This collection - The Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Floor - the Olde Oak Collection - is not a new oak floor aged to appear like an 18th century wood floor and it's not a salvaged reclaimed French oak floor pulled from noble homes and farmhouses across France. This noble French oak floor is a combination of time worn age + techniques of one of the best methods to historically and authentically age wood floors - the oxidation method, combined with talented, manual, hand craftsmanship. All four series in our Kings of France Collection are from sustainably managed forests, where the solid and engineered planks are PEFC Certified and the panels and patterns are FSC Certified. However, the Olde Oak Collection goes one better - where we search out fallen trees within these managed forests and use their aged and weathered 150-200 year old trunks as the foundation planks to our Olde Oak Collection. The results are spectacular. The reason is because old oak growth planks already have aged with character, knots and grain from living a century or more and then being naturally weathered along the forest floor. As this foundation, woodworkers and technicians begin the 7-10 step oxidation method, with drying time in-between, to continue to age the oak from the inside out. The oxidation method works within the tannin of the oak planks that change the composition of the wood, providing a matte patina and colors that are intermingled within the patterns and grain of the oak floor. There are no reactive stains or colored oils used in this process that can make wood floors appear false and inauthentic. The Olde Oak Collection from our Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Floors is the best of both worlds, where it will meet the standards, aesthetics and centuries old growth and wear like reclaimed wood floors, but will not provide the problems in installation and cleaning like using French reclaimed oak planks. These floors excel in historic homes from Georgian and Classic English Manor homes and Shaker and Belgian Farmhouse interiors to Mid-Century Modern, Industrial and Minimalist decor. All these interior designs emphasize using natural materials, the quality of the materials and incredible craftsmanship. The Olde Oak Growth Series in the Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Floor Collection has the color variations, matte patina and character to be the strong anchor in supporting such a variety of exceptionally historic homes.
* All images are taken by us from our stock at the Pavé Tile, Wood & Stone, Inc. Showroom/warehouse in West Hatfield, MA.
