Sinker Cypress
Slab Cypress
Sinker Cypress
We Specialize in Sinker Cypress Wide Cut Slabs
Over hundreds, sometimes thousands of years, the old-growth, virgin forests that once covered large areas of the Southern U.S. created some giant Bald Cypress trees.
But, as you probably already know, those old-growth, virgin Cypress forests are gone now. Although Cypress restoration is underway and there are “new-growth” forests, there are few, if any, remaining centuries-old giants like those harvested in the 1800 and 1900s.
This is where deadheads and sinkers come into the picture. The only remaining resource for this giant, old-growth timber is the logs that were lost to the bottoms of rivers and ponds back when they were being transported or held for processing.
And we specialize in recovering these Sinker Cypress giants.
Sinker Cypress Wide Cut Slabs are just as the name suggests – wide, flat sections of Sinker Cypress lumber cut from these oversized Sinker Cypress logs.
The fact that these Sinker Cypress Slabs must come from large Cypress logs makes them rare and highly sought-after.
These wide cut slabs are perfect for use in large, flat, solid wood surfaces because it provides a single, solid cut of lumber rather than several assembled pieces. This solid slab of wood allows our customers to have a beautiful continuous grain pattern throughout their furniture or counter top for a stunning visual effect.
These slabs are ideal for dining tables, conference tables, desks, counter tops, bathroom counters, kitchen cabinets, islands, and more.
These Sinker Cypress Slabs also make gorgeous mantelpieces. Visit our Mantelpieces page for more information.
We, as well as our customers, have created some beautiful tables with our Sinker Cypress Wide Cut Slabs. Visit our Sinker Wood Tables page for more information and inspiration!
PLEASE NOTE: The coloring of these Sinker Cypress Wide Cut Slabs varies widely and we can never know exactly what type of shading a slab will have. Please get in touch with us to find out what we currently have on hand.
River Reclaimed Sinker Cypress
The late 1800s and early 1900s saw the beginning of explosive growth and activity in the deep south and the U.S., which created a great need for a durable, versatile, and plentiful building material.
The southern coastal regions of the U.S. happened to be blessed with just such a resource – giant bald cypress. These giants had been growing for hundreds of years – some were over 1,000 years old. They also had a slow growth rate causing them to have tight growth rings and creating an extremely dense and sturdy wood.
Once the bald cypress was harvested, the logs were then tied into rafts and floated to the lumber mills for processing. It was a common sight to see rafts of logs floating along the rivers of the Florida panhandle, sometimes reaching a half-mile long.
Although the plan was always to get all the logs to their ultimate destination, sometimes these hand-cut timbers sank to the bottom of the rivers while in transit, or while they waited for processing in holding ponds. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Submerged Lands and Environmental Resources estimates that about 10 percent of these logs were lost before they were able to reach the mills.
These sunken logs came to be known as “sinkers” or “deadheads.” Underwater for up to a century, the bark and sapwood (light-colored wood just under the bark) of the log decomposes, but the inside is perfectly persevered. This interior wood is the “heartwood,” and is prized for its beauty and durability.
As these logs rest at the bottoms of swamps and rivers for decades, they slowly absorb minerals and tannins from the water, and the wood itself will take on a variety of hues. Because the mineral content will vary from one body of water to the next, the colors and shading of the logs become one-of-a-kind works of art.
That’s where we come in. We’ve been in the business of River Reclaimed Sinker Cypress for over two and a half decades, and we’ve become specialists at recovering these sinker logs from the bottom of Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama waterways and swamps.
Using river reclaimed wood helps preserve our forests by utilizing timber harvested hundreds of years ago while also providing a higher quality lumber.
Due to its extreme durability and resistance to rot and pests, Sinker Cypress has found a wide variety of uses, from exterior building applications, to interior paneling, tongue & groove, trim, ceilings, moldings, table tops, and beams.
We’re proud to be able to recover these River Recovered Sinker Cypress logs from the rivers of Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama and give them purpose again.
For ordering and pricing information, visit our Ordering & Contact Info page.
Thank You!
We truly appreciate our friends and customers, and as always we invite you to let us know how we can help.
Thank you for stopping by and we hope to hear from you again soon!
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