What timber should I buy for rustic furniture?

[peterwesterlund]

I have concluded that the furniture I am looking for is not available for purchase, so I have decided to take matters into my own hands instead. I want to make a TV bench and shelf with a rustic character and now wonder what type of timber I should buy and how it might need to be treated to achieve its rustic feel.

This is how I want the result to look:

 

[andersmc]

Demolition timber.

(A delightful anachronism - "this TV stand is from an 18th-century farmhouse...")

 

[peterwesterlund]

What, is that the only way? Find someone who sells demolition timber?

I hoped I could go to a lumber yard and buy. Wanted to know what to ask for. Didn't think it had to be old to be rustic. :/

 

[pjodden]

You can buy regular lumber at the hardware store to build with. To create a rustic feel, you can apply various techniques to the finished furniture. For example, use nails to create "wormholes," hit it with a chain or hammer, "massage" it with gravel/pebbles. To get the right color tone, there are coffee, tea, steel wool dissolved in vinegar, painting different shades in layers and sanding with sandpaper for a "worn" look.

Only your imagination sets the limits, so start gathering inspiration on different techniques, such as via YouTube.

Good luck and feel free to report back on your progress!

 

[peterwesterlund]

Okay, but since it is thick wood, should I buy studs? By the way, what is "solid wood"? What does it actually mean? It feels sturdy.

 

[jonmo]

Massive means that it is solid wood through and through, and not, for example, chipboard with veneer.

 

[peterwesterlund]

Massive means that it is solid wood all the way through, and not, for example, particle board with veneer.

Ahaa, I didn't know that. Interesting