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  • You need to be careful when sourcing any timber products from a reclamation yard. If they have had any paint or varnish on them then the yard will dip them, basically put them in a large tub of liquid nitro-mors and leave them until the paint lifts off (I don't know the exact process this is my best guess). As a result of the dipping process the timber often takes on a lot of moisture so will shrink back once it dries out.

  • Not quite; as they dry they will shrink.

    When wood is harvested, when it's green to use the proper terminology, it has anything from 40% to 100% moisture content (compared to seasoned wood) depending on the species and where the wood comes from in the tree. In order to use the wood it must be dried, traditionally by air drying but these days its more likely dried in a kiln, this brings the moisture content down to between 11% and 20% typically. As the timber dries it shrinks, however once the wood is dried it can still absorb moisture (from the air and many other sources) it can also dry out further so it has a habit of expanding and contracting. This is why wooden flooring is never laid tight to the wall as it needs to be able to expand and contract and also why traditional floorboards have gaps between them.

    In the case of timber from a reclamation yard that has been dipped it is likely to have taken on a lot of moisture. So in all probability it will shrink once installed which will present a problem if you are planning to sand and fill a floor as after a while gaps will open up where the floor has been filled.

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