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| Redwood in rough form |
Spring is finally creeping its way into the valley and this
is by far my favorite time of the year, especially in Napa. I've spent
the past few weekends finishing some DIY projects and the fruits of my labor
are starting to show their beauty. Here's a picture of my latest project,
a wine bar, of course. Last summer I started working on this fine piece
of reclaimed redwood. It is solid extending 13 feet long and boy is it
heavy. When I got it, there was lots of wear from being in the elements
along with deep scratches from the blade used to cut it. I started by shaving
off those imperfections with a process called “planing”, and what a workout
that was. No, I didn't use an electric planer but instead good ole elbow
grease. Following my weekend of planing, I dropped 2.4 lbs., so folks;
you do not need to join a fancy health club to get into shape. Once
planing was completed, I then began the long process of sanding starting with
very course sandpaper and working up to fine. At last, my final step to completing
this beauty was to put on a first coat of polyurethane. I used a poly that is made for outdoor
decking that can hold up in the elements and also provide UV protection. A few more thick coats and this will be ready
to go.
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| After 1st coat of polyurethane |
What will I use for legs, you may be asking? That is the next project. I have 2 old wine barrels from a local winery
here in Napa. It has the wear on it from
years of aging some great wines. It is
an imported French oak that still has the export tags on it. I will not remove the tags since they provide
some history about the barrels’ long journey to the U.S. I decided that I will not be sanding the
barrels, because doing so will remove the character of the wine stains from the
years of dripping from barrel tasting. Here’s
a quick glance of the unfinished organic barrel in its rough form. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product.
