Getting the most "bang for your buck" with your reclaimed wood purchases

Due to significant salvaging and processing costs, reclaimed wood tends to be more expensive than new lumber. One of the questions we get asked most often is this: "I'd love to use reclaimed wood for my project, but how can I fit it into my budget?" Here are a few helpful hints we've accumulated over the years:


Trestlewood II Circle-Sawn Reclaimed Timbers - Arizona
TIP #1: Design around the product, rather than trying to make a specific product "fit" into a particular design.

All too often, customers want to try to fit a square peg (timber?) into a round hole. When dealing with reclaimed wood, it is important to remember that it truly "is what it is" and flexibility is key! Depending on the specific sources the material comes from, there are often limitations in the sizes, dimensions and characteristics available.

So how can you know what to design around? We have made a significant investment in developing our online Product Pages. You can browse our major timber, lumber, flooring, siding and mantel lines and click through to the Product Pages for our most popular items. Accompanied by many photos, almost all of these pages have a detailed specification sheet explaining the range of characteristics associated with those particular lines. In most cases, you will also see a section called "Shop Standard Configurations" allowing you to see the most common configurations available for that particular product. Within that context, you can then either request a quote or, in many cases, simply purchase that standard configuration right online!
165 sf
TIP #2: When possible, buy full, in-stock units.

In addition to the Standard Configurations, several of the Product Pages (particularly those for our mantels and flooring) also give you the ability to "Pick a Specific In-Stock Unit." In these cases, full, in-stock units can be purchased, often at significant discounts, right on our website. In particular, be sure to check out our Flooring Closeouts page for aggressively priced batches of closeout flooring units.

In areas where the "Pick a Specific In-Stock Unit" option is not available, you will still often find photos of specific barcoded timbers, units of barnwood, etc. If a particular unit catches your eye, there will usually be a Request Quote button nearby to get a price on that or a similar unit.
NatureAged Barnwood Siding - Midway, Utah
TIP #3: Create a "blend" of reclaimed and NatureAged products.

Many of our antique/reclaimed wood products can be "mixed and matched" with our NatureAged manufactured products. For example, Antique Barnwood (which is generally shorter and narrower) can easily be mixed with NatureAged NatureAged Barnwood (which is generally longer and wider) to create a pleasing WeatheredBlend. We discuss this concept in more detail on our Trestlewood Blog.
Weathered Oak Lumber
TIP #4: Buy "raw material" rather than more processed product.

Trestlewood has excellent processing capabilities, including the ability to resaw, plane, wire-brush, edge, T&G or otherwise enhance our products. But of course, the more processing you have us do the more the cost increases. If you can use material in its "inherent" form, or perhaps do some of the processing yourself, you could find significant cost savings.

Hopefully these tips have given you a few ideas on how to Go Reclaimed...On a Budget! Please feel free to CONTACT US if we can be of assistance. We are always happy to help "value-engineer" your project so you can get the most bang for your buck.


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