I love to work with wood. I love the smell of it and the feel of it in my hands. When we built our home last year, we knew we wanted to build some original doors for our mudroom and master bath, as well as a mudroom bench. We were blessed to learn that just when we needed it, my lifelong friend in Adrian had torn down an old house and some out buildings and corrals. He graciously offered this wood to me so we could build these beautiful doors and bench. Thanks, Eric! I’ll always remember our friendship when I see this wood in my home.

The barn doors were so much fun and a lot of hard work. The kids all helped pull nails out of each board, and then we sanded, dry fit, and screwed them together. They were so warped from years of being out in the weather it was a little difficult to keep them together. We used lots of clamps and muscle.

The mudroom bench was much the same way. Most of the boards were 16 feet long and very twisted after being part of a coral for 50+ years, so we measured what looked to be the flattest and straightest parts of the boards and did a lot of cutting. The first two pictures in this post show the difference a little sanding can make. The transformation was incredible!  The only finish on them are 3 coats of clear satin poly

Here is the final look with the barn door and mudroom bench.  It’s such a great feeling to see the final outcome was even better then you imagined!!