|
100% Reclaimed Wood
Goodbye to the Last Redwood Wine Tanks
and Hello to the Latest Direction in Building Materials
a TerraMai press release for August 8, 2003
Sebastiani Ancient Wine Tank Wood
is Now Available
McCloud, CA – August 8, 2002 –
Reclaimed wood is fast becoming the first choice in building materials
for innovative homeowners, architects, builders and designers.
Over 40 million board feet a year of reclaimed wood is now being
sold in the United States, up from approximately 8 million only
ten years ago.
“There is great value in reclaiming fine wood that goes
beyond making a profit.” says Erika Carpenter, co-founder
of TerraMai, a 12 year-old specialty lumber company that finds
reclaimed woods from around the world and gives them a second
life. “There is a beauty and integrity in reclaimed wood
that inspires people in a way that new wood cannot.”
In March the Sebastiani Vineyard in Sonoma, California sold the
last of their 20 foot high, 20 foot in diameter, 80 to 100 year
old wine tanks to TerraMai. This sale makes available almost 100,000
board feet of redwood rated as the clearest, highest grade old-growth.
From these tank staves TerraMai has created premium quality lumber,
decking, siding and paneling and is offering these rare building
materials to discriminating builders and homeowners.
Reclaimed Wood Latest Trend In Building
Materials
In the 1800’s and early 1900’s tens of thousands of
large wine tanks were constructed from the seemingly inexhaustible
supply of old-growth redwood coming out of the west coast forests.
Its resistance to rot made it the perfect medium for tanks. For
vintners, there was an added attraction. “Redwood was the
stainless steel of the era,” says Bill Huston, operations
manager for Sebastiani today. “Unlike oak and other traditional
tank stock species, redwood didn’t add flavor to the wine
stored in it. It was a revolutionary discovery in the process
of wine making at the time.”
The historic tanks will now be added to TerraMai’s warehouse
of rare woods, a selection which ranges from rosewood and teak
to enormous Douglas fir timbers. “It will be no problem
finding good homes for the products made from Sebastiani wine
tank wood,” says Carpenter. When we started our business
12 years ago people thought we were just crazy. Now we have some
of the biggest architectural firms in the country calling us to
find out about our latest discoveries. The change in awareness
and demand has been dramatic and important.” Carpenter adds,
“Wood of this quality shouldn’t be coming out of our
few remaining old-growth forests. Humans have now harvested 95%
of the world’s old-growth and it is time to recycle what
we have already harvested.”
TerraMai offers exceptional reclaimed woods from around the world.
With over a decade of experience in reclaiming and restoring rare
and unusual wood, TerraMai is one of the leaders in the reclaimed
wood industry worldwide. The company is based in McCloud, California
with additional offices and manufacturing in Bangkok, Thailand.
TerraMai provides its clients with the added opportunity to directly
contribute to the preservation of the world’s forests. Every
million board feet of lumber reclaimed preserves one thousand
acres of old-growth forest.
|
