Americana™ Project Profile
Local, Sustainable, Durable, and Beautiful
Aaron Markson of Minneapolis, MN enjoys a rather unique hobby- building his own guitars. So, of course, he has a discerning eye when it comes to the selection of wood grain, textures, and even species, and recently, he made use of that deep knowledge of woodcraft when considering various options for a new deck addition to his home. “I was really seeking something natural for my new deck, particularly a wood free of chemicals yet highly durable and long lasting, and while tropical hardwoods fit that bill, I don’t like the notion of contributing to deforestation or the carbon footprint associated with shipping such wood over long distances,” explained Markson. He continued, “A trend in guitar building is to use
thermally-modified wood because of the rich sound it produces, so while researching options for my deck I looked into producers with thermal modification capabilities and was introduced to the Americana™ brand by Bingaman & Son Lumber.”
Markson contacted Bingaman and quickly received samples of Americana’s thermally-modified ash product. Although a chemical-free product was an important characteristic in selecting any particular wood product, what sold him on the Americana brand proved to be the local, sustainable nature of the product line. “The fact that Bingaman is foresting ash trees in Pennsylvania and locally doing the milling and thermal modification was a huge positive for me,” commented Markson. He added, “I couldn’t have been more pleased with my choice, and when installing my deck, I found that the Americana product cut extremely well, always leaving a really nice, clean edge. The installation itself was quite easy, and I was impressed with the quality of the wood, with each board being super straight and nearly every one usable.” Markson’s family and friends love the new deck, and he frequently recommends Americana to anyone looking for a new deck or porch floor.
Builder: Aaron Markson, Minneapolis, MN
