| In recent years, the demand for reclaimed wooden | | | | commercial, as it creates a sense of permanence and |
| floors, as well as the myriad of other products made | | | | stability and often allows new design possibilities such |
| from reclaimed wood has increased dramatically | | | | as hand crafted beams or stair rails. |
| throughout the United States, as well as the rest of | | | | Customers are always looking for ways to make |
| the world. This wood is harvested from various | | | | their home different, and as antique wooden flooring |
| places, such as the bottoms of rivers and forests, | | | | can never be anything but unique, this seems to be |
| and structures that are no longer useful, such as old | | | | one of its key selling points. |
| barns and homes that are no longer suitable for | | | | There's no building material that's more |
| habitation. Like any other building material, wood will | | | | environmentally friendly than reclaimed wood, either. |
| suffer from the passage of time, as well as general | | | | Now that there is actually a rating system to rate |
| usage. The wonderful thing about the reclaimed | | | | how environmentally friendly new construction is, |
| wood used in wooden flooring, however, is that | | | | reclaimed wood and wooden flooring is suddenly in |
| suddenly the effect of age make the end product | | | | high demand. This system, called the LEED rating |
| even more desirable. | | | | system, rates a structure on exactly how |
| Reclaimed lumber has become popular for many | | | | environmentally friendly it is. Using reclaimed lumber |
| different reasons. Many times there's a historical | | | | for your wooden flooring will boost your LEED rating. |
| story that is associated with the wood, such as it | | | | Also, wooden flooring is great for your HVAC |
| being harvested from an old chapel or factory, and | | | | system, so it will save you money in the long run on |
| reclaimed wood always has a unique appearance. | | | | electric bills as well. Because you're using lumber that's |
| Also, for the wood to have survived long enough to | | | | already been cut, there's no need to destroy new |
| become reclaimed lumber, it has to be of the highest | | | | trees. Not only that, but you're helping avoid the |
| quality, assuring durability for years to come. | | | | energy expenditure required if that reclaimed wood |
| Reclaimed wood offers an unusual chance to match | | | | had ended up in a landfill. |
| existing materials when renovating an older home. | | | | Believe it or not, the quality of the reclaimed wood |
| Even if just doing a simple repair to the wooden floor | | | | from older buildings is almost always better than new |
| of something from the Victorian era, repairs can be | | | | wood. First-growth timber, which grew much more |
| made to look transparent. Reclaimed lumber is also | | | | slowly than the newer, faster growing or plantation |
| useful in new structures as well, either residential or | | | | grown timber, is far more stable and dense. |