Where have all the houses gone?

Today we continue with highlights from our experience at the historic home and craftsmen show.

Another session we attended covered antique flooring, which consists of repurposed wood from old barns and attics. The wood can be used for other purposes in addition to flooring, such as cabinets, stair treads, whacking large spiders, etc. 

We were particularly interested in this session because it was led by the same company who supplied us with wood for our own flooring a few years ago, and we were curious to learn all the things that we have forgotten about wood since then. We endeavored to do this, however, without the owner noticing us. This individual felt, when we were working with him, that we fell into that class of clients who take up too much of one's time by asking questions that anyone who is about to purchase 200-year-old wood should already know. We therefore were anxious that he not recognize us.

This was easily accomplished in the large group that gathered to hear his talk, only he didn't do much of the talking, preferring to turn that over to his young adult daughter and son-in-law. They did not seem to mind people asking questions.

A question was asked about where the company's wood comes from, to which they replied that it is all Pennsylvania wood from barns, houses, and factories that have been torn down. The questioner then asked whether the company also did the demolition, or whether someone else did it and they just bought the wood.

"We have several suppliers who do the demolition and offer us the wood," the owner said.

Thinking back to the enormous amount of wood we had seen in the company's showroom and warehouses, I whispered to the Hero, "There must be a lot of old buildings being torn down in Pennsylvania." We pictured groups of young Amish men, bored with the whole community barn-raising thing, secretly going around tearing down buildings to sell the wood. Naturally the older folk would be perplexed at the increasing number of requests for help in putting up new barns: "Haven't seen this much need for a barn since the fire of '52," they might be saying.

The general consensus at the session seemed to be that old-growth wood is far superior to newer wood, which is pretty much useless, being weaker in general and above all having no "patina." Patina refers to the unique surface characteristics of wood that has aged, such as a particular hue and tone, marks from hammers and axes, etc. (When our wood floor was installed, the contractor asked if we wanted him to add a little more patina by "missing" some of the nails with his hammer. We were touched by his thoughtfulness, we said, but graciously declined.)

It struck us that someday, there will be no more old-growth wood to be salvaged from old buildings. And then where will people turn for their patina? We are afraid it will be to homes like ours, where all that old, repurposed wood is residing. Maybe people who keep their beautiful floors covered with rugs are on to something...

Next: The Princess falls in love with cabinets