Why Carlisle’s oak is different from other oak

Shanon Sterrett in our Stoddard offices spent some time recently at the Residential Design and Construction Show in Boston--a trade show for us--and got to chat with customers stopping by the Carlisle booth. She tells us she likes getting questions from potential customers because it gives her a good perspective on the other floors being sold and what kinds of expectations a potential customer has today regarding a new floor. Sharon writes: "One of the top questions I heard at the show was 'Why does that grain in your oak look so different from other oak?'"

So, Shanon writes, why does a Carlisle oak floor look so different from the common oak floors on the market? Here's her answer:

Oak trees grow in many areas around the country, but any good engineer will tell you that oak pretty much south of Virginia is useless for construction of any kind --that must be why it became so popular for floors.

The best oak grows only in the Ohio River Valley because the soil and climate conditions are conducive to the proper growth of these trees. The trees are allowed to grow slowly, and the slower a tree grows the more it can develop a tight, dense grain, and more heartwood. (Read more

Posted on April 20, 2009 at 01:36 PM in Hardwood Flooring • (0) Comments

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