Frequently Asked Questions

We stock a wide range of reclaimed wood products including dimensional lumber (2x4 through 2x12), heavy timbers and beams (4x4 and larger), flooring (tongue-and-groove and plank), siding and paneling, and specialty items like mantels and live-edge slabs. Our most common species are bald cypress, heart pine (longleaf pine), white oak, red oak, and Douglas fir. Inventory changes regularly as we source new material from demolitions and renovations, so we encourage you to contact us or visit our yard to see current stock.

You can order by visiting our yard at 4443 Michoud Blvd in New Orleans East, calling us during business hours, or submitting a request through our website contact form. For large or custom orders, we recommend visiting in person so you can hand-select boards and inspect the material. For out-of-town customers, we can send photos and detailed descriptions of available stock. We accept cash, check, and all major credit cards.

Absolutely. In fact, we encourage it for projects where appearance matters. Visit our yard during business hours (Monday through Friday 7 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM) and take your time sorting through our inventory. Our staff can help you identify species, assess quality, and load your selections. For structural applications where appearance is less critical, we can pull stock for you based on your specifications.

We sell to everyone. Whether you are a general contractor ordering a truckload of framing lumber, an architect sourcing material for a restoration project, a furniture maker looking for a few choice boards, or a homeowner building a backyard deck, you are welcome here. There are no minimum order requirements for walk-in customers.

Yes. We offer tiered pricing for larger orders. Discounts typically begin at 500 board feet and increase at 1,000 and 5,000 board feet. For very large projects -- commercial renovations, multi-unit housing, or institutional work -- we can provide custom quotes based on the total scope. Contact us with your project details for a personalized estimate.

Reclaimed lumber is priced per board foot, which is the standard unit of measure (1 inch thick x 12 inches wide x 12 inches long = 1 board foot). Prices vary based on species, grade, dimensions, and rarity. Common species like reclaimed Douglas fir framing lumber may start at $3 to $5 per board foot, while premium old-growth heart pine flooring can range from $8 to $15+ per board foot. Heavy timbers and beams are priced individually based on size and species. Contact us for current pricing on specific items.

Yes, we offer delivery throughout the Greater New Orleans area and across the Gulf South. Local deliveries within Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, and Plaquemines parishes are available with standard flat-rate pricing based on distance. For deliveries outside the metro area, including Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, we can arrange freight shipping. Large orders to any destination can be shipped via flatbed truck. We also work with common carriers for nationwide shipping.

Yes, we ship reclaimed lumber anywhere in the continental United States. Small orders can be shipped via UPS or FedEx freight. Larger orders are shipped on pallets via LTL (less-than-truckload) freight carriers. For full truckload quantities, we arrange dedicated flatbed shipping. Shipping costs are calculated based on weight, dimensions, and destination. We provide shipping quotes as part of our order process so there are no surprises.

For interior applications like flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and trim, wood should be dried to 6-8% moisture content (MC). This range matches the equilibrium moisture content of most climate-controlled interiors. Reclaimed lumber that has been air-drying in a demolished building for decades often sits between 10-14% MC, which is good but not ideal for finished interior work. We recommend kiln-drying to 6-8% for any reclaimed wood that will be used indoors. For structural framing hidden behind walls, up to 19% MC is acceptable per building codes. Always use a pin-type or pinless moisture meter to verify MC before installation -- do not rely on how the wood looks or feels.

Yes, but with important caveats. Reclaimed lumber can absolutely serve structural purposes, and in many cases old-growth reclaimed timber is stronger than modern equivalents due to its tighter grain and higher density. However, building codes require that structural lumber be graded by a certified grader, and most reclaimed lumber does not carry a grade stamp. For residential projects, many building departments will accept a structural engineer's assessment of reclaimed timbers in lieu of a grade stamp. For commercial work, you may need a third-party engineering evaluation. We recommend discussing your plans with your local building department early in the design process. We can provide species identification and density data to support engineering evaluations.

There are three methods to test for lead paint, in order of reliability. First, use an EPA-recognized lead test kit such as 3M LeadCheck swabs, available at any hardware store for about $10. Rub the swab on the paint surface -- a color change indicates lead. These kits are about 95% accurate for positive results. Second, for higher confidence, send a paint chip sample to an accredited laboratory (NLLAP-certified labs charge $25-50 per sample). Third, for large projects, hire a certified lead inspector who uses XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analyzers for instant, non-destructive testing. If lead paint is confirmed, do not sand, scrape, or cut the wood without proper containment, HEPA filtration, and EPA RRP-certified practices. We do not sell painted lumber for residential use without testing, but if you acquire painted reclaimed wood from other sources, always test before working with it.

Yes, and it is very common. Many projects use reclaimed lumber for visible, character-defining elements (flooring, accent walls, mantels, exposed beams) and new lumber for hidden structural framing. The key considerations are dimensional compatibility and moisture content. Reclaimed boards may not match modern nominal dimensions exactly -- a reclaimed 2x4 from a pre-1964 building might be 1/8" to 1/2" larger than a modern 2x4. Plan to mill reclaimed boards to match modern dimensions, or design the transition so the size difference is not visible. Ensure both old and new wood are at similar moisture content before combining them, especially in flooring, to prevent differential movement.

Building codes do not specifically prohibit reclaimed lumber, but they do require all structural lumber to meet certain performance standards. The International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC) require structural lumber to be grade-stamped by an accredited agency. Since reclaimed lumber rarely carries a valid grade stamp, it typically needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Many jurisdictions accept a licensed structural engineer's assessment in lieu of a grade stamp. For non-structural applications (flooring, paneling, trim, furniture), there are generally no code restrictions on using reclaimed wood. Fire-code requirements for flame spread and smoke development apply equally to new and reclaimed lumber. Always consult your local building department and provide them with species identification, moisture content data, and structural engineering reports as needed.

Wood is approximately 50% carbon by dry weight. When a tree grows, it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and locks the carbon into its cellular structure. As long as the wood remains in solid form (not burned or decomposing), that carbon stays sequestered. The calculation is straightforward: one board foot of typical hardwood weighs roughly 3-4 pounds when dried. At 50% carbon content, that is 1.5-2 pounds of carbon per board foot. Converting to CO2 equivalents (multiply carbon weight by 3.67, the ratio of CO2 molecular weight to carbon atomic weight), each board foot of reclaimed lumber keeps approximately 5.5-7.3 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. For a project using 500 board feet of reclaimed lumber, that represents roughly 1.4-1.8 tons of CO2 kept sequestered -- equivalent to driving a car about 3,500-4,500 miles. Beyond sequestration, using reclaimed wood avoids the emissions from harvesting, transporting, and milling new timber, adding further climate benefit.

Yes. We maintain records on the source of all our reclaimed material, including the address and type of structure it came from, the date of acquisition, the demolition or deconstruction contractor involved, and any relevant historical information about the building. For LEED projects and green building certifications, we provide written documentation of material origin that satisfies the sourcing transparency requirements under MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization. For historic preservation projects seeking tax credits, we can provide provenance documentation that verifies the age and origin of the material. While our documentation is not a certified chain-of-custody system like FSC (which applies to new-harvest forestry), it provides the traceability and transparency that green building programs require for salvaged materials.

Reclaimed lumber itself is not "LEED certified" -- LEED certification applies to buildings, not individual materials. However, using reclaimed lumber can contribute to earning LEED credits across several categories. Under LEED v4 and v4.1, reclaimed wood can earn points in: MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (sourcing of raw materials), where salvaged materials contribute to recycled content thresholds; MR Credit: Construction and Demolition Waste Management, where diverting material from landfills earns points; and potentially EA Credit: Optimize Energy Performance, since the embodied energy of reclaimed wood is effectively zero (no harvesting, milling, or kiln-drying of new material). If the reclaimed lumber is sourced locally (within 100 miles of the project), it also contributes to regional materials calculations. We provide all documentation needed to support LEED credit applications, including material origin, weight/volume data, and distance-from-source calculations.

The yield varies enormously depending on the building type, age, construction method, species, and how carefully the material is recovered. For a carefully deconstructed wood-frame building (hand-dismantled rather than machine-demolished), typical yields are: 40-60% of dimensional lumber is recoverable as structural or appearance-grade material, 15-25% is downgraded to utility or pallet grade, and 15-30% is lost to damage, decay, or embedded fasteners that cannot be removed. For heavy timber buildings (old warehouses, factories, barns), yields are often higher -- 50-70% of the timbers are recoverable -- because the larger cross-sections are more forgiving of surface damage. Machine demolition dramatically reduces yield compared to careful deconstruction, often dropping usable lumber recovery to 10-20%. This is why we advocate for deconstruction over demolition whenever possible, and why we offer deconstruction services that maximize salvageable material.

In almost all cases, no -- the environmental benefit of using reclaimed lumber far outweighs the transportation impact. Consider the full lifecycle: growing a new tree takes decades of land use, harvesting requires heavy equipment and road construction, milling consumes significant energy, and kiln-drying uses natural gas or electricity. The total embodied energy in new lumber is approximately 2,000-6,000 BTU per board foot depending on species and processing. Shipping reclaimed lumber by truck adds roughly 100-400 BTU per board foot for distances under 500 miles. Even shipping cross-country (2,000+ miles) adds only about 800-1,200 BTU per board foot -- still well below the embodied energy of new lumber. Additionally, landfilling wood waste generates methane (a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2 over 100 years), so diverting wood from landfills provides climate benefit beyond just avoiding new harvest. The only scenario where transportation might offset benefits would be air-freighting small quantities internationally, which is not something that occurs in the reclaimed lumber market.