Old reclaimed bar transformed into a kitchen island

A few months ago I received a phone call from a homeowner who had acquired some old panels salvaged from a old bar.   The panels had been stored in her uncle's barn for over 40 years.    She said her grandfather used to drink beer at the bar in Paris, TN.   She wanted to know if I could build a kitchen island with the reclaimed parts.

The panels were solid oak with a layer of grunge on the surface.   I had hoped to build the island using the panels intact but there was some old insect damage so I had to deconstruct the panels into individual parts.  

I recut the old baseboard to make the face cabinet face frame and used the tongue and grooved parts to make the doors and the drawer front.   The island design also had to incorporate a Bosch microwave drawer.

 We cleaned down the material and removed the layer of grime, without removing the patina of the old surface.    The doors and drawer front were fitted with some old industrial handles from our stash of antique hardware from Hinge Hardware.  The island was finished off with a clear coat.  

 

Kirk Hoeffler of Second Chance Antique Lumber (along with the homeowner) fabricated the beautiful countertop from antique oak planks.   

This was a challenging but very rewarding project.   When I was disassembling the panels, I found an old fish hook that had fallen behind one of the baseboards.   I picture my client's grandfather sitting on an old bar stool, enjoying a beer after fishing all afternoon.   As he reaches for his wallet to pay, the fish hook falls out of his pocket and lodges itself in the woodwork only to be discovered all these years later....