Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about the wood

Questions about ordering

Questions about shipping

Questions about the wood

Q: Why should I use recovered cypress or longleaf pine?

When looking for the wood to use on your beautiful project, virgin Cypress and Longleaf Pine must be seriously considered. These are two of the major woods that built America. Whether we’re recovering them from an old river or an old building, they are truly “Wood, the way it used to be”.

If you’re an architect, fine homebuilder, cabinetmaker or rare woods purist, Krantz Recovered Woods will give your next project exceptional beauty, strength and a captivating story that dates back to the days of Columbus’ discovery of America. The allure that our recovered cypress and longleaf pine provide is beyond compare. Krantz Recovered Woods’ products are all environmentally sound, created by recycling a resource lost underwater or used in a building years ago and is now ready to live again in your project.

This recovered virgin growth wood is “antique quality” that has not been available in any significant amount for almost a century. The virgin growth lumber we offer displays a fineness of grain pattern and density that has not been available to woodworkers for generations and is instantly recognizable as “antique”. Krantz Recovered Woods have the same fine grain and texture as the antiques of 100 years ago because they’re from the same forests. Fine designs take on a whole new look with the use of this rare, high quality lumber.

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Q: Where do you recovered woods come from?

We get our recovered (sinker) cypress and longleaf pine logs from Louisiana. Our reclaimed (from old buildings) cypress and longleaf pine come from buildings across the southeastern US.

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Q: How much recovered wood is available in the United States? Is it being replenished?

The amount of recovered cypress and longleaf pine available in the United States is uncertain. There are a finite number of old buildings available for reclaimed cypress and longleaf pine beams, and only a certain number of sinker logs available for “pulling”. Supply estimates range from 10-30 years.

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Q: What wood grades does Krantz Recovered Woods sell?

In cypress, we sell Select and Pecky grades:

select grade sinker cypress

select grade sinker cypress

pecky grade sinker cypress

pecky grade sinker cypress

In longleaf pine, we sell Common grade and Select grade.

common grade reclaimed longleaf pine

common grade reclaimed longleaf pine

select grade reclaimed longleaf pine

select grade reclaimed longleaf pine


common grade sinker longleaf pine

common grade sinker longleaf pine

select grade sinker longleaf pine

select grade sinker longleaf pine

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Q: What lengths are Krantz Recovered Woods boards?

Our recovered wood is sold in random lengths from 2’ to 16’ unless specified otherwise. Rough Sawn 4x4 to 12x12 timbers (which are custom cut for your job) are available up to 16’, sometimes as long as 24’.

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Q: What does rough sawn and smooth planed mean?

Rough sawn wood has a rough saw texture and APPROXIMATE, ROUGH DIMENSIONS. It could have stick marks left during the drying process, weathering (grey or charcoal colored), and small metal banding marks where it was bundled together.

Smooth planed wood has been run through a wood planer which gives it a smooth finish, similar to a 2x4 you would find at the lumberyard. It is milled to exact dimensions and planed on all four sides unless specified otherwise.

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Q: Are cypress and longleaf pine softwoods or hardwoods?

Cypress is a softwood, but it is graded by the National Hardwood Lumber Association’s cypress rules. Although it has needlelike leaves typical of softwoods, cypress loses its needles during the autumn and winter. Longleaf pine is also a softwood, graded by the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau.

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Q: How dry is your cypress and longleaf pine?

We dry our wood to a moisture content of approximately 15%. Timbers and items custom sawn (from sinker logs) for your job will be freshly sawn, wet wood. Timbers and items custom sawn from reclaimed beams will have a moisture content of approximately 15%.

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Q: Is cypress or longleaf pine a good interior flooring material?

Yes!

Cypress flooring is a good choice, but it is a relatively soft wood (comparable in hardness to modern day Douglas Fir) and will take on an “aged” look when used in high traffic areas. To give it a harder finish, you might consider sealing it with Waterlox’s “Gym Floor Sealer” product.

Longleaf Pine is the perfect choice for flooring because of it’s hardness, which is comparable to modern day red oak. Longleaf Pine has been used for centuries in old American homes and is still in use today. It is the most popular choice among our customers because of it’s high durability and beauty.

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Q: Are cypress and longleaf pine easy to work with?

Cypress works well with both hand and power tools. The wood planes easily and resists warping. Although cypress is resinous, the resin (called cypressene) isn’t a sticky sap like other woods. It glues well, sands easily and readily accepts finishes. Longleaf Pine is harder and therefore requires more care when installing, sometimes pre-drilling to prevent cracking when nailing near the edges.

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Q: How many different types of cypress and longleaf pine do we have in the U.S.?

There is one species of cypress grown in the United States. Bald cypress is the common name for cypress (Taxodium distichtim) but it is known by many different marketing names. It is called Bald cypress because it loses its needles in the Fall. Longleaf Pine is a species of the general “Southern Yellow Pine” group, which includes other pines like Slash Pine, Shortleaf Pine, and Loblolly Pine.

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Q: Are cypress and longleaf pine durable?

Cypress has a natural preservative oil known as cypressene which gives the heartwood resistance to insects and decay. With a suitable surface treatment, cypress generally has a superior durability, holding paint well and resisting weather. Longleaf Pine is highly resinous and that gives it a very durable characteristic, especially suited for interior applications.

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Q: What is the difference between plank flooring and strip flooring?

Plank flooring is 3” actual width or greater tongue and groove boards, a longer lengths. Strip flooring is less than 3” actual width tongue and groove flooring, usually 18” to 60” long.

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Q: What is the difference between Board Feet, Square Feet, and Linear Feet?

Board Feet is a measurement of volume: it is a term used within the lumber industry equal to a piece of wood 12”x12”x1” thick, or 144 cubic inches. Our products are offered in linear feet.

Square Feet is a measurement of area: it’s like the floor area of your home, simply width x length, for example 40’ wide x 30’ long = 1200 square feet.

Linear Feet is a measurement of length: it only measures how long something is, not its width or thickness. So, a piece of wood 1"x6"x16’ and a piece of wood 4”x8”x16’ are both 16 linear feet of wood. Also, if you are 5’-6” tall, that means you are 5’-6” linear feet long.

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Q: How do I find out how many Linear Feet I need to cover a certain area?

First, determine how much square footage (area) you have to cover. If it is a wall 10’ high and 50’ long, that’s 10’x50’=500 Square Feet. Next, pick the cypress product that you want to use. Determine the coverage for that product. The coverage (in inches) is shown on each of our product pages. Then, divide 12 by that number, and that new number is what we call a Conversion Factor. That Conversion Factor is how many linear feet you will need of that product to cover one square foot of area. Then multiply your Square Footage by that Conversion Factor, and voila!, you now know exactly how much of that cypress product you will need to cover that area. We suggest you add 5%-10% extra to be safe.

Example: Cover a floor with Select Reclaimed Longleaf Pine Flooring 1x6, item #120SRLP:

  1. Area to cover: floor of 13’x18.5’=240.5 square feet.
  2. Item chosen to cover floor: Select Reclaimed Longleaf Pine Flooring 1x6 (coverage of 5”)
  3. 12 divided by 5” = 2.4, which is the Conversion Factor
  4. Multiply 240.5 square feet x 2.4 Conversion Factor = 577.2 Linear Feet.
  5. Add 5%-10% extra.

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Questions about ordering

Q: Does Krantz Recovered Woods have a minimum order size? How much is shipping?

Yes, our minimum order is $300 plus shipping and applicable sales tax. Residential shipping minimum charge is $550. Commercial shipping minimum charge is $450. For that minimum charge, you can ship about 500 lbs.

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Q: What is “Check By Fax” service?

“Check by Fax” service is a convenient way to pay for your order instantly. Here’s how it works:

  • You receive your Quote/Order Form from us.
  • You sign the Quote/Order Form and also make out your check payable to Krantz Enterprises (our legal name) for the full amount and sign it.
  • You fax the Quote/Order Form and the check to us. Don’t mail anything.
  • You’re done!
  • We’ll then take your faxed Quote/Order Form and check and enter your banking and checking information into our secure automated check processing service. Your checking account will be debited that business day. We’ll then fax or mail your paid receipt to you.
  • The debited amount will appear in your next regular bank statement with payee as “Krantz Enterprises”.

If it sounds scary, relax. First, it’s the same info you give anybody when you write a check. Secondly, we’re only authorized to do it that ONE time because we have your signed, faxed original check for $x.xx dollars with your signature as proof of your authorization. It’s a very common form of payment nowadays with long distance phone companies or home shopping TV shows (maybe you paid your bill in the past by giving them your check info verbally over the phone; it’s the same thing). It’s a very convenient, hassle free, way to send your check. We will wait for the check to clear (10 business days) like a regular check.

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Q: Can I buy samples?

Yes, we sell samples of our recovered woods for $10 each. Please be aware that samples cannot possibly show all the variation of our natural wood products and do not represent any one of our grades. Please refer to the Customer Photos section of our website to more fully understand our grading and specifications.

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Questions about shipping

Q: How does Krantz Recovered Woods ship its products to me?

For normal sized orders (up to about 10,000 lbs.), we use LTL (less than truckload) trucking companies to deliver your wood in an enclosed box trailer. For larger orders, we’ll use a trucking company that hauls on flatbed trailers. They will cover your wood with a tarp while in transit. The trucking company will call you the day before to let you know when they will arrive. Your wood will arrive strapped together in bundles. Usually the truck can deliver right on your site. You are responsible for unloading.

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Q: How much is shipping?

Residential shipping minimum charge is $550. Commercial shipping minimum charge is $450. For that minimum charge, you can ship about 500 lbs.

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Q: Can I pick up my order in Austin at your office?

Yes, you can pick up your order here. We’ll have to collect sales tax on the whole order if you pick up here, but not if we ship out of state. We would be happy to show you our showroom office, yard, and production facilities.

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Q: Do I have to unload the shipment myself?

As an alternative to you having to unload the wood yourself, we can ship it to your favorite local lumberyard, who can then re-load the order on their truck, deliver it, and then unload at the jobsite with their equipment. This is something that you would need to arrange (and possibly pay) for directly in advance with the lumberyard. If you decide to do this, please give us the name, contact person, address, and phone number of the lumberyard you've chosen.

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Q: Do you ship via UPS?

No. UPS and other common package carriers are not configured to carry large bundles of wood.

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