Tag Archive for: antique

Goodwin Company River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs for deck.

Temperatures rise, the air gets thicker and the days grow longer – summer is upon us! As the seasons change and the atmosphere becomes more inviting, we start looking for ways to spruce up our common areas. Whether you plan on having guests over or it’s just for your satisfaction, it’s always exciting to get creative and revamp our areas!

Take a look at how one homeowner chose to design the deck that surrounds his outside koi pond! Goodwin’s own Jeffrey Forbes assisted with selecting twelve of our River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs for the project. Our cypress wood makes up either side of the deck and its associated skirting.

Goodwin Company River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs for deck.

Goodwin Company River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs used for deck.

Why choose cypress wood for exterior application? River Recovered® Heart Cypress certainly is an excellent wood to be used outdoors! Throughout the span of hundreds of years, an organic oil forms in the heart of the wood called cypresene. The build-up of cypresene oil makes the wood incredibly rot resistant.  An exterior grade Danish oil was used for finishing, bringing out the superior grain of the wood. Applying the finishing oil quarterly will help maintain the deck’s striking appearance and provide longevity.

But this particular homeowner did not stop with the beautiful renovations of the outside! Two of our hand-hewn River Recovered® Heart Pine beams are displayed in a bedroom and are perfect for breaking up the rather large area. These beams were harvested over a century ago, from trees between 200-500 years old! The non-structural columns add even more character to the already creative room. We would love to see how you have dressed up your deck. Especially if you have used Heart Cypress!

Take a closer look at sinker cypress wood!

Other great ideas to spruce up your deck this summer!

River-Recovered® Heart Pine a Focal Point of UF’s New Dasburg House 1

Goodwin Company Provides Their Signature
Sustainably Harvested, Locally Milled Antique Wood Flooring

(Gainesville, FL) – Goodwin Company, pioneers of River-Recovered® heart pine and cypress, proudly announce their contribution to the University of Florida’s (UF) new Dasburg House. The company donated a portion of their sustainably harvested and historically significant River-Recovered® Vertical Heart Pine, Legacy (building reclaimed) Vertical Heart Pine and Curly Heart Pine to appoint portions of the interior of the approximately 6000 sq. ft., on-campus residence. The Dasburg House will be home to current and future UF presidents. New UF President, Kent Fuchs, Ph.D., – a former provost at Cornell University – and wife, Linda, will be the first to reside in the new home.

“Our sustainably harvested, centuries old antique wood flooring is quite a conversation piece,” explains Carol Goodwin, President of Goodwin Company. “The logs we recover are some of the first trees cut from America’s virgin forests over 125 years ago. As these logs were floated down river to port, many of the denser ones sank to the bottom. The low oxygen environment has perfectly preserved them and, as a result, they yield the richest patina when milled.”

According to Goodwin, most of the logs for the Dasburg House were recovered from Florida’s Suwannee River. Goodwin worked closely with Gainesville architect, Apryl Ponikvar, UF interior designer, Marie Brown, and installer, Rudy Dittmar to select the perfect flooring for the president’s study, the spouses’ study, the second floor landing, the spiral stairs (treads) and the elevator.

“The natural beauty of Goodwin’s River-Recovered® and building reclaimed heart pine wood is unsurpassed,” says Ponikvar. “It brings the natural environment of North Central Florida into the home and contributes to the unique character and overall warmth of the interiors. We were pleased to find a local source that not only custom milled to our specifications, but worked alongside us from design through construction completion.”

The Dasburg House is named for John and Mary Lou Dasburg of Key Biscayne. The couple was the lead donor for the $5 million dollar project. The home opened this week.

“We consider it an honor and privilege to have been invited to be part of a project that will soon become an integral part of the University of Florida’s admired history and respected legacy,” concludes Goodwin.

About Goodwin Company

Founded in 1976, Goodwin Company is the building design industry’s trusted partner and preferred resource for fine antique reclaimed and River-Recovered® wood flooring. Goodwin has earned an indisputable reputation for using the strictest grading standards of any company in the marketplace. Demand for rich, high quality flooring continues to flourish as esteemed architects, designers and builders specify Goodwin’s products for use in luxury residential homes, historical renovations and commercial projects including corporate office buildings, universities, libraries and high-end retail establishments.  Prominent work includes: This Old House corporate offices, private residences of Bob Villa, Paul McCartney, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ted Turner, Weyland Art Gallery, Brownwood at The Villages, the Charnley-Norwood House, Naples Botanical Garden and the Texas Governor’s Mansion.  For more information, visit www.heartpine.com.

Restoring History 20

Hard to believe it has been nine years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast. Lives, property and a huge piece of our history was lost in one fail swoop on that tragic August day. However, with every disaster, stories of triumph emerge. Goodwin was proud to be part of one of those triumphant “stories”.

The historic Charnley-Norwood house, designed by Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, was literally torn apart by Hurricane Katrina. However, in 2013, the entire structure was restored to its original beauty. Architect Larry Albert specified Goodwin Company to supply antique wood for the restoration. We provided 800sf of River-Recovered® Curly Heart Pine T&G V-joint paneling, and 1000sf of 3-1/4″ Legacy (building reclaimed) heartpine T&G flooring.

We would like to share the short documentary, By the Hand of the Unseen Poet by Ellis Anderson.

Learn more at: http://www.savemyplacems.com/listing/charnley-norwood-house/

As an additional note, this project received a 2014 Heritage Award for Preservation Education. We were honored to be part of restoring this important piece of our nation’s history!

How to Remove a Wax Finish and Recoat with Water-Based Poly

It’s always heartwarming to be able to help a client who purchased a floor from us over 20 years ago. George and Cyndi Watkins wanted to take the wax finish off their River Recovered® Heart Pine floors, then stain and coat them with a water-based polyurethane. The Watkins are discerning clients who know what they […]

John Muir’s Walk with Heartpine

By Jeffrey Forbes Marketing Coordinator and Resident Historian Every Goodwin floor is a conversation piece, and each detail prompts a story for its rich and historic past.  We know all about the durability and sustainability of a quality heartpine floor.  You can see it in the tightness of the River-Recovered® longleaf grain and you can […]

Ten Reasons Why Reclaimed Wood Never Goes Out of Style

antique-wood-31[1]Still wondering whether or not reclaimed wood is right for you?  If so, I invite you to take a look at the top 10 reasons why reclaimed flooring is the product of choice for distinguished building design professionals and homeowners alike:

  1. There are a wide range of contractor prices from $4 a square foot and up.
  2. There isn’t a high markup as seen with commonly available wood floors that are put through distribution.
  3. Reclaimed wood adds more value to your home and office.
  4. You own a piece of history as this is the wood that grew right here in America and was harvested 1800s and early 1900s.
  5. How important is quality to you? Heartpine has a rich patina and tighter grain that adds to the beauty and quality of your home or office
  6. Have you ever walked into high-end new homes and felt like they all looked the same? Unlike these homes, your reclaimed wood floor will be unique in appearance and character.
  7. Heartpine is coined ‘the wood that built America.’ It is durable and stands the test of time. Mt Vernon’s floor is over 250 years old and, even though people walk on it every day, it retains the same alluring beauty as the day it was first installed.
  8. Heartpine is harder and more durable than most wood. In fact, is 29% more stable than red oak according to the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA).
  9.  You will leave a legacy. Many reclaimed wood floors have already lasted a hundred years or more, and yours is sure to outlast you and live on for generations.
  10.  It’s a natural choice for earth friendly space.

 

Charnley-Norwood House 11

We want to extend a special thank you to Greg Cater for posting a wonderful article about Goodwin’s work on the Charnley-Norwood house to his blog: http://reclaimedwoodblog.com/

Photo curtesy of the Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History.

We appreciate your kind words and support, Greg! The photos you see are courtesy of photographer Hubert Worley: http://hfw2.com/portfolio/

Congratulations Jeffrey and Megan! 4

Yes, Goodwin Wood is Perfect for your Mountain Cabin!
So, you’re finally ready to build your luxury mountain cabin. You’ve been working toward having both the time and additional capital to at last enjoy a beautiful second or retirement home in the mountains. The breathtaking mountain landscapes are filled with cozy wooden mansions. These homes are enjoyed by generations of family members and passed down as family heirlooms. People literally spend millions of dollars to build their perfect mountain retreat. Perhaps this is why it always amazes me when I see one of these enormous homes built on a picturesque mountain ridge using non-durable, extremely knotty, and sometimes very unappealing and unsightly boards.. The homeowner probably paid a lot of money for this wood, but it is certainly not the quality you would expect or even want in such an expensive and beautiful home.

Many people get sold on cheap imitations, which end up costing them more in repairs and maintenance in the long run

Did you know that Goodwin premium grades can be often be purchased at near the same price as some inferior woods? If you are going to go all out and build a wood home, don’t you want to use products which are not only attractive, but also durable, dependable, and termite resistant? From flooring and inside paneling to exterior siding and stair parts, Goodwin is your one-stop shop for acquiring the most beautiful and durable wood in the world. Read more

Preserving the Past at Goodwin
Reclaimed Wood TreasuresCheck out this neat treasure!  George Goodwin recently restored this antique log roller he found alongside some River Recovered Heart Pine logs in the Suwannee River. He immediately identified it thanks to his keen eye for antiques. George owned an antique business in downtown Micanopy, Florida before discovering the beauty of River Recovered Antique Wood.  
 
The loggers in this photo used log rollers to fashion rafts of logs and ride them to downstream sawmills some 125 years ago.  Our ancestors worked long, hard, backbreaking hours to select, cut, secure and transport logs used for building and other practical purposes.  As technology progresses, it’s easy to forget the way things were, and just how fortunate we are today.  
 
We are very humbled to have the opportunity to recover logs lost long ago and transform them into the most beautiful and durable luxury wood flooring in the world!  If you would like to learn more about this process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We always have interesting and educating stories to tell.  We feel it is important to keep George’s River Recovered legacy alive and welcome the opportunity to pass his stories down to future generations!
Heart Pine is Antique Wood

Somethings just get better with time. Find out why one-of-a-kind Goodwin heart pine has earned the reputation that it has among architects, designers and homeowners.

Is the wood from the longleaf pine?

Longleaf pine is the best source of antique heart pine. Some companies sell Southern yellow pine, loblolly, shortleaf pine, slash or a combination and call it heart pine. Although they are pine and they have heartwood, antique longleaf pine-especially the river-recovered wood®, is stronger, more durable, more stable and has a richer patina and color.Goodwin Heart Pine

Is it truly antique? Or how old was the tree when harvested?

The only way to get heartwood is time. According to the USDA Forest Service book “Longleaf Pine”, it takes 200 years for a longleaf pine to become mostly heartwood and to be considered antique. Scientists say any wood from a tree less than 200 years old is “new heart pine.” A 75-year-old tree will average only 30% heart, and even a 130-year-old tree yields wood that is not as hard or rich in color as antique heart pine. U.S. Forest Service specialists report that even a 200-year-old tree will average only 65% heartwood. The Reclaimed Wood Council was formed to apply standards to reclaimed wood in the marketplace.
Note: Goodwin’s heart pine is from trees 200 to 500 years old.
Alert: “Old-growth” does NOT mean antique. The term is used loosely and often refers to new heart pine.

Is it 100% heartwood?

A tree has two components: heartwood and sapwood. Heartwood is prized because its tight grain means it is stronger and more stable. In other words, more is better. Less heart, which means more sapwood, results in softer wood that can be scratched and dented. Heart wood hardness and strength comes from its resin, and longleaf has more resin than the other 200+ species of pine.

Plus, longleaf heartwood is beautiful. The grain is not your usual oak pattern (found in 75% of homes) and is a rich, red color thanks to the resin. One hundred percent heartwood means the color will be consistent. Even 98 percent heart will have yellow sapwood streaks that produce a strong/obvious color variation.
Alert: Lesser grades can have up to 50 percent sapwood and may still be called heart pine.

More Reclaimed Wood Furniture Ideas

For the Artist in All of Us What is so wonderful about reclaimed wood furniture is the uniqueness of each piece. These stools made from reclaimed wood  are a great find, handcrafted by designer Nicolai Czumaj-Bront, no two are alike. He calls them “pitch stools”.

More Reclaimed Wood Furniture

Mitz Takahashi is a furniture designer/maker located in Montreal who works with reclaimed wood and materials. His creations range from vintage to modern, and his use of reclaimed wood gives his work that extra flair that makes people take notice. The hallway console, featured here is made from reclaimed Cherry, Walnut, Birch, Mahogany, Maple.   […]

The Secret of Antique Heart Pine

“What is the secret to the incredible beauty and durability of Goodwin River Recovered® antique wood?” This is the #1 question asked when someone first examines the quality and discovers the unique, rich and vibrant hues of antique heart pine. The answer?  It’s history. The logs used to manufacture River Recovered antique wood were once […]

Reclaimed Wood Furniture

Reclaimed wood furniture is growing in popularity, we have looked around and found some interesting items to share: DIY, upcycled or master craftsmen, take your choice! Master Craftsman The Crivelli Table dining table kitchen island 72″ x 24″ x 3… brandmojo interiors $1,175.00 USD

Log Rounds and Wood Tiles for Antique Wood Floors 1

Entries and other transition areas present an opportunity to use patterns in wood flooring.  The distinctive appearance of end grain tiles with their circular grain pattern creates a strong impression in an entry.  Designs such as herringbone, chevrons, or an English weave used in transition areas create interest and elegance.

Restoring Antique Wood Floors

We recently had an inquiry asking if more finish can be added to an old site finished floor to improve its appearance. This is what we used to call a buff and coat.  Recoating will not remove deep scratches or discoloration in the wood, but is a good choice in many cases where the finish is sound and not overly worn. The surface of the existing finish is abraded lightly to get it ready for additional finish.  If there are contaminates on the wood floor such as wax, dusting products, polish, etc. the new coat may not adhere in some spots and total resanding may be a better choice. The major water based finish manufacturers make pretreatment products which aid adhesion. The water based finishes are easy to use if you know what you are doing and are used by many professionals.  If you are doing the work yourself many first time attempts do not come out as well with these products. You might consider using a more traditional urethane floor finish with a slower drying time. Once you get everything cleaned up and ready two coats often looks better than one on an old floor. A finish with a low gloss level tends to help surface imperfections blend in. If you are not going to use water borne finish the old way to abrade it was to rub the surface with fine steel wool.  Go with the grain of the wood floor. It is a good idea to test the compatibility of the finish you are using with the existing finish in a small out of the way area before doing the whole floor.  Also the National Wood Flooring Association http://www.woodfloors.org/ has information on finishes and maintenance.

Antique Wood Floors Over Radiant Heat

We are occasionally asked if antique pine flooring is a good choice over radiant heat.  Over the years our customers have had many successful installations over this heating system.  There are general guidelines such as turning on the heating system in advance for several days to make sure that there is no excess moisture in the subfloor.  Also the temperature of the subfloor should not go above 85 degrees F. Wider boards are prone to show larger gaps in the heating season.  Vertical grain flooring moves less than select grain flooring.  As with any installation starting with properly milled flooring and exercising care to get the moisture content of the flooring (and the job site) correct go a long way towards getting an antique heart pine floor which looks good for years and years.  The NWFA has also developed guidelines for installing wood floors over radiant heat see Installation Guidelines, Appendix H.

Antique Pine Reclaimed Wood for the Masters!

Goodwin teamed up with Akira Wood to replace the interior of the Oconee Golf Clubhouse at Reynolds Plantation just in time for the Masters Tournament. Here are panels and columns in Antique Heart Pine.

Another first! George Goodwin pulled a log from our sawmill log pond and Akira made the antique pine plywood made for the banquettes. More on this to come as it hasn’t been done before. Kudos and thanks to Akira Wood.

Antique Wood Flooring Myths

1) Some people think that antique wood does not shrink and swell anymore so it does not need to be brought to the proper moisture content on the job site.  On the contrary wood science and field experience both indicate antique wood shrinks or swells when the moisture content changes.  You need to install the wood at a moisture content that is close to the value that will be maintained while the building is in use.

2) We often hear the remark that old wood does not need to be kiln dried.  There are two issues here.  First, most air dried wood has a moisture content too high for interior use.  The second is the possible presence of living organisms such as powder post beetles, termites, or mold.  Kiln drying to 140 F for several hours eliminates live insect pests in the wood.  Proper kiln drying also eliminates living mold and brings the moisture content down to a level that wood will not support mold growth.  Click on the link to read more information about kiln drying in our article in WoodSource KilnDrying101 .