When Salvaging Decor, The Right Tools Are Likely Not in Your Workshop

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The latest trend in American home decor is the wildly popular “Picking,” or salvaging items and repurposing them as decorative conversation pieces for the home. The trend has its earliest roots in programs like the Antiques Roadshow, and it has reached a fever pitch thanks to programs such as American Pickers, where the hosts salvage everything from old advertizing signs to industrial equipment. Millions of Americans are even today bringing home old sections of train track, antique trolley cars, old school desks, and even old gas station pumps. With a bit of work, they intend to turn these industrial garbage items into funky coffee tables, plant stands, or even just conversation pieces to display in their living rooms.

There is one element often missing from these shows, however, and that is the