Recycled timber flooring is the process of salvaging timber flooring from existing homes and buildings, the process is unique and varies according to supplier.
Recycled timber flooring is popular for many different reasons, most commonly expressed by our clients, is that the old growth colour and characteristics cannot be matched by plantation timber. People renovating or extending older homes also find that old growth or recycled timber will best match their existing timber flowing when sanded and polished. Using new plantation timber where old growth timber is already presence may be too dissimilar.
Most recycled timber flooring here in Western Australia include Jarrah, WA Blackbutt, Wandoo and Baltic Pine. All of these natural timbers are extremely hard wearing thus making it ideal for re-installation. Recycled Wandoo timber flooring is extremely heavy and resistant to damage on the surface.
Where Does Recycled Timber Flooring Come From?
Hardwood timber flooring was common in the development of housing in Western Australia in the 1950s, however linoleum or carpet would have been installed over these timber planks.
More recently when these houses have been demolished, the timber flooring is removed and made available to timber companies to recycle. These recycled timber flooring planks are de-nailed, re-milled and packaged for sale.
You should be hesitant about purchasing recycled timber that have had the nails cut off from the bottom, leaving the nail still inside the timber. We only use reputable suppliers and can assist in finding the right recycled timber flooring for your project.
Recycled timber flooring can be installed using either the direct stick method, batons or using the joist method.
What To Expect From Recycled Timber
Recycled timber flooring, while re-milled can still produce some “quirky” features from the years in its previous home.
- Expect gaps from previous nail holes. During the sand and polish stage, your recycled timber floorboards will be filled with a putty solution and/or a mixture of saw dust and solution to help conceal them.
- Sunlight damage and natural bleaching. We will ensure that varying colour wooden floor boards are spread out evenly throughout your new project.
- When available you can choose from a wide range of lengths and sizes. Common in the 1950’s was end matched timber. End matched timber is short or random lengths joined continuously and have the appearance of a long length. In some cases, old growth Jarrah planks can be in excess of 4.5 linear meters in length.
- Recycled timber that has previously been sanded and polished can be difficult to install because the polyurethane may have seeped into the tongue and groves, thus making it difficult to mate together. In some cases the tongue and groves need to be cleaned out at a cost to the client. Clients should expect that some tongue and groves will be broken, however should not pose any structural defect.
What is Re-milled Flooring?
Re-milled flooring is a term used when the salvage company acquires the joist or bearers from a property and mills them into flooring. This flooring could either be 12mm or 19mm thick. Clients can expect those beautiful old growth tones, Jarrah and WA Blackbutt are the most common re-milled timber flooring.
Perth Recycled Timber Floor Experts
Westech Flooring has been installing old growth timber, recycled timber and re-milled timber since its start up in 2003.
Contact Us to Find Out More
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