RESPECT FOR NATURE AND PASSION FOR WOOD
MAKE FOR BEAUTIFUL FLOORS
I’m Lindsay Barczuk with the Denver Office of Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. I have to be honest and tell you that when I started with Carlisle, I didn’t know the difference between oak and birch, a strip hardwood floor or a wide plank floor. Now after more than three years, I’ve learned so much about how trees grow, how to selectively harvest timber, and what goes into making a long-lasting and beautiful floor.
Stable Boards Come From Responsible Harvesters
I’d like to take this opportunity to write a little about custom crafted wide plank floors and, more importantly,
what you need to know when you are looking to find a responsible provider of wide plank wood floors. Many consumers
view wood as a commodity, and while some companies treat it as such, others recognize that this natural resource is
much more than that. When you find a company that understands the value and beauty of wood, you will most likely
find that their procurement, manufacturing, and finishing techniques differ from the mass producers.
The most fundamental aspect to any wide plank floor is obviously the wood. Not all wood is the same. Different
species of trees grow in very different climates and require different amounts of sunlight and nutrients. Some
species, like Redwoods, can live to be over a thousand years old and other trees, like White Oak, will only thrive
for 100-200 years. When you are selecting timbers for use as wide plank floors, it’s important to choose old, slow
growing trees. We’ve all seen growth rings on trees – the closer together the rings, the slower growing the tree
during those years. If a tree gets too much water or sunlight, the growth rings will be further apart. Yes, this
will lead to a bigger tree – but bigger isn’t always better. In the case of making wood floors, the tighter the
growth rings, the more stabile and durable the resulting floor.
Newly Sawn and FSC-Certified Antique Reclaimed Floors
Carlisle crafts two types of beautiful wide plank wood floors: Newly Sawn and Antique Reclaimed. Newly Sawn floors
come directly from the forest, while Antique Reclaimed floors come from old structures that are slated for
dismantling. With all Newly Sawn wood products, it is important to know where the wood originated and what methods
of foresting & harvesting a company chooses to use. We’ve all seen pictures of clear cutting forests that show
entire patches of trees being cut down at once. This approach is detrimental to surrounding ecosystems and exhibits
no long term sustainability. Carlisle will not work with foresters that use these practices, instead we are very
careful to only work with landowners and loggers that manage their forests well and use selective harvesting
techniques. This means that our vendors manage the sunlight, nutrients, and growth patterns of their trees. They
understand the process so well that they can map out their harvesting plans for decades to come – based on
generations of experience and a vested interest in the natural resource.
If you are thinking about purchasing a Reclaimed floor, there are a few things you should consider.
- First, was the material sourced from a structure that was past the point of restoration or did a reclamation company decide that,even though the building might be salvageable, there’s more money in the materials? Historic preservation is an important consideration and should be at the forefront of your provider’s mind.
- Secondly, it’s important to ask about the material itself – specifically, was the wood slow growing before it was used in the structure?
- How long ago was the structure built? Some companies reclaim flooring from, for example old high school gyms, and call the material Reclaimed. The resulting floors will look very different from a Reclaimed Antique Chestnut floor that was taken from an old barn in the Ohio River Valley.
Carlisle is the largest provider of Antique Reclaimed materials in the country and offers these floors as FSC certified 100% Post Consumer Reclaimed. This means that each and every board that goes into one of these floors came from an existing structure slated for demolition and is guaranteed to have had a previous lifecycle. These boards are more than just wood – their rich patina is the result of history.With every Antique Reclaimed floor, Carlisle will provide its customers with a certificate authenticating the floor and providing information on the original source of the material.
From Forest to Floor
Once your flooring materials – whether Newly Sawn or Antique Reclaimed – are brought on-site to be milled, there are even more steps to take!
- All newly sawn wood should be air dried for 10-12 months to slowly reduce the moisture content and to reduce the size of the water cells in the wood naturally.
- Then, both Newly Sawn and Antique Reclaimed materials must be kiln dried in a slow moisture reduction kiln. This process takes from 2-6 weeks and will gradually reduce the moisture level of the wood to 8%. With both of these processes, it is critical to work slowly because any shock to the wood is counterproductive to these steps, which further ensures stability to the wood.
- Once the materials are dried, the milling process begins. Carlisle also recommends creating floors made of random width boards; this technique best replicates the look of a traditional wide plank floor and will maximize the yield of raw materials – resulting in less waste.
When working with a company that custom crafts floors, you will have ability to specify the precise lengths and widths of
your floor boards. After your floor is milled, you have just a few more choices to make regarding the installation and finishing process. When one finds a provider, like Carlisle, who takes the necessary steps in acquiring and drying your floor
carefully, you have the option of installing in a variety of ways, included over plywood, radiant heat, concrete, or
any combination within. You may choose to finish a solid wide plank floor on the jobsite or have your manufacturer
pre-finish the floor. For those who chose to have their floor pre-finished, it is imperative that the floor be
properly sealed to further ensure the stability.
Carlisle will custom craft samples – at no cost to the customer – to create the exact color, texture, and finish that will result in the exact look one seeks. They will then apply a customized combination of stain, hand-distressing, and finish to your entire floor before shipping it to the project site. Carlisle’s Custom Coat residential pre-finished floors are sealed on the top and bottom of the boards with a proprietary finish, which contains only a negligible level of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)- far exceeding state and green building guidelines. Plus, they incorporate a special additive which further inhibits mold, mildew and other unhealthy airborne microbes.
Timeless Architecture
Wide Plank Wood Floors are timeless in their architectural contribution to any design style. Carlisle takes the
extra steps to guarantee that your floor will be one of the longest lasting materials you use in your home. Because
of the effort Carlisle takes in custom crafting a floor, they stand behind their product 100% and offer a Lifetime
Quality Assurance on their floors. These floors are installed with ease – in fact, many of Carlisle’s customers are
homeowners who install their own floors with direct guidance from their professional staff available 7 days a week.
For the less ambitious, Carlisle will also be happy to recommend a local installer familiar with the Carlisle
installation process.
Thanks to Shannon and the Floor Talk community for providing me with this wonderful opportunity to share my
knowledge and passion for this company. For more information, check out Hardwood Surface or visit the Carlisle Wide
Plank Floors website.
