'How can one  exploit the forklift plates?' is a question that flits through almost every creative mind. The unshaped timber plates, stimulating the imagination, are usually perceived as waste that could be employed for a useful purpose. But the trouble of dismantling and turning them into available raw material isn’t always worth it. It isn’t at all clear that “do it yourself” recycling pays off, especially when speaking of white pine wood, multi-eyed, full of cracks and nail holes - the cheapest plates supplied at every timber center. 

Ron Sheinkin - a young architect who entered a renovation project with a client of high desires and a low budget - was challenged, tried, and succeeded. A pile of damaged wooden plates with a rich industrial background became - after being dismantled, cleaned and sorted - a design trigger, and an attractive finishing material where the inflictions of time, scars and oil stains, could potentially lend the renovated house a unique and authentic look.

The most puzzling challenge was the problem of sealing, caused by the cracks between plates of varying widths and lengths. The solution entailed an initial sorting into sizes, and a rigorous sealing of the existing walls before installing the new cladding. In protected places - such as the front porch - the wood has remained natural, but in places exposed to dampness several coats of paint were needed.

A metal wall installed on the front façade, awaiting rust, has given the house an industrial look - a motif developed also inside, with sliding doors of a storing shed, clad with recycled wood; industrial lighting bodies; a concrete floor 45 years old - polished and painted; and steel beams supported with humor by wooden columns.