Reclaimed Wood

We hear the phrase reclaimed wood thrown around a lot these days. You can’t watch a show on HGTV without hearing it at least once. I mean, I literally heard it 9 times in one episode, and I remember thinking “is all old wood just reclaimed wood”? I mean it sounds great, kinda like it’s an old piece of history that has been restored and made new again. So, how do you know if you’re actually dealing with reclaimed wood?

Image from The Woods Company

Reclaimed wood, from the research I did, must be wood that has been used for a previous purpose. The most common example of that would be an old barn or farm house, but it can be any building previously constructed with lumber. Workers then deconstruct these buildings and manually remove screws and nails to reuse the wood. It’s a fantastic way relieving some of the forests from over forestation and using what we already have, not to mention it keeps some of those materials from winding up in landfills.

Image from The Woods Company

Most of the information I found came from calling companies that specialize in sourcing reclaimed wood. Many were very eager to share their information and direct me to additional sources that were trusted and responsible reclaimed wood companies. One employee even told me that often with a deconstruction of an outdated building they’ll remove up to 500,000 feet of usable wood.

Image from The Woods Company

Reclaimed wood can often be confused with aged wood. Many people want to achieve the reclaimed wood look by purchasing lumber and leaving it out in the elements to age the wood and make it look weathered. I’ve seen DIY bloggers also physically add character to their lumber purchases by distressing wood with hammers, nails, and even using a staining technique. There’s nothing truly wrong with these methods, however, it shouldn’t be labeled reclaimed wood.

Antique wood can be used for floors or or any type of furniture such as coffee and console tables. The special things about this type of wood is the details in the grain of the wood, and sometime you’ll notice knots and rings from the original tree. Reclaimed wood, especially in flooring seems so much warmer to me, it’s like you’re walking back in time. Recently, I read an article that mentioned having at least one old thing in each of your rooms to add interest to a space. I definitely think reclaimed wood would count as something old.

Image from The Woods Company

You can really create the “it factor” for you space by adding reclaimed wood to your home, but make sure what you’re using is actually reclaimed wood and not just aged wood. Call around for local companies to talk to about where their products come from.