Currents Episode 4: Custom Home in Palmetto Bluff with Reclaimed Flooring
We do a lot of work with reclaimed flooring. Our clients love homes that pair modern conveniences with older, stately design elements. Reclaimed flooring definitely checks those boxes—it looks fresh and familiar at once.
Our latest flooring project was in the Moreland Village of Palmetto Bluff. This gorgeous home features white and blue accents, an elevated porch with a staircase, and a stand-alone two-car garage. The property is framed by mossy trees and lush coastal views. When we went to work on the flooring, we knew we needed to combine old-school elegance with stunning new design elements.
To do this, our team installed high-grade reclaimed wood flooring throughout. The planks were stripped from old barns by hand and manually de-nailed to remove old metal and imperfections. We then planed the sides down and cleaned up the edges for a polished and neatly geometric effect. Finally, the wood was kiln-dried to create a professional and long-lasting floor surface. (Kiln-drying removes all larvae and extra moisture from the wood, restoring even century-old wood to a high quality without warps or bends).
Reclaimed floors give this house a unique, personal look all its own.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, American barns were built from all kinds of trees that dotted rural properties. Oak, chestnut, hickory, and pine were all common sources because of their durable lumber. Because of this process, reclaimed floors are usually made from mixed species of trees. The blend helps give them a totally one-of-a-kind look.
To make these floors even more customized, our team also painted the entire floor and then sanded its surface. The sanding process helped bring out natural effects in the wood for an organic and toned presentation. It keeps the wood’s character while matching the floors to the property’s overall aesthetic.
We achieved a historic look that complements the rest of this gorgeous home. Reclaiming wood isn’t easy—it can be painstaking work!—but the finished product definitely pays off.
Flooring sets the tone of the rest of the home. When we approach design, we consider the smallest of details along with the broadest of design choices. While wood flooring has always been a favored choice, we’re always searching for ways to make the floors in our client’s homes feel personal, well-chosen, and timeless. We’ve found that reclaimed flooring is a great option because it doesn’t limit clients. Whether it’s board width, color, or species, we can work with clients to help them choose and adapt reclaimed flooring for their unique homes. Different finishes and paint tones—from the sanded effect in this home to honey-blonde or dark-tone stains in others—also help to customize wood floors to our clients’ needs. These touches also help adapt reclaimed wood floors to the rest of the home, so it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all look.
Reclaimed wood isn’t just attractive…
—it’s also highly durable. Plus, reclaimed floors are an environmentally friendly option: they recycle old wood that otherwise would have gone to waste. (The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that demolished homes can provide over 1 billion board feet of usable lumber per year!) In addition to recycling old wood (and saving trees), using reclaimed wood saves energy, too. Processing reclaimed wood for flooring uses an estimated 13 times less energy than virgin wood.
Reclaimed wood is a conversation-starter, too—homeowners really add another dimension to their properties when they know their homes were built from restored lumber. There’s something special about knowing that the wood in your floors was fashioned by older generations, and that it was used in barn construction for years. (For the record, reclaimed wood can be taken from other sources, too—some homes have been built from the timber of antique breweries and cigar factories!)
We absolutely love the way this Moreland Village home turned out, just like we love installing reclaimed flooring in coastal homes throughout Palmetto Bluff and the rest of the Lowcountry. Check out the rest of our Behind the Design videos and Currents series to find out more about how we make homes special, including a video interview and tour with our Design Build Manager Matt O'Shaughnessy. You can also look through our gallery of different flooring types and read more about our signature reclaimed wood floors. And don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re thinking about reclaimed flooring for your own dream home!
