01 Jan

Say yes to pine walls

Should you Paint or Stain your southern pine walls?

This is not an attempt to avoid the answer but this is personal but here is how my decision is made. “I would always paint, if budget is an issue buy from the clearance rack, if not buy Monocoat by Rubio because it is zero VOC. The clearance rack is actually a green choice because it could be used for a lot worse things that have a much shorter life. And, if you use 3/4 boards, one day someone will take them down and that paint can be sanded done to a form a undertone which is big money if done by finish shop!” (Jason Howard, 2024}. Now that is my take on things but it is far from the norm because I love to make new floors look old; an old coat of paint or new one, sanded off can be made to look very cool. (See below).

Salvaged pine decking using skins 1/2 thick — Salvaged decking Circa 1908

Reclaimed Pine Wall Skins: The ultimate repurpose

Well, at least I hope you think it looks “cool”, that photo is my work and our guest bathroom. Here is an example of wood painted, sanded, stained and finished. The point? Painting our gorgeous Southern Pine and your are 1/4 of the way there already. And before you say the stain would do the same thing, it does not. It is far more uniform, for age, and certainly for anyone trying to distress their floor (former walls) paint is easy one you get the prototype. Call me for more, I am running out of room.

Transform your space with the timeless beauty of pine walls. Whether you’re looking to create a cozy cabin retreat or add rustic charm to your home, our premium V Groove and Ship-lap pine walls are the perfect choice. With their classic design and natural wood grain, these walls will instantly elevate the aesthetic of any room. Experience the warmth and character that only pine can offer, while enjoying the durability and easy installation of our expertly crafted panels. Don’t settle for ordinary walls when you can have the stunning elegance of pine. Upgrade your space today with our exquisite Pine Walls.

Accent walls are more popular than ever — Garage

customer pictures of Heart Pine Flooring

01 Sep

Pine Floors in Michigan

Wood Floor Shopping

Finished to order 1x4 Clear Southern Pine flooring

Maize and Blue

Michigan Wolverine Fans- Congratulations on making it to the National Championship game.

We celebrated your year by creating a Michigan Wolverine, Maize and Blue

finished Southern Pine.

Clear grade 3/4 solid 3 1/4 wide in all 10′ boards!!! This floor is one of a kind, seriously; because unique

does not do it justice. End matched all 10′ boards, all of them! That makes the floor unique but the color

makes it cool. floors The finish, has a UV aluminum oxide coating plus a micro-bevel on the (again) 10’not

10″. So, comparing anything else will be tough- but the price makes it easy. $4.95 for all 1600 sq ft.

Southern Pine floors in Michigan does not include White Pine

Please note: THIS IS NOT WHITE PINE! Nor is it utility grade box store farm grown plantation trash pine. This is old growth authentic longleaf southern yellow pine. The differences are abundant and easy to spot when comparing boards. White is plain, void of character and 1/2 as hard as Southern Yellow Pine. In our opinion, White pine is good for walls only and should not be considered an option for SYP.

Do it yourself Southern Pine Michigan

Michigan Do it Yourself and then review us!

“ Jason and Heather from SYP Direct Flooring have been an absolute delight to work with during our recent transaction. My wife and I are involved in updating, while trying to retain the character of a 124 yr. old building along Michigan’s lake shore. The original flooring was local Yellow Pine and trying to find authentic Southern Pine floors in Michigan can be difficult. Jason was an invaluable part of recreating the building as it once was. Heather was on top of getting back answers to questions of any sort. The quality of the was outstanding and just what we needed. These folks were helpful, friendly, gracious and fun throughout the process. This has been one of the best purchasing/customer service experiences I’ve had.” – Gary Miller, Grand Rapids, Mi. – 2017 Heart Pine Floors Michigan

Perfect for the lake cabins

Authentic Southern Pine shipped to your job site

Our floors are unique and the absolute best value in solid flooring. Call to have us explain this statement. SYP offers the best product, in this grade- bar none. Tongue and groove with relief grooves on back or v groove with flat back. KILN dried, precision mill and surface planed- barefoot ready. Standard lengths 8’-14’ or mix. All orders are based on minimum of 1 pallet, approximate 820 square feet, varies slightly based on width and length of the boards.

Michigan customer reviews SYP Direct

Michigan customer provides best flooring review for SYP Direct, excerpt from full review on Google.

“This project, on paper, should have been a real challenge: The floor is about 25 feet from the water’s edge so there is plenty of humidity in the summer, and in the winter the temperatures can plunge well below zero and cold air is dry air! Also, the floor is over a crawl space. So, lots of moisture change in this location. i went with a historical look using antique ‘hand-cut’ nails face-nailed in counter-sunk holes. I then finished with a hand-rubbed oil finish. The results are stunning! We receive many compliments from visitors and craftsmen alike. And the floor is as flat and stable as the day(s) I installed it. Very, very happy with how it turned out. ” (Newbury, G.)

Michigan

SYP Direct is local for you.

Michigan we love you guys- call us now before the weather gets too bad, or to plan for when you thaw. Jason Howard

08 Apr

Kentucky

Walls and Other

Kentucky quick fact: the state has more navigable miles of waterways than any other state in the union. Probably not what you think about when you think about the Bluegrass state, right? Basketball tops my list when I think about Kentucky. As an LSU alumni and Louisiana “boy”, I wonder; How many times did Kentucky beat LSU in the SEC tournament, all of them? OK, not every time but awfully close! If that doesn’t top your list, how about that little horse race they hold every year.

Kentucky Derby

Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but Louisville is the largest city. Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby, the renowned horse race held at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Dubbed “The Run for the Roses,” stemming from the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is also known in the United States as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” because of its approximate duration. The Kentucky Derby has run uninterrupted since 1875. Even with the Olympics and major professional sports leagues canceled at those points, the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont took place during the Great Depression and both World Wars.

SYP Direct & the Blue Grass state

SYP Direct depends on word of mouth, specifically referrals. Kentucky provides a perfect example of how our business has grown to cover the state. During our first two years, we only had 4 customers from the Bluegrass state, last year (2019) it was 10. And while that number ranks 20^th comparing total sales by state, almost ½ of those started with one customer. Word of mouth business is direct result of the quality and service received. An A+ rating from the BBB, confirms, we take care of our customers.

Get a quote

Ownensboro Kentucky Workshop

We send so much time talking about our tongue and groove floors, walls get over-looked. In Owensboro our customer used tongue and groove on his walls, running the boards vertical, as shown above. “Here is the finished building. I built a bar and workbench (with leftovers) also. I am VERY happy with it. Thank you for all your help!” (McClarty 2020). When comparing t/g walls to widly popular Shiplap, one interlocks producing straight edges, whereas Shiplap rest on top one another.

Ship-lap or Shiplap

Buying Solid Wood Flooring? You have certain rights!

You have the right to real

First, it must be real wood, a floor not a floor cover that will be thrown away one day. Nobody calls carpet a hardwood, but it outlasts most LVT and all laminate. Solid wood, i.e., engineered by Mother Nature! – It is a shame that we even use the same word, hardwood to describe both real and fake flooring. Laminate Hardwoods, the term has no meaning. It is not wood, much less hard. Laminate, LVT and cheap (less than 4mm wear layer) engineered flooring all ends up in the same landfill.

Long boards are not a luxury

Long lengths- When did trees get so short? 95% of all prefinished hardwoods are sold as 7’ nested bundles, meaning box. The average board will be under 30”, all chopped up is what you get. Not the case with our finish to order heart pine, we run long boards up to 10’ with an average over 7’; 80% of boards are 8’ and up. In fact, we offer a version with all 12’ boards; however, the shipping and packaging becomes more expensive. Why long boards are so cool? They look like they cost a fortune because everyone else has chopped up short boards.

You have the right to the truth

You cannot refinish engineered wood with less than 4 mm wear layer, warranties are, in general worthless and nothing is waterproof except water. These are topics that, of course, generate questions; and the answers should be given in the form of true statements not marketing garbage. You will find that with each question answered, the truth becomes clear. Single use floor covers mean repeat business and that is what supports the industry. Nobody wants you to get a solid real hardwood because you will not need another one, nor will the person who moves in after you. Solid hardwood flooring increases the selling price by up to 10% because the new owners can re-finish rather than repurchase.

Girl laying on pallet while pine acclimating prior to being glued down and face nailed

03 Oct

Rustic prices Missouri

Wood Floor Shopping

Missouri “Show Me” Rustic Floors AND the price.

At SYP Direct, we differentiate our Rustic (or #2 Knotty) Pine from 95% of the market and 100% of your local lumberyards. We produce Heart Pine derived from the slow growing version of SYP. Heart Pine is a function of species and age. Is it rustic? Well, it has knots, but it also sits in two homes valued over 15 million dollars and countless 7 figure ones around the country including Marthas Vineyard (4). Prices start, in Missouri and everywhere else around $2.25 per square foot.

For more information, read “Southern Yellow Pine is not a species”, or “Heart vs Knotty Pine”. In short, our Rustic #2 is not a defected grade, it simply does not have enough Heart content.

Missouri and SYP Direct

Welcome to SYP Direct, the homeowners’ resource and advocate for real wood flooring. As opposed to your local flooring pro, we explain why real wood is not only less expensive, better for the environment, but it can be glued down. SURPRISE!

MORE RUSTIC FLOORS

Real equals green – last forever everything else is landfill one day (sypdirect.net)

tongue and groove pine