View from River Mountain: From Trash to Candlestick

I found these broken parts in the trash of what was likely a nice bed at one time. And to my sons horror I squealed, "I need those!".

I had been looking for some antique wooden candle holders and hadn't found what I wanted. I was certain I could re-purpose the posts from the headboard to get the look I wanted.

Despite my son's disdain he was willing to help me break away the pieces that I wanted to salvage. He is my partner in crime and creativity...sometimes willingly. :)

We took them home and thoroughly cleaned them.

I carefully chose the sections of each post that I wanted for my candlesticks and marked them clearly. I wanted the sticks to be of different height and shape. I also made sure there would be an nice "lip" at the top for resting the candle.

A quick run through the chop saw and I had my pieces.

I roughly sanded the edges and surface.

My plan was to make them look aged. The end product wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I will likely refinish them soon but for now they look pretty good on my dining room table.

First I covered them with white spray paint. After they were completely dry, I lightly sanded with soft grit sandpaper. Lastly, I applied a dark walnut stain over the painted surface. I used long strokes to resemble wood grain. When completely dry I sprayed on a polyurethane.

When/if I refinish I will apply the stain first and probably add color.