Black Walnut
The American Exotic
Black Walnut ranks as the most sought-after hardwood because of its rich, dark colour and beautifully figured grain. In fact, the unique grain and colour tend to put it on an equal footing with rare and expensive tropical hardwoods, which has led to its title as the “American Exotic”. Perhaps that’s why Rolls Royce and Bentley choose it for the custom millwork in their exotic cars and why it’s a standard fixture among the world’s most luxurious yachts. Our artisans love working with Black Walnut because it is inspiring to be around a wood that is so beautiful.
The use of walnut for handcrafted wood products goes back centuries and crosses several design periods, from 18th century furniture to contemporary cabinetry and millwork. Black Walnut stands out from its other North American peers as being unique for its beautifully figured grain patterns and rich colour. Where walnut often differs from its tropical peers, however, is that it is a responsibly managed sustainable resource – a fact that is appreciated by those who are environmentally conscious. Proof of the high value of this species is the fact that rural landowners have been known to treat the walnut trees growing on their land as a type of “piggy-bank”, often harvesting the wood as a way to finance their children’s education when they go off to college.
Every CRAFT Walnut floor is third-party verified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) to be from legal and responsible sources. Since CRAFT loves its long lengths and wide widths, CRAFT’s Walnut floors are unique to the Walnut hardwood industry for their generous plank size.
Walnut trees are most commonly found growing in hedgerows and around farms across the central and eastern United States.
Black Walnut is native only to North America, but it has a long tradition of being exported all around the world, especially to Europe. Walnut’s exceptional dimensional stability and other specific wood characteristics such as its unique rich colours and an exotic flowing grain pattern has earned it a place of high esteem with wood lovers throughout the world.