Buying Reclaimed Wood BeamsEverybody loves the look of the rustic cabin with its rustic hewn beams and rustic wood paneling. Buying reclaimed wood beams for this type of building can be challenging. You will need to know a few things before you start picking through a pile of beams for your next grand project. Hopefully this article will give you a good overview of what to look for when specifying solid reclaimed wood beams for your application. ![]() Reclaimed Redwood Beams The most common species available for large beams are Douglas Fir, Heart Pine, Redwood and Oak. There are a few other types of wood that can make a good sized beams but these are the most common varieties. The reason you see these varieties most commonly is that the species of these trees are able to grow to tremendous sizes. The tallest and widest tree in the world is the California Redwood but unfortunately it was over harvested one hundred years ago and much of the big beams are rare these days. The Heart Pine suffered the same fate as the Redwood and is not grown to a large size anymore. The most common species to see large format beams in is Douglas Fir. This woos has been commercially harvested, replanted and has a wider range than the Redwood, so there is more opportunity to harvest large trees that will yield a beam of substantial size. ![]() Fresh Sawn Beam There are several textures and looks you can specify for your next beam project. The most common texture and look for structural applications is Fresh Sawn. This is the easiest to achieve and will allow for the greatest flexibility. In this process, a larger beam is sawn down into a common size that will be uniform in size and texture. One of the problems with old reclaimed beams is that the mills that originally cut the beams were inaccurate with their cutting and the width and thickness could vary by half an inch in either direction. You also have shrinkage and warping to contend with if the beam was sawn and installed while it was green. By cutting an old beam down to size, you can even out the imperfections in size and end up with a consistent, uniform, straight beam.
Man made surface treatments can be added to the surface to your beam to give it a certain look. Some of these treatments include brushing, sand blasting and various staining treatments. Brushing the face of the beam with a wire or nylon brush is down with a hand held machine. This is labor intensive but will eliminate most of the splinters and catches on the woods surface. It creates a silky smooth surface to the wood. Sand blasting is usually done when a building is undergoing a renovation and is vacant. High pressure air us used to propel grains of sand through a hose pointed at the beams. This is typically done to strip old paint very quickly and restore the beam to its old look. Remember to always have the paint tested for lead before having this treatment done as it requires an expert to do this. There are also various types of staining that can be done to achieve the desired look you want. Various stain colors and make a fresh sawn beam look old instead of waiting for years while Mother Nature does her work to create that type of patina naturally. We have the ability to do that process overnight. Beams that need to have a structural rating on them for load bearing must be certified by a third party vendor. Most reclaimed wood companies do not offer this service as it is highly specialized. All of the beams that we sell are not certified for any specific fitness of use. ![]() Reclaimed Wood Beam Grade Boxed Heart There are several grades to beams that are used for different tasks. Depending on where the beam was cut from the tree, it can have heart wood in it, or not. The best grade of beam does not contain heart wood and is called Free of Heart Center or FOHC for short. Most beams are cut the traditional way and carry the designation of being called Box Heart. This is because the beams center is the middle of the tree and contains the entire heart of the tree. This is the easiest and cheapest way of making beams. The cost of FOHC is much more than a typical Box Heart grade. We use FOHC for our commercial wood table tops for restaurants. FOHC wood is less prone to cracking or warping because it has no heart wood in it ![]() Reclaimed Wood Beam FOHC Grade Depending on the length of the beam and if it will fit into our kiln, we recommend to our customers that the beam be heat treated before milling. By putting the beam through the kiln, we can remove some of the moisture content so it is less prone to movement once installed and most importantly the kiln cycle will kill any bugs living within the wood. Power post beetles are tiny creatures that like to live in old beams that need to be eliminated. Another thing the kiln will do is solidify any old sap pockets that might be present within the old beam. ![]() Large Reclaimed Wood Beam Inventory We have access to over 2 million board feet of Douglas fir beams is a variety of sizes, patina, lengths and grades. Typical lead times for as-is beams is 4 weeks. If you need the beams to be kiln dried and milled, the time line can extend from there. Costs on reclaimed wood beams can always be shocking at first. The main reason the costs are so high on a beam is the amount of wood contained within the beam. A typical 12” x 12” beam that is 16 feet long has over 192 board feet of lumber in it. Since we charge by the board foot for our beams, this can add up quickly. A typical price for a board foot of 12×12 can range from $5.00/ bf to $10.00/ bf for FOHC grade depending on the dimensions you need. The post Buying Reclaimed Wood Beams appeared first on Viridian Reclaimed Wood. source https://viridianwood.com/buying-reclaimed-wood-beams/
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