Salvaged Building Materials

Salvaged building materials are recovered construction supplies that can either be returned to serve their original function (usually in a new location) or altered to fill a new role entirely. The reuse of materials in this way reduces the need to extract, manufacture, and transport new construction supplies, which makes this a more sustainable alternative to using new materials. Salvaged materials are often more affordable than new products, which makes them especially attractive for building projects on a budget.

Although the availability of salvaged building supplies clearly depends on the inventory of your local suppliers, you might be surprised by how many of the building materials you need for a project are available as salvaged materials. Look for salvaged tile, brick, pipes, sinks, vents, doors, glass, metal and wood. In fact, many barns are being dismantled to source reusable high-quality wood.

Although salvaged materials are often used to fill their original function, there are many ways to use salvaged materials creatively, such as:

• Glass — Can be cut to fit a window, a picture frame, or for use as a set of transparent cabinet doors. Glass blocks can also be used to divide interior spaces.
• Tile — Repaint tiles with new designs or break them down to make decorative art as flooring, paneling, and as tabletops (as shown above).
• Wood — Beams can be refurbished as furniture or flooring. Stair posts can make decorative table legs and bedposts. Also consider shutters as panels for shelving.
• Metal — Sink faucets and doorknobs can be used as hooks for coat hangers or hat racks. Door hinges make fancy drawer pulls, and handrails can be refitted over exterior windows for security.
• Stone and Brick — These can be laid to make paths or flooring, stacked to make brick and plank shelving units, or combined with mortar to make walls, art, or stand-alone barbecues.

Even nonconventional items are fair game and can add character to a home or office. One Maryland couple retrofitted an old railroad gas lamp with modern electrical wires and lighting for use in their home.

 How to Find Salvaged Materials

To find salvaged materials, one must generally rely on local or regional resources, like used building-material stores and salvage yards. Many of these can be found online through the Building Materials Reuse Association directory or at yellowpages.com by typing in your Zip Code and “Building Materials, Used.” Additionally, local demolition companies may be willing to sell recovered materials to avoid landfill tipping fees, and newspapers sometimes include a classified section for “building supplies.”

If looking for furniture, there are also a number of companies that specialize in making their goods from salvaged materials. These include  Tropical Salvage (Oregon), Goodwin Heart Pine Company (Florida), CitiLog (New Jersey), Vintage Log and Lumber (West Virginia), Urban Hardwoods (Washington) Vintage Material Supply Co. (Texas), Jay Sanders Inc. (New England) and Clayoquot Crafts (British Columbia). For more innovative approaches, also check out Bike Furniture Design and SkiFurniture.