Aged Woods primarily gets its reclaimed wood from torn down barns. These venerable structures are given new life as reclaimed wood flooring and is a great way to recycle something that would otherwise be scrapped. There are other places that reclaimed wood can be acquired, and there are more uses for reclaimed wood than just flooring.
Shipping crates are commonly broken up and used as reclaimed wood. They are typically made of beech and are sold at ports to middlemen who sell them to the public. They are great for garden and other yard projects but some are chemically treated or have shipped toxic items so watch out.
One of the oldest places to find reclaimed wood is from old wooden ships. Some companies specialize in salvaging wood from ships and some wood like teak can be easily acquired this way. Teak is great for building furniture as it is durable and weather-resistant. Much of the wood used to build the ship came from an old-growth forest and just like that reclaimed wood floor in your house it brings a unique character and rustic appearance.
Scrap yards are popular with craftsmen and savvy buyers alike. If you know what you are looking for buried treasure can be found at places like this and beautiful pieces of wood can be acquired this way. While these pieces may not be big enough to build anything more than a cabinet or stand it will often be cheap.
Some people go out seeking reclaimed wood in a most unlikely place, at the bottom of lakes or rivers. Logging was one of our nation’s greatest exports in the days of yesteryear and inevitably accidents happened. Old-growth timber fell off a ship or boat and sank to the bottom of a lake or river. The scarcity of this old timber (or you know much of the same timber that is acquired from old barns and turned into reclaimed wood) has lead several groups of people to scour lake beds in search of this wooden gold. Potentially millions of trees lay on the bottom of the world’s lakes and rivers and ventures like this are extremely profitable in places like Lake Superior where the temperature of the lakes have protected the wood as it is not exposed to light, oxygen and wood consuming organisms. The American South, which is full of swamplands which flood have also submerged millions of trees and stumps that can be made into all kinds of products. The minerals in the water and the soil can give the wood a unique hue that can only be found this way.
This wood can be used to make anything from flooring to furniture and musical instruments to jewelry. Not only is this reclaimed wood unique with its own story but in some cases is unique in its own right owing to the environment it called home. Reclaimed wood can be used to build anything that newer wood can be used for and for many buyers it is much more preferable. This older wood produces a denser grain which cannot be found anywhere else. So just remember, for everything that is made from reclaimed wood that is potentially one less tree that has to be cut down.
