Kitchen Island Makeover-DIY Barn Wood!

Sarina Correa
by Sarina Correa
2 Materials
$100
1 Day
Easy
I know we all have dreams of finding that perfect aged vintage barn wood, but when we do the price is usually insane! I was recently contacted by Pioneer Woods about a new product that they make that can take new wood and it makes it appear old! Ohh and no jars of vinegar and steel wool to make it happen! I was hoping this product would be a good match along side my DIY chalk paint additives and natural waxes! It's not just a perfect fit, it's a match made in heaven! Affordable DIY Barn wood and DIY Chalk paint, YES PLEASE!
Little intro on my project: I built my house just over 2 years and one of the advantages of a new house is having a blank slate to work with and one of the disadvantages of a new house is having a blank slate to work with! HA!! It's taken me two years to make my vision of a coastal farmhouse kitchen come to life. Being on the Gulf Coast of Florida, coastal is easy, farmhouse is a distant memory of growing up in rural Oregon. Its been a struggle for me, but as products like this come about it can make those visions a reality and most of all AFFORDABLE!
My project!
Step 1: Operation Coastal Farm House! A very boring Kitchen island that needs warmth, depth, and texture. It's the perfect victim for this product!
Step 2: Get your hands on this magical powder! I love this stuff. It's easy to use, no mess, no clean up, just easy peaze! You can buy it at: https://pixiedustpaintcompany.com/
Step 3: Mix! This little bag makes 1 Quart of solution which was more than enough for my kitchen island!
Step 4: Build an Ark! Go to your nearest home improvement store and get some boards to fit your project. We went with some 1x4's that were 10' in length. We had 10 boards total because the pugs peed on 3 of the boards and cause a chemical reaction with the solution and the wood. Let's just say, keep your boards away from pets and always buy extra! We used bamboo to keep the boards off the ground.
Step 5: "BAKE YOUR WOOD". The directions state that your wood must be subjected to rain, sun, and whatever else to get an "old" look. Kind of makes sense because some of the best barn wood out there has been "weathered". Baking times vary, we baked a batch for 3 days and for 7 days, you will see why below.


Edit: Patina was applied with a regular paint brush and to clean the brush rinse with warm water and dawn dish soap.
A progression of the wood baking....HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!
Step 6: While your wood bakes, prep your project! Between me and 2 pugs we were able to have the island ready in about 20 minutes. Just needed to remove the molding.


Edit: electrical outlet was professionally disconnected (neighbor is a licensed electrician) as it was in an odd spot and never used unless it was a glade plug in. There are 3 additional outlets in this island, one on the left side and two on the right side. It's a very large island however the builder was not thinking with this outlet placement.
Step 7: BEFORE you start screwing in your boards, lay them on the floor and figure out your pattern and then cut any boards to fit. We lucked out and only 2 boards needed to be cut to fit! Boards were attached with screws at the studs located at the top and bottom of the island. A couple of the boards we had to use liquid nails as there was a tiny fear of drilling right into the plumbing on the other side. 2" self drilling screws (they run about $8 but worth it).
Step 8: Stand back and admire your work! Light boards baked for 3 days and dark boards baked for 7 days. Then make a list of all the things you need to do to make the entire space come together!
Step 9: Redo your kitchen table to match! That Pixie Dust Paint table makeover will be up soon! The table is made of a recycled gym floor that came out of Mexico! As you can see we were able to get someone to make us driftwood lighting! Thanks Stephanie for making my lighting vision reality!
Suggested materials:
  • Pioneer Wood   (pixiedustpaintcompany.com)
  • Wood Boards   (Homedepot.com)
Frequently asked questions
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3 of 14 questions
  • Judy tichy Judy tichy on Jan 14, 2017
    Love the wood project! Could you please share more info on your lights? I would like to do something similar above the log bar in our cabin.
  • Teresa Tudor Teresa Tudor on Apr 28, 2017

    How big is your island?

  • Jcourtney Jcourtney on Jun 30, 2017

    We live in Sarasota (also Gulf city) and am looking for EXACTLY the same decor coastal farmhouse (and for the same northern memories reason :) ) Our island is fine BUT was looking into doing a focal wall in wood slats (we were thinking of using wooden fence boards) I was just going to get a couple shades of wood stain but I haven't heard of this product, do you know if there are any pros to cons for wood stain vs. pioneer stain? Beautiful outcome by the way!

Comments
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  • Joanie Joanie on Oct 06, 2017

    Love your Island and table both........Farmhouse is the answer for me.......totally makes me happy and brings back memories!! Beautiful work!!

  • Dawn Dawn on Apr 12, 2018

    I have kitchen envy!

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