F.L. Crane & Sons is one of the Southeast’s leading drywall contractors.

Premier Business Partners:

The McCarty Company

For more than 60 years, F.L. Crane & Sons Inc. has been providing finishing contracting services to the Southeast. The company says that over the years it has built “a reputation that’s second-to-none,” starting out as a one-man operation and eventually swelling into a renowned contractor with more than 10 offices in four states.

“By integrating leadership and confidence gained in more than 50 years in the construction trades, F.L. Crane & Sons has built its reputation for excellence in interior and exterior finishing, carpet, ceilings and walls,” the company says. “As one of the top-20 wall and ceiling contractors in the United States, F.L. Crane & Sons Inc. is also counted among the upper half of the nation’s top-600 specialty contractors.”

The company says it has been called upon numerous times by major contractors in the region because of its reliability and quality work. “The enviable reputation we’ve earned through dependable performance with associated contractors is a value [that] F.L. Crane & Sons Inc. clients rely upon,” the company says. It says it provides contractors and clients with “a sure thing” when it comes to providing top-notch work on time and on budget.

The company was founded in 1947 by F.L. Crane, and it remains a family owned and operated business. Although the company’s family ties are important to it, the company also says that giving opportunities to some of its work force was a major contributor to its growth. “When opportunities presented themselves in the early ‘90s, we realized that we had a lot of skilled people who could rise to leadership,” CEO Johnny Crane said in a statement. “We simply offered them responsibility and they stepped up. Many of these had previously been hourly employees. Such is the home-grown record of our firm.”

Many Capabilities
F.L. Crane & Sons’ specialties encompass a variety of finishing services. The company has been installing acoustical ceilings and wall panels for more than 40 years, and is a certified Inter-Circle Armstrong contractor.

The company says its expertise with acoustical ceilings include anything from the standard two-by-four to 12-by-12 concealed spline systems. The company says it refuses to stand still in an industry as dynamic and fluid as construction.

“As the construction industry has changed, F.L. Crane & Sons has changed, as well,” the company says. “We continue to add new skills and products to our list of trades to meet the ever changing needs of the construction industry,” it adds.

Building Up
The majority of the company’s work is drywall, including metal stud framing, exterior metal-frame wall panels, floor and ceiling assemblies and gypsum drywall. Drywall installation makes up more than 60 percent of the work F.L. Crane & Sons does, according to the company.

The company makes its exterior insulation and finish panels in its central plant, but also installs composite and insulated panels from trusted manufacturers. Its experience is flooring runs the gamut from vinyl and porcelain tile to brick pavers and carpeting, the company says.

In 1995, F.L. Crane & Sons opened a spraycoatings division in Tennessee, offering services including spray-on insulation, fire-proofing and sound control.  The company’s newest division, Lawrence/Crane Theming & Designs Concepts, provides painting, faux finishes and other wall covering services.

Strong Focus
No matter which arena the company works in, F.L. Crane & Sons says its attention to detail and craftsmanship are its greatest strengths.

“F.L. Crane & Sons’ craftsmen focus entirely on the work at hand, one detail at a time,” the company says. “This attention results in construction that is rendered to perfection, yet accomplished in a minimum time bracket, and that’s a fact worth considering when deadlines are pending.”

The company credits its work force with providing the muscle necessary to follow through on its promises. The most obvious element in F.L. Crane & Son’s success is the manpower we have available when [customers] need it,” the company says. “We give [them] more than just an adequate number of workers; we give [them] a complete crew of highly skilled craftsmen and women, each capable of handling even the most detailed finish work.

“F.L. Crane & Sons knows that the key to perfect design is being able to pull all the elements together in a way that’s second to none,” the company adds. “We have this skill, and it has earned us the respect of craftsmen throughout the field.”

Stretching Out
F.L. Crane & Sons says its reputation in the industry is unmatched, and the reasons for its success are clear. “That reputation began in the 1940’s as a one-man operation, designed to meet the needs of a society facing the Great Depression,” the company says. 

“Now, F.L. Crane & Sons is one of the most extensive finishing contractors in the nation,” it continues. “We’ve stretched out our hands to achieve a standard untouched by competitors, and this is why our list of capabilities continues to grow.”