Testimonials & Stories in the Grain
Every piece of wood carries a story. Some are about family, some about place, and some about memory. Our job is to bring those stories to life in custom projects & refinishing that lasts for generations.
Hear from our amazing customers!
Testimonials
We are VERY happy with our restored hardwood floor and so happy to be bringing life back to this old girl! Thanks so much to Craig's Custom Woodworking for all of your hard work! Friends- call Mike for your woodworking needs!
Barbara Siemen
Owner of Ma Petite Fleur
Harbor Beach, MI
I tried for two years with two different woodworkers to get a custom console table made with our family tree that fell. Both got too busy to finish it. Finally, I found Mike and he did a great job making our custom table to use at our own cottage.
Becky Chandler
St. Joseph, MI
Shoutout to Craig's Custom Woodworking again for the best new floors for some tiny feet to enjoy someday soon! These guys did an awesome job, the floors are perfect!
Allyson Majeski
Kinde, MI
Stories in the Grain
From Family Tree to Forever Table
A red oak that held generations of laughter, now preserved for generations to come.
Every piece of wood has a story — but this one began generations ago.
In Caseville, Michigan, a red oak once stood tall overlooking a family’s beloved cottage on the bluff. For decades, it was more than just a tree — it was a gathering place, a backdrop for laughter, and the anchor of countless summer memories.
“Most of our favorite childhood memories are from our summers in Caseville — watching sunsets on the bluff, eating tin foil dinners that grandpa or my dad would cook, playing lawn games, swimming at the beach.”
This red oak held three generations of swings — from a plain wooden seat to the round swing her own children and nieces played on years later.
When the tree finally came crashing down — likely over a hundred years old — it left behind more than an empty space. It left a story worth keeping.
“When I heard the tree fell, it sparked many happy memories… I thought to make something from the wood rather than discard it.”
Making the Table
The family saved a single piece of the red oak and brought it to us — hoping to turn that memory into something lasting.
We started by planing and squaring the piece, carefully preserving the natural bark edge. The bark was stabilized with penetrating epoxy before we poured a clear epoxy top coat that took nearly a week to set.
The final polish brought the grain back to life — the kind of shine that feels like sunlight through leaves.
“Finally found Mike in the Caseville group and he did a great job making this custom console table that we will use at our own cottage in St. Joseph.”
Now, that same red oak that once held the laughter of kids on swings sits in their family’s cottage as a table — sturdy, warm, and full of stories.
A piece of history. A reminder of connection.
A family’s story, still growing roots.
From Worn Floors to a Warm Welcome
Restoring a piece of Harbor Beach history — one board at a time.
Every now and then, a project comes along that feels bigger than just wood and tools — it feels like being part of a story that’s still being written.
This downtown Harbor Beach building has lived a lot of lives. Over the past century, it’s been a bank, a post office, a hardware store, and now it’s home to two new local businesses ready to bring life back to Main Street — Hammer & Stain East Michigan and Ma Petite Fleur.
When we first walked in, the floors told their own story — years of wear, paint, glue, and time had left them almost unrecognizable.
But beneath it all, there was beauty worth saving. So we got to work — sanding, scraping, and restoring with care, uncovering the warmth and grain of the original wood that had seen generations walk across it.
There’s something special about breathing life back into something that’s been standing that long — not perfect, but perfectly real.
A New Bench with an Old Soul
And because every great space deserves a place to sit and stay awhile, we built a custom window bench — a new piece made to belong, as if it had always been there.
This project wasn’t just about restoration — it was about connection.
Old floors meeting new dreams. Local hands supporting local roots.
It’s been an honor to help prep this space for its next chapter, and to know that the same floors that once heard the hum of a hardware store will now hold the laughter and creativity of new small business owners.
Restoring the old to make way for the new.
That’s the kind of story we love being part of.
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