Prove your eco-credentials with a nice, new dirt floor
Portland Business Journal - February 23, 2007
Forget the Sub-Zero refrigerator and granite countertops. Sukita Crimmel may have the market cornered when it comes to conversation-starting home fixtures. Her new business specializes in dirt floors.
Yes, dirt floors.
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Crimmel occasionally helped people install them over the past seven years, but eco-mania has become such a sweeping phenomenon she sees an opportunity to turn dirt into cash. She just started Portland-based From These Hands LLC after passing the general contractor's test and buying an insurance policy.
The 31-year-old Crimmel already has four projects in the works and says some commercial projects could be on the horizon.
"The jobs are flying in," she said. Business is growing so fast, she didn't even have a projection for first-year revenue.
Unlike a Viking range, the floors won't eat up the annual bonus. At around $8 a square foot, they're cheaper than most hardwood floors.
They also have "ding-ability similar to fir floors," Crimmel said. "They hold up really well to cleaning, mopping and spilling."
Affectionately referred to as "earthen floors," dirt floors are sealed with layers of oil and wax for durability. They're made with, well, dirt, as well as lime and sand. They can be poured in a day, but take several weeks to dry.
Appropriately enough, Crimmel can be reached at
mudgirl@sukita.com. Her Web site is under construction.
http://portland.bizjournals.com/port...wscolumn2.html
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