To put it bluntly, hardwood flooring can be “temperamental” in dry, arid climates. Therefore, it sometimes comes as a surprise to Colorado flooring professionals that we have a mill right in the southwest corner of the state that produces some of the best quality products available in this part of the country.
Muscanell Millworks out of Cortez, Colorado not only prides itself on factors like precision milling, long lengths, and their meticulous drying processes, but they also are at the forefront of design trends- we’re talking textures. Not only did they see a heavy demand for textured flooring from their client base, they also saw what other manufacturers were producing and just knew they could do it better.
Therefore, Muscanell added three new textures into the mix: Blue Mountain (bandsaw marks), Cimarron (circlesaw marks), and Bryce Canyon (mix of band and circle saw marks).
We got Bobby Comisky, Mill Superintendent and Muscanell veteran of 25 years, to share some of the reasons they decided to start the texture process, and what about Muscanell’s textures sets them apart.
Muscanell decided to integrate textures into their offerings because they knew they could “do it better.” What were some common problems that consumers faced with textured flooring?
Without full control of the process it is very difficult to have consistency in textured floors. Problems encountered producing textures from original sawmill saw marks are many, including excessive overwood, paint marks, water stains, crayon marks, excessive planer marks, tear out on face and edges, lumber inconsistency, and poor availability.
How does Muscanell address these problems or concerns?
We were determined to find a solution so that we could supply our customer with a better product eliminating all the common issues listed above, and with shorter lead-times. With special handling, processes, and equipment, we have the ability to apply the textures here at the mill. This makes our textures more consistent and gives us full control over appearance. Our method results in natural looking random marks.
First, we select and sort lumber to meet customer needs. Second, we surface the material, eliminating all marks, and poor surfacing. This also allows us to hold tighter tolerances. Third, we apply the texture requested by customer. Fourth, and final step is applying our tongue and groove, eliminating most tear out from edges and minimizing overwood between planks. This makes for an easier floor to maintain.
Please tell us about the equipment used to create the textures.
We have two separate machine centers used to create our textures. One machine is used to produce our Blue Mountain product. This is a large band saw customized to provide bandsaw marks across the width of the plank. This creates a rustic looking floor, with a consistent texture.
Our other machine is used to produce Cimarron (circle-sawn). This machine was built in-house to meet our needs and allows us to provide a random circular saw pattern. This gives us full control over saw angle, space between, and direction of saw marks. This results in very consistent depth with very little over wood.
What standards did your mill set for textured floorings in regards to appearance, performance, etc.?
We are providing a textured floor with as many saw marks as possible so that installers can customize the look with the extent of sanding they perform. We follow the same strict tolerances in drying and maintaining long average length as we do in other Muscanell flooring.
We take special care and pride in creating a textured floor that is just the right combination to meet our customer’s needs. With our precise milling, long length and special drying, our team produces one of the best textured floors.
What has the response been to the textures thus far?
- “I want that floor in my home.”
- “It is easy to install.”
- “Easy to adjust the look.”
- “Love the look!”
- “Love the variety of width and species.”
Please share some more information on other customization options offered overall.
We offer several different bevel profiles, sanding, wire brushing, precision herringbone, color sorting, custom grading, and custom length specifications.
At Muscanell our highly-trained team is dedicated to producing the best product for our customers. We take pride in our milling process, tolerances, square endmatches, and special drying. This allows us to provide a floor that is easy to install and can be enjoyed for many years to come.
All our production is done in Colorado using responsibly harvested North American hardwoods like white oak, hickory, walnut, cherry and others to meet your solid plank flooring needs. We also provide a range of treads, riser, and nosing to complement our flooring.
Click here to see all of the textured products. For more information on Muscanell textures or the rest of their product line, call the Palo Duro Hardwoods sales team at 303-375-0280.