Rare Aged Woods® - Recycled from rarer woods native to the Mid-Atlantic & Northeastern U.S.
(click thumbnails for larger images / left and right keyboard arrows scroll)
Antique American Chestnut reclaimed plank flooring has a distinctive grain pattern and range in color from light to medium honey. An elegantly rustic floor with medium character and minimum patina.
FSC Recycled, contributes to LEED MRc3: Material
Reuse
(click thumbnail for larger image)
Antique Distressed® American Chestnut reclaimed planks may contain original circular saw-cut marks and range in color from medium honey to dark chocolate. A dramatically rustic floor with chestnut's distinctive grain pattern and maximum character and patina.
FSC Recycled, contributes to LEED MRc3: Material
Reuse
Scientific name(s):Castenea Dentata
"Under the spreading chestnut tree, the village smithy stands . . . " So begins the poem by Longfellow. Chestnut was storied for good reason: The chestnut was very important to early America as well as Europe. For several hundred years, areas such as the Italian and Swiss Alps, were called the "Chestnut Civilization." Its uses included candying, roasting, boiling, drying, flour and butter. During the colonization of America, it was a premier tree, providing straight-grained, rot resistant wood for railroad ties, house framing, barns, fences and an important source of tannin for leather processing. The entire Eastern half of the U.S. was once covered with trees. It was said a squirrel could jump from chestnut tree to chestnut tree from Georgia to New York without ever touching the ground. Around the turn of the century, a blight was introduced from Asia, probably on imported Japanese chestnuts. By 1950, virtually all of the American Chestnut was killed. The only remaining source for this wood is old buildings, mostly barns.
Antique Hickory reclaimed planks are light tan in color with occasional and distinctive dark brown streaks and graining. Being nearly 50% harder than oak, it is a very durable alternative to oak and produces a floor that has medium character and minimum patina. This is the hardest flooring that we sell . . and one of the rarest.
FSC Recycled, contributes to LEED MRc3: Material Reuse
Scientific name(s):Carya ovata, Carya laciniosa
Because of its extreme hardness and durability, hickory was used for early machine parts. Before iron became prevalent, it was the ultimate wood of choice for quality barrel hoops. Because of its physical properties it is used for shovel, pick and axe handles as well gym apparatus. Also, the best baseball bats are made from this wood.
(click thumbnails for larger images / left and right keyboard arrows scroll)
Our Antique American Cherry reclaimed wood flooring ranges in color from the lustrous dark reddish brown heartwood to the pale cream-colored sapwood. The grain is frequently wavy and satiny. American Cherry heartwood will darken over time to a consistent dark reddish brown. This floor is slightly less durable than oak and should be treated like a fine piece of furniture.
FSC Recycled, contributes to LEED MRc3: Material Reuse
Scientific name(s): Prunus serotina
Colonial usage of the cherry tree was for its fruit, its medicinal properties and furniture. Cherry juice and rum were mixed to create Cherry Bounce, a bitter but highly favored cordial. The bark was used in the production of drugs to treat bronchitis, and cherry stalks were used to make tonics. Early printmakers used cherry for their engraving blocks. The native range of the cherry is from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico nearly exactly the eastern half of the U.S. The cherry is a member of the almond family.
Our Antique Black Walnut reclaimed wood flooring ranges in color from the dark chocolate brown of the heartwood to the light cream, nearly white sapwood. It is mostly straight-grained, but waviness does occur nearing a knot. Like cherry, walnut darkens with age. This floor is slightly less durable than oak and should be treated like a fine piece of furniture.
FSC Reclaimed - contributes to LEED MRc3: Material Reuse
Scientific name(s): Juglans nigra
Like the American Cherry, the Black Walnut tree was valued by Colonial Americans for its fruit, its medicinal properties and furniture. Walnut tree extracts have been used for centuries to make ink and dyes and, back even further, the Egyptians used walnut kernel oil to embalm mummies by replacing the blood with walnut oil. In more modern times, walnut hulls are used diversely and unexpected as a metal polish, as a thermal insulator in rocket nose cones and as an environmentally friendly means of cleaning the exteriors of buildings.
(click thumbnail for larger image)
Antique Character Heartpine reclaimed planks contain 70% - 100% heartwood, varying grain patterns and knots. There are infrequent nail holes and hairline cracks. A very rustic and informal floor that has maximum character and minimum patina.
FSC Reclaimed - contributes to LEED MRc3: Material Reuse
Antique Select Heartpine reclaimed planks contain 90% - 100% heartwood, very infrequent nail holes, tight knots (max 1-1/2") and occasional hairline cracks. A very durable floor that represents the Classic Heartpine look that works well with both rustic and contemporary decors. This floor has medium character and minimum patina.
FSC Reclaimed - contributes to LEED MRc3: Material Reuse
Scientific name(s):Pinus palustris
Prized for its length, strength and resin, Longleaf Yellow Pine originally grew in a wide coastal swath from the Carolinas to Louisiana. In colonial times it was the most economically important tree and was sought after by the King of England for ship building; the largest were tagged for the "Crown." Due to extensive logging and agricultural development, by the 1930´s nearly all of the old growth trees were gone. Today the only source for true old growth heartpine is from factories and warehouses. Beware of anyone who would have you believe otherwise.