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Barn Wood Heaven ~ Reclaimed & Rustic

I heard the angels singing….ahhh ahhh ahhh.  I felt as if this past weekend I had died and went to barn wood heaven.

Reclaimed Barn Wood Supply by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

It’s good to have friends in high places… or more like old worn, weathered places.  My husband and I are working on a custom project for a client and one of her requests was to have some reclaimed open shelving for her kitchen.  I’ve eyed those beauties, and can’t say that I blame her.  If I could talk my hubs into that idea, I’d be on it like a glove.

Reclaimed Wood Stash by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

SALVAGED BLISS

To say that I’m blessed to live in Amish country is an understatement. You might think things are a little slow around here, and that’s how I like it. Laid back lifestyle is where it’s at. What’s somewhat sad is because of the high demand for old wood, folks are tearing own gorgeous barns all over the place Then, they are selling it by the board foot. Though I will say, most are dilapidated buildings that are a danger to any occupant.

Derelict Buildings Salvaged Wood | prodigalpieces.com

I began the hunt for some heavy 2″ x 12″ lumber by making a round of phone calls to my peeps.  There is ample wood around here, but we need those dimensions, and that is hard to find.  After speaking to our local farmer where we get our raw milk, he quickly knew of a place that I might be interested in.  Might???

Reclaimed Wood Salvaged by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

MORE GOODNESS

Just look at this gorgeousness!  This, my friends, is reclaimed wood heaven. All of the material in this pole building and on the property is reclaimed.

Reclaimed Barn Beams by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

You’ve got planks, siding, beams, joists…you name it! In case you’re wondering where this gem is, it’s in a small farming community in northeast Ohio run by a family of Mennonite brothers, called Triple B Enterprises.  They do ship all over the U.S., and are open to the public by appointment only. Contact me for more details. (I’m excited to share this with you!)

Reclaimed Barn Wood Source by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

Needless to say, this will be on my go-to places for sure.

I’LL TAKE IT

The super-friendly owner let us take a pine board home to plane to see if it’s something we like. History lesson: this was a floor joist that came out of a building built in 1910, which means the lumber was harvested in the late 1800’s. According to studies, the last of the first growth wood harvesting in Ohio by the 1910’s. First growth means they are from the original trees before people settled the area. This also means the trees had to compete with each other for sun, nutrients, etc. and their rings are much tighter than second growth that had the opportunity to have bigger growth spurts because there was less competition. Tighter grains means stronger wood. Second growth, etc. means quicker growth spurts, loosened grain, less quality.

DIY TIME

Before we were able to plane the board, we removed the square nails. Thankfully, my hubby knows I’m nuts about that kind of stuff and saved them for me.  How cool is that?

Hand-Forged Nails from Barn Wood | prodigalpieces.com

Finally, here’s what the board looked like after a bit of planing.
Planing Reclaimed Barn Wood | prodigalpieces.com
Raw Wood vs. Planed Wood | prodigalpieces.com
Planed Old Barn Wood | prodigalpieces.com

We also brought home a piece of elm to compare the two.  Which do you prefer?

Barn Wood Comparison | prodigalpieces.com

Here’s what the board looked like after a first pass of planing.  A bit blotchy and not too pretty, unless that’s the look you’re after.  We plan to plane it down until we get an even color, but are going to try to retain the defects. There’s a story in those marks.

Barn Wood Siding Reclaimed | prodigalpieces.com

However, I have to tell you thought that I felt a sort of eerie feeling when standing among this ancient wood, like walking on holy ground.  It brings to my mind thoughts of how our country is founded on God’s word and this scripture pops into my head:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, it’s builders labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1

Too easy we forget how this country was built, and I’m as guilty as anyone else. Yeah, I joke about this being barn wood heaven, but imagine what the real deal is like. I’m loving me time on this earth, but I ache to see that glory land.
Unless the Lords Builds the House Scripture by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
In addition, if you want to see what we did with the wood, click here!

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Also, more of our DIY projects like our barn wood heaven:

Why pay big bucks for Pottery Barn when you can DIY? For less than half the retail cost, we built a knock-off of the PB Caden leather bench. Come see how we did it! by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpiecesBudget-Friendly French Farmhouse Master Bedroom Makeover Final Reveal by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

Comments

  1. Marie Blackburn says

    Oh my goodness Larissa, I got goosies looking at that wood and can only imagine what it must’ve been like surrounded by it. Looking forward to seeing your project!

  2. ReDo It Yourself Inspirations says

    I got so lost in the piles that I ate nearly a whole package of cookies. You are a lucky bum to have such an ample supply of those beams… AND square nails!!!! Can’t wait for your finished project! Love this post 😀

    ~Robin

  3. Amy says

    I’m ready to jump on a plane but I don’t think I could contain myself if I walked amongst this gorgeous wood.

    • Larissa says

      A lady after my own heart! <3 I think we'll be headed back for more soon....yippee!

  4. Tori Beard says

    I can completely relate to your whole post! When we bought our house 16 years ago, I couldn’t figure out why in the world there were 16p nails sticking out of the walls!! It wasn’t until I tried naively trying to use picture hanging nails, that I figured it out. It was like trying to put a nail in concrete!!!! Our house was built out of raw oak lumber in 1938. It was cut to exact dimensions. A 2×12 actually measures 2×12!! And to put nails in you NEED a nail gun!!!We are slowly reconstructing the house, and you bet your pretty pink hammers, I’m saving every scrap of that old oak! I plan on making a farmhouse table from the longest boards we can salvage, and some bookcases from the shorter ones. Some of them even have old newspapers glued to them from the 1950’s! So fun to see the grocery and department store ads!

    • Larissa says

      Sounds like a plan and I love the story behind it all. Have fun in your work…I plan too! 😀

  5. Mike says

    Looking for triple b!?
    Can u help?
    What is address

    • Larissa says

      If you send me an email, I can send you the information. Thanks!

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