Found a 100-year-old 2x4 in my attic that was still solid as a rock

I was pulling down some old drywall in my 1920s bungalow and found a rough-sawn 2x4 that's been holding up the roof for a century. No rot, no warping - just solid old-growth lumber. Makes me wonder how the stuff I buy at the big box store today will hold up in 50 years.

2 comments

2 Comments

lee62710d ago

That 100 year old 2x4 is probably tougher than the stuff they sell as "premium" at Home Depot today. I bet that old growth lumber was cut from a tree that was already 200 years old when they milled it. Meanwhile, the 2x4s I just picked up from the big box store feel like they're made of compressed balsa wood and hope. You could probably use that old beam as a baseball bat and it'd outlast three aluminum ones.

angelas789d ago

It's the same story with everything nowadays, appliances, tools, even furniture. They just don't build stuff to last anymore, they build it to get replaced.