A Classic Fir Floor

If you live in an early 1900’s American Bungalow or Craftsman style home there is a good chance that your original wood flooring is 3-1/4” Douglas Fir, a native of the Pacific Northwest and the Inter-Mountain West. CVG Douglas Fir is the classic choice for homes of this type and era. There is a great article on this style of home here. 

Today the Doug Fir floor in these homes is often the “subfloor” under newer materials that may have been added during subsequent renovations. Peel back that carpet and have a look!  You may be surprised to find Clear Vertical Grain (CVG) Douglas Fir. Often these floors can be re-finished to showcase the natural beauty and patina of an aged, historic wood floor.

According to the Old House Journal, Doug Fir was chosen because it is strong, attractive, lightweight, and knot-free. It was used as an “all-purpose” wood through the first half of the 20th century. It was once the mainstay of the aircraft industry, as well as common for framing lumber into the 1960s. In the past it was a standard offering in modest houses, such as Foursquares and bungalows, or in nonpublic areas such as bedrooms and third-storey spaces. A durable softwood with a warm, pleasing grain.

Anthology Woods Grandstand Fir Flooring

At Anthology Woods we reclaim Douglas Fir from a variety of sources including gymnasium bleachers and old barns. We are able to achieve a variety of looks from this utilitarian wood including our Frontier Blend for rustic applications, or our Grandstand Fir Flooring and Wall Cladding for a cleaner look.

Anthology Woods recently completed a project for a client restoring an older bungalow in the San Francisco Bay Area. We were happy to provide a custom milled Grandstand Fir at 3-1/4” width consistent with the existing historic floor. The tight grain of our old-growth Grandstand Fir was a perfect match for this turn of the century renovation project. 

Another client, in Oregon, was seeking the warmth and neutral color tones of Douglas Fir, but with a slightly more rustic appearance. We were able to supply large format mixed-grain FSC reclaimed Fir stair treads from large vintage beams to compliment their modern design. These pieces were sourced from timbers reclaimed from a covered bridge deconstruction in NW Oregon.

Call us today to see what we can do for you!