Reclaimed Oak Flooring
You have your heart set on hardwood flooring for your home but what about all of those trees that will have to be cut down? What about the horror stories that describe the consequences of deforestation? Will you feel personally responsible for global warming every time you walk 
across the room on your beautiful oak flooring? Are you doomed to settle for laminate?
Reclaimed or recycled oak may be the perfect solution. More and more people are concerned about the environmental effects that have resulted from the loss of so much of our forests. This has led to increased interest, not only here in the United States but all over the world, in finding old lumber and reusing it. Much of this wood comes from old barns, log cabins and houses that were built around the turn of the century. Some has been reclaimed from old ships and even from under water at abandoned logging sites when freshly cut logs were lost as they were being loaded.
Environmental consciousness is not the only reason that recycled wood is gaining such opularity. Most of this wood came from old growth forests and it is often harder and denser than new growth wood. This means that it is less susceptible to the effects of moisture and temperature changes. The real reason, however, that so many are seeking out recycled wood is that it just cannot be matched in beauty and character.
Finding and taking apart old buildings is labor intensive and just the beginning in the long process that prepares this antique wood for a new life. Every piece must be thoroughly inspected for damage or rot and these pieces must be cut out. All nails and hardware have to be carefully removed without further damaging the wood. If necessary, the lumber is then kiln-dried to 
remove any residual moisture. This is also the only effective way to kill any dormant insects that love to hide in old wood. Despite all of these steps that are necessary to bring this product to market, recycling wood is still more resource efficient than procuring and milling fresh lumber.
All hardwood floors add warmth and beauty wherever they are installed. Recycled flooring does that and more. Every plank has a history. What a shame they can’t tell their stories! But we can imagine what they might be and we can know that we have become a part of a tale that not only began long ago but reaches into the future.
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Tagged With barn wood, oak flooring, reclaimed wood, recycled flooring, recycled wood flooring