Architectural Salvage... Another way to Recycle

Today’s stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness)….

I was mopping my wood floor and reading the label on the cleaner bottle. Turns out the cleaner kills 99.9% of bacteria and I briefly wondered about the .01% of bacteria that it doesn’t kill. From there, I began thinking about how I’m trying to live a cleaner/greener life, and so on. While mopping the floor, suddenly I realized how awesome it is, the floor I mean. Yes, I have an awesome floor.

The story of our floor comes in 2 parts. The first part began with the original construction of our house 22 years ago when a local contractor built it as his main residence. From the windows and trim, to the salvaged front door with original hardware, it was clear he knew what he was doing. Even with all this finely wrought detail, it was the flooring that sold me on the home. It's made of reclaimed wood originating from an old North Carolina train station. The tiny flaws in each plank have character and I find myself awed by the history they’ve seen. After 10 years, the next owner put an addition on the house. A sizable mother-in -law suite was built, which we have claimed as our master bedroom. In keeping with the style of reclaimed wood, they were able to snag original wood flooring from an iconic Chicago landmark; the Montgomery Ward Building. Did I mention I have awesome floors?

The next time your in the market for new flooring....save a tree, re-use, re-claim, re-cycle. There are a plethora of resources available for reclaimed wood. Here are a few to get you started: Heritage Restorations, Mountain Lumber, Clark's.