Rant: Hit 100 board feet of reclaimed wood and now I'm not sure what to do with it

So I've been collecting old pallets and barn wood for about 8 months now. I stacked it all up last weekend and measured 100 board feet exactly. One side of me says build a feature wall in my living room, looks rustic and cool. The other side says that's a stupid amount of work for something I might hate in a year. I'd have to spend $60 on a planer and more on finish nails just to make it even usable. Has anyone here done a big reclaimed wood project and regretted it later or was it worth the hassle?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron72427d ago

That pallet wood has a way of following you home. I had about 80 feet of old fence boards sitting in my garage for two years before I finally made a headboard out of them. The thing is, once you start treating it like real lumber you realize why people buy new wood. I spent more time pulling nails and straightening warped boards than actually building anything. My wife still likes the headboard but I know every crooked plank and nail hole in it.

holly_gonzalez6126d ago

It's funny how that happens with just about any project material, not just wood. I've got a box of old cabinet hinges in my basement that I swear I'll use someday for something clever, but so far they've just moved from one shelf to another for three years. There's this whole cycle of collecting something for cheap with big plans, then spending way more time and effort than it would have cost to just buy new or better stuff. You end up knowing every little flaw in the finished thing, but it's yours in a way that store-bought stuff just isn't.