RECLAIMED WOOD -- ANSWERS TO YOUR TOP FIVE QUESTIONS!
- What is it?
- What makes it special?
- How old does wood have to be to be considered ‘reclaimed’?
- Is it more expensive than new wood?
- Is a reclaimed wood floor, someone’s old flooring?
WHAT IS RECLAIMED WOOD?
Reclaimed wood is rescued from old barns, factories, warehouses and even wine barrels that stood the test of time for hundreds of years. The wood from these old structures would have been harvested and cut at least 100 years ago. Back then the forests were not maintained like today and the trees had to grow in a natural environment where they had to fight for nutrients and sun. This meant the trees grew slower and denser, making the wood very strong and durable.
WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL?
Reclaimed wood is a piece of history, each board is unique and no two reclaimed projects will look the same.
Reclaimed wood has weathered slowly over time giving it colors and patterns that are impossible to recreate on new wood.
Reclaimed wood often has a sentimental value to people. We get wood from historic retail stores, antique buildings that survived wars, natural disasters and more. People that knew the buildings or areas where the wood was reclaimed are often attracted to the thought of getting a piece of the history reliving in their homes.
Reclaimed wood is environmentally friendly and you are recycling wood that we have, rather than cutting more trees down. Also, a building using reclaimed lumber can receive LEED® certification points for environmental responsibility. LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient as they use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that demolished buildings can provide more than a billion feet of usable recycled lumber each year. Recycling this wood into flooring, furniture, and other products can greatly reduce demand for wood, preserving forests.
HOW OLD DOES RECLAIMED WOOD HAVE TO BE TO BE CONSIDERED RECLAIMED?
Reclaimed wood must have been cut (harvested) from a tree at least 75 years ago to be considered reclaimed.
IS RECLAIMED WOOD MORE EXPENSIVE THAN NEW WOOD?
Yes! Reclaimed wood is usually at least double the price of the equivalent in new material. This is because of how labor intensive getting the material is and the amount of waste material that cannot be used.
Reclaimed wood has to be carefully removed from the structure it is in. This must be done by hand to limit damaging the wood. The material then must be ‘de-nailed’ which is another labor-intensive process of removing any nails, bolts and other objects embedded in the wood. The wood also is fumigated to kill any bugs and insects that might be living inside the wood. Also, some pieces or sections of the wood may be rotted or have large cracks in them meaning we have to cut these pieces out.
IS A RECLAIMED WOOD FLOOR, SOMEONE ELSE WOOD FLOORING?
A reclaimed wood floor from WoodCo is old (reclaimed) wood that has been freshly milled into flooring. This gives you the beautiful, reclaimed colors and textures with precision milling and fit. The material we use to mill into flooring is often from antique beams or large timbers like floor joists as we have to have a thick enough piece of wood to re-mill the material.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.