The joy of reclaimed timber in your home
Have you thought about how many items in your home contains wood? If you take a few moments to look around you will probably be surprised. Wooden tables and chairs are the most obvious items in any home, but look carefully and you may notice wooden doors and window frames, a wooden floor, perhaps even wooden shelving and cupboards. Wood is an essential item for building both the furniture and the structure of your home, yet often it is largely ignored. You concentrate on what you are making with the wood rather than on the beauty of the wood itself.
Finding the character in your wood
If you want to really bring out the character of wood in home and turn your everyday furniture items into a talking point, then you will need to use the right type of wood. All wood possesses a natural beauty and character, but that character is revealed by years of use and exposure to the natural elements. It takes time for the character to become visible on the surface of the wood, so wood you buy from your local DIY store is not going to be nearly so beautiful as wood you purchase from a timber salvage yard.
Looking for timber at the salvage yard
Walking into a salvage yard can be a bit overwhelming, since you will find yourself surrounded not just by salvaged timber, but also piles of recycled bricks and similar building materials. Unless you have a clear idea of exactly what you need you could spend hours wandering around searching the yard, so it helps to think through exactly the type of wood you will need before you enter the yard.
Working with your wood
Wood from a timber salvage yard can be used in exactly the same way as any other wood. You can shape it and fashion it into whatever items of furniture you wish. The only difference you will find is that salvaged wood doesn't always come in straight, even planks, so you will need to plan your purchasing carefully and maybe buy slightly more wood than you might expect so you can discard odd corners of the wood or sections that have been damaged by paint or water.
The next time you need some wood, take a trip to your local timber salvage yard and discover the benefits that reclaimed timber can bring to your home.