5 Things You Need To Know About Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed wood is very popular, and you may have clients asking for reclaimed wood floors. But if you don’t have experience with reclaimed wood, you could easily overlook some critical facts and make some bad decisions.

Fortunately, reclaimed wood has been in demand for a few decades, and the industry has learned a lot about how to make sure it lives up to its promise. That body of knowledge is there for you to draw on. Let’s start with these five truths about reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed Wood is Environmentally Friendly

You probably already know this one. Reclaimed wood’s sustainability is one reason it’s so popular. But you may not know how many ways reclaimed wood is good for the environment. Reclaimed wood:

1. Helps reduce demand for newly harvested timber.
2. Uses less energy. A USDA life-cycle study by researchers with the Forest Products Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that producing virgin material takes about 11 times the energy of reclaimed framing lumber and about 13 times the energy of reclaimed wood flooring.
3. Keeps wood out of landfills and out of burn piles, which reduces pollution and waste.

But here’s something that may surprise you: some reclaimed wood comes with its own environmental issues. Older wood may have been painted with lead-based paint or treated with chemicals that are no longer used. Test older painted or finished wood for lead before you sand or mill it.

In some cases, reclaimed wood can be rehabilitated. In others, it can’t.

Overall, working with reclaimed wood has a net positive effect on the environment. Learn the backstory of the reclaimed wood you use. Owners often love hearing where their floor came from, and knowing its history also helps you confirm the wood meets your sustainability standards. You can also choose reclaimed wood that carries FSC Recycled certification.

Reclaimed Wood Varies in Quality

Reclaimed wood ranks high for charm and character. Don’t let that blind you to the fact that its quality varies. You want to make sure you’re picking pieces that will make a beautiful floor for the long haul.

Start by looking at how the reclaimed wood was milled after it was reclaimed. Were defects removed? Reclaimed wood often has nails and loose knots that need to be removed before it can be used as flooring.

The original surface of the reclaimed wood may not have been sanded flat. You don’t want to buy a batch of planks of uneven thickness and end up with overwood and underwood, where a plank sits higher or lower than its neighbors. Great looks won’t make up for an uneven floor.

Also, consider buying only end-matched wood, meaning it has been precision trimmed with a tongue and groove profile on both ends. If you don’t buy reclaimed wood already milled with a tongue and groove profile, you’ll have to buy longer planks and trim them yourself. Unless you’re skilled at end-matching, you’re likely to waste a high percentage of the wood, and the job may take longer too.

You also need to think about sourcing enough reclaimed wood for the project. Some projects call for mixed species or color variations. Others need a uniform look. In that case, consider whether reclaimed planks from different origins will create the look the owners want. If you need wood from more than one source, choose sources of similar age, location, and use (interior or exterior). Wood with a similar history will have aged in similar ways.

Finding quality reclaimed wood comes down to building relationships with mills and vendors you can trust. Look for suppliers with the expertise and quality controls to provide consistent, quality reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed Wood Can Last For Decades

It’s already lasted for decades. Don’t confuse old with fragile. Of course, you still need to consider the species and whether it makes good flooring.

Oak, maple, and hickory make durable floors, whether new or reclaimed. Choose a species that can stand up to the traffic the floor will get. Reclaimed wood can also give you access to hard-to-find wood, such as old-growth heart pine. Walnut is another good choice for reclaimed flooring.

Some reclaimed wood comes from old-growth trees, which grew slowly for a long time before they were felled. Look at the end grain of a plank: old-growth wood typically has very tight growth rings, and some old-growth wood, like heart pine, is prized for its density and hardness.

Planks milled from old-growth trees a century or more ago are also often wider than today’s standard widths, because the trees were larger. If you can find reclaimed flooring made from old-growth trees, that’s a real find.

Even if the reclaimed wood isn’t from old-growth trees, it has already been through a lot. Give it the care that all wood floors need, and it can keep going for a long time.

Finally, how and when you finish a reclaimed wood floor affects how long it lasts. When choosing a finish, again consider the expected traffic. Also make sure the wood has acclimated before you apply the finish.

Yes, You Still Need to Address Moisture in Reclaimed Wood

Moisture is always an issue with wood. No matter where it’s been, the wood you install needs to be acclimated to its in-service surroundings. If installed wood is too wet or too dry, the floor could buckle, warp, gap, or develop finish problems.

Wood is fully acclimated when it reaches its equilibrium moisture content (EMC), the point where it’s neither gaining nor losing moisture in its surroundings. It will still respond if the conditions around it change.

If the wood’s moisture content is within a couple of percentage points of its EMC (or within the flooring manufacturer’s tolerance), it’s generally acclimated enough to install. If the difference is larger, the reclaimed wood could still shrink or swell, and it shouldn’t be installed until it acclimates further.

If your reclaimed wood comes from more than one source, measure the boards and group those with similar moisture content before you mill or install them. Unchecked moisture problems can lead to cracks, splits, shrinkage, glue failures, and cupped boards.

Moisture can get into reclaimed wood in many ways. The wood often needs to be cleaned before use, with anything from steam to soapy water to a pressure washer. Some reclaimed wood even comes from logs that sat underwater for over a century.

Reclaimed wood is often kiln-dried to kill insects. Mold and insect infestations are common in barn wood and other wood reclaimed from exterior structures. Kiln drying helps make sure there aren’t lurking issues, but it may leave the wood too dry for its end-use location until it acclimates.

The way to know for certain whether reclaimed wood has reached its EMC is to measure its moisture content with a wood moisture meter.

Reclaimed Wood Installs Like New Wood

Once you’ve selected quality reclaimed wood, it installs like any other wood. By choosing for quality, you’ve already handled issues like even thickness, grain alignment, and fit.

When it’s time to install, start where you always would: by acclimating the wood on site. Determine the typical relative humidity and temperature of the end-use location and use our EMC calculator to find the target EMC. Then measure the wood with a moisture meter to know when it has reached that EMC.

When you’re picking the finish, check whether the finish manufacturer specifies a moisture tolerance. If it does, your moisture meter will also tell you when the wood is within that range.

Reclaimed wood has a lot going for it. It’s beautiful, interesting, and sustainable. Be deliberate when you select it, take the time to install it properly, and use a wood moisture meter to get accurate information about its moisture content. Follow these truths about reclaimed wood, and you’ll be installing striking floors that last for decades.

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Last updated on October 8th, 2026