From Trash To Treasure
Reclaimed Wood
Finds A New Life

A relatively new idea in furniture, flooring and construction is using recycled or reclaimed wood.

Have you ever seen an old building or structure being torn down and thought what a shame, a piece of history being lost. Old buildings demolished to make way for the new.

Even I with only a little knowledge can look at wood from an old building about to be demolished and think that much of it looks like it could be reused somehow.

Many of the buildings and houses created years ago were constructed to last, using sturdy woods from old growth trees. Trees that were readily available in old growth forests found years ago.

Things are different today.

According to the Reclaimed Wood Council:

These are trees that should be protected.

Saving Old Growth Trees

The wood from an old growth tree is harder, denser, more stable, tighter grained and less prone to splitting. Very desirable traits in any kind of building, furniture or flooring use.

These trees are becoming harder and harder to find. Often companies look to trees in other countries for their wood. Many times these are trees from unmanaged forests where cutting too many of them down destroy once majestic forests and delicate eco systems.

Wood beams and lumber salvaged from dump sites, residential properties, barns, warehouses, bridges, water tanks and even from the bottom of a river are finding new life in home construction or as a piece of fine furniture.

An interesting fact from the
SmartWood Rediscovered Wood Program

It's possible to learn quite a bit about reclaimed or recycled wood. Dates, locations and even craftsmen involved may be available. Giving a real sense of history to any designs using this wood. Some woods have even been certified by an organization like the Rainforest Alliances SmartWood Rediscovered Wood Program.

This program insures that wood has been "recovered with procedures that meet the highest environmental and social criteria". This is particularly important with wood that is recovered from river bottoms, lakes or other water areas but also protects the environment during any type of wood or tree harvesting. And also ensures that worker safety was a priority.

A chain of custody can also provide us with the knowledge of exactly where the reclaimed wood was found down to it's final destination as a fine piece of furniture. Unfortunately, just yet it is not easy to find certified reclaimed wood furniture.

For now we can always ask where the wood came from and how it was acquired. Look for quality retailers that provide information about their own commitment to the environment.

And if you buy something online make sure they offer a guarantee in case you get something home and discover a particle board base and a reclaimed wood veneer.



Some online sources

We are just beginning to see reclaimed or recycled wood items available and as you might well expect they can be expensive but many are high quality pieces well worth the investment.

If you can find a local company it is better for your budget and
the environment.

On the fun side PalletArt.com has been using wood that has been reclaimed from pallets and other lumber to create some interesting and fun pieces. As further commitment to the environment organic paints and finishes are used. Expect to find small wood furniture, clocks and frames on this site.

To see the possibilities that can be accomplished by people with a passion for reclaimed wood go to Whit McLeod. Their Arts and Crafts style hand crafted furniture has been made to enhance the beauty found in reclaimed materials. This is heirloom quality furniture. It's an interesting website with great info.

Check out their Folding Wine Barrel chairs (pictured above), in their outdoor furniture section, made from salvaged oak wine barrels. Very cool and they have a great price, less than I have seen elsewhere.

Look for more reclaimed wood to be available in the future, it's a promising new way to save our forests, preserve history and help keep our landfills from overfilling.

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