Architectural Salvage

Architects, designers, and homeowners are increasingly on the hunt for salvage materials whose superior grade and character have passed the test of time. “I think a lot of people are tired of thinking something is quality, putting good money down for it, and then a few years later it is not holding up,” says Don Short, owner of West End Architectural Salvage in Des Moines. Noreene Parker, owner of Pinch from the Past architectural salvage stores in Greensboro and Savannah, Georgia, agrees. “You can no longer get the materials at any price that are the quality of antique materials—they simply do not exist.”  

In addition to enduring quality, people choose salvage because it affords something unique in a sea of new-product sameness. Offerings range from 10¢ nails to $200 lighting fixtures to $17,500 19th-century gargoyles. “As far as what sells, there is an ebb and flow,” says Matt White, owner of Recycling the Past in Barnegat, New Jersey. “When we started about 15 years ago, the hottest thing was to make a lot of furniture from recycled materials, and then that slowed down, but now it has shot back up again. Doors and mantles are always popular, and industrial stuff has been hot for the past 4-5 years.”

“I love that you can’t pigeon hole the customers,” says Elizabeth Scalice, founder of Architectural Salvage of San Diego. On any given day, shoppers might include an architect looking for antique French doors, a designer trying to find a retro pink sink to compliment a vintage ‘60s bath, or grandparents reminiscing about the past. Urban dwellers snatch up things like art glass or large mirrors framed with repurposed ceiling tin to use as decoration, while loft and condo owners value burnished flooring for its touch of warmth and nostalgia.  Owners of older homes buy period building materials and fixtures for restoration projects; owners of new homes are simply looking to add distinction. “The drive to add character to newer homes is huge for salvage,” says Short. “For instance, you can buy a beautiful old door for around $600 that would have to be custom-made today and would cost $5000 new.” You may need to reframe the door to make it fit, but your efforts will be rewarded with something that makes your house stand out for decades to come.

If quality and affordability aren’t enough reason to join the treasure hunt, factor in the sense of buying a bit of history and nostalgia along with the idea that repurposing is a very smart way to go green.

Types of Salvage
Flea markets, estate auctions, garage sales, architectural salvage companies, and wood recyclers offer various opportunities to find one-of-a-kind building materials for your next project. Here are just a few of the product categories:

Reclaimed Wood: Whether dismantled from weathered barns and old houses or dredged from river bottoms, salvaged wood is not inexpensive. In fact, this is the one category where the labor-intense cost of collecting and processing old, rare, and even extinct wood drives the price to double or triple that of new woods. (New oak flooring costs about $5-$7 a square foot; antique oak is priced $10-$16.) Still, many are willing to pay the difference to bring the rich colors, tighter grains, and warm patina home. In addition to flooring, reclaimed wood includes beams, wainscoting, stair parts, cabinets, porch posts, moldings, and corbels.

Windows, Doors, and Mantles: Doors are possibly the most popular salvage item, partly because they are affordable and partly because they make a high-impact statement. Windows are seldom purchased for functional use unless for historic buildings. A few find a second chance with gardeners building small greenhouses. Stained glass windows are most often hung as works of art, while regular windows are often repurposed as mirror or picture frames. Mantles range from lustrous marble to intricately carved cherry. Some buyers simply attach them to the wall to serve as a headboard or shelf.

Kitchen and Bath: The two most remodeled rooms of the house keep salvagers in a steady supply of both antique and vintage tile, faucets, appliances, sinks, toilets, tubs, and lighting.

Garden, Deck, and Patio: Unique items are abundant for your outdoor rooms, including statues, urns, fencing, gates, terra-cotta pieces, benches, and fountains. Don’t forget that a lot of these items will look great inside the house, too.

Furniture: From a copper parlor chair to a midcentury black vinyl sofa to a new table made from salvaged wood, furnishings remain a growing category.

Lighting: In addition to period chandeliers, pendants, lanterns, and sconces, there are many vintage, one-of-a-kind fixtures made from salvaged materials.

Decorative metal: Tin finials, copper weathervanes, wrought iron gates, and bronze gratings are just a few of the metal items available. The increasingly popular industrial look, which includes lots of metal and aged glass, has brought things like metal factory carts and copper pendant lighting to the foreground, as well.