• 1-413-247-6191
  • Log in
  • Cart (0)
  • Checkout
Antique French Limestone Floors, Antique Belgian Bluestone Floors, Reclaimed French Oak Floors, French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tiles, Antique Cement Tiles, Blue Delft Tile, Zellige Tile, Decorative Wall Tile, Zellige, French Fireplace Mantels, Zellige Tiles
  • Home
  • What's New & Unique Lots!
  • Reclaimed and Aged Wood Floors 
    • Kiln-Dried and Engineered Reclaimed French Oak Flooring
    • French & European Oak Flooring - Kings of France - The Great House Collection
    • French & European Oak Flooring - Kings of France - The Country House Collection
    • The Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Flooring - The Elegant Farmhouse Collection
    • French & European Oak Flooring - Kings of France - The Olde Oak Collection
    • What's New & Unique Lots!
  • Antique and Aged Stone Floors 
    • Aged French Limestone Flooring and Antiqued Belgian Bluestone Flooring
    • Antique and Reclaimed French, English, Italian Limestone, Belgian Bluestone, Reclaimed Cement Tile Flooring & Antique Clay Roofing Tiles
    • What's New & Unique Lots!
  • Master Crafted Antiqued Solid Wood Doors
  • Zellige Tile + Decorative Wall Tile Collections 
    • l'Art de Fez Authentic Hand Cut Zellige Tile Collection
    • Carriage House 14th Century English Encaustic Wall Tile Collection
    • French Provincial 19th Century Cuisine de Monet Wall Tile Collection
    • Dutch Blue 17th Century Antiqued Delft 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
    • What's New & Unique Lots!
  • Reclaimed Terra Cotta and Brick 
    • French & Belgian Reclaimed Brick & Terra Cotta Tile Flooring, Antique Clay Roofing Tiles
    • Italian Terra Cotta Tile Wall & Floor Collection
    • What's New & Unique Lots!
  • Antique Limestone Trough Sinks
Meanderings of Our Authentic Life

Old Growth Oak Superbly Crafted into a Réédition French Reclaimed Oak Floor from our Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Flooring Collection

by Emmi Micallef October 20, 2021 2 Comments

French reclaimed oak floors are created with old French oak to create réédition French reclaimed oak flooring

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

The Olde Oak Series from our Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Flooring Collection are 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 dream 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 and bumps in the road.   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 to 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

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

 

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 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 Collection is spectacular.

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

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

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

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 Kings of France Olde Oak 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 actually changes the composition of the wood. Each plank is then hand-finished with breathtaking results.

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

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.

 

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

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

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

Comparing an authentic French reclaimed oak floor to the Olde Oak series - 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. 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. 

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

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

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

The beauty of old English manors and cottages radiate with these wood floors.  However, there are so many interior design styles that would accept these type of wood floors.  The Shaker style interiors - one of superb craftsmanship and utility would be a perfect fit for the Olde Oak 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. 

French oak floors are created like reclaimed French oak floors that are salvaged French oak floors marrying with antique French limestone tiles, aged French limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone flooring, antique French fireplace mantels, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, decorative wall tiles for kitchen backsplash, antique Delft tiles, zellige tiles, antique cement tiles for Shaker kitchens, farmhouse kitchens like DeVol kitchens that install subway tile, shaker cabinetry, reclaimed stone floors, reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed cement tiles, kitchen wall tiles, backsplash wall tiles, luxury homes, custom built homes that value French reclaimed oak floors, antique Belgian bluestone tiles, antique Belgian brick tiles for interior designs for farmhouse kitchens, minimalist kitchens, shaker kitchens like DeVol kitchens that use reclaimed stone floors, French antique limestone flooring, antique Belgian bluestone floors and reclaimed French terra cotta tiles, Delft tiles, antique Delft tiles for kitchen backsplash and fireplace surrounds.

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. 

To view the entire 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.

 



Emmi Micallef
Emmi Micallef

Author

Tweet Share Pin It Email

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!

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Subscribe

+Recent Articles

  • Reclaimed vs. Réedition French Limestone? Antique vs. Antiqued French Oak Floors? A Definitive Guide to Understanding the Wood & Stone Lexicon of Historic Decorative Materials
    September 10, 2022
  • Why is One of the Best Showrooms in the Nation for French, Belgian and English Reclaimed Limestone and French Oak Flooring in Western Massachusetts?
    August 12, 2022
  • Raising the Bar - Our Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Floors - The Country House and The Great House Collections
    March 15, 2022
  • Old Growth Oak Superbly Crafted into a Réédition French Reclaimed Oak Floor from our Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Flooring Collection
    October 20, 2021
  • L'Art de Fez Authentic Hand Cut Moroccan Zellige Tile and Why a Classical Art Terra Cotta Tile from the 10th Century Marries Flawlessly with Western European and American Interior Design
    July 08, 2021
  • The Perfection of Minimalist + Classical Design + Master Crafted Hand-Painted Italian Wood Doors
    March 03, 2019
  • Falling in Love with Antique Belgian Bluestone Flooring
    January 23, 2019
  • The Historic Decorative Wall Tile Collection - LOOK BOOK Blog
    November 11, 2018
  • NEW! The Renaissance Archives - A Jeweled Majolica + Earthenware Wall & Floor Tile Collection
    July 08, 2018
  • The Timeless Beauty and Durability of French Limestone Flooring at a Glance from our Pavé Tile, Wood & Stone, Inc. Showroom Installations
    May 01, 2018
Sign up for our newsletter

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more…


  • Search
  • Contact Us/Showroom
  • About Us
  • Sample Requests
  • Terms and Conditions/Shipping Policy
  • Refund Policy/ Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Historic Decorative Materials, a division of Pavé Tile, Wood & Stone, Inc.. Powered by Shopify

American Express Discover Mastercard Visa