Weathered wood is getting quite popular in interiors, what with its silvery grey patina and rough hewn texture.  And of course, there are many ways of accomplishing that look, such as scraping, painting, pickling and staining.  However, those methods take a lot of effort (not to mention being less than sustainable).  Why not let Mother Nature do all the work for you?

People (from places other than Wyoming), let me introduce you to this amazing thing called a “snowfence”.  Apparently in Wyoming, the snow runs free across the prairie, and they have to put up fencing to keep it from roaming onto the highways, or some such thing.  I don’t know – I’m from Southern California.  I am officially clueless about snow.

In any case, this fencing is subjected to wind, rain, sun, snow and ice, so it surely qualifies as weathered!  Not surprisingly, it can only last so long before it needs to be replaced.   Thankfully, Centennial Woods has found new uses for all the old, discarded planks, turning them into beautiful boards and flooring.

Because these planks have never been painted or chemically treated, they are a more reliable source for lead and arsenic free reclaimed wood than barns or other structures.  And look at the lovely, natural variations in color…

This is an image I took of the samples sent to me last week.  The reddish plank with the knot, and the tan plank at the bottom have both been planed for use in flooring. Standard width is 5″, with lengths of anywhere from 4′ to 12′.  The other two samples are raw boards, straight from the Wyoming wildlands.  How raw?  Check this out…

This sample still has lichen all over it!  What amazing color and texture this piece has.

Best of all for the people of Wyoming, because Centennial Wood has built up such a good market for the reclaimed fencing, they are able to repair and maintain fencing along 270 miles of Wyoming roads at no cost to the state or local government.  They can also provide new, low-cost fencing, sourced from sustainably managed Rocky Mountain Ponderosa and Lodge Pole Pine.  From their website:

Before Centennial Woods began harvesting Wyoming snowfence, older boards were often left on the frame too long and burned or thrown in a landfill when replaced. In 1999, Centennial Woods discovered the strength and beauty of Wyoming snowfence and vowed to rescue and reuse it. By developing an international market for this untapped Wyoming resource, Centennial Woods has repurposed more than 5 million feet of snowfence, saving snowfence owners more than $9 million and avoiding emission of more than 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

I think this is a perfect example of a product that is truly well thought out, beneficial and most of all, sustainable.