Weekend crafts: do you prefer building from scratch or upcycling old stuff?

Ever run into issues with reclaimed wood being warped or full of nails? That’s tripped me up more than once...

Tell me about it. I once tried to turn an old barn beam into a mantel - looked gorgeous, but I spent half the weekend pulling out ancient square nails and sanding out weird stains. Worth it in the end, but sometimes I wonder if just starting fresh would save my sanity. Still, nothing beats the character you get from old wood.

I once tried to turn an old barn beam into a mantel - looked gorgeous, but I spent half the weekend pulling out ancient square nails and sanding out weird stains.

That’s the thing - sometimes I wonder if the “character” is just code for extra work. Last time I salvaged floorboards, I found a whole patch with some kind of oil spill. Ever tried to deal with that? I’m curious if there’s a trick to making the cleanup less of a headache, or if it’s just part of the deal.