Carlisle Wide Plank Floors Debuts Trendy Hickory Flooring Collection

By Caroline Broderick

Alluvium

Hardwood flooring manufacturer Carlisle Wide Plank Floors says its newly announced Earthen Collection offers natural flooring in trending colors.

Earthen features six new hardwood floors handcrafted from hickory that was sourced from northern climates, the company says. Carlisle focused on using Shagbark and Bitternut versions of hickory, resulting in hardwood with a dense grain and deep tones. Hickory is known as one of the most durable domestic woods.

“At Carlisle, we have the luxury of working with some of the top designers in the industry and get to see firsthand the colors, sheens, dimensions, and character of the flooring they are choosing for their latest projects,” says Chris Sy, president of Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. “Hickory adds a new layer of interesting complexity to flooring and we wanted to honor that complexity through our Earthen Collection.”

Argil

Hickory offers both a harder composition and a more distinct appearance than oak or maple due to its grains. The wide-plank application can highlight hickory’s dense grains much better as well, says Floor Critics. Carlisle says hickory offers a more “aged” and organic appearance because of the subtle shifts in shades.

To maximize hickory’s natural appearance, Carlisle chose Original Grade and Heirloom Grade wood. Original features knots, ingrown bark, and mineral streaking, while Heirloom features a much cleaner look. Paired together, the two create Carlisle’s Signature Grade.

“Earthen was created to ground and reconnect people to nature,” says Sy. “This unique combination is a true reflection of the life that the timber lived and uses all of the wood at the base of the tree to tell an elemental, one-of-a-kind story.”

Humus

Each of the collection’s six shades is named after a type of soil and ranges from a light natural hue to a deep chocolate brown. The lightest shade, Chalk, can work well for clients looking for a hardwood similar to traditional oak, but with more subtleness, says Carlisle. Chalk features softened grain patterns due to the white overlay.

The mid-tone, warmer Alluvium may be the collection’s most traditional shade, but the company says the hickory backdrop creates a palette of warm brown shades. Argil mixes both brown and gray, resulting in a worn-in look and contrasting tones.

Humus’ inspiration comes from walnut. It’s the collection’s darkest shade and offers the most subtle variations, the company says. Kaolin combines warm tones of gray and brown while Regur features black, gray, and brown.

All flooring in the Earthen Collection features an extra matte sheen and a smooth texture. Planks are available in widths of 8 inches, thicknesses of ¾ inch, and lengths ranging from 2 to 12 feet in either engineered or solid construction. Planks are end-matched.