Pine Flooring
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The expert team at A & N Flooring has been installing high-quality pine flooring for more than 35 years.
All about pine
Pine is a popular flooring material, sought after for its rustic charm, huge variety of styles, and relative affordability. It’s the original character wood, with pin holes and knots that become more interesting and pronounced over time. Pine is a soft wood, although there is a huge range of hardness levels across the different species. While there are more than 200 species of pine trees, not all of them have wood that is hard enough for flooring. The following are some of the most popular types of pine flooring.
Heart pine
Heart pine floors are made exclusively from a pine tree’s heartwood, or its darkest and hardest wood. As many of today’s pines are no longer old enough to have developed heartwood, much heart pine is reclaimed or recycled wood from trees which were standing when colonialists landed in the 1600s. However, pine flooring can also be made made from the heartwood of younger southern yellow pines.
Heart pine floors are far more resistant to damage and fluctuations in temperature and humidity levels than pine floors made from sap. They are a reddish gold color, and are usually protected with a clear topcoat, rather than being stained. Heart pine flooring lasts for generations, and over time, it develops a rich color tarnish that adds to its historic character.
Eastern white pine
Eastern white pine trees grow along our eastern seaboard, and their wood was the main flooring material of our first settlers. This time-honored wood features a smooth grain and charming knots, and it suits a wide range of finishes. While eastern white pine is a softer floor that is more susceptible to wear, it is also very long-lasting. Eastern white pine floors have graced New England homes for more than 300 years, and in your home, eastern white pine flooring will compress, harden, and gain character as you live on it.
Southern yellow pine
This type of flooring is popular for its durability, affordable price, and character. Southern yellow pine is approximately twice as hard as Eastern white pine, and ranges in color from deep red-brown to golden, amber, and cream. Its wide grain showcases the natural knots and swirls of the pine wood.
Vertical grain pine
Vertical grain pine is cut so the growth rings are perpendicular to the wear surface. This makes vertical grain pine flooring stronger and less vulnerable to damage, making it a good choice for high-traffic areas and commercial spaces. It also has very few if any knots, so may be more suitable for formal settings. Due to the more complicated production process, vertical grain pine is considerably more expensive than other types.
Reclaimed and antique pine flooring
Reclaimed or antique pine floors are made from pine wood of all species, that has either been recovered or preserved by nature. From 200-year-old pines found on a river bed, to the old planks of a 19th century cow barn, these recycled pine materials imbue your home with an authentic early American feel.
To speak to us about the best pine flooring for your project, please contact us today!
