Using Reclaimed Wood for Furniture

No public establishment is complete without some furniture, and restaurants and diners, bars, hotels, and more need just the right furniture to be welcoming to guests and patrons. These pieces of furniture are often made from a classic material: wood. Today, reclaimed wood such as reclaimed spruce may be popular to be resource-efficient and help ease the pressure of logging on North American forests. This can make reclaimed spruce furniture like reclaimed wood chairs or reclaimed table tops both price-friendly and environmentally conscious. Whether an establishment is an upscale New York City restaurant, a small-town diner, a bar, or a hotel, reclaimed spruce and other wood products can satisfy all furniture needs just fine. Today’s lumber industry is huge, a time-honored means of production that is as popular as ever.

Lumber in North America

The United States and Canada have a long and fond history with hardwood species that grow on the continent. Ever since the early American period, ranging from 1640 to 1700, Americans have used many native hardwood species to innovate their own furniture and housing designs and carpentry. It was during this time when distinct American styles of wood working emerged, and this continues to the present day. Cedar, redwood, cherry, and more proved popular across the centuries. More recently, statistics have been kept to determine just how much wood is being converted into lumber. Ever since 1900, an incredible three trillion board feet of lumber have been milled, and modern construction has plenty of need for wood alongside concrete and steel. In fact, around 20-30% of all modern construction waste is wood materials, but reclaiming that wood can help give it new life. Americans love the appearance and even the scent of wood in the home or public spaces, and wood such as reclaimed spruce can help satisfy this need and aesthetic alike.

Establishments and Wood

A restaurant is not the same as a private home, but a restaurant owner who is opening their first restaurant may take some useful cues from current homeowner trends in housing. Many home interior images are shared on Pinterest, and these typically feature wood surfaces and products. Just to name one example, keyword searches on Pinterest related to farmhouse-style home design such as “herringbone wood patterns” are on the rise. Carved and polished wooden surfaces can instantly make a room look complete and warm, and establishment owners may get ideas from this. After all, many restaurants, hotels, and even bars aim for a home-like feel in them to set patrons at ease.

This is where reclaimed wood such as reclaimed spruce can be helpful. Popular and attractive wood such as cherry can be used to make tables and chairs, alongside reclaimed wood tabletops with tablecloths draped over them. Bar stood may be made from reclaimed wood as well, as can chests and cabinets in hotel rooms. In a more casual diner, an owner can look up reclaimed wood suppliers and purchase some for carpenters to make into fine chairs and tables, and this can be cost-effective and help protect North American forests at the same time. Reclaimed wood doesn’t have to look ramshackle or cheap, either; this wood can be polished and painted for a highly refined look that may impress patrons. And once a set of tables is built this way, the restaurant owner can take the tables’ measurements and use this data to order tablecloths and other linens. The right size of tablecloth is important for making a table look great, and too-large linens are a waste of material while too-small ones can’t get the job done.

Reclaimed wood might be used in other ways too, such as bar stood, as mentioned above. Bars often have wood paneling in them, and this paneling might also be made of reclaimed wood to further contribute to resource efficiency. Wood can also be saved if the floor has wood paneling on it; that is, peel-off stickers that resemble wood. This false wood has the advantage of being durable, removable, and easing demands of real lumber. Authentic, reclaimed wood is a must for furniture, from tables and chairs to bar stools and beyond. All of this can add up to a comfortable and home-like feel in any public establishment.