What are wagon boards? Wagon boards are old floorboards from freight cars. For years, the wagons traveled hundreds of thousands of miles through weather and wind. As a result, the old wood has developed deep grooves. Characteristic of this wood are the bolt holes by which the boards were attached to the wagon.
What can wagon boards be used for?
Wagon boards can be used for many applications.
A furniture maker can use the old planks to make an oak table, check out wagon plank table.
In addition, the wood lends itself well to applications such as oak wall shelf.
Such a wall shelf made of old wood adds enormous atmosphere to an interior.
For a cabinet, bathroom cabinet or wooden mirror, the brushed oak wagon boards are also often chosen.
It is also possible to re-saw the wagon boards into oak floorboards with tongue and groove.
Old oak wagon boards
The French used to choose oak wagon boards in the open freight cars.
The wood is strong and can serve as flooring for years, even after that the wood is still usable.
After the wagons are demolished, the wood is bundled and transported to Doorwerth.
The old planks are sorted by size and appearance and they are stripped of nails and bolts.
Next, the wagon planks are battened into packages to dry: between each plank, 2 slats of 2 by 2 cm are placed 50 cm apart.
This allows the wind to pass between the boards and take the moisture with it.
Brushed oak wagon boards
Due to years of use, the oak wagon boards we purchase are covered with a thick layer of dirt.
By hand brushing clean, the old planks come back to life.
The refined grooves this reveals give the brushed old oak planks a rustic and lively character.
Wagon plank table
A popular use of the old planks is the wagon plank table. The collection always includes multiple oak tabletops made from wagon boards. In addition, each can select their own boards to work with. Two left hands? Of course, our furniture makers can always customize a wagon board table.
Wooden wall shelf made from a wagon board
A brushed old oak wagon board as a wall shelf can be appropriate in both modern and country interiors.
For example, select a wagon board 20 cm wide at the wood yard.
In the in-house sawmill, the plank can be “straight sawn” lengthwise so that the plane that meets the wall becomes square.
This makes it easy to attach the wagon board blind to the wall.
To do this, buy studs at a hardware store, drill 12 mm holes in both wall and shelf, glue the studs into the wall, and the wall shelf can be slid on as it were.
The result: a particularly attractive old oak wall shelf!
Old wooden mirror
The lived-in look of wagon boards can also form the basis for a mirror with a frame made of old oak.
Find a plank at the lumber yard and cut it into several pieces.
After the boards have been mitred and glued, the mirror can be mounted behind it.
Wall cladding, paneling or wall cladding old oak
Some projects require a thinner board.
Consider old oak wall cladding, paneling or facade cladding.
Oak wagon boards can be dulled to about 2 inches in our sawmill and then used to clad a surface.
Kitchen made of old wooden planks
The wood is cut by us to approximately 2 or 2.5 cm thickness, making it suitable for kitchen fronts.
Make sure that an iron or wooden strip is placed on the back of the panel to prevent unwanted movement of the wood.
Tip: if the boards are installed vertically, it is nice if the wood grain continues across the fronts of several drawers or cabinets.
For good advice on using old wood for a kitchen, stop by the wood yard!
TV cabinet old oak
The wood is also suitable for making into a TV cabinet.
In this case, find two or three wagon boards and glue them into one.
Old oak floor
For more information on the use of wagon boards as flooring, visit the old oak flooring page.
Wagon boards brushing
Brushing removes dirt and dust from the wood and makes the grain of the wood clearly visible.
It is possible to select boards that have already undergone this treatment, these are available directly from stock.
Wagon boards doubling
For multiple applications such as kitchen fronts, wall paneling or floorboards, a thinner board is required.
In this case, the wagon boards are doubled in the sawmill.
These thinner wagon boards are also standard in stock.
Planing wagon boards
In addition to brushing, planing is an operation commonly performed.
A thickener planes several millimeters off the wood.
For more information, visit the “planed oak wagon boards” page.
Wagon boards artificially dried back
The boards can be artificially dried back upon request.
Keep in mind that this drying process takes at least several weeks.
Always seek proper advice on this, as it is not a requirement for most applications.
Oak wagon boards prices
Shelf prices depend on a number of factors.
For example, thickness, width and length play a role, as well as quality and processing.
Keep in mind that a wide wagon board 20, 22 or 25 cm wide is relatively pricier than a narrower one 16, 17 or 18 cm wide.
On the contrary, a shorter plank of about 1 meter in length is much more advantageous.
We have several bins with short wagon boards for 35 euros and 45 euros each incl.
VAT.
If a larger volume is needed for an interior project, please ask for a quote.
Still need more pricing information before a visit?
Feel free to contact us by phone or email.
Prices
From 190 euros per m2 incl.
VAT
Width and thickness
How wide are oak wagon boards?
The width of wagon boards varies: between 10 and 23 cm.
Some wagon boards have a width of 25 cm, however, this supply is limited and therefore these boards can only be supplied on special request.
For old oak staircases a wide wagon plank may be desired.
How thick are oak wagon boards?
The French railroads work with two standard thicknesses for the wagon boards: about 4.5 cm and about 6.5 cm thick.
This is the original thickness in which the plank is attached to the train car.
Due to years of surface wear, the planks may have become thinner.
Upon request, the wagon boards can be planed on the underside so that the boards are exactly the same thickness.
Lengths
250cm
275cm
What is the length of oak wagon boards?
The length of an oak wagon board depends on the width of a train car. In fact, the boards were laid in the width of the wagon. The standard length size is 270 cm. Several batches of wagon boards are also available from narrower wagon lengths of 240 or 260 cm.
Short pieces of wagon boards
In addition to wagon boards in full, standard lengths, we also offer sawn wagon boards with lengths of 100 cm, 150 cm or 200 cm, for example.
For some applications, a long plank is not always required as, for example, the covering of a bar or an old oak table top of 2 meters.
