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Shades of Reclaimed Brown

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Reclaimed wood ages brown – at least when it’s not daily exposed to light. Outside of time, other factors result in a wide range of brown – wood species, age of boards, original saw blade orientation, use and it’s exposure to a mix of man made influences – from tobacco smoke, pickle juice and other food grade fluids. All of the browns in their ‘found’ condition evoke a warm natural quality, but with individual personality. The woods below are a collection of antique grade Spruce/Fir, Hemlock, White Pine and potentially other species – sourced from barns, residential buildings, mushroom drying boards and Worcestershire Sauce tanks. The design possibilities within the family of natural browns are limitless.

Door-to-Door in West New York, NJ

“Unscrew the locks from the doors ! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs ! ” – Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Glass door knobs
Glass doorknobs with mirrored star-burst centers became popular around WWI (brass was needed for the war effort). Today, they’re picked like diamonds at salvage shops; being beautiful, carefully crafted and built to last.
Daniel Luscombe
Antique door preservationist Daniel Luscombe carefully extracts all of the brass hardware sets for the doors at the West New York, NJ location.
Solid wood
The seventeen 5-panel doors were a mix of Oak, Poplar and Pine.
Dip Strip Paint option
Most of the doors have been painted over the years, with he likely prospect of lead in some of the layer(s). So the option of stripping or 'dip stripping' is a prospect. Renewed, they should still have a vintage patina alongside the clean lines.

The long haul of Reclaimed Wood Floors

imageOne defining feature of reclaimed wood floors is their wide widths – up to 12″. But less often mentioned is their longer average length – much longer. In a world where floors arrive cut and bundled into 1-5′ lengths, longer spans of individual boards can be an overlooked factor. But if the floor is fully covered, what is the difference? The frequent x-cuts on new wood floors act like road stops as the eye travels across a floor, giving it a less unified look and feel. It’s also an apt symbol for the long passage of time, as the woods have traveled hundreds of years from a small forest sapling to salvaged and re-manufactured modern floor.