subject: Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring - Are You Getting The Real Thing [print this page] Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring - Are You Getting The Real Thing
Most wood used either inside or outside the home for construction and interior dcor purposes is beautiful in its own way but, to many people, reclaimed wood offers something extra special.
Hardwood floors, paneling, pillars and other trim work that has been around for decades, even centuries in some cases, all seem to have their own stories to tell after all those years of loyal service.
Reclaimed hardwood flooring is one of the hottest trend in flooring right now. However, if you are considering reclaimed hardwood floors for your home you must take care to make sure you actually end up getting what you are paying for.
True reclaimed hardwood flooring is exactly what it sounds like; antique wood and timbers that have been recovered from old homes or other buildings and repurposed as new flooring planks.
It is a very eco friendly way to deal with wood that may have otherwise been thrown into a landfill to rot.
The majority of such flooring is beautiful to behold, each plank possessing its own distinctive and unique charm that only age can bestow.
As with any hot trend though, there are plenty of reclaimed hardwood flooring imitations hitting the market as well. The most common are actually modern engineered hardwoods designed and engineered to have that vintage look complete with interesting grains and uneven textures.
As a standalone product, these engineered hardwood vintage floors do indeed carry their own charm. However, they are no match for authentic reclaimed wood that has stood the test of time over many yearsand engineeered wood is certainly not as "green".
If you are in the market for reclaimed wood flooring most flooring showrooms and salespeople will tell you quite honestly whether or not the reclaimed flooring they have on sale is genuine or engineered. There are always one or two scoundrels though who will try to pass an engineered product off as the typically rather more expensive real thing.
If you have any doubts, ask the salesperson where the wood came from, as much of the genuine reclaimed hardwood comes with certification that documents the origin of the wood and some details on its recovery.
