One thing is obvious when you walk through the doors of the house: the floors are an amazing work of craftsmanship. Your eye immediately goes to the grand staircase, but the floors are just as glorious. You can tell that whoever built the house cared about the details. Even though the floors needed some work, they were in great shape. Before we started moving in with boxes and furniture, we had the floors refinished.
Each of the four main spaces on the first floor have a patterned layout of quarter-sawn oak. I admit that we didn’t even know what quarter-sawn oak is. In case you don’t know, it is a different way to cut an oak log to reveal greater veining. I found this diagram and explanation at Hardwood Distributors Association website. Rees Custom Floors sanded all of the floors and stained the main level to match the staircase. Rees Powell assured us of the remarkable quality of the old floors.
The second story floors are made of red Douglas Fir. While they don’t have the intricate patterns of the main floor, they are also lovely. These floors just received a natural finish and the old patina shines through.
When the floors were finished, we had our first glimpse into the former glory of the house.
Our Cranbury House 