This is a hard, resilient wood with nutty brown hues and dramatic grain features that range from simple and sleek to intricate swirls. Once used to make wine barrels, the dense fibers of this popular wood make for a durable floor with a versatile look, depending on the effect

While it may have an unassuming name, Walnut is not an understated wood. In fact, there is no other wood quite like it. Walnut is a sumptuous species with rich, chocolate hues, surprising purple undertones, and complex grain patterns, making for a spectacular floor with or without stain.

Ever wonder what defines “Riftsawn, Quartersawn, and Plainsawn, White Oak? Grain patterns, figure, and board stability are just some of the variables that make up the variety of grain orientations that can be milled from any a white oak log.

Heart Pine, heralded for its use during the American Industrial Revolution, is enjoying a renaissance. Cut from the heart of the timber, this wood provides a hardness rivaling oak with a warm patina and rich colors ranging from pumpkin and amber to darker, more modern hues.

If trees portrayed human temperaments Hickory would be the envy of the species. Hickory is tough and handsome, with a tensile strength that rivals steel and a surface appearance long admired by woodworking purists and cabinetmakers.

Ah, Cherry wood. A true classic; celebrated for it’s warm, if not fiery, amber hues. Cherry was once favored by some of the finest Early American furniture makers and interior panel designers who appreciated its polished, glowing red appearance.

Simply put: Birch is beautiful. Stunning, really; with blonde outer edges that frame an amber center and varying grain patterns that range from delicate swirls to highly figured flame. The unique qualities that make Birch a popular wood for premium floors also attract high-end cabinetry makers and furniture craftsmen.

It may be paradoxical, perhaps, but Carlisle is creating new technologies to reproduce the nostalgic appearance of older, time-worn floors. 

The artistry involved in making parquet flooring first emerged during the Baroque era of the early 1600’s. Then, only the most esteemed institutions and affluent individuals could afford these decadent floors. Now, Carlisle is making the elegant look of parquet available to a wider range of discerning homeowners who appreciate the unique appearance of patterned floors.