Deep Walnut Birch


Dredge™ Wood is a line of reclaimed wood flooring, created by harvesting submerged logs found at the bottom of North American rivers and lakes.

The story of Dredge™ Wood dates back hundreds of years. Beginning in full force in the 1830’s, old-growth (first generation) forest stands containing trees between 100-300 years of age, were selectively cut by hand saw and transported by horse to waterways where the logs were sent on a journey downstream.  Though a majority of the pre-cut 16’ long tree stocks made it down-river, between 2-5% inevitably sank, where the logs have sat, void of any oxygen or sunlight, submerged and preserved. Back then, when less pollution was in the air, forests laid claim to stout, slow growing, and dense tree cover that contained the purest, strongest and densest specimens a wood species could offer.  Our current forests are 2nd, 3rd, and sometimes 4th generation in age, and with each subsequent generation there is a decrease in character, grain density and hardness within each species, as the focus of the forest has shifted to one of replenish ability, rather than species quality.

Dredge™ Wood timbers are selectively picked by divers with buoyed hand-lines marking their location, are lashed onto tugboats, pulled to the surface, and sent for drying.  Being that the majority of the material was submerged for over a century, the drying process, both by air and kiln, takes up to a year to complete.  Each timber is a testament to the origins of wood harvesting in North America, dating back to forest growth over three hundred years old.  With 25% greater density and stability than similar species wood products in today’s market, old growth wood is coveted for its tight grain pattern created by years of slow growth through dense forest canopy.

Sustainable Flooring’s Dredge™ Wood line offers unique access to this old growth wood that you literally cannot find elsewhere, and you can rest assured that you are helping preserve the remaining forests by selecting material not requiring traditional, modern-day and often disruptive, harvesting.

  • Harvested from ‘old-growth’ material, that was cut down when it was 150+ years old, and has been submerged since then for between 100-175 years
  • Greater hardness (approx. 25%+) and tighter grain than currently sourced timber of same species
  • Unique aesthetic ‘patina’ (created by years of submersion)
  • Available in prefinished or unfinished, solid or engineered, and in multiple width options