It's all about the reclaimed barn wood

The wood comes from old barns taken down in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.  The barns we select are between 100 to 150 years old.  The species are generally pine, spruce, and oak.  We occasionally come across other species.  The wood is full of inherent character.  Only the elements, oxidation and TIME cause the wood to turn this wonderful patina. 

Some companies take down 35 to 50 year old barns because they do not get as much scrap wood out of younger barns so it costs them less for the wood.  They then try to enhance the wood’s patina with sandblasting and burning techniques.  This process causes the wood to become blotchy and uneven in tones and does not look rich and warm as our line. 

We have found that the only way to get this look is to use naturally aged barns.  We hand select each piece of wood so that the patinas are similar.  This gives the furniture its distressed look while blending the tones. 

What Makes Our Barn Wood Furniture Better Than the Rest? 

1) We have a proprietary, five step finish on our barn wood furniture.

The finish is the primary difference between our line and our competitors'. Look closely at our pictures. The woods natural shades blend to create a rich look. This begins with first hand picking woods in the same color tones. Our finishing technique then gives the wood a soft, luster while not removing the inherent character. When you see other lines of barn wood furniture, they appear blotchy and rough - they are! Our line is warm and inviting. All case goods have solid wood drawers and heavy duty ball bearing drawer glides. This furniture is built to be passed down for generations. 

2) We have a proprietary construction process that prevents cracking. 

Allow us to explain a huge difference in our tops and those of our competitors. Our tops are an engineered tongue and groove floating wood top with a patent pending (meaning our competitors cannot copy or offer this type of top). The joinery is pocket hole screwed joinery. Beam to beam construction is done with lag screws or timber frame screws. If reclaimed wood is glued together it has a very high probability that it will crack - this is a major difference between our tops and our competitors'. We ship hundreds of dining tables and many hundreds more of other styles of barn wood furniture to dry climates such as Colorado, Arizona and Texas each year. We have not had an issue with our tops in over ten years. The tops will adjust to the varying moisture conditions of the seasons.

The barn wood furniture is very low maintenance - it might be the lowest maintenance furniture on the market.  First, the wood has been slowly dried for over 100 years – no cracking or checking.  You can use pledge or a wax if desired for a soft luster. 

If you get a scratch, divot, or dent in the furniture, it takes all of one minute to repair and you will not know the spot.  A tinted wax can be used to touch up unsightly areas.  If you were to get scratches (and these do not happen easily), you simply rub it over the area and watch scratches disappear.  We recommend Briwax which can be purchased at this link:  Woodcraft

Below is a video to show how easy it can be to repair the barnwood furniture...

Maintaining barn wood vanities 

We have sold hundreds of the vanities with wood tops and they hold up excellent with minor maintenance.  What we suggest to our customers is periodically applying a thin, clear coat of paste wax.  This will create an extra barrier of protection and cause water to bead.  It takes all of one minute to do.  We do not suggest this type of vanity in a kid's bathroom since they never towel dry.  Yes, it takes a little bit of extra maintenance, but the look is unparalleled.  You simply wipe the top after use and that's it.  Should the tenant forget and the finish start to wear off, you can use a special tinted wax to bring back the luster.