Uncompromised Quality and Artisan Craftsmanship
Posted: June 12, 2023
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Author – Ryan Palma Owner/CEO Sustainable Lumber Co.
At Sustainable Lumber Company, we take great pride in the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into creating every single board of artisan flooring and wall/ceiling paneling. We believe in old-fashioned artisan-style craftsmanship and that belief is reflected in the exceptional quality and attention to detail that defines our hardwood flooring and more.
From the very beginning, we ensure that each board receives personal attention at every step of the production process. No detail is overlooked, as we personally handle each board up to 12 times, allowing us the opportunity to check quality and precision at every step.
To ensure the highest standards, we start with an oversize rough-sawn board that we strategically kiln dry to a moisture content between 6-8%. Each board is individually selected based on grade, character, and color. We believe in using only the finest quality wood for artisan hardwood flooring. All imperfect or leftover pieces are used as biomass to heat our kilns and shop. All our sawdust and chips are used for animal bedding, as nothing at our facility goes to waste.
Our craftsmanship is truly apparent when you see our finished flooring, ceiling, and wall boards. Each pre-finished board undergoes a meticulous hand-rubbed and hand-finished process, resulting in true artisan-style hardwood flooring that is a work of art. Our hand-finished process ensures a uniqueness that showcases the character of each board.
Transparency is at the core of our values as a company. We are not driven by optimization and mass production like most products on the market, instead, we are a boutique niche manufacturer focusing on unique and exclusive lines of wood products.
Our focus lies in preserving the artistry of woodworking while specializing in quality. Our passion is evident when you visit our facility. At every step of our process, we personally check quality control and craftsmanship, demonstrating our commitment to delivering the best possible products.
Allow us to walk you through our meticulous process, where each board is treated with the utmost care and attention:
Salvaged Douglas Fir and Beetle Killed Pine logs are carefully cut into oversized rough-sawn boards, where we visually grade them for quality, character, and color.- Each rough-sawn board undergoes a strict grading and trimming process to meet our specified lengths and widths.
- The boards are then stacked into units with kiln stickers separating each row, they are visually graded once again as we prepare them for the kiln.
- A concrete slab is placed on top of the units to help keep the boards flat, minimalizing the potential for future warping.
- Once in the kiln, we slowly dry the boards at 180 degrees for up to 2 weeks until we reach the optimal moisture content for interior wood products which is between 6-8%
- After drying, we move them to our moulder. Our moulder runs at 35 feet per minute in order to prevent damage during the milling process. By comparison, most flooring manufacturers run up to speeds of 200 feet per minute. We continue to grade the boards and pull out any damaged ones before entering the moulder.
- After the moulder we visual grade and cut out any defects like splits, cracks, holes, etc. that the moulder may have caused.
- After defecting and trimming, each board is then sent to our end matcher, which mills a tongue and groove on the ends of each piece.
- Once milled each board goes through our texturing process, which may consist of hand scraping, wire brushing, and/or sanding. Personal inspections continue to happen at each step.
- Once prepped, the boards are moved to our finish shop. Each board is then finished by hand-rubbing penetrating oils deep into the wood.
- After the penetrating oils are cured for up to 48 hours, we finalize by applying multiple coats of our clear satin protective flooring and wall coatings.
- The boards are then placed on racks allowing them to cure naturally for another 48 hours prior to packaging.
- Once cured we do a final inspection and grading, culling out any boards that don’t meet our strict grading rules.
- The boards are then sub-bundled or boxed, stacked on a pallet, paper wrapped, banded, and shipped all over the United States.
Our commitment to craftsmanship and quality control is unwavering. We want you to have complete confidence in the beauty, durability, quality, and integrity of every board that bears our name. We invite you to explore our extensive lines of handcrafted, sustainable wood flooring and tongue & groove wall planks, knowing that each one has been given the personal attention it deserves.
Our knowledgeable and educated staff is here to answer any additional questions you may have. Please call us today for a free quote on our artisan hardwood flooring at Ph# 406.642.7120 or click here to submit an inquiry online. We look forward to working with you on your next project!