Purchase the Right Recycled Timber to Tell a Different Story
Using recycled timber is a beautiful feature that you can add to your newly built home or while renovating it, that will altogether change the look of your house. These special woods have a story to tell, each type telling a different one, of the past. And this process of storytelling leads us to a beautiful surrounding which all the onlookers will admire.
Historically, only the ‘alternative’ architects of the olden times and homeowners used this in their construction projects as they were immensely motivated by its features. As for the others they were comfortable with burning the demolished load of these heavy hardwood beams back in 1980s. Three decades later the concept of recycled timber and its practice have changed completely. Now people have realized the value of old wood and they are now more interested and keener to de-nail these carefully, re-mill and give it a center stage. They have finally realized its worth.
Now, the recycled timber is one of the premium products and is highly valued for its character, density and sustainability. Even though there is a growth in the building industry and the renovation market, the recycled timbers seem to disregard the purpose of real commodification. Using recycled timber is similar to collecting antiques but for domestic building projects, there seems to be more issues to consider such as design, supply, and workability.
Things associated with recycled timber
- Expectations and arguments
You will find it difficult to buy recycled timber from a home center and therefore it is expected of you to do some research, legwork and spend some time to find the best pieces. Once you find it, there will be nothing to match with its uniqueness, character and the satisfaction you will derive by using it. So, it’s always advisable to collect information before purchasing anything so that you don’t have to regret later on.
This one of a kind material will not only have appealing looks but will also have its own history to tell which you can boast about when someone asks about the it; a great conversation topic. Each of these timber woods has a different story to convey. With its use you will be able to make a stylistic statement about you and your home as well.
There are some strong arguments for using recycled timber such as:
- It is environmentally friendly: Since these are not grown on farms you will not harm the ecosystem by cutting down a new tree. Though it is a product of a tree that has been cut earlier but you will give it another lease of life in your home.
- Age and character: These are the two most important factors that cannot be ignored. Age will give it the character, texture, strength and durability along with color.
Rarity is the most important factor. You will hardly find any old-growth wood in the market due to the regulations imposed in tree harvesting and therefore this is the best and only way to use old wood.
- The grading system
However, when you go to buy recycled timber you must know about the grade of each piece of timber that simply varies from one species to another. You will find more burls in some while others will be completely blemish-free. Therefore, you must know the grading system to make a well-informed purchase.
Benefit of using Recycled Timber
- Environmental benefit:
Large scale Deforestation for timber in the 18th and 19th century has caused our earth a great deal. The global warming and the extreme weather changes that we are facing is the result of those mass cutting of trees. But using recycled timber helps in curbing those effects as we are reusing the old timber.
- Better than New Timber:
There is a special quality that only a recycled timber possesses and that is it is stronger than new tree timber. The recycled timber is used wood; thus, it has faced all the weather conditions such as extreme cold and extreme heat. Due to which it becomes stronger and can last much longer as compared to new timber. Durability is what makes recycled timber so unique and thus it is worth every penny you spend for it.
- Aesthetic Appeal:
When we observe some old historical construction, you will find that timber used during that time were much wider when talk about wooden planks and the reason behind that is it was created using a full-grown tree. Recycled timber gives you the liberty to use those planks in your construction and create something wonderful of your liking. Even with age the timber looks more mature and it gives it a unique texture which makes the work easy.
- Uniqueness:
Whether you decide to use recycled timber as a flooring option or want to use it to create furniture, it will be unique and one of a kind as the timber is aged and possesses some unique quality such as durability and aesthetics that only ageing process can give to a timber.
Structural Grading and Aesthetic Grading
This is done to determine the strength and durability and there are two ways followed in it. They are:
- Visual Stress Grade or S-Grades for seasoned as well as unseasoned timber and considers type, size, and position of knots. Lower grade denotes higher quality.
- Mechanical Stress Grade or F-Grade is more widely used to determine the stiffness of the timber. Higher number denotes higher quality.
Aesthetic Grading denotes the surface appearance and involves three distinct grades such as: Select, Standard and Character. Select indicates straight grained, minimum number of knots, and uniform appearance that is best for flooring. Standard denotes varied appearance of different pieces and is best for making shelves and bookcases and character denotes the rustic natural look with cracks, sap streaks, knots and burls and is the ideal choice for making furniture.
Now that you know a lot about recycled timber, it is time to use it and transform the look of your home. Use of timber woods will definitely add an attractive look to your house.
