What Is Reclaimed Lumber?

Reclaimed lumber is wood taken from a variety of pre-existing man-made sources. It has many unique features and benefits compared to new lumber. Reclaimed lumber has great potential due to the growing popularity of historic restoration and green building techniques.

What is Reclaimed Lumber

Reclaimed lumber, often called "antique lumber" or "recycled lumber," is wood taken from existing man-made structures and reused instead of being discarded or allowed to slowly rot away. This lumber is typically used in new construction to give new buildings an antique or older appearance. Reclaimed lumber is also used to make flooring, furniture and cabinets.

Sources of Reclaimed Lumber

Old wooden barns are a major source of reclaimed lumber but the wood can also come from old bridges, warehouses, ships, water tanks and other types of buildings. There are numerous companies that specialize in the sale of reclaimed lumber.

Features

Reclaimed lumber has many useful features. Due to its age, this wood won't warp or swell as much as new wood. You can also find reclaimed lumber harvested from old-growth trees which has certain grain and texture characteristics hard to find in today's timber which typically come from much younger and smaller trees.

Benefits

Using reclaimed lumber has both environmental and aesthetic benefits . Recycling wood decreases the need for cutting down trees for new lumber. Since reclaimed timber is typically already in plank or board form, energy is saved by not having to mill the wood. Reusing old wood can give a new building an older, classic look.

Potential

Reclaimed lumber's environmental benefits have not gone unnoticed. Using it in new construction can help a building achieve LEED certification, a well recognized award for green buildings. As the popularity of green construction continues to grow, so will the demand for reclaimed lumber.

References

• Examples of Projects Using Reclaimed Lumber
• Interesting Sources of Reclaimed Timber