Reclaimed wood is increasingly becoming one of my favorite materials to decorate with. Not only because it's fairly easy to find no matter where you are, but it's also so beautiful and extremely versatile. Reclaimed pieces of wood can be used in many different ways throughout the home but currently I'm a huge fan of using, large pieces as a coffee or cocktail table.
I've mentioned how versatile it can be as a desk but I didn't realize just how beautifully it could be used in it's most simple form. There are so many different options when using reclaimed wood when it comes to the style it represents - when framed with metal or by the addition of castor wheels to the bottom, you've got an industrial vintage look!
For something a little more soft and subtle like the image, keep the wood in its most natural form and plop in right in front of your sofa. Even if you can't fork over the money for storebought and processed reclaimed piece of wood, this can be done as a DIY by cleaning and drying stumps and then sealing them with the type of finish (matte or gloss) that appeals to you.
What do you think of reclaimed wood pieces?
Image via La La Lovely
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I love the idea of reclaimed wood! We bought some reclaimed oak floors from ReStore a while back that we need to install in our livingroom and guest room, I have some stumps I'd like to turn into tables, and one day I want to have reclaimed pine floors in our kitchen.
The photos that jump off the page for me on AT always include either reclaimed wood in any form at all or old wood that's been there in the structure forever...sometimes uncovered or simply present all those years. Natural wood speaks volumes to me, mostly spiritual, but also a connection to our past when carpentry skills drove the building trade. New wood is great, too, particularly the resurgence of timber framing in new structures. Even driftwood of all shapes and sizes used creatively, like those whacky and wonderful lamps at the Etsy HQ. Please keep the wood coming, AT!!!
love!!... its too funny that this was posted today- i just finished sealing a cotton wood trunk to use as a side table in my living room.
I put a little wood stain on there as well and you'd be surprised at the difference it makes...
if you think you can't pull off the look- just put a combination stain and sealer on it to give it a darker/shiny look. You'd be surpised
Good-looking, and you don't have to worry about hurting them.
love this look! we just had a similar post recently!
http://lostandfoundsf.blogspot.com/2011/04/stumped.html
I recently found in the woods near my house, stumps that had been chewed up by beavers for their dam. They are about 6 inches in diameter and come up to a point, from the gnawing. They look really neat, but not sure what I could do with them. Any creative ideas?
As a sculptor, I've worked with various woods, including pieces I've found on our property. I've never resolved the issue of wood-eating insects, and this has kept me from bringing stumps into my home to use as end tables, etc. I heard a horror story about a sculpture in a local Art museum and I've seen sculptors trying to fumigate their wood with non-toxic products, but I'd love to hear others' solutions.
The drying has always posed a problem for me... we had a large stump as an end table for a while at an old apartment but it always weighed a mindblowing ton and had issues of cracking unexpectedly as it dried unevenly in the house. I wonder how much of the price tag on professionally produced pieces goes towards paying off their drying kiln!!
I love those pieces... I think taking off the bark and sanding them right down does wonders. The bark is a bit too rustic for my taste, but seeing them like this makes me want to go hunting for reclaimed wood right away!
Drying is not complicated in a proper kiln. Drying a stump in a home environment is.
Check out our collection of reclaimed wood at www.thewoodscompany.com and stay away from all south american exotic hardwoods please!!
I had a pine tree stump that we wanted to use for a side table. We left it in the garage for 6 months or so and it dried out enough on its own and the bark fell right off. It has been in the house for a year now and no bug or cracking problems. Gorgeous!
Does anybody have any NY/NJ/PA recommendations for buying large slabs of wood that could be used for a dining room table and a headboard, without costing an arm and a leg?
If I could I would use reclaimed wood for all my projects, but unfortunately it not always the most suitable option. I just made a 3 file drawer/entertainment center and the only thing reclaimed was the wood file drawers I got at a newspaper auction. The cabinet was made from 'new' wood. It bummed me out, but it does have the Swedish cleaned line 'thang' about it.