Reclaimed wood offers a range of sustainability advantages over new wood. Reclaimed wood reduces the devastating impact of deforestation, keeps valuable resources from being landfilled and thoughtfully repurposes wood that has been deemed unworthy. Other advantages include much lower emissions than associated with the logging, transport and processing of new wood.
Through a number of sourcing methods such as older wood structures slated for demolition (factories, barns, bridges, etc), orchard salvage, vasts forests submerged under water in reservoirs, forest floor salvage, and off-cuts from manufacturing, Reclaimed Wood Millwork Company ensures large quantities of wood are found and put back to good use. Seeking reclaimed wood through these many avenues ensures plentiful inventory and variety. Types of reclaimed wood include teak, acacia, pine, redwood, oak, walnut, douglas fir, cedar, peroba and many other varieties from around the world.
Old growth wood is incredibly stable and durable. Because of the tightly packed growth rings, old growth wood is denser and thus, more physically durable with better rot resistance. Old growth wood is less likely to splinter, split or warp versus new growth wood. We humans have mostly decimated our old-growth forests worldwide. It is important to protect the remaining old growth forests as they are biodiversity-rich, are necessary for regulating water flows and they influence climate patterns. Fortunately, billions of board feet of this material are still in service and will become available for us to reclaim for generations into the future. Reclaimed wood that was harvested and milled decades ago, offers a stability unavailable in new, even kiln-dried, wood. When looking for old growth wood, the best ethical source is reclaimed wood.
