TIL reclaimed wood can warp if not dried out, now my shelves are all bent

I wanted to build some shelves for my home office using wood from an old fence I took down. I thought it would be a neat way to reuse stuff and add character. I sanded the boards smooth and nailed them together into simple shelf units. After about a month, they started to curl at the edges and now nothing sits level on them. It's really frustrating because I put a lot of time into this. I think I messed up by not letting the wood sit inside to dry for longer. Maybe I should have used a sealant or something. Has anyone else dealt with warping reclaimed wood? What's the right way to prep it so this doesn't happen?

4 comments

4 Comments

cole5492mo ago

Check the moisture content before you even start sanding. I grabbed a cheap meter after my first few projects twisted themselves into modern art, and it saved me from using wood that felt dry but was still holding a ton of water inside. What was the actual condition of those fence boards when you started? Were they out in the rain for years, or had they been sitting in a dry shed? @riverh49 knows the feeling of that expensive potato chip slab, and it usually comes down to rushing the dry time. Even bringing wood inside needs a plan, like stacking it flat with spacers and pointing a fan at it for a few months.

graceowens3mo ago

Two failed coffee tables taught me that reclaimed wood needs to dry forever. I'm basically running a wood hospice in my basement now!

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charles2893mo ago

That moisture meter I got after my own disaster read 22% on wood I thought was bone dry. @graceowens, stacking with stickers and a box fan cut my drying time in half. Keep the basement air moving and check every few weeks. Once it stops losing weight, you're good to go. I learned the hard way that patience isn't optional, but you can at least avoid a third coffee table funeral.

riverh493mo ago

Oh man, my first "dry" slab warped so bad it looked like a potato chip (a very expensive, oak potato chip). Now I'm paranoid and check the meter like it's a smoke alarm with a low battery. At this point my garage has more failed projects than usable lumber, which is its own kind of trophy case I guess.