Accent Walls from Teredo Lumber

My husband and I sell recycled lumber milled from log-raft log booms that soaked in the Puget Sound long enough to have teredo clams drill into them. When cut into lumber, the boards have various amounts of teredo activity, from none at all to lots. This really adds to the character of an accent wall – thank you clams! There are also occasional knots, the variety in the wood grain, and some variation in natural color.

I cut the 1×4’s into four different lengths, lightly sanded them, and then spent a little time on the layout before applying finishes.

I’ve been experimenting with stains, paint and natural finishes. Here are two of my favorite samples so far.

1×4″ boards of varying lengths treated with sanding sealer and satin polyurathane to preserve natural colors of the Douglas Fir.

1×4″ boards of varying lengths painted with light colored satin latex. I used less paint on some boards than others, then brushed Classic Gray stain on all of them.

The key to the rustic look, besides the work of the cooperative clams, is the rough-cut lumber. I sanded it lightly just to remove splinters so it still has its natural texture. Our ough cut lumber is available at Second Use Building Supply in Seattle and Tacoma.