"Barn Wood" Trestle Table

Bring it on!  I love anything barnwood!  I realize this may be a fad that will soon be on its way out, but what I love about it is the natural element it adds to any room, not to mention it is usually free or really cheap.  Over the past decade while I have been decorating Kalamazoo area homes, there is one "style" that bugs me to no end!  I call it "furniture store" style.  Not that I have anything against furniture stores, because I don't, but I do have something against "sets".  Bedroom sets, living room sets, dining room sets, etc.  At KalamazooKitty, we strongly encourage our consignors to split up their sets when they bring them in to sell.  This usually results in a faster sale because not everyone wants, needs or can fit an entire set into their home.  On top of that, most people don't shop in sets anymore (thank goodness!).  So why barnwood?  Well, in addition to mixing up your furniture with something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue black, you need to add a little nature in as well.  Not sure where to add natural elements in your home? 

Trestle Table BEFORE

Let me throw out some suggestions: a pallet wall, a barnwood frame, an old crate, wide plank pine floors stained dark, a rake wine glass holder (you can find one at KalamazooKitty West Main right now!), barn beam shelves or mantle, a huge sliding barn door or even a faux barn wood dining table.  Why faux?  I have been asked many times if it is safe to put pallet wood or barn wood in your home.  The answer is yes and no!  If you are shopping for pallets (I mean picking), make sure they are labeled HT.  This means they were treated with heat and not chemicals.  If they are not stamped, pass them by and do not invite them into your home!  As for barnwood, the concern is not usually chemicals so much as it is the bugs!  Now treating the wood with chemicals to kill the bugs would be taking a step in the wrong direction, so don't do that.  Some people like to wrap the wood tightly in a bag and let it sit a while to kill off anything alive. 

One light coat of paint.

Other than that, I have no great advice on removing insects that may have made their home in that piece of barnwood that you plan to use for your headboard!  So to be completely certain that you won't have termites crawling into bed with you at night, let's fake it!  I have painted many faux barnwood boards over the past several months using many different techniques.  In my Advanced paint classes, I teach the barnwood effect using several colors of paint and wax.  The project here is even easier than that!  If you read my last blog, then you know that I went on a garage sale trip last week. 

After sanding

Oh what fun!  I found lots of treasures that now adorn my office and dining room.  I even grabbed an old level or two!  I also came across this trestle table that was too good to pass up.  I had been wanting to try a different barnwood technique for a while, but never found the right piece to do it on...until now!  This table was a little wobbly, so I tightened it up.  Other than that, it was ready for paint.  My daughter and I applied a very light coat of Heirloom Traditions A La Mode paint.  It is basically a white.  Any shade of white will work. 
Why Heirloom Traditions?  Because I love it!  No prep, no priming, just painting.  After this coat was dry to the touch, I sanded it pretty hard with my orbital sander, exposing a good amount of the original wood and wood grain. 

Adding a gray wax.

Next was wax.  I chose Heirloom Traditions Barnwood wax.  We rubbed this on with a lint-free rag and buffed with a clean rag until it was smooth.  This went very quickly!  The following day I put two coats of Heirloom Traditions Aqua Clear on the top surface to protect it from damaging chemicals that may be used to clean it in years to come.  That's it! 

"Barnwood" table complete.

No fear of bugs, but you have the natural look and feel of barnwood.  So there is your green light!  Bring that natural element into your home while leaving nature outside where it belongs.


This is from Kalamazoo...to you!