The beauty and the glory of reclaimed wood is becoming more and more popular as time goes on. Reclaimed wood is a design and architecture trend that is growing more and more every day. Designers are looking to implement wood accents into their home décor jobs, while architects are using more wood building materials such as reclaimed and timbers to provide a different aesthetic. There are so many things you can do with reclaimed wood from DIY projects to home renovations and builds. A good place to start when learning about reclaimed wood is asking-what is it and where does it come from?
What is Reclaimed Wood?
Reclaimed wood is wood that has withstood many years of natural wear and tear. Reclaimed wood is so popular because of its rustic and vintage looks from the stress it has endured. Most reclaimed wood that you see was installed over 100 years ago and has been put through a milling process. The lumber typically comes from deconstructed buildings that were once western towns, factories, and barns. When these buildings are deconstructed, they are done so in a way that every material can be milled and resold as reclaimed wood products.
The Variety of Products
The best thing about reclaimed wood and why architects and designers love it so much is because it has endless possibilities when it comes to the ways you can use it. The most commonly seen way that reclaimed wood is used as accent walls in homes and offices. There are countless different products of reclaimed wood sold from siding, flooring, paneling, doors and single boards for those DIY projects. If you move away from the ways you can use reclaimed in a home, you can use reclaimed for traditional décor. For example, picture frames, wooden signs, centerpieces, and pictures can be made with reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood is also a great building material to use for wedding décor.
The Variety of Brands
As reclaimed wood becomes more popular and a trend that everyone is following, there are more brands that are being created. Most of the suppliers of reclaimed wood were already existing building material suppliers that just hopped aboard the reclaimed wood train. A select few of the brands out there are Skiplap, RePlank, Forever Barnwood, Thermory, Coeur D Alene, Montana Ghostwood, and more!. Each brand sells a variety of products from floors, paneling, and wood siding as well.
The Glory of Reclaimed Wood
Pros and Cons
Reclaimed wood is a high-quality building material as far as structure and design, but just like everything, there are pros and cons.
Pros:
- Reclaimed wood has a unique and one of a kind appearance due to the stress that it has endured via weather and natural age.
- Reclaimed wood is very sustainable and durable. It is a strong product that can withhold high traffic and wear.
- Reclaimed wood is never only one type of species of wood. Reclaimed wood can be a variety of different kinds of wood.
- Reclaimed wood is strong, durable, and stable – which means it is a good material for a project that requires support and stability.
Cons:
- Reclaimed wood can sometimes be hard to find. You can find faux products almost everywhere, but finding true reclaimed wood can often be difficult.
- Reclaimed wood can sometimes be costly. Depending on the milling process and the species of wood, it may be expensive.
- Reclaimed wood is very hard to tell whether it is real. With some natural exposure and certain treatments, reclaimed wood can often be faux and not truthfully from deconstructed buildings. It you’re looking for true reclaimed wood, this could be a downside.
- Depending on the source, the wood may have undergone treatments before the original install which means that there may be unknown chemicals on the wood. Luckily, certain treatments can strip the wood of old treatments and chemicals.
Reclaimed wood has its pros and cons just like every material used for building. However, the cons are minimal and can often depend on the source and type of wood you are analyzing. Reclaimed wood (and the glory of reclaimed wood) is a design trend that is growing substantially and looks amazing in any home or office. It is also durable enough to be used for almost any project.
