Worked out Well in the End
I was pretty disappointed in the burn look.  It did not match the picture very well, even taking into account the uniqueness of each piece of wood and each burning.  I ended up spray painting it black.  I don't know if it was my painting or not, but then the wood was slightly warped and didn't close perfectly upon installation.  I used a couple black metal brackets to reinforce the connection on the bottom.  I use the shelf to hold a decanter train, and I didn't want to risk the train falling on someone and/or the floor.  The black paint ended up working out really well, because now it looks like a railroad tie.
Rating: 4 stars