[Closed] Anyone used scaffold boards as rustic table top before ?

Yes. I made my dining room table in this way. Used scaffold boards might be better as they have more character; ours are no where near perfect but prefer it that way.

I used Osmo to seal it and it's stood up well for a least a year so far.

I'm gonna do this for an outside table. You can buy the metal legs separately if you don't want to make legs.

Edit: just saw you knew that 🙂

We bought a scaffold dining table with metal legs and we like it but it looks totally doable to DIY.

There are scaffold boards available used on eBay but none very close to me. I'm going to try and find somewhere local.

Made kitchen worktops out of scaffold boards in the OHs house. Used a pocket hole jig the fix them together and candle wax dripped in the gaps amd sealed with tung oil. Very uneven and lumpy but not my kitchen. They do look good though. Also made coffee tables with two planks and a set of pin legs. Again very uneven but look good.

I've done many as part of a company who made rustic farmhouse tables. The original plan was to use scaffold boards, which we did. They were filthy to sand down, and many came back having moved after time. We ended up using planed CLS deliberately roughed up to look aged. That could never quite capture the rustic splits and patina though.

If doing a one off, my main advice would be to make sure they are fully seasoned before making the table, ie not wet from being left outside

I've made a few for people. Keep in mind that scaffold boards are used outdoors and will have a lot of moisture to lose when you bring them in - things can shrink and distort a lot and result in something a fair bit more rustic than you'd hoped for (I've had my fill of eating off rocking, spinning plates on chunky cafe tables that are tearing themselves apart)

The ones I'd used had been sitting in the space they would be used in for quite a long time so had stabilised. Rather than jointing them they are screwed down onto cross braces from underneath then a bit of belt sanding took the raised edges where boards had cupped or twisted while retaining plenty of the character - but doing it that way meant once flattened it was going to stay flat.

Used boards will have grit, gravel, and nails and staples in them and will often have rot at the ends which might not reveal itself until you cut them. So its worth buying a few more boards than you need in case you discover any duds and resign yourself to the fact that no matter how careful you are your saw will find the nails.

I have a window inside cill made from a scaff board. Its got a twist in it that nicely matches the rest of my flat! i only did it because it was free

Its a good source of timber are scaffold boards, and due to their nature are free of knots. Knot free whitewood costs more than standard pine so are ideal for furniture use.

But as above they've usually got nails in them, more often though at the ends or directly in the middle. If you want to use them get a nail detector, which will save you damaging your tools.
Electric planers and belt sanders are the order of the day for cleaning them up.

Belt sander especially wont really be affected by nails. Best tool for the job I think.

A warped board in a table top or bench,fixed at each end will eventually settle straight and flat.

Our work has a few tables as "meeting rooms".

Have split and twisted like mad as they have dried out properly.

I have a coffee table made from two scaffold planks, I had legs made from steel tubing which are joined in pairs (so the planks are held together by the leg bracket alone). I stained mine with a DIY solution of steel wool dissolved in vinegar to lose the fresh wood look then finished with wax. They're a bit wonky but nothing major and function perfectly well as a table.

Have to say, I'm someone who can't stand the faux 'rustic' look. It's so overdone, in bars and places.

Scaffold boards are ok for making temporary structures for outside, perhaps. If you can get a few free (many scaffolding firms are happy to leave you one or two if you ask nicely, if they're doing a job nearby), that's good. Don't be paying good money for them though. Personally, if I'm going to the trouble of making something, I'd much rather use some decent wood; you can get a lot of really nice stuff from reclaim yards etc. Or find a local timber place that does proper planing and jointing; they can make something really nice out of lovely timber (often there's a choice of stuff like Oak, Ash, Walnut, Cherry, Beech etc). Stuff that's been properly seasoned and milled, and stored inside at least. Problem with scaffold boards, is that they tend to warp and twist and often split, when placed inside a warm, dry environment. Decent wood will offer a much more stable surface, and will age nicely anyway. Leave scaffold board furniture for students and ****y bars.

Raised beds, as they were.
Bookshelves, well sanded

https://www.scaffolding-direct.co.uk/

Is just around the corner from me. We’ve bought new boards from them to make shelves. Just stained them. They look pretty good

Make sure you can leave the boards inside for ages they dry very slowly.

https://imgur.com/a/4A6voqX

I built this out of fresh boards, (it was the cheapest way of making massive sturdy shelves) and despite leaving them inside for ages they have significant warping that falls on the wobbly side of rustic.

We’re about to, we wanted a scaffold bird worktop but the joiner was going to charge £700 and even said that he couldn’t guarantee how long it would last.

We will be making our dining table from the boards though, they’ve been inside for a year so far and will be about another 4 months I think

I have, all sanded smooth and oiled so you would never know it was once a scaffold board. My only tip is to be very careful drying them before bringing indoors. They warp and cup terribly if you get it wrong.