Heart Pine Flooring

The rustic charm of Heart Pine flooring.

Heart Pine flooring has long been a mainstay of American architecture. From homes across the Southeast to factories built during the Industrial Revolution, Heart Pine flooring has been an indispensable part of American history. 200+ years ago, Heart Pine timbers were cut from old growth Longleaf pine forests throughout the Southeast and the Eastern Seaboard. Today, Carlisle Heart Pine floors are cut from the center of mature Longleaf pine trees grown in optimal climate conditions in Alabama. These trees produce rich colors that range from pumpkin and amber to darker hues, along with attractive grain lines, beautiful knots and a density that rivals Red Oak.

This introduction to Heart Pine flooring offers answers to frequently asked questions and explores the many hardwood and softwood flooring options available from Carlisle Wide Plank Floors.

What is Heart Pine flooring?

Heart Pine flooring is a wood floor that is crafted with boards cut from the center, or heartwood, of Longleaf Yellow Pine trees (pinus palustris). The sapwood of a Longleaf pine tree is yellowish white, and the heartwood of the tree is a golden, reddish brown. Timbers from old growth Longleaf pine forests were used as a strong building material throughout the Southeast and Eastern Seaboard in the 1800s, earning a reputation as “the wood that spawned the American Industrial Revolution.” Although Heart Pine is technically considered a “softwood,” it has a hardness that rivals Red Oak and will be more resistant to dents and dings than other softwood floors such as Eastern White Pine There are a large number of species of Southern Yellow Pine, but true Heart Pine is only cut from the specifica slow growing species of Longleaf Yellow Pine.

What is wide plank Heart Pine flooring?

Wide plank Heart Pine flooring is made of floorboards with greater widths and lengths that traditional commercial flooring. Wide plank floors produce a more spacious feel in the room and allow the personality of the wood to emerge more fully. The width of wide plank wood floors may be up to 20″ and the length as much as 12′.

Find Inspiration from Recent Heart Pine Projects

Whether you want a look that’s sleek, chic, or unique, we can provide a floor that fits your individual style.

Design Consultation

Why choose Heart Pine flooring?

Heart Pine flooring may be the right choice for customers who want:

  • A warm rustic look. With more grain variation, knots and pin holes, Heart Pine flooring has a rustic charm that infuses a room with warmth and character.
  • An eco-friendly choice. Pine trees grow much more rapidly than hardwood trees, enabling Pine forests to regenerate more quickly.
  • A less expensive floor. Pine plank flooring may cost as much as 50% less than its hardwood counterparts.

Alternatives to Heart Pine flooring

In addition to Heart Pine flooring and other Pine options, Carlisle Wide Plank Floors offers 10 hardwood species and a number of reclaimed flooring options.

  • Cherry wood floors come in rich deep red tones with subtle but distinctive grain structure.
  • Hickory is one of the most durable woods and comes in hues that range from cocoa brown to beige.
  • Ash hardwood has interesting grain patterns and striking hues that range from light blonde to cream-colored to rich nutty browns.
  • Birch offers boards with varying grain patterns with blonde outer edges and warm amber portions.
  • Red Oak wood flooring offers tight, consistent grain patterns and salmon-colored hues.
  • White Oak has a dramatic grain personality that ranges from intricate, vibrant swirls to sleek and simple patterns in nutty brown hues.
  • Walnut offers sumptuous chocolate hues with distinctive grain and gorgeous color variations.
  • Brown Maple wood floors are dense with clear, hard flowing grain and occasional swirls, with hues in rich brown streaks and striking variations in color and character.
  • White Maple provides grain patterns that resemble flowing water, with cleaner and lighter hues that deliver a pure and neutral look.
  • Rift & Quartersawn White Oak delivers straight and consistent grain patterns, thanks to cutting techniques that saw boards at a 90-degree angle from the tree’s growth rings.
  • Reclaimed wood flooring is available in Oak and Chestnut, with boards salvaged from old buildings. We also offer Reclaimed Milled Barnwood floors, Reclaimed Original Surface Barnwood for wall and ceiling paneling and Reclaimed Grandpa’s flooring, our most rustic option.
Heart pine flooring in oceanfront bedroom
Heart pine flooring in pickering inn house

Frequently Asked Questions

What other kinds of Pine flooring does Carlisle offer?

Additional Pine flooring options Carlisle include:

  • Eastern White Pine flooring. Hand-selected from the most mature trees, Eastern White Pine flooring offers strong and durable boards with mellow, flowing grain and supple knots. The heartwood is usually light brown with an occasional reddish hue, and the sapwood is typically pale yellow to white.
  • Hit or Miss Pine flooring re-creates the look of antique floors by adding saw marks that resemble the marks made by mills a century or more ago.
  • Reclaimed Heart Pine flooring uses floorboards salvaged from beams and floor joists from mills, factories and other old buildings around New England that are slated for demolition.

What is textured Heart Pine flooring?

To get the appearance of an antique floor without the expense of purchasing reclaimed timbers, Heart Pine floorboards can be textured so that they resemble the planks in antique heart pine floors which are decades or centuries old. From adding hand-scraped edges and saw marks to treating the floorboards with proprietary techniques that add a layer of wear, Carlisle craftsmen are experts at texturing or distressing Heart Pine flooring.

What is reclaimed or antique Heart Pine flooring?

Reclaimed or antique Heart Pine flooring is made of floorboards that are fashioned from timbers that are salvaged from old buildings like farms and factories that are about to be demolished. Full of nail holes, knots, color variation and imperfections, antique heart pine floors add warmth, visual interest and a sense of heritage to any room.

What is prefinished Heart Pine flooring?

Prefinished floors help to reduce the time and cost of installation by completing the sanding, staining and sealing process in the manufacturer's facility, before the floor is delivered for installation. Prefinished Heart Pine flooring lets you avoid the mess of sanding, which typically sends sawdust flying everywhere, and eliminates the need to vacate your space for a day or two while the floor is sealed.

What are the best suggestions for how to clean Heart Pine flooring?

Heart Pine flooring should be swept frequently to remove any debris that could cause scratches. Additionally, cleaning a Heart Pine floor with a mixture of vinegar and water can help to loosen and eliminate dirt and contaminants.

Can Heart Pine flooring be stained?

Heart Pine flooring can be stained to a wide variety of colors, making it a highly versatile flooring option.

How durable is Heart Pine flooring?

Heart Pine flooring is a softwood, but it is extremely hard due to its natural slow growth making it similar in durability to hardwood floors like Red Oak. Some customers prefer the worn and rustic look that Heart Pine flooring develops over time, feeling that the character of the floor is enhanced.

Trust Carlisle for stunning Heart Pine flooring.

For more than five decades, Carlisle has been a leader in innovating and producing quality wide plank floors. When you come to Carlisle, you know you’ll get a one-of-a-kind floor that perfectly reflects your sense of beauty and style. Our craftsmen are dedicated to producing handcrafted floors of exquisite quality – no detail is too small to escape their attention. With unparalleled service from our staff and design consultants, you can be sure that the process of selecting your Heart Pine flooring will be as pleasurable as living on it. Ultimately, your Carlisle floor will become a centerpiece of your interior design – the thing that delights you and welcomes you every time you enter the room.