Reclaimed lumber

Most reclaimed lumber comes from timbers and decking rescued from old barns, factories and warehouses, although some companies use wood from less traditional structures such as boxcars, coal mines and wine barrels.

Reclaimed or antique lumber is used primarily for decoration and home building, for example for siding, architectural details, cabinetry, furniture and flooring.

In the United States of America, wood once functioned as the primary building material because it was strong, relatively inexpensive and abundant.

The trees were slow-growing (taking 200 to 400 years to mature), tall, straight, and had a natural ability to resist mold and insects.

American Chestnut wood can be identified as pre- or post-blight by analysis of worm tracks in sawn timber.

Red, white, black, scarlet, willow, post, and pine oak varieties have all been used in North American barns.

Wood that is reclaimed from these buildings includes structural timbers - such as beams, posts, and joists - along with decking, flooring, and sheathing.

[citation needed] The reclaimed lumber industry gained momentum in the early 1980s on the West Coast when large-scale reuse of softwoods began.