Flooring 101: Wide Plank Floors for Residential vs. Commercial Interiors

Getting the best flooring results begins and ends with the quality of the flooring company and its floors. Carlisle uses only the best wood which comes from carefully selected mature trees grown in sustainable forests in the optimum climate for the species. Under no circumstances will we deal with anyone engaged in clear-cutting.

The wood is specially cut into wide planks with a high concentration of dense vertical grain for maximum strength and beauty. Then, it’s dried in an extended process to assure stability before being handcrafted to your specifications by artisans with over 200 years of combined experience.

Examining Your Options: Over 20,000 Design Possibilities — But We’ll Help You Narrow it Down

Another important element is having the choices you need available from one source to simplify the process, while also knowing that every option comes with the same attention to detail as the selection of the wood itself. At Carlisle, we can offer you over 20,000 different combinations of species, textures, grades, stains and more. We handcraft every floor to order so you can get exactly floor you want and need rather than having to settle for something that might be somewhat close just because it’s in stock or the only thing that can be mass produced. Here’s a brief overview of the options available. For specific questions, please contact a Wide Plank Specialist or Commercial Development Coordinator.

Wood Species: We source our wood from the best growing climates for each species so that it has the best characteristics of that species, including optimum grain patterning, color, and strength. Plus, we offer a wide range of species to help satisfy your requirements.
Styles: We offer both solid and engineered hardwood wide plank floors that set the standard for beauty and performance.
Grades: Our unique artistic grading process starts and ends with only the finest quality wood, which is available in three distinct grades — Heirloom (cleaner, more refined appearance), Signature (the best of character and refinement) and Original (lots of natural character).
Textures: From hand-scraped to timeworn, our craftsmen can create a range of authentic, distressed texture effects by hand to work with your species grain pattern and your color choices to produce a beautifully unique signature floor.
Stains: We offer you infinite possibilities in color choices including custom colors.
Prefinished or Site Finishing Options: Save time and money during installation by choosing to have your floor prefinished. Our special “three coat” process is unique in the industry and produces an extremely durable finish with a deep hand-rubbed appearance. Ready to be walked on as soon as it is installed, our prefinished floors can be touched up easily and refinished if needed.
Widths & Lengths: Again, because we make every floor to order, we can offer you a wide range of both widths and lengths depending on the species selected.
Supplier: Not every supplier can provide the same wood flooring when comparing aesthetics, grade, colors, and most importantly quality

Endless Inspiration for the Floor of Your Dreams

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The Budget Factor: It’s Really About Value.

When it comes to flooring, most construction budgets seriously underestimate the costs for the quality and look of the flooring the project really needs. Ideally, it’s best to talk to us as early in the budgeting process as possible so you can work with realistic numbers based on the design you have in mind. We can also assist you with developing suitable alternatives to satisfy the “value engineering” process, which inevitably comes up during commercial construction — for better or worse.

Aside from the direct costs of purchasing a floor, you also want to consider the tertiary costs associated with a flooring purchase that impact the overall “budget”. For example:

Will the design meet the client needs?
How much “waste” will be required to get the right look?
How do we mitigate quality or performance concerns with the product to ensure client satisfaction and no disruption to job site schedule?
Will the product be delivered on time, to prevent additional costs associated with project delays?
Does the company provide technical expertise for installation to ensure a smooth installation process?
Is the flooring compatible with my subfloor to avoid additional expenses?
Can the supplier meet my delivery schedule and delivery needs?
What is the company reputation?
Is the floor prefinished to save time on site?
How easy is it to maintain and touch up the floor?

The right flooring partner will provide the right product, delivered on time, suitable for your installation with technical expertise to ensure you and your clients are completely satisfied. The potential to save money is long forgotten when a product is not right, is delivered late, or creates issues with the project — or after installation.

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