Antique Wood Guidelines

The following summarizes the potential applications for reclaimed or “antique” wood. It's particularly important to understand that reclaimed wood and the respective wood products are not suitable for structural purposes where weight bearing loads and structural integrity must be certified. When used as beams and posts the application should be purely decorative or used to wrap structural posts, beams, and trusses.

1. LUMBER & TIMBERS

a. As is. Boards and Beams are selected based on customer specifications for a range of dimensions (thickness, width, length). No processing other than visual metal detection and removal. (There will be hidden metal - nails, screws, etc.). This is lowest cost option.

b. Processed. Beams can be further processed with pressure washing and borate treatment (insecticide). Boards are typically kiln dried and magnetically scanned for metal, "de-metaled", with pressure washing done based on customer requirements. Beams and boards will vary in thickness, width, and lengths, but can be selected based on customer requirements.

c. Processed and Milled. Beams can be cut and re-sawn to create one or more flat surfaces, or to provide "skins" only. Beams even when processed can have hidden metal. In addition to the processing described above, boards are processed to varying degrees based on customer requirements. This may include straight-line ripping to specific widths, planing of one or both surfaces to a specific thickness, and sanding.

2. INTERIOR MILLWORK

a. Moldings . While any style of moldings are conceptually possible, dimensional characteristics are generally influenced by the lumber's original use. Use of reclaimed lumber boards, depending on species, will result in boards that vary significantly from one piece to the next in terms of degree of distress (nail holes, weathering, cracking, etc), and color. Typically, the profile of window and door trim is kept simple, letting the character of the wood stand-out. The use of reclaimed wood for trim is almost always in coordination with other uses within the architecture of a room or home, eg. flooring, doors.

b. Staircase components. The use of reclaimed wood for a staircase can create a dramatic architectural feature as a stand-alone element or in coordination with other uses such as flooring, trim, doors, etc. The term Antique becomes especially meaningful.

c. Doors . As with trim, the style of doors is kept to minimalistic designs and in many cases are similar to the styles in vogue during the era of the lumber's original use. We use door manufacturers that specialize in reclaimed lumber and who know how to use engineered manufacturing techniques to stabilize the integrity of old wood.

d. Flooring. The vast majority of antique wood finds its way into the flooring. Our flooring is available in varying widths of up to 9" and is end-matched. Pre-finished, ready-to-finish (pre-sanded with micro-bevel edge), and standard unfinished products are available. Our pre-finished flooring is 100% VOC compliant. Our Antique flooring products include options for skip-planed circle-sawn texture as well as smooth surface.

e. Walls & Ceilings . Whether the wood is simply cleaned and re-applied as-is, or milled into v-groove or ship-lap, reclaimed wood on the wall and/or ceiling, when combined with other antique wood elements such as beams, will transform a room into an architectural masterpiece.

f. Beams & Posts. Hand-hewn or original sawn beams can be used in their original condition as decorative elements on a wall or ceiling, or boxed beams and posts can be created from reclaimed lumber to reduce cost as well as weight. Boxed beams can use lapped corners or be of miter-lock design which gives a more seamless and "solid" look.

3. EXTERIOR PRODUCTS. Note: As with any wood, care must be taken to protect the wood from water and sun with an exterior grade wood stain or finish.

a. Exterior Siding. This is typically about the preservation of the wood's original texture and weathering. Typical applications may be re-sawing of 2x8 or 2x10 boards into beveled siding, or into a board & batten application. Old weathered barn siding can be recycled and reapplied as siding and soffit covering, or as interior wall and ceiling treatments.

b. Exterior Trim. If the architecture calls for the illusion of an old structure, nothing compares to the use of old boards and beams, whether sawn or hand-hewn, as window and door trim.

c. Pergolas, decking, railings. Antique solid beams and thick lumber are ideal for creating unique pergolas and decks. Boxed beams fabricated from reclaimed lumber can be a cost effective option for these as well.

4. WOOD SPECIES

a. Oak. Available as either Red Oak or White Oak, or mixed. The most versatile of woods, with many products derived from 2x6, 2x8, 2x10 material. Good source of hand-hewn, circle-sawn texture and other unique distress characteristics. Provides the most durable of reclaimed flooring material.

b. White Pine. Typically old-growth and plentiful as a regionally sourced material. 2x boards from old grainery walls provide very high quality circle sawn material that is suitable for flooring and many other millwork applications.

c. Douglas Fir. Typically old-growth and also plentiful as a regionally sourced material. Good source of wide plank flooring, with most material re-sawn from beams. Good material for other general millwork applications and especially good source for solid beams and posts.

d. American Chestnut. Also referred to as Wormy Chestnut. Essentially an extinct wood species in North America, this wood is one of the most prized of antique woods. It must be sourced from the East and Southeast regions of the country. As a prolific source of lumber for early American building, Chestnut has been abundantly available from barns, industrial buildings, and old homes. Due to its unique beauty it is in high demand and thus is the most costly of domestic reclaimed wood. It is used heavily for flooring as well as many other interior millwork applications. Gray weathered barn-wood is especially popular for wall and ceiling treatments. The weathered patina is deep and rich and thus is also popular as flooring material.

5. PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS. The following are typical questions to be considered when specifying the requirements of a project using reclaimed wood.

a. Appearance. How important are antique aesthetics? Is the appearance to reveal original aging and/or weathering? E.g. weathered barn siding. Does the user wish for a heavy amount of distressed character - nail holes, cracks, etc.

b. Green building. Is the specification for reclaimed lumber due more to a "green" building requirement whereby recycling is the greater motivation. This also may add criteria for regionally sourced material from within a 500 mile radius of the project site. White Pine and Douglas Fir are more available in this context.

c. Dimensional characteristics. Does the application call for use of wood with original surface and edges and therefore will it allow for irregular thicknesses, widths, and degree of straightness? Or, does the application require more uniformity and thus might require re-sawing, ripping, or planing to consistent dimensions?

d. Does the user intend to use as structural components? If so, the prospect needs to be advised of the disclaimer for such use.

e. If the plans call for timbers (posts & beams), is the requirement for hand-hewn or original sawn? Is re-sawing (which will typically have a band-sawn pattern) acceptable? Is the requirement for a smooth (planed and sanded) texture?

f. If the application is flooring, is the installation over in-floor heat? What does the user expect in terms of board widths and lengths? Do they want pre-finished or a traditional on-site sanding and finishing.

g. Lead-time. Most reclaimed wood projects have requirements will require a minimum of 4 weeks and more typically 6 - 8 weeks. Large-scale projects may require 8 - 12 weeks in order to keep costs at a minimum.

Click here to download a pdf of Nordecor's Antique Wood Guidelines.