OUR PRODUCTS
BARK SIDING
Imagine a “new’ siding material that is all natural and has been proven not to need maintenance for decades. Actually, it’s not “new” but quite old and was used by Native Americans to sheath their longhouses----natural bark shingle siding. The revitalization and reemergence of modern day tree bark siding, can be accredited to Henry Bacon. A renowned architect with family ties to this region of the country. (For a more detailed history of bark siding in Western NC click here.)
The outer bark of trees contains a waxy substance that waterproofs and also has an array of poisonous phenolic compounds that deter insects and decay. In the Adirondack and Appalachian mountains, homes with bark shingle siding have weathered the seasons for over a 100 years without varnishing, oiling or painting.
Today Hardin Creek receives responsibly harvested hand peeled tulip poplar bark, previously considered a waste product. The bark then is flattened, kiln dried to a moisture content of 10-12%, allowed to acclimate, and then cut into standard sizes and palletized.
The shingles are generally applied over moisture barriers and insulation to protect the wood or chipboard sheathing below. Our tulip poplar bark has been installed in diverse climates ranging from Alabama to Alaska.
We recommend a standard 2” minimum lap in the installation of the bark. This means that for each 100 square feet of surface area to be covered, 120 square feet of bark will be required (Wall sq/ft x 1.2 = sq/ft of bark required). Purchasers are provided with a guide to assist them with the installation of the bark. We are always available to answer any questions you or your installer may have about the installation of the bark.
Specifics:
- Shingle heights are standardized at 18” and 24” tall
- Standard pallet quantities 18"=500 sq/ft and 24"=504 sq/ft (custom pallet quantities available)
- Siding widths are random sized from 4” to 42” (average is 11”)
- Special sizes are available for an up charge, please call for pricing
- Bark Sheets 24" x 48" up to 48" x 96" are available in limited supply
- There are 3 thickness grades
- ½” thickness is graded choice
- 5/8” to 15/16” is graded standard
- 1” and greater is graded premium
Our bark undergoes a rigorous 5 point inspection process, it is graded on both integrity and appearance. All grades undergo the same drying and grading processes before they are approved and made ready to sell.
A 2014 blog article, “the Natural Choice, Why bark’s the best camp cover up” in Adirondack Life best sums up the many advantages of natural bark siding:
“Bark-shingled structures are not only long lasting and maintenance free but they also blend well into the landscape. Look closely and you can see that those shingles house a natural ecosystem of lichen and moss. Step back and such a [structure] harmonizes well with the other bark covered elements of the landscape. Viewed from across a lake or a mountaintop, they all but disappear into the forest. To paraphrase—or maybe to rephrase---an old adage, with bark shingle siding you can’t see the [structure] for the trees.”
If you would like to add a truly distinctive accent to your dwelling Poplar Bark siding is the perfect design medium.
WOVEN HANDRAILS
From our region of the southern Appalachians, we hand harvest rhododendron and mountain laurel branches, both of which are plentiful as understory shrubs. Over the centuries these native shrubs have been utilized for many purposes. Early settlers found certain homeopathic uses for these plentiful plants. Through out the twentieth century, both Rhododendron and Laurel, we harvested and shipped to Europe where they were crafted into beautiful pipes. Our master craftsmen weave these native branches into custom made railings. The wood of the mountain laurel is strong with a close, straight grain and a rich red color. Rhododendron wood is heavy and close grained and when seasoned is a nice “tea with milk” color. Both are very attractive when polished.
The woven handrails come as a preassembled section ready for easy installation. The top and bottom rail assemblies are available in Western Red Cedar, Eastern White Pine, Douglas Fir, Redwood or Locust and are building code approved for all interior uses and most exterior use. Our standard cap width is 5 1⁄2” and overall rail height is 38”. Custom widths and heights are available for an up-charge. Our handrail designs are approved for clear spans up to 14’ between anchoring points/posts. Handrails are usually secured using timber screws crisscrossed into the post at top and bottom on both rail ends. We pre-drill and plug to conceal fasteners. Woven rails can be installed into rock using metal brackets and/or concrete fasteners.
Our woven handrails are engineered to meet building code requirements for strength and spacing. However, rhododendron and laurel railings are not directly addressed in the building code. Thus, we recommend consulting your local building code officials prior to ordering. Past experience has shown that most officials will review the engineering drawings and inspect a rail section themselves and pass it without any question.
We will gladly finish handrail sections with any brand of finish selected by a client prior to shipment. Hardin Creek does not endorse any particular brand of finish. In addition to our woven railings Hardin Creek offers numerous other railings including but not limited to:
- Pencil tapered Locust (bark on or peeled)
- Round Eastern White Pine log
- Pencil tapered White Cedar
ARBOR SKIN & BOWER BARK
ARBOR Skin is the name of Hardin Creek’s product line of beautifully crafted bark veneer laminates. The laminated bark veneers are available in a variety of wood species:
- White Birch, chalky white appearance
- Young White Pine, resembles supple leather and patina copper
- Older White Pine, texture & appearance of alligator skin
- Young Tulip Poplar, greyish brown without the deep ridges of mature trees
All of our Arbor Skin species are available in the raw state or professionally veneered to 1/4" substrate. Prior to shipment the veneer laminate panels can be pre-finished with the customer’s choice of catalyzed lacquers.
The veneered panels are priced by the square foot and are available in all sizes up to 48" x 96".
Arbor Skin panels are unlimited in design potential and flexibility. Some common uses are inset panels in cabinet doors, wainscot on walls, and applied furniture veneers. The only limitation to use of our products is your imagination.
BOWER BARK is the trademark name for a revolutionary version of bark siding created by Hardin Creek. Its initial processing is exactly the same as our poplar bark siding with an added patent pending procedure which gives it a unique visual appearance.
Bower Bark was originally designed for interior use, but its use as an exterior siding is currently being tested. BOWER BARK can be finished with a number of products depending on its intended use and desired look or it can be left to grey with age.
Specifics:
- 18” and 24” in height
- a uniform thickness of ¾”
- width 4’ to 24”
To better serve our customers, Hardin Creek offers a wide variety of timbers, boards, and custom run profiles. Our extensive industry network and relationships have allowed us to locate and source unique and often difficult to find building materials. These materials range from dimensional boards to massive selective cut timbers. Below are a list of our most requested products, their innate strength characteristics, price points, exterior durability, size/ lengths, and availability. With any of our available materials we offer numerous surfacing options. These include S4S (smooth four sides), boards S1S2E (smooth one side and two edges), Fresh Sawn (resawn all four faces. Clean, bright, uniform rough appearance), Hand Hewn (we offer three variations), and Circle Sawn (vintage radial face available on most timber and boards). Most of these products are readily available for prompt delivery.
SPECIES |
STRENGTH |
PRICE POINT |
EXTERIOR DURABILITY |
SIZE/ LENGTH |
AVAILABILITY |
GRADE |
Western Red Cedar |
Minimal |
$$$$ |
Excellent |
boards and timbers 8'-40' |
Readily |
#2 and clear |
Eastern White Pine |
Minimal |
$ |
Minimal |
boards and timbers 8'-24' |
Readily |
#2 |
Douglas Fir |
Strong |
$$$ |
Moderate |
timbers 8'-40' |
Readily |
#1 and clear |
Southern Yellow Pine |
Strong |
$ |
Moderate |
boards and timbers 8'-32' |
Readily |
#1 and select |
Cypress |
Moderate |
$$$ |
Excellent |
boards and timbers 8'-24' |
Somewhat |
#2, pecky, and clear |
White Oak |
Strong |
$$$$ |
Excellent |
boards and timbers 8'-40' |
Somewhat |
#1 |
Alaskan Yellow Cedar |
Moderate |
$$$ |
Excellent |
timbers 8'-24' |
Somewhat |
#2 |
IPE |
Strong |
$$$$ |
Excellent |
boards 8'-20' |
Limited |
clear |
Redwood |
Moderate |
$$$$ |
Excellent |
boards and timbers 8'-20' |
Limited |
knotty and clear |
White Cedar |
Minimal |
$$$ |
Good |
timbers 8'-16' |
Somewhat |
Knotty |
ANTIQUE & RECLAIMED
Hardin Creek Timber Frame and Millwork is proud to offer an extensive inventory of antique barn timbers. These pieces of history are from reconstituted barns that range from 100-120 years old. Our timbers are original patina. Most of the beams are hand hewn and show much of the original mortise and tenon connective joinery fabricated by the original artisans. The beam species vary but include White Oak, Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, Heart Pine and Locust. These timbers are great used individually as mantels or in an elaborate timber truss roof system.
Along with our reclaimed beams, we also salvage the barn boards that were used in wall cladding, ceiling paneling, and floor decking. These boards still have their original patina and vary in species. Antique, reclaimed boards create visual interest when used in an accent wall; or have great design flexibility in furniture. Antique materials provide an opportunity for modern day homeowners to capture a piece of the time honored traditions and craftsmanship of the past. Each piece of reclaimed products has its own unique story to tell. It is sure to be a point of conversation for years to come.
Reclaimed materials often have advantages over newly harvested materials.
New Wood Products vs. Reclaimed Vintage Wood Products
- New wood products, even if they come from sustainable forest, are often shipped across the country multiple times or even oversees and back.
- Kiln drying of new wood with much higher moisture content than our recycled wood requires more energy.
- The growing of new wood can be chemically and energy use intensive: Land clearing, planting, fertilizing, thinning, road building, harvesting, hauling, and sawing new wood all require huge amounts of energy. These activities also often create runoff problems that pollute streams and kill fish.
- The continuous replanting of soft wood trees on steep slopes, once the home of majestic hardwoods, is depleting the quality of soils and they become less and less productive.
Specifics:
- Timbers range in size from 4x4-12x12 (variations of +/- 1" is acceptable)
- Boards range in size from 1x4-2x12
- Antique material is sanitized to 140 deg
- surface textures includes circle sawn, band sawn, and hand hewn
- colors range from brown to gray tones
We had Hardin Creek replace two exterior walls of Poplar bark siding which was damaged. They came out promptly to give us an estimate, and arrived to begin the repairs when they said they would. The installers were courteous, professional and neat. We are very pleased with the finished job and highly recommend Sid and his people.
Ed Preti
We engaged Sid to design and manufacture a beautiful 22'x27' douglas fir timber frame pavilion and we couldn't be happier! The quality is absolutely amazing. We had the machine hewn, scallop finish.
As for the process, I provided pictures of similar structures. After a few phone calls and 3 plan reviews, we had exactly what we were looking for. It says alot about Hardin Creek's knowledge and experience that we were able to complete the project without ever meeting face to face. Communication was excellent and everyone is delightful to work with. Thank you Sid, Scotty and Hannah. We are already planning our next project.
daisypicker1
Hardin Creek was recommended through my contractor. Sid and his guys did a FANTASTIC job. They constructed our timber frame front porch and back deck. They provided 2 beautiful mantels -- one an old hand-hewn timber and another one with live edge and a burnt detail. They installed a one-of-a-kind rhododendron railing inside the house and provided all our exposed timbers on the inside as well. If I could give them 6 stars I would.
Barry Stowe
We have found Sid and his team to be honest craftsmen with an eye for detail and excellence. They will go above and beyond when needed and follow through on their word and expectations.
Kevin Troyer - President