Sales and Design Consultant Adam Whitney says that Toni Johns wanted to create a Colonial look, but also wanted a very hard wood, so Pine was not her preference. Once Adam and the Johns decided Hickory was going to do the trick, Adam made sure the boards were graded (selected) to have minimal knots. This is called “Heirloom Grade” and it means that those boards came from the very bottom tier of the tree.

“In mature, old growth timber, this is where there are the fewest branches, so it creates a cleaner look,” Adam says.

Carlisle further graded the Hickory is selecting the boards, and in the installation of the floor, to maximize the use of heartwood, which gives a more consistent color tone throughout the whole floor. That means that with this 7-inch board, Carlisle started with a 9-inch board and used a straight-line rip saw to take off some edge grain.

Then, the floor was prefinished before shipping off to the Johns, using our Gingerbread stain.

Thanks to the Johns for sending us these photos!

Lisa writes: “I love my floors!!! Thanks, again, for all of your help. I actually used the leftover flooring and had a desk top made for my kids homework room.”

While writing to us, Lisa mentioned that she used a “magic eraser” to remove a shoe mark on the new floor. Unfortunately, the magic eraser had the effect of rubbing off the Tung oil, and she wanted advice on how to fix that. Our designer, Stephanie Buckley, advised her to re-apply a little Tung oil just to the affected area. Normally, scuff marks can be removed with a little white vinegar on a cloth.

Carlisle’s Heart Pine comes from a 30,000-acre plantation in Alabama, owned and operated by the Crosby family. It’s available in widths ranging from 4 to 17 inches, and lengths averaging 11 feet.
Read more about Longleaf Heart Pine flooring.

I wanted to wait until I finished room completely before sending you the final pictures. Most importantly I wanted to send you my sincere thanks for all your help and advice throughout the process. This is one of those projects where you get out of it what you put into it: hand selecting and placing each board, two coats of hand rubbed stain on my hands and knees, pilot drilling and placing the iron nails one at a time, four coats of tung oil. Not to mention, removing carpet, repainting the room and painting and replacing the baseboards…the result is better that I expected. Even prettier than the gorgeous sample I kept for ten years. Absolutely love it. The only down side is I have to deal with the envy and jealousy of my neighbors who settled for the floor-in-a-box from Home Depot.

Next year my bedroom…

Like the trees themselves, the relationships we’ve developed with local foresters and sawyers are a result of slow growth. It has taken us time to get to know the right people, those who share our environmental vision and goals of producing the best hardwood boards possible from forests grown and managed in a totally sustainable manner. These much-cherished relationships mean that no matter which Carlisle hardwood you choose, it will be the choicest and most beautiful that America can grow.

Kathleen wrote us this note: “Awesome. Couldn’t be happier. A must-see!”

It’s not uncommon for a few customers of ours to choose an Antique or Reclaimed wood floor based on our samples and then be distressed when the actual floor boards arrive. Often those reclaimed boards are full of what we call “character marks”—the nail holes, dings, knots and other marks that are clear indications that this wood has been used before for different purposes. So, a panicked phone call is not unusual and, after a discussion with one of our sales and design consultants, the customer usually is convinced to sit tight and wait to see what the floor looks like in place, stained and finished.

Well, we had another of those experiences lately with a home in White Lake, New York. The floor that the customers, Raj and Chris Mundkur, had ordered was Milled Antique Barnwood, in 5- to 12-inch widths. The Mundkurs had come to us through a recommendation from their builder. However, the builder was a bit apprehensive with the boards actually arrived—too much character! But now everyone involved in the project is quite happy, as you might guess from the looks of these photos, below. The Mundkurs wrote us:

“The floors are in, finished and look spectacular! …Thanks for your patience and guidance in selecting the floor and stain. We love them and it was well worth the effort. Raj.”

We got wind of this new search engine that helps architects and builders find the suppliers and supplies that they need for their projects. We thought we’d pass it along, complete with a note from an architect who recommends the service:

As a licensed Architect, I am faced with the same challenges you are – finding and selecting the right products for my projects. I’m so excited about the new search engine I’ve found, I had to email you and let you know that it really works…and it is amazing!

It’s called BPM Select. No irrelevant returns like the major search engines provide, just a profusion of pertinent results every time. Plus, I can easily find general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers – right from the search results screen!

Don’t take my word for it, try it – BPMSelect.com. If you like it or have comments, please let me know what you think. As a fellow architect, I thought this would be a good site to share!

Karen Christensen
Registered Architect

Hi Crystal,

I am sending you pictures of my floor taken at Christmas time in my new kitchen. You will notice a little shelf in the bathroom….the back of it is made up of extra flooring!! Also the bead and board in the bathroom is from Carlisle too. I thought you would get a kick out of seeing it. My desk top is also made of extra flooring. Hope you like the pictures. Enjoy the day, Lyn