Reclaimed Wood: Top 6 Reason to Use It

Whether you love a good story or are on a mission to save the planet, reclaimed wood offers many motivations for use in contemporary interiors for wood walls, floors, custom doors and table tops.

6: AGING GRACEFULLY WITH OLD WOOD

Where good looks and low-maintenance coincide, here lays the reclaimed natural patina wood floor. Scratches and dents from daily traffic only add to its charm and with an oil finish the light maintenance means it may never need to be sanded and re-finished. Reclaimed Pela Teak and Sawmill Oak are candidates for this kind of look.

This Reclaimed Teak wood floor with a clear oil finish provides a rich distressed canvas that will hide scratches and dents from shoe and pet traffic.

5: THEY DON’T MAKE THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE: ANTIQUE QUALITIES OF RECLAIMED WOOD 

The days of harvesting old growth timber are largely in the past.  Old growth is generally more stable, more durable, and possesses unique aesthetic qualities when compared alongside new wood of the same species. 

The Reclaimed Oak Flooring in this New York bar consists of old growth planks harvested from big trees long ago. Heritage Oak is pictured along with Vinters Reserve Redwood Wainscoting

4: WARM UP A COOL, MODERN SPACE WITH RECYCLED WOOD

We love it when modern spaces and the rustic influences of old wood collide. Reclaimed wood hints at an established longevity and softens otherwise stark and cool environments. Rich texture takes the edge off of modern angles and materials.

This reclaimed beam block wall is right at home in a sleek contemporary corporate interior. Custom by Anthology Woods.

3: RECLAIMED WOOD IS A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO NEW WOOD 

Reclaimed, repurposed, recycled, up-cycled, salvaged, reincarnated…all words to describe the sustainable re-use of materials and eco-conscious approach of minimizing new consumption. The reclaimed White Oak top below has subtle traces of a prior life and is refined, overall. If sustainability is your motivator, ask for FSC certified reclaimed wood. 

A thick Reclaimed White Oak top was true to this homeowners sustainable ethos (they also re-used a number of their existing cabinets for the kitchen remodel)

2: THE UNIQUE LOOK OF RECLAIMED WOOD

In a time and place where you can have almost any look you want in the printed/extruded/molded world of plastic, real, old wood is filled with substance and integrity, endless rich variety, and perfect imperfections. Some things can’t be faked.  Charisma is one, and the soft silver-gray weathered face of reclaimed tropical hardwood is another. 

The un-mistakeable, un-fakeable soft gray of a weathered and aged tropical hardwood. Reclaimed Silvered Dinizia will hit it home in a gray wood wall.

1: RECLAIMED WOOD HAS A SPECIAL STORY

Every plank of reclaimed wood has lived a past life complete with a unique journey and a history. All reclaimed wood contains hints at the past through aged patina, stains, and holes. At times, the exact location and use of a particular collection can be traced and has documentation for the connection to the past, giving you a story to share as the wood becomes part of your story, as well.

These reclaimed wood doors are from the same stock as our current Vintner's Reserve inventory: a Mondavi winery wine-tank deconstruction with Redwood harvested in the early 1900s. The thick staves yielded substantial custom doors.

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