A
Purveyor of Quality Hardwood Flooring
McGee Salvage Reclaims Flooring From a Number of Sources
By Lou Granata
 |
| Tobey
Parsons of McGee Salvage standing by one of his stacks of Maple
reclaimed gym flooring. |
Can
a person have a passion for hardwood flooring? Yes, and Tobey Parsons,
owner of McGee Salvage located on the south edge of Scappoose, has
it bad. Parsons’ main gig is reclaiming high-quality wood flooring
from gyms, dance floors, old warehouses, buildings, and homes. “I
get calls from schools all around the West to tear-out their old floor.
Hardrock maple gym flooring has a lot of life still left in it and
provides a great hard surface for homes. Just a few months ago we
removed old growth clear vertical-grain 3 1/4” fir flooring from
the top floor of the Galleria Downtown. You can’t find quality
like that any more,” says Parsons.
Parsons specializes
in out-of-production antique hardwood flooring, so if your looking
to match your flooring there’s a good chance he will have it.
(You’ll need to call to get directions to his warehouse where
he also raises chickens and has plenty of room for his three boarder
collies to run free.)
Most of Parsons’
retail business comes from DIYers. When you buy flooring from Parsons
he stays involved in the process to help get the work started. He
spends a few hours with the buyer to properly lay the all-important
first square to assure that the job will start out straight. He also
loans his tools to the buyer to complete the job. Then he recommends
a few flooring professionals to do the sanding, filling, and finishing.
Parsons claims that the cost is around the same to have a pro finish
the job than renting the equipment to do-it-yourselfers. “You
can ruin a floor just trying to get a handle on the equipment, so
leave it to the pros. You’ll spend a lot less and have a better
looking floor when all is said and done,” claims Parsons.
For do-it-yourselfers
he emphasizes that measuring the space before you call can give him
an idea of how much product is needed to complete the job. Parsons
bundles the flooring with the amount of square feet labeled and then
adds 10% more stock to assure you’ll have enough flooring without
making another trip to his warehouse. Another tip, if you’re
trying to patch a section of flooring take a photo of the floor so
that Parsons can try and match the grain.
“Plank flooring
is in these days although this style of flooring wasn’t used
here in the Northwest. TV shows like ‘This Old House’ has
created a demand,” says Parsons. He now sells plank flooring
milled from new stock and distressed to look old. Parsons oldest son
Tyson, who caught the flooring bug, manufactures this product in Southern
California and ships it to Portland. This new product is available
as custom orders only and is offered in a wide choice of woods like
hickory and cherry. “The feel of this product on your feet is
unbeatable, it feels as good as it looks. Widths vary up to 7 inches
and can have a great look when you stager these widths,” explains
Parsons.
As a purveyor
of quality hardwood flooring, Parsons refuses to see this resource
end up in landfills. McGee Salvage gives the consumer a great opportunity
to keep the character of our homes intact. To contact McGee Salvage,
call 503-720-7308. |
