Whenever i think I am facing a small problem, it somehow amplifies into a large scale project. I needed a better backdrop for photographing my art pieces. Sure, the simple white wall would have been sufficient, but not amazing. I began my quest for amazing...or whatever amazing could look like with about $200 budget. My blank canvas of a wall awaiting a transformation.
After rejecting the idea of various textured wall panels, I realized I should embrace the notion of reusing something... now commonly referred to as upcycling, recycling, and recrafting. Craig's list led me to a really nice guy, John, in LaSalle, Colorado. LaSalle is a small agricultural community in northeast Colorado with a population of about 2,000. John was in the process of taking down some old structures for the landowner. His benefit was he would be able to sell the barnwood for profit. One building happened to be a barn with a seemingly endless supply of distressed, weathered T & G siding.
We climbed over stacks of tongue and groove boards with protruding rusted nails looking for suitable, straight lumber in lengths of at least 4' or greater. Meanwhile, John ripped down a couple more walls to get some "fresh" stuff.
A small heard of cattle watched us from nearby. This one needed it's breakfast brought to it as it could not get up off the ground. Concerned, we inquired about its condition. John speculated that it may be calving...or suffering from mad cow disease. I chuckled when he said this, thinking he was just joking about the mad cow thing. No joke, I guess it's still a problem. That was a depressing thought, but a reality of the farming life.
For $200 I was able to get enough siding to cover two walls measuring 8 x 8.
Back at home, we began the arduous task of cleaning and scraping years of accumulation of dried dirt and peeling paint. John had mentioned to us that it might be necessary to power wash the boards. As a woodworker, I know that water and wood don't mix so well. If not done properly, the wood can check, cup, bow, and twist as it dries. After several hours and progress that was slower than a heard of turtle stampeding through quicksand, I gave in against my better judgement and hosed the boards down with a garden hose and a high pressure nozzle. I then stacked the wood placing "stickers" or small blocks of wood in between each layer to allow air to circulate. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. The next day I found that most of the boards had cupped and twisted slightly. Just enough to make the project a little more of a challenge. Instead of being able to use long lengths, I would need to cut the siding into smaller sections which in turn would mean more seams. Smaller sections allowed me to keep the siding level during installation and flat against the wall. We finished up with a very light whitewash of paint so that the distressed look was still apparent but clean and bright looking.
Finished!!!
