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Reclaimed lumber
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Reclaimed lumber
Reclaimed lumber is processed wood retrieved from its original application for purposes of subsequent use. Most reclaimed lumber comes from timbers and decking rescued from old barns, factories and warehouses, although some companies use wood from less traditional structures such as boxcars, coal mines and wine barrels. Reclaimed or antique lumber is used primarily for decoration and home building, for example for siding, architectural details, cabinetry, furniture and flooring.
In the United States of America, wood once functioned as the primary building material because it was strong, relatively inexpensive and abundant. Today, many of the woods that were once plentiful are only available in large quantities through reclamation. One common reclaimed wood, longleaf pine, was used to build factories and warehouses during the Industrial Revolution. The trees were slow-growing (taking 200 to 400 years to mature), tall, straight, and had a natural ability to resist mold and insects. They were also abundant. Longleaf pine grew in thick forests that spanned over 140,000 square miles (360,000 km2) of North America. Reclaimed longleaf pine is often sold as Heart Pine, where the word "heart" refers to the heartwood of the tree.[citation needed]
Previously common woods for building barns and other structures were redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) on the U.S. west coast and American Chestnut on the U.S. east coast. Beginning in 1904, a chestnut blight spread across the US, killing billions of American Chestnuts, so when these structures were later dismantled, they were a welcome source of this desirable but later rare wood for subsequent reuse. American Chestnut wood can be identified as pre- or post-blight by analysis of worm tracks in sawn timber. The presence of worm tracks suggests the trees were felled as dead standing timber, and may be post-blight lumber.
Barns are one of the most common sources for reclaimed wood in the United States. Those constructed through the early 19th century were typically built using whatever trees were growing on or near the builder's property. They often contain a mix of oak, chestnut, poplar, hickory and pine timber. Beam sizes were limited to what could be moved by man and horse. The wood was often hand-hewn with an axe and/or adze. Early settlers likely recognized American oak from their experience with its European species. Red, white, black, scarlet, willow, post, and pine oak varieties have all been used in North American barns.[citation needed]
Mill buildings throughout the Northeast also provide an abundant source of reclaimed wood. Wood that is reclaimed from these buildings includes structural timbers - such as beams, posts, and joists - along with decking, flooring, and sheathing. These buildings often have no economic or reuse possibility, can be a fire hazard, and may require varying degrees of environmental cleanup. Reclaiming lumber and brick from these retired mills is considered a better use of materials than landfill-based disposal.
Another source of reclaimed wood is old snowfence. At the end of their tenure on the mountains and plains of the Rocky Mountain region, snowfence boards are a valued source of consistent, structurally sound and reliable reclaimed wood.[citation needed]
Other woods recycled and reprocessed into new wood products include coast redwood, hard maple, Douglas Fir, walnuts, hickories, red and White Oak, and Eastern white pine.
Reclaimed lumber is popular for many reasons: the wood's unique appearance, its contribution to green building, the history of the wood's origins, and the wood's physical characteristics such as strength, stability and durability.[citation needed] The increased strength of reclaimed wood is often attributed to the wood often having been harvested from virgin growth timber, which generally grew more slowly, producing a denser grain.[citation needed]
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Reclaimed lumber
Reclaimed lumber is processed wood retrieved from its original application for purposes of subsequent use. Most reclaimed lumber comes from timbers and decking rescued from old barns, factories and warehouses, although some companies use wood from less traditional structures such as boxcars, coal mines and wine barrels. Reclaimed or antique lumber is used primarily for decoration and home building, for example for siding, architectural details, cabinetry, furniture and flooring.
In the United States of America, wood once functioned as the primary building material because it was strong, relatively inexpensive and abundant. Today, many of the woods that were once plentiful are only available in large quantities through reclamation. One common reclaimed wood, longleaf pine, was used to build factories and warehouses during the Industrial Revolution. The trees were slow-growing (taking 200 to 400 years to mature), tall, straight, and had a natural ability to resist mold and insects. They were also abundant. Longleaf pine grew in thick forests that spanned over 140,000 square miles (360,000 km2) of North America. Reclaimed longleaf pine is often sold as Heart Pine, where the word "heart" refers to the heartwood of the tree.[citation needed]
Previously common woods for building barns and other structures were redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) on the U.S. west coast and American Chestnut on the U.S. east coast. Beginning in 1904, a chestnut blight spread across the US, killing billions of American Chestnuts, so when these structures were later dismantled, they were a welcome source of this desirable but later rare wood for subsequent reuse. American Chestnut wood can be identified as pre- or post-blight by analysis of worm tracks in sawn timber. The presence of worm tracks suggests the trees were felled as dead standing timber, and may be post-blight lumber.
Barns are one of the most common sources for reclaimed wood in the United States. Those constructed through the early 19th century were typically built using whatever trees were growing on or near the builder's property. They often contain a mix of oak, chestnut, poplar, hickory and pine timber. Beam sizes were limited to what could be moved by man and horse. The wood was often hand-hewn with an axe and/or adze. Early settlers likely recognized American oak from their experience with its European species. Red, white, black, scarlet, willow, post, and pine oak varieties have all been used in North American barns.[citation needed]
Mill buildings throughout the Northeast also provide an abundant source of reclaimed wood. Wood that is reclaimed from these buildings includes structural timbers - such as beams, posts, and joists - along with decking, flooring, and sheathing. These buildings often have no economic or reuse possibility, can be a fire hazard, and may require varying degrees of environmental cleanup. Reclaiming lumber and brick from these retired mills is considered a better use of materials than landfill-based disposal.
Another source of reclaimed wood is old snowfence. At the end of their tenure on the mountains and plains of the Rocky Mountain region, snowfence boards are a valued source of consistent, structurally sound and reliable reclaimed wood.[citation needed]
Other woods recycled and reprocessed into new wood products include coast redwood, hard maple, Douglas Fir, walnuts, hickories, red and White Oak, and Eastern white pine.
Reclaimed lumber is popular for many reasons: the wood's unique appearance, its contribution to green building, the history of the wood's origins, and the wood's physical characteristics such as strength, stability and durability.[citation needed] The increased strength of reclaimed wood is often attributed to the wood often having been harvested from virgin growth timber, which generally grew more slowly, producing a denser grain.[citation needed]
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