What I Did With What I Thrifted: Rustic Media Bench
First thing we did was give it a good scrub.


Once cleaned, I bleached the wood. Nobody was present to take a picture of me applying the bleach because we were on our way to a crab feast (hi Joyce!) and someone had to take a shower. But I did it. I promise.
After the wood dried out, it was time to cut!

Seriously, this was a really big piece of wood. 14' is long ya'll.

It was at this point we got into a fight. In all of our coversations on how to build the damn thing, we never actually discussed how big it was going to be. When he made the first cut, I thought it was a leg. He declared it was the top. It was about to be the world's smallest media bench. It was more like a media loveseat with his specs but luckily I won, and we made this guy 5' long and 2' tall. And here it is!

I am so proud of this piece. We didn't do anything to the wood itself. No sanding, no staining, just a high-gloss lacquer finish that I love! The high-gloss is unexpected on a rustic piece like this, but it brings out all the "imperfections" in the wood that give this piece character.

I love this cut - it captures the grain and keeps it consistent from the top down the side.

We even left the nails in the wood. I forbid making a cut that would leave the nails as scrap, and I love that we worked so hard to keep them.

This piece is exactly what we wanted. Clean cuts, rustic character, modern finish. A piece like this is easily adaptable to any home-decor style, and completely customizable. We built this piece to meet the needs of our space and our TV. I absolutely love it and can't wait to show off the room, which will (hopefully) be my next update.
Thanks for following my first-ever week of Before & Afters. Are you as tired as I am? It's been fun!
#beforeafter #custombuilt #reclaimedwood #whatididwithwhatithrifted