PROS AND CONS of Using Reclaimed Lumber for Wood Flooring
If you are wanting to have wood flooring that is authentic, unique and has character, you should consider reclaimed lumber for your floor remodeling project. Reclaimed lumber comes from a variety of places including turn-of-the century homes, barns, mills and relic establishments. In simple terms, reclaimed lumber is wood with a past life that is used for a new purpose.
Each reclaimed piece of lumber is one of kind and full of character that can only be achieved through time and history. The use of reclaimed lumber isn’t a new concept, but it has gained popularity over the years and is used in many floor remodeling projects. Below we go over some of the pros and cons of having your wood flooring made from reclaimed lumber.
Pros of using reclaimed lumber for your wood flooring project
Environmentally Friendly
One of the advantages of reclaimed lumber is that no additional trees need to be harvested in order to mill new wood planks. Using reclaimed lumber for your flooring project ultimately helps curb the devastating effects of deforestation. If we all did that, lots of waste would be avoided and many forests would be saved. Planks sold in stores come from newly harvested trees where heavy machinery was used to cut down and mill wood, destroying natural animal habitats and entire forests in the process. Making use of what is already available preserves trees and the environment. Using lumber from old buildings that are falling apart and mill them into wood flooring is giving a second life to lumber.
Cost
Cost can be a benefit and a disadvantage of using reclaimed lumber for wood flooring project. Because reclaimed lumber is readily available and does not need to be harvested from live trees, you can save on the cost of harvesting, milling, transportation, packaging, and all other costs involved in the manufacturing of wood planks. However, depending on the condition of the reclaimed lumber, prep work will be needed to get in ready so it can be used as hardwood flooring. The more adjustments are needed, the higher the cost. However, it is all for a worthy cause – saving trees and preserving the past, both are priceless.
Unparalleled beauty and character
From years of use and weathering, reclaimed lumber can be absolutely stunning and unique. Reclaimed lumber has a special sheen and rich glow with fantastic color variations that gives wood flooring beautiful character and an antique look that cannot be mimicked with new hardwood or laminate flooring.
Reclaimed lumber has a story to tell that can be seen all over its surface. If you can find out the history of the lumber you are using for your wood flooring, it will make it that much more appealing and precious. Reclaimed lumber is often sourced from old barns, ships, crates, decommissioned buildings, schools, homes, railroads, pallets and more.
Wood flooring made from reclaimed lumber looks great in rustic homes, farmhouse style kitchens, personal libraries or even wine tasting rooms. While they would not be a good fit in a modern home by the beach, they would look fantastic an older home in Dilworth.
Most reclaimed lumber species are White Oak, Heart Pine and Douglas Fir. You could use other wood specifies, but those would be the most readily available for your flooring project in the USA.
Strength and durability
Old lumber is stronger and thicker than the wood materials we use nowadays. If you were to compare wood floors from a 1900s home and a recently built home, you would be stunned by the difference. Reclaimed wood is up to 40 points harder on the Janka hardness scale than newer wood because it comes from trees grown a long time ago rather than first-generation forests.
Reclaimed lumber has stood the test of time and if maintained properly, will last for another few lifetimes. We reclaimed lumber, you automatically know what you are getting since it has stood the test of time. That is not the case with new hardwood products as it is difficult to determine what type of processes was used to create the new wood boards.
Cons of using reclaimed lumber for your flooring project
Authenticity
Reclaimed lumber is popular and dealers can sometimes charge a premium to get wood planks made from reclaimed lumber. Dealers can sometimes make false claims about the source of their reclaimed lumber. To make sure the lumber you are buying is truly reclaimed, you should purchase it from a reputable dealer with certifications from organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council or the Rainforest Alliance. Failure to do so could lead to you buying “reclaimed” lumber with hidden dangers like nails and organic matter.
Price
Wood flooring planks made from reclaim lumber could cost more than virgin wood because of the milling process it needs to undergo. A reputable dealer of reclaimed wood planks will prep the planks so they are safe to use by consumers. Some reclaimed lumber may require more work than other planks to get them ready to use for their final wood flooring application. The extra work could involve nail pulling, sanding and leveling the planks, treating the planks for organic matters, etc….
Toxins
Wood planks made from reclaimed lumber were used in applications that may be different than what you are wanting to use them for (in this case, wood flooring for your home). The reclaimed lumber may have been treated or painted by the previous owners, so you will want to make sure that the reclaimed wood planks you buy don’t contain VOC, preservatives, insecticides or even lead. If you can, it’s important to find out where the reclaimed wood comes from so you can determine whether it was treated or not. When in doubt, test the lumber for toxins to ensure you are not installing toxic wood in your home.
Pests
Lumber is prone harbor wood eating pests. Some of those pests can lodge themselves deep the wood layer. When buying reclaimed lumber, you should inspect it for signs of infestation such as asymmetrical holes, surfaces that crumbles upon contact and bugs. Reclaimed lumber should be kiln-dried to ensure that any pest present in the wood is killed.
If you live in the Charlotte area and are interested in having wood flooring from reclaimed lumber installed in your home, contact Fabricio Hardwood Floors today at (704) 774-7882. Fabricio Hardwood Floors is the leader in wood flooring installation in the Charlotte area. You can check out some of our most recent work here.
