I used to hate reusing trim, but a barn job flipped me

For 8 years I always bought new casing for every window, figured pulling old stuff was a waste of time. Then last spring a client in Elgin asked me to reuse the original 1920s trim on their barn conversion. I spent a whole day prying it off carefully with a wide scraper, and the grain and patina were unreal, nothing like the fresh pine I usually hang. After I steamed out the dents and refinished it, the trim matched the old floor perfectly, and the client paid me an extra $200 just for the effort. Now I check every job for salvageable pieces before I order anything, and I've cut my material costs by about 30% on two rooms since. Has anyone else switched to pulling and reusing trim on older homes, or do you still find new stock faster?

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charlie26913d ago

Old growth wood is a whole different animal. It's denser, cuts cleaner, and the color just can't be faked. Once you see it next to new pine, there's no going back. That $200 was the client telling you what you already knew. I'd take an extra day of prying over fighting with warped new stock any week.