Surface Blog

Did you hear the story about the guy with one sock?

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

Glen, who works in Carlisle’s Stoddard, New Hampshire offices, got a call the other day from Bill Stratton, a builder based in Chatham, New York, who often uses Carlisle floors in his many building projects.  Turns out Bill’s crew on a construction project over in Canaan, New York (above), was having trouble matching the Carlisle Bradford Umber stain he was applying to the new Carlisle hickory floor he had installed.  The stain just wasn’t matching the sample he had been sent by us.  So, Bill called in and consulted with Glen and Rick Menard on staff here, who suggested Bill make sure his guy was mixing the stain well enough and applying it properly.  Well, Bill decided to go on up to the project site himself and see what he could see.   When he got to the house, no one from his crew was around (see below), and no one else either. He wanted to try the stain, but he had nothing with which to apply it.  So, Bill took off one of his nice wool socks and applied the stain to a test area, wiping it away as he went.  Bill was happy to report back to us that the stain was now a perfect match. It had all been a matter of not stirring the stain enough before application.

And builder Bill spent the rest of the day walking around with just one sock. 

It’s nice to know the builders we work with will go the extra mile to make sure our floors look as good as they can!

Posted on Apr 08, 2009 AT 03:00 AM in (0) Comments

Carlisle design consultants meet homeowners in Boston last week

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

Carlisle’s team of Design Consultants from our Stoddard, New Hampshire offices—serving the New England Region—were excited about attending the 2009 Residential Design & Construction Show  last week in Boston, MA.   On the first day, our Tim Buckley and Shanon Sterrett attended, and then Mark Nichols and Lynne Rafuse were on hand the second day. This was the first time Carlisle had a display at this show and we’re thinking it’s one of the best we’ve ever done in the New England Region! Shanon sent along these notes about her experience:

This show was so good, in part, because it had something we often don’t get at trade shows—direct contact with the homeowners, the people who are normally behind the scenes when we work directly with the professionals such as designers, architects and builders.  At this show, homeowners brought their designers, architects, and/or builders along, so we had a great experience of interactive and collaborative design research all at one show.  Thanks to all the new homeowners and professionals who took the time to visit the Carlisle area and ask your questions about our floors. 

Many existing clients stopped by, too: Denis Leonti, a great craftsman, artist, and installer out of Bristol, RI;   Lisa, who has been working with Crystal here at Carlisle for almost two years and is now getting ready to do her floors;  and our newest customers, Diane and Ruth, who chose a floor inspired by our very own Don Carlisle (his great kitchen) and ordered their floors right at the show!  They also chose to have the team at our Custom Shop finish the floors for them for their new kitchen.  Not only does this save them a lot of time since our Custom Coat floors do not need to be acclimated, but there is no finishing needed on site once installed. Diane and Ruth also liked the idea that, unlike traditional Oxide finishes, the Carlisle finish can be touched up over the years, so it truly will last for the life of the home.

A favorite among those who stopped by was our Long Leaf Heart Pine. 

Of course we can’t forget about the beautiful hardwood and Antique floors we offer – people really fell in love with the Wide Plank Hickory we had installed.  People constantly commented on the fact that "I’ve never seen Hickory look that good" and we could educate them about how Northern Grown Hickory which we use exclusively produces boards with lots of heartwood, tight sound character and a much more cohesive look than most Hickory you see today that is coming from southern grown stands that grow much too quickly.  There is never a shortage of fans of the American Walnut (understandably so!)…but I have to see the newest favorite was the "Driftwood" look … created by our own James Hebert in the Sample Shop and featured in a gorgeous home in Rhode Island (installed by Denis Leonti).  Below is our Driftwood Hickory.

Thanks to all our new and existing clients for making this show so successful and we look forward to working with you, keeping in touch with you, and being a part of your projects. 
The New England Design Team
Crystal, Mark, Shanon, Lynne, and Tim

Posted on Apr 06, 2009 AT 03:00 AM in (3) Comments

Ski home gets a Carlisle Antique Oak floor

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

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We got these beautiful pictures sent to us by Lesley Vickers, who had Carlisle floors installed in her Wolfeboro, New Hampshire ski home, an 1800s home.  Her primary home is in Rhode Island. The floors were installed by the homowner and are Carlisle’s Antique Oak with tung oil finish. Lesley’s sister-in-law had Carlisle floors installed in her home and that’s how Lesley found out about us. Beautiful!  

Posted on Apr 03, 2009 AT 02:58 AM in (2) Comments

Come Earth Day, come over to Newburyport to meet Carlisle and Jewett Farms Studio

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

We’re pretty excited to be partnering with Jewett Farms & Company and Jewett Farms Studio, a hand-crafted design studio based in Newburyport, Massachusetts, for an “Earth Fest” event that links great green companies and products with great green eats.  The trip to Newburyport is worth it at any time—it’s such a fun, port city—so this event is bound to be icing on the cake.  From April 24 to 26, Jewett Farm is hosting an open house with a green theme.  Visitors can stroll through the studios to get ideas on period kitchen redesigns or custom office cabinetry (see here for just a sample), all the while being awed by the Carlisle floors underfoot. Jewett’s products, like ours, are made form sustainably grown wood. We’ve partnered with Jewett since 2008 because the craftsmen there show the same attention to craft and detail as we try to maintain in our products.

The Earth Fest events at Jewett will feature appetizers and drinks on Friday and Saturday evening, brunch and drinks on Saturday morning, and brunch and drinks on Sunday morning. The food will be prepared by one of the best restaurants around and will be all natural.  All the events are open to the public, but attendees should RSVP to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

You might want to check out the Eco Collaborative, the Newburyport-based organization behind the Earth Fest celebrations that weekend.

Posted on Mar 30, 2009 AT 02:50 AM in Green Building • (0) Comments

Carlisle is part of “Green Life Smart Life” project in Rhode Island

• Posted by
• Christine Halvorson

A showcase home in Rhode Island, designed to showcase “green” products, will be featuring Carlisle’s Wide Plan Floors very soon.  The Green Life Smart Life (tm) home is intended to help homeowners and builders what is necessary for a home to achieve LEED-H certification.  Carlisle is one of six new partners in the project, along with companies that offer eco-friendly roofs, stone, siding and deck options.  

Carlisle Wide Plank Floors is supplying custom-made FSC-certified antique reclaimed hardwood wide plank floors to Green Life Smart Life. The wood for the floors will be harvested from an old abandoned barn in New England. Carlisle is working closely with the Green Life Smart Life team to find just the right local barn that captures the family essence of the project. The Carlisle floors will cover more than 45 percent of the home’s floor surface area, which will qualify Green Life Smart Life for full LEED-H points. Reclaimed wood from old barns slated for demolition reduces the overall embodied energy of the floor, eliminates the need to harvest new trees, and provides the home with a beautiful design element.

Read more about the Green Life Smart Life project.

Posted on Mar 27, 2009 AT 03:47 AM in Green Building • (0) Comments