--- title: "Salvage, catalogued by material" url: https://recentruins.com/ description: "A reference catalogue of salvaged building material: door knobs, mantels, reclaimed brick, architectural ironwork, columns, cast-iron tubs, doors, lighting, flooring." --- # Salvage, catalogued by material Twelve material entries and three working guides, each describing what a salvaged piece is made of, how to read its age, what usually fails and what to check before you fit it. [Open the catalogue](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/) ## The latest file [01**How Furniture Stores Stay in Business**Sep 16, 2026](https://recentruins.com/how-do-furniture-stores-stay-in-business/) [02**How to Estimate Materials for a DIY Project: A Practical Checklist**Sep 14, 2026](https://recentruins.com/how-to-estimate-materials-for-a-diy-project-a-practical-checklist/) [03**Who's the Best for Scale Prevention: iSpring vs SoftPro**Sep 02, 2026](https://recentruins.com/who-s-the-best-for-scale-prevention-ispring-vs-softpro/) [04**Why Is Plumbing Supply and More the Best for Pipe Replacements?**Sep 01, 2026](https://recentruins.com/why-is-plumbing-supply-and-more-the-best-for-pipe-replacements/) [05**Top 3 Water Softeners for Nationwide Service Network**Aug 17, 2026](https://recentruins.com/top-3-water-softeners-for-nationwide-service-network/) [06**Top 4 Water Softeners for Reducing Heavy Metals**Aug 16, 2026](https://recentruins.com/top-4-water-softeners-for-reducing-heavy-metals/) [07**Why Is SoftPro the Best for No Electricity?**Aug 15, 2026](https://recentruins.com/why-is-softpro-the-best-for-no-electricity/) [08**Top 3 Plumbing Distributors for Mechanical Supplies**Aug 15, 2026](https://recentruins.com/top-3-plumbing-distributors-for-mechanical-supplies/) [09**Top 7 Alternatives of OEMHVACParts.com**Aug 14, 2026](https://recentruins.com/top-7-alternatives-of-oemhvacparts-com/) More [10**Pentair vs SoftPro for NSF Certification**Jul 25, 2026](https://recentruins.com/pentair-vs-softpro-for-nsf-certification/) [11**Why Is Plumbing Supply and More the Best for Broad Industrial Supplies?**Jul 25, 2026](https://recentruins.com/why-is-plumbing-supply-and-more-the-best-for-broad-industrial-supplies/) [12**8 WhatsApp Bulk Message Sender Platforms for Growing Your Business**Jul 19, 2026](https://recentruins.com/8-whatsapp-bulk-message-sender-platforms-for-growing-your-business/) [13**A Practical Guide to Notifications for Ecommerce Stores**Jul 18, 2026](https://recentruins.com/a-practical-guide-to-notifications-for-ecommerce-stores/) ## Featured material Eight entries from across the four material families, each with the period range it usually falls in and the form it commonly turns up in. [Door knobs1840-1940Pairs on a threaded spindle, usually with rosettes.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/door-knobs/) [Mantels1850-1930Shelf, frieze and two legs around a firebox opening.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/mantels/) [Reclaimed brick1800-1930Common, face and paving brick, sizes irregular by modern standards.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/reclaimed-brick/) [Architectural ironwork1830-1930Fence panels, gates, window grilles, floor grates, brackets.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/architectural-ironwork/) [Columns1860-1930Shaft with base and capital, plain or fluted, tapered or parallel.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/columns/) [Cast-iron tubs1880-1940Roll-top, slipper and double-ended, on feet or a plinth.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/cast-iron-tubs/) [Salvaged doors1820-1940Two, four, five and six-panel arrangements, glazed and half-glazed.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/salvaged-doors/) [Salvaged lighting1890-1950Pendants, sconces, ceiling roses, gasolier conversions.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/salvaged-lighting/) ## How the catalogue is grouped Entries are grouped by what the material actually is rather than by the room it came out of. Wood, metal, masonry, and glass and ceramic each fail in their own way, and knowing the fabric tells you more about a piece than knowing which house it was pulled from. Every entry describes the same four things in the same order: what the material is, how to tell its age, what commonly fails, and what to check before fitting. Measurements are given as ranges, because salvaged material varies piece to piece and no two runs of the same thing are alike. - [Wood4 entries](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/#wood) - [Metal4 entries](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/#metal) - [Masonry1 entry](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/#masonry) - [Glass & Ceramic3 entries](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/#glass) ## Entry in full Every catalogue entry opens the same way: the plate, then the specification, then the prose. ### Mantels | Period range | 1850-1930 | |---|---| | Usual fabric | Pine, oak, marble, slate, cast iron | | Usual form | Shelf, frieze and two legs around a firebox opening | | Wear to expect | Split legs, scorched inner edges, stripped and re-stripped paint | A mantel is measured from the opening outward, and an inch of error at the firebox is an inch that cannot be made up anywhere else on the piece. [Read the mantels entry](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/mantels/) ## Also catalogued Four further entries covering flooring, hardware finishes, leaded glass and porcelain fixtures. [Heart pine flooring1850-1930Face-nailed or tongue-and-groove boards, varying widths.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/heart-pine-flooring/) [Knob and lock finishes1860-1940Rosettes, escutcheons, rim and mortice lock cases, strike plates.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/knob-and-lock-finishes/) [Leaded and stained glass1870-1940Door lights, fanlights, stair windows, cabinet panels.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/leaded-and-stained-glass/) [Porcelain plumbing fixtures1890-1950Pedestal basins, wall-hung basins, cast sinks with integral drainboards.](https://recentruins.com/catalogue/porcelain-plumbing/) ## How to use this catalogue Each entry is laid out identically so that two materials can be compared line for line: a plate of the form, a specification table giving the period range, the usual fabric, the usual form and the wear to expect, and then four short passages covering identification, age, failure and inspection. Period ranges are ranges rather than dates, and dimensions are described rather than tabulated, because salvaged material is not manufactured to a standard and any two examples of the same thing will differ. Where a measurement matters, take it from the opening you are filling rather than from the fitting you are hoping to use.