Homeowners and business owners are demanding natural, sustainable, eco-friendly products be used into their home design and commercial spaces. Architects, builders and designers are searching for new ways to meet these needs. At the same time, using more eco-friendly materials does not mean sacrificing quality of product or modern style.
That’s why reclaimed building materials have become such a popular commodity. Forecasts predict the reclaimed lumber market demand will reach $16.2 billion in 2026. Reclaimed materials are taken from old barns and buildings that have been abandoned or condemned, many of them 100+ years old. These coveted materials still have plenty of life and use left in them, along with a unique sense of style and a story to tell.
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Reclaimed wood can be shaped and finished into a wide range of different products. They can be clean with a modern twist or rustic look with visible nail holes and saw marks. They can also have a deeper color and patina than a new material. In either case, reclaimed wood is beautiful, stylish, environmentally friendlier than new cut wood, and is rapidly growing in popularity amongst homeowners and business owners as well as builders, architects and designers.
Building with Reclaimed Materials
If you’ve been considering using reclaimed wood in your own projects, take a look at these five ways it can be used for that one-of-a-kind look. You may be surprised to see just how versatile and attractive aged wood can be in a wide variety of design styles.
1. Reclaimed Wood Flooring
Wood flooring is one of the most popular flooring materials for both homes and commercial spaces. Your clients are likely requesting wood in at least some parts of their projects, if not the entire flooring area.
With reclaimed wood, you can offer additional design choices, such as naturally rustic floors that have patina and wear marks that can’t be found in newer materials. You can also offer flooring in a variety of widths and from old growth trees that are no longer being harvested. A reclaimed wood floor will last for decades and will hold up just as well as a new wood floor, so your clients are sacrificing nothing, while gaining in style.
2. Reclaimed Wood Beams
You already know the benefits of using ceiling beams. Solid wood beams can be used to lend support to a room, while hollow wood box beams can be used for interior design purposes or to disguise plumbing and wires. Reclaimed wood beams can be custom constructed to give you two or three visible sides, all with unique characteristics such as saw marks, grain, and patina that can enhance the appearance of the room.
3. Reclaimed Wood Paneling
If you’re working on a space that needs more character for the walls or ceiling than a dry wall finish can offer, consider using reclaimed wood plank wall paneling. Reclaimed wood wall panels can be modern or rustic looking to fit a variety of styles and spaces. They offer the depth, warmth, and interest that only wood can bring to a space, often with additional personality such as saw marks and a varying patina that can add some character to a room. Using wood plank panels as a ceiling accent or as a wall covering to bring depth to any space.
4. Reclaimed Wood Bar Tops
For bars and restaurants, the bar area needs to be the focal point of the room. It’s the gathering place and often the soul of the eatery. So, the bar top material needs to complement the room, be sturdy enough to withstand a lot of use, and it needs to make a statement all its own.
Reclaimed wood tops can do all of this with style and beauty. Choose the wood, the shape and thickness, and how you want it finished. The wood itself will have depth and interest that goes beyond anything you can find in newer materials today, making it a wonderful conversation starter as well as a functional top.
5. Reclaimed Lumber
Reclaimed lumber is available in many lengths, widths, and thicknesses. It’s also available in a range of wood species, and with different levels of antiquing. It can be used in all the same areas and places where you would use new cut lumber for, including ceilings, stair parts, cabinetry, shelves, and walls. It’s just as durable as new cut lumber, but with more history and character to it, along with the environmental benefits. Substitute your new cut lumber with reclaimed lumber to add some additional style and personality to any of your projects.
Start Using Reclaimed Building Materials in 2026
To meet the demands of savvy clients today, architects and builders are seeking eco-friendly, innovative materials, including a variety of reclaimed woods. Reclaimed wood and lumber are just one example of the way that reclaimed products can be brought back to life and used in a new way for many years to come. You can browse a wide variety of successful design project applications here.
Start using reclaimed wood and building materials in your designs to give your clients that unique look they want along with a more environmentally responsible choice. Check out Elmwood’s product collection for more information and get more from your design with reclaimed material.
You can order free wood samples and also receive a free catalog for more details about Elmwood’s collection of high-quality products.
Please feel free to contact our wood experts at Elmwood to find some materials that will meet your design aspirations today!
