Reclaiming And Reusing Building Materials During The Demolition Process
Old buildings can be treasure trove when it comes to reclaiming building materials. During the demolition of a building, bricks, concrete, and other materials can be saved and reused, adding new life to old materials and sometimes adding some much-needed character to the building or space. The use of reclaimed material can also save you money in the long run so next time you need some of these things, take a look at what is available in your area.
Reclaiming and Reusing Brick
If you have ever considered adding brick to your building or space, you could use brand new brick but it lacks some of the character that comes with the look and feel of brick that was used in another building. The brick might be hundreds of years old or have a very specific look or feel to it that could really make the look for your space. You can buy the bricks cleaned or not cleaned and obviously, the uncleaned are cheaper but you will need to put some time in chipping the old mortar of the surfaces of the brick. On old bricks that might be easy as it will be brittle but the brick might be more brittle as well.
Concrete and Cement Reclaiming
Another product that can be reused from old buildings is concrete or cement, They are used a little differently as they are not used intact like the bricks would be. In fact, the concrete or cement may never be seen in the new construction because it is typically crushed and ground down so it can used in the mixing plant at the concrete manufacturer. The ground material is mixed into the new concrete or cement in small amounts which save the manufacturer money because they can use less sand and stone when mixing materials. Alternately, if you have some specific sized pieces that you wanted to use as stepping stones in the garden or in some similar way, you can save some of the chunks as they are removed from the old building.
Demolition For Salvage
Tearing down or demoing a building is hard enough but when a company takes the time to demo the building with the intention of saving all the materials that can be reused, it takes much longer, The materials have to be removed carefully and everything needs to be sorted out so that it can be sold to the buyer. Sometimes that is an individual, other times it is a company or salvage yard that will then resell the materials to individuals.
Contact a service, like Alliance Demolition Services Inc, for more help.