Reclaimed wood beams are a great way to spruce up your home with a unique and warm feature.

These beautifully crafted beams add a whole new sense of character to any home, in more ways than one. These beams aren’t for everyone, but that’s the point.

When it comes to unique home features, if everyone had them, they wouldn’t be so unique, would they?

So, whether you know for a fact you want reclaimed wood beams on your ceiling, or if you’re on the fence, this article is for you.

Today, we’ll be diving into what makes these beams so durable, as well as how they can add some fresh, fun style to your ceilings. First up, what makes reclaimed wood beams more durable than regular ones?

Reclaimed Wood Beams + Durability

reclaimed timbers vaulted ceiling living room; reclaimed wood beams

Typically we associate older materials and features in a home to be frail, weak and easily broken. With reclaimed wood beams, you’re getting quite the opposite!

We know what you’re thinking, how in the heck can a decades-old piece of wood be stronger after all those years? Well, here’s why.

First off, reclaimed wood is sourced from old barns, ships, and buildings that were built roughly 50-100 years ago. Before being sourced for these ships and buildings, the trees from which the wood came had been slowly maturing in the American forests for several hundred years.

Because they were given so much time to grow, they become very durable, and that durability still holds up today. Meanwhile, if you buy beams that have come from newer trees, they’ve only been mature for a few years before they are cut down.

Therefore, they are not as strong as reclaimed wood. But we’re not done yet. There is in fact another reason for the strength and durability that reclaimed wood beams provide.

Reclaimed wood contains a lot less moisture, which helps keep it sturdy. While all wood naturally contains moisture, recycled wood has already had decades of exposure to temperature and moisture variation.

Add Warmth to an Otherwise Bare Ceiling

If you’re at home, look up at your ceiling right now. If not, close your eyes and imagine your ceilings.

What do you think about them? You may very well love them—and that’s great! But for a lot of homeowners, the ceiling is a pretty barren part of their home.

If you fall into the second category, then we’ve got good news for you. Reclaimed wood beams are the perfect solution when it comes to sprucing up your walls (get it, spruce as in the wood?).

The reason is that wood adds a sense of warmth and tranquility to your ceiling, which is typically bare aside from the occasional light fixture or ceiling fan.

white living room with reclaimed wood beams

Without the reclaimed wood beams in the room pictured above, there would likely be an overload of white. But, thanks to the beams, there is now some additional warmth.

In this room, you’ll notice that there is an overall fairly warm vibe throughout the space. That being said, the beams still complement the rest of the features in this room, while still adding some additional warmth.

5 Types Of Reclaimed Wood Beams

Perhaps the most fun part about working with reclaimed wood for your home project is the fact that you have so many different species to choose from. This way, you get to find the perfect style of wood for your home.

Just take a look at the 5 different types of ceiling timber beams we offer here at Manomin Resawn Timbers.

1. Hand Hewn Reclaimed Wood Beams

living room decorated for christmas with hand hewn reclaimed wood beams

Thanks to our friendly neighbors over in Wisconsin, we have our Hand Hewn Timbers available as one of our ceiling beam options. During the very early days of the United States, farmers began to move across the country in droves in search of land to set up shop.

During this time, these farmers felled the trees, using an adze to square up the timber. The practice of using the wood available on the property resulted in structures built with a delightful mix of woods – mostly ash, oak, Elm, maple, and hemlock.

And that’s where this wood comes from!

2. Weathered Antique Wood Beams

utv parked in a garage made of reclaimed wood beams

Our Weathered Antique Timbers have come from barns that were built roughly between the late 19th century and the early 20th century. As you can see from the above picture that features this type of wood, it truly warms up a room as few kinds of wood can do.

3. Reclaimed/Faux Wood Box Beams

reclaimed wood beams inside modern living room

Our reclaimed box/faux beams are another area in which we specialize. They are wooden structures with three sides that are fashioned to represent a solid piece of wood.

We like to say that box beams bring a sense of ‘drama’ and architectural detail to any space you put them in. We can create box beams in just about any size out of Douglas Fir, Weathered Antique, or Platinum Gray.

4. Reclaimed Antique Elm Wood Beams

antique elm reclaimed wood beams on ceiling inside home

The Manomin Antique Elm timbers and box beams are sourced back from 1820 to 1880 from old barns. As you can imagine, because they are so old, you can find some fun and unique features.

This includes mortise pockets, wormholes, and peg holes. As a result, you’re finished milled product is unique to your home.

Today, you will not find this beautiful elmwood in new wood products, because the elm trees were virtually destroyed by Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s.

Antique Elm has a beautiful grain pattern with a gorgeous shimmer that will give your timbers a beautiful sheen.

5. Reclaimed Douglas Fir Wood Beams

arched antique elm reclaimed wood beams inside home

Reclaimed Douglas Fir is easily one of the most beautiful woods around. Our reclaimed Douglas Fir is typically sourced from warehouses and factories.

If you’re looking for additional ways to use reclaimed wood in your home, check out a blog post by our friends at JKath Design + Build.

Contact Us Today and Visit Our Showroom!

We’d love to connect with you and learn more about your home project and how we can help craft the perfect home for you with our reclaimed wood products. To connect with us, you can fill out this brief form or call 651-464-1771!

We also highly recommend checking out our showroom as well! Our clients have told us time and time again how much they enjoy our showroom, especially our extensive displays and sample selection.

So come on down for a bit, and we’ll tell you more about our love for reclaimed wood and why it’s the perfect feature for your home.

Showroom Information

Monday – Thursday: 9 am-5 pm
Friday: 9am-4pm

15152 Freeland Avenue North
Hugo, MN 55038

Contact us by telephone:
Local: 651-464-1771