World’s Biggest (and OLDEST) Picnic Table

OK, it’s not a “picnic table,” but since we’re featuring this gorgeous table at the Manomin’s “Hog-elujah!” open house on October 14, we thought we’d call it that.

This isn’t your grandma’s picnic table! 

It’s definitely BIG and OLD. It’s nearly 40-foot long — the largest piece of slab wood in the U.S. (a single plank is 38-1/2  feet long, 4-3/4  feet wide and 4-3/4 inches thick — 870 board feet). And it’s as old as 50,000 years!

The wood comes from the ancient Kauri tree, and it’s the oldest workable timber on Earth. The trees grew for 1,000-2,000 years and then they were preserved underground for 50,000 years. How do we know this? Radio carbon dating places the age of the Ancient Kauri trees at 50,000 years old. This is the maximum limit of radio carbon dating, so it is possible that this wood is even older. Our Kauri wood is certified and guaranteed.

Harvesting Kauri wood doesn’t involve cutting any standing trees, and all of the land is redressed to its original contours, so Kauri is totally eco-friendly. It qualifies for LEED credits — perfect for green building and design.

Extraction of a Ancient Kauri Tree

The colors and finishes are stunning! The highly polished finish is rich and luminous with warm gold and cognac color and distinctive grains. It glistens as if lit from within. This isn’t your grandma’s picnic table! The finish and size of Kauri wood makes it ideal for high-end uses such as corporate conference room tables. Manomin is one of only a few companies in the U.S. to offer the wood to trade professionals and consumers.

Following are a series of photos, but you really should see this table in person! You can view the Kauri wood during showroom hours on Friday, Oct. 15 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Manomin will have two Kauri slabs on display. Come talk with Manomin representatives about Kauri wood and see rough-sawn and finished slabs as well as a finished coffee table and high-top table.

Or call 651.464.1771 and see if we can make room for you at our Hog-elujah table on the 14th!

Some perspective on the size of the Kauri planks.

The grain and finish are stunning.

Beautiful shimmer in active grain.

Rich and luminous with warm gold and cognac color. 

Green is Good, but Don’t be Fooled by the Wood

Every second, a slice of rainforest the size of a football field is mowed down. That’s unsustainable, particularly when you consider that rainforests help regulate temperature and weather patterns, and are critical in maintaining the Earth's limited supply of drinking and fresh water.

Growing public awareness of these environmental concerns coupled with the fact that wood floors remain a top flooring choice is creating a green building movement that has people looking for sustainable flooring alternatives. Because Manomin is in the business of resawn and reclaimed wood, this blog is going to compare reclaimed wood to the green flooring alternative bamboo.

Bamboo flooring is a very popular green choice today because it is highly renewable. The bamboo plant (technically a grass) grows faster than most of the trees used for wood flooring. It also requires less water and grows in easily managed groves. What’s more, harvesting bamboo does not kill the plant. This is all very positive for our environment. Bamboo flooring can be found at reasonable prices, too, which is a positive for homeowners’ budgets.

But bamboo flooring has a number of negatives. For one thing, there is not a Fair Trade certification for bamboo, and while the Forest Stewardship Council can certify other woods, most bamboo products have no certification. Another issue is that bamboo can't be locally sourced, so most of it is grown in China, with some bamboo plantations having displaced natural forests. Shipping bamboo from China to the United States creates a considerable amount of carbon emissions due to the product. Another environmental concern is the tilling, pesticides and chemical fertilizers used to increase bamboo yields. They contribute to soil loss and increased toxicity, resulting in a loss of native plants and animals due to the changes in habitat. Once converted into flooring, the majority of bamboo floors have formaldehyde binders in the adhesives. And bamboo floors are hard to keep looking good. It can bleach in areas that receive direct sunlight and will stain easily if not sealed properly. Plus, it can be easily scratched, dented and chipped. This may mean you have to replace your floor sooner.

Now let’s consider reclaimed wood flooring. Reclaimed lumber is rescued from old buildings and recycled, refined, resawn and refinished for use as flooring, furniture and other home and commercial building uses. The original trees were cut down years ago. Reclaimed species include Douglas fir, yellow pine, white pine, hickory, salty fir, black walnut, oak and elm. People like the character and look of reclaimed wood because it usually has a story to it, coming from an old barn, warehouse or home. There’s distress in the boards with saw marks, nail holes, wormholes and dents that when sanded and varnished create an art-like effect. It also has a warmer feeling, with rich, deep patena.

Another advantage is that reclaimed wood has been dried naturally over 100+ years verses kiln-dried new wood that is forced to dry. This makes new wood less stable. Also, newly logged wood is not as dense as old growth, making the reclaimed wood that comes from old growth stronger, harder and more durable.

Whether you are restoring a vintage house or constructing a new residence, there are many good reasons not to buy new-growth wood flooring. Hopefully this article has taught you a few things about two of your sustainable flooring options. We’d be happy to discuss them with you! Contact us today.