In terms of flooring installations, some stand out as really particular. Within the portfolio of Tom Keating of Keating Wooden Flooring, based mostly in Gunnison County, Colorado, one set up holds a particular place as his favourite – a reclaimed chestnut undertaking that completely encapsulates the mix of expertise and dedication that defines his work.
“I do fairly a bit of labor with reclaimed wooden, however that is my favourite flooring I’ve achieved in additional than twenty years,” says Keating. “The set up was an important alternative to give attention to craftsmanship whereas having fun with collaboration with the property homeowners who shared their imaginative and prescient with us.”
The undertaking began with a shopper assembly the place they defined that they wished reclaimed chestnut for the flooring, a cloth that exuded a way of historical past and character.
“The size of the set up was appreciable – 3,800 sq. toes of reclaimed, random width chestnut flooring starting from 5” to 17”, all laid over in-floor heating,” says Keating. “Sourcing such materials was no small process, as chestnut is commercially extinct as a result of parasitic fungus often known as chestnut blight. The wooden was reclaimed from numerous sources, showcasing wormholes and defects from its previous.”
With meticulous planning and sourcing materials for greater than a yr, Keating delved into the undertaking.
“As a result of this was such a big and concerned set up, I did loads of analysis upfront to make sure I did every little thing correctly. I used to be considerate about my course of and didn’t succumb to the pressures of making an attempt to save lots of time,” says Keating. “Having unbelievable expertise on my staff additionally was an enormous issue. My installer, Rick Betine, absorbed the imaginative and prescient and executed what was wanted, taking the time and care required. The ground wouldn’t have occurred with out him.”
The set up unfolded over two months, characterised by rustic aesthetics mixing with trendy sensibilities.
“It’s rustic however with trendy, clear traces. The home has a local weather management system and options reclaimed timber and framing all through,” explains Keating. “The home additionally has no trim. Attributable to this, all of the flooring was lower tight to a shadow line on the backside of the house’s drywall.”
Keating additionally crafted the house’s reclaimed chestnut stairs in his store and put in them by scribing them into place.
“The stair set up course of was mentally exhausting at instances, as was our give attention to ensuring the boards on the ground had been laid out attractively,” he says. “We additionally had been cautious to have huge boards towards the partitions. This made the set up very difficult and time-consuming.”
“For starters, decide simply how rustic the shopper needs it. Be sure they know they aren’t getting an ideal flooring. They purposefully are buying an imperfect flooring; moreover the apparent floor particulars, there additionally will probably be shade variation from board to board. If they’re high quality with that, then you definately’re good to go.”
— Tom Keating, Keating Wooden Flooring
The undertaking’s fruits concerned meticulous ending steps adopted by three coats of polyurethane to reinforce the pure patina of the chestnut wooden.
“The ground had current noticed marks and highs and lows from board to board. I used a buffer after which did loads of handwork, sanding, chiseling, and scraping to make every little thing seem worn collectively,” says Keating. “There have been a number of steps of sanding and chiseling earlier than ending with polyurethane. They beloved the wealthy browns and tans of the pure chestnut and wished to honor it.”
Whereas that is Keating’s favourite flooring, he understands it’s not for everybody. As such, he recommends being very open with potential shoppers on what to anticipate when requesting reclaimed wooden.
“For starters, decide simply how rustic the shopper needs it. Do they need all the unique noticed marks, or do they need it remilled? Maybe they need to cut up the distinction?” Keating explains. “Be sure they know they aren’t getting an ideal flooring. They purposefully are buying an imperfect flooring; moreover the apparent floor particulars, there additionally will probably be shade variation from board to board. If they’re high quality with that, then you definately’re good to go. It’s wooden that leaves an impression, and this was a job that definitely left its impression on me.”
