designing against the grain

Get In Line

2012-01-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here at Pioneer Millworks, we see a lot of interior & architectural concepts every day. From rustic lodges, to modern lofts, there's a good bet we have a material that can fit the aesthetic. Taking it one step further, how you use the selected material can add another dimension to the design.

A big trend recently has been the use of horizontal lines. Planks of wood have long been installed just as they were on barns for hundreds of years - vertically. Going horizontal accents the variations in the materials, makes the space seem wider, and brings a fresh look to any type of space. In particular, many of our clients developing corporate spaces have picked up on this concept and put it to good use:

Reclaimed Barn wood screen wall, New York, NY

Reclaimed wood desk, multiple species, Pioneer Millworks' offices

Besides offices, retailers and restauranteurs have been using the concept as well, in some cases adding height and thickness variations for added texture.

Reclaimed Oak wall, Chevy Chase, MD


Variegated reclaimed barn siding installed horizontally, Philadelphia, PA

So whats next? Well, thats entirely up to your imagination. Being a leader in the reclaimed wood industry though, we enjoy developing concepts with our customers, helping you understand that reclaimed wood doesn't have to equate to "rustic" :

Reclaimed Black Oak Fin Wall concept

Friends and Family Event - This Saturday!

2011-09-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Millworks Friends & Family Event

Saturday October 1, 2011 9am - 2pm

It isn't quite time for the holidays yet, but the savings will make it feel that way this Saturday at Pioneer Millworks "Friends & Family Event". You don't need a special pass to get in, and you don't need to be somebody's cousin's brother's ex-wife's sister-in-law twice removed. All you need to do is come out to our shop in Farmington, NY between 9am & 2pm and pick up some great deals on reclaimed wood.

We'll have odd-lots, over-runs, small batches, and even a pile of planks for you woodworkers to pour over. Every species will be available, along with fireplace mantles, ceiling T&G, barn siding, Plus, our wood experts will be on hand to answer any questions about materials and installation. Bring your truck &trailer, or we can arrange for delivery.

This is always a fun event, and a great way to get your projects completed before the holidays. Hope to see you Saturday morning!

Off the shelf, or off the hook?

2011-09-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

When you contact us here at Pioneer Millworks, you'll find that we know a thing or two about reclaimed wood. Years of working with some of the most beautiful wood on earth have provided us with a deep appreciation for its potential. This experience is a great resource for you, our customers, to tap into. If you want something that is a bit unique, maybe a certain texture or color, chances are we can figure out a way to make it happen. Just look at this Heart Pine we're providing for a customer in the midwest:

Careful texturing and coloring of the wood has created a rich cocoa-toned wall cladding with the feel of driftwood. "Off the hook"? Absolutely. This isn't your typical "off the shelf" wood. Of course, we have a tremendous selection of standard products that work for many of our customers needs. For something truly special though, let us help to create a surface for you. Give us a call and lets see what we can create together.

Does FSC Certification really matter?

2011-03-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Attic Collection Mixed Softwoods - Buon Italia Market,
New York, NY

People are often quite curious as to why Pioneer Millworks became FSC Certified. Why would go through the certification process when we already know that we're doing the right thing? After all, we produce flooring, millwork, and timbers from salvaged building materials. Seems pretty straightforward, especially when you can clearly see nail holes and other signs of previous use in our products. But how do you as a customer know that we're really using reclaimed wood for your order?

Think of it this way: When you're grocery shopping for organic products, be it produce or otherwise, what do you look for? Chances are, you look for this:

This label appears on the packaging to prove that the product you're buying is indeed Organic! It may cost more, but many consumers value the "behind-the-scenes" differences in how the product was brought to market, and quite honestly, it is better for the producers' employees, your family, and the planet. Similarly, you'll see this logo on all of our paperwork and marketing materials:

This logo means that we've been evaluated & inspected by a third party on a regular basis to demonstrate that we are indeed only using reclaimed wood in the products we claim as such. And it is your assurance as a consumer that you really are getting what we say we're making for you. Like organic food, and beyond the scope of FSC Certification, we also care about how our products are made. We're proud to use wind power, burn our waste wood for heat with virtually no emissions, use formaldehyde free adhesives in our engineered flooring, and more - and it all benefits you, our employees, and the planet.

So does our wood taste any different than a non-certified wood? Probably not. It just looks a lot greener.

- Jered

Missing the summer

2011-02-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

Waking up this morning to another forecast of 6" to 10" of snow, my thoughts wandered to the warmer months here in New York. We're blessed to see all four seasons here with quite a contrast between them, though on occasion each of those seasons can run a bit longer than we'd like. The old saying goes that we actually only have two seasons here, winter and August.

The summer brings with it local farmers markets, packed with vibrant colors, delicious produce, friends and neighbors, all the good stuff. The very idea of grilled local squash and sweet corn is melting the snow away outside the office. Or, maybe thats just a slightly above freezing temperature teasing us once again. Anyway, a couple of years ago, Pioneer Millworks provided reclaimed Heart Pine timbers for the new bus shelter in my hometown of Geneva, NY. The structure overlooks the farmers market, and is a great combination of natural wood with modern steel & glass, further proof that "reclaimed" doesn't always equal "rustic". Passing by this structure every day, I see the timbers still looking great, holding up through all seasons and providing some protection from the elements for those waiting to catch a ride.

So, give Roblyn, Ross, or me a call - we've always got plenty of great material to talk about. If I'm not in the office, you'll find me out back at the grill. Yes, even in 6" to 10" of snow.

- Jered

Labor Day - The Finale!

2010-12-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

Did I say "next week" back in September? How time flies!

The project was actually finished up in early October, as my wife moved her scrapbooking supplies back in. With the blue & gray walls, the Chestnut trim, and the white floor, we decided to use some darker accents. A black rug under the desk, which was painted the same gray as the opposite wall. A charcoal-color chair that flips out into a single bed. Black picture frames on one wall of the gray, with white frames on the blue walls.

The Chestnut trim is original to the house, and was the one thing I thought would gum up the works in terms of a color scheme. In the end though, it really looks nice, and carries the character of the house into the room in a subtle way. Besides, why paint over a treasured material when the exposed woodwork was a deciding factor for us to buy the home in the first place?

The flooring is doing great, developing the occasional dent or ding as we moved things back in. Our home's character is "perfectly imperfect", with the signs of age being evident throughout in a good way. But as you can see from the photo above, we want it to look like that - in fact most people think we painted the old subfloor, which is just fine with us.

Lesson learned? Consider color, and try something different in your flooring project. We're happy to help you out with samples and cut-offs to try different things out, and to work with you to develop the perfect flooring material. And with Pioneer Millworks' new "6 about 6" pricing, we've made it even easier for you to bring a reclaimed floor into your home. Just give us a call anytime and we'll get started.

Keep in touch - thanks for reading.

Labor Day, Part III

2010-09-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Back to the action!

Once the floor was sanded, vacuumed, and dust free, I checked over the floor to make sure no burrs or splinters were sticking up. While our goal was to have a floor that was "imperfect", we certainly didn't want slivers in our feet. I had installed a few boards that had "skip" in them. These can add some cool texture to an otherwise smooth floor, when combined with some occasional gaps, nail holes, minor cracks, etc. To keep the look of the saw marks, without the inherent fuzz & splinters, I dug in with a 100 grit sandpaper carefully working in between the saw marks to smooth them out just enough to be safe. A quick vacuuming, and its time to finish.

Some folks recommend paints specifically designed for flooring. If you're painting concrete, or a super high-traffic area, I can see the advantage to that. But since is a small spare room / office, I used some leftover satin white paint I had from a prior project.

I didn't want to have a pristine white floor - I wanted to let the grain show through. So I employed a technique from my hobby of model trains, called "dry-brushing". Rather than loading up the brush with a large amount of paint, I used a much smaller amount, just enough to cover the first 1/2" or so of the brush. Then, using a lighter and faster stroke than you would on a wall, applied the paint very thin on the wood. Yes, this takes some time to cover any substantial area, but you certainly don't want too much paint on the floor.

Work in small areas with a technique like this. The planks on our floor were 4" wide, so I worked about 3 planks wide, by 4' - 5' deep at a time. Before the paint dried though ( and when put on this sparingly it dries FAST!), I used an old towel to scrub the paint - this blends the floor together, and takes out some of the variation as you work from section to section. All in all, the painting process for the whole room of about 90 sf of flooring took an hour. See? It really doesn't take that long to get a really unique effect.

After the paint had dried overnight, I did a light sanding with 150 grit paper to smooth out any raised grain and bubbles in the paint. Finally,the last step was applying 2 coats of a clear finish. Again, because of the the low traffic, a basic satin finish water-based urethane was used. The label and info might advise against using this on a floor, but having done 3 other bedrooms in our home with this finish, I know it works fine. I wouldn't put it in a heavy traffic area though; use a harder floor-specific finish there. Between coats, I sanded with the 150 grit, and then went to a 220. Since I was working this by hand and using very light pressure, the process didn't take very long.

The end result is silky-smooth, looks amazing, and is a polar opposite of any other floor in our house. Check back next week for the "big reveal"!

- Jered

Labor Day - Part 2

2010-09-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

Picking up where we left off, I got the wet work done in the room, which is important to complete prior to installing a wood floor. For me, this meant all the patching, priming, and painting was done. From there, I brought in the Sierra's Choice flooring. Installing a wood floor isn't rocket science. But it is something that takes some patience. You want to make sure to look at each piece before nailing it in place, and take into consideration how it looks with the pieces around it. This is especially important in a smaller space where the floor is a real focal point of the room. In my installation, I intentionally used some flooring with un-square ends, and left an occasional gap between planks, as we're after a "modern-cottage" sort of a look.

After stapling down a layer of 15# roofing felt to reduce squeaks, I got to work putting in the wood. I used a finish nailer with 2" nails, as opposed to a floor nailer, because of the small space. Nails were shot in above the tongue at the proper angle every 6" or so, with the ends of planks at the wall getting face nailed. Always, always, always, leave a 1/2" - 3/4" expansion gap around your room when putting in a floor. The baseboard and/or shoe moulding will cover it, and it will allow the floor to breathe without buckling.

If you'd like more information on installation, drop me a line anytime. But getting on to the fun part, I started off the sanding with a light pass of 80 grit, which will take out scuffs, pillow most overwood, and open up the grain nicely. This was swept & vacuumed, and then gone over with a pass of 100 grit. You'll notice I am using a simple palm sander for this work. Given the room size, there's no reason to bring in the heavy equipment - if you don't have a palm sander, pick one up, and you'll then have a great little multi-tasker for future projects. Get the room swept & vacuumed again, and we're ready to get into the magic - finishing the floor.

Thats coming next - so keep in touch.

- Jered

Labor Day

2010-09-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Labor Day.....Celebrated as the end of summer by many Americans, this holiday has an interesting history. It marks the onslaught of the football season in the US, the coming of a new school year for us parents, and my favorite part, a return to "manageable" temperatures here in NY. It doesn't, however, mean a break from "labor".

Last weekend, my wife and I decided to go through some old paperwork in our home office. Which led to cleaning out a file cabinet. Which led to getting the desks cleaned off. Which led to realizing the space really wasn't functional for us. Which led to completely gutting the room, pulling up the carpet ( the LAST room in our house with carpeting ), pulling the baseboards off, spackling holes, and in general, prepping the room for a complete makeover.

I thought that this was a good project to share, just because it is relatively small, inexpensive, and not all that time consuming. As you can see, we're ready for paint on the walls - and while it is drying, I'll be touching up the Chestnut baseboards in my workshop. The original goal here was to paint the existing floor, just for something different against the natural finished floors in the rest of our home. But as we feared, the ancient carpet padding had bonded to the flooring like glue, and despite my best efforts with a scraper, wire brush, and some 60 grit sandpaper, it wasn't going to come off.

So now the plan is to use some Heart Pine flooring that we had left from another project for the flooring, and then paint it. Yes, I've been known to cringe at the idea of painting a perfectly good wood floor, but done right, I think that it can be a dramatic accent to a room. I'll document how we go about it and maybe it will inspire you to try something new.

You can really get a lot of bang for the buck with something like this. In our case, a couple cans of paint, a new work surface for my wife to use for scrapbooking, and an inexpensive chair that folds out into a single bed for guests will give us a nice dual-purpose room. The floor could be anything in a project like this. But we have some stellar Knotty & Naily White Pine right now that is a perfect candidate for a painted floor. Looks a lot like this, but with some nail holes from the prior use of the wood in a factory in Ohio. It has a great price in our Bargain Basement, and is ready to ship as soon as you'd like. The softness of the wood not only helps it to take paint well, but the fact that it WILL get beat up will help make the floor that much more unique.

Give us a call to talk about your project - large or small, they all make an impact on your home. Enjoy the long holiday weekend, and don't "labor" too hard.

- Jered

HD 2010 - Are you here?

2010-05-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

The booth is up. And it looks amazing. Come by and say hello - check out our engineered reclaimed Ash & Walnut flooring, a plethora of reclaimed wood paneling & siding, tables & tops crafted from live-edge materials. Best of all, check out our ideas. We have so much cool wood to work with, we're sure to find the perfect compliment to your project.

Booth 429
Hospitality Design Expo 2010
Sands Convention Center
Las Vegas

If you can't get here from there, then check out the latest on Pioneer Millworks' website!

Hope to see you here.

- Jered

Size Matters

2010-04-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

I live in a small house. Well, it isn't that small, at 1600 sf. But within the 2 stories that make up our home, we have plenty of space, with a full attic that hasn't been finished off yet, ( Yes, dear, it is on the list of projects to be completed during the next decade ) and a somewhat water-tight basement. I like, no I love, our home. One room at a time, for the past 8 years of living there, we've painted, put in floors ( of reclaimed wood of course ) added trim to complement the original Chestnut, knocked out walls, put in new windows, siding...the list is long and my hands are more lovingly worn because of it. The footprint has stayed the same, but through good design decisions and some adjustments with the help of a sawzall, we have plenty of room for our family of 4, one cat, and a recent addition of a Cairn Terrier. The yard? .07 acres, and no, I didn't mis-place the decimal. Many homes occupy a footprint at least that big, and in fact, the city of Geneva wouldn't allow new construction on a lot like ours at 47' wide because of setback restrictions never even thought of in 1922 when it was built. Yet we've managed to fit in a small patio, a grilling "deck", and a backyard swingset for the boys. And it has a front porch offering a warm sunset in the evening and relaxing chats with neighbors over Finger Lakes Reisling and local craft beers.

Our home is indeed comfortable in size, so I was intrigued when reading a recent article in the New York Times about a home that most people would consider a shed. In fact, it was a garage! With a simple addition for a bathroom, plenty of recycled & re-purposed materials, the woman acted as her own general contractor and created a beautiful, functional, and cozy space of 250 sf for her to call home. IN A GARAGE, and for a very respectable $32,000. Look at the photos and floor plan in the article, and you'll see very intelligent design, great attention to detail while maintaining simplicity, and the true fruits of doing things yourself. Sure, this is a single person residence - you're not going to comfortably raise a family of 4 here. But it really makes one think - how much space do you need?

By not having huge spaces to fill with "stuff", you're freed to focus on the details a little more. Maybe this means spending a little more on the floor to create a great canvas for the rest of the room. Narrower floors have made a real comeback in the past couple of years, and they're perfect for smaller rooms. Narrow planks give you more of a mosaic than a wide board when working in these smaller areas, and in turn, having more planks across the floor makes the space seem a bit larger. The best part is, they're less expensive than a wide-plank of the same species.

In the kitchen above, the narrow boards and color variation of our Malacca Straits combine to add a great amount of interest in a relatively small space. Shrink this down to even the smallest galley-style kitchen, and it will still keep you noticing something new every day. This idea works with other species too - especially those with even more character like our Settlers' Plank Autumn Woods.

See? Size might matter, but not necessarily in the way people usually think. bigger isn't always better, in terms of room sizes, overall footprint, and flooring widths. Besides, with tons of space, you have to spend more time cleaning, than relaxing and joying what you've created.

Enjoy the nice weather - and keep in touch.

The Outdoors

2010-03-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Did I mention yet this winter that I miss my camper?

I was walking my property the other day (you know, around the .07 acres in Geneva that I own ) which takes about 30 seconds for a full loop, and I stared at the camper, wondering when the first outing would be. The boys have been asking about when we can go for the first time, and it really got me wondering as well, with temps running 50 - 60 here lately. I'm not sure when that will be. New York is a state where is can snow in May, so it is never safe to bet that it will be much before June.

Then today, walking by our boiler house ( we have 2 huge Garn boilers which take our waste wood and generate heat for our shop and kilns ) I could smell the Fir that was burning away in there. No smoke, just the pleasant sweet aroma, which is the same that I catch by the fire in the summer.

All this warm weather, thoughts of the camper, and general spring fever is making many of us think about the outdoors. Time to gear up at any one of the many outdoor retailers we work with, like Bass Pro Shops, and while you're there check out the huge array of materials supplied by Pioneer Millworks. Flooring, barn siding, ceilings, timber trusses, and even wood for some of the fixtures, all came from our shop. If you're out west, check out Columbia Sportswear and see all the Settlers' Plank Oak on the walls & floors.

We love to get outdoors, thats for sure. We sponsor a big event every year, the Wild Water Derby, which runs on the rapids of the Canandaigua Outlet every spring. This has grown to become quite a gathering of water-loving folks, and our employees often enter rafts, or brave the rapids in canoes or kayaks. If you're in the are, you should come by for sure!

So maybe if the weather cooperates this weekend, I'll pop up the camper and air it out. Then again, maybe thats tempting fate a little too early. Maybe I'll stick to some pre-season dreaming and shopping for now.

Thanks for checking in, keep in touch.

- Jered

They quoted you how much?!

2010-03-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

I had a great conversation today with a friendly competitor of ours. No, I didn't call to let him know that we're better than them ( we are ), or that we have a way cooler office & showroom ( we do ) or that our office manager plays a mean fiddle ( she does ) and theirs doesn't. I called to touch base, say hello, and let them know that they might receive a call from a potential client of mine, and that I wanted to make sure she was steered clear of some potentially bad flooring. See, she contacted us at Pioneer Millworks looking for a somewhat substantial quantity of Heart Pine flooring, in a fairly clean grade, expecting pricing about 1/2 of what ours would be. Sure - I am used to the occasional "deathly silence" once folks find out that reclaimed wood is more expensive than new, and with the economy the way it has been, certainly some companies are more hungry than others for work. When I heard she was being given a price 50% of ours though, I began to question the quality of the materials she was seeing from these other companies.

"But the samples look great - almost clear, with very few knots! And it is really tight grain, with a beautiful color!" Just sounds too good to be true if you ask me, so as I outlined some basic checklist items to confirm about a reclaimed wood floor and the company making it, I thought it might be of use to share them with the rest of the world too:

As a rule, your floor should be:

- 100% Reclaimed materials. Ask what building the wood is coming from, and where it was located. If they don't know, think twice.

- Kiln-dried. Flooring should to be shipped at a 6% - 8% moisture content. Air-drying, drying rooms, etc don’t count, unless you like the idea of twisting & shrinking floorboards & potential insect infestation.

- Milled with a precise T&G, and square-cut, if not, end matched, on the ends. Look at the samples they provide - How does the milling fit together? Do your samples glide together easily, and do the top faces line up to form a smooth floor? How much sanding will therefore be required to get the floor they way you want it?

- Made to written grade specifications for your order. Does the company have specific written criteria they use in identifying the proper materials for your order? Do your samples look that way as well? Can they show you photos of installations of a larger area of the same flooring?

- Free of contaminants. Was the wood exposed to any nasty chemicals due to the use of the original structure? ( we have turned down otherwise BEAUTIFUL wood because of this in the past )

- A nice mix of lengths. Ours range from 2’ – 12’, with longer boards as well, depending on the shipping method. You don’t want a floor that’s all 2’ – 4’ shorts, which is entirely possible when chopping out defects to make a higher grade floor from sub –standard materials.

- Made by a company that has been working with Heart Pine for a long time. There’s a plethora of companies that tout their reclaimed wood, but lack the facilities, inventory, knowledge, and passion to create a beautiful floor the RIGHT way. Only a handful have been around for as long as we have ( 20+ years, and I’ve been here for 13 of those! ) making custom reclaimed wood floors.

At the end of the conversation, I encouraged her to continue to call around, and see what other prices she found. We might not be the least expensive, but we also won't be the highest-priced. Plain & simple, we're passionate about what we make, every one of us. Because of that, she is assured that her floor will be the best Heart Pine floor on the market, crafted in our own shop, from true reclaimed wood of the highest quality ( FSC Certified to boot! ) and in a manner thats respectful to the environment. If nothing else, she's more educated now, and can make a more informed decision. Do I think she'll be back to us to purchase her floors in a few months? You bet. But she'll have to catch me when I'm not out seeing Valerie play her mean fiddle with "The Bob Squad" around Rochester.

Stay in touch - thanks for reading.

Spring Redwood Decking

2010-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Spring!
Spring is just around the corner, right? With recent snowfalls reaching record amounts in the southern and eastern US it is hard to believe. But we are only 34 days away from the Spring Equinox. When I think spring, I think outdoor cooking! Wheeling the grill out from the depths of winter storage or pulling the cover from the one sitting on the deck. Picnics and regular outdoor family meals - simply being outside and enjoying the sunshine again.

I'm amazed at how much our deck makes our home seem larger. The kids enjoy playing on it, the dog lounges there and it is a great nap spot. If you're thinking about adding on some exterior space we can help with materials. We have reclaimed redwood from wine vats that is excellent for decking and railings. Redwood is naturally rot, mold and rodent resistant, weathering well outdoors. (We've also had feedback that it is a good wood for bare feet with limited cracking or splinters and no infused chemicals to worry about). And if the wind is just right, you may even be able to smell the original wine tannins locked deep in the wood.

There is still time to have your deck ready for Spring. Send us a note to learn more. - Pioneer Millworks

Store Opening

2010-01-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

We've been privileged to work with Anthropologie creating unique reclaimed products for their stores throughout the US. We were excited when they called to say their newest store would be in Eastview Mall, Victor NY - right up the road from our Farmington shop. Opening day Jered waited among a group of Anthropologie fans and media for the doors to open. He wasn't disappointed - the main flooring exceeded even our expectations.

A custom mix of reclaimed species, the floor includes barn siding that is partially planed leaving some of the original paint intact. Visually popping throughout the floor are boards previously painted grey-blue. The color is a unique find even in our vast inventory.

Shelving and trim called for one-of-a-kind reclaimed wood. Jered recommend reclaimed pickle vats (similar to wine vats).When gently sanded some of the brine and minerals continue to show through in the grain as a light coating of white.

Going for a cleaner look the shelving, created by NEWwoodworks, smoothed out the pickle wood giving the bright color and natural black mineral staining a chance to shine.

Much of the pickle vat wood was used on the ceiling and overhangs throughout the store. We really loved how the herringbone pattern looked in the corners.

If you're in the area be sure to check out the store. While you're there scoot over to see our shop, chat with Jered and enjoy the mosaic of our office floor.

Our new website

2010-01-13T08:40:00.001-08:00

We've been working away at creating a new website and we're happy to announce it is here! With cool new features including a flooring selector, lots of large photos, wood history and a square footage calculator. If you already have one of our floors send us a note with a picture and we'll put it up. Enjoy!

American Gothic Oak

2010-01-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to New York City, I had the pleasure of stopping in to the shopping Mecca of Bloomingdales to check on a floor of ours. It is cool enough that I'll be using it an upcoming kitchen project in my own house, and as you can see, it further proves that our flooring works well with all sorts of designs. The area of the furniture showroom where our flooring is installed shows a modern decor - and looks fantastic.

This is our American Gothic Oak, and we have plenty more to go around. Give us a call or drop me a line and we'll hook you up with a new floor for 2010.

Happy New Year!

www.pioneermillworks.com

2009-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

If you think our current website is cool, wait till you see how hot the new one will be.

Check out Pioneer Millworks starting tomorrow. Have a seat, grab a cup of coffee, and peruse the most comprehensive selection of reclaimed wood around.

- Jered

What it's all about.

2009-12-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

Each year, our company sponsors two families in the area during the holidays who would otherwise not have much of a Christmas, if they had one at all. It is interesting how diverse the stories we hear are. Some folks have fallen on particularly hard times economically, some have had some tough breaks in life and are playing with the hand they've been dealt. Aren't we all, to some degree?

In the past, I have donated monetarily, or purchased gifts for these families, and watched them be wrapped by our wonderful "elves" and then shipped off with an employee to be delivered to the families we've chosen. Our company is great for these things - our employees are always more than willing to generously help out those in need using whatever resources they have available. In these times especially, the people that have needed some cheer could use a little more, and we didn't fail them for sure.

I decided this year, along with Valerie ( office manager extraordinaire, and the first one you usually talk to if you call ) to be one of the lucky folks that delivers the gifts to one of our families. I'd not done it before in my 13 years at Pioneer Millworks, so I decided that having a pickup bed that could hold plenty was a good enough reason, plus I wanted to see the light on the faces of the kids. I couldn't have even prepared myself for how it would feel.

Arriving at their apartment, Valerie and I were met by Sheila Murphy, who helps us get in touch with a different family each year in the city. While Sheila occupied the kids, we brought in 2 HUGE tubs of gifts and 2 large boxes to boot! Their mother was beside herself, and couldn't believe there was more after the first trip. Once we had brought up the last of the gifts, Valerie handed her a nice envelope of gift cards to the grocery store, to make sure there would be a nice dinner on the table for the holiday. She was almost speechless, but squeaked out a "Thank you" under the near tears in her eyes. We went downstairs and met the rest of the family - 3 and 5 year old boys, and a 2 year old girl, who were all sitting with their grandmother on the couch. Sheila helped introduce us to everyone in the family, and while shy at first, they started to open up after a bit and tell some of their story. I give a lot of credit to any single mother, and with the 2 boys being special needs children, and her Mother being in a wheelchair, she's keeping things together quite well. The little girl couldn't get enough in the way of showing me her toy keys, or sitting on my knee as we talked about the holidays. As the group of us talked more, they revealed that just after last Christmas, a family member was lost to a murder, one which was solved thankfully, and the killer recently jailed for multiple life terms, as he was responsible for 3 other killings. I cannot even fathom the loss of a family member in such a horrendous manner, and yet they celebrated her life, and used it as fuel for living theirs as best they could in her honor. Seeing their spartan surroundings & tight quarters, coupled with their hardships of the past year, would make anyone thankful for what they have. But as I kneeled at the foot of the stairs, tying the shoes of the little girl before I left, I thought not of how thankful I was for what I had, but how thankful I was for having met her and her family. Just because someone doesn't have a lot is not an indication that they did something wrong to get there. People have bad luck from time to time, or make a mistake here & there. We're all still deserving of a warm meal or a present under the tree. It is those of us in our world of plenty that should be thankful for the people that remind us that sometimes living one day at a time is more than a catch-phrase, it is genuinely how life needs to be lived. You can have all the money in the world, all the material things you want, but without the joy of a family; the smile of a young boy getting a soft teddy bear; the eyes of a little girl gazing at the Christmas tree; the laughter of a child in his favorite super hero costume; the kind words of a mother and grandmother watching over them all.....Nothing else matters. Their living room, even if for the brief time we were there, was washed of the troubles of the past, and filled with hope for the future. Not that we were solely responsible for that hope - but by lending an interested ear, and re-assuring them that there are people that care and do good in the world, they will pay it forward and work to make their lives better, as well as those around them.

The holidays are about family, counting your blessings, and giving to others. Make sure you take some time to hug the kids and your family, help a stranger, and enjoy the simple things we often overlook during the year.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Pioneer Millworks. We appreciate your business and look forward to a prosperous New Year.

Let it snow...

2009-11-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

About 15 minutes ago, I looked up from the keyboard and saw a curtain of white-ish slushy stuff falling from the sky. I just came from the Adirondacks where I had a stellar Thanksgiving holiday, and even up there, the only places with snow were the high peaks, like Lake Placid, where there's a foot of the white stuff at the summit. So seeing the snow falling here set in motion a sudden rush of thoughts....

1. Oh crap, we need to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic.
2. I have that much shopping left before Christmas?
3. I have HOW many cookies to bake?!
4. I should have painted the dining room "one of those days" that I spent on the front porch in the rocking chair this summer. Wait - did I even have "one of those days"?
5. 2010 is a month away - time to get those projects done, so I have time for "one of those days" NEXT year!

We've got several floors available for quick turnarounds, and if you don't want it delivered until January, you can still reserve your floor now and we'll hold it for you until the new year. As you're packing up the holiday decorations, you can spruce up the place and get the new year started right! After all, if its snowy outside, and you're not up for braving the cold, nothing warms the body like some installing a floor.

Now that I finish this up, it seems that the snow has melted away - typical of Upstate NY this time of year. But with this being the latest "first accumulating snowfall" in many many years, it is sort of a welcome sight to see. That is, unless you work outside in our yard.

Be safe, stay in touch.

- Jered

I'm going......Are you?

2009-11-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

Next week, I am heading to Arizona to show off our stuff at Greenbuild 2009. Of course, while we have our Indian Summer here in NY, it wil be toasty warm there, or so I hope!

Stop by booth 5006 and chat with Martin and I - We'll have some new materials there to show off, including our Engineered Settlers' Plank Oak, and our newest line, Black & Tan Oak - Way cool stuff.

Drop me a line and let me know if we'll see you - All the cool people will be there, and if you're reading this then you certainly fall into that category.

Stay in touch!

- Jered

The Winds of Change

2009-10-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones."

Pioneer Millworks has done that consistently for years. Starting out as a small supplier to the timberframe industry, we've grown into one of the largest reclaimed wood companies in the world. We've moved beyond just timbers though, producing flooring, millwork, paneling, and most recently, the most eco-friendly engineered wood flooring on the market. Work with us, and you have 9 acres of yard with over 1 million board feet of stock, 45,000 sf of shop under roof, and more than 30 of the most dedicated craftspeople in the industry on your team.

It goes without saying then, that we know a thing or two about reclaimed wood. It is no wonder that Lumus Construction came to us to provide the timbers for the windmill at Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill home at Oyster Bay, NY.

The original structure was built in 1885 to pump water to a holding tank on the home's 3rd floor. After nearly 100 years, the windmill was replaced with a pressure treated structure in the 70's. The demise of this material after 30 years is living proof that many modern chemical treatments can't stand the test of time the way a natural product such as our Heart Pine does.

Once complete, we'll post some photos here to show off the beautiful materials, which were reclaimed from the US Leather Company in Elizabeth, NJ. It is some of the nicest looking timber we've seen in ten years - and we can't think of a better place for it to stand for another hundred.

Thanks for checking in - stay in touch.

Holiday Time

2009-09-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

7,862,400 Seconds
131,040 Minutes
2184 Hours
91 Days
13 Weeks

However you look at it, Christmas is coming. And if you think thats "pretty far off", consider that Thanksgiving is only a little more than 8 weeks away as I type this. In other words, if you want the coolest reclaimed wood flooring in your house before the biggest family gatherings of the year, now is the time to get your order into Pioneer Millworks.

Black & Tan Oak, Character Select Heart Pine, Settlers' Plank Oak.....whichever floor you like, we've got it ready to ship quickly. Contact Jered or Jake - we'll help you make it happen.

2009-09-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

Wanted to put up some photos of the newest material from Pioneer Millworks - Black & Tan Oak. Named after the famed combination of beers, ( Saranac makes a great one if you've never sampled it! ) this material has a consistent black paint, which when removed in part, reveals a rich & mellow Oak underneath. This can me made as solid flooring, wall paneling, millwork, shelving - you name it, we can make it. And, we can plane it ( or not ) to your specifications. The paint is completely non-toxic; we'd have it no other way.

The Black materials are un-surfaced, and the Tan is skip-planed. Working with these contracting colors creates visual texture, stunning color patterns, and a completely unique look:

Using the skip-planed "Tan" for the planks and the "Black" for the fins......

A different dimensioned approach, using the "Black" for the planks and the "Tan" for the fins.....

Herringbone flooring in the "Tan"....

Plank flooring in "Tan"....

If the darker wood appeals to you, we can certainly make an entire project in the "Black". This would be perfect for a high-traffic environment. The possibilities are endless with this wood, but the supply is not - Drop Jered a line for samples and to discuss your project today!

Is it a table? Or art?

2009-09-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well that depends on your viewpoint. Mies van der Rohe said, "God is in the details". If that is the case, then He's here in the office, because the tables we make are highly detailed, yet completely functional in any type of space. Take our new conference table, seen here:

Cracks? Yup.

Color variation? For sure.

A live edge? Uh huh.

Signs of previous use such as nail holes, worm marks, stains, and the occasional saw mark? Youbetcha.

If you can have art and function meet like this, then why wouldn't you want to put it in your ( insert proper project here ) retail space, dining room, restaurant, kitchen counter tops, bar, ticket counter.....?

We build these using the coolest reclaimed wood pieces that come in, called sleepers. We carefully remove the metal and slice them into planks to slowly dry out, and then craft them into any dimension of top you can imagine. In many cases, the edge is left "live" - you see the actual outer layers of the tree, as it was seen by the person that felled & de-barked the log 150 years ago.

Give us a call - lets talk about what kind of details we can bring into your project. It just might be a truly religious experience.

Thanks for checking in - stay in touch.