The prices of building materials are rising sharply and wood is no exception. So there’s no better time to reclaim old wood for your building work!
Reclaiming old wood is nothing new. But time constraints often mean that the option of re-purposing it for building work is often overlooked. But in the current climate, priorities are having to change. Despite a recent excess of beetle-killed logs, there is now little left in the domestic market, which has caused prices to increase by 10%. Yet sawmills are rarely resorting to kiln drying, which means that wood that is full of fresh water is going out to building sites. This despite the fact that timber used for building work should have a maximum moisture content of 20%. A higher moisture content is an invitation for infestation by wood-decaying fungus and is no good when it comes to installing roofing on houses, pergolas or garden sheds.
So if you can get your hands on well-stored and well-dried old beams, rafters, planks or frames taken from sheds. houses or granaries, you can re-purpose them for your building work as long as you abide by the following basic rules:
- Carefully check the condition of the wood and only select wood that is visibly healthy and dry. Measure the wood’s moisture content, if possible. The drier the better: below 15% is ideal.
- We don’t recommend reclaiming wood that is even partially infested by wood-decaying fungus. In extreme cases, saw off infested parts plus at least another 50cm from the place of infestation.
- Wood infested by wood-decaying insects can be cured using Bochemit Plus I. But this curing process must be thorough – you can find detailed advice here.
- Just as with new wood, before installing your old wood in new buildings – remember, this should be well-dried, well-kept and uninfested – we recommend impregnating it against infestation. You would be well-served by using Bochemit Opti F+, Bochemit QB Profi or, for small areas, Bochemit Hobby.
- Before beginning remedial or preventative impregnation, always clean the wood surface thoroughly and remove or grind off any old paint, dust, grease or any other residues. This will allow the impregnation product to better soak into the wood.
