Millwork: About Heartpine
Pinus palustris - Long Leaf Southern Yellow Pine, or Antique Heart Pine - grew in a forest that extended from southern Virginia to eastern Texas and included nearly all of Florida. Most of that forest was harvested by the end of the Civil War, and the timber from it was used to build large ships and manufacturing plants during the Reconstruction. This type of pine contains large amounts of resin, which makes it extremely stable and durable.
The Antique Heart Pine at Arkins Millwork comes from recycled timbers, most of which have been salvaged as beams from the old textile mills in Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts and other New England manufacturing towns. The timbers are large, having been cut originally from 200-year-old trees, and they have been indoors since the mid-nineteenth century, with the result that they are now more stable than ever.
Antique Heart Pine combines the warmth and character of old wood with a density that is superior to that of most modern hardwoods. There is a finite source of this wood, and the rising interest in using recycled materials combined with the unique quality of the timber itself have created a growing demand for it.