Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, the industry leader in artisan-crafted wide plank hardwood flooring for residential and commercial spaces, has seen an increase in demand for the distinctive characteristics of Rift and Quartersawn White Oak, particularly in the company’s difficult-to-find wider width planks.
The specialty cuts, which have long been prized for high-end flooring, produce very strong, stable planks with interesting visual patterns created by a tree’s growth rings. Rift-sawn planks have straight, clean grains, whereas quartersawn planks have beautiful ray patterns called flecking.
Carlisle has added five new colors to its Elegant Collection, a luxury line featuring Rift and Quartersawn planks, in response to the increased demand. “Our top design customers requested more color options to show their clients. We studied the trends in custom colors that clients were requesting and chose tones that catered to today’s tastes,” Chris Sy, the company’s President, explains.
The new colors, which have names like Alabaster, Sandy Point, Valley Fog, Champagne Toast, and Chocolate Truffle, round out a palette that includes everything from lighter whitewashes to subtle taupes to traditional medium to darker tones.
According to Product Development Manager Mike Hebert, creamy washes and lighter tones have been particularly popular, but the trend is shifting toward taupe tones that shift between brown and gray. “The taupe colors are dynamic – they really change depending on the light and the time of day,” he says.
The Elegant Collection features Rift and Quartersawn White Oak from the United States. The collection’s heirloom-grade solid or engineered planks are available in lengths ranging from two to twelve feet. Each eight-inch-wide plank has a smooth texture and an on-trend super matte sheen.
