I am a creeper. I stalked Urban Tree Salvage online for almost 2 years before I got up the nerve (and budget) to introduce myself to them.
UTS sells furniture and slabs. Sometimes they sell sanded slabs but usually they are rough sawn and kiln dried (which means you have a lot of sanding ahead of you). The slabs are really reasonably priced. I have often agonized about purchasing one (I live in an apartment and I assume my landlord would be dissatisfied if I hauled a thickness sander into my basement).
Their wood all comes from salvaged trees in the GTA. It's different than reclaimed wood because it has never been anything before except a tree. The trees are cut down for different reasons - clearing, sickness, whatever. UTS dries them and mills them into slabs. Then you can buy a big piece of wood or you can buy furniture.
The good:
- Their furniture is gorgeous and they will make whatever you want.
- They're delightful to deal with and you can see them by appointment if you have a lot to talk about.
The bad:
- custom orders can take a long time. I ordered a desk in April and got it in August.
- I don't want to say it's expensive because it's really not in the grand scheme of the life of the piece. But prepare yourself to drop serious coin on furniture that they make. And... yes... just be prepared for sticker shock. And then think about how much your grandchildren will love the piece you just bought in 50 years when there is only plantation wood available to them for 'real' furniture.
Would I shop here again?
Yes. Once ever 3 or 4 years I think I can afford to shop here again. And I will continue to creep their website monthly & occasionally drive out there and drool over slabs.