A Sense of Adventure

Barns were an essential part of farm life, and those constructed through the early part of the 19th century were typically built using whatever trees grew closest to the property. They often contained a blend of Oak, Chestnut and other woods including Poplar, Hickory and Pine. Beam sizes were limited to what could be moved by man and horse. The wood was either hand hewn using an axe or squared with an adze. Early settlers also recognized the value of oak from its European sub-species. Soon red, white, black, scarlet, willow, post and pin Oak varieties were being cut and transformed into barns. These varieties are still available in new growth; however, they develop a very different appearance after being subjected to natural and human elements for the better part of a century. Antique Oak is an exceptionally stable platform for flooring, posts and beams. It can hold up under the most extreme conditions and continue to look stunning.

An interesting story comes to us about one barn salvaged by Mountain Lumber that was built in Sweet Spring West Virginia. It nearly cost its owner his life! As he worked putting in the stones for horse stalls the wall caved in, nearly burying him alive. His eldest son, after some hurried work, was finally able to pull him free. Every floor has a story to tell; and this one, with a happy ending.

Unfortunately, the story of the American Chestnut tree does not end as happily. A blight that started in 1905 wiped almost all of the Chestnut trees out of the eastern hardwood forests, and consequently, there were not many barns built using this wood. Today it's only available as a rescued resource, and is a rare and precious find. The American Chestnut Foundation is working to bring this tree back by planting specially modified seedlings, but the work is meticulous, time consuming and at the mercy of Mother Nature. Mountain Lumber Company is proud to donate a portion of its sales to support the effort.

Bulmer Cider Vats: Hereford, England

"In the early 1990s we went all over England buying wood from old cider vats. At one point I went to look at some wood in Northern England owned by a guy who was in the reclaiming business.  He was ready to retire and trying to sell the remainder of his wood.

His site was out in the country and surrounded by farms. I was outside looking at the wood, but because it was from cider vats and coated with sugar it was completely covered with fruit flies! While I was debating about whether or not I should leave, the RAF began conducting practice runs right above this guy's factory. So there are all these flies buzzing around and jets swooping overhead, and I'm thinking to myself, 'How am I going to make this into flooring?' I was incredibly discouraged by the whole experience and afraid that purchasing the wood could be a huge mistake.  But, I picked out four boards- two that looked okay and two that were awful looking - and asked him to plane them for me. He readily agreed. As soon as he was finished I saw all of the color in the wood from the cider that had been seeping in it for hundreds of years.  I also noticed the wedges that the coopers  had randomly inserted. I figured that was why no one was processing this wood since the wedges make it really difficult, but I also knew that these vats were diamonds in the rough.
I said to myself, 'This is what Mountain Lumber is about –turning products that are hard to make into something one of a kind.'

It's what makes us better; this is my heart and soul. I want to make sure our client is getting absolutely the best product and one that means something to them. This is our challenge!"

French Oak

"Up until the mid 1980's we were predominately selling Heart Pine from old textile mills because that was what I knew. Over time, I began thinking about expanding beyond just  Heart Pine. We initially added some Chestnut and American Oak, but we wanted to do more.

During this time, a friend of mine invited my wife and me on a bicycle tour in France. We spent ten days bicycling through the Loire valley, and every night we would dine as a group. Our host had businesses in many countries and traveled the world. We all got caught up in this excitement as we spent many evenings discussing different opportunities around the globe. At Mountain Lumber we had talked about sourcing lumber from different countries, but had never actually explored it.

On the second or third day of the trip we just happened to pedal by a lumber yard where I saw what appeared to be old decking. I was immediately intrigued. When we got back to the hotel I talked one of the riders who spoke fluent French into riding back to the lumber yard with me to speak to the owner. We spoke for about an hour and the man told me the lumber came from old railroad cars that dated back to the1920s.  I was fascinated by the wood and thought it would make quite a story. So I asked the gentleman for a couple of samples, which we tied to the back of our bikes and rode off.

That night at dinner the other travelers asked me about our little excursion. I think telling the story of how we discovered this wood helped the beauty of the situation really sink in. I couldn't help but think, 'What odd timing!' We had just been talking about sourcing from abroad and thinking more globally, and suddenly I had stumbled upon a possible supply of French Oak. This was the beginning of Mountain Lumber's foray into actively importing reclaimed lumber from other countries.

After I came back to the States, a friend on mine from the trip asked around and found the company that was actually buying the old railroad cars and selling the lumber. We got their prices, which were much less than those from the guy in Loire, and within a week I was in Paris buying four containers of Oak."

"The original Oak that I had found in France in the early 1980s became more difficult to source over time. So, I began asking around about other old railroad cars. A broker put me in touch with some people selling Russian Oak from old railroad cars they had dismantled in St. Petersburg. The ensuing trip was interesting to say the least. I rode with the broker up around the German-Belgium border, and the broker was this absolutely crazy driver; we drove about 800 miles on the autobahn and averaged over 100 miles an hour the entire time! 

When we got there, they opened the containers, and I said, 'OK, I'm interested. Your price is reasonable, but unless you unload this container and let me look at all of it, I'm not going to buy.' About halfway through the container, I saw they had tried to pass some new wood for antique. They had done everything they could to make it look old -- rubbed dirt on it, washed it off and dried it, but it didn't matter. Antique wood has a different look that new wood cannot replicate, no matter what you do to it. Eventually, I did end up buying antique Russian Oak from them, but I watched them load every single board, making sure all of it was authentic.  Sourcing antique wood is an interesting job. You never know who you're going to encounter or what their ethics might be.  However, there is fantastic wood out there, and we're committed to searching for these amazing boards.  I just love the exploration and the challenge."

About eight or so years ago I started thinking about China. I had spent time in Vietnam while in the service, and I think I was looking for an excuse to travel back to Asia. I kept hearing about how commerce was increasing in China with new buildings going up everywhere, and I started wondering what was happening to their older structures. As usual, I was intrigued with the history of these buildings, like I have always been with the history of the structures I've discovered in America and throughout my travels.

It took over two years before I found anyone to answer my questions about how to acquire the timbers. An old friend of mine in Charlottesville had a friend in China who knew of an old lumber yard there. He sent along some pictures which peaked further interest, and the next thing I knew I was on a flight to Hong Kong. After I arrived, we traveled inland to a yard filled with vendors, each selling different amounts—some had four timbers while others had a hundred. Many of the timbers from ancient temples were still painted as they were when first used in the original construction. I also learned that many of the temples were built during the Ming Dynasty!

I asked the buying agent, 'how does this work?', and he replied that the only way we could buy timber was to pay in cash. So I had to wire cash to Hong Kong and then wire it to the mainland. When we finally went back to the yard, we had about 400,000 Chinese Yuan in a duffle bag and we began to negotiate. I was completely out of my element; they negotiated mostly by yelling and screaming. But, in the end, we managed to buy and ship five containers on that trip. Since then, our Ancient Chinese Elm™ has become one of our most popular floors."