MILAN, March 17
A surge in restoration projects across Milan's historic apartment blocks is straining the supply of high-grade structural timber, city officials confirmed. Marco Rossi, Head of Urban Heritage at Milan's Municipal Building Authority, told our publication that a project on Via Brera last month highlighted 'acute sourcing challenges'. The demand for traditional joinery and custom balustrades is now outpacing available material.
According to the Italian Timber Trade Federation, imports of quality European oak and chestnut have risen by nearly 18% in the last fiscal year, yet stockpiles remain low. This scarcity directly impacts Milan's characteristic palazzos, where the staircase often serves as the central architectural feature, requiring specific mortise-and-tenon joinery for longevity. The timeline remains unclear for when new supply agreements with Alpine forestry consortia might ease the pressure. Our correspondents in Milan observed that ateliers in the Navigli district are now quoting lead times of up to six months for a complete staircase installation, a delay that was unthinkable just two years ago. Milan's cobbled courtyards, often hidden behind grand wooden porte-cochères, are now frequently stacked with timber awaiting treatment.
When we spoke with Alessandro Bianchi, a third-generation master carpenter whose workshop is near Porta Romana, he expressed deep concern. 'The wood we are receiving now is often younger, with tighter grain that behaves differently during seasoning,' he explained, running a hand along a freshly planed stringer. 'This affects the final integrity and can lead to premature squeaking or movement.' According to figures that could not be independently verified from the National Association of Woodworking Artisans, over 30% of Milan's specialist carpentry firms have turned down projects in the last quarter due to material uncertainty. The issue is not merely aesthetic but structural, as modern engineered wood products are seldom approved for use in listed buildings where original fabric must be preserved.
This supply-demand imbalance is also reshaping renovation budgets. A standard helical staircase in a liberty-style building, once a predictable expense, can now see cost overruns of 25% or more before work even begins. Regulatory bodies like the Lombardy Regional Construction Council are monitoring the situation but have yet to propose any material substitutions for protected heritage sites. Some developers are reportedly exploring reclaimed timber from decommissioned rural farmsteads in Piedmont, though this source is finite and logistically complex. The bustling Corso di Porta Ticinese, lined with design showrooms, offers a stark contrast to the traditional workshops grappling with this very modern problem of scarcity.