LONGLEAF PINE FAQ
What is longleaf pine?Longleaf is a particular species of Southern yellow pine. It is treasured because of its beauty, rich colors, dense grain, durability and resistance to pests and decay.
Where is it reclaimed from?
Old Texas Floors’ longleaf pine comes from old Texas dance halls, barns, homes and other old buildings scheduled for demolition. Most of this wood was milled around a hundred years ago from trees that were already hundreds of years old at that time. Much of the wood was originally used as structural lumber rather than flooring. Your 7” wide floor board might come from an 8” beam that held up a home from the turn of the century—the 20th century, that is. Reclaiming the wood means that no new trees are lost to create your flooring.
Why no new longleaf?
In1700 a vast, virgin forest of longleaf pine—approximately 90 million acres—ranged from South Virginia to East Texas in a crescent encompassing much of the Southeast. Longleaf was used for building, for making ships, and as a source of turpentine. It grew tall, straight and strong. It's easy to see why our predecessors wanted to used it so heavily; it's just sad that they didn't have the foresight to use it in a sustainable way. Most of that extremely old wood was harvested for lumber by the early 1900’s. Only a fraction of the old forest remains, mostly on federal lands. We will probably never again see a time when people wait hundreds of years for new wood to mature to this quality; longleaf pine grows very slowly. Re-using the old wood is a wonderful way to get great quality flooring without depleting any new resources.
Why is this wood special?
Antique, longleaf pine is much richer in color and more durable than the new-growth pine that is harvested now. You just can’t get this appearance from new pine, no matter how many stains or dyes or oils you use. Only antique, longleaf pine looks like antique, longleaf pine.This wood has a charming, rustic quality. After the old buildings are dismantled and the wood reclaimed, the nails are pulled by hand, one nail at a time. The resulting nail holes on many boards testify to the wood’s past life.
The variation in color and grain pattern allows great creativity in the design of your floor patterns. Unlike, for example, a pre-finished, dark-stained oak floor, this wood can be finished and arranged in a variety of beautiful ways. Be sure to consult with your installer about your design preferences.
Is it hardwood?
Pine is sometimes thought of as being soft for flooring, but that's because new-growth pine is in fact much softer than red oak, the industry standard for hardness in flooring. Old-growth, longleaf pine has had many decades to dry and harden, and its hardness is similar to red oak’s. This wood started out more durable, and then became tougher as it aged. In technical terms, all pines are classified as softwoods; in practical terms, longleaf pine deserves to be seen as hardwood. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Encyclopedia of Wood says, "...some softwoods are actually harder than some hardwoods, and conversely some hardwoods are softer than some softwoods. For example, softwoods such as longleaf pine and Douglar-fir are typically harder than the hardwoods basswood and aspen" (p. 1-2). The finish that you apply to any wood floor will also make a significant difference in durability; see the Finishes page for more information.
Is it “heart pine”?
The term “heart pine” is sometimes used interchangeably with “longleaf pine,” which is a specific species; it’s sometimes used to mean the reddish brown wood from the center (heart) of a pine tree; and sometimes “heart pine” is used simply to mean very old pine trees. We're comfortable calling our longleaf pine "heart pine" because it's antique longleaf AND has a high percentage of red-streaked heart wood. Longleaf is often labeled as "long leaf."
Why is the price so good?
We don’t have the expense of maintaining a retail store. Our flooring is sometimes milled just slightly thinner than the old standard of 3/4", and this makes it possible to get two floor boards from some structural timbers that would only yield one 3/4" thick board. This adds up to a great product for a great price.
Samples
If you’re near the Austin, TX area, you're welcome to view samples in person. If you're elsewhere in TX or the US, just contact us, and we'll send you some samples. Please give us as much detail as possible on what you're interested in sample of.
Old Texas Floors phone / text: 512-694-1322 
Content copyright . Old Texas Floors. All rights reserved.
Content copyright . Old Texas Floors. All rights reserved.