Everyone likes to feel their home or business is unique, and more and more people are stepping away from generic flat-pack furniture and fixtures these days. Using reclaimed wood has become extremely popular in recent years as, as well as being a more environmentally friendly option, it ensures you are getting a complete one-off.
House and Garden has some stunning examples of what can be achieved using reclaimed wood, including pine flooring reclaimed from a Welsh salvage yard.
If you’re hoping to incorporate pieces of furniture made from reclaimed wood in your home or business premises, you might be expecting this to be the budget option. As well as ensuring you have a unique item of furniture, you may well think you’ll save money by using reclaimed wood rather than new timber. This isn’t always necessarily the case, however.
What Are the Costs Involved in Using Reclaimed Wood?
Many people believe the cost of the wood is the main factor when making furniture or other bespoke items, but this isn’t always true. Once the original structure has been taken apart, the wood will need cutting to size, treating, nails removed and possible kiln drying and further care. In some cases, and depending on your requirements, it might be more cost-effective to choose antiques rather than having bespoke pieces made from reclaimed wood.So, if you’re looking for, say, a unique period sideboard or antique bar furniture in London, using an established antiques firm such as Victor Hall or others might be an alternative to getting items custom built.
The Community Wood Recycling charity has lots of resources for those looking to purchase reclaimed wood, and is focused on preventing this valuable natural resource from going to waste.
The Waste Factor
As with any project, there will always be wastage involved when working with wood. This is unavoidable, but will need to be factored into the cost. When using reclaimed wood, the wastage can be higher than when using new wood for several reasons. Depending on the condition of the wood, some of it may need to be discarded because it’s simply not suitable for use. There may be areas that have been heavily drilled or nailed, so these will end up on the mill floor. There may also be irreparable water damage in some sections, or cracks.
