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Choosing the Best Hardwood Floors for your Home

Reclaimed Antique Floors  

There was a time when old homes and buildings were torn down, and everything was either taken to the city dump or burnt.  People just didn’t reuse the old timbers and fixtures.  Then during the mid-1970s, several extremely resourceful and enterprising individuals started salvaging useable wood, fixtures, windows, and other reusable supplies.  Many times the demolition companies, who did not want to have to pay to have these items hulled off and properly disposed of, freely gave these items away.  Today several of these salvage companies have grown into huge corporations.    

Reclaimed flooring or antique flooring can be thought of as “recycled” flooring.  By using reclaimed flooring, the owners have the enjoyment of rich warm hardwood floors, without worrying about contributing to the deforestation of our planet.  In addition, by using reclaimed flooring you also have the chance to install woods that for all aspects are no longer available, such as longleaf pine and American Chestnut.   

Most of reclaimed flooring is salvaged from old factories, railroad trestles, mills, barns, warehouses, homes, office building, etc., that were constructed in the 1800s to early 1900s.  In addition, most of the wood was originally harvested approximately 100 to 300 years ago, making it very environmentally friendly.  

Homeowners and buyers have to do their homework when purchasing reclaimed flooring as the quality of the wood depends greatly on its source.  It is important to understand that reclaimed wood has had prior life before it graced the floors of your home.  Therefore, buyers must understand where the wood has been and where it has come from before they have it installed.  In addition, the homeowner or purchaser must also know if the wood has been kiln-dried.  This is a process that heats the wood to a specific temperature for a specific amount of time to dry out the wood and to kill any insects, their eggs, as well as any mold and fungus that may be in the wood.  This is very important especially if any of the wood has been reclaimed from flood areas or from areas that are known for termite infestation.