Heart pine, oaks dominate reclaimed sales

Old-growth heart pine, appreciated for its rich hues, tight grain, density, and rustic appeal, is driving the reclaimed wood market, according to dealers interviewed by Woodshop News. The oaks, red and white, are also in demand.

Larry Dalton of CAG Specialty Wood in Gainesville, Ga., says customers seeking reclaimed wood generally want hand-hewn beams with history to them, as well as boards for skinning projects. 

“Most of our beams are either going to be heart pine, like old school 1800s and early 1900s heart pine. Some of the boards can be heart pine as well, but most of those are going to be mostly white oak, and some red oak as well. Those are mainly the three species of reclaimed that we’ll ever see,” says Dalton. 

The company generally sources beams from old barns, either locally or a few states away. 

“Our customers like the hand-hewn beams where they have the tool marks still on them. A lot of people use them as fake facades for homes, not structurally, but for decorative purposes. They may have notches in them from the mortise and tenon that they used, all kinds of old bolts and nails. It just depends on how rustic somebody wants to get,” he says. 

Dave Powell, of Elmwood Reclaimed Timber in Peculiar, Mo., is seeing more overall demand for reclaimed woods.

“Heart pine has had an uptick in the last six months. There are fewer suppliers, and frankly they’re running out of resources for the antique heart pine. Those trees don’t grow anymore in the U.S. They’re 300-year-old heart pines that were used for industrial and commercial manufacturing, so as buildings are coming down, resources are being used to capture and collect those reclaimed woods,” says Powell.

“Antique heart pine has lots of saw marks, nail holes, just a lot of character in the reclaimed. We’re seeing a lot of people use it in bar tops, countertops, custom islands, tabletops, and flooring and paneling as well.

“There’s a big drive right now for walnuts, hickory and other unique woods that are very difficult to find nowadays. There’s very little construction in the 1800s using hickory and walnut products, so we’re seeing those used more in specialty pieces, islands, conference room tables, bar tops, things like that.”

Originally published in the November 2025 issue of Woodshop News.