The Grothouse History of Wood Countertops, Butcher Blocks, Bar Tops and Tables
As a teenager, Paul purchased a portable sawmill to finance his college tuition.
The work taught him a great deal about wood species, proper sawing and drying techniques, and creating quality wood. He earned an Engineering degree at Virginia Tech and was quickly promoted to Quality Manager at Lutron Electronics, a leader in high-end lighting controls. During this period he continued to mill custom sized lumber on weekends for local craftsmen, build custom furniture, and create custom wood butcher blocks to customer requests.
The tremendous demand for the product quickly led to a new career. The butcher blocks increased to include custom wood countertops, bar tops and tables. The unsurpassed quality, design and construction capabilities of Grothouse are a result of his extensive experience in woodworking and engineering. Paul is committed to educating young craftsmen and developing quality wood workers for future generations. He serves as Chairman of the Cabinetmaking and Millwork Occupational Advisory Board for Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, one of the largest career and technical institutes in the United States.
About the Company
Grothouse was modeled with a common sense approach to business that is constantly innovating and striving for perfection. Not only will the quality and beauty of our products exceed your expectations, but the customer service you receive before, during and after your order will be of the absolute highest quality and professionalism. We operate on four basic principles:
- Produce the highest quality and innovative products possible
- Provide above average customer service and the shortest lead times in the industry
- Conduct business with honesty and integrity
- Manage the growth of the company to ensure quality and service are never compromised
The team is committed to providing our clients with exceptional customer service and producing the best wood countertops available. Our employees have an outstanding work ethic and they function as a cohesive team to ensure all orders are of the highest quality and ship on time, as promised. Our master craftsmen take pride in creating Made in USA products and are always modernizing equipment and methods to ensure the highest quality possible. The facility is located on a 50 acre farm where wildlife roams freely and we are mindful of our ecological impact. Grothouse is an environmentally friendly company and has many green products and initiatives, for more information on our green products see out Green Initiatives page.
Leading the Wood Countertop Industry
Grothouse is experienced and innovative, setting the standard by which others follow. Our relentless pursuit of excellence maintains client confidence in our inventive products that never become dull or dusty. Our pioneering spirit raises the bar for the wood countertop industry, ultimately creating a positive market for the entire trade. Below is a list of our doctrines and industry triumphs.
We quickly established ourselves as the experts in end grain butcher block construction. Due to our extensive engineering and proprietary construction methods, we construct end grain pieces previously unavailable on the market. We can construct end grain pieces 36″ thick, well over 20 feet long and practically any size that can be transported. Our largest piece required a dedicated flatbed tractor trailer to transport.
Not satisfied with the wood countertop finish commercially available, we created our own proprietary wood countertop finish Durata . It is FDA approved for food contact, and the most chemically resistant and water resistant wood finish on the market. Durata is simply the best wood countertop finish and is used in commercial restaurants and bars as well as residential homes.
Grothouse products are covered by the most comprehensive lifetime warranty in the industry.
We developed proprietary methods to seal wood around sinks. For years, sealing wood around sinks baffled wood craftsmen. Grothouse developed methods to completely and safely seal wood countertops with sinks. Grothouse Wood countertops with under mount sinks are covered under our lifetime warranty.
Grothouse is the only wood surfaces manufacturer to offer laboratory custom stain matching services
The shortest lead time in the wood surfaces industry, shipping our custom wood countertops in 10 to 15 business days.
ABOUT THE OWNER
paul grothouse
Paul Grothouse founded The Grothouse Lumber Company in 1997. His exposure to woodworking began at an early age as his father—a highly respected period furniture maker—restored their 18th century home on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay.
The Timeline
December 2003
December 2004
January 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2006
April 2007
March 2008
October 2008
January 2009
January 2009
March 2009
April 2009
April 2009
May 2009
May 2009
November 2009
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