Just like recycled bricks – which includes clay bricks, aerated bricks, stone blocks and precast concrete – second-hand timber is equally useful in the construction industry nowadays. You can use recycled timber in many building projects, although the timber salvage process needs to ensure that there is no significant degradation to the wood itself before it is put to a new purpose. With the cost of newly processed timber rising and due to the demands of an increasingly ecologically conscious public, timber salvage has become more and more popular in Australia. How do building firms recycle wood that has already been used in other structures?
New Building Layouts
Sometimes salvaged timber is not taken away from a site to be reprocessed into new construction products but is simply given a new purpose on site. A typical example of this might be when an extension is built onto an existing building. Wooden battens in any walls which are removed can often be put to the same task in any new walls that are constructed. Similarly, any roof joists or purlins that come down during the demolition phase of an extension can go into new roof support structures almost immediately. So long as the timber has not been damaged by rot or exposed to rainwater, it is frequently able to be reused without any delay at all.
Making New Chipboard
When things like floorboards or old window frames have reached the end of their useful lives, they can be turned into chipboard sections with relative ease. Such wooden products tend to be coated with layers of paint or varnish over the years which means they are unsuited to immediate new uses. However, sending them to a recycling centre means that they can be broken down and compressed into chipboard without many energy costs needing to be factored in. The chipboard that is fashioned this way can then go back into the supply chain for the construction industry.
Wood Fibre Insulation
Since most brick-built structures still tend to have cavity walls these days, finding an insulation material from recycled materials makes sense for lowering heating and cooling costs. Because a variety of materials are used in the way, salvaged timber is often overlooked as a wall cavity insulator. When it is broken down into small sections, it can be laid into wall cavities easily meaning that it is an excellent alternative to other options made from plastics, such as polystyrene.