THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1995
In the summer of 1994, The Joinery Company successfully negotiated the purchase of all reclaimed heart pine timbers and planking from the world’s largest and most famous post and beam building–the Sears & Roebuck Catalog building in Chicago, Illinois.
The Sears & Roebuck complex was begun by Richard W. Sears in 1905 and completed in 1906. With 5 million square feet of floor space, spanning two city blocks, it served as workspace for more than 9,000 employees in 1906. At that time, it was the world’s largest commercial building and a fitting home for what would later become the “World’s Largest Store”. In 1906, its employees filled orders for nearly 5 million customers. At its height, there were 22,000 employees working there. One can only imagine the number of customers that Sears served during that period. During the early part of the twentieth century, the Sears, Roebuck & Company facility was reputed to be the largest post and beam building ever built anywhere in the world.
When the last truckload of Reclaimed Heart Pine had been shipped to North Carolina and processed, over twelve million board feet of timbers and planks had been salvaged and recycled by The Joinery Company into wide plank flooring, millwork, cabinets, and fine furniture.
Under The Joinery Company’s brand, “The Beauty of Recycling”, these unique products were delivered to famous addresses worldwide. The incredible quality of the Reclaimed Heart Pine from the Sears, Roebuck and Company complex exemplified the finest Longleaf Pine that America’s Virgin Forests had to offer. The Joinery Company’s reclamation and recycling of the Sears & Roebuck Catalogue building was the largest reclamation project in the world. This beautiful wood, as well as the building itself, were uniquely American in every way and will long be remembered in The Reclaimed Wood Industry as the standard by which both reclamation and Reclaimed Heart Pine Flooring are measured.
“It’s a rarity in today’s marketplace to find a company that produces something better than what they say it is. Your flooring and stairs greatly exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be more pleased. I have master carpenters who said they had never seen wood this nice. Opening every package was like opening a Christmas present.”
“We’ve been doing business together since 1982. To us, the most important thing is that all their products are as represented. My customers are very knowledgeable and appreciate the quality and rarity. Some of the materials we purchased are actually being stored so that they may be passed down to future generations.”
“Our project demanded an exceptional level of quality… the floors are beautiful.”
“I know I’m getting a quality product. The milling is excellent. It doesn’t shrink or swell because it’s kiln dried and it’s packed really well so we have no problem handling it. It’s very consistent from one order to the next. I’ve bought from many other suppliers and this is the best.”
“We built a 7,000 square foot home on an Old Westbury estate along the Gold Coast. My client refers to it as a ‘cottage’, but it has art galleries, lowers, turrets and Corinthian columns. We used your flooring and everyone is thrilled. The wood literally glows.”
“A very great importance is given to every aspect of even’ job they do. The owner is a perfectionist and that permeates everything they do. Technical excellence, accuracy and uncompromising quality are the hallmarks of their approach to product manufacturing.”
“We used your Antique Heart Pine (MultiLayer) flooring in The Hampton University Memorial Chapel. We’re celebrating our 52nd year in business and this is the first end-matched Heart Pine we had ever worked with. It came bundled with a few boards in each pack, so it was very easy to handle. You save a lot on installation and sanding when the milling is so precise. The job turned out beautifully.”
“We built a 6,000 square foot, two million dollar, Georgian/Colonial home with 13 foot ceilings. I’m confident it will win some architectural awards. The first person who looked at it, bought it. Those floors sold this house.”
“Over the years, we have had an excellent relationship. Quality and authenticity are of the utmost importance to us and they certainly meet these standards.”
“At first I didn’t want pine. I thought it was too soft…but this is hard. The wood speaks for itself. My floors are extraordinary. People rave about them.”
“If at any time during the life of your floor, a problem occurs which is caused by the quality of our wood, our manufacturing processes, or a defect in workmanship, we will craft you a new floor of equal or greater value and deliver it to you at no charge.”
