Sold to Ben 8/25/2022 Reclaimed Mantel with Cracked Face

A pronounced crack meanders its way across the face of this reclaimed mantel — accenting the golden tan face. Never fear, the crack is plenty stable and should not change. The great thing about this old wood is that it is pretty much, “what you see is what you get.” There are a few nail holes scattered across the face as well. The top surface is similar with a set of nail holes dotting the surface. I believe that the current topside was originally facing out and was where the barn siding was attached. The bottom side has a rich deep patina that has developed over time in the ammonia-rich environment of a barn. I believe that the current bottom side was originally facing up and that floor joists were nailed to its surface.

We could certainly play with this mantel some more.  The finish could be stripped off and naturally darken with ammonia. Alternatively, we might be able to finish the back in addition so that the current bottom side becomes the face. If this mantel appears to have potential for you, let us know, we can certainly take more photos and play with it a bit.

This actual beam was a sill timber from an old barn. It was a big timber that rested on the cement, brick or stone wall foundation upon which they built the rest of the barn. You can imagine it was pretty wet right near the ground. They used white oak for sill timbers and fence posts back in the day because it has a good natural rot resistance.

This mantel is “mortise-pocket free.” That means that there were no rectangular holes (mortise pockets) that needed to be filled. It seems like nearly all of the beams that we gather have some sort of pocket that needs filling. This is a pleasant treat.

The original beam came from an old, turn-of-the-century barn near Norwood, Minnesota. It was incredibly sad to see this barn come down. The barn was exceptionally well maintained, straight, and covered in tin. It was removed to make way for a wildlife preserve acreage. The barn could have easily been remodeled into a fantastic house.

The ends on this mantel are all finished up and it is ready to ship. However, we can certainly cut this mantel shorter and refinish the ends for an additional for no additional cost.

It can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states via FedEx Gnd for $125

About the tag – Engine Coal– Another little clip out of an old 1950s vintage children’s elementary reader. I forgot which storybook we took this from. Even with modern Google, I can’t seem to find the title. History does fade.