Structural timber

In France and the Benelux, structural timber occupies a less central place in the reuse sector than elsewhere in the world. In the United States, with its great wood building tradition, the reclaimed wood sector is particularly well developed.

In our regions, we can make a distinction between different products. On the one hand, there is the relatively recent reclaimed wood that can be used perfectly as an environmentally friendly and often cheaper alternative to equivalent new products. On the other hand, there is a market for old, mostly oak beams from buildings that are often centuries old and sought after for their rustic aesthetic properties. 

Reclaimed structural timber can be reused to structure entire buildings or parts of buildings such as mezzanines, canopies, etc. But equally, such structural elements are sawn (whether or not by the dealer himself) to produce planks for furniture, floors, panelling or other interior decoration (for more information on this, see the category Finishing wood). In this category here, traders who offer the structural timber in its original form are included.

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Trusses, beams, rafters, etc.

These products can be found via demolition contractors who dismantle wooden roofs, floors or other structures. The resulting wood is sorted and usually denailed. The terminology used for these products varies from region to region, but typically refers to solid wood elements with a rectangular cross-section from twentieth century buildings. Both larger and smaller cross-sections are offered on the market. 

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Glued laminated timber

Glued laminated timber elements, or 'GLT' for short, are manufactured by superimposing and gluing planed timber slats. These elements are valued for their mechanical properties, their lightness, their ability to span across large areas and the variety of geometric shapes that the technique allows. They can usually be found through various demolition contractors. 

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Antique (oak) beams

These elements are available through various specialised dealers, and differ from the rafters and beams described above in their rustic, antique aesthetic. The generally oak beams are easily more than a hundred years old, may be decorated and/or have irregular shapes due to their age, but their technical qualities remain significant as well! 

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