Milling

What are the grooves for on the back of the floor?

They are required to be consistent with the flooring industry. Historically, it is said that they were used to reduce the weight for shipping large quantities. Some people today say they do not serve much purpose, while others say they reduce any tendency the wood may have to cup. They definitely help the air to circulate a little around each board allowing the wood to “breathe” and if you are gluing to the subfloor, they provide added surface for glue adhesion.

Do you kiln dry your wood?

Yes. We air dry and then kiln dry all of our wood products that are going into your home down to 6-8% moisture content. The river-recovered™ logs themselves are lower moisture content when sawn than a freshly cut tree. The water has actually cured the wood… a bit like the Japanese water curing techniques for wood used to make fine instruments. Kiln drying any wood that will be installed in a climate-controlled environment and finished with hard finishes such as polyurethane or lacquer is an absolute requirement. The only exception is thicker material such as mantles and slabs that are best finished with oils.

Won’t the wood cup if you mill it with the growth rings up?

We always give the customer the best face. This is extremely important to help conserve what little bit there is remaining of this rare and historic wood. If the wood is back relieved during milling, carefully sawn, air dried then kiln dried and shipped soon after milling to a properly prepared site, there will not be any problems with cupping. If the wood were milled with growth rings down, the wood could bow. Cupping or bowing only occurs if the wood is milled wet or not properly acclimated to a prepared site. On the other hand, a sample could bow if it is a small piece of wood that got wet or heated to extreme temperatures during mailing.

How do insects affect wood floors? Our clients always talk about insects in Florida when we mention wood.

Heart Pine and Heart Cypress that is mostly heartwood is virtually immune to insects. The original growth Heart Pine has a lot of oleoresin and Heart Cypress contains a lot of cypressein oil, making them both very insect resistant. Insects will eat sapwood, however. Check the percentage of heartwood in antique wood. Make sure the wood has been properly kiln dried and stored since drying. Most kiln drying takes wood up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit; however, wood brought in from the tropics is required to be heated up to 160 degrees to kill any insects.

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