The Hidden Meaning Behind This Reclaimed Wood Tray

I never thought there would be a hidden meaning behind a reclaimed wood tray.

Yet, here we are.

To set the stage, we live in a colonial-era home that we’ve been restoring for the last four and a half years.

Old homes should come with a warning.

Not the “this house is a money pit” warning. Although, it will be.

Not the “this house makes disturbing noises” warning. It does.

Not the “people probably died here” warning. For sure they have. They were born here too.

Not the “rodents have more entrances to your home than you do” warning. It’s infuriating.

The warning old houses should come with is this house will turn you into a sentimental fool.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I’m just saying you should prepare yourself to feel completely off-kilter and sentimental about things you never would have felt sentimental about before you moved into your very old house.

Old square nails we pulled out of the floor? Keeping them. I might turn them into art.

Coins we found inside the wall? Framed them. (They weren’t even that old.)

And then we have a rotten piece of wood that was a door threshold in the basement.

What do we do with rotting wood?

Throw it a– Wait. What’s that? We don’t throw it away?

Normal people throw rotten wood away.

But we live in an old house now, so we turn it into a reclaimed wood tray because this house has turned us into sentimental fools.

I say that with affection for us and the money pit, I mean, house.

In a surprising turn of events, that rotten wood wasn’t as rotten as we thought.

We wouldn’t build a house with it, but once you chipped away the rotten part, there was still plenty of solid wood left.

I can’t definitively place a date on this piece of lumber but I do know old-growth pine has a much tighter grain than pine that is harvested today. That means it can withstand adverse conditions for much longer than you’d think, even if it makes it worse for wear.

Hmmm. That’s relatable.

It also means with a little imagination and tender, loving woodworking, that piece of rotten wood can be refashioned into something new and useful.

We’ll call it its second act.

I know it was an unusual choice to leave the bumpy bits on the edge of the tray.

However, we did that as a nod to what this piece of wood has endured. We’re celebrating the imperfections instead of removing them.

Plus, those imperfections give this reclaimed wood tray a heck of a lot of character and remind me a little of driftwood.

You might be surprised to know that the rough bits are tougher than they look, especially after I sealed them up with multiple coats of polyurethane. Nothing is breaking off now!

When I look at this tray, I see something we created that I consider beautiful and the perfect size to hold jewelry, coins, and keys.

However, I know this piece of wood hasn’t always been this way. It was once a tiny sapling that grew into a tall, strong tree that was turned into an integral part of this home. Years passed, life happened, and this piece of wood was no longer as strong as it once was.

That doesn’t mean it had zero value and should be cast aside. It just meant that it needed someone to view it with fresh eyes and see the new potential that it had to bring beauty, happiness, and usefulness to the world in a new way.

This reclaimed wood tray reminds me of the human condition.

What we once were is amazing, but what will we be next? Could be even better, just in a different way.

What do you think of our reclaimed wood tray and the hidden meaning behind it? I’d love to know. You can always comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Thank you for spending part of your day here. I am grateful for you. If you’d like another blog post to read, try one of these.

DIY Wood Cube Cord Holder

Refinished Wood Mirror With a Sentimental Twist

DIY Wood Burned Easter Eggs