This winter break, while visions of sugar plums dance in your head, Julie Boynton, director of interior architecture, may be dreaming about Axminster carpet.
Winter break is the second busiest time of the year for the University’s interior architecture staff. Summer break is number one.
Some winter breaks are more hectic than others.
Two years ago, the interior designers spent the time between and after Christmas and New Year’s preparing the new Duncan Student Center for the spring semester. They made sure new furnishings “landed” in the intended spots and that all the design details were just so.
This year’s to-do list is considerably more manageable, but also high profile, as the carpeting in the iconic Main Building is replaced. Workers will blanket the stairwells and common areas of Main Building with the familiar custom-patterned carpeting that’s there now. (The mosaic on the second floor will not be covered.)
“The carpeting is 20 years old and has held up very well, but it’s worn and has been patched in several places. It’s time,” notes Boynton. The floor covering was installed in 1999 when the last renovation of the building took place.
The new carpet will be the same high-quality wool and nylon blend. The type is Axminster — a machine-woven patterned carpet with a cut pile.
You might wonder what’s hidden beneath the carpet. Perhaps a mosaic tile like what’s on the second floor? Maybe hardwood? Sorry to disappoint.
“It’s just a wood subfloor,” says Boynton.
Most of the installation work will occur between the holidays or right after New Year’s. While some people will be back in the office on Jan. 2, many people tend to be on vacation that week.
“We try to complete work like this at times when there will be as little disruption to building occupants as possible,” Boynton says.
The professional carpet installers, who are out of Oklahoma, will complete much of the work between Dec. 28 and Jan. 5. The entire project should be complete by Tuesday, Jan. 7. Click for a detailed breakdown of when the work will be done floor by floor.
Originally published by at ndworks.nd.edu on November 14, 2019.