Noble Salvage: For fine finishes, reclaimed and recycled lumber offers timeless appeal, by Nigel F. Maynard, Residential Architect, June 2001

When Minneapolis-based SALA Architects set out to design the 1999 Life Dream House, the architects needed a material that could balance architectural aesthetics and environmental sustainability. Their solution? Handsome millwork—made not of run-of-the-mill lumber but of timber recovered from the bottom of Lake Superior.

“There is just something about that wood,” says principal Katherine A. Hillbrand, AIA, a member of the team that designed the Life house. “It gave a depth and a character that your normally find in older homes, yet the home was new.”

Salvage timber has become a highly prized category that includes anything from logs pulled form the bottom of waterways to timber plucked from old barns, factories, warehouses, bridges, railroad tracks, pier pilings, and other vintage structures. The bulk of the wood comes from slow-growth trees nearly 1,000 years old, so the hard, durable boards are of the highest quality, with tight grains and extraordinary colors.

The product’s sustainability, says Tom Simmons, owner of Timeless Timbers in New Hope, Minn., is one reasons it’s become popular with architects and well-informed, environmentally conscious custom-home clients. By recovering wood logs, he points, out, the company helps reduce the need to harvest existing forests. But he admits the environmental benefit is only partially responsible for the wood’s rapid rise. For some people, it’s all about looks and history.

“The story behind the pieces is important for some clients,” he says, The hand-hewn white oak logs that his company sells, for example, “were cut for the king and queen of England in the early 1800s and put on a ship to take them to England for shipbuilding,” he explains. “But the ship sank in the St. Lawrence seaway and we are not recovering the cants.”

For architect Morris Adjmi, nothing beats salvage timber for interiors that come alive. “We use it for everything,” says Adjmi, president and principal of the architectural firm MAP in New York. “What’s nice about salvaged heart pine is that it has an immediate sense of comfort and coziness. It’s also very durable.”

Salvaged wood is available in many species and in enough forms for any project. Architect Paul Williger, who does primarily traditional work, likes the rustic appeal of hand-hewn rafters and barn-wood siding. “The material has a beautifully aged patina that you cannot find in new and freshly cut products,” says the principal of Appleton & Associates in Santa Monica, Calif. But you can also get finely graded antique planks fro contemporary interiors. Fifteen years ago, only a handful of companies offered this precious product, but the list is growing every day.

Timeless Timbers specializes in underwater salvage wood from the Midwest and Canada, but also sells reclaimed timber from barns and buildings. “The underwater stuff comes up as logs, so it looks brand-new,” says Simmons. “But it can have different coloration because of the decomposing material in the water.” His ever-changing stock includes red and white oak, various pines, red birch, red cypress, beech, and ash.

Goodwin Heart Pine, in Micanopy, Fla., offers river-recovered, 100 percent heart pine and heart cypress, salvage legacy heart pine, and Southern wild cherry. “For the carefree person, we also offer character-grade products, with nail holes and wormholes,” says owner Carol Goodwin.

Susquehanna, Pa.-based Conklin’s offers barn-wood siding, flooring, and hand-hewn beams—95 percent of which come from old barns along the Mid-Atlantic, says owner Sandra Conklin. Species include hemlock; antique chestnut, oak, and white pine; skimmed pine; and random heart pine.

Mountain lumber Company is Ruckersville, Va., offers historic heart pine in various grades, weathered antique pine, granary and antique oak, antique chestnut, and antique yellow pine. It also offers specialty woods like Russian oak.

With its potentially storied past, sustainable imprimatur, and natural attractions, salvage lumber may be desirable for your next project. However, what you want may not always be what you get. First, don’t let the word “salvage” fool you: The projects come with a price—a high one. Expect your clients to pay at least twice as much as for regular lumber. That’s because salvaging wood is labor-intensive and time-consuming.

And, because anyone can claim to be a wood recycler, the industry is fragmented, with wide price ranges based on supply, geographical region, and wood quality. It’s a good idea to shop around to get the best possible product, though it might not necessarily result in a lower price. For that, Hillbrand that this advice: “Don’t just sprinkle it everywhere in the house,” she says, “Use the material where it counts—where it can have a larger impact and where everyone will see it.”

Conklin says architects should research their potential salvage source. “There are more and more yards out there,” she says. “If you aren’t’ aware of who you are dealing with and what you are getting, you may not be getting what you paid for.” Most companies offer samples, so it’s wise to request them, for your own peace of mind and so you have examples to show your client.

When shopping for heart pine, always ask for old-growth, 100 percent longleaf pine—an older, superior wood with more of the resins that make it hard and give it its trademark rich red color, Goodwin says. Make sure the lumber has been kiln-dried (which produced a more stable product), and beware of a company that recommends ordering 15 percent or 20 percent extra. Depending on the application, 5 percent is sufficient.

A final issue to keep in mind is that salvage lumber has a split personality: Underwater wood has a consistent grading system similar to new lumber, while reclaimed products have their own qualities and own grading system. “One architect might say that a highly distressed piece is A-quality, but that same piece might be undesirable for another project,” says Timeless Timbers’ Simmons.

So much variety means salvage lumber can satisfy many stylistic needs and some hard-to-define ones as well. Its age and patina add instant warmth and a sense of timeless solidity that’s otherwise difficult to create in a new custom home. As long as you weigh the costs, know your wood, and investigate your supplier, salvage timber is a cut above many run-of-the-mill alternatives.

[Woods] [History] [Gallery] [Products] [About Us] [How To] [Contact Us] [FAQs] [Sitemap] [Home]