We had a couple of birthdays on my staff at the start of the year, so one of my team booked a lunch to celebrate. My staff always pick the restaurant, and this time they let me know I was in for something special.
They were right.
The thing was–and this is what my team knew–it wasn’t actually the restaurant that I liked best (although the food was very, very good). It was what it was attached to–a giant salvage yard.
The yard was full of beams and bricks and who knows what else. We didn’t explore outside and instead prowled through one of the barns.
It was four floors, but we only took time for two (it was a work day after all).
There was a floor full of doors. All kinds. All sizes.
There were barn doors too, and I was sure to snap pictures for Matt.
Although I more wanted him to see the price tags as opposed to the doors themselves. We have an assortment of barn doors at the farm, and I think this is a reason to take care of them.
I loved seeing all of the options for reclaimed flooring. Lots and lots of really cool floors. This is just a small sample of the selection.
This one was particularly cool. Flooring from the floor of an old gym–complete with the original paint lines. Aren’t the colours neat?
Beyond the wood, there were tubs, sinks, hardware and all kinds of other things I barely had time to glance at.
My team knows me well. I could have spent a whole day there, and I’m excited to go back to really explore.
If you ever find yourself in Waterloo, Ontario, make sure to check out Timeless Material Co. (and be sure to visit the cafe too).
Do you have a salvage yard near you? Have you ever bought architectural salvage? Would you use gym flooring in your house?
Home on 129 Acres 
Hi Julia, Just thought that I would let you know that the wood floors at the cottage are from architectural flooring. They are over an inch thick . Bill and a friend of his put them down…a hug job as they were all pretty rough and so needed sanding.
Cheers, Helen
I never knew the story, but I figured it was something like that. I love those floors! I can’t believe they’re that thick.
What a neat idea for a restaurant! Somebody was thinking. The closest I’ve come to that is the Habitat store, which is tiny in comparison, and with far less interesting finds. I would say, based on that price tag, you definitely should take care of your barn doors. Would you consider putting any of them in your house when you renovate, or would you sell them maybe?
As for a gym floor…maybe not. I mean I would if that was my option for hardwood floors I would, but I think I must have too many bad memories from gym class to appreciate the very thin plank aesthetic!
Most of our barn doors are huge. They’d make a good art feature like For the Love of a House (http://fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-barn-room-details.html). We have a hall pantry where I think a barn door might be nice. A lot of our doors right now are outside, so my plan this spring is to move them into the barn. I have lots of space in the stalls now that they’re cleaned out!
That barn room is really something! O_O
It would be lovely to have a barn door in your house. The wood for the mantel is also from the barn, right? Moving those doors inside sounds like a good investment.
Yep. That’s right. The mantel is from the barn… or from wood we had lying around the barn. I can’t bring myself to take my barn apart to get cool decor features!