Vintage Cherry

History and Characteristics of Vintage Cherry

Cherry appears light pinkish in the heartwood and blonde in the sap content. Being a fruit tree cherry has a distinct color and smell and should be easier to identify. Cherry is easy to work with and will slowly darken after being cut providing a beautifully rich color.

Vintage Distressed Oak

History and Characteristics of  Vintage Distressed Oak

Oak lumber has been valued for structural and decorative uses for centuries. While more than 80 species of oak grow in the U.S., “out of the woods and at the sawmill”, the lumber industry “sorts” into two species–red oak and white oak. Many of the differentiating characteristics of red and white oak are subtle and  mistakes are made even by well trained graders of modern sawmills.  Red hue of red oak is the most visible distinguishing characteristic used by non-professionals. Color differences are even more indistinguishable in reclaimed oak due to the slow growth tight grain pattern and brown patina acquired with age.

• Vintage Reclaimed Oak is salvaged from deconstructed buildings – domestic barns, houses, fences, log cabins, and warehouses.
• Reclaimed oak contains many exceptional qualities including density/durability, work ability. distinct and varied grain patterns, with warm color tones (light browns to darker highlights from the patina of age).
• Character marks of its history include sound stress/drying cracks, knots, stains and nail holes that distinguish reclaimed from recently harvested Oak.  Distressed character, inherent durability and workable qualities, make reclaimed red and white oak a floor of choice for residential and commercial designers, homeowners, woodworkers, and builders time and time again.
• Reclaiming from industrial, residential, and agrarian sources, Vintage Lumber goes out of its way to source vintage distressed oak lumber to produce our high quality flooring and associated products.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid T&G, end-matched flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths up to 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Whiskey Springs Oak

Characteristics of  Vintage Whiskey Springs Oak

Vintage Whiskey Springs Oak is similar to other manufacturers products also known as “dirty top,” “skip planed,” “trace sawn,” “ranch house,” and other proprietary names.

Whiskey Springs displays the sawn texture and colors of the original antique board surface. The flooring is precision milled in every way as our fully milled Vintage Distressed Oak flooring, with the visible face skip planed on approximately 20% of the surface.

• Whiskey Springs allows the customer the choice of a wide gamut of sanding/finishing options.
• The options run from no sanding to burnishing with an abrasive pad, to light drum sanding with 100 grit sandpaper.
• Because the surface is not fully milled, the installed surface will contain uneven seams (over-wood) which may require spot sanding to avoid sharp edges.
• Because this style of flooring is relatively new to the marketplace, we are glad to speak to your installer/finisher to discuss procedures. As with all our flooring we recommend the least glossy finish available.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Poplar

History and Characteristics of Vintage Poplar

Vintage Poplar is harvested from barns, houses, and various buildings throughout the Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Midwest, and the Southeast. Poplar is valued for its light weight and easy work-ability, as well as its strength to weight ratio and was widely used as structural framing beams, sawn boards, residential flooring, and moldings. The tulip poplar tree is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Poplar remains valued for many modern solid and engineered wood applications.

Vintage Poplar has visual characteristics not found in freshly harvested poplar. Distinct colors from white to olive green to deep purple give antique poplar a unique appearance. Slightly denser than modern yellow pine,  Vintage poplar can be used in high traffic areas where dents are acceptable.  Customers seeking a “south west” ambiance find poplar to be appropriate. While reclaimed wood is usually clear or naturally finished, poplar is one of the most easily stained woods available. With the correct stain, poplar can be mistaken for cherry, maple, walnut, birch and several other hardwoods.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Walnut

History and Characteristics of Vintage Walnut

Most often referred to as Black Walnut is highly available and highly sought after. The wood is sometimes classified as a premium domestic hardwood. The heartwood can vary in color from a pale brown to a darker chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. The sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. Generally the wood is easy to work with with planer tearout causing problems sometimes with irregular or figured grain. Overall the wood is decay resistant, stable when dried and shock resistant and is a favorite for furniture, cabinetry and veneer.

Black Walnut has maintained it’s high value among American hardwoods over the eras, and the Black Walnut-mania is alive and well, if not intensified in the 21st c. It’s one of the few new lumber products in inventory, but in a grade that retains the natural features of the wood – streaks of lighter sap wood, knots and stress cracks. But it’s those natural imperfections that are welcome in many city homes, providing both sophisticated elegance and natural warmth The wood is known for it’s darker tones of brown-black and pronounced hardwood figure. We mill 3/4″ T/G flooring or supply thicker stock for furniture making.

Vintage Hemlock

History and Characteristics of  Vintage Hemlock

Vintage Hemlock is a relatively soft coniferous wood found in buildings from the mid Atlantic through New England and into Canada. It is the state tree of Pennsylvania. The lumber was widely used as structural framing beams and sawn boards for flooring, siding, and sheathing in many barns and houses into the mid 20th century. Hemlock has a distinct grain similar to yellow pine, and a tan hue similar to chestnut. However, Hemlock is soft and not recommended for “high traffic” floor installations. Careful sanding and a flexible matte finish are recommended to highlight the soft browns of its natural color, and to avoid finish cracking from the dents that will occur.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Hickory

History and Characteristics of Vintage Hickory

The medium brown to a lighter yellow color tones of Hickory provide a warm feel for a wood product. The density of Hickory can be challenging when milling and waste can be an issue from Hickory being susceptible to insect attack. Hickory trees are not as big yielding smaller beams and boards and smell of Hickory is real sweet when milling. The end grain is distinct with pores in between the end grains.

Hickory is a classic American wood, popularly associated with barbequed or smoked meats, golf clubs, and tool handles. Reclaimed antique hickory flooring channels this diversity in application through its rapidly-changing coloration and classic patterning. Hickory floor planks can range in color from light vanilla to dark chocolate – sometimes in a single board. Knots, occasional nail holes, light surface checking, and possible worm tracks provide this wood with inimitable ‘tough’ characteristics.

Vintage Select / Crown Heart Pine

History and Characteristics of  Vintage Select/Crown Heart Pine

Our reclaimed heart pine select grade is, without a doubt, our most refined reclaimed flooring. Selected from the same beams and boards as our reclaimed character grade heart pine,

• Select/Crown grade is +95% heartwood, +95% clear, +90%vertical grain.
• Very occasional pin knots, pitch pockets, nail holes, and flat grain may be present to allow longer length boards. Vertical Grain may have from 8 to 80 growth rings per inch.
• Vertical grain, aka “quarter sawn”, and “rift” is the densest form of yellow pine and has been highly valued as the finest flooring since early colonial days.

Found extensively in Colonial Williamsburg, “Heart Pine” is a particular species of yellow pine.  Pinus Palustris,  aka “long leaf yellow pine”(its needles often exceeded 12” in length), and “Georgia pine”, grew as the predominant coniferous tree from the gulf coast to northern Virginia. Heart Pine was most heavily harvested after the Civil War and into the 1920’s. Its use as the preferred structural heavy timber in most industrial factories, warehouses, and tenant buildings provides us with a treasured resource preserved for careful extraction and reuse.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid heart pine flooring is normally milled to 3/4” thickness.
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Select/Crown grad  heart pine is usually available in RW 2” to 5”. Clear, vertical grain boards are scarce, but occasionally available up to 9”.  The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Prime Plus Heart Pine

Characteristics of  Vintage Prime Plus Heart Pine

Prime Plus Grade Heart Pine is our “middle grade” of heart pine. Selected for grade during processing,

• Prime plus is +85% heart wood, +65%clear, and +60% vertical grain.
• Various sizes of sound knots, nail holes, flat grain, and occasional sapwood are allowed.
• Percentages are based on RW 3” to 6”. Wider boards up to 10” may have lower percentages.
• By comparison, our Select/Clear grade is a “museum grade, ” and prime plus is a “premium residential grade.”

Found extensively in Colonial Williamsburg, “Heart Pine” is a particular species of yellow pine.  Pinus Palustris,  aka “long leaf yellow pine”(its needles often exceeded 12” in length), and “Georgia pine”, grew as the predominant coniferous tree from the gulf coast to northern Virginia. Heart Pine was most heavily harvested after the Civil War and into the 1920’s. Its use as the preferred structural heavy timber in most industrial factories, warehouses, and tenant buildings provides us with a treasured resource preserved for careful extraction and reuse.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid heart pine flooring is normally milled to 3/4” thickness.
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Yellow Pine

History and Characteristics of Vintage Heart/Yellow Pine

Vintage Heart/Yellow pine is our “rustic,” or “cabin” grade. Some manufacturers represent this grade as “Heart Pine,” which it may technically be, but our “select/crown’ and “prime plus” grades are more accurately representative of “heart pine” as it was produced as formal flooring in the past. With that being said, the rustic beauty of VH/YPs  various characteristics is most pleasing for a myriad of applications. We stipulate that it is the most likely grade to show dents of the reclaimed yellow pine grades, but for many customers the accumulation of “character,” and signs of use continue to enhance the appearance of the floor. Unlike our upper grades of heart pine, Vintage Heart/Yellow contains several varieties of yellow pine, all similar in appearance, and found in buildings originally built with locally harvested species. Some of the timber and boards we obtain from the mid-atlantic and north east are almost identical in grain density, and appearance to Pinus Palustris. However, most are distinguished by slightly less density and weight.   Vintage Heart/Yellow is +50% heartwood, +40% clear of knots, +30% vertical grain. While our upper grades are produced from boards resawn from large beams, Vintage Heart/Yellow is a mixture of resawn boards and boards originally used as siding, sheathing, flooring, and other construction purposes. Antique boards milled into flooring may retain some of the patina of aging, adding to its rustic appearance.  Depending on available rough stock VH/YP grade may be custom ordered in an original face–“Whiskey Springs”– format which retains texture of its weathered surface and other signs of it’s industrial and natural history – saw marks, nail holes and sound stress cracks. Please check out the Whiskey Springs oak description and photo if interested.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”.
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage American Chestnut

History and Characteristics of Vintage Distressed Chestnut

The American Chestnut tree was the predominant hardwood species of the entire East coast and into the mid-west forests of the United States. In the early 20th century a devastating blight was introduced from overseas that caused the almost complete extinction of the chestnut species. Today, only a few isolated stands of American chestnut exist in the mid-west. Efforts to re-establish the chestnut tree are the work of the American Chestnut Foundation. Vintage Lumber suggest you visit their web page– httpss://www.acf.org–for additional information.

In its prime, the chestnut tree was highly valued as a food source for livestock as well as for its lumber. As the blight ravaged the species, vast areas of standing deadwood resulted. As deadwood, the standing trunks were very resistant to decay, and became host to several wood boring insects, most notably the “chestnut timber worm–melittomma sericeum.”  The resulting tracks of the chestnut timber worm are more commonly known as “shot worm” holes. The shot worm holes are the defining characteristic of “wormy chestnut.” Millions of board feet of standing deadwood chestnut were harvested for industrial, residential, furniture, and construction purposes.  The abundance of chestnut considered to be defective resulted in low prices and wide use in the industrial markets, especially as  steel mill blocking in the manufacture of hot rolled steel. Thousands of board feet at pennies a board foot were burned daily in steel mills through the 1950’s. While the worm holes were initially considered a “defect’ for most fine woodwork, the boards and beams were extensively used for structural and utility purposes. As the stands of deadwood were harvested, the value of the unique beauty and work-ability of the “functionally extinct” chestnut became established and continues to grow. Today’s source of chestnut is principally deconstructed old barns and occasional commercial buildings built from about 1910 to 1940.

• Reclaiming from industrial, residential, and agrarian sources, Vintage Lumber goes out of its way to source vintage distressed chestnut lumber to produce our high quality flooring and associated products. Vintage Distressed Chestnut flooring is a blend of boards resawn from old beams and boards originally used as siding, sheathing and flooring.
• Reclaimed chestnut contains many exceptional qualities including work ability, distinct worm holes, and varied grain patterns, with warm color tones (light browns to darker highlights from the patina of age).
• Character marks of its history include sound stress/drying cracks, knots, stains, nail holes, and worm holes. The relatively soft density of chestnut limits its desirability as a floor in high traffic areas.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage White Pine

History and Characteristics of Vintage White Pine

White Pine is native to the north east, and mid atlantic regions of the United States. White Pine was used as structural framing logs, beams, and planks as well as boards for siding, sheathing, and flooring.  Reclaimed eastern white pine is a low density soft wood with coloration ranging from a light blonde to deep chestnut tones. The subtle grain of reclaimed white pine provides an ambiance of warmth and comfort equaled by few other species. Vintage Lumber cautions that white pines low density may make it unsuitable as flooring in high traffic areas. However, some customers may deem the tendency to “dent” desirable for continuing evidence of wear and “antiquing.”

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.

Vintage Berkshire Blend

Characteristics of Vintage Berkshire Blend

Vintage Berkshire Blend is our brand of mixed reclaimed hardwoods. Berkshire Blend is an unspecified blend of mostly northern hardwoods reclaimed from barns, houses, and commercial buildings. Berkshire Blend may contain hard maple, soft maple, birch, beech, poplar, ash, elm, hickory, hackberry, cherry, locust, and other reclaimed hardwood species found in quantities too small to warrant production as separate species. The overall appearance of the blend is a maple look. The subtle grains of maple and birch are mixed with the more distinct grains and colors of ash, hickory, elm, etc. Berkshire Blend flooring is nearly as dense as oak, and is suitable for use in most residential and commercial applications. Both boards resawn from beams and boards used as siding, sheathing and floor boards are combined to create a rustic look. Nail holes, rust stains, insect holes, sound knots and other characteristics of reclaimed wood complete the appearance.

Specifications

• Reclaimed solid wood flooring is normally milled to 17mm thickness (same top wear layer above the T&G as 3/4”, with a thinner bottom layer to maximize yield from scarce supplies of raw material).
• Vintage Lumber is also able to meet customer’s requirements for both thinner (minimum 3/8”) and thicker solid flooring.
• Most of our solid flooring is produced in random widths(RW) from 2” to 10”, on the full inch face. Typical RW ranges are 3” to 6”(3,4,5,6), 3” to 8”, 7” to 10”, or any combination needed. Board widths of over 20” are sometimes available in certain species. The wider the widths required, the higher the costs. Our RW flooring is usually not sold as a repeating pattern(equal lineal feet of each width). For prompt filling of orders, we base our RW counts on available widths in inventory, and we calculate a 9 or 10 board width sequence to facilitate installation to avoid all of one width remaining at the end.