Buchanan Group’s Elite Hardwood Flooring From Solid Oak

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Buchanan Group’s Elite Hardwood Flooring From Solid Oak

Buchanan Hardwood Flooring, based in Aliceville, AL, manufactures Elite brand solid Oak hardwood flooring. The company purchases 14 million board feet annually of Red and White Oak hardwood, Mill Run, No. 1, No. 2 and No.3 A Common.

Manufactured with machinery by OSI, Hasko and Wagner on two shifts, the high-volume hardwood flooring is made in a 110,000-square-foot facility.

To ensure the absolute best product for grade and match, Managing Director Bill Buchanan Jr. said they installed an OSI fully automated chop saw, milling and grading line with scanning done by a CRIQ scanner. “In 2022, we replaced our existing scanner with an EBI scanner and installed an OSI planer,” he said. “Since our start in 1999, we have consistently upgraded our plant. In fact, there is only one conveyor left from the original layout. We are always on the lookout for ways to improve. We produce about 10 million square feet of flooring annually using state-of-the-art, computer-controlled machinery,” Bill continued.

Innovative Operations

Bill also said he believes his operation has the most innovative and computerized strip flooring plant in the country. For well over 50 years, Buchanan Hardwoods has been known for quality hardwood lumber around the United States and the world. “When we started here in hardwood flooring, everything in the flooring facility was brand new from the lumber yard to the strapping machines.  The flooring plant has 480,000 board feet of SII track kilns, which can be unloaded and reloaded in less than an hour. Our adjoining sawmill has 430,000 board feet of kiln capacity, he explained.

Buchanan Group’s Elite Hardwood Flooring From Solid Oak 2

Depicted here is a nesting line at Buchanan Hardwoods.

Buchanan Hardwood Flooring is located approximately 200 miles from the Port of Mobile, 280 miles from the Port of New Orleans, 150 miles from Birmingham International Airport, 200 miles from Memphis International Airport, and 250 miles from Atlanta International Airport.

The Buchanan Group purchases 15 million board feet of quality lumber annually from producers across the Southern and Appalachian regions. While Buchanan buys hardwood logs and timber on the open market, he said a unique aspect of the operation is that they own and manage over 30,000 acres of timberland throughout the South. “Our customers can count on the fact that there’s always inventory available because approximately 25 percent of our Elite wood comes from our own timberlands and sawmill. Besides the extra level of quality assurance this provides, it also means we won’t run out of material just when customers need it the most,” Bill added.

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This photo highlights a new OSI planer.

Hardwood flooring is available in White Oak in ¾-inch x 2 ¼-inch; ¾-inch x 3 ¼-inch; ¾ x 4-inch; and in Red Oak in ¾-inch x 2 ¼-inch; ¾-inch x 3 ¼-inch; ¾-inch x 4-inch; and ¾-inch x 5-inch.

Keys to Success

Among the keys to success at Buchanan Hardwood Flooring, he said quality is at the top of the list. “We have a monitoring team whose only job is to make sure Elite is made, graded, and packaged correctly. Every piece of raw material is checked for moisture content with Wagner in-line moisture meters. Every piece of Elite Brand Flooring is re-checked for proper moisture content before it’s packaged.”

As for the sawmill side of our operation Bill said, “All export and domestic lumber is carefully inspected and measured after kiln drying. Painted ends when required, package tallies, heavy-duty straps, and stiffeners are standard for each container or truck loading.  All containers are stuffed by Buchanan personnel at the company’s yard. So whether you need a multi-car order in North Carolina or a single truckload to California or containerized shipments to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America as well as Africa, we have the size and versatility to handle those needs promptly.”

He continued, “We are a leader in the conservation movement. Members of our staff have served as past chairmen of the Alabama Forestry Commission which prescribes Alabama’s Best Management Practices for Forestry. That is good news for the future of our industry.”

Buchanan Group’s Elite Hardwood Flooring From Solid Oak 4

From left to right is Manager Doug Fikes and Maintenance Superintendent John Estis.

The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) certified Buchanan Hardwoods Elite Flooring. “Buchanan has joined the NWFA/NOFMA certification program as another partner in setting the standard for quality hardwood products,” said Michael Martin, NWFA president and CEO. “The company’s addition to NOFMA, which has existed for more than 100 years, is another demonstration of the value of the program.”

Current Director of National Hardwood Lumber Association, Bill has also served as past Director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association; past Director of the Alabama Forestry Association; past President of the Southwest Hardwood Manufacturers Club; past Director of the National Lumber Exporters Association; and past President of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association.

For more information visit www.buchananhardwoods.com.

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