Custom architectural surfaces from Wellborn + Wright.
Our end customer is someone who wants to be introduced to beautiful things they’ve never seen before,” says Sam Sikes, founder and CEO of Richmond’s Wellborn + Wright, providers of reclaimed wood flooring, beams and wood paneling and makers of custom furniture, hardware and other turnkey fabrications.
To achieve this, Sikes and his team of 35 search out old-growth timber from all over the East Coast. They have sourced oak, pine, chestnut, elm and other sustainable wood from turn-of-the-century barns, bridges, textile mills, wooden boats and even a basketball court (Sikes also imports European oak lumber). Creating a bespoke surface from such distinctive material, richly textured with carefully preserved imperfections like saw marks, nail holes and knots (all metal is removed and boards are kiln-dried and planed) often requires a matchmaker’s touch.
“We came across an amazing lot of white oak that was salvaged from the Meadow River Lumber Company in Rainelle, West Virginia,” says Sikes, the structural timbers an unusual 17 inches wide by 18 inches long. “I sat on it for 18 months, we had to have the right job for it.” The right job turned out to be the Harbour Town Clubhouse at Sea Pines Resort in South Carolina. From this rare wood, Wellborn + Wright created and installed 10,000 square feet of flooring and curved treads. The effect is worth waiting for, in commercial as well as private residences. “Using reclaimed wood in a project adds a story,” says Sikes, “new wood just can’t replicate that character.” $15-$25 per foot finished and installed. WellbornWright.com
