That’s a great idea. I tried another yard for just such a plan a few weeks back. I came up empty handed but did manage to get a 4” long piece of some kind of twisted nail into my right front tire. So much for that idea.
Story:
I did that several years ago with the oak floor I’m looking at as I type this. I had found the stuff collecting dust in a local wood flooring shop. Someone had ordered it, chickened out, and stiffed the guy. Odd lengths, chatter marks, knarly gaping knotholes, you name it. I asked the guy how much was there. He replied “Gee...I dunno...at least 3000sqft.” I told him I buy it. He asked me at least a half dozen times if I knew what I was buying. He reminded me that there was going to be a fair amount I would have to cut or just cull. Yep. Not problem. Took it home and stared at it for a few weeks. I did a search on the internet (this was around 2004) to get some ideas. The web sure wasn’t as “full of ideas” as it is now. I stumbled on a guy in NC that dealed in reclaimed lumber. Some of the pictures on his site were remarkable and just what I wanted. On a whim, I gave him a call. I started out the conversation (literally) with “I have a question, but let me say in advance you are welcome to just hang up on me.” I think that got his attention. After telling him what I had and what I wanted to do, I asked him for advice. He indeed could have hung up on me. He didn’t. Instead, he pointed my in the direction I needed to go. On his advice, I put down felt roofing paper instead of rosin paper. I got myself a quart of epoxy, and experimented with mixing colors. With the epoxy/color mix chosen, I spent a week on my hands and knees filling the worst of those voids with the epoxy, filling it to crown over a tad. After sanding the floor prior to finishing, the epoxy was left flush with the floor. I chose to use ebony stain to tint the epoxy. The result is what looks like onyx where there was once holes. I didn’t do to to all of them obviously. The result was phenomenal.
That gentleman I spoke with was named Mark Bowe. He now has a TV show called “Barnwood Builders”.
Here a pic of the floor. It’s not the best, but you get the idea. The best part has muddy paw prints from the dog all over it. Things are thawing out up here and it’s the usual mess.