What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen

Once you plan to remodel your kitchen, you’ve probably been overdosing on websites, articles and magazines on different materials to add to the kitchen – ones that add charm, uniqueness, beauty, and style. You might have even been hearing some buzz about reclaimed wood. But, what is this material? Why is it so special and why are so many people placing it in their kitchens? Below, we will be going over questions just like this.

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Photo Souce: peakcarpentryllc.com

What Is Reclaimed Wood?

Reclaimed wood is wood that was once used for something else; old barns, old decks, warehouses, etc. Some companies even give you the opportunity, to use reclaimed wood from things like boxcars, and wine barrels.

Why Use Reclaimed Wood?

Reclaimed wood has a sense of history about it. Chances are it was collected from a previous structure or an object. For some people thinking about having wood from a 19th century chateau in Paris and using it for their butchers block in their kitchen, is something that excites them and amuses them. Or maybe you get excited thinking about whiskey barrels and using the wood (inner or outer) for flooring. Either way, reclaimed wood can bring instant gratification to people that enjoy history, want to create a conversation piece in their kitchen, or just want to add something of “age” to their space.

Using Wood That is No Longer Available

If you’ve ever traveled and saw wood that really caught your eye – but it’s no longer available for whatever reason (doesn’t exist?) then you might be able to find a company that has access to this type of wood, albeit in a very small amount, that you can grab up and put in your kitchen. American Chestnut for instance is a wood you don’t really see anymore, but one homeowner got their hands on some, and created shelves on the wall and cabinets with this wood – it looks outstanding, and it’s not the same old same old wood you see everyday! It can definitely add a unique look to your kitchen.

Larger Widths For The Boards

A lot of the old reclaimed wood flooring types came in much larger formats than they do today. Sure, since conventional flooring ideas would support kitchen flooring to be laminate flooring which comes in larger formats, but those are way different as compared to reclaimed wood flooring. These can sometimes (unlike laminate flooring planks) come in formats from 12 to 14 inches in width which is pretty much unheard of these days. Another cool way to get longer and higher width flooring, is to look into reclaimed wood from house beams.

One Of A Kind Details

Sometimes, whether you find whiskey barrels, wine barrels, or barn wood – you find that there are little details left on it, that you simply have to marvel at. One woman, who got reclaimed barn wood, found a little scrawl on the wood that said, “I miss Amy”. It just adds a cool little detail – a true detail, that will conjure up all sorts of cool stories.

Reclaimed Wood Can Be Used Anywhere

If you think that reclaimed wood is only for your floors; think again. Reclaimed wood can be used anywhere in any type of design.

 

A few ideas:

Reclaimed wood as a background (backsplash) in your kitchen. Have it be whole slabs of wood, strips, or tiles. You can create a really different and unique looking background.

Reclaimed wood as a tabletop in your kitchen. Larger boards of wood can easily be cut down to size for a table top.

Reclaimed wood can be used as a “beam” of sorts to place above your kitchen island and have lights added to it. To really add an aged look, consider making the lights out of mason jars.

Reclaimed butcher blocks can be used for a kitchen island.

Reclaimed wood can be used for ceiling accents, or other accents such as the side board of your counters.

Reclaimed wood can also be used to create shelves for open shelves on your walls. These are a pretty easy way to take a larger piece of wood, cut it down, and create 3 or more shelves. Plus, since they are open shelves you won’t be hiding that unique and beautiful wood -great conversation piece!

Lastly, reclaimed wood can be used to create cabinets. If you can find a good carpenter with the right tools, they can create fancy little cabinets, not just the usual run of the mill cabinets, but if you have enough material you can create a few different storage spaces such as a wine bottle holder, open shelves, and more. You can even find reclaimed knobs – if you can’t, just go to the store and get a darker material, that has a sort of antique look to it., to add to the cabinets and drawers in your kitchen.