Selecting Heart Pine

Since Colonial times Heart Pine has been prized as an elegant and durable flooring for American homes. A check on the internet will show that this remains true today. A casual search will turn up many options. All are called “heart pine flooring” but there are very large ranges of quality and cost. Below is a list of some of these differences:

 Red Hills Heart PineReclaimed Heart PineMost New Heart Pine
Source Sustainable natural forest Old buildings or river recovery Planted and clear cut
Cost $6-$12/sq' $12-$25+/sq' $4-$9/sq'
Age of trees 90-200+ 90-300 50-75
Species Longleaf Mostly longleaf but varied Mostly Loblolly
Janka scale hardness 1225 (Longleaf Heart) 1225 (Longleaf Heart) 690 (Loblolly and Shortleaf)
Board lengths 8’ and 12’ Random (2’ to 12’) 6'-12' Most Common
Widths 2”-9 1/4” (wider custom jobs) 3”-9 1/4" Most Common 3” to 8” Most Common
% Heartwood 80-100% for heart grades 75-100% Most Common 20-50% Most Common
Knots Varies by grade Varies by grade Varies by grade