Angie's List: Using Reclaimed Wood
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)-- Home designers are already identifying hot new trends for this year. One of them involves giving old wood a second life. In this week's Angie's List report we take a look at reclaimed wood.
Ramsey Khalidi started salvaging unwanted wood back in the 1980s when it required dumpster diving and the occasional rescue from a bonfire. The owner of Southern Pine Company says, "The internet was just starting out. I'll never forget it. If you would, like, Google, you would get 19, like hits. Now there's 6 million for reclaimed wood." Khalidi is part of a booming industry of craftspeople who dismantle, refine and re-imagine old wood.
Angie's List founder Angie Hicks says, "One of the latest trends in remodeling that we're seeing is using reclaimed wood from century-old barns or older buildings to add a focal point or even an accent wall in your home."
The Tri-Lox Company in Brooklyn, New York, harvests wood from high-rise rooftop water towers, old factories and barns. Co-founder Alexander Bender says, "We totally transform these materials from their previous use into something completely new but yet show the history and the previous use as part of the features of that material."
According to Hicks, "If you're looking to take advantage of this trend, the first step is to work with a qualified woodworker who will confirm they've got authentic reclaimed wood, and that it's properly treated for your project."
Artisans working in the industry say there's virtually no limit to what the wood can be used for and that if homeowners can imagine it, a good woodworker can create it. Adam Dick of Hoosier Reclaimed Timber says, "We get a lot of satisfaction out of repurposing this wood for new products and we hope they live on another 100 to 200 years."
Reclaimed wood is often more expensive than other types of wood because of the time and skill it takes to acquire, treat and re-purpose it. For more information from Angie about reclaimed wood visit CLICK HERE.