The Reclamation Process
Reclaimed, recycled, upcycled, salvaged, eco-friendly, sustainable, green, environmentally responsible and even better....amazingly stunning. Reclaimed wood flooring is all of these things, but how is it made?
It all starts with a barn. While it may look broken down, shabby, dilapidated, and worthless to some; we see it's beauty. These once majestic structures built by hand to stand the test of time and weather the storm, did just that. Exposed to the elements and worked until they could no longer stand; eventually losing their integrity and functionality rendering them unusable.
Deconstruction begins. Salvage crews bring in heavy equipment to carefully deconstruct the barn. Decking, trusses, joists, beams, flooring and siding are all removed and ready for new life. All reclaimed materials are metal detected and hand de-nailed to remove any remnant metal from former use.
Dimensional stock that is 2" thick is re-sawn in half to make two 1" boards. While beams are sliced down inch after inch at the sawmill.
All of the 1" thick boards are stickered and stacked and are readied for the kiln. While reclaimed wood is seasoned to 13-15% moisture content, it should always be kiln dried to a moisture content between 6-9% for interior use. The kiln drying process also sterilizes the wood to take care of any insects that may have made a home there.
After materials are kiln dried, they are removed and surface planed to obtain a good top and a good bottom. With a lot of skill and some creativity, we can create many different looks like Antique Oak - Distressed, Antique Oak - Highlands Plank and Antique Oak - Old Original. Once materials are surfaced to the desired look, the edges are straight line ripped to maximize width.
The boards are then marked for defects using a florescent crayon and sent through a saw that reads and cuts at every crayon mark - getting rid of anything not allowed in the finished floor.Once the material is to this point, we are ready to mill the tongue & groove. At the moulder, the tongue and groove is carefully applied and the flooring is end matched. End matching is a tongue and groove that is applied to the plank ends so that the planks lock down on all four sides.
Once the flooring is fully manufactured, it's packed in bundles, strapped to skid and prepared for shipment to job sites all over the nation.
The finished flooring is absolutely beautiful with looks that can only be achieved through years of exposure. Natural finishes make it all the more wonderful.Try an all natural, voc free, flaxed based finish that is applied in a single coat. The oil just allows the wood to be itself for a very natural raw wood feel when you live on it. Even better, no future sanding is required. Oil is just buffed in where needed and when needed and spot repair is quick and easy. Super safe for pets and kids, this finish can be used on cutting boards and countertops as well. Clear (pure) or colors are available. Research more at Organic Finishes.
All reclaimed floors will have knots (could be starburst/fractured knots), nail holes or bolt holes, sound crack/check, insect mark and in some cases remnant saw mark depending on the look.
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