A Message from Don Carlisle

It's my pleasure to welcome you to a new endeavor at Carlisle Wide Plank Floors - our very own blog. We wanted to find a way to acknowledge the special customer relationships that we've developed during the past 40 years and find even more ways to reach out into the community and make ourselves available to you.

Like our Surface newsletter, our new Surface blog reflects the idea that there is no more important surface than the one we live on. You could take this literally to mean the floor of your home -- or you could take it a bit deeper to mean the surface we all live on: our planet. Both are of utmost importance to all of us at Carlisle.

With an increase in environmental awareness and a widespread effort to "go green," many companies are finding ways to educate others about the importance of sustainability. At Carlisle, we've been "green" from the very beginning. And we see this blog as an opportunity to explore the many different ways in which our company is committed to the environment - from dispelling myths surrounding forestry practices to helping you understand the ecological benefits that a Carlisle Wide Plank Floor can offer.

I'll be posting periodically to give you updates on new happenings at Carlisle as well as my thoughts from the perspective of a second generation owner in our family-run business. I'll also be discussing a variety of forestry-related topics, including the approaches we use at Carlisle.

I hope that you will not only find the content in this blog valuable, but that you will carry with you the spirit and commitment that we uphold at Carlisle Wide Plank Floors: a company that maintains the highest of ideals and treats its customers the way we ourselves would like to be treated.

Equally important, we hope that you will share with us some of your stories, whether you're a past Carlisle customer or may become one in the future. With five contributing employee bloggers and the potential for more to join in, we like to think of ourselves as one big family and we hope you will feel the same. We encourage you to comment but just keep in mind that we do have some basic User Guidelines.

Our bloggers are:

Jennifer Fox - a Carlisle employee and customer whose focus will be on the health effects of wide plank flooring, forestry practices and her first-hand knowledge of the customer experience.

Lindsay Barczuk - the "green queen" of our company, she will bring her environmental expertise and passion for eco-culture to our blog.

Rick Menard - an experienced account manager and active outdoorsman, he will be sharing his expertise on topics appealing to builders, architects and homeowners alike.

Sharon Bondie - located in our Georgia office, Sharon will be discussing topics such as installing over slab and home decorating on a budget.

Stephanie Urquhart - one of our great customer service representatives, Stephanie will be here to discuss customer service, the Carlisle process and address your questions or comments.

While each blogger has a unique voice and message, we'll all be posting on a wide range of subjects including Carlisle as a company, the knowledge we have of our products, and our own personal interests.

We're excited. Thanks so much for visiting and we look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Don Carlisle, President
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

Posted on January 17, 2008 at 02:12 PM in (4) Comments

Comments

arnold chamove said…

One attractive wide-plank floor is seen when visiting buildings in the UK over 300 years old. The floors are very dark even when not in rooms with open fires, and look to me like your hand scraped, hand planed floors. Dont know what kind of wood was used. Could you comment on how you would suggest getting such a finish—the wood to use, the finish, the stain, even the thickness, the nailing if relevant, etc. Thanks, and love the choice of music.

Posted at 09:47 PM on February 23, 2008
Rick Menard said…

Good afternoon Arnold,

Thank you for taking the time to join in our blog. I love the old world look, and I would love to see a photo or two of the floors you mention.
We recently crafted a floor in a Versailles pattern, out of our Old Growth Walnut, then added some hand scrapping to add to the aged feeling. There are many different types of distressing we can craft, in many different types of planks. Please forward me some photos and I will be
happy to get back to you with some great ideas.

Best regards,

Rick

Posted at 05:48 PM on March 03, 2008
susan nelson said…

Hi, My husband and I are doing a whole house renovation and were looking at your white pine floor because of grain and color. I fear it is too soft for our family. What is your suggestion? We have 3 small dogs.

Posted at 10:23 AM on January 22, 2009
Rick Menard said…

Hi Susan,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk with you about your
renovation project. The floor you chose is by far our most popular with
clients. The way our Pine floors age can’t be replicated any way other
then being in your home and living on them, allowing the natural
character to come out over time. The dogs are going to leave slight
dings and dents, as will leaning back on dining room chairs, only
allowing your floors to get better looking over time. Our Old Growth
Pine has stood the test of time in New England homes, Inns, Town Halls,
for hundreds of years.

We do offer many different woods, some harder then others, and I would
be more then happy to give you options that will come close to the look
of our wide pine if you are still concerned, but honestly, I prefer the
way this floor ages with time. Please give me a call sometime and I
would be more then happy to craft some samples and send them your way. I
look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

Rick Menard

Posted at 10:15 AM on February 11, 2009