The Rich Look of Antique Heart Pine Flooring

Antique heart pine flooring can really warm up the look of a home. In fact, it has been installed in many beautiful homes around the nation and world. It is gorgeous and goes with an array of decorating schemes, as well as being an environmentally friendly choice too. What more could a person ask for? Here are some tidbits about this lovely material:

The reason that this product is considered to be kind to the environment is because it is made from reclaimed timber, which means that no new trees gave their lives for the product. Instead, existing lumber was transformed into this the material.

Many pine varieties are considered to be soft wood. Eastern white pine is one such example. It is softer than those with medium hardness such as spruce or fir. Antique heart pine is harder than white, spruce or fir.

There are actually more than one-hundred different types of pines. These stately trees usually grow in the Northern Hemisphere but can also be found in the southern portion as well. Europe, Africa and Asia as well as several states in the U.S. have ample supplies.

Pine timber which has been made into flooring products may be stained in a variety of shades. The milling of the wood can affect the way it looks in terms of color, depth and tone. The product can be left in its natural hue or stained to a variety of shades in accordance with the home’s interior design scheme.

The wood that these “reclaimed” items come from is mainly from structures that aren’t livable anymore. Old barns, factories, fencing, pickle or whiskey barrels and more. Some homes or warehouses which no longer adhere closely enough to current building codes end up being torn down. The recycled timber pieces from these tear-downs are prime candidates for reclaimed flooring products.

Industrial factory walls from more than one-hundred years ago frequently become floors. Even doors, crates and barges may be pressed into planks. The unusual marks, discolorations and imperfections are actually preferable to boring perfection. Each flaw tells a story about the lumber's origins and history.

It’s quite a process to salvage this lumber and transform it into design statement flooring. Old lumber is cut up into slabs and dried. Any nails are removed and the planks are then planed into appropriate sizes of width, length and depth. A molder must be used as the final step when the planks are pushed through in order to unify them.

These floors are used in a variety of decorating schemes such as contemporary, country, Victorian and shabby chic. They are a warm and beautiful palette on which to place furniture or your favorite.

Antique heart pine flooring is made from the rich center of the timber that is stained and sculpted into a new, graceful shape. It can make an unforgettable design statement in one’s abode. Some homeowners may still prefer wall-to-wall carpeting or tile, but the popularity of timber continues to grow.