Families Fight Over Flooring

Families Fight Over Flooring
I had an interesting experience the other day where two families I had been helping from earlier in the week came in approximately the same time to make their final flooring decision. Both of them were debating among themselves, and I was going back and forth between them answering questions and checking stock for them. Then one of them told me they had decided and were ready to purchase the Passport 2 Smoked Almond. I said ok, and then turned to the other couple, letting them know that they would have to wait a few weeks if they also wanted the Smoked Almond, as the other couple was ready to buy! As I wrote up the order for couple #1 he whispered about couple #2 "you snooze, you lose".

What it got me thinking about is that I sell a much higher percentage of my personal favorites than the other colors in a collection - and if my favorites were the same as other simpleFLOORS team members. After taking a brief poll, here are some other employee favorites!

3/4" Hardwood (*3/4" and hand-scraped)
*Any Reclamation Plank (Stephen, Sherin)
*Indian Red Reclamation (Ryan, Kristina)
*Prairie Acacia Reclamation (Charlie)
*Sable Reclamation (Chace, Rick, Tommy, Cece)
Amber Blaze (Len)
Brazilian Cherry (Shannon)
Brazilian Walnut (Debbie, Lesley, Cece, Dave)
English Saddle Acacia (Tommy, Jason)
Smoked Almond Acacia (Julie, Lesley, Lidia, Len, Tammi, Sherin, Reneelyn)
Tigerwood (Charlie, Kristina)

Link to Top Favorite 3/4" solid - Smoked Almond Acacia
http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Exotics-Flooring/Passport-Collection-2/Smoked-Almond/flooring727.aspx
Second mention - any of the Reclamation Plank
http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Hand-Scraped-Flooring/Reclamation-Plank/collection21.aspx

Bamboo
ANY Strand (Lidia, Len, Reneelyn)
Burnt Mocha (Debbie)
Strand Bora (Chace, Rick, Tommy, Tammi)
Strand Carbonized (Julie, Shannon, Lesley, Cece, Jason)
Strand Natural (Dave)
Zebrano Charred (Ryan, Stephen, Charlie, Kristina)

Link to Top Favorite Bamboo - Strand, Strand, Strand
http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Bamboo-Flooring/Nature-Strand-Woven/collection39.aspx
Cork - (sorry I forgot to put this on my poll, so only a few people gave their opinion)Cobblestone (Debbie)
Durango or Harmony(Cece)

Hand-scraped
Acacia Old World Chisel(Christian)
Any Old World Chisel (Julie, Sherin, Reneelyn)
Brazilian Teak Vintage Couture (Tammi)
Golden Topaz Old World Chisel (Dave)
Hickory Old World Chisel (Lesley)
Lapacho Vintage Couture (Stephen, Lidia)
Machu Pichu Old World Chisel (Jason)
Natural African Hickory Old World Chisel (Lesley, Cece)
Natural African Walnut Vintage Couture (Debbie)
Roasted Almond Old World Chisel (Chace, Ryan, Rick, Mallery)
True Teak Vintage Couture (Shannon)

Link to Top Favorite Hand-scraped - Roasted Almond Old World Chisel
http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Exotics-Flooring/Old-World-Chisel/Roasted-Almond/flooring752.aspx

Laminate
Aged Hickory True Timber (Stephen, Rick, Len, Reneelyn)
ANY Masterpiece (Lidia)
Calladium Block Genva-Loc (Julie)
Cedar Masterpiece (Lesley, Cece)
Cinnamon Genva-Loc (Len)
Fedora Masterpiece (Chace)
Purple Heart True Timber (Ryan, Tommy, Charlie, Kristina, Jason)
Santos Mahogany True Timber (Shannon)
Varnished Walnut Masterpiece (Debbie, Tammi)

Link to Top Favorite Laminate - Purple Heart True Timber
http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Laminate-Flooring/True-Timber-Premium-Laminate/Purple-Heart/flooring809.aspx

In case you are interested - both couple #1 and couple #2 purchased their beautiful new floors from simpleFLOORS that day :)

Hand-scraped wood floors. Why and where to use

Design theme?
Hand-scraped wood floors when created using tradition and actual human artisan techniques create value in any home. These floors are not limited to a particular design theme. They adorn perfectly, the most minimal to the ultra traditional. Hand crafted goods add value. Regardless of whether you plan on ever selling your home, installation of authentic hand carved flooring increases the appeal and wow factor of any home. We have had many customers comment on their homes selling and attributed it in part because of these handcrafted floors being installed.

Realistic costs are possible on handscraped wood floors The art form of authentic handscraped floors is something that motivates us at simplefloors. Not only do we boast the largest species selection and handcrafting techniques of hand-scraped floors, our beginning price point starts below $3.00 per square foot.

The hanscraping techniques:
Time Worn Shallow Sculpt
The least aggressive of the hand-scraping techniques. The hand tool lathe is used to gently carve valleys into the surface of the floor. The edges of the floor are also carved to 

an uneven, random state.

Flowing uneven paths throughout the surface are characteristics of this hand scraping technique. The Time Worn Technique, accomplishes the natural uneven effects of foot wearing patterns and subtle textures. 

Saw KerfThis hand scraping technique consists of a multitude of Smaller chisel marks in selected groups running throughout the body width of the wood surface. Smaller intricate lines arranged in close proximity to each other produce whole unique distressed sections of the floor. Primarily due to the arrangement and creation of the smaller marks and greater quantity of them this is one of the most time consuming hand distressing processes.

Chisel impactUsing a sharp flat end chisel, the artisan applies blows with a hammer to the top of the chisel. The end of the chisel is held to the wood surface at an angle. The chisel is then placed at the adjacent edge of the fist blow mark, again at an angle. A small pie shaped indent randomly placed throughout the body of the wood surface results. Chisel i

mpact is not only one of the most striking in appearance it is one of the most time consuming hand scraping techniques and of no surprise by far one of the most requested. On some stained colors, deeper tint is often applied to the marks themselves creating further contrast with the surface for an authentic time aged appearance. The Hand Chisel Impact is not able to be mimicked by machine and takes the average artisan one day to complete 75 square feet.

Cross Slash
A series of stacked line gouges carved into the planks surface using a flat gouge blade. 

Typically this vintage technique is accomplished using multiple scrape marks and at an angle to the length of the plank. Original craftsmen did not have the power tools to achieve perfect

planed surfaces. The stitch cross gouge will range in size depending on the intent of the artisan and resembles the scrape mark left

 by the overcut of a tooth saw blade. Darkening tints will often be applied to the Stitch cross gouge making it more visible. This scraping technique is often used as a compliment to one or more of the other scraping techniques.

Zipper punch
The zipper punch distressing technique is used as a complimentary element of the overall distressing technique. Not as conspicuous as most techniques it can actually resemble a small metal zipper indents side by side on the surface of the wood floor. To further describe this distressing technique, you might imagine what a coarse, often referred to as “bastard file” file imprint stamped into a wood surface would look like. This techniques re-creates the impression of the teeth marks left in the wood by a hand held coarse file used centuries prior.

Hand-rubbed & toned
The process in which the flooring stain is applied heavier and lighter in various areas of the plank. This creates an uneven depth of color ranging from nearly translucent to dee

ply opaque. The goal is to achieve a very uneven time weathered look with the use of color stain. Often times this is used in conjunction with hand sculpting techniques to provide further depth and texture to the surfaces. This technique results in a surface with a variation of tones within the given stain color.