World Construction Symposium

Fun Uses For Your Leftover Lumber

28 January 2015 by Wallace Simmons

Have you just finished rebuilding a deck outside? Have you recently replaced your old wood flooring with new? If you're not sure how to get rid of it, here are some ideas for how to use the reclaimed lumber around your home, rather than taking it to the dump:

Bookcases and shelves: A bookcase made of real wood can be expensive and difficult to locate. However, if you have a pile of lumber sitting around from a previous project, you can essentially make one for free. If your wood has been in use outside, it probably has a beautifully-weathered finish. This finish will pair well with some of your older and most beloved books. If you don't want a full bookcase, cut one or two pieces of lumber into assorted lengths. After lightly sanding the ends to remove any splinters, simply attach these pieces of wood to your walls using wrought iron brackets.

Shabby chic wall: Your old and distressed wood flooring can be perfect for adding an old-fashioned or farmhouse look to your kitchen. You can leave the lumber as-is, or you can cut each piece of lumber into new lengths to better fit your wall. This flooring should be laid flat against the wall, driving long nails through the wood and into the wall studs behind. Depending on the look you're going for, you can do this all the way up to the ceiling or you can stop halfway.

Dining table: Cut lumber in half or quarters, so that each piece is as long as you want the table to be wide. Cut two further pieces to the length that you want the table to be. Lay the short pieces side by side, until you like the order that they're in. Lay the two longer pieces lengthwise, touching the ends of the shorter pieces. Using wood glue, clamps and nails, attach the wood pieces to each other so that it becomes a single tabletop. After sanding the whole thing smooth, and attaching legs, you'll have yourself a beautiful distressed wood farmhouse table. 

Tree house: The lumber you just removed from your old decking may no longer be aesthetically pleasing, but it can still make a good tree house. For safety's sake, use new lumber, leftover from the new deck, to lay the tree house's floor. The reclaimed wood can be used to make the walls and roof of the new tree house. If a rope ladder will be how occupants get into and out of the tree house, make sure the ladder is made from nylon and not a natural fiber. Cotton, hemp and other natural ropes can rot, quickly turning the ladder unsafe.

For more information, contact Hanford Lumber Ltd. or a similar company.

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