While this Clean Solid Wood Mantel looks modern and clean, it is actually an old reclaimed piece. Originally a hand-hewn log cabin style timber, we re-sawed this piece to reveal this clean profile — and what emerged is stunning. The interesting grain patterns tell a story all their own, even as the rugged exterior disappeared. At its heart, this Red Elm beam is over 125 years old. Its warm, light tan to dusty reddish-brown tones are naturally beautiful as-is, and with an oil finish, it deepens into rich, gorgeous coppery hues. Notice the crack along the bottom — that’s not a flaw, it’s a testament of solid, old-growth character. Check out the before photo — the transformation is truly something to see!

• There are a few details yet to clean up on this piece (like sanding the ends) — we’ll take care of those.
• This vintage red elm mantel is shown as sanded, but no finish has been applied
• We can preserve the current color or darken with some various techniques
• Sizing (cutting and sanding the ends) as well as finishing are included in the price
• It is currently 5.25 inches tall x about 7.75 inches deep
• It is currently about 69in long. We can be cut down for no additional charge
• It ships via UPS Ground for $150

While this beam looks like a log cabin timber, it was actually a beam in an old granary when we got it. It may also have been a log cabin timber once upon a time. It was not uncommon for folks to reuse lumber from a previous building to build another. That’s always a fun case — when we can tell that a beam was already used once and then we can reuse it for a 3rd time in a home. This beam came from Winsted, Minnesota. Before European settlers arrived, the area was a summer camp for the Dakota/Sioux tribe of Minnesota for over a century. The shores of the local lakes were frequent hunting grounds, particularly for Little Crow and his band. Winsted as a village was founded in the summer of 1857. This beam is most likely from the late 1800s

About the tag – “Husbands” is a snippet from a Dorothy Dix advice column. She was an American journalist and columnist from 1895 to 1951— the forerunner of today’s popular advice columnists, and America’s highest paid and most widely read female journalist at the time of her death, with an estimated audience of 60 million readers. What an intro line — “One of the things that every woman knows is that some of the best men in the world are the worst husbands.” LOL. Read the photo for more.