Some school spirit lives on in this unique reclaimed wood wall installation. On Design*Sponge, Sarah writes that she created this wall from siding, barnwood, shiplap, wainscoting, and salvaged high school gym flooring. “You can see the colors from the school insignia in the green, black, red, and coral stripes throughout.” Ready to add really cool reclaimed wood designs to your home? Contact Sarah and discuss your own custom wall installation. The wood for your project can be locally sourced, or ask her about reclaimed materials she’s found in her travels. R & R Designworks at CustomMade.com
“If we can build it, you can order it. Let’s talk.” Sarah can custom build your own Chevron table from reclaimed wood pieces, including bowling alley flooring, edged with high-grade beech or pine. Your custom table will be sized to your specifications. R & R Designworks at CustomMade.com
If your interest in history is more attuned to the natural variety, Sarah’s live edge designs will allow you to see the form of the tree in your custom furniture. This “Magdalena Table” was made from locally reclaimed Texas cedar. “Each table has a different pattern of whorls and grain, which we think is pretty fantastic, and each is custom made to order,” writes Sarah. “You name the size and we will work together to choose the wood and determine the perfect base for your style and budget.” R & R Designworks at CustomMade.com
What can you see in the unique contours of a beautiful piece of wood? Sarah’s “Amagasu Table” was inspired by “a chance encounter” with a single, highly burled flitch. “Versatile beyond compare, the design morphs from cocktail table, to bench, to display console without missing a beat.” R & R Designworks at CustomMade.com
My relatives have a barn on their property that was built around 80 years ago. One aspect of reclaimed wood not mentioned is the timber used was often from old growth forests and cut to larger dimensions than is available now. Most commercially available wood produce now is from managed forests that are regularly thinned. The thinning promotes fast growth. This is good for the timber business but promotes wider grain. Reclaimed wood from older buildings is often from old growth forests where the trees grew closer together resulting in slower growth and much closer grain. The aforementioned barn contains some pieces that are 4″x12″x60′. There is nothing available now in that size at all without the custom milling of ones own timber. I recall seeing a story on the news where a company was reclaiming waterlogged timber from the Great Lakes area, often times finding old growth logs.
The wall is gorgeous and its not something you can get from new wood. I think we all need to start reusing the old wood that is going to rot or the landfills. so thank you for creating gorgeous pieces from reclaimed wood. I also agree with Idebeone’s comment -the old wood is so much better then the new stuff.
Thank you for your comments, Cat. We hope our articles and your blog help spread the word about the ecological and economic advantages of using reclaimed wood as well as the wonderful design possibilities.
Pedro