Our “original surface” texture is an ode to the origin of our reclaimed materials. When the wood was crafted into standing structures, the tool marks of their builders were often left behind. As time passed, decades upon decades, they have been subjected to exposure that leaves a record upon its surface. Different species of wood react in different ways from raised grain to varying patinas.
Our “hit & miss” texture is the intersection between the old world and the new. We feed original surface material through machinery that hits all of the high points in the boards, leaving smooth areas that show off an uninhibited view of the wood’s character beneath. This is a material that is unique in every application and always eye catching.
Our “smooth” texture is a classic go-to in flooring and wall paneling. Whether you are looking for a reclaimed patina milled floor or a new growth character install, a smooth texture will feature the grain and characteristics of your wood choice.
Our “hand hewn” texture is a time stamp in the woodworking industry. Before sawmills, people had to square up their support beams by hand. They would start by cutting down a tree, most likely on the property itself, and mark the four would-be corners along the log. Then with a broadaxe, cut the log square one swing at a time. Each indentation in the beam is a single stroke of an axe. Once square, they would assemble the frame using mortisses, tenons, and trunnels to hold everything together. These beams are often reclaimed from old barns and other agricultural structures.
Our “rough sawn” texture is yet another benchmark in the technological advancement of the woordworking industry. With the arrival of sawmills, people were able to cut trees into beams with saw blades as opposed to axes. The saw blade would leave the signature circular kerf that you can still see on these beams today. The reason they were left rough was because they served a structural purpose as opposed to decorative. Rough beams were cheaper than smooth ones as it required less steps and labor. These beams are often reclaimed from old warehouses and factories.
Our “toasted” and “volcanic” textures are a gesture to the Japanese traditional finishing technique called Shou-Sugi-Ban. Charring the surface of the boards creates a material that is resistant to fire, rot, and insects while simultaneously resulting in a beautiful texture and color.
Checking is a separation of the wood fibers along the grain. This occurs when wood is drying, as the fibers expand and contract and internal pressures build up. The checks in our material happened long ago, when the trees were cut down for their original purpose and the exterior dried faster than the core. We defect any material with checks the would present a structural issue.
Knots occur where a branch grew from the trunk of a tree. We have several products that feature this organic characteristic in varying sizes and some products that will have little to no knots at all. We defect any material with knots that would present a structural issue.
Because the majority of our materials are reclaimed from standing structures, they often arrive at our shop with the hardware still embedded. These metal remnants destroy our blades when we cut the material down. We have a crew that specializes in removing old nails and other various hardware with minimal damage to the wood face.
Saw kerf refers to the even, circular marks left behind by the teeth of a saw mill blade. Because these materials originally served a structural need, the surface of the wood was left rough.
(pictured with white oil finish)
Mineral stains are a result of exposure to the elements. Moisture with sediment made its way on to the wood and dried leaving a ghostly ring.
Wormy chestnut, pictured to the left, was affected by the chestnut blight in the early 1900s, which killed the trees where they stood. The only way to get chestnut wood now is through reclaimed structures that often sustain some insect damage.
Wormy maple, pictured right, is actually created by the ambrosia beetle. The beetle burrows into maple trees and leaves behind streaks of pink, green, blue, and grey in reaction to a fungus in carries on its legs.
Neither of these creates any structural issues as the holes are very small.
Color variation should be expected on the materials that specify this characteristic. Either the product is crafted from several species or one species with a range of color from sapwood to heartwood to grain.
Quarter and rift sawn grain can be viewed when the log is radially-sawn. (as opposed to plain/flat sawn which is the most common way to cut lumber) You are essentially viewing the growth rings from a different angle, which depending on the species, will cause the grain to display in a different “pattern”.
