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.
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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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If These Hardwood Floors Could Talk: Secrets of Antique Lumber and Reclaimed Flooring
Posted by GuestBlogger
By Tarryn Guarino
There is something really amazing about an antique floor. If the wood beneath your feet could tell a story, what would it have to say? Who has walked these boards before us?
To find out exactly how exactly these wide planks get from an old barn to our bedroom floor, I spoke with Rich Marilla at Old Dominion Antique Lumber. The company purchases materials that are salvaged from old barns or antique structures and repurposes the wood for use in new homes and buildings. This practice has the added bonus of being environmentally sustainable, which means Carlisle's antique timber floors are FSC 100% Chain-of-Custody certified. But before this antique wood can be resettled in a new home, it must first get a mini-makeover.
Posted on July 14, 2008 at 02:55 PM in Green Building • Hardwood Flooring • Home Building & Contracting • Wood Grains & Styles • (0) Comments
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Hardwood in the kitchen - not just hardwood floors!
Posted by Lesley Anderson
You may be surprised to find out that having a hardwood floor in a room that traditionally has tile, like a bathroom or kitchen, is actually quite common and perfectly safe and durable against water and other spills. (See our entry about kitchen hardwood flooring concerns) Perhaps you have a hardwood floor in your own kitchen. More and more homeowners are warming up to the cozy feeling of hardwood flooring throughout the home, even in less likely places, but it's also important to recognize the role that hardwood surfaces can have even beyond the surfaces you walk on.
When people think of wood in the kitchen, they most likely think of cabinets. Granite countertops paired with luxurious wooden cabinets has been a growing trend with home and apartment renovations. It seems like when people see "granite countertops, cherry cabinets, stainless appliances!" in a listing, they're sold! But let's step back for a moment and have a look at a hardwood surface you probably wouldn't think of at first - hardwood countertops.
Your first reaction is probably the same as mine was - won't that stain? Won't water get in there? Can I use it kind of like a built in cutting board? Then what happens if the slice marks trap bacteria? Ahh! Thankfully, this article has recognized that hardwood countertops are a viable option for the kitchen, and just reminds homeowners that the extra warmth requires just a little extra care to make sure it retains its luster for years to come. Sealing or oiling periodically will keep the counter in top shape, and it never hurts to use a cutting board instead of cutting directly on the counter (even though you can do that!) if you're concerned about scratches and dents. Though depending on your home's decor, you may view those scratches as a symbol of your kitchen being lived in and a place of memories, just as you would with a hardwood floor.
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Posted on May 16, 2008 at 11:00 AM in Home Building & Contracting • Home Decor • (0) Comments
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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
Don and Dale Carlisle
Stoddard, New Hampshire