My father raised me to be handy…but it took the remodeling of my house to fully inspire my love for woodworking.

While I wouldn’t go as far as to say “forced child labor,” my dad instilled in me a work ethic early on. At the time, I might have preferred lounging around the house or playing with my friends, but I’m thankful for it now. He broke me in gradually having me hold the flashlight, fetch tools, and haul lumber scraps to the burn pile. But before long I was fixing door jambs and replacing light switches.

All these skills came in handy when my wife and I bought our first house in 2004.

A fixer-upper for sure, this project filled me with equal parts excitement and overwhelm. I sought thrifty strategies for reducing material costs without the luxury of abundant cash flow.

I jumped on an opportunity to buy the wood from an old house that had been torn down.

Built in 1913 in Mullens, West Virginia, this old home provided a treasure trove of history: rough-cut framing lumber and beams with tight growth rings, old rusty nails and original saw marks. Each piece presented a patina of past use telling two stories: the story of the tree and the story of the people who had utilized it for their home.

Right away I could tell this old wood was special and different from the new lumber we buy today. I found out that it came from virgin stands of timber during the first industrial logging of the state, which happened between 1880 and 1930. It’s hard to tell actually how old the trees were when they were cut, but they have exceptionally tight growth rings and complex wood grain that you can’t find anywhere else.

I became fascinated with the possibilities of repurposing wood from these old houses and there were so many dilapidated houses needing to be torn down back then. Over the next few years, I deconstructed several houses and stockpiled the lumber.

Meanwhile, my own house was outfitted with rustic, wide-plank floors, baseboards, trim, and built-in shelving.

In 2010 I started working with my friend Donn Ketchum, a local cabinet maker and master woodworker. I dreamed of making heirloom dining tables from my wood, and over the next 6 months, Donn taught me how to do it (along with many other great woodworking skills). The open road was calling him though, and at the end of our tenure, Donn sold me his entire shop and skipped town. My woodworking journey had begun!

Over the years, my friends and I have completed dozens of custom furniture and woodworking projects. My favorite piece is still the farm table though. I love the idea of people breaking bread over an heirloom piece of furniture that I created, and a well built table will be enjoyed long into the future.

Walking into my wood-filled shop each day still brings excitement and the satisfaction that I’m saving a lost resource. New construction bulldozes these old houses every day (and each day fewer of these old houses survive), and I’m thrilled to provide a new life for this special quality of wood that we will never see again.

Thanks!

John Petro

My father and I started making wood outlet covers together in 2016. We purchased a small CNC machine and got to work developing a production system. It took a while for us to work out all the kinks, but today Virgin Timber Lumber produces some of the highest-quality wooden covers you will find on the market.

We sell our wall plates in Oak, Cherry, Maple, Black Walnut, Reclaimed Oak, and Reclaimed American Chestnut. Our outlet covers are sold factory-direct and we pride ourselves on personalized service and quick turnaround times. Most orders ship within 48 hours of ordering!

When you order your wooden light switch and outlet covers from us, know that you help us fulfill our mission of preserving and promoting one of Appalachia’s most precious resources!