Long ago we promised more details about how we made the reclaimed wood shelves we installed during our big kitchen remodel, so here’s a complete rundown with measurements, staining methods, and hanging tips.
We hadn’t planned to add shelves at first. A large piece of art didn’t give the wall enough dimension, so shelves became the natural next idea. They provide handy storage for things we use often, like drinking glasses, and give Sherry another surface to style. Plus, plants—always a must.
Our first decision was the polished nickel brackets from Rejuvenation, which helped echo the polished nickel finishes elsewhere in the room. They come in several finishes, so pick the one that best complements your hardware. Fun fact: we somehow ended up with two dozen brackets instead of the four we needed, but that’s another story.
The shelf material and color took more thought. We briefly tried simple white shelves for a low-contrast look, but they read thin and uninspired from a distance. Stepping back into the living room made it clear that some warm wood tones on that wall would balance the space better and echo other wood elements in the room.
Most store-bought boards were 3/4″ thick, which felt too thin, and longer or thicker reclaimed options we found were either too short or too expensive. We wanted shelves approximately 65″ long, 9″ deep, and a little over 1″ thick. After calling several places, E.T. Moore Manufacturing near Richmond could work with our small order and offered reclaimed boards from various tear-downs. They could plane and cut the boards to our exact dimensions.
We ended up with two pine boards from an old Virginia barn, each 65″ long, 9″ deep, and 1 1/4″ thick. They came perfectly planed and straight, with the charming imperfections of old wood but without warping. They fit in the back of our car and cost about $100 total—more than typical store lumber but less than other reclaimed-board options and tailored to our needs.
At first we considered just sealing the boards to keep their natural tone, but after living with them a bit we wanted something less orange—closer to our stools and the floor. E.T. Moore provided a small scrap from the same batch for testing stains, which was extremely helpful.
We tested a vinegar-and-steel-wool solution—an oxidizing wash that can neutralize orange undertones—and compared it to a straight gray stain. The method is simple: soak steel wool in distilled white vinegar for about a day, then apply the liquid to the wood. On the test scrap, the vinegar mixture did an excellent job of toning down the orange while preserving the wood’s grain and character. The “vinegar + one pad of steel wool” sample matched our stools almost exactly once dry, so we proceeded.
However, the full-size boards reacted differently than the scrap. As the second board dried, the first unexpectedly turned quite red. Frustrating, but not the end of the world.
To tone down the redness, Sherry tried a graywash made from leftover Benjamin Moore Shaker Gray paint heavily diluted with water (about five parts water to one part paint). She brushed it on and wiped it off like a stain. The graywash reduced the red tone significantly while keeping the grain and old cracks visible, which we liked—the reclaimed texture pairs nicely with the sleek polished nickel brackets.
They don’t match the stools or floor exactly, and the vinegar result wasn’t a precise outcome either, but the kitchen has a variety of wood tones that work together. Accepting that slight variation helped us relax and enjoy the finished look.
For hanging, we used heavy-duty anchors on one side and secured the other side directly into a stud for strength. The distance from the counter to the first shelf is 18″, matching the gap between the counters and upper cabinets on the opposite wall. The two shelves have 13″ between them, which provides styling room without looking too sparse.
If you’re curious about more shelving ideas, this project fits into a larger set of shelving inspiration and DIY projects. The shelves also appear in our downstairs house tour video if you want to see them in context.
In the end, the reclaimed shelves added warmth, character, and useful display space to the kitchen. They bring a little of the old-barn feeling into the house and give Sherry plenty of room to rearrange things—her styling updates are frequent and joyful. Also, three of the plants that appeared in the kitchen reveal are still alive, which Sherry considers a minor miracle.
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