For those that have always wanted to have a piece of history incorporated into their home or office flooring, thanks to the use of reclaimed timber, that wish now is possible.
Distributed in Australia by Historical Timber Floors, these pre-loved timbers, the company says, “were once bridges, piers, wharfs, doors, posts, and more. Some have been worn by wind, sun and rain; others have been marked by steel boats or boring insects.”
“They bring a sense of place and time that is unmistakable, and notably absent from contemporary farmed wood,” according to Historical Timber Floors.
Some of these historical sources include 150-year old Chinese doors, wood from the former northern Victorian hunting grounds of Ned Kelly and his gang, parts of the now-replaced 90-year old Barwon Bridge and Melbourne’s famed Princes Pier, a major Australian immigration point from 1915 to 1969.
There is even wood derived from oak poles dragged out of a Venetian lagoon.
But these timbers are not just full of history and character - they are also strong, aesthetically appealing and ultimately durable. Derived from old growth trees and due to the tightness of their grain, these timbers offer durability that is impossible to find in plantation wood.
According to the company, “this timber has had the time to settle, expanding and contracting into a permanent form, leading to notably more stable timber.”
In terms of sustainability, these timbers which can be used for flooring, and many other architectural purposes, offer a range of environmental benefits, not least of which is not needing to cut down and process existing timbers or timber plantations.
