Weathered Wood
Brown County is blessed with many older, pre- 1950s outbuildings such as barns, chicken coops, and tool sheds. These structures were made out of native tree species. After being cut into lumber at one of the local sawmills, the outbuildings would be assembled with the milled boards and beams being green or not kiln-dried. The buildings air dried and aged with time. If they are maintained, even without a protective finish applied, these old buildings will last for decades.
Sometimes you can find an old outbuilding or a barn that has been neglected to the point that it is no
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longer safe and needs to be taken down— with the permission of the landowner of course. This is the best place to harvest old weathered boards and beams. When boards are exposed to the elements for years and years they are like fine wine. There are gray tones, rusty nail and iron stains, remains of old painted surfaces, wind weathering, chew holes, knot holes, and interesting grain patterns.
Many a gray barn board has been run thru a planner and found to be cherry or walnut. Quite a few of the older buildings in Brown County were made with trees harvested right from the homestead. I have seen whole barns made just using walnut, but most are made from poplar or oak.
Most weathered lumber that we discover and salvage is oak or poplar. One time though, I discovered a tar papered house being removed that had twentytwo inch wide sycamore boards nailed on for its siding. The boards were nine foot long, one and one half inches thick— no warping and solid. They sure made some nice tables.
Harvesting old boards can be dangerous. I like to take down a building in the winter months for several reasons. For one thing you can see what you are doing. There can be fence metal intertwined with vines and it will just be in front of the boards you want. In the late spring and summer months there are bees and other insects, spiders, and snakes to contend with. Not to mention poison ivy, vines of all sorts, saplings, and stickers. And the building could fall on you if you did not plan well taking it apart.
All this considered, the old lumber, when salvaged and cleaned up, is a joy to work with. I like knowing that the wood I’ m using could be over one hundred years old and had a colorful life before being repurposed into something else.
— Paul Sackmann •
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Marg DeGlandon CSSS, CDPR Broker / Owner Cell: 812-360-4083 margd @ remax. net
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62 Our Brown County • July / August 2015