Reclaimed wood is previously used wood derived from a variety sources such as old factories, barns, ships, wine casks and more. It has become a popular flooring material of late, although its uses are as varied as its sources. In this article we’ll go over the four best reasons to choose reclaimed flooring when installing your floor.
Environmental Concerns
The demolition of old buildings creates a lot of waste materials. Without reclamation schemes most of this waste ends up in our landfills. By reusing these old building materials they can be rescued from the garbage dump and put to new use. At the same time, using reclaimed wood reduces the need for living trees to be harvested. By giving a new life to previously used wood you also allow a living tree to continue its life cycle.
Aesthetics
Reclaimed flooring has a certain look and patina that you can’t buy off the rack. Previously used wood has a unique beauty that results from the fact that it’s been aged and has endured wear and tear. For certain design projects, reclaimed wood flooring is the only way to get a look that matches the rest of the architecture. If you’re looking for a specific character in your flooring materials, sometimes reclaimed wood is the only way to go.
Stability And Durability
Reclaimed wood is typically much more stable and durable than freshly harvested timber. This is due to the fact that it’s been able to dry properly and has already experienced several fluctuations in humidity and temperature. It’s also true that older structures tended to use only the most stable old growth woods that may not even be available to us today.
Inaccessibility Of Old Growth And Exotic Woods
Due to environmental protection laws surrounding old growth and exotic woods, it may be impossible to buy these materials at a lumber yard. One way to get around these laws is to repurpose old growth or exotic woods that have already been used in a previous construction project. Because using reclaimed flooring doesn’t involve harvesting lawfully protected wood sources you can still use materials that would be otherwise unobtainable.
