Yay. Thank you! I think the water based poly sounds like the way to go. I finally narrowed it down to three vendors on Etsy. My top guy hasn't responded for three days though. And I now have to double check what finish he uses - oh, I remember, it's shellac.

I know I wouldn't want to be around the fumes, but what do you think of shellac as the finish, once cured?

Here is a little article on shellac - I didn't know anything about it myself.

http://woodworkstuff.net/shellac2.html

I was cleaning my shelves today because I have a houseguest tomorrow and decided to lay a thin dish towel on the shelf with dishes. I am not worried about the poly, but this little kitchen does not get used much yet - I am till tiling the floor - and it just seemed cleaner. Not sure if that is practical on a shelf that gets a lot of use.

The shelves look great!

The link was very helpful, thank you. I'm a little concerned with the amber tone of the shellac and the article also states it isn't very water resistant. I may still go with him but I'll check out my second choice and his finish. Thanks!

The front runner doesn't kiln dry or use a borate wash to kill termites/powder post beetles. He believes inspection and shellac is enough, but from reading university extension info on powder post beetles, it doesn't seem like it is. The shellac will prevent infestation, but it won't kill anything already in the wood - which could gestate for 4-5 years before seeing them and barn wood is a huge source of pests.

Dang! Onto the next vendor.

Mine are not reclaimed wood - just floor joist - new floor joist.

They look great!

There are plenty of vendors who kiln-dry and use borates, he just had the best price and really pretty shelves. It's a shame, it seems like the borate wash is a pretty easy, safe and necessary step.

I've seen some blog post about making new wood look old if you are wanting the reclaimed look without the concern of bugs - something I had not considered - good to think about that.

My shelves, including brackets, were less than $50 for all four - but I was on a self challenge to build a kitchenette for less than $1000. I came out pretty close - the microwave might have put me over budget:)

You could talk to a local carpenter. It might be easier that way to get just the look and method you want.

Wow. It looks amazing! You must have done all the work yourself to be in that budget range.

Shellac is NOT a good finish with water or damp. It will show rings and may discolor where it is exposed to water. Go with poly.

The cabinets were some of my original kitchen cabinets that I had stored away, and I refinished them. The sink is my old cast iron sink that I recently replaced with a cast iron farmhouse sink in the main kitchen. I did have a carpenter set the cabinets and help with the countertops - and a plumber put in the sink. The electrical and plumbing for a kitchenette were already there. We had that roughed in years ago. We just never could afford to finish it. I refinished the main kitchen cabinets and that got me thinking about creative ways to use what I already had on hand.

You have to post some pics of your shelves when done. I see so many different ones in Houzz and Pinterest pics and you are doing so much good research that I am sure yours will be lovely:)

jhmarie - bit off-topic, but where did you get your lovely shelf-brackets?

I got those at Hobby Lobby. Usually $8.99 but every few weeks they are 50% off - which is when I bought them.

I just had some shelves made for my kitchen. They are reclaimed wall joists, 14x2 Douglas Fir. My carpenter used Varathane Polyurethane. It is the heavy use formula and the color is crystal clear. He assured me it was safe enough for storing dishes and glassware. What I like most about it is that it does not change the color of the wood and it does not leave a glossy finish. Those two factors were very important to me since I am using reclaimed materials. I should be able to post some photos next week when everything is done.

I'm divided about whether to care if the wood is kiln dried to get rid of pests (dry wood termites and powder post beetles). Did you purchase kiln dried and/or borate washed? I know top coats besides those don't help if there's larvae in there.

I consulted a furniture maker. I am doing 4 coats of Watco Tung Oil on my poplar kitchen shelves we had milled. 3 down and 1 to go.

Where did you find those lights? They look so great with the shelves!