Reclaimed Flooring was part of the mix.

“We did our research, compared suppliers and settled on Carlisle, which became one of our favorite partners,” says Kimberly. “They really care about getting everything right and have a long history of green environmental practices. We chose to have them prefinish the floor with their low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) Bradford Umber stain.

Working closely with the owners, we found just the right old barn in Wisconsin, which had been slated for demolition. Then we painstakingly remilled the dismantled timbers and created a gorgeous wide plank floor that covers over 80 percent of the home’s 4,400 square feet. In addition to earning the one-half LEED point, it qualified for a full point in Environmentally Preferable Products.

Taking just over a year to complete, the home also features a totally computerized energy control system that uses various sensors to constantly monitor energy usage and maximize efficiencies. A geothermal system provides all the heating, cooling and hot water heating via a 1,000-foot well.

Small wonder it has already received strong endorsements from the green press and trade publications that cater to the construction and design industries.

As the largest supplier of FSC Certified Antique Reclaimed Wood in North America, Carlisle sees green building as an important, rapidly growing market as more and more builders, designers and architects are specifying certified green products.

“I love the uniqueness, the history and the beauty the floor brings to our home,” says Kimberly.

Posted on Jun 05, 2010 AT 09:59 PM in News & Events • (2) Comments

Good customer has her kitchen, and our floors, in Coastal Living Magazine

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

One of our customers, Kathy Linder, had her kitchen redesign featured in the March 2010 issue of Coastal Living magazine—and our floors are right there under her feet.  Kathy ordered some 2,700 square feet of flooring from us in 2006, through our Sales & Design Consultant Gary Ryer.  Shown here in a PDF Coastal_Living_March_2010_Kathy_Linder.pdf is the magazine article, featuring the 10-inch Walnut floor Kathy had installed. 

We think the kitchen itself is spectacular, but the floors really set off Kathy’s overall classic tastes, in a kitchen she says she wanted to make warm and inviting for family and friends.  She succeeded!

Posted on Jun 03, 2010 AT 09:33 PM in (2) Comments

White Oak shines in this Maryland bedroom makeover

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

White Oak can be a wood with a thousand personalities. It changes patterns depending upon how we cut it here at our Carlisle mill (quarter-sawn versus rift-sawn) and is known as the wood used in Mission Oak furniture. It can look nearly white, ash gray, or golden—depending upon the stain and finish.  Here the floor is finished in finishedFumed, followed by Rubio Cotton White.

In these photos of a bedroom makeover in Rockville, Maryland, you’ll see the floor planks laid down in 6- to 11-inch widths and 4-feet to 14-feet lengths.

This floor was installed by Majestic Wood Floors  of Frederick, Maryland, one of our preferred installers.. 

Posted on Jun 01, 2010 AT 05:49 AM in Hardwood Flooring • (2) Comments