Do you sell or make picture frames sourced from old, used or recycled timbers?

Do we make picture frames sourced from old used or recycled timbers?  Sorry, no. Recycled timber picture frames are sold in niche or specialist markets. Frames from old timbers are generally more expensive than normal, run-of-the-mill picture frames or photo frames. Typically, these specialised frames are only about 3~5 % of all sales and it's difficult to specialise in these and remain commercially profitable. If you look on the web you'll find some recycling  picture framers not that many. There are several good reasons why this is so. The main one has to do with commercial profitability...

Recycled timbers are expensive to work with and labour, especially Australia labour, is always a far expensive component than materials. These timbers need to be salvaged, sorted, stored, de-nailed, cleaned and re-machined to size. Importantly, the milling, sawing, docking, cutting, sanding and general machining of recycled wood takes longer breaks more machine blades and wears electrical motors more than virgin or new timber.

Why? Because of the hidden nails, screws, bolts rivets and other metal fitting buried in the timber which cannot be always be spotted and removed by hand. It is also slower and more dangerous. Wood workers and machine operators must feed and work the old timbers more slowly lest they hit metal or other foreign objects and possibly causing bodily injuries. Old timber may also contain, or may have been sprayed with all sorts of noxious chemicals.

Arsenic, lead, copper, cyanide, DDT and other pesticides and toxins may be present. Insect infestation is also, yet another danger, remedied only by expensive chemical treatment or fumigation. If all these operations are done locally, instead of overseas where labour is far cheaper, then costs escalate. Without too much effort you can Google for a locally made, 8"x10" recycled timber photo frame. The price? $24.

Search again, with price as you criterion and you can buy an imported 8"x10" new timber photo frame for as little as $3.49. We also find that the Customer who does ask for recycled timber picture frames pretty much expect them to be at the same price or cheaper, than new frames. Lastly, there's the economic mood. When the economy is good, with plenty of jobs and low unemployment, then people feel that they have more choices.

The folks at large want to do the environmentally right thing, recycle timber, support sustainable industries, save the planet or what have you. When times aren't so good, there aren't many jobs available and many are underemployed, then people see out the cheapest way out of a purchase. And the cheapest goods are never Australian-made, but fully imported from Asia. This holds true for cars, computers, televisions, clothes as well as picture frames.

So far as the picture framing industry is concerned, none of the current, extant (several, long-standing, picture framing supplies wholesalers have closed, ceased trading or amalgamated in the last few years) suppliers sell recycled timbers, for any and all of the reasons explained above. As to which is better, new or old timber, there's a body of opinion which deems the recycled timber as being stronger and more durable.

This is because much of today's new timber is matured too quickly to attain full structural strength. More information on recycling and ethical and eco-frendly picture framing is available at our Sustainable Picture Framing page. thank you for reading this post "Do you sell or make picture frames sourced from old, used or recycled timbers?".