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All entries by Don Carlisle

Customer stains and finishes Ash floors herself

Posted by Don Carlisle

A customer, JoAnn Johnson, sent us these photos of the Premium Grade Ash floors she had just put in. She reports that she did the staining and tung oil finish herself, and that she had a lot of fun choosing which of the many boards to "highlight" in each of the rooms she finished. Besides these two rooms, she's also undertaking a new floor in her Great Room. Way to go, JoAnn!

Posted on May 8, 2009 at 01:54 PM in DIY • (0) Comments
How we got into the antique wood business.

Posted by Don Carlisle
I was 20 years old and people started calling us asking for reclaimed antique wood. I had been involved with my Mom and Dad's business since I was a kid and my job up to that point was seeking out saw mills that would consider cutting new timber the way we wanted in order to recreate the look of old floors. At the time, our business was called Carlisle Restoration Lumber and we supplied wide boards mainly in the New England region to replace or repair existing floors in old homes. Our newly sawn boards were made to look 200 years old with surface treatments — saw kerfs, hand scraping, etc. — which were used in conjunction with the custom stains Dad had developed.

We had built a pretty good reputation as being the people to go to when you wanted that authentic, historic look. And though I was young, I had slowly managed to develop a strong trust among designers, builders and homeowners. So when they starting asking me for reclaimed antique wood for new construction and remodeling projects, I knew that if I could provide it, we’d have a whole new market and could expand our business while at the same time preserving something really important.

So my journey began. At first, I ran an ad looking for anyone who had an old building who would consider selling some of the wood. The first person who responded — I'll never forget this — was a nice lady who was an artist. She said she had an old barn that had caved in and wanted me to look at it and take what I thought I could use. I took a friend with me and off we went in my pickup truck with a chain saw. We arrived at the home early in the morning and started looking at the barn and realized we were in for an interesting day. It was a dilapidated mess and it appeared that trying to save anything from it would be a waste of time. We spent the entire day rolling over beams and trying to find good pieces of structural timber that might be salvageable.

Finally we headed home, exhausted, with a few beams and boards. It made us realize that if we were going into this business, we would need to find others who would do the dismantling and deliver the reclaimed material to us. The arduous process of taking the building apart and rough cutting the material to be reclaimed was another business in itself. We wanted to focus on the finishing end.

So the next thing we did was buy a load of old wood sight unseen from someone who had salvaged it. When it showed up, we were disappointed (to say the least) by its condition. But having had the prior experience, we realized what the guy had been up against and were a bit more forgiving. Still, most of it was unusable.

Then we began encountering other daunting obstacles in bringing old wood to a point where we could proudly offer it to someone for a new floor. We had to figure out how to kill the bugs still living in it, how to get all the nails and other hidden hardware out of it before we tried to cut it, how to dry it, etc. And as we went about the processing and milling, we were often stunned by how much waste there was and how little we would end up with for all our efforts. So we set about finding people who were really close to the wood, could see the intrinsic beauty and charm in certain pieces, weigh the usability and be selective in what they took. Easier said than done. But we kept at it and gradually learned who we could trust to provide us with really good boards and beams. Many of those people today have become part of our extended family.

Over the years, we’ve further developed and refined all of our procuring and processing practices and are able to provide customers with a good steady stream of reclaimed antique wood from various historic structures which have been slated for demolition. In fact, the quality and service we offer has made Carlisle the largest supplier of antique wood in North America, and we’re proud to have been nationally recognized by The Forest Stewardship Council for the green methods we use to responsibly reclaim and recycle every piece. We maintain a complete chain of custody from the moment we dismantle a building to the day the finished floor is shipped to the customer.

As we strive to preserve this wonderful commodity, the hardest part is to get the average person to understand just how much of this is a truly a labor of love — one that preserves a treasured natural resource. In a way, it’s no different than appreciating rare gemstones which only time can create. I continue to feel that it’s our job to educate folks as to how unique and historically important this wood really is — and to make them just as passionate about it as we are. That’s one reason why we give customers a commemorative folio, handmade in Vermont, with an inscription that notes the location and history the structure, a botanical illustration of the species of wood and the names of the floor owners who have given the wood a much-deserved second life cycle.

I can look at one of our antique wood floors and each crack, nail hole, worm hole, water mark and saw kerf will tell me the wood’s life story. Not everyone is interested in that and would rather have something new and less expensive and that’s fine, too. But those who are interested — those who truly “get it” and realize the amount of care and effort that went into every step of recycling this rare, historic wood — don’t ask “How can it be so expensive?” but rather, “How can it be so reasonable?”

Posted on July 3, 2008 at 11:11 AM in (0) Comments
From Apple Farm to Reclaimed “Green” Flooring

Posted by Don Carlisle
Reclaimed wood floors are a popular option for homeowners and for public buildings as well. The floors give a sense of history to any building. We understand the importance of maintaining that history. A good example of this is the flooring that we have reclaimed from the Guerrant Family Plantation and Algoma Apple Packing Farm.

Two hundred and fifty years ago the 3,000-acre plantation and farm was the site of 100 buildings. The apples grown on this land near Boones Mill, Va., were harvested and shipped to England and played a role in the nourishment of soldiers from the Civil War to the Second World War. Today only a few buildings made from the plantation trees almost three centuries ago remain, but the wood from these structures are still playing vital roles in today’s construction. It’s the story of the Many Lives of An Apple Farm Tree and the Green alternatives it provides for your home.

Their first lifetime was spent as majestic trees providing shelter and shade for forest animals as an integral part in the eco-system. They grew to great proportions and were likely more than 200 to 300 years old before being harvested.

Their second lifetime was spent as components of the Apple Farm’s many buildings: the large packing barn where apples were prepared for shipment to England was built of chestnut; the farmhand’s quarters were constructed of heart pine; and the main building was oak.

Posted on April 21, 2008 at 01:06 PM in Green Building • (0) Comments
How to Install Wide Plank Wood Floors over Concrete

Posted by Don Carlisle
Wood over concrete? Yes, it can be done! For the longest time, homeowners were warned that wide plank wood floors installed over concrete would result in moisture problems. But that’s not so anymore. A concrete sub-floor is no reason to deny yourself beautiful wood floors. Nowadays, they can go virtually anywhere.

It is true that wood is affected by climate change: wood fibers expand and contract with fluctuations in relative humidity. However, this movement and the resulting moisture problems can be controlled with proper installation techniques and the use of high quality wood products. If you’re going to be installing over concrete, it becomes even more critical that you understand what part of the tree the boards are cut from and the manner in which the boards were processed; both of these factors are vital to your overall satisfaction with the floor. Wood cut from the center of a tree contains a higher percentage of vertical grain, which makes it less susceptible to movement and thus a higher quality material.

Before you embark on this installation process, we recommend certain rules of thumb to manage moisture and ensure the stability of the wood:

1. Be sure the wood supplier has properly dried the wood. (We recommend 6-12 months of air drying followed by a period of kiln drying.)

2. Let the wood acclimate in the home or business for 7-10 days.

3. During acclimation in your home or business, keep relative humidity at 45 percent.

4. Make sure the wood flooring has proper stress reliefs (These ridges on the underside of the wood relieve tension in wood, reduces board movement, and provides
a greater glue surface).

There are two options for installation of wide plank wood floors. Both options are driven by the height allowance between the slab and door. To determine height, measure the distance from the top of slab to the bottom of the exterior door or measure the transition to other flooring surfaces. Check accuracy by swinging door completely in both directions.

Here are some step-by-step installation guidelines once you know the height allowance:

Option One: Gluing directly to concrete -- 1/2 to 3/4 inch height allowance

Using either Bostik’s Best or Sika adhesive product, spread one layer of adhesive onto the concrete per manufacturer’s instructions and place your Carlisle planks, milled to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness directly onto the adhesive. Allow 12 hours drying time before finishing your floors.

Option Two-A: Concrete slab with plywood sub-floor – 1 inch height allowance
Place a layer of 6mm polyethylene onto the concrete as your moisture barrier. Using a Hilti Direct fastening tool, shoot concrete nails into 1/2 inch plywood to apply directly onto concrete. Install Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, milled to 1/2 inch thickness by blind nailing and gluing.

Option Two-B: Concrete slab with plywood sub-floor – 1 1/2 inches or more height allowance
Lay down 3/4 inch plywood and then follow the directions above.

The cost associated with both options for installing wood over concrete is similar. However, due to the cost of the adhesives, it can be slightly cheaper to use the plywood method. It’s also possible to install Carlisle floors over concrete slabs with radiant heat. The installation process calls for using a floating plywood sub-floor. Proof that this method of installation has gained industry acceptance is its prevalence in high end commercial applications. For instance, the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C., used Carlisle White Oak wide plank wood flooring over concrete in the public space of their main level. Given the resources for high quality wood, like Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, and the variety of mastic adhesives available today, you too can install wood floors over concrete in your home.

Posted on April 8, 2008 at 02:08 PM in DIY • Home Building & Contracting • (2) Comments
Conflicting information about Hardwood floors… HELP!

Posted by Don Carlisle

A few weeks ago while browsing the Garden Web forums, I came across a concern we hear from time to time regarding durability.
Posted by mamadadapaige
Hi,
Please help me get to the bottom of this...

We are renovating our house and putting in hardwood floors which will run continuously through several rooms, including the kitchen and butt up against some existing vertical grain fir floors.

I want something that will work harmoniously with the fir but be much more durable since this will be in the kitchen and since we have young kids in the house.

I would like to go with old growth Cherry from Carlisle (http://www.wideplankflooring). They have assured me that because the cherry is old growth it will be hard enough to be durable in a kitchen. The architect (albeit a young architect) also assured me of the same thing (said that if it were cherry from anyone else he would say no, but that the Carlisle cherry is denser). The contractors are saying there is no way this is hard enough to be durable in a kitchen and are STRONGLY advising me against it.

I love the look of it and really want to go with it but I also trust the contractors and am afraid.

If we don't do this, we will go with quartersawn white oak and deal with the fact that where the oak meets up with the fir the contrast is great (and probably not very pleasing to the eye). Unfortunately where they meet is very visible as you enter the house so not an ideal situation.

Anyone with specific experience with Carlisle Cherry floors?? or even if not, any advise for me?

thanks!!!

I've grown up with traditional wood floors as my parents loved them and made this there passion to bring to others to enjoy. Now I am carrying on the tradition and would love to help share some thoughts on your decision.
Its very interesting to me to see what others have said about your desire for Cherry flooring, good quality cherry will last for generations and there definitely are not any durability concerns. Pine flooring still remains in good condition in many of the Early American architecture and is a highly sought after and beautiful floor. Cherry is much harder and every bit as durable. If you aesthetically love the look of Cherry you shouldn't change this direction. Cherry has been used in homes all over the country for a long time with fantastic results. Your children will add character to the cherry, the extent to which this happens will directly correlate to the finish that is used. I am a proponent for a softer finish that allows the normal aging process and doesn't look like plastic plus maintains the beauty of the Cherry. There is no issue regarding the floors durability, yes you can use Ash or Oak but make your decision based on the look you want. The difference in the wear and durability will be negligible to you and both floors will be there for another generation to enjoy!
-Don

Posted on April 7, 2008 at 03:43 PM in Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments