We source materials from old buildings before they hit the landfill. Louisville's Green Building, for example. Sanding everything smooth would kill what makes it worth saving.
After metal detection, we resaw the boards. That's when you see what's been hiding for a century. Then planer, then kiln to stabilize the moisture.
Wood is 7% of U.S. landfill waste. Old-growth timber has a density you don't get anymore. The cellular structure is different. New wood doesn't compare.
