Where to Find the Best and Oldest Reclaimed Wood
If you are a contractor that just snagged a sweet contract with a high-paying client, you are likely to find every way possible to make sure that the client gets exactly what he or she wants. If he or she wants reclaimed wood, for example, which is extremely popular now, you need to find it and fast. The following are some of the best places to find the oldest reclaimed wood.
New England
Some of the oldest wooden structures in this entire country are found in New England. The original colonies all have, or have had at one time, wooden barns. Those wooden barns were made from the old coastal trees found on the East Coast. When those barns were, or are, torn down and sold as scrap, these are the first places you want to go to to ask about available reclaimed wood as lumber. Whatever samples you can acquire to show your client are helpful. Otherwise, you will just have to buy whatever you can get and worry about what it looks like later.
The Midwest
The Midwest is where many more old farms still reside. Some of these farms have been passed down through generations for more than a hundred years. There are barns still standing that have fallen into disuse, but the planks are still there. The planks are rescued by reclaimed lumber companies, and you can contact any of those companies to find more old wood for your client.
In the Oldest Settlements of the Mountains
The Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains claim some of the oldest mountain settlements. Reclaimed wood is often found here, when cabins have been abandoned and logging companies have left decades ago. You will have to call the state land departments in Kentucky, Tennessee, and neighboring mountain states to see what is available.
The Oldest Areas of Canada
People who landed in Canada often came south for furs and trading. When they did, they cut down the very oldest and tallest of trees for lumber and built log homes and barns. A lot of that lumber was also harvested in Canada, or shipped back north. Those that stayed and settled Quebec and neighboring provinces also cut down old trees for building. If you live close to the American/Canadian border near these provinces, you may enquire about the reclaimed wood available in Canada. Then you can have it shipped over the border to show your client and decide if that is what you will use or save for another client who wants reclaimed wood (and there is a very good chance there will be more clients looking for this lumber product).