About me

The Collection | Old Word Chisel
Inspired by: Paul Jermann

Heritage Woodcraft Old World Chisel is made of the difficult-to-source, imported exotic species known as Acacia. The rich grain tones and depth of character exuded by Acacia introduce excitement to any space. The handcrafted chisel-scraping technique emphasizes the distinctive characteristics of the selected grains. The unstructured nature of the chiselwork displayed in the center and edges of the plank will accentuate the uniqueness of your home. Because each plank is hand-chiseled, no two are exactly alike.

Timeless styles are developed by the mixing of historic design and modern shapes. The hand-rubbed staining technique mimics that of the finest wood furniture pieces. A soft cotton cloth rubbing the stain on, while another buffs the excess off. All done by hand, this creates a translucent surface with a soft luster and just the right amount of brilliant color to showcase the Acacia grain. The uncommon strength and beauty of Old World Chisel will provide artistic character to your home for life.

Old World Chisel is ready to be installed and walked on the same day with no additional finish coats needed and no waxing ever. Cleaning and sweeping have never been easier.

Designed in California by Heritage Woodcraft (TM).



The Artist | Paul Jermann

Paul Jermann studied at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, and received his BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts. As a graphic designer and illustrator, his clients have included Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros., Paramount, the L.A. Zoo, Sprint, Pacific Bell, and the Boston Globe. His work has won awards from Print, Creativity, The Art Directors Club of Los Angeles, and The Art Directors Club of San Diego. He has lived in Japan, Germany, Austria, Italy, and France. He now resides in San Francisco, focusing on painting and collage.

Unpredictability and variance in texture are the primary characteristics I aim for in my collage work. You will find similar characteristics created through the use of a variety of distressing techniques in the Old World Chisel Collection. Multiple elements combine to result in the finished piece. The use of hand-sculpting methods such as the Saw Kerf, the Mineral Chisel, The Chisel impact and The Edge Chisel when combined with specifically chosen grain irregularities of the wood itself gives a rich, unpredictable, always-varying texture.

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Old World Chisel Features

Flexible installation: Above, below, or on grade, both concrete and wood subfloors. The Old World Chisel series offers a variety of installation options. The 9 ply engineered plank can be nailed down, glued down, or floated over an approved flooring underlayment. The floor can be installed on all grades, including below grade, on grade, and above grade. It can go in any room in the home and is stable enough to be installed over a radiant heating system should the need arise.

Imported Acacia Hardwood species: The only one of its kind, Acacia will amaze you with its beauty. Acacia is increasingly difficult to source and import, but it is an exceptional selection for hardwood flooring. The species official 2400 lbs psi on the janka rating offers an impressive durable walking surface. The appearance of the grain is furniture grade and arguably one of the richest grain selections available for hardwood flooring.

Full 5" wide plank: The exotic species Acacia is best showcased in a wider width flooring plank. This allows a fuller visual of the grain across the plank that is simply not available in the narrower 3" width. The chiseled beveled edge showcases the 5" width of each plank.

Authentic Hand Chiseled surface treatment: The Acacia grain type pairs exceptionally with the handcrafted Chisel scraping technique. This technique, created with an actual chisel by hand, leaves no two planks looking the same. This center of the planks as well as the edges feature the chisel style hand-scraping technique. The attention to detail that went into the hand-scraping of this collection is inspiring. The chisel treatment alone takes one person a full day to artfully carve and add dimension to 50 square feet of this flooring (a 10'x5' area).

Authentic Hand Rubbed stains:he stains of a wood floor can be applied using 3 methods. Spray on, brush on and hand-rubbed. The quickest and most common method is the spray on method followed closely by the brush on method. Both the spray and brush methods provide a nearly identical completed appearance. The slowest and most desired method is the hand-rubbed method. Hand-rubbed stains provide an appearance benefit in that the wood itself is not saturated with the stain. The stain is applied to a soft 100% cotton cloth and rubbed by hand on to the surface of the wood. The excess is then buffed off with a clean dry cloth. This gives transparency to the grain, rather than the floor taking on a painted look, which covers the real expression of the grain.

New finish technique mimics old oil rubbed tones: An old English oil coating is the richest of finishing techniques. Oil brings out the warmth and richness of wood like no other surface treatment. Oil has to be applied on a somewhat regular basis and requires maintenence. The Old World Chisel series utilizes a new finish technique and luster that accurately mimics the look of an oil finish without the maintenence. A hardwood floor with a 25 year finish warranty that never requires waxing: all of the beauty with none of the work.

Precision milled 4 sided tongue and groove: All four sides of the Old World Chisel series are milled with a precision tongue and groove. This tongue and groove makes installation easier and provides for an accurate fit and even surface from plank to plank.

9 Cross-Ply construction:Cross-Ply engineered construction is a manufacturing process in which various layers of wood are fused together. Each layer is laid with the grain running the opposite direction. Heat, pressure, and adhesives fuse the plies of wood together similar to a sheet of plywood. This gives flooring planks superior stability over that of 3/4" flooring options. When an engineered floor is subjected to more moisture than normal or even drier conditions than normal the grains of the ply are running different directions and pull away from each other rather than shrinking or growing in one direction. This minimizes growth and shrinkage of the flooring, creating a more stable surface for use in a variety of applications. Typical amounts of ply are 3 and 5. The Old World Chisel series features a 9-ply construction, quality found in only the highest grade floors.

4mm real Acacia wearlayer: The wear surface of an engineered floor is located above the Cross-Ply sections. This wearlayer will be made up of the species of choice for the particular collection. Wearlayers are measured in Millimeters. Wearlayer options for thickness range from 1-4 mm of resurfaceable area. The Old World Chisel collection features a full 4mm wearlayer of the exotic imported Acacia species. After the initial 25 year warranty, this wearlayer can be sanded and refinished for years to come providing a lifetime of service in your home.

25 Year Warranty: The Old Wolrd Chisel is protected by a 25 year manufacture finish warranty. After the initial life of the finish is expired, the floor can be screened and a new top coat finish applied. It is not uncommon for hardwood floors to provide over 100 years of worthy service, making them the lowest overall cost floors to install.

Designed in California by Heritage Woodcraft (TM)

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions on the Old World Chisel Handscraped Hardwood flooring.

Q. How thick is the wearlayer on this floor?
A. The Old World Chisel features a 4mm thick wearlayer of Acacia.

Q. Do Handscraped floors require special care to maintain them, like polishes or waxes?
A. Waxing or polishing the Old World Chisel series is not necessary. The initial finish has a 25 year finish that needs no special care other than standard cleaning.

Q. How many times can this floor be sanded and refinished?
A. The amount of sandings depends on how much wood is taken off each time. A general rule for an engineered floor with a 4mm wear layer is 2-3 sandings. Very likely this floor will never be sanded in its lifetime. The initial finish has a 25 year warranty. Sometime after that, additional coats of finish will need to be applied. Wood floors are among the longest lasting flooring options. When taking into consideration their service life, they are one of the lowest cost floors over time to own.

Q. How many plies does this floor have?
A. The Old World Chisel is unique in that it is a 9 cross-ply engineered floor. Three and 5 cross plies are typical in most engineered floor options. Nine ply construction means a more firm sounding, stable floor.

Q. Can I install this floor over concrete?
A. Yes, this floor installs below grade, on grade, and above grade, and over wooden or concrete subfloors.

Q. What type of finish does this floor have?
A. The handscraped floors are designed to have a vintage look. The Aluminum Oxide finish on Old World Chisel mimics an old hand-applied oil finish giving it the appearance of aged hardwood.

Q. I have seen some floors that say they are handscraped but are really done by machine. Is this one done by machine or by hand?
A. Old World Chisel is an authentic handscraped floor. It does not utilize machine scraping to achieve the vintage design. The Chisel technique is the latest, and some argue the best looking, handscraping technique.

Q. Is this a floating floor? I can only use a floating floor.
A. Yes, Old World Chisel is a floating floor. Floating floors are installed over an underlayment. Old World Chisel can also be glued directly down to a subfloor or nailed down to a subfloor.

Installation

Approved Installation methods for the Old Word Chisel collection

The Old Word Chisel collection is approved for all 3 installation methods. Glue down, nail down, or floating installations. The installation can be performed by both Professional Installers and Do It Yourself Homeowners alike.

The Old Word Chisel collection can be installed over radiant heat floors as well. It is recommended for installation below grade, on grade and above grade areas of the home. It can be used in commercial as well as residential settings. Detailed installation instructions are provided on the simpleFLOORS website.

Warranty

Warranty: 25 year wear warranty/Lifetime structural

Warranty information
Maintenance information
Installation guide

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