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Sourcing direct antique French oak flooring and hand-finished antiqued French oak floors in chevron, herringbone and parquet de Versailles patterns cherished for luxury home interiors. Curated collection of French reclaimed terra cotta tiles salvaged from old French farmhouses, antique French limestone flooring from old chateaux, and antique Belgian bluestone from 18th churches add significant value to carriage houses, brownstones, English manor and country house interiors. Specialize in antique Delft tile
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    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Olde Oak Collection
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    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Country House Collection
    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Elegant Farmhouse Collection
    • 18th Century French Reclaimed Flooring
  • Antique and Aged French Limestone & Belgian Bluestone Floors 
    • Aged French Limestone Flooring and Antiqued Belgian Bluestone Flooring
    • Antique French Limestone, Antique Belgian Bluestone & Antique English Limestone Floors
  • Antiqued Delft Tile & Decorative Wall Tile Collections 
    • Dutch Blue 17th Century Antiqued Delft Tile Collection
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    • l'Art de Fez Authentic Hand Cut Zellige Tile Collection
    • Carriage House 14th Century English Encaustic Wall Tile Collection
    • On the Road to Florence 16th Century Italian Decorative Wall Tile Collection
    • Gardens in the Cloister 16th Century French Encaustic Decorative Wall Tile Collection
    • HDM's Glazed White Ceramic 3" x 6" and 6" x 12" Subway Tile
  • French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tile and Belgian Brick 
    • French & Belgian Reclaimed Brick & Terra Cotta Tile Flooring, Antique Clay Roofing Tiles
    • Italian Terra Cotta Tile Wall & Floor Collection
  • Master Crafted Antiqued Solid Wood Doors
  • A Small Production Antiqued Cement Tile Collection
  • Antique Limestone Trough Sinks
  • Poterie d'Anduze French Ceramic Glazed Vases
  • One-of-a-Kind Lots
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  • Home
  • Reclaimed and Antiqued French Oak Floors 
    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Olde Oak Collection
    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Great House Collection
    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Country House Collection
    • Antiqued French Oak Flooring - The Elegant Farmhouse Collection
    • 18th Century French Reclaimed Flooring
  • Antique and Aged French Limestone & Belgian Bluestone Floors 
    • Aged French Limestone Flooring and Antiqued Belgian Bluestone Flooring
    • Antique French Limestone, Antique Belgian Bluestone & Antique English Limestone Floors
  • Antiqued Delft Tile & Decorative Wall Tile Collections 
    • Dutch Blue 17th Century Antiqued Delft Tile Collection
    • French Provincial 19th Century Cuisine de Monet Wall Tile Collection
    • l'Art de Fez Authentic Hand Cut Zellige Tile Collection
    • Carriage House 14th Century English Encaustic Wall Tile Collection
    • On the Road to Florence 16th Century Italian Decorative Wall Tile Collection
    • Gardens in the Cloister 16th Century French Encaustic Decorative Wall Tile Collection
    • HDM's Glazed White Ceramic 3" x 6" and 6" x 12" Subway Tile
  • French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tile and Belgian Brick 
    • French & Belgian Reclaimed Brick & Terra Cotta Tile Flooring, Antique Clay Roofing Tiles
    • Italian Terra Cotta Tile Wall & Floor Collection
  • Master Crafted Antiqued Solid Wood Doors
  • A Small Production Antiqued Cement Tile Collection
  • Antique Limestone Trough Sinks
  • Poterie d'Anduze French Ceramic Glazed Vases
  • One-of-a-Kind Lots
  • Country

Meanderings of Our Authentic Life

Old Growth Oak Superbly Crafted into a Réédition French Reclaimed Oak Floor from The Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection

October 20, 2021 2 Comments

Old English cottage and manor homes are prized for their antique French oak floors.

Historic Georgian English Home + Olde Oak Collection in Color Way: Dorset 

The Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection is for those who cherish rustic elegance, superb wood craftsmanship and incredible authenticity.  Our latest French oak wood flooring collection at Historic Decorative Materials not only resembles, but perhaps surpasses reclaimed French oak floors. 

People often believe they want an authentic reclaimed French oak floor.  These wood floors hold the power of stories from those who have lived and walked upon them, as well as having developed their prized surface patina.  This patina is relished for textures that are satiny smooth, a translucency to appreciate the French oak noble grain, and colors that are warm neutrals in oak and brown tones.  There is also a vision of these reclaimed French oak floors, salvaged from a dilapidated but once charming farmhouse in Provence, to have a grandeur of only wide plank widths. The perfect French reclaimed wood floor. 

The reality is that if one were to receive this reclaimed French oak floor - consider themselves lucky.  Reclaimed French oak floors, as glorious as they sound, are far from this perfect vison and come with several headaches.   First, finding that one salvaged lot of a specific square footage in all wide plank is rare and difficult.  French reclaimed oak floors usually have to be sourced from a multitude of structures. Sourcing from these various outbuildings, farmhouses and mas would mean piecing together different widths and lengths of planks and then re-milling them for a solid installation. 

Second, working through the lots would mean encountering each plank with a variety of conditions.  There could be paint left on some surfaces (at times even lead paint), rot on others and cutting out bad portions of planks would leave aesthetically shorter planks. Furthermore, the planks would need to be cleaned, and nails protruding from their surface, would need to be removed.  When salvaging a reclaimed French oak floor, the tongue and groove edges usually are destroyed and thus will have to be remilled and realigned.  This means aesthetically more inconsistent and narrow plank widths. A qualified installer will be needed for this type of installation and many times there will be lippage - when one plank will ultimately be higher than another.  This can cause a floor to be difficult to clean, maintain and walk on.


Historic Georgian English Home + Olde Oak Collection in Color Way: Derbyshire

Antique French oak floors in warm oak neutral hues elevate authenticity of old country homes.

 

There are many who simply don't want to be involved working with reclaimed wood flooring for all these reasons.  Therefore, many wood flooring manufacturers choose to use newly milled French oak or other varieties of hardwood and try and recreate a French reclaimed oak floor. Hence, the majority of pre-finished wood flooring on the market today comprises of manufacturing wood floors using either colored oils or reactive stains.  The results are mediocre at best, but it's a quick solution to feed the hungry masses who want those "French reclaimed looking" wood floors.  The problem is that the tannin in the oak planks vary from tree to tree and may react badly with these products. The results are wood floors that appear false with undertones of blue, green and green yellow to purple and pink. These colors also sit on top of the wood's surface instead of penetrating deeply within the grain.  Many times, these applications over enhance the oak grain and the planks will have a striated appearance.  There can also be a hazy opaque look to the floors, almost like a laminate film on their surface.

Thankfully, The Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection is the other option, and by far the best one, for those who are wanting a reclaimed looking French oak floor.  With incredible color choices, widths that can be procured up to 12" wide and 118" long and a matte satin patina proudly revealing noble French oak grains and knots - The Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection is spectacular.

Reclaimed French oak floors exude an historic warmth that elevates interiors.

Historic Georgian English Home + Olde Oak Collection in Color Way: Nottinghamshire

Pairing antique French limestone floors with reclaimed French oak flooring will last for generations.

There are two reasons as to why this particular French oak wood floor achieves an appearance of a reclaimed French oak wood floor - incredibly surpassing the competition. The first is that the planks used for these wood floors are not reclaimed, but are still incredibly old.  Within managed French and European forests, fallen oak trees are collected along the forest floor.  These felled trees, around 150-200 years old, had continued to age through time, weather, insects and forest life.  The beautiful oak trunks are then milled and planed, revealing incredible knots, veining and worm holes. This is the canvas upon which the process begins to create the The Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection.

The second reason - as equal as importance to the first - is the aging technique of these old growth French oak planks. This aging technique has nothing to do with reactive stains or colored oils. It's a combination of highly skilled workmanship and science called the oxidation method.  A 7-10 step technical process with drying times in-between, this work ages the oak from the inside out.  The oxidation method works deeply within the tannin of the oak planks and changes the composition of the wood. Working within the tannin of the oak planks, an accelerating aging and coloring process takes place, which achieves the matte patina and translucent colors of an authentic reclaimed French oak floor.  They arrive pre-finished for the patina and color are now apart of the surface texture of the wood floor - there are neither stains nor oils floating on its surface. Each plank is then hand-finished with breathtaking results.

Artisanal and hand-finished, antiqued French oak floors excel in craftmanship to elevate lux interiors.

Each plank is finished by hand.  Because the color is achieved through the oxidation process working with the natural tannin of the oak, each floor will be unique with it's own identity and authentic character.

 

Old English country manor homes cherish antique French oak flooring to create 18th century interiors.

Historic English Country Home + Olde Oak Collection in Color Way: Cornwall

Installing antique French oak floors in great rooms add warmth and history to the interior.

Comparing an authentic French reclaimed oak floor to the Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring collection - one sees their similarities.  Both being old wood, they share textures of knots, color variations, veining, surface cracks and worm holes.  Their colors are matte and clear - their grains are not too pronounced, but not covered up either with an opaque film. 

There is no doubt that these wood floors are for those who appreciate old wood floors. If one chooses this collection, there are two distinct benefits than going with reclaimed French oak floors. First, one can be assured of a specific quantity, consistent in size, thickness and width.  As well, a pre-finished wood floor means that an old world aesthetic is seen as soon as the planks are installed. 

Reclaimed French oak floors in old salt box and Americana homes from the 17th century are perfection.

 Historic English Country Home + Olde Oak Collection in Color Way: Sussex

Warm brown antique French oak floors are rich in patina for historic interiors.

The beauty of old English manors and cottages radiate with these antique French oak floors.  However, there are so many interior design styles that would accept these type of reclaimed inspired French oak flooring.  The Shaker style interiors - one of superb craftsmanship and utility would be a perfect fit for the Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection.  Another aesthetic would be a farmhouse interior - whether that be a Belgian style farmhouse or classic Americana - this reclaimed look-a-like French oak floor would be outstanding.  Of course, it goes without saying - the Olde Oak Collection would greatly  enhance the Post and Beam and Ranch interior and finally, I want to add Minimalism.  The Minimalist interior values reclaimed materials that are not perfect in texture or color - taking from the Japanese Wabi Sabi aesthetic that imperfection is perfection. 

Noble French oak has knots, grain and worm holes adding character to antique French oak flooring.

Classic Wabi Sabi - The Olde Oak Collection has a weathered and distressed surface, rounded edges, saw marks, open cracks and knots unfilled.  Due to old oak growth, expect a weathered and distressed surface texture with open cracks.  Some of the open cracks can be covered with hand-forged iron plates. 

Finally, if an interior designer's goal is to create an elegant, historic interior, installing the Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection with antique French limestone - an authentic ambiance would result.  These antiqued French oak floors are the epitome of authenticity that will last generations.

To view The Olde Oak Antiqued French Oak Flooring Collection, specifications, price and to order - please click here.

Thank you for your time,

Emmi Micallef, Co-Founder

Historic Decorative Materials, a Division of Pavé Tile, Wood & Stone, Inc.

 



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2 Responses

Michelle
Michelle

September 13, 2022

Are these wood or tile

Cassandre Masson
Cassandre Masson

September 13, 2022

Bonjour,

J’essaie d’ouvrir le lien pour voir la collection entière, les détails et les prix, mais sans succès!

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