Derek has becoming quite the crate-ive genius at working with reclaimed wood and I’m posting little stories about what goes on behind the scenes under SHOP on this website, where Lisa’s Pieces lives. This is the story of the crates we’re making right now. Derek does the salvaging, milling, sanding and building. Then the pieces come to me for a finish and handles. We love our little operation and here’s how it works.Â
Our philosophy is to use only reclaimed wood or to upcycle previously enjoyed items. We think time and experience make better wood for our crates. We often use pallet wood, which can be hard or softwood and sometimes – when we’re lucky – it’s exotic wood.
Our our current batch of crates is made of pine, coming from a pile of former horse fence that has the grey and red patina.
Time and weather distress them naturally. We salvage only the boards that are intact and strong, with charming imperfections. As the paint colours faded away, they left a beautiful surface. We sand away paint flakes and dirt and what’s left is a smooth surface with a distressed look that no faux finish can ever duplicate. We seal it with varnish, add rope handles and a lid or castors if you’d like. They’re used as storage, toy boxes, or whatever you can imagine.
If you’d prefer a solid colour, we can do that too.
Anything is possible. We go where the wood takes us! No two crates are ever exactly alike, except in size and features that you choose.