Using reclaimed building materials is a great choice for the home builder or rehabber. This is a sure fire way to save on cost and reduce waste. Much of the lumber that I built my house with was destined for the dump or sitting and rotting.
What are Reclaimed Materials?
Reclaimed materials are any building materials that are saved after the demolition of a structure. This can include any materials pulled from where the demolition debris were dumped.
Why Use Reclaimed Building Materials?
Lumber prices have spiked in recent years making buying new lumber less attractive. Reclaimed building materials can easily be found for free on craigslist, facebook marketplace, the sides of the road, build sites, and habitat for humanity. Lots of the materials people give away is in perfectly good condition.
Given the advantages of using reclaimed building materials there are things you have to pay attention to. This will ensure you don’t jeopardize your project. The main concern is safety and making sure the material is strong enough to be structurally sound. You also want to make sure the end product looks god as well. Rotted wood will not look good but semi aged wood can look nice. Especially in contrast to brand new yellow pine boards.
Look for rotted wood
Do not build with rotted, termite infested, or crumbling wood! When you acquire the materials you will want to inspect the condition of it. Lots of times when reclaiming lumber you will find the pieces on sitting in the elements unprotected for years.
How to tell if wood is rotted
If the piece of wood is easily able to be poked a hole in or broken up by hand, it is not usable. The ability to break it with your hand means it will not hold weight in a building situation. You may also notice if the wood feels to light for the size of the piece it is likely hollow. If it had termites at one time I will probably still have termites in the wood. You don’t want to spread that to the rest of your house.
Bent wood can be straightened
If the wood is bent it can be straightened out. Don’t be afraid or warped or bent pieces of wood. As long as its a structurally sound piece of wood it can be used for something. You can straighten out pieces of wood by placing the wood on 2 cinder blocks on either end. Put a weight on top of the middle of the wood to bend the piece the opposite way.
This will take time and it helps if it rains during the straightening process. The rain will soften the wood so it will be malleable. Make sure to take the wood piece off the cinder blocks after a certain period of time. Otherwise it will get bent too far the other way.
At one point my yard was full of dozens of pieces of wood being straightened out. If the piece is really bent on a particular side you can consider just cutting it off before using.
Don’t worry about nails sticking out
If the wood has nails or screws sticking out of it, it can still be used. Many people get scared off by rusted nails sticking out but it is still usable. Although it can make carrying and transporting the wood more challenging. Make sure you always wear gloves and long sleeves when transporting reclaimed materials.
Consider just cutting off the end with the nails sticking out. Or if you really need the length and like the piece of wood you can use an angle grinder to cut off bits that are sticking off.
Where to find reclaimed building materials
The best places to find reclaimed building materials are on craigslist, facebook marketplace, build sites, dumpsters, sides of the road, vacant houses and habitat for humanity. The biggest portion of my lumber came from one large source found on craigslist. It was a rural piece of land that had a warehouse on it. The deceased owner had gathered thousands of 2x4s, 2x6s and cedar posts.
If you see a residential construction site don’t be afraid to ask if you can take left over wood. The best is when a house is getting demolished. The contractors will let you take whatever is left of the house before they cart it off to the dump.
Are recycled building materials cheaper?
| Source | FB, Craigslist, Jobsites | Used materials store | Big box store |
| 2x4x8 | $0 | $1.5 | $2.98 |
| 2x6x8 | $0 | $4 | $5.34 |
| Subfloor plywood | $0 | $14 | $23.35 |
Yes recycled materials are not only cheaper but completely free. Sometimes it can be difficult to rely 100% on scavenged wood so there will be some cost going to a used good store like habitat for humanity. The big box stores are always the most expensive and should be avoided if possible. However probably impossible to avoid for specific materials.
Safety when gathering reclaimed materials
Safety first make sure you are using thick gloves, thick boots, long sleeves and potentially a respirator when retrieving old materials. As previously described wood can have rusted nails sticking out. You don’t want them sticking you or you stepping on them. Wood also generally isn’t smooth and can cause splinters when handling.
You will also find the places where you will find reclaimed lumber aren’t always cleanly. Picture an old hoarder house that has been vacant, stacks of lumber and debris half rotting in the backyard. You don’t want to be breathing in any of the dust created when moving the old building materials.
Buy new for structural lumber
For main structural members consider buying new. It is fine using reclaimed wood like 2x4s, 2x6s that are used in framing. However things like structural posts and flooring joists need to be dependable. It can be hard to find completely un weathered thick posts. If you can, hats off to you. 2x8s and 2×10 lumber will also be hard to find.
I personally wouldn’t trust a piece of wood that has been sitting out for long to be sturdy. This is considering holding hundreds if not thousands of pounds of weight. A lot of old reclaimed posts aren’t pressure treated either leaving them susceptible to future rot or termite damage.
Store your lumber safely
Have a covered place to store the reclaimed building materials before you go finding things. Typically you will go through and acquisition phase of the project while you compile lumber. You can do this for a number of months before construction. You don’t want to ruin the good materials you acquired in the rain and sun. There are big car port tents that do a good job of covering long pieces of lumber.
The mobile carport can be erected or taken own rather quickly. The car port tents can also be disassembled and stored away after the end of the project is over.
Reclaimed building materials are hard work
Using reclaimed materials is hard work! Whether its tracking them down on craigslist, facebook marketplace, at build sites or on the side of the road. Or straightening, sanding, grinding, cutting and cleaning the material to prepare it for installation. At many times while using reclaimed materials you may curse yourself for bringing on the extra headaches of prep work.
I can safely say that regardless of all the headaches using reclaimed material is very rewarding and totally worth it. Saving money, having a unique building materials and eliminating waste makes it totally worth it.
Try to find plywood sheets
If you are framing you will need 2x4s, 2x6s, 2x10s and wood posts. For sheathing a house keep an eye out for plywood sheets. When considering a tile project look for piles of unused tile. If you want to have a wood floor look for 1x4s, 1x6s or pallets that can taken apart. If you are doing a roofing project look for stacked sheets of corrugated metal.
More resources: https://www.habitat.org/restores