I’m so excited to share photos of my “new” reclaimed wood desk!
But, first, here’s how it came to be:
The main house has five bedrooms. I simply don’t need that many and decided to use one of the smaller ones as my home office. So far, so good. However, I had no idea how expensive office desks are until I started looking for one in 2018. I wanted a plain, large desk, preferably white or made of light-colored wood. Drawers were optional. Solid construction and top-grade materials were not. The few that I liked cost around a thousand dollars, which seemed an absurd amount to pay.
Months into my frustrating search, my sister asked why I didn’t just look in one of the barns (I have two) that had a lot of old wooden boards stacked inside.
Why hadn’t I thought of this before? I could save a lot of money and have a custom piece of furniture made – likely from trees that had been cut from that very property generations ago.
Out of Frustration Comes a Plan
So, on a frigid January afternoon, we searched the barn and collected the dusty boards shown in the below photo and a few others. We tried to match wood type, thickness, and length. We didn’t quite know what we had, but we were hopeful.
Now all I needed was a skilled artisan to execute the plan at a price I could afford. Luckily, my brother fit the bill – he just didn’t know it yet. I asked him if he would build a desk for me – he’s very handy and detail-oriented so I wasn’t at all concerned that he would butcher this precious wood and make a hideous desk. I told him my wish list: I wanted the desk to be at least 55″ W x 30″ D and for the character of the wood to be preserved as much as possible. That meant no stain and no high gloss; I wanted to see the natural color, luster, and grain as much as possible.
Fortunately, he said yes! But, he could work on it only during his spare time, which he doesn’t have a lot of, and he’d need to use one of his co-worker’s tools and woodshop. His co-worker, whom I’ll refer to as “J,” is also a craftsman and fortunately for me, generous.
But Maybe I Should Have Bought a Desk After All…
I heard only snippets as months passed: sanding released a strong “animal scent” that took over J’s woodshop for a few days; one board was too warped to use; one of my brother’s co-workers had assumed my wood was company property and cut the end off another board (which prompted my brother to secure the wood in a locked area).
I stared at the few photos he texted, trying to figure out what he was really working with. Would the desk have yellow undertones? If so, it would clash with the cooler palette I was envisioning. Was the wood that dark, or was it still drying from the power wash? Would he have enough material to build the deep desk that I wanted?
Since my brother was doing a huge favor for me, I resisted the gnawing temptation to ask him every week for an update. In fact, months passed in between the few times I asked him how it was going.
So, I waited. And waited. And waited.
A Small Christmas Miracle
Then, a few days before Christmas, my brother brought home this spectacular desk:
Final dimensions: 56.75″W x 32″D x 30″H. He estimates that it weighs more than a hundred pounds; no wonder, as the top boards are 1.75 inches thick. We think the wood is oak or maple. As I requested, he left the nail and worm holes intact.
The photos don’t do this reclaimed wood desk justice. I’m thrilled with how beautiful and well-made it is. This is recycling and upcycling at its finest!
What Lies Beneath Is Just As Pretty
Circular saw marks are plainly visible on the underside; my brother planed the top just enough so that I wouldn’t get splinters. Others may have preferred to keep the deeper saw marks on top, but it wouldn’t have been a truly usable desk without the use of a glass top or desk pad; I didn’t want to use either. If I want a more rustic look, I can flip the top (with assistance because it’s so heavy). The desk is so large that it can also be a dining table that seats four.
Final Thoughts
Many thanks to the prior owners for saving these boards, to my sister for suggesting that I re-purpose them, and to my brother and J for their time, tools, and expertise.
One of the benefits of owning such an old property is that I’m finding little treasures all over the place. I hope to use many of them for other landscaping and interior decorating projects which I’ll detail here when I can.
Lastly, since this reclaimed wood desk didn’t cost me a penny, I was able to splurge on a few other home office items. The room is still a work-in-progress, but I’ll share photos when it’s ready!