Customers are always fascinated by the nails we have to remove from reclaimed wood, they are not only an insight into the history of the wood, but they also illustrate time and care taken to make each one.
These lovely old clout nails were found in some beams we have been recently working on – they’re up to 16cm long and date back to at least 1820, when the property from which the boards were reclaimed was built.
At the time, making nails was a task given to apprentice blacksmiths to hone their craft, and it’s also known that old nails were recycled and reused. Often, if nails couldn’t be removed the timber would be burnt so they could be recovered.
Recycling and restoring what we have in order to breathe new life is something close to our heart too, and our Woodworks by Ted Todd team work tirelessly to give reclaimed and antique materials a new lease of life. They hand-brush, air-dry, carefully sand and more to ensure nothing is wasted from these valuable timbers, not even those challenging nails!
The result is flooring that not only radiates beauty, but also one that has new chapters etched into its history, and this is what reclaiming is truly all about. Taking every part of the old, and making it new with nothing wasted, only accentuated.