Heart of Pine Flooring in Washington, DC, Maryland, & Virginia

There are many different types of flooring materials to choose from. If you want a type of flooring that’s similar to hardwood in its look and durability, but would like something a bit more unique and eco friendly if at all possible, then you should look into heart of pine flooring.

If you’re looking for affordable heart of pine flooring installation in Maryland, Washington, DC, or Northern Virginia, contact AG Construction today to schedule a free estimate. 

What is Heart of Pine Flooring?

Heart of Pine wood comes from the middle of a pine tree. Pine trees used to grow to extremely large sizes hundreds of years ago. When they grew large enough, they would develop heartwood. Heartwood is a darker-colored pine wood that is resistant to decay and much more durable.

The use of this wood, as you can imagine, provides an incredibly unique aesthetic to your home. The only problem is that pine trees no longer grow large enough in size in order to develop heartwood.

Most of the pine trees that had heartwood were centuries old – and by the time the 1900’s rolled around, those trees had been cut down and used already. This means that the only way you can obtain heart of pine is by reclaiming old heart of pine wood for your flooring. Of course, this makes the choice of heart of pine very environmentally friendly.

Tips for Buying Heart of Pine Wood

If you plan on purchasing heart of pine wood flooring for your home, then keep the following tips in mind:

• Don’t be confused by the term heart pine – Heart pine is often used to describe shortleaf pine, loblolly pine and slash pine – but it’s not the same thing. Make sure that if you’re purchasing heart pine flooring that the floor was sawn from old growth longleaf pine timber. Old growth longleaf pine timber is only available in raw form as reclaimed building materials.
• Look for pre-1920’s timber – Longleaf pine that was logged and sold after the 1920s are lower-grade materials. You’ll want heart of pine flooring that was sawn from beams prior to the 1920s to ensure a better quality – timber that is reclaimed from that period will be more tight-grained and dense.
• Look for tight growth rings – The tighter the growth rings are, the denser and harder the floors will be. If you’re looking for traditional quartersawn heart pine floor, you’ll want the growth rings to be at a rate of at least eight to an inch.

If you want to have truly unique floors that boast the traditional visual quality of regular hardwood but that are more durable, beautiful and environmentally friendly, then consider the use of heart of pine.

Get a Free Hardwood Flooring Installation Estimate

For a free estimate on hardwood floor installation in Maryland, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia, contact us online or give us a call—240-246-4561.