We’re utterly passionate about reclaimed pine flooring here at Harrogate Flooring, and there’s one question we get asked time and time again:
“What’s actually the difference between your gorgeous reclaimed redwood pine floorboards and the new kiln-dried redwood pine you can buy anywhere?”
The short answer? It’s night and day.
The long answer? Let us show you why reclaimed wins every single time.
First, let’s talk about the timber itself.
Reclaimed redwood pine flooring (often called reclaimed pine floorboards or Victorian pine flooring) comes from 100–150-year-old joists and beams salvaged from Victorian and Edwardian mills, warehouses, and factories. These trees grew incredibly slowly in cold northern European forests, producing tight, even grain, masses of natural resin, and a density that modern timber simply can’t match.
New kiln-dried redwood pine comes from trees grown in managed plantations today. They grow fast – really fast – so the growth rings are wide, the timber is lighter in colour, softer, and contains far less natural resin. It’s perfectly good wood… but it’s young wood.
Side-by-side, the difference is staggering:
- Reclaimed redwood pine: deep honey, pink, orange, and caramel tones that have developed over a century, plus beautiful grey weathering in places
- New kiln-dried redwood pine: pale straw/yellow colour that stays pale unless you stain it
- Reclaimed: tight grain, often 8–20 rings per inch, rock-hard surface
- New: wide, open grain, sometimes only 3–5 rings per inch, noticeably softer underfoot
- Reclaimed: loaded with character – original saw marks, nail holes, knots, small cracks, resin ripples
- New: clean, uniform, almost characterless until it’s lived in for decades
People often say to us, “But can’t I make new pine look like reclaimed pine?”
You can try – staining, distressing, smoking, liming – but you’ll never truly get there. The depth of colour in reclaimed pine flooring comes from 120 years of oxidation and light exposure. The hardness comes from slow growth and high resin content. The soul comes from history.
That’s why original Victorian pine flooring in period homes is almost always reclaimed redwood pine – because that’s exactly what was used back then. When we install our reclaimed pine floorboards in a restoration project, they blend seamlessly with the original boards. New pine never does.
We’re not saying new kiln-dried redwood pine is bad – far from it. It’s consistent, widely available, and cheaper. It’s great for budget projects or when you want a very clean, Scandi-style look.
But if you want a floor that makes people stop in their tracks and say “WOW – that’s got soul”, then only genuine reclaimed redwood pine flooring (or reclaimed pine floorboards, as so many of you lovingly call them) will do.
Our current stock of reclaimed pine flooring is the best we’ve seen in years – incredible colour, super-tight grain, and available in those perfect Victorian widths: 115mm, 165mm, and 205mm.
Ready to see the difference for yourself?
Order samples today and feel the quality in your own hands.
→ [Shop Reclaimed Pine Flooring Here]
Or call us on 07479 235832 – we’d love to talk timber!
---
### The Detailed Comparison: Why Reclaimed Redwood Pine Flooring Leaves Modern Alternatives in the Dust
Let’s get properly geeky (because we can’t help ourselves when it comes to beautiful timber).
| Feature | Reclaimed Redwood Pine (Victorian/Edwardian era) | New Kiln-Dried Redwood Pine (Modern plantation) |
| Tree age at felling | 80–150+ years old | 25–40 years old |
| Growth rings per inch | Typically 8–20+ (very tight) | Usually 3–6 (wide and open) |
| Natural resin content | Extremely high – acts as natural preservative | Low – needs more chemical treatment |
| Colour when raw | Rich honey, pink, amber, orange, occasional grey | Pale cream/straw – almost white |
| Colour after oiling | Deepens to stunning caramel/treacle tones | Goes orangey-yellow, never achieves same depth |
| Hardness (Janka approximate) | Comparable to medium density hard wood in many cases, very dent-resistant | Noticeably softer, dents more easily |
| Stability | Exceptionally stable – minimal movement after 100+ years drying | Good when properly dried, but more prone to cupping/gapping |
| Character marks | Nail holes, saw marks, knots, cracks, resin pockets – gorgeous! | Virtually none (unless artificially distressed) |
| Patina | 100+ years of natural oxidation – impossible to fake | None – takes decades to develop |
| Environmental impact | Ultimate recycling – saves mature trees | Requires new trees to be felled |
| Matching original Victorian floors | Perfect colour and grain match | Always looks “new” next to originals |
| Price | £56 | £32 |
| Price guide (per m²) | Higher – but lasts generations | Lower – but you get what you pay for |
The science bit: slow-grown old timber contains far more heartwood (the dense, dark core of the tree) and summerwood (the hard late-season growth), making it significantly harder and more stable than modern fast-grown softwood, which is mostly lighter sapwood.
That’s why reclaimed pine floorboards from the Victorian era are still going strong in homes today, while modern pine floors from the 1980s/90s are often already showing heavy wear.
Every single board in our reclaimed redwood pine stock has lived a previous life holding up factories and warehouses across the north of England and beyond. Now they’re planed, de-nailed, tongued & grooved, and ready to bring that same unbeatable strength and beauty into your home.
If you’re restoring a period property, extending an existing Victorian pine floor, or simply want the most characterful, hard-wearing, soulful floor money can buy – nothing comes close to genuine reclaimed pine flooring.
Samples are just £5 each and posted same or next day.
Give us a ring on 07479 235832 or drop us an email – we absolutely love helping customers discover why reclaimed redwood pine is in a league of its own.
Your dream floor is waiting. Let’s make it reclaimed.