Beautifully Tarnished: Rustic DIY Wood Crate Centerpiece

Fall is in full swing here in the Eastern corner of the Beehive state and I’m loving all the colors!

I have a simple DIY project that only cost $10 to make. This rustic wood crate / tray /caddy. It is the perfect size for our table and is easy to move or rearrange when its time to eat or play games. It fits just about any size of pumpkins or gourds for the fall season and can be used for other seasonal decor as well. {Its nice when decor can be used for more than just one season}

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So here is what you need to get started:

2- 1x2x6 boards ($2.53 each at Lowes)

1- 1x3x6 board ($3.38 at Lowes)

a saw to cut the boards

a nail gun or hammer and nails

wood glue

stain or paint (use whatever you have lying around)

{now the fun begins}

{1} Cutting

Start by cutting your boards…

cut the 1x3x6 into 3 pieces so they will be approx. 24 inches each (you want them as close to exact as you can get)

cut the 1x2x6’s…

2- 24″ (these are the bottom sides, so they need to be the same length as the 24″ bottoms)

2- 9″ (bottom ends)

2- 12″ (handle sides)

1- 25 3/8″ (handle)

{2} Nailing

When you get all your boards cut, sand them down just slightly to get the loose pieces off so you don’t get any slivers. Now you can start nailing them together. A nail gun is the easiest but if you are using a hammer and nails (depending on the size of your nails) I would pre-drill your holes because they may split your boards if you don’t. {Trust me it isn’t pretty}

Its best if you have a flat surface to set everything on. I started nailing the bottom sides on first. {Don’t forget the wood glue… it just helps hold everything together so the nails won’t come loose later}

Then I nailed the bottom ends on, which made a good tray {so if you don’t want the handle on it then you can stop nailing there and paint or stain it}

Now, nail the handle sides on {make sure they are centered… you can measure and mark them or I just eyeballed them} Last of all, nail the handle on between the top of the two handle sides.

{After you finish nailing it together, if you want to paint it, you can calk all the nail holes and cracks. I wanted a rustic look and I stained mine so I left all the holes and cracks how they were. Its totally personal preference and the look you want}

{3} Staining or Painting

There are so many different ways to finish a project! That is why some of my projects sit unfinished for a while because I have a hard time deciding what look I want to achieve. But for this one I saw a table that someone had refinished online where they had used two Minwax stains, Weathered Oak and Special Walnut, and from the pictures it turned out amazing. So I thought I would give it a try. {if I end up not liking it, I can always paint it later}

So, first I used a foam brush and put on a coat of Weathered Oak and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then with a clean old t-shirt or rag wipe off any excess stain that didn’t soak in.

Now let that sit for at least 4 hours before putting on another coat of stain. If you want it more gray then put on another coat of the Weathered Oak but I liked the look with just one coat.

Next, brush on a coat of the Special Walnut and let it sit. I only let it sit for about 5 minutes but if you want it darker then let it sit a little longer. Then wipe off any extra stain.

I stopped there but if you want it darker then you can put on more coats, its totally up to you.

After you’ve achieved the look you want its ready for all those cute pumpkins and berries you have been gathering. I finally pulled out my fall decor and had them sitting and waiting while I finished up my crate. I also bought a few new pumpkins and berries to add to my pile. They have some great decor at Joann’s, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and I even found some nice pumpkins at Lowe’s.