Playroom & Guestroom Flooring Project

The floor coverings in the downstairs Playroom and guest room have seen multiple updates over the past 72 years. The most recent installations—sisal flooring in the Playroom and carpet in the guest room—were selected by Vladimir Ossipoff and installed in the early 1990s.

Ossipoff’s sisal was originally sourced from India, but it arrived in Hawaii water-damaged. Still, the Liljestrands made it work by cutting and piecing the material together directly onto the concrete slab. This sisal had replaced earlier seagrass mats, which had also undergone several replacements over the decades.

Recently, the sisal began to dry rot and unravel, especially near sliding doors and thresholds. Shifting concrete slabs had caused minor elevation changes, further contributing to wear. After consulting with flooring experts, we selected commercial-grade sisal tiles from Sahara, chosen for their durability and close resemblance to the original material. The old sisal was removed, the concrete leveled, and the new tiles installed over two days. Due to its weight and age, the 1,000+ lb, 100+ year-old pool table was left in place, and the new flooring was fitted around its legs to prevent damage.

The guest room’s residential-grade Berber carpet, once suitable for private use, no longer met the needs of the space, which now functions as a passageway to the guest bathroom and storage room. It was replaced with a commercial-grade synthetic sisal from Langley—durable, visually compatible with the Playroom flooring, and more appropriate for high foot traffic. Extra material was used to create custom mats for added protection.

All installation work was completed by Honolulu Premier Flooring.

Thank you to the many Friends of Liljestrand who supported this project through our end-of-year preservation campaign in November and December 2024. 

Before photos of the Playroom and Guestroom flooring can be seen in a separate post on our website.