Staining Merbau hardwood

It's been a few weeks since my last post, I've been slammed with orders - crazy!  But I'm trying to experiment more with the reclaimed hardwood floor that I now have stashed all over our Manhattan apartment LOL (my husband is not nearly as thrilled about this as I am). 

The wood is Merbau, a reddish-brown hardwood and the underside is unfinished and has grooves in it to connect with the other pieces for making a floor.  I was excited to use the underside as the front of a chandelier because I thought it looked really rustic and kind of industrial which is the look I love so much.

So I tried out the charcoal stain on the Merbau and it turned out pretty cool.  Because the wood is darker than the birch plywood I've been staining, it looks very different.

On the left side is 2 coats of the Minwax Charcoal stain, middle is 1 coat, and on the right is the original color of the wood

I also tried staining the Merbau wood in Ebony and it turned out fantastic.  Here is a fixture I made with one 4ft panel of the floor with the pendant Edison bulbs:

More posts to come very soon!  I am aiming to finish the chandelier with the raw gemstones this week so pics are coming shortly.

Orders are coming in!

Or maybe I should say pouring in YEAH!  I'm so excited and a little overwhelmed.  I finally finished the two fixtures that I've been working on for weeks now.  The one made from the reclaimed hardwood floor is so cool!  I ended up cutting the big piece in half to make two chandeliers.  Here are some photos:

The first image is of the big piece that I purchased from Build It Green NYC.  You can see that I cut it in half to make a smaller fixture.  I used antique brass hardware on this one, it went really well with the raw wood.  You're actually seeing the bottom of the hardwood floor as the face of the chandelier.  I left the metal connector pieces on there because I felt like it gives it a more raw feel.  I love this one!!  Will be tough to let go if it sells:(

The other project was a more sophisticated fixture in the new grey stain I made.  I'm quite happy with this one as well.

I used all the same size clear globe bulbs and actually lined them up this time.  The globes are big so they're touching which gives it a unique look.

I'm currently working on 6 more orders!!  Gotta get to work:)

So. Many. Projects. So. Much. Fun.

I'm so excited about chandies and wood stain right now!  I've a couple new discoveries to share:

1. Mixing stains is my new favorite thing!!  I've come up with two colors to add to my offerings: a warm grey that is totally cool, but still workable for us not-so-very-modern folks and a mahogany that is rich, yet still contemporary.  I shared below my mix for the warm grey and now here is my mixture for the mahogany: 2 coats Ebony with a top coat of Gunstock.  Awesomeness.

2. After visiting the newest outpost of BIG NYC (Build It Green NYC) in Gowanus, I have now multiple projects in the works with my wood findings.  I found a chunk of hardwood floor that still has the metal connectors on the bottom, so cool!  I'm going to make the bottom the front of the chandelier.  But it's huge right now, I'm deciding whether to just make a giant chandy or cut it in half to make two.  Check it out:

Now I can't wait until they open after the holidays to check out their original warehouse in Queens.  So much to do so little time!

Lenox Coffee: Cool Place

I finally made it to the coffee shop in Harlem that purchased the chandelier and it looked amazing!  If you're in the area, it's a great little place to stop and have coffee.

Lenox Coffee in Harlem, NYC

The shop is decorated has exposed brick and new hardwood floors with all reclaimed wood furniture, including these cool benches made with coffee sacks and recycled wood!  It's called Lenox Coffee at 60 West 129th Street.

Awesome bench by RecycledBrooklyn on Etsy

 
It's just around the corner from Sylvia's on Lenox Ave.  Super friendly staff, great cup of joe, and a cool little spot.

The Wrong Desk Made from Reclaimed Telephone Poles

So there is a funny twist to the reclaimed telephone pole desk that my friend bought from Crate & Barrel story...

My friend is currently driving cross-country in an RV with her husband right now - so fun!  So she also happens to have an online shop called sundaybrunchdress.com.  A couple days ago she called me from the road because a customer purchased one of her dresses to wear on NYE, so I went next door to mail it for her.  This is the first time I've been to her place since she purchased the desk from Crate & Barrel.  So I'm expecting to see the desk I thought she purchased, but instead see this desk.  haha!  I had the wrong desk!  But it is so cool, a gorgeous desk.  It looks amazing in her apartment, she has such great taste.

My Newest Stain Color: Warm Grey

Christmas is over!  I always feel a mixture of sadness that the holiday season is ending and sheer joy that the stress of dealing with holiday shopping, family gatherings, and eating/drinking is finally done.  So I'm getting back to chandelier creations...

In the midst of holiday madness, I was obsessing over the stain for the wood for my newest client's dream chandelier.  As I mentioned in a previous post she wants the look of a desk made from recycled telephone poles, but the weathered wood look is very difficult to re-create using plywood.  However after a couple trips to Home Depot and some scrap pieces of wood I think I've done it!

So first I bought the Classic Grey (271) stain by Minwax but it was too light to show up under the brown stain (Special Walnut).  It was a cool color though, note to self for another project.  I will post pics of it next post.  Back to Home Depot where I learned from my friendly little guy in the paint department that Minwax does custom stains, who knew!?  So we made a color called charcoal to give the wood the grey undertone needed to get that greyish, weathered telephone pole color.  One note: the custom stain liquid is much thicker than the regular stain by Minwax, so you have to use much less than the regular stuff.  My first attempt was too dark, i.e. used too much of the stuff.

So I tried it again using much less of the custom charcoal stain and then immediately taking off the excess with paper towels.  After it dried I added a light coat of the Special Walnut and voila!

Now I have a very warm grey color that is beautiful.  An exciting start to this unique chandelier that will involve gems!  Stay tuned for more updates on this beauty in a couple days.

Cool Desk Made from Reclaimed Telephone Poles

Yesterday I received a call from a friend of the couple in Brooklyn Heights (my first order) that wants a chandy for her living room, also in Brooklyn.  She is a jewelry designer and used to be the senior buyer of fine jewelry for Barneys New York!!  I'm so excited to work with her!

Off to do research on wood stains and recycled wood, but this desk from Crate & Barrel is my new inspiration.  I love the greyish color of the wood from recycled telephone poles.  I can't wait to see it in person, my friend just bought this and it was delivered yesterday.  Hopefully we will get to see it this afternoon.