Material flow: Reintegrating wood from CRD sector – Sources to products

The diagram depicts the material flow of sources to products that reintegrate wood recovered from construction, renovation and demolition (CRD) sector in Canada. This diagram presents eleven common recovered lumber source categories along with the products into which recovered materials are reused or remanufactured.

The examples listed are representative and not exhaustive of the current commercial activities in Canada based on sources such as websites, site visits or reports. Activities must be in accordance with domestic requirements (e.g. legislation, codes).

The sources and products illustrated in yellow are for dirty wood, blue are for clean wood, and green represents where the current commercial activities do not specify whether the wood material  is dirty or clean, or indicate that any type of wood is accepted. Dirty wood represents wood material that may contain glue, paint, stains, preservatives, additives, metal fasteners (e.g. engineered wood - particleboard, glulam). Clean wood represents wood material that does not contain contaminants (e.g. paint, stain, chemicals, or glue), but the wood may be pierced (with nails, screws, staples).

Clean wood sources 

1. Dimensional lumber (whole pieces or off-cuts) are used to manufacture particleboard, sound proofing panels, oriented strand boards, medium density fibres (MDF), wood chips, landscaping (e.g. mulch) that can also be used as landfill cover, and wood panels which are manufactured into exterior finishes (e.g. sheathing). Livestock bedding is manufactured from wood chips or from the lumber off-cuts. These lumber or the wood chips are also used for energy purposes. 
2. Wood fibre is used to manufacture livestock bedding, insulation panels and oriented strand boards. 

Dirty wood sources

1. Flooring is used to manufacture furniture (e.g. shelves) and re-used as is (as flooring).
2. Furniture (e.g. tables, stools, cupboards, beds) are re-used as furniture.
3. Cladding are manufactured into shiplap and re-used as is (as cladding).
4. Shiplap are manufactured to ceiling, feature walls and re-used as is (as shiplap).

Either dirty or clean wood sources

1. Pallets are re-used as pallets, and manufactured as particleboard, wood chips, small wood products (e.g. wine holders, birdboxes, bicycle stands), furniture (e.g. shelves, tables, stools), livestock bedding and sawdust used in landscaping.
2. Wood fibres are used to manufacture particle board and decorative panels/ MDF which are used to produce kitchen cabinets.
3. Wood salvaged from barns are re-used as is, for example barn boards and hand-hewn/ sawn beams sold as is for multiple uses. Wood salvaged from barns are also used to produce 3/5-ply panels for kitchen cabinets, furniture (e.g. tables, drawers), interior finishes in restaurants / bars (e.g. accent walls, bar counters), interior finishes for residential uses (e.g. feature walls, hollow beams, mantels, cabinetry), exterior materials (e.g. benches, fences, desks), exterior finishes (e.g. cladding), flooring, and other building materials (e.g. window shutters, stair threads).
4. Other Salvaged wood from residential / commercial material salvage activities are also used to manufacture furniture (e.g. tables, beds, cabinets), interior finishes in restaurants / bars (e.g. accent walls, bar counters), interior finishes for residential uses (e.g. feature walls, hollow beams, mantels, cabinetry), plywood / veneer paneling, exterior materials (e.g. benches, fences, desks), exterior finishes (e.g. cladding), flooring, and other building materials (e.g. window shutters, stair threads). These salvaged wood materials are also sold as is for any purpose, used to manufacture finger-jointed lumber for set design (e.g. walls, props) and for any purpose, nail-laminated timber for use in exterior finishes (e.g. roof panels, beams, lintels), small wood products (e.g. signages, shelves, art) and used for energy purposes.

It is noted that currently reclaimed lumber is most often used in non-load-bearing/non-structural applications with the exception of those listed as proof of concept.

Proof of concept

Reclaimed lumber is manufactured as structural elements in a house, beams, floors, trusses in commercial buildings and musical instruments (e.g. guitar).

The majority of salvaged wood described above from renovation, demolition and deconstruction projects are reclaimed old growth wood and are post-consumer.