We promised to share more details about how we built the reclaimed wood shelves in our bright white kitchen remodel, so here’s everything: measurements, stain method, and how we hung them.
Originally we planned to hang a large piece of art on that wall, but it felt flat and lacking dimension. Shelves became the better option: they add useful storage for items we use constantly, and they give Sherry a perfect place to style accessories and plants.
Our first decision was the polished nickel brackets from Rejuvenation, which helped tie in the polished nickel finishes elsewhere in the kitchen. We liked how the brackets introduced a refined metal accent to contrast with worn wood.
Choosing the shelf material took more thought. We tried simple white boards at first, but they looked thin and lacked the warmth and balance we wanted. From the living room, the kitchen needed wood tones on the left wall to balance the blinds and natural finishes on the right.
Standard lumber often comes in 3/4″ thickness and in lengths too short for our needs. Our ideal shelves were 65″ long, 9″ deep, and slightly over 1″ thick. Salvaged boards we found were thicker but still too short and expensive for the length we wanted.
After calling local lumber and reclaimed wood suppliers, we found E.T. Moore Manufacturing near downtown Richmond. They had a large selection of salvaged boards and were willing to cut and plane boards to our exact dimensions. We ended up with two pine boards from an old barn in rural Virginia, each 65″ long, 9″ deep, and 1 1/4″ thick.
At $100 for both, the boards cost more than basic project lumber but were far less than the pricier salvaged options and arrived perfectly planed and straight. They retained the character of old wood—rings, cracks, and imperfect edges—without warping or bowing.
We debated clear-sealing the boards to preserve their natural tone, but after a couple of weeks we wanted a less orange hue that would match other wood tones in the kitchen, like the stools and the floor.
E.T. Moore kindly gave us a small scrap from the same batch so we could test stain options before working on the full boards. After research, we tried a vinegar and steel wool wash technique to neutralize orange undertones. We soaked steel wool in distilled white vinegar for about a day, then tested different concentrations and compared them to a straight gray stain.
The scrap reacted beautifully: the vinegar and steel wool wash neutralized the orange undertone while preserving the grain and imperfections. The “vinegar + 1 steel wool” test was nearly a perfect match to our stools when it dried, so we applied the same method to the full boards.
Unexpectedly, the full boards reacted differently. One board dried with a strong red tone. To adjust the color, Sherry applied a graywash using Benjamin Moore Shaker Gray mixed heavily with water (about five parts water to one part paint). She brushed it on and wiped most away like a stain. The graywash reduced the redness significantly while letting the wood grain and cracks remain visible.
The finished color isn’t a perfect match to the stools or the floor, nor exactly what we expected from the vinegar wash, but it sits well among the other wood tones in the room. The variety creates a cohesive, lived-in look rather than a monotone match.
To hang the shelves we used a combination of heavy-duty wall anchors on one side and anchored the other side into a stud. The gap between the countertop and the first shelf is 18″, matching the gap on the opposite side of the kitchen. The two shelves have 13″ between them, which provides enough room to style items without feeling cramped.
Ultimately, the shelves bring dimension, warmth, and a touch of “old barn” character to the kitchen. They’re a practical storage solution and a styling opportunity Sherry enjoys regularly. And yes—three of the plants featured in the kitchen reveal are still alive, which she calls a small miracle.
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