Reclaimed Lumber

Reclaimed lumber can be a great alternative to new wood for people who are interested in green living. It is also an interesting option for people looking for something a little different in their homes.

More about eco-friendly wood.

Wood is used in many ways in our homes. As well as being used as an important building material, wood is used inside the home in furniture, accessories and for decoration. While it is possible to buy wood from sustainable sources to use in building projects or around the home, using reclaimed lumber can be a great alternative.

There are some very real benefits of using reclaimed lumber. These include:

One of the main benefits of using reclaimed lumber is that it helps to reduce the negative impact that the processing of new wood or the production of wood substitutes has on the environment. Although it is possible to buy wood that has been grown in a managed environment and as such has a limited negative effect on the environment, there are still wider environmental implications that need to be taken into account, for instance the energy used to transport the wood from the place of origin. Reusing old lumber has other environmental benefits too. It means that the wood is not put into landfills or burned. The burning of wood produces carbon that can contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Reclaimed timber is often high quality. The wood will have been aged and will be strong. This can compare favorably with many young woods which require thorough aging before they can be used in building projects. Many old buildings used woods in their construction which are just not viable today. As such, reclaimed lumber can be a good way to find wood for use in building projects that would otherwise be hard to come by.

Reclaimed lumber, from what ever source, will be full of character. The wood will reflect its history and use. Wood that has been used for flooring, for instance, will be worn smooth by the many footsteps taken over the years that it has been in place. Old roof beams will be colored through age and have the marks of supports or nails. These are the features that make every piece of reclaimed lumber unique. This means that the lumber is perfect for use in building projects, but is also highly desirable for use in the creation of furniture and household accessories. Reclaimed lumber often works best where the highly individual nature of the wood is allowed to be displayed.

While there are some real benefits in using reclaimed wood items, there are also potential problems. These include:

It is only in recent years that we have been aware of the potentially harmful side effects of the use of chemicals to treat wood. Very old wood may therefore have been treated with a cocktail of chemicals over the years. The residue of some of these may remain within the wood.

Buying new wood or lumber is very straight forward. It is simply a case of going to the lumber merchants and placing an order. Buying reclaimed wood or lumber is more complex as it may come from different sources, or finding enough wood of a certain type, appearance or size may be problematic.

The cost of reclaimed items needn't always be cheaper than the new equivalent item. The cost of dismantling a building, ensuring that the wood or other items don't get damaged plus the cost of any renovation or repairs, can soon add up, making the cost of reclaimed wood or lumber more expensive than new wood. There is also the cost of transport to take into account. When buying reclaimed wood from other parts of the country, the cost in both financial and environmental terms needs to be taken into account.

The positive and negative aspects of recycled lumber needs to be taken into account when planning the purchase of wood. There are real benefits and, for many people, this vastly outweighs the negatives. Recycled wood can bring a little slice of history into a home, providing a point of interest and beauty as well as being an essential building material.

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