It can take from 50 to 150 years for many of the timber trees used for wooden furniture to mature. That is a long time to wait for your next kitchen table!
Timber is a valuable resource but in the last few centuries we have been burning through this at an astonishing rate. Many ancient and irreplaceable types of woodlands have been cut down to be used for furniture and other domestic and commercial uses. This has had a significant effect on not just local habitats and ecological infrastructures but the planet as a whole.
Waste Not Want Not
In the past waste timber from old wooden furniture was mostly burnt or sent to landfill. However these days there is a better alternative. Timber is a reusable resource and can be recycled. Waste timber from furniture, buildings and industry can be saved from landfill and the log pile and transformed into new products.
I have been interested in reclaimed wood for a long time now and see this as a very positive way to help make the most of the planets valuable resources. Another great reason to consider reclaimed timber to be used in furniture is that it offers instant access to matured wood. There is something very special about the character of naturally aged timber. This offers a warmth and sense of natural charm that just cannot be replicated by using greenwood or virgin timbers.
What to Reclaim
You can reclaim almost any type of wood that is still in good condition for use in wooden furniture. For example recently a function hall in my local town was demolished to make way for a newer and more modern establishment. The timber from the dance floor of the building was mature oak and was beautifully aged. It would have made a wonderful base timber for handmade wooden furniture. I put in a request to my local council to reclaim this timber. Unfortunately someone else had beaten me too it but at least this wonderfully aged wood was salvaged and reused for another purpose.
I went online instead and purchased a fabulous kitchen table set made from reclaimed timber beams. These heavy duty beams were salvaged from old buildings being demolished and in the past this timber would have gone to landfill or been incinerated. I love the chunky durable look of the reclaimed table and chairs and the aged timber offers a stunning natural charm that softens my modern interior design.
My neighbour has also taken advantage of reclaimed sleepers from old railway tracks to build borders and decking in their garden. This reclaimed timber looks stunning and was great value for money as sleepers are made from high grade timber that will last a long time.
It can take from 50 to 150 years for many of the timber trees used for wooden furniture to mature. That is a long time to wait for your next kitchen table!
Timber is a valuable resource but in the last few centuries we have been burning through this at an astonishing rate. Many ancient and irreplaceable types of woodlands have been cut down to be used for furniture and other domestic and commercial uses. This has had a significant effect on not just local habitats and ecological infrastructures but the planet as a whole.
Waste Not Want Not
In the past waste timber from old wooden furniture was mostly burnt or sent to landfill. However these days there is a better alternative. Timber is a reusable resource and can be recycled. Waste timber from furniture, buildings and industry can be saved from landfill and the log pile and transformed into new products.
I have been interested in reclaimed wood for a long time now and see this as a very positive way to help make the most of the planets valuable resources. Another great reason to consider reclaimed timber to be used in furniture is that it offers instant access to matured wood. There is something very special about the character of naturally aged timber. This offers a warmth and sense of natural charm that just cannot be replicated by using greenwood or virgin timbers.
What to Reclaim
You can reclaim almost any type of wood that is still in good condition for use in wooden furniture. For example recently a function hall in my local town was demolished to make way for a newer and more modern establishment. The timber from the dance floor of the building was mature oak and was beautifully aged. It would have made a wonderful base timber for handmade wooden furniture. I put in a request to my local council to reclaim this timber. Unfortunately someone else had beaten me too it but at least this wonderfully aged wood was salvaged and reused for another purpose.
I went online instead and purchased a fabulous kitchen table set made from reclaimed timber beams. These heavy duty beams were salvaged from old buildings being demolished and in the past this timber would have gone to landfill or been incinerated. I love the chunky durable look of the reclaimed table and chairs and the aged timber offers a stunning natural charm that softens my modern interior design.
My neighbor has also taken advantage of reclaimed sleepers from old railway tracks to build borders and decking in their garden. This reclaimed timber looks stunning and was great value for money as sleepers are made from high grade timber that will last a long time.