Reclaimed flooring is more commonly known as recycled flooring. This type of lumber is used for various types of construction and remodeling applications because it can be refinished to look new, or installed as is, retaining the desired patina of old flooring. Using reclaimed flooring helps to alleviate the environment that new lumber can cause. Many reclaimed flooring projects also allow hardwood flooring to be purchased at a reduced rate, allowing people to have a high quality floor without adding a strain to the financial budget.
One major benefit of using reclaimed flooring when building a new structure, or remodeling an older one, is that the cost of the flooring can be drastically reduced. Since the lumber that will be used is not freshly produced from trees, the costs associated with manufacturing specific types of wood can be avoided. Many companies throughout the world specialize in reclaimed flooring, as well as recycled wood products, so any style and type of flooring can be found. This allows the flooring to match the intended application perfectly, without costing too much.
The second benefit not only affects each particular person, but the environment as well. New lumber means that mature trees will have to be cut down and then shipped and manufactured, and then shipped again. Reclaimed flooring uses lumber that has already been produced, and will usually only have to be shipped once, twice at the most depending upon where the used lumber is and where it is refinished and bought. This process not only saves on the transportation and manufacturing pollution levels, but allows the trees to remain in the forests to continue to clean the air.
The final benefit that can be obtained by using reclaimed flooring is the unique design and look that older wood has. Even after the wood has been refinished and repaired it will still have an antique look. Some woods that are hard, or even impossible to find, can easily be obtained through recycling flooring that is no longer needed in its original structure. New wood, no matter how carefully harvested and manufactured, will look and feel like new lumber. Reclaimed flooring, on the other hand, will look new but will still offer an antique look and feel.