Salvage Spotlight - Flooring - 504 Algoma Blvd

Once upon a time, long, long ago - before facebook/instagram/twitter, when eBay was the only online selling platform, mobile phones were the size of a shoe box and STILL had a cord, and floppy disks were a thing - a handsome prince and his soon-to-be princess bought their first home, a farmhouse, a real Wisconsin farmhouse - definitely not Joanna Gaines, farmhouse-style. A tremendous amount of work was needed to revitalize their little farmhouse into their home - honestly to actually make it habitable. The prince and princess rolled up their sleeves and dug in!

That was the first of countless revitalization projects! And the beginnings of their efforts and commitment to use salvaged, reclaimed material. The farmhouse project instilled a curiosity and passion for history, honed countless competencies that would carry them forward, from hands-on expertise to design solutions to faith and family, and ultimately the birth of their business Crescent Moon Antiques and Salvage.

While still young at heart, the handsome prince and princess recently had the opportunity to share their lifelong passion with a younger version of themselves. In fall of 2020, Crescent Moon Antiques and Salvage was contacted to provide salvage services at 504 Algoma Blvd, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The original brick residential structure was built in 1908 for Ben F Read. Like many old homes, typically in downtown areas, commercial adaptive reuse became a way to utilize a residential structure for an extended period of time. But ultimately the adaptations to this residence became it’s demise.

After assessing the salvage site, an inventory list of salvageable items was drafted, a contract drawn up with dates in place for salvage. The first order of business was for the old prince to contact the young prince, and let him know that the elusive, “we haven’t salvaged inch and a half, quarter-sawn oak, nor had access to any for years!” flooring has been found!! BUT we can only hope that the condition of the entire floor under carpet and carpet pad are salvageable. Fingers crossed! In the order of salvaging a house, flooring is last on the list.

By mid-November, we had the genuine and absolute pleasure of having family on the salvage job, ready to pull flooring! Miraculously, five different schedules were all open on the same weekend, and divine intervention gave us the most beautiful two-day weekend to complete the work. Pulling antique flooring, especially an inch and a half at a time, will do a number on your back, hands, and knees, not to mention no heat, no water, no bathroom facilities (AND that can do a number on your mental fortitude!) The old prince and princess would never have been able to complete the pulling, denailing, stacking, bundling, loading, delivery and unloading to Minnesota in THREE DAYS time had it not been for the Family Crew! Great memories were made!!

For the young prince and princess bought their first house in MN, and were in need of inch and a half quarter-sawn oak flooring, a super rare commodity in the salvage world these days! They have rolled up their sleeves and dug in - installing the salvaged floor, turning their new house into their home. The work is hard! And it can be especially challenging to incorporate and blend salvaged flooring into an existing house/structure. But just ask the young prince and princess, and they will gush about the quality, character and timelessness of real, aged wood! Soon all the hard work will be forgotten, and only good memories will rise from the very foundation they have installed together, side-by-side - the flooring, an inch and a half at a time!

(This salvage spotlight only highlights the flooring. Highlights of salvaging the additional items from this project can be seen on our Facebook and Instagram page. All available items are listed for purchase in their given PRODUCTS categories. Please contact us through our homepage or by phone to assist with your salvage needs. Thank you!)