DIY | Reclaimed Barn Wood Bench

We live in a mission style bungalow and our home is full of character but not a lot of space. Hence, projects like this and this, which is space solutions for our life. In our main living area we have a shabby antique table that acts as both my craft space and our dining table. I had wanted to create a bench to use both for the table and for other areas of our home. After searching for barn wood online I came across a gem of a place, American Barn and Wood in Paso Robles, Ca.

On our recent visit to my parents home we visited American Barn and Wood to pick a slab of wood for our bench. The owners were charming and helpful and had adorable feline friends. We walked away with a beautiful piece of wood and even the history of our selection. Our slab is from the Clarksville Barn from Clarksville, Michigan, a barn built in 1876 by a Civil War veteran. Being able to know the history of the wood makes our bench so much more full of life.

Below is a few photos of our visit and picking out the right piece of wood.

Our new bench is a welcomed addition, I can picture having friends over and sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine. The piece will forever be treasured as we move from home to home.

Reclaimed Barn Wood Bench

Need:

Barn wood

Light to heavy sandpaper

Wood Sealer

Hair Pin Legs (ordered on etsy)

8 Quarter Inch Galvanized Carriage Bolt (size depends on your hair pin legs)

8 Galvanized nuts and bolts to fit your bolts

How:

Since we were using hairpin legs that had quarter-inch holes we measured were we wanted the legs to be attached and marked the drill holes with a pencil. Then we drilled the 8 holes we would need.

Smooth the wood to your particular taste. In our case we sanded the wood with wool sandpaper using a combination of sand paper gauges to get particularly prickly pieces down and smooth them out.

Stain the wood to taste and finish it with your choice of wood sealer. Allow time to dry the wood. Attach the legs and you’re done.

Oh and look at these kittens hiding in the wood at the American Barn and Wood shop.