Reclaimed Flooring: American Chestnut

Reviewed by:
Rosemary Thornton

In the early 1900s, Chestnut Blight struck the American Chestnut tree and by the 1950s, entire forests of this once-ubiquitous tree were completely decimated.

But beautiful chestnut floors are available again, thanks to companies that reclaim and remill wood. These American Chestnut planks have been salvaged from agricultural buildings and then kiln-dried (to destroy insects) and milled in a way that preserves the character, nail holes, knot holes and other small imperfections.

Planks are milled in widths of 3-6", 5-8", and 7-10".

Respective prices as of August 2005 were $12.96, $17.24, and $20.22 (per square foot).