Reclaimed Wood Flooring
By Jimmy Sturo
reclaimed hardwood flooring
The last five decades have witnessed a steady rise in global environment awareness and concern. People have come to realize that the environment does not house an inexhaustible supply of resources and over-exploitation would only imperil human existence. Preservation and conservation have thus become important concepts today. All the countries of the world are striving to preserve and improve upon their environments. Besides, thousands of organizations are making efforts globally firstly to better the environment and secondly, to raise awareness about environment issues and problems.
The days are long gone when trees were logged at unrelenting speeds to meet burgeoning timber demands. Today, fewer trees are being cut than what used to be around ten years back. Diminishing demand and more importantly, ecological concerns riding high and environmental policies all around the world have caused this fall.
More and more people today are opting for timber alternatives for flooring, furniture, construction and other purposes in view of the ill consequences of logging trees. Another popular good option is that of reused or reclaimed wood. Since wooden flooring looks far better than the alternatives used in place of it, this is where reclaimed wood flooring comes in. This wood has been logged a long time ago and is therefore environment friendly. Furthermore, they have a tight grain structure and density that new wood doesn’t.
This wood is obtained from dismantled warehouses, wooden bridges, lumber mills and barns, along with other old buildings. The demand for reclaimed timbers of redwood, Douglas fir, Western red cedar, oak, elm, ash, hemlock and pine has been steadily growing. Lots of dealers today acquire and sell reclaimed wood globally. The reclaimed wood is graded according to condition and priced in a commensurate manner. Besides being priced moderately, reclaimed wood gives its buyer the satisfaction that his purchase is in no way going to harm the ecology.
Antique and Reclaimed Wood Flooring – History Beneath Your Feet That’s Green Too
Wood floors have been a mainstay in our homes for several hundred years. Born out of necessity to cover dirt floors they have evolved into tapestries of utilitarian beauty beneath our feet. Most wood floors today are made from trees harvested in the present, from common varieties like oak, maple and cherry. But there are some unique choices available that not only provide diversity from the more common varieties, they offer a benefit to our environment too.
Antique and reclaimed wood floors are made from wood that once was used for a different purpose. The wood may have been the walls of a threshing barn, shielding its contents from the elements of the Midwest plains. It may have been the beams that formed the structure of an old textile mill in New England or a sawmill in the Pacific Northwest. It may even have been used in the barrels that housed a prized vintage wine.
Now this wood is being recycled into antique and reclaimed wood flooring. Floor companies and entrepreneurial individuals are taking this wood and processing it so that it’s usable as floors for your home.
So what does antique and reclaimed flooring mean to you as a homeowner looking for new flooring ideas? It gives you a whole new range of options that benefit both you and the environment. Consider this:
- Reusing old wood preserves existing forests.Using recycled wood preserves our environment by reducing the need to cut existing trees to make new floors. What could be better than getting a new wood floor while knowing that you gave a little help to the environment?
- You can get wood species that are no longer available.Some woods are no longer commercially available because of their rarity due natural causes or over-harvesting. American Chestnut was once used to build barns and factories but a blight at the turn of the century virtually eliminated this species. Using reclaimed wood gives you the opportunity to have a floor made from these unique types of woods.
- Wood that comes with a history makes a unique style choice.Think about it. Installing a floor made of wood from beer casks from a turn-of-the-century brewery has some character and history behind it. In fact, it has a story to tell, one that you might enjoy retelling to your dinner guests some evening. It’s unique and definitely not in everyone’s home.
- Antique wood has attributes that new wood doesn’t.The wood used to build the factories, barns and other structures 150 years ago was likely to come from virgin old-growth forests. It exhibits a tight, dense grain structure that doesn’t exist in the trees found in today’s managed and relatively young forests. This offers you not only a beautiful floor but one that has less tendency to warp and “move”. This is a beneficial attribute particularly in wide plank flooring.
Antique and reclaimed wood flooring is truly one of those unique types of products that’s not only desirable but offers benefits as well. What other products for your home offer the undeniable beauty of wood along with a history too? If you’re leaning toward wood for your next flooring choice you owe it to yourself to check out antique and reclaimed wood floors. They offer a distinct style option and are good for the environment too.
Reclaimed Wood Flooring – Go Green
Wood floors are the healthy choice, they require fewer chemicals to clean than other floor coverings, and they don’t trap dust and fumes in the fibers or grow mold in the grout. More and more people are choosing wood floors for anyone with allergies. Don’t be surprised if a doctor recommends a wood floor for your spine and joints. Wood is know to give a little and can be easier on your legs and feet. Antique and Reclaimed wood floors are an ever popular trend in flooring. Wood reclaimed can provide the benefits of old growth timber with the added plus that not a single living forest tree is sacrificed. This is where living green comes into play.
Reclaimed and Antique wood can be milled to look like new, or sometimes consumer look for wood with nail holes, bolt holes, and other fastener marks which make these characteristics part of the appeal. The old lumber will have rustic character marks from many years of use and exposure to the elements.
Many of the floors come out of buildings about to be demolished or in the process of being refurbished. Antique wood flooring can be reclaimed from lumber salvaged from dismantled old barns and buildings. Antique and Distressed wood floors are prized for their beauty, stability and patina. Antique and distressed wood is usually from salvaged vintage homes, barns and structures.
A rustic wood floor will have more of the natural character such as knots, distinct color variations, possible insect marks, surface checking and varying grain patterns. Reclaimed or Antique flooring usually comes from the old growth forests from our early American history. Today they can still be found in floors in old homes and historic structures in many parts of the country. This wood displays character unmatched by any artificial means. Wide Plank flooring can also come from newly sawn old growth lumber. The use of wider widths and longer lengths will reduce the number of end to end seams in the floor which creates a historical authentic look.
Much of this vintage recycled timber comes from old growth forest and was used to construct old buildings. This vintage lumber has unparalleled architectural quality and character, not to mention beauty.
Some antique wood flooring, sometimes called country hardwood flooring is made from salvaged oak, maple, cherry, hickory, walnut, chestnut, white oak and other vintage reclaimed woods.
No two floors are exactly alike and usually can be found in random widths. Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring may contain characteristics inherent in aged wood, including cracked knots, slight surface checking, insect and nail holes, weather checking, and color variation.
Benefits of using Reclaimed and Antique wood flooring:
- A floor made from antique wood has beauty and defining character that cannot be found in newly sawn timber.
- Recycling wood is an alternative to cutting down trees. This is good for the environment.
- Reclaimed wood has been transformed by nature and time which is a link to our past. Having a piece of history in your home can be very satisfying.
- The character and patina of the wood cannot be duplicated.
- Older growth wood is denser and more dimensionally stable than new growth wood which are traits more desirable for wood flooring.
- Certain species such as American Chestnut can only be found through reclaimed wood suppliers.
What about Antique Wood over radiant heat? The use of radiant heating systems is growing in popularity throughout the United States, especially under wood floors. Radiant heat is an excellent heating source.
With proper acclimation and installation methods, Reclaimed and Antique wood is an exceptional choice over radiant heat. Radiant heat is healthier for the wood than alternative heating systems. The heat is evenly distributed throughout the floor at a low temperature. Each board is exposed to the same amount of heat and does not encounter uneven drying. Radiant heating actually replicates the natural process that antique wood has experienced.
Wood that was used to support a factory, barn or building was exposed for decades to a regular increase and decrease in temperature and moisture. In some cases, the timbers from which the boards were cut have been slightly expanding and contracting for over a century in their previous installation. Radiant heat, with its low temperatures and even distribution affects the wood flooring the same way, but the impact is much less dramatic with Antique or Reclaimed wood than newly sawn wood because it has already been through this cycle for years!
Pricing Generally speaking, the price of reclaimed flooring is a bit higher. Pricing for uninstalled wood can start at $5.95 a square foot and can top the $22.00 mark. The price of recycled Antique and Reclaimed lumber will vary with the size, grade, length, quantity, and surface character of the material and whether the material is purchased in its existing condition or re-manufactured/milled to your specifications. The cost of recycled lumber is generally more expensive than new lumber of the like grade and size. If the lumber goes through the re-manufacturing process, it will add nominally to this cost base to offset the expense involved in cleaning, de-nailing, re-manufacturing and grading. The process of turning the reclaimed lumber into flooring can be lengthy and involves considerable time, money and expertise.
In conclusion, reclaimed wood floors are becoming increasingly popular due to some consumer’ interest in historic preservation and also to advance the green building design. These woods often offer superior qualities from wood that grew slowly and is often more dense than faster grown wood. Vintage and antique reclaimed wood adds to the warmth, character and atmosphere of a country home. This wood has character from abundant natural traits. Some planks are generally wider boards and have a character and charm that display an instinctive sense of harmony and spirit of country living. A feeling of history from a time when using solid wood flooring was the way a home was built. If you already have a Reclaimed or Antique wood floor or are thinking about purchasing one, just think a little bit of American history is now or can be part of your home. What an exciting concept!
Check out our other guides on Solid Wood Flooring, Engineered Wood Flooring, Refinishing Wood Floors and Wood Floor Installation
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