Project Study: Complete Package

If you look closely at the floors of this house, you’ll see something you may not ever see again; cherry floor boards 8" wide and 14' long. Clear, without any sap.

As a first complete home package, this was an impressive choice. It started with sourcing Tamarack logs that were sawn into timbers for internal framing. Before being delivered, MDB planed them, and in some cases straightened some using a 12" hand-held power planer and a chalk line.

Once the timbers were delivered, the kiln was opened and out came the cherry. The customer wanted a wide cherry floor, as wide as could be done. Popular wisdom is that floors over 6" wide need a center fastener, not just the hidden nails. The center fastener can be a nail through the face, a screw through the face and a plug, and some people go so far as to screw the boards down from the underside, through the subfloor.

Not an option for this house. So, careful attention to drying, milling, and installation have led to a floor that 8 years later is still laying flat and stable, and most importantly, beautiful.

The trim, although painted, was also produced by MDB Industries. A detailed take-off kept waste to a minimum, and stretched a limited supply of material to the end. It is fun to share this project as it is one of the first larger scale projects MDB has been involved in, and shows that the pursuit of quality has always been a component of MDB’s services.