Kitchen renovations are some of the most expensive upgrades you can make to your home, but the cost can be worth it. If you want to sell your home or simply want to love your house more than you do, a good kitchen remodel can really transform your space for the better.
Of course, you’ll want to make that transformation without breaking the bank. One way to accomplish that is to source out reclaimed materials. This post will give you some excellent reasons to go reclaimed rather than new, and then give you some guidance on where to find reclaimed materials and where to use them. Let’s get started.
Why Choose Reclaimed Materials?
Obviously, we think the best reason to use reclaimed materials is environmental. Repurposed, reclaimed, recycled and salvaged items have very low carbon footprints compared to new items. No new energy or resources have gone into making them, and if you find them locally, few resources will go into transporting them.
Choosing reclaimed materials also diverts waste from landfills and promotes a cradle to cradle approach to our relationship with things. And that gets us closer to a more sustainable, circular economy.
Which brings us to our second reason, which is economics. Unless you’re fabulously wealthy, you need to keep costs down. In a kitchen remodel, however, there are lots of places you can’t (or at least shouldn’t) cut corners.
Using reclaimed items instead of new ones will save you some cash, cash you’ll then be able to direct towards things you shouldn’t skimp on, like plumbing, electrical and structural work.
The last reason we’ll give you is quality. The saying “they just don’t make things like they used to” is usually true. Cabinets made of MDF, particle board and laminate simply aren’t as durable (or as good looking) as solid wood.
Older pieces were made to last. They were also made to withstand refinishing, which means that when you next want to remodel, you’ll be able to do a lot more refurnishing and a lot less ripping out. And that can save you a bundle.
Remodelling with Reclaimed Materials
Still on board? Fantastic. Let’s get into where to find reclaimed materials and how to use them.
First off, remember that the easiest and most budget-friendly move would be to reclaim what you already have in your own kitchen. If you’re not changing the layout, you might be able to reface your existing cabinets, for example. Even just swapping out the hardware can make a big difference in how the cabinets look.
If you really don’t want to reface your old cabinets, but you don’t want them to go to waste, 11 Eco-Friendly Ways to Refresh Your Kitchen Cabinets will give you some ideas as to how they can otherwise remain useful in your home.
Cabinetry
Cabinetry often accounts for the largest chunk of a kitchen remodelling budget. Fortunately, there are plenty of places to find it. Unfortunately, cabinetry can be very specific to a particular size and layout of kitchen, so you might need to get creative.
Building salvage shops will often have full cabinet sets for sale. Keep your eye on them and you might get lucky and find one that’s close enough to your own kitchen to work. It’s also not uncommon to find them listed online. Other folks replacing their own cabinetry need somewhere for their old cabinets to go, so many people list them rather than pay to take them to the landfill.
If you’re working with a professional kitchen remodeler, ask them for help sourcing cabinets. They might know somebody who’s getting rid of cabinets that would fit your space, or have some ideas of places you could check out.
If you can’t find a full set of cabinets that work, remember that as long as the lower cabinets are the same height in the end, you can work with odds and ends. Even old sets of drawers or other old pieces of furniture can be turned into cabinets. With the same finish and hardware, you can get lots of things to match.
You can mix and match vintage or upcycled upper cabinets for a more eclectic aesthetic. But if you know you want a uniform look, you could also have cabinets custom made from reclaimed wood.
Countertops
Finding reclaimed countertops can be a lot of fun. Check salvage shops, online marketplaces and auctions for pre-cut countertops. Just like cabinetry, many people replace their countertops and need somewhere for the old ones to go.
There are more creative options here, as well, since lots of materials can be cut or assembled to size. Explore salvage yards, as well as architectural salvage and historic lumber stores for salvaged wood or metal to make a unique countertop. Check out counter shops that sell stone, as well. You might be able to pick up a remnant of granite or marble.
Floors and Walls
If redoing floors is part of your renovation, you can save a bundle by using second-hand materials. If your kitchen is small, check online classifieds for laminate flooring, tile and hardwood. When people overestimate how much flooring they need, they’ll often sell off what they didn’t use.
Salvage shops and charity shops like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores are good sources for small amounts of laminate, hardwood and tile.
With a large floor, you’re less likely to find enough of the same tile or laminate to work. You can often find large amounts of reclaimed hardwood floors, however, at an architectural salvage shop or historic lumber store. There are also many companies that specialize in salvaged wood flooring.
Check the ReStore, as well as salvage shops for backsplash tile. Antique markets and vintage shops can furnish you with unique antique tiles—they probably won’t have enough for you to do an entire backsplash (or if they do, the cost might be through the roof), but you can pick up a few special tiles for focal points and statement pieces.
Sinks and Plumbing Fixtures
Antique markets and auctions are a good place to start when looking for vintage reclaimed sinks. If they’re local to you, try a farm auction—sometimes farmhouse fixtures pop up there. For something more modern, try online classifieds, building salvage shops and the ReStore.
Vintage faucets usually can’t be retrofitted, so unless you really know what you’re doing, skip those when you see them at the antique market. Instead, source vintage-looking (or modern) faucets via online marketplaces and building salvage stores.
Lights
Architectural salvage places can be great places to find lights, as are regular second-hand and charity shops. Check online marketplaces for residential kitchen lights, but don’t be afraid to branch out. Industrial and institutional lights often work really well in a kitchen, especially if it’s large. For more information on eco-friendly lighting, check out Green Lighting: Why You Need to Invest in LEDs and CFLs Now.
Hardware
Check flea markets, salvage shops, antique shops and thrift stores in addition to online marketplaces. Since hardware is small, many more kinds of shops can carry it.
If you find hardware you love but can’t find enough of it, it’s still probably worth picking up. You can use the pieces you love in strategic places and fill the rest in with plainer pieces that complement what you’ve found.
As big as a kitchen remodel is, there are very few reclaimed materials that you can’t find with a little time, a little patience and a little luck. Enjoy the hunt!
Feature image: Watermark Designs; Image 1: Polina Kovaleva
