Wood Flooring, Goodwin Company, Heart Pine

Historic Renovation Receives “Green” Restoration Accolades

Carol Goodwin — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:08:37 +0000

Gainesville Depot Recognized by Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc.

(GAINESVILLE, FL) — One of the City of Gainesville’s oldest, most cherished buildings – the historic Gainesville Depot – will receive an “Outstanding” recognition in the Restoration/Rehabilitation category at the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc. (FTHP) annual awards ceremony. The event, scheduled for May 17^th from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, will be held at the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College.

Nationally acclaimed architect Bert Bender of Bender and Associates Architects, P.A., best known for his work on Key West landmarks such as the Custom House, developed the “green” design to rehabilitate the 1860s era train depot to its original splendor. Superintendent Coley Pitt of West Construction, Inc. spearheaded the construction efforts, utilizing Goodwin Company’s world-renowned reclaimed longleaf heart pine wood throughout the building.

Antique Heart Pine for historic interior restoration requires reclaimed wood cut from America’s virgin forest over 125 years ago. Proper kiln drying, established grading and precision milling are imperative. Goodwin Company’s specialty in fine antique wood was a perfect fit for the interior reconstruction.

The project also required extensive exterior decking, siding and stairs. George Goodwin, founder of Goodwin Company, drew on his close relationships with private plantation owners, enabling him to hand select lightning struck old-growth Longleaf pine to ensure historical accuracy.

“Goodwin was a critical component of the project, identifying various woods to ensure an accurate restoration,” explains Pitt. “In my 50 plus years of experience, I have never worked with a supplier that brought the total commitment to service, quality, accuracy, the environment, and the budget that Goodwin Company brought to this project.”

Goodwin Company adapted the same milling style used in the original structure, replicating paneling, decking and other elements to the exact specifications used in the original 1800s design. The Depot was restored to the Department of Interior standards and will receive the LEED-Gold certification (Leadership in Energy & Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

“Goodwin is proud to provide such an important commodity for this historically accurate ‘green’ renovation,” says Carol Goodwin, CR, MCR, President of Goodwin Company. “Authenticity in preserving our country’s rich history is important. We hope the model used for the Depot will be replicated with other historic rehabilitation projects across the U.S.”

For more information about the FTHP annual awards, visit www.floridatrust.org.

About Goodwin Company

Founded in 1976, Goodwin Company is the building design industry’s trusted partner and preferred resource for fine antique reclaimed and River-RecoveredÒ wood flooring. Esteemed architects, designers and builders specify Goodwin’s products for use in luxury residential homes, historical renovations and commercial projects including corporate office buildings, universities, libraries and high-end retail establishments. Prominent work includes: This Old House corporate offices, private residences of Bob Villa, Paul McCartney, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ted Turner, Weyland Art Gallery, Brownwood at The Villages and the Texas Governor’s Mansion. For more information, visit www.heartpine.com.

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Can I Install Wood Flooring Over Concrete?

Carol Goodwin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:09:30 +0000

One of the most common questions we receive from both homeowners and professionals alike is if wood flooring can be installed over concrete. The answer is, YES! In fact, many homes are built on a concrete slab rather than a crawl space. So, if you want wood floors and are dealing with concrete, don’t worry. Here’s how to manage the job with both solid wood and engineered flooring:

Methods to Install Wood Floor Over Concrete

by Andrew St. James, COO, Goodwin Company

………….

I. Solid wood over concrete

A) Direct glue down – requires boards with no crook or bow, not over 6” wide

a. Full spread

i. Over sealed concrete, compare or refer to Bostik Best over MVP trowel on
ii. Multifunction adhesive, Bostik Ultra SingleStep
iii. Adhesive and Bone Dry

b. Sika type partial glue for sound reduction – same requirement as full spread

B) Nail to plywood installed over concrete – most common method

a. Mechanically fastened plywood over vapor retarder (PE, PE + asphalt, Fortiflash)
b. Float 16” strips of plywood over vapor retarder (NWFA1 Ch 6)
c. Float double plywood fastened together over vapor retarder (NWFA1 Ch 6)
d. Glue down plywood to concrete

C) Sleepers

a. Sleepers glued to concrete (NWFA1 Appendix I) not for all widths and thicknesses
b. Sleepers over rubber pads for dance floors or sports floors

D) Plywood over sleepers for plank or shorts

II. Engineered

A) Direct glue down – most common, if concrete is sealed and floor is well made with water resistant backer and quality glues will dry out fine if dried out relatively quickly

B) Float over pad – disadvantage if leak or floor occurs

C) Install plywood and nail – will only dry out after leak if second story or higher

D) Self Adhesive sheets – no known NWFA sanction

E) Over sheet vinyl – more common in some areas, no known NWFA sanction

1 NWFA, National Wood Flooring Association Installation Guidelines, Call for further references

Goodwin is happy to work with you and provide technical expertise and guidance. For more information, feel free to give us a call!

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Restoring a Wright Masterpiece

Carol Goodwin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:01:08 +0000

We all know the damage hurricanes can cause. While any devastation is tragic, it is especially disheartening when a historical site suffers extreme destruction. Such was the case with the Charnley / Norwood House in Mississippi, which sustained excessive damage during Hurricane Katrina. Chicago lumber-baron James Charnley commissioned two of America’s most famed architects, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, to design his prominent vacation residence. This iconic 1890s masterpiece is said to exemplify a watershed in residential design that re-shaped 20th century residential architecture.

Every effort needed to be taken to restore this important part of architectural and American history. Esteemed Architect Larry Albert of Hattiesburg, MS took on the challenge of reconstructing this Sullivan-Wright masterpiece. You can imagine the excitement and honor we felt when we discovered Mr. Albert specified Goodwin’s Curly Heart Pine Paneling (with a custom V-Joint profile) for this very important project. Recreating and restoring a masterpiece is quite challenging, and Goodwin worked hand-in-hand with the entire building design team from start to finish.

If you look closely in this photo, you can see the alternating sap and heart boards of curly in this cabinet. This is the nature of curly since it is often all sapwood, comprised of outer boards of only one (1) out of every 500 or so logs.

It was initially thought that the flooring in the home was not original because it had a back relief. We were able to demonstrate to the building design team that 125 years ago, they did kerf the backs to save on transportation cost. Wood flooring was simply very expensive to ship back then. There was also waxy paper under the original floor. We encouraged them to consider using Aquabar “B” by Fortifiber, one of several products with a bituminous layer between two layers of kraft paper. These products slow down the moisture movement from the crawl spaces where hot humid air cools off and introduces moisture into the flooring. Roofing felt does nothing to stop moisture movement and plastic traps it. Aquabar “B” has a permeance rating between the felt and the plastic. This prevents moisture from moving quickly and minimizes the possibility of cupping.

Greg Bingham of Ocean Springs Lumber visited the site with me. Ocean Springs Lumber also provided materials for this project.

Curly Heart Pine can be used in a variety of residential, historical and corporate settings. Call Goodwin today to discuss ways this beautiful wood can add distinction and character to your home, office or preservation project.

More about the Charnley / Norwood House:

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Aren’t Wood Floors Difficult to Clean?

Carol Goodwin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:25:45 +0000

One of the many myths about wood floors is that they are difficult to clean and maintain. That may have been true long ago, but now, with the high quality finishes available, wood floor upkeep is quite simple. In fact, it is no more laborious than cleaning any other type of flooring surface. Many people even claim maintaining a wood floor is much easier and more trouble-free. I personally feel wood is the easiest flooring to maintain.

It is a good practice to sweep and dust your floor on a regular basis. Keeping dirt off the floors helps preserve the finish. The manufacturer of your finish can make a recommendation as to which cleaners will work best and not leave a contaminating residue on your floor. Goodwin is also happy to help you research and select the brand and option best for you.

According to the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), regular sweeping or dust mopping is generally sufficient to maintain polyurethane and surface finishes. Be sure to never wax a surface finish floor or use vinyl or tile floor care products. You may also use cleaners recommended by the manufacturer.

NWFA suggests wax and penetrating-stain finishes be maintained the same way. If the manufacturer recommends, you may also use a buffer to maintain the shine.

If the manufacturer recommends, you may be able to use a dampened mop to maintain some surface-finished floors if you feel it is needed. The NWFA discourages damp-mopping a waxed floor. Remember, excess moisture can cause damage. If you should spill something on your floor, wipe it up immediately with a damp cloth and clean with a recommended cleaning product.

And, that is pretty much it. Keeping your floors clean and shiny is really that easy! I agree cleaning wood floors was more difficult back in the days prior to the high-end finishes we have today. Goodwin recommends and uses only premium finishes on all of our wood. And, our friendly experts are always available to answer any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Cypress – “The Wood Eternal”

Carol Goodwin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:05:42 +0000

Cypress has earned the distinction of being known as, “The Wood Eternal.” The Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association’s 1938 handbook titled, Tide Water Red Cypress, eloquently describes its durability:

For over a thousand years, the original massive Cypress doors of Saint Peter’s Church in Rome swung on their hinges. They were still in a perfect state of preservation when replaced with ornamental bronze.”

In fact, recent Cypress log excavations discovered sound wood buried over 100,000 years ago along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. The handbook, which makes for very interesting reading and I highly recommend, also references the termite resistance of the wood:

Cypressene—the essential oil of Cypress—makes Cypress highly repellent to termites. Cypress timbers in 300-year-old Spanish buildings in Florida have resisted termites, while connecting timbers of other woods were destroyed.”

Goodwin uses Cypress and pine for both interior and exterior applications. The Villages, a retirement community in Florida, features Goodwin’s Cypress and pine exteriors on one of their recent projects, Brownwood. The logs on the cabin, the posts in front of the plants and the bandstand ceiling are all heartpine. The bandstand benches, the cabin doors, and other siding are heart Cypress.

Goodwin Company Showroom

The exterior of the Goodwin showroom features treated heart Cypress boards.

The Menil Collection, a museum in Houston, Texas originally designed by Renzo Piano, used Cypress wood from Goodwin for restoration work throughout both the interior and exterior.

The 2001 pamphlet by McReynolds Architects, titled, The Menil Collection – Exterior Wall Renovations, further explains:

The wood is extremely durable, light, soft, straight grained with a soft amber or reddish hue and easily workable, . . . Its resin is insect resistant, and it is very stable in contact with soil or water, tending to resist all forms of rot…Cypress works well with both hand and power tools . . . Although Cypress is resinous, it glues well, sands easily and accepts finishes without a problem.”

The publication goes on to further explain:

Cypress is very versatile. Architectural uses include paneling, moldings, window frames, gutters and doors. It is weather resistant and is often used for decks, siding, shingles and general millwork.”

Even with the durability of Cypress, we still recommend incorporating a design that limits excessive contact with water. You can leave the wood bare, but many prefer to use one of the more popular finishes. Bleaching oil can also be used for a weathered look. Unprotected Cypress naturally ages to a weathered gray.

Pecky Cypress is another intriguing variety commonly used for interior paneling.

Interested in incorporating “The Wood Eternal” into your home or office? One of Goodwin’s friendly experts will be happy to help determine which Cypress options will best fit your project!

PHOTO REFERENCES

Images of Brownwood: Properties of The Villages
Menil back entrance: www.bluffton.edu
Menil facade: www.menil.org

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