Consultation

A couple purchased a 1920s farmhouse and wanted to install reclaimed wood flooring throughout the main level, approximately 1,400 square feet. They had no experience with reclaimed materials and were unsure about species, finish options, or how to handle the extra waste factor compared to new flooring.

During our initial consultation, we walked them through the differences between red oak, white oak, and heart pine for flooring applications. We recommended reclaimed red oak for its warmth, durability (Janka 1290), and availability at a mid-range price point. We calculated they would need approximately 1,680 board feet to account for 15% waste and transition cuts in a multi-room layout. We provided three sample boards with different finishes — raw, oiled, and polyurethane — so they could make an informed decision.

The homeowners chose a natural hardwax oil finish and placed their order the following week. We milled the flooring in-house as tongue-and-groove at 3/4 x 5 inches, delivered it in two batches to match their installation schedule, and the flooring was installed over three weekends by their local contractor. The total project came in $2,800 under their original budget for new hardwood flooring.

A new craft brewery needed 2,600 square feet of reclaimed wall cladding, a 22-foot bar top, and four large ceiling beams for their taproom build-out. The architect had specified reclaimed wood but had not worked with a reclaimed supplier before. They needed material samples for client approval, spec sheets for the general contractor, and a delivery schedule coordinated with a tight 12-week construction timeline.

We assigned a dedicated consultation contact who worked directly with the architect and GC. Within five days, we shipped a sample kit containing six species options for the wall cladding, three beam finishes, and two bar top slab options. We prepared spec sheets with species identification, moisture content certification, structural grading reports for the beams, and finishing recommendations. We then developed a phased delivery schedule: beams first (week 3 of construction), wall cladding next (week 6), and bar top last (week 9).

The project was completed on time and within budget. The architect later told us it was the smoothest reclaimed wood specification process she had experienced. The brewery has since referred two other commercial clients to us, and we now supply reclaimed wood tap handles as a seasonal promotional item for their brand.

A preservation committee was restoring a landmark 1878 Norwegian Lutheran church and needed to replace damaged sections of the original American chestnut wainscoting. The challenge was finding authentic chestnut material in matching dimensions and profile — a species that has been functionally extinct for over a century. The project also needed to meet Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Preservation.

Our team inspected the existing wainscoting on site, documented the original profile dimensions and fastening methods, and searched our inventory for compatible chestnut stock. We located 280 board feet of chestnut boards salvaged from a period-appropriate source and confirmed species identity through end-grain analysis. We then milled a custom knife to match the original wainscoting profile within 1/32 inch, accounting for the slight dimensional differences between the 1870s hand-milled original and our machine-milled reproduction. We provided a material provenance letter for the preservation committee files.

The replacement sections were installed by a restoration carpenter and blended seamlessly with the surviving original wainscoting. The Iowa State Historic Preservation Office reviewed the work and confirmed it met all applicable standards. The church committee wrote a letter of commendation and the project was featured in a regional preservation newsletter.

A commercial developer building a 40,000-square-foot office building was pursuing LEED Gold certification and needed to document the use of reclaimed materials for credit under the Materials and Resources category. They wanted reclaimed wood for lobby feature walls, conference room ceilings, and common-area millwork, totaling approximately 8,500 board feet. They needed carbon offset calculations, waste diversion documentation, and chain-of-custody paperwork.

Our sustainability consultation covered three areas. First, we helped the project team select species and grades that maximized both visual impact and LEED credit potential. Second, we prepared detailed carbon offset documentation showing that 8,500 board feet of reclaimed lumber represents approximately 9,350 pounds of sequestered CO2 that would have been released through landfill decomposition. Third, we provided chain-of-custody documentation tracing each lot of lumber to its salvage source, including photographs of the original structures and GPS coordinates of the salvage sites.

The building achieved LEED Gold certification with full credit for reclaimed material use. The developer has since specified reclaimed wood for two additional office projects, and our carbon offset documentation template has been adapted for use on three other commercial builds in the region.