Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

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• Carlisle Wide Plank Floors Teams up with Warmboard and Build It Green for an education Green Seminar

  Posted by Megan Sprague

  It was an exciting event and drew sixty people to the seminar  held in Palo Alto. The 30-minute presentation format allowed for each company’s educational snippet and a thorough question and answer session—where the audience was very enthusiastic and involved.
  
  The speakers were: Amy Dryden from Build It Green (a LEED-like organization), Terry Alsberg of Warmboard, Paul Izenstark also of Warmboard (on the subject of solar heat) and Dan O’Neill from Carlisle Wide Plank Floors.

   

  

   
  John Noble, also a member of the Warmboard group, gave me these details, “We diligently held to the speaker’s 30 minute allotment, as it became clear we’d blow past the time we had committed.  We had two speakers go, then took a short bio break, and got right back to work.  We decorated the walls with some plan sets that Jennifer (Build It Green) printed- a nice array of projects and I observed many people checking them out before the start and during the break. The room was extremely attentive and packed. Excellent questions were asked, the audience was clearly engaged in the material.”
  
   “This was a very strong event. Because I spoke last, I had time to mingle and gauge the interest levels and subjects that people were in attendance to learn about. The group was very diverse with professionals, and different levels of knowledge on the various subjects. One of the most positive things was the amount of questions and interaction throughout,” shares Dan O’Neill Regional Manager of Carlisle’s West Hollywood location
  
  

  Posted on August 21, 2008 at 08:06 AM in Green Building • (0) Comments

• The Industrial Forest: Harvesting Wide Plank Flooring

  Posted by GuestBlogger

  By Albert Waitt

  Carpenters often refer to salvaged materials as coming from "the industrial forest."  This somewhat comical slang indicates a growing awareness in the building industry of the importance of recycling classic wood and lumber.  The US Forest Service reported:

  "The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the equivalent of 250, 000 single-family homes is disposed of each year in the United States. This represents nearly 1 billion board feet of salvageable structural lumber per year, equivalent to about 3% of the current US softwood harvest. Much of the lumber available for salvage through deconstruction is from decades of old-growth harvest and represents a resource largely unavailable from any other source.  As a result, much of the wood is of higher structural and aesthetic quality (higher density, slower grown, fewer defects) than is the lumber produced today." 

  Hardwood used in wide plank flooring can be salvaged from a wide range of sources.  It has come from turn-of-the-century homes, old hotels, dilapidated mills, and even a 120 year-old, decommissioned 15 story grain elevator containing "the equivalent of an entire forest of antique, old-growth white pine in its walls."  Where once this wood might have been seen as junk and discarded or burned, it is now recognized for what it is:  An extremely rare natural commodity. 

  The wood salvage industry has expanded to harvest this bounty. The 2005 Forest Service study identified approximately 1400 businesses involved in salvaging, restoring, and building with reclaimed wood.  It is a number that has steadily climbed. 

  Demand for reclaimed antique wood has also grown as homeowners have become aware of the look and ambiance it can provide.  A National Hardwood Floor Association survey found that 56% of decorators and designers noted an increase in the demand for antique wood flooring over the past two years. 

  To meet this need, the hardwood flooring industry looks to the industrial forest.  It's there that they can glean materials that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else.  The American chestnut tree is nearly extinct, but one can enjoy the warmth it offers a home through salvage and restoration.  Old growth pine harvested from a turn-of-the century farmhouse will show a dense wood grain with a tight ring pattern that just doesn't appear in virgin lumber.  The aesthetics offered in reclaimed antique flooring are inimitable.

  Barns that were once left to fall and rot are now seen as a valuable resource.  Old houses that may have crumbled in disrepair are mined for irreplaceable flooring and fixtures.  If one wants to create a period feel to a room or home, the most effective way to do so is with the materials of that period.   Thanks to the industrial forest, the floors of the past live on today-and look as beautiful as ever.

  (Survey results are available from The National Hardwood Floor Association:

  http://woodfloors.org/consumer/contact.aspx) 

  Posted on August 10, 2008 at 01:45 PM in Green Building • Hardwood Flooring • Home Building & Contracting • (1) Comments

• Green Floor, Clean Floor: Natural Cleaning Solutions for Hardwood Floors

  Posted by GuestBlogger

  By Albert Waitt

  If a homeowner is environmentally conscious and chooses to install a wide plank hardwood floor, it's easy for them to remain consistent and "go green" when caring for that floor and keeping it looking its best.  Whether one has chosen a responsibly forested white pine or an antique reclaimed hickory, a green approach to upkeep and cleaning will benefit the homeowner and their wood floor.

  When considering how to maintain and clean hardwood floors,

  The American Hardwood Information Center offers the following advice:

  • Place floor mats and throw rugs at entrances to trap dirt.

  • Sweep floors weekly with brooms that have fine, exploded ends.

  • Weekly vacuuming will also keep hardwood floors clean.

  • Wipe up spills, pet accidents, and other liquid mishaps as soon as possible.

  • It is important to remember that water exposure can harm a hardwood floor.

  Instead of relying on commercial floor cleaners that may have toxic ingredients, the consumer has green alternatives when choosing materials to keep a wood floor clean and lustrous.   The first step is to determine what kind of finish is on the hardwood floor. 

  For hardwood floors finished with polyurethane, Greenerchoices.org, thedailygreen.com, and Martha Stewart  recommend damp mopping with a solution of one cup of vinegar per gallon of water.  The mop should be barely wet, just enough to pick up dust and dirt, but not enough to leave water streaking on the floor itself.  

  For wide plank hardwood floors and soft wood floors with a penetrating finish, such as Carlisle's Tung Oil Finish, water should be avoided during maintenance.  In addition to sweeping, dry-mopping, and vacuuming, Care2.com's Live Green Producer

  Melissa Breyer recommends a natural Citrus Solvent be sprayed on the floor in a light film and then dry mopped off with a micro-fiber or regular dust mop. 

  New green cleaning products are being rolled out on a daily basis and there's no doubt that consumers will have more choices in green floor care in the coming years.  But the tips offered here (and now) are safe and effective.  Through these simple practices, a homeowner can preserve their floor and protect their planet at the same time. 

   

  Posted on August 9, 2008 at 07:05 AM in DIY • Green Building • Hardwood Flooring • (3) Comments

• Heat Your Feet without a Nasty Carbon Footprint: Radiant Heat and Hardwood Flooring:

  Posted by GuestBlogger

  By Matt Cardin

  It's no secret that radiant heat is one of the fastest growing green trends in the construction business. Its location underfoot means it transfers heat directly to the individual instead of dispersing it into the air. Radiant heat systems also reduce the amount of heat lost when external doors are opened. And as anybody who has walked on a heated floor can tell you, they're unbelievably wonderful in cold weather.

  Now it turns out that radiant heat combined with hardwood flooring results in an especially efficient heating situation that dramatically reduces a building's carbon footprint. We're not talking about some sort of special voodoo between the wood and the heat that makes them act differently. We're just talking about simple common sense. As documented and explained copiously by Carlisle and others, hardwood flooring is the only type that's 100 percent ecologically sustainable. The green benefits of radiant heat, for its part, are undisputed. So pairing them is a simple matter of 2 + 2 = 4.

  As described in an April 15 press release from the National Wood Flooring Association, "Eco-conscious consumers can reduce their carbon footprint even further by installing radiant heat under wood floors.  Because wood floors are sustainable and renewable, they increase radiant heat's benefits." Of particular interest to people thinking about going this direction is the fact that radiant heat can work with wide plank floors. A Google search combining them turns up many recommendations to use strip flooring, but these are a bit like the old saw that you can't install hardwood floors over concrete, when in fact you can. Using radiant heat effectively beneath wide plank flooring simply calls for an installation process involving a floating plywood subfloor.
  

  Note that Carlisle has an FAQ about wood flooring choices where the first question deals with this very issue. Readers who are interested in both hardwood floors and environmentally sound living could do worse than to consider Carlisle's emphatic assertion that radiant heat is "our favorite heat source with our floors!"

  Posted on August 4, 2008 at 02:33 PM in Green Building • Hardwood Flooring • Home Building & Contracting • (0) Comments

• Family Trees: A Father-Son Sawmill Operation Brings Eastern White Pine from the Forest to Your Wide

  Posted by GuestBlogger

  By Tarryn Guarino 

  For Peter Glidden, a long and busy work day begins at sunrise -- and he wouldn't have it any other way. For him, there is no typical "day at the office" -- he and his father Larry operate a small, family owned sawmill in rural Maine. And that means Peter's work days are as unique as each of the eastern white pine timber planks he mills alongside his dad.

  "We sort of stumbled into this business about four years ago, and it's been nothing but busy ever since," he explains. "My dad, Larry, he came home with the first portable mill. He used to say he couldn't saw enough wood in a year to make a picnic table . . . but not anymore!"

  So, what's the best part of owning and operating your own sawmill?

  "I really [enjoy] going out to view and buy the wood," Peter says. When the big trees come down, local foresters contact the Gliddens to come out and take a look at the timber. The premium pine is chosen from trees that have fallen naturally, a process known as selective harvesting. This is an environmentally friendly practice that provides perfect timber, while remaining sensitive to the natural growth of the forest and avoiding deforestation. Peter has no problem scouting out choice timber from these fallen pines.

  "I hand pick everything, based on the quality of the wood and what I know we need," Peter explains. To create the handcrafted wide planks for Carlisle, he personally selects the wood he knows will provide the perfect finished product. The Gliddens operate two small sawmills, and while the work can be a bit noisy, the job also allows for plenty of time outdoors in the natural wilderness.

  "The actual sawmills are indoors, but we do a lot of our work outside," Peter explains. Whether heading out into the forest to survey some potential timber, or admiring the finished boards outside of the workshop, the Gliddens are truly connected to nature -- and their craft.

  Peter's genuine love of the land and the wood is clear from the moment he starts talking. When asked about his favorite part of the job, he answers without any hesitation, "The craftsmanship, definitely. I take a lot of pride in the grading of our wood. It's all hand done. Eastern white wide planks are a great quality wood, and I take a lot of pride in the work that we do."

  To see the Glidden family's sawmill firsthand and learn a bit more about their work, check out their http://www.wideplankflooring.com/video.aspx?cat=Relationships&Num=0).">video on the Carlisle Wide Plank Floors website.

  Posted on July 16, 2008 at 02:17 PM in Green Building • Hardwood Flooring • Home Building & Contracting • (0) Comments

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