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From Craft to Carlisle: Insights from David Merrill
David Merrill’s been honing his wood flooring craft for over three decades now—and with a little help from Carlisle, he’s been taking his business to the next level through the installation of extraordinary wide plank wood floors. Merrill is a Carlisle Referred Installer, an experienced flooring professional working with Carlisle and our hardwood flooring products.
A Good Product With a Good Problem
The first thing that stands out to any Carlisle installer is the quality of the product—and Merrill is no different.
“The product is beautiful, beautifully milled, precise. You know, no complaints.” That precision is particularly important on prefinished products, where you put it together, and you’re done—there’s no sanding to make it flat. “In those cases, it’s important that it’s milled properly so you don’t get that overwood and underwood. Carlisle consistently hits that precisely, and it installs easily.”
It’s not just the precision that catches his eye—it’s also the finishing. “It’s just smooth, with a nice, consistent sheen. No grit, no junk in the finish. Just beautiful, professional products. You know they take a lot of pride in it, and I see that.”
The biggest problem Merrill runs into with Carlisle? Their planks are…too long.
It’s a good problem to have, laughs Merrill, but can be a real challenge. “Working downtown Chicago, some of the buildings have elevators with 10-foot ceilings—and Carlisle’s sending out 12 or 14-footers!” While their average length is 6 to 7- feet for most hardwoods, Carlisle can customize the lengths to meet the requirements of the job.
Endless Inspiration for the Floor of Your Dreams
GET DESIGN BOOKThe Value of Partnership
Working with Carlisle is as much about the product as it is the experience of working with the company. While Merrill has been building his company for 20 years, partnering with Carlisle has helped open new job opportunities and secure new clients. In addition to serving Illinois—where Merrill is based—and Wisconsin, he’s also traveled the country.
Carlisle initially contracted Merrill and another installer as support for collaborative repair warranty projects, taking care of clients who had installation issues. Merrill flew to homes in California, Minnesota, and Utah to address these issues and ensure clients were happy with their floors.
Warranty issues often aren’t about the product but come down to improper installation. “In those instances, Carlisle went above and beyond to ensure client satisfaction. As Merrill explains, “They obviously flew us out to take care of these clients that were having issues; they’ve supplied product and just helped the customer out just because they’re in that predicament.”
It’s an uncommon level of support from a supplier. “I’m in some groups on social media with thousands of wood flooring contractors, and people are constantly complaining about mills and stores not backing their product or the installer,” observes Merrill. “I’ve never run into any of that with Carlisle.”
Of course, the support flows both ways. Allie Swanson, a Wide Plank Specialist at Carlisle who has worked closely with David Merrill over the years, simply raves about the partnership with Merrill. “I have had the pleasure of working with David Merrill over the past 4.5 years that I have been with CWPF. He is a highly skilled professional installer who has shown me firsthand the process of installing our beautiful wide plank flooring. David replaced two of our showroom floors and had me install a plank and use the nail gun.” While it’s important for those who specialize in selling the product to understand every aspect from creation to installation, it’s best to leave some things to the experts, continues Allie, “Sadly, my plank had to be removed because I am not a skilled installer, but the lesson was impactful because I understood the attention to detail that David brings to all his jobs. Top notch guy!”
Merrill describes another experience where a client had a problem with the original installer that she contracted. The contractor couldn’t hit her timeline and wouldn’t return her deposit. Carlisle stepped in as a mediator to smooth things over with the contractor and get her money back while bringing Merrill in to complete the job and hit her timeline. “Most companies aren’t going to step in and deal with that,” says Merrill. “Ultimately, Carlisle’s trying to make the client happy throughout the whole process.”
Adapting to New Projects and New Trends
One of Merrill’s most memorable projects to date came through Carlisle. It was a 14,000-square-foot house near Lake Michigan with 9,000 feet of flooring across four floors and five staircases. It took nine pallets of wood filled to the brim with 8-inch engineered White Oak.
Another fun project was a repair on an original Carlisle floor. The client had removed a woodstove and needed Merrill to fill in the gaps where the stove was. “It was a unique old-school look—Eastern White Pine with a tung oil finish. Some of the planks were 24 inches wide.” Merrill filled in the repair, then finished with a coat of tung oil over everything. “It had those cut nails through the top to give it an old-school look with an amber finish. Super unique. That style is a bit more common out east, but it’s not common in the Midwest.”
On the topic of Midwestern flooring trends, Merrill explained that gray floors were big for quite a while—and while they’re still popular, the natural raw wood look is starting to dominate the flooring industry. But some clients are still going their own way. Merrill has one client who’s opting for black floors. “I hope that trend doesn’t come back,” Merrill chuckles. “I’ve done a few black floors, and I do try to talk the homeowners out of it just for cleaning. It’s always just going to look dirty—you’re going to be constantly, constantly cleaning it.”
Looking to the Future—of the Business and the Industry
While Merrill works alone, he knows he’ll need to start building a team to keep succeeding in a labor-intensive industry. As he thinks about the next generation of wood flooring installers, the most important advice he can give is to learn how to do the craft correctly right off the bat. “Take classes, get educated with the National Wood Flooring Association—don’t just work with anyone or try to figure it out on your own,” recommends Merrill. It’s not just the education that’s valuable, Merrill says, but the connections and networking opportunities. Plus, “it’s much better to learn how to do it right than to try to unlearn bad habits later. Do things one time—and do it right. Cut down on those mistakes.”
Drawing from David Merrill’s rich and insightful journey in the flooring world—much of that alongside Carlisle—it’s clear that Carlisle’s Referred Installer program is about much more than high-quality hardwood floors. It’s about fostering lasting relationships and learning together. Carlisle stands by their Referred Installers, like Merrill, and ensures they can pursue their craft with the highest degree of precision and confidence. This partnership doesn’t just ignite growth for the individual artisans—it pushes the bar higher for the entire industry.
Follow David’s work with Totallywood Flooring on their website.
Interested in learning more about becoming a Carlisle Referred Installer? Work with the wide plank experts that deliver above and beyond on quality and service. Installers who are interested in discussing our referral program can contact Paul Senechal at psenechal@wideplankflooring.com or by phone at (978) 973-2480 to learn more.
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