A friend in Connecticut asked us to come help her get her house ready to put on the market. Be careful what you agree to do for friends! When we arrived we couldn't believe all the work that needed to be done.

In the course of fixing it up I suggested the old breakfast bar, which was a pine 1x12 and mostly unusable for eating at, be replaced with something wider. I started looking for a decent hardwood store and found Connecticut Wood Group in Enfield, CT. When we walked in I was pleasantly surprised. Anyone in that area looking for quality hardwoods needs to check them out. You won't be disappointed.

On our first visit I asked about live edge planks. John, the go-to guy, showed me two, one stacked on the other. The top one didn't look too promising but the one under did. It was curly eucalyptus. I've never worked with that wood before so I asked John how hard it was and he said, "Pretty hard."

Our friend was on the fence and so we left but I planned to return and load up before we left. Hardwoods in Florida leaves a lot to be desired.

Several weeks later we returned and I asked John if he still had that eucalyptus live edge plank. He smiled and said, "Come here." I followed him to the back of the warehouse and there he had the plank finished. "It still needs one more coat." Our friend saw it and fell in love. Soon it was in the back of her pickup and off we went.

This is what we started with:


First thing I did was to remove the 1x12 and strip the face planking.


Next I added a couple of receptacles.


We were deciding on how to support the 20" wide plank when I remembered seeing a couple of 6x8 Doug fir cutoff left over from building the house. I pulled them out of the shed and sanded off the stains and dirt. Then I used a jigsaw to create a work look to the edges and tested how the plank would rest on them.


I would have to cut off about a foot from the plank but the Doug fir posts worked great. I went to Lowes and picked up some reclaimed-look cedar T&G paneling and installed it on the face and wrapped it around to the cabinet sides. The cabinet sides were pretty beat after 26 years and the paneling brightened the room. The Doug fir posts were varnished without stain or dye.

I also removed the offensive can light above the range (see first pic) and replaced it with an 8' track. From there I hung (4) drop lights. The shades on the lights are made from some kind of stone and are translucent. They really complimented the room and were only about $30 each.


Four stools and we're ready for breakfast to be served!


Here's a top shot of the plank before trimming the end:


The cutoff will be used as a backer for house numbers and mounted at the front door.