Rock Elm and Mixed Hardwood Plank Floor

Oct 2020
New house construction - fresh start filled with hopes and dreams. This young couple managed their new build well. After working with us, they took a leap of faith and trusted that they could install their remarkable floor, even though they had NEVER done ANYTHING like this before! In a few short months, their brand-new baby will be crawling on this magical rock elm and mixed hardwood floor that is truly a unique work of art. Their courage allowed them to forgo “luxury laminate” and installation while staying within their budget to create one of the most important aspects of their home. We believe, by making this choice to partner with us, they will someday experience the joy of grandchildren crawling on this same floor. Now that’s preserving history and heritage!

Stylistically, our plank floor can be paired with fixtures and furnishings that span industrial and rustic to elegant and refined. While many of our customers, both residential and commercial, choose this style of floor for its strength, durability and visual appeal, no two can ever be the same! And like your favorite pair of old jeans, our floor has history and becomes a personal work of art that cannot be duplicated.

Our knowledge and services are being called upon more than ever by those who wish and insist on taking a more active role in their build process to create a home, workplace or gathering place that preserves their own legacy.

A history of Rock Elm...
"Today, if you could find a rock elm (Ulmus thomasii) that was somehow passed up by yester-year's lumberjacks, you'd marvel at this species. Before the 1920s, you could readily find stands of trees 100' tall and 3' in diameter from southern Ontario to southern Michigan and Wisconsin. The rock elm's size, of course, made it attractive to lumbermen. Without a use, though, even the largest of trees won't spark logging activity. But the rock, or cork elm as it is often called, had many. Back when British shipbuilders scoured the Colonies' vast forests, they discovered rock elm. Its wood was nearly as tough as hickory, yet wouldn't split. And under water, rock elm outlasted any other North American hardwood. So the virgin stands began to fall, their logs sent overseas. Later, in the dawn of the auto industry, loggers again felled the rock elm to get shock-absorbing stock for wheel hubs, spokes, and frames. Wooden ice-box manufacturing also prompted rock elm's harvest. The wood stood up well to dampness, and scrubbed clean with little effort. Made into farm implements-and even furniture-it withstood abuse. In fact, lumberjacks preferred rock elm over any other wood for ax handles. And why is rock elm absent from today's commercial wood list? The species has been relegated to poorer soils, which produce smaller and more widely scattered trees. The large rock elm stands remain history." - Wood Magazine