A few weeks ago, I told you about a reclaimed wood resource that I had stumbled upon while on the search for a custom request. Remember the angels sang that day?
What a story lies in this stash. This is wood from mainly old disassembled barns. In addition, also some salvaged treasure dating back to the 1800’s. I stood in awe of it all…amazing.
One of the projects that fueled our hunt for reclaimed wood, was a custom order for Sara at Sadie Olive.
Sara had been planning to remodel her kitchen by creating a rustic look by removing her upper kitchen cabinets and replacing them with reclaimed wood open shelving. She wanted to do the same with shelving for her laundry. She also asked us to create a custom planked top for a dry sink she refinished and planned to use as an entertainment center.
At first, I couldn’t find a resource anywhere within a 2 hour radius that had what she was looking for – 2″ x 12″ boards. Thankfully I live in a community where Amish and Mennonite families reside and they are some of the best resources when it’s comes to requests like this. You can read more on our resource here.
Here’s what we came away with – gorgeous grain in these wonderful boards. This lumber was once floor joists that are salvaged from a local Tappan stove company that was built in 1901. That means the wood is originally harvested from the late 1800’s – wow. Notice the tight grain, which tells you that it came from first growth.
LET’S BEGIN
This wood was in a really rustic state, so it didn’t look like this to start. We plane it down and remove the residue. In order to do that, there were oodles of hand-forged square nails needing removed.
Once those were out, we were able to use a bench top planer for the large surfaces and a hand planer for the sides.
You can still see some of the aged appeal we tried to retain in this board. They are worn with age, which equals perfection in my eye. In addition, the cracks, nicks, and nail holes all tell a story.
Here they are all cut, sanded, planed, and shipping out to Sara.
IN THE KITCHEN
Here’s a sneak peek of how they look in Sara’s gorgeous new kitchen. Head on over to her blog to see the spectacular before and after.
UP NEXT
Next, for Sara’s entertainment center, we used a different species of wood to create a plank top. This consists of beech wood that came from an old barn here in farm country, Ohio. Don’t you love my glamour? However, when the snow is flying, you take what you can get.
This is a perfect custom fit for her dry sink with a simple, rustic design. JC and I love how it came out.
Sara wanted to stain the top herself. She did a fantastic vision for the end result of that antique dry sink. Don’t you want one of your own? I do!
Also, Sara uses a combination of antiquing wax and a honey stain to get the look. The wood is gorgeous.
Needless to say, I am heading back for repeat visits for some reclaimed wood treasure of my own. My head is reeling with ways to put it to use in our own home. The possibilities are endless. Additionally, pin and share to inspire others.
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Whimzy Thyme says
Wow – Love old wood — My brother is making some items from antique cypress which he harvested himself. Can’t wait to add some of his handmade items to my Shop.
Larissa says
Me too! I can’t wait to see what you do. I love old wood. 🙂
Jill @ The Rozy Home says
Awesome! I love the shelves!
Larissa says
tee hee…thank you! Sara did an awesome job with staining and installation. I want some! 😉
kim says
Such beautiful wood – just lovely.
Larissa says
Thank you, Kim. It’s fun to create and see it put to use.
Laura says
I love old wood and those pieces turned out beautifully! I love how thick the wood is for the open shelves- can’t buy that today!
Larissa says
Thank you! Yes, you can’t find that wood today in the store, but at a reclaimed resource only. Like finding a needle in a hay stack!
Brenda says
I Love wood projects!
Larissa says
A kindred spirit! Definitely love wood – I don’t know if there is a more versatile medium. 🙂
Laurie says
Great work, Larissa. Love the way that dry sink turned out. I came over from the Bloggertunities share list, and I’ll be featuring this on my Fri. Faves. Thank you for the inspiration and for allowing me to share it.
Larissa says
Thank you, Laurie! Yes, it came out well and wish I had one. 😉 Thanks for the shout-out, as well. Happy Friday!
cheryl B. says
the numbers on the dressers where did they come from?
Larissa says
They can be found here. 🙂