We live in a world of diminishing natural resources and environmental issues, but people still continue to look for inventive, unique and standout ways to ensure that their homes look even better. Reclaimed wood has become popular, there’s a range of ways you can use reclaimed wood, from everything to custom wood farm tables to other household furniture to finished wood floors.
Reasons to use reclaimed wood
- When you use reclaimed wood you are up-cycling a piece of wood (or several pieces) that will bring a new purpose. Reclaimed wood could come from anywhere, old barns, railways and wine barrels.
- Most lumber which is grown commercially, these days hardly has a chance to make it to maturity and generate weaker, softer planks that may crack and split when exposes to natural elements over a period of time. Reclaimed wood can be from much older, larger trees which imply the integrity and stability in the wood planks, so they’re usually better quality.
- Large planks of reclaimed wood are great when it comes to custom furniture like reclaimed wood tables or kitchen islands. If you’re lucky you may find a large piece like a walnut slab which you can turn into something beautiful like a dining room table or even a conference table in an office space.
- Reclaimed wood has lots of character, no two pieces are ever the same, it can be sourced from all over and no one plank of wood is ever the same. The wood comes with nail holes and knots and whilst it may be tricky to maintain, you’ll eventually get the hand of it.
- When you use reclaimed wood or recycled wood to redo your floors, this can potentially reduce your carbon footprint. By using reclaimed wood you can reduce the amount of energy and material used to produce brand new wood flooring plus you save money and time in the logging, processing and shipping of new lumber.
What you should know about reclaimed wood
Reclaimed wood comes with experience and will have weathered years of exposure and use. Reclaimed wood and the furniture made from it will have plenty of character, this will include cracks, scrapes, scratches and knots. Once you have your custom farm table, even though it’s tough material, it’s still important that you take care of it.
Whilst reclaimed wood may seem like a prolific source of timber, reclaimed wood in itself is a finite resources. In the meantime there’s plenty of old barns, factories and warehouses that are no longer in use that can provide pine, oak and sometimes chestnut. They’re perfect for the custom wood tables and other custom furniture pieces.
Reclaimed wood can almost cost a lot to source timber which is basically brand new. To get reclaimed lumber it will need to be dismantled from its original sources and properly prepared and organised so that it may be reused. It’s also important to look at the ring density of the wood, this will help to determine the quality. quality is key and the more hew marks, scratches and nail holes in a piece will undermine the integrity of the wood and the resale value.
Reclaimed wood is a unique choice when it comes to adding character to your home, whether it’s new wood floors, custom farm tables or a small shelving unit. There’s a range of beautiful reclaimed furniture to be created, from maple to white oak to walnut to cherry reclaimed timber. You can find out more information about the wood used and its qualities so you can make the best choice possible when planning uses for your reclaimed wood. Not only is reclaimed wood beautiful, it can be a much greener and more affordable option than using new timber.
Reclaimed furniture from Heyl Interiors
When it comes to reclaimed furniture, at Heyl Interiors we specialise in designing and crafting reclaimed furniture, we pride ourselves on achieving a quality finish. All of the industrial style reclaimed furniture we offer is made from British steel and handpicked reclaimed wood. When you choose Heyl Interiors for your new piece of reclaimed furniture you can trust that you’ll only receive a product of the highest standard.
