From Porch Post to Table

Flea markets are always fun and when you have a vision, it's cool to see it transform into something cool.  Such is the case with this table.

This person found a pair of victorian era porch posts that she wanted a pedestal table made out of.  These posts were weathered and had several layers of paint on them.

After taking off most of the flaking paint, the posts were cut down and incorporated into the base.

A combination of new and old materials, the table ended up being 7 ft long, 33 inches high and 20 inches deep. What flea market finds do you have a vision for?

Creating an Heirloom - Rustic live edge table

My day job is IT work, specifically the operational support of a large educational website.  By nature, the shelf life of websites, the technology that it's hosted on and the techniques change frequently.  Little if anything I contribute to will outlast my car, let alone my lifetime.

I was approached by a family that saw my Upcycled Creations page with a unique opportunity.  They had inherited some wood from an 1880's barn that was torn down due imminent domain.  As this was a family barn, the wood had special meaning and was saved.

  At almost 16 inches in width, these trees bore the sawmill kerf marks of a blade at least 4 feet in diameter.  I speculate that these trees probably started growing sometime around the American revolution.

Additional wood came from the trees on the property.  The above pieces ended up as smaller legs on a bench while some large Walnut pieces, some 14 inches in diameter made of the legs of the table.

I was approached with a design that incorporated the pictured legs, the large maple planks and steel struts.  With design in hand, we were ready to start.  However that as te time when I required neck surgery.  The project was delayed till spring.

In March the project started up in earnest. Following glue up and metal work I was able finally assemble the whole table for finishing in April:

The final choice in stain was made and the result was stunning. Weighing in at about 350 lbs, this table dominates the room it's in with it's rustic charm:

Flea Market Flip Inspired Hall bench

If you have not seen the HGTV show Flea Market Flip, it's an upcyclers dream.  Many of the projects that are done combine random objects into bar's, coffee tables, benches or some eclectic home decor item.

I saw a project similar to the one I'm making above out of a door made in 1860.  I combined barnwood from a 1906 tear down, mirrors from a 1980's home renovation to create an upcycled hallway coat rack and mirror that I plan to finish in the client's color.  It's an Upcycle that spans 3 centuries, that's cool.

Upcycling with a Purpose

1906 farmhouse before demolition

 We have all been by that boarded up house wondering what it looked like in the glory days.  Faded paint tells the story of neglect.  Sometimes structures like this get saved to live on 100 more years, but many times the cost or other factors dictate it to be torn down.  The house pictured above is in the latter category.  It's bones robbed of pipes, roof leaking for years, it was torn down mid 2016.

Instead of the wood being carted off to the landfill, part of this 1906 farmhouse was upcycled to become a table and bench (pictured below).

Industrial Dining Room Table and Chairs

 Still other pieces came from this same structure including hallway mirrors, industrial console tables, dartboards, beds as well as floating shelves.

Each month, I work with architectural salvage professionals, reclaimed resellers and other folks to source authentic reclaimed/antique materials for my projects.  I never work with pallets, cast off pressure treated woods or other unsuitable or unsafe materials.  The goal it produce furniture, home decor and other household items of heirloom quality.