Transforming Old Wood into New Business

Riverbottom Pine, a Birmingham-based company, specializes in creating wide-plank floors and panels from reclaimed wood. The company's owner, Kim Turner, started in construction by helping his father, a contractor specializing in home renovations. Turner's father faced the challenge of matching historic millwork styles for older homes in Mountain Brook and Homewood. Modern millwork failed to achieve the desired aesthetic, and readily available reproduction woodwork was prohibitively expensive. This prompted Turner to create custom reproduction pieces in his basement, initially for his father's projects. The genesis of Riverbottom Pine's name stems from a significant project in 1996 where Turner installed salvaged river bottom-recovered pine in a home in the upscale Greystone development. This experience led to the company's name, though today, river bottom wood is scarce and costly. Consequently, the company primarily utilizes reclaimed wood and storm-fallen trees. Riverbottom Pine provides a comprehensive service that includes recovering, milling, installing, and finishing wood for a variety of applications such as flooring, wall treatments, ceilings, stairs, mantels, countertops, barn doors, and tables. These products are incorporated into diverse settings, from contemporary downtown Birmingham lofts to historic Potomac River locks under the National Park Service. Turner emphasizes that few businesses offer the full spectrum of services from harvesting to installation, a key differentiator for Riverbottom Pine. The company has expanded to include wholesale operations, supplying raw reclaimed logs to other vendors, including competitors. These logs can help builders achieve Forest Stewardship Council certification or LEED credits, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable practices. Riverbottom Pine is particularly renowned for its wide-plank flooring, capable of milling various widths and lengths, and claims to mill, install, and finish more wide-plank floors than any other company in the Southeast. In recent years, the demand for sliding barn doors for both residential and commercial use has surged, making them a top product category for Riverbottom Pine. Currently, flooring constitutes about 50% of their business, wall skins 40%, and barn doors 10%. The company maintains operational flexibility to adapt to changing market demands. For the past decade, Riverbottom Pine has consistently participated in the Birmingham Inspiration Home, an annual luxury show home event organized by Birmingham Home & Garden Magazine, supplying reclaimed oak for these projects. Despite having large accounts nationwide, Riverbottom Pine also undertakes smaller, personal projects, such as transforming a storm-fallen tree from a family's property into custom wood paneling or a table. This service caters to clients who have a nostalgic connection to their trees and wish to preserve them in a functional and lasting form. With approximately 20 employees at its 12-acre mill site, Riverbottom Pine plays a role in the growing green movement, focusing on recycling and reusing materials. Turner notes that reclaimed wood's popularity began in the 1960s, driven by its unique aesthetic appeal and environmental benefits. The distinct colors, textures, and grain patterns of old-growth reclaimed wood often offer superior quality and hardness compared to wood from younger forests. While often mistakenly perceived as cheaper, the costs associated with sourcing, gathering, and processing reclaimed wood can make it more expensive than newly milled virgin wood. However, its unique qualities and inability to be easily reproduced continue to drive increasing demand. #ReclaimedWood #SustainableBuilding #CustomWoodwork #ArchitecturalSalvage #InteriorDesign #FlooringSolutions #BarnDoors #GreenBuilding #Craftsmanship #ReclaimedWood #SustainableBuilding #CustomWoodwork #ArchitecturalSalvage #InteriorDesign #FlooringSolutions #BarnDoors #GreenBuilding #Craftsmanship

81 months ago

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