HEART PINE FLOORING & MILLWORK
AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS WOOD
Heart Pine refers to the heartwood of Mature Southern Yellow Pines. Southern Yellow Pine varieties include Loblolly Pine, Shortleaf Pine, and Longleaf Pine as well as other sub-species such as “Slash Pine”. All of these varieties have a good size heartwood content at maturity. And, all of these species can be referred to as “Heart Pine”! These mature pines are sometimes referred to as “Old Growth Heart Pine”. Some say that Longleaf Pine is the only true source of “genuine heart pine”. That is not true! It is true that Longleaf Pine was the largest source of Heart Pine. Longleaf Pine was cut to near extinction after the Civil War in efforts to rebuild the South.
Heart Pine has been widely available in the southern United States since colonization. However, it was not until after the Civil War that major lumber production began to take place. During the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century, the South was producing nearly half of all timber being cut in the United States. Much of that timber was Southern Yellow Pine, and in particular, Longleaf Pine
Heart Pine is not remarkably difficult to process as some claim. The one difficulty with “Heart Pine” presents itself when it is installed unfinished and requires sanding. The abundant resin found in the heartwood can cause some difficulty during the sanding phase. However, this can be counteracted with frequent changes in the sanding paper. Heart Pine is available in all types of Parquet Floors as well as Wide Plank Flooring.
AVAILABLE HEART PINE FLOOR GRADES
These are only three grades we typically offer in Heart Pine. We can produce many others, both with and without knots depending on the availability of raw materials. We maintain a huge inventory of wide flitches sawn from Mature Heart Pine, so feel free to let your imagination roam. The only limits we have are those imposed by the specie itself. We are usually able to create almost any grade or quantity in this specie.
Perfection Quartersawn
Clear Plainsawn
Select Plainsawn
Select Plainsawn
Clear Vertical Grain
PURCHASING THE RAW MATERIAL
Mature Heart Pines are rare and hard to find. It is our most sought-after source of material. And, the wide flitches we cut from these huge trees and maintain in inventory, as shown below, make it possible to create almost any product or quantity.
SAWING THE LOGS INTO PLANKS
We precisely cut our Heart Pine into wide widths and long lengths just as it was in the old days. Thus, this material is available in longer lengths and wider widths than reclaimed materials. Also, this wood is the perfect complement to reclaimed heart pine. One can hardly tell the two apart. It deepens to a burnt orange color over time and is virtually indistinguishable from Reclaimed Heart Pine.
STORAGE OF KILN DRIED PRODUCTS
We maintain a constant inventory of several hundred thousand feet of very wide Heart Pine Flitches. In this way, we can fill any size order immediately. Heart Pine is one of our most sought-after sources of material. And, the wide flitches we maintain in inventory, as shown below, make it possible to create almost any product.
