I chose reclaimed barn wood over new pine for my shelves, and here is what I learned

I needed some floating shelves for my living room and I had two choices: buy cheap new pine boards from Home Depot for about $40, or drive an hour out to a guy in Ohio who sells reclaimed barn wood for $120. I went with the reclaimed stuff because I liked the idea of having something with history in my house. The wood was super dry and had a few nail holes I had to fill with putty, but the color and grain came out amazing after I sanded and oiled it. It took me about 3 extra hours to work with because some boards were twisted and needed planing, but the final look beats any plain shelf I could have bought. Would I do it again? Probably yes, but only for smaller projects like shelves or picture frames. Has anyone else tried building furniture with reclaimed wood and regretted the extra effort?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethp262d ago

Those nail holes are just "character" until you realize you spent three hours planing boards that looked like Pringles. I'd say you paid $80 extra for the privilege of fixing someone else's junk, but hey, at least your shelves have stories to tell.

thea_carter2d ago

Count your blessings they're not cupping too. That Pringle wood is a nightmare to work with even after planing. Stories are nice but straight boards are nicer.