Reclaimed Wood Becomes Hot Accessory in New Homes and Remodeling

More homeowners are using reclaimed wood from barns, factories, and log cabins to decorate their modern homes, The Wall Street Journal reports. They're using the reclaimed wood to decorate everything from ceilings and flooring to window accents. "They want it to look as primitive as possible," Klaas Armster, co-author of the upcoming book Reclaimed Wood: A field Guide, told the Journal.

Old-growth timber is no longer available in the U.S. construction industry. Suppliers today use wood from trees cultivated to grow fast that can be quickly processed into timber. Homeowners looking for antique wood from mature trees are calling on wood-reclamation companies to look for planks to reuse. They can be costly. Large structures of wood can cost anywhere from $300,000 to $1.5 million. On a smaller scale, homeowners may find costs much lower, such as $55,000 to use reclaimed accents on their kitchen or living room ceilings.

Source: Realtor Magazine, The Wall Street Journal