Old barns have become a hot commodity as designers of luxury homes and other projects seek seasoned timber to give new buildings a vintage look, according to many news sites out there.

But more than a “vintage look,” many of these homeowners and or construction companies are snatching up recycled barnwood as a way to do their part in reducing their carbon footprint.  Recycling barnwood, they say, gives them an opportunity to take pride in knowing that their project is not just another part of a scorched-earth timber clearing process.  And that makes they feel better.

Wood floor Barns are being demolished to make way either newer buildings or, sadly, the transition from a rural landscape to a more urban one.  As a result, there’s a lot of used barnwood flooring or wood posts hitting the market.

That’s the sad part.  The good news is many individuals see the value in having rustic looking flooring, siding and even ceilings made from barnwood, including all of the imperfections barnwood comes with.  

In Minnesota, for example, barnwood beams are being used to lend a fashionable look to rustic ski lodges and million-dollar mountain getaways across the country.  Across the rest of the Twin Cities homeowners aiming for an old-world look also are choosing such wood.
A California flooring store specializing in reclaimed wood, says the costs typically costs 20% to 50% more than new wood, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing any of the fans of barnwood down.  Statistics from the lumber industry show that more than 40 million board feet of reclaimed wood - including material from barns - is sold in the United States annually, up from about eight million about a decade ago.

The growing demand has led to plenty of business opportunities. 
Richard Jefferies of Mapleton and his two employees travel the country to take down barns. At his headquarters - a rented metal pole barn near the Blue Earth County town - old barn timbers and boards are stacked 10 feet high.  Jefferies, who has been in the business for 16 years, said he is usually contacted by people who want their barns taken down. In most cases, a barn has sat unused for years. It may be in a developer's way, or have a sagging roof or crumbling foundation.  

After he buys the barn, Jefferies' employees tear it down, remove the nails by hand, sort and treat the wood to kill bugs before selling it to clients.  John Hagel, a spokesman for Friends of Minnesota Barns, said his group is worried about the steady loss of barns around the state and the Midwest - whether they were taken down by businesses or bulldozed by developers or road construction crews.

Many of these barns are being recycled and used in projects ranging from flooring for new homes or remodeling jobs on existing homes, including old ranch houses whose owners want to keep to the integrity of the original feel.  

But by and large, many of the barn recyclers out there like Jefferies, say folks really want to used recycled wood because of its beauty and its eco-friendly nature.   
Barnwood is a long-lasting and durable type of wood, but it’s not for everyone because it is not smoothed or planed down like other wood materials used for flooring or housing projects.  So, the catch is you have to be OK with imperfections, because barnwood has a lot of them, which is the essence of their beauty.

But recycled barnwood is also being used by echo-friendly artists who take pride in producing work made strictly from recycled materials.   These include birdhouses, frames for paintings, furniture, tables and decorative pieces for the home or office.