My husband and I went out and bought thirty 1×3″ common boards.

Can you guess what we’re making?

Here’s a hint: We have one particular room in our house that makes us feel overwhelmed every time we set foot in it. This will be an organization solution for that room.

Guess away. I promise to give you the answer, but not today.

First, let me tell you what we learned about 1×3″ common boards.

First, there is no such thing as a straight common board. They are thin, and the wood is fairly soft. Naturally, they warp easily. Just when you find a straight board length-wise, you realize it is warped across the width.

Second, the boards are, well, common. They are full of knots, dings and unfinished edges. But you do get what you pay for – they are one of the most inexpensive options for a project like this.

Third, and possibly the most surprising, 1×3 common boards are actually NOT 1″ x 3″. They are actually 3/4″ x 2-1/2″ – I know, go figure. So, when you do a project, make sure you take into account the adjusted size or it may turn out just a little smaller than you planned! I’m grateful my husband knew all about it. I was looking at him like he was crazy when he told me, but turns out (as with many other things), he was right.

Picking out common boards is not a common job. We ran by the store on somewhat of a whim, unprepared for the task at hand. I mean, why wouldn’t it be quick and easy to go to the store with 3 kids under the age of 6 and leave with what we needed in a timely fashion?

Rookies. 

We spent a very long time pulling out almost every common board from the stack. We chose the ‘best of the worst’ boards. Since it took longer than expected, one of us examined boards while the other kept the little people from getting too rowdy – reminders to ‘be kind’, snacks, bathroom breaks, rattle shaking and rocking the baby.

And then there’s the cart problem. It’s kind of hard to buy large supplies when one cart is full of just children. We were a bit of a parade with our flatbed of supplies and cart loaded with children – apparently high ceilings mean outside voices. We may have drawn attention to ourselves and stuck out like sore thumbs. Maybe.

It wasn’t exactly the most relaxing trip to the hardware store I’ve ever taken.

But, I’m happy to report we did survive. Next time we’ll be a little more prepared and perhaps leave the little people at home. Here is the list of what we used, borrowed or bought for our project:

• Supplies
  • Clamps
  • Belt Sander
  • Hand Planer
  • Palm Sander
  • Wood Glue
  • Miter Saw
  • Table Saw
  • Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
  • Espresso Colored Wood Stain
  • Spar Urethane Sealer
  • 4×8′ Plywood
  • White Paint and Primer

It might not look like much quite yet, but we’re having fun creating something for our family to enjoy. 

Can’t wait to share our progress soon.