Old barn wood

[alpacamom]

When we moved into our house nearly 2 years ago, the previous owners had left wood from an old barn that was on the property. We've been using some of it for projects around here like putting kick boards up on the walls in the pole barn, rebuilding dutch doors, and things like that.

What would you use it for if you had it? There are some timbers that were the main building supports...12x12s? and a lot of other odds and ends.

I was thinking about building a kitchen table and pulling up carpeting in the dining room and putting down some of the barn wood as flooring someday. Suggestions?

[Common Tator]

Do a google search for barn wood. It is pretty pricey, and folks are willing to pay a decent price for decent wood! Also search reclaimed wood.

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by alpacamom

When we moved into our house nearly 2 years ago, the previous owners had left wood from an old barn that was on the property. We've been using some of it for projects around here like putting kick boards up on the walls in the pole barn, rebuilding dutch doors, and things like that.

What would you use it for if you had it? There are some timbers that were the main building supports...12x12s? and a lot of other odds and ends.

I was thinking about building a kitchen table and pulling up carpeting in the dining room and putting down some of the barn wood as flooring someday. Suggestions?

The 12x12 should make a lot of lumber You could get 11 1x12 out of them. Be sure that you find all the metal in them before you start to cut any of them. Then you can do what ever you want. I used some 4x6 to cut in 1x6sections then made a liberary table out of it.It all depends on what kind of machenery you have to work with.

[Ravenlost]

I plan to use wood from the barn on my parents place on the walls of our game/media room when we finish it. It will be nice to be surrounded by the wood from the barn I grew up playing (and working) in.

[Ohio dreamer]

Picture Frames!!! We love old barn siding picture frames and it's a great way to use up small pieces. We do cheat on the glass though, we buy old frames with glass from garages sales, goodwill and even Wal-Mart for anything 8x10 (or the next size up) or smaller- as a 50 cent frame with glass is cheaper then buying the glass alone!

So, when you see a lady with a cart full of really ugly frames, don't pass judgment...it could be me buying glass! The uglier the fame the cheaper!

[indypartridge]

We used it for wainscoting in a bathroom we remodeled (with rusty, corregated roofing for the ceiling). DD16 is re-doing her bedroom in a barn theme, and using it for paneling. Her bed is also made of old barn wood.

[Meg Z]

We tore down a 5 year old knotty pine barn a few years ago when I was still running my welding business. A lot of the wood went to tabletops. The grain raises beautifully on that old wood. If you take a small propane torch and do a surface burn on it, then wire wheel it, you'll raise the grain and burn-darken the harder wood. The soft wood will get wire wheeled down, and leave a color contrast. Use a rough wheel first, then a finer wheel. Then put a good oil finish on it. Absolutely gorgeous. I used to get just as many comments and compliments on the wood as I did om my welding! I still have one of those tables in my living room.

The less attractive but still sturdy wood from that barn is now residing as part of our new chicken house.

And odd bits, since they were treated, can be added to the kindling stack for winter fires.

It's all useable.

Meg

[Cabin Fever]

I would recommend having it made into floor boards. The flooring in our entire home is made from old barnwood. It's nailed down with sqaure head nails.

[alpacamom]

Thanks for the great ideas! I saw picture frames last night when I Googled barn wood and they're gorgeous. I could turn them into a small income for the farm!

We have a table saw and a circular saw, but not sure if those would be sufficient for cutting those 12x12s... and dh says they're REALLY heavy. I told him he could make us a new bed and he said it'd never move...even if we ever moved out of this house. To make furniture and/or use the wood for flooring, would it be best to power wash and sand it down, just sand it, leave it as it is? The wood on the walls in the shop hasn't been sanded or anything, in fact, some of the paint is still on some of the boards as is some vine that was embedded in some of the pieces. It really has a lot of character and looks really cool.

CF, your home is amazing! Thank you for sharing those pics!

In this pic, you can see that we used some for kickboards that we decided to run about 6' or so up the wall on the left. The stall was there when we bought the place.



This pic has the barn wood in the shop.



Here's what the heap of barn wood looked like last winter

[Maura]

I'd keep the 12 x 12s whole and sell them at some point. Somebody will pay good money for those.

[alpacamom]

How much would you consider asking for the 12x12s if you were selling them?

[MullersLaneFarm]

We used the wood of an old haymow as the floor in our great room

The cattle feed bunk is now a table and bench

[alpacamom]

MullersLaneFarm, do you have pics? I'd love to see them!

[Ohio Rusty]

I have an old large 2 room poultry barn, slate roof, hand hewn support timbers in several places. If I could find someone to tear the whole thing down and haul it away, they could have it all for free !!
It now just supports winged creatures like barn swallows and little brown bats.
Ohio Rusty ><(((((o>