Archives for June 2021

Use Paint To Create Your Own Stain

June 30, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

During the Entryway Console Build I couldn’t find the stain I had in mind so I decided to experiment with making my own. I really wanted a specific tone and I was concerned about traditional stain accentuating spots where I used glue or wood filler. By using paint, I could control the color and coverage. However, I still wanted to be able to see the pretty grain of the wood. By watering down paint, I was able to create my own soft, natural, stain wash and now I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to regular staining!

Above view of cabinet to show soft natural beige stain, styled with a vase, books, mirror, and lamp

Choosing Paint Colors to Make Your Own Stain:

To make your own stain using paint you can choose absolutely any color. The options are endless! To achieve the same look I did, I started with a cream color. First, I picked up a little sample container of “Gravelstone” by Behr. After the first application I felt like it was still a little too light. It needed more dimension. So I did another coat using a gray paint called “Dovetail” by Sherwin Williams. Both were watered down by 30%.

close up of cream colored paint sample on wood bench

photo of cabinet during the first coat of stain using paint — After the first coat of using “Gravelstone”.

close up of gray paint being poured and mixed with water to create your own stain — Mixing the Dovetail Gray

Application of the Paint Stain:

To create my paint wash I simply watered down my paint samples by about 25-30% and stirred well. Then I used a paper towel to wipe on the color with long organic strokes. Next, I used a clean paper towel to wipe it off and blend. Its essentially a white wash… or in this case a beige-wash?

The first coat was in the cream color, the second coat was in the gray color. This gave my piece some great dimension and the perfect soft wood tone.

gray stain wash being wiped onto the top of cabinet

using a paper towel to wipe up paint stain and blend

The Result:

I love the way the paint softened the wood grain but didn’t hide it. Using the cream and gray colors gave me such a pretty natural wood color! Because it didn’t penetrate the wood as much as traditional stains, I felt like I had way more control. It dried faster too! Do you think you could use paint to create your own stain?

Before the first coat of stain and after!

side view of cabinet to show stain variance after creating stain with paint

close up of cabinet doors to show natural soft stain result of creating your own stain with paint

Console Build with Faux Caning using Placemats!

June 30, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

You can DIY this console build with faux caning using placemats! I was so inspired by $2000 designer consoles that I set out to build my own. Boy, did it turn out GOOD. I’m particularly proud of this project and I used my favorite hack to create faux caning with PLACEMATS! You can’t get this kind of affordability, washability, and durability with real caning but you can still get the woven texture! Scroll down for stain details and the budget break down.

diy console build using placemats as caning styled in entryway with table lamp, vase with stems, black mirror, and stenciled tile floor

woman stands next to wall with painters tape marking a console cabinet shape

What You Will Need:

Poplar Boards (7-1×6 and 4-1×4)
Placemats (I used the table runner version)
Hinges
Magnet Cabinet Stops
Cabinet Pulls
Paint
Wood Glue
Screws and Clamps
Safety Glasses
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
Drill
Miter Saw
Staple Gun

table runner rolled out to be used as faux caning next to polar board and gold cabinet pulls. Woman feet with white toe nails and script tattoo nearby.

Getting Started on the Console Build with Faux Caning:

I started my console build by creating my cabinet box using Poplar. I chose this wood because its a cheaper hardwood. It tends to be green but I made sure to sift through the lumber to find the lightest colored boards The top, bottom, and sides were all 3 boards wide (1×6). I cut the top and bottom to be 72 inches long and the sides to be 24 inches long. Pocket holes and wood glue is how the boards were attached to achieve my desired 3 board width.

woman at miter saw in safety glasses and messy bun cutting wood — Cutting each board to the correct length. I love these safety glasses.

woman drilling pocket holes with the console build with faux caning — All my boards got pocket hole to attach them together.

using a glue brush to apply wood glue to the sides of each board for the console build — The glue up. I love this handy glue brush!

clamps holding together 3 1x6 boards to create the console with faux caning — Clamps are your best friend to keep things tight while gluing and screwing.

pieces of console build laid out in garage — You can see the 5 pieces of my cabinet box. Top, bottom, left side, right side, and middle divider.

close up of console top glued and clamped

woman poses with screws in front of assembled console frame — The assembled frame with original legs.

The Console Legs:

Originally I had made the legs out of 2x2s but quickly scrapped them. They were looking a little too rustic and because of my own inexperience- too wobbly. Instead, my husband helped me weld some out of a square tube and flat bar we found at Lowes. I spray painted it black and they were so much better! Learning to weld might have been my favorite part about this project!

corner clamps holding together metal to create legs for the console build with faux caning

woman practices welding in garage wearing black, white, and red face shield, sparks flying

assembles cabinet frame with black square metal legs and hinges attached

The Doors and Faux Caning Using Placemats:

Surprisingly these doors were the easiest part of this console build project. Using Poplar 1x4s I mitered the corners and made 4 frames to be inset into my cabinet box. Admittedly I’m not great at measuring or math so either I’m a pro eye-baller or I got lucky that they fit so well. I used pocket holes once again to assemble my frame. *Make sure to account for your hinges!

Now for the show stopper of this console project, the faux caning using placemats! I cut my placemat/table runner to size and stapled it to the back of the door frames. I made sure to pull it tight as I went. If the edging of the placemats bother you, you could always add a trim box around it to look more finishes. I left mine as is for now since it won’t be seen inside the cabinet.

1x4s with mitered corners clamped and being attached with pocket holes

inside shot of cabinet where faux caning using placemats was staples to the back of door frame

The Stain:

This is where I really started experimenting. I couldn’t find a stain in existence that was quite what I wanted so I decided to do a paint wash instead. The colors used were Gravelstone by Behr (1st coat) and Dovetail by Sherwin Williams (2nd coat).

See my blog post on using paint as stain for more details on the process.

Budget Breakdown For the Console Build with Faux Caning:

This is an estimate since I didn’t keep my receipts and this project also happened during the high post-pandemic lumber prices. I believe if wood prices were normal it would have been half this cost!

Cabinet Frame (7 Poplar 1x6s): $200
Cabinet Doors (4 Poplar 1x4s): $80
Faux Caning Table Runner: $13
Cabinet Pulls: $12
Hinges and Cabinet Stoppers: $12
Metal Tubing for legs: $40
Misc Supplies (Staples, screws, glue, paint): $40

Estimated Total: $397

styled shot of finished console with table lamp, black mirror, vase with stems, gold votive, stacked books, and stenciled tile floor

close up of faux caning using placemats on console doors

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LED Wall Light DIY- Pottery Barn Dupe

June 17, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

I love being able to include my kids in DIY so when my daughter and I were eyeing this LED wall light from Pottery Barn, I just knew I had to make one. I wasn’t about to spend $150 on one so check out how I DIY’d this for just $25!

Scroll to see what my dupe looks like!

Wall light shaped like a half sun from pottery barn product image — The Inspiration Photo from Pottery Barn

What You’ll Need:

LED Strip lights
1×2 primed pine board
Scrap wood or wider board
Spray Paint
Table Saw (optional)
Miter Saw
Jigsaw
Electrical Tape
Nail Gun and/or Hammer and Nails
Wood Glue
Wood Filler

How To Make The LED Wall Light:

First, we taped out the design above her headboard where we planned on putting it. In other words, doing this gave me a guide to determine overall size and the cuts I would need to make. My longest pieces were 17″ and my shorter ones were 12.5″. Next, I ripped a 1×2 in half to get some skinny pieces. You don’t necessarily have to do this step, the 1×2 would look great as is, however this also allowed me to use less wood and achieve a thinner design.

sun taped out on wall above bed with blue painters tape — Planning with a photo bomb from Hobbes

white 1x2 board on table saw — Ripping a 1×2 to 2 .75″ pieces

Next, I cut the long skinny pieces of wild to the desired lengths with my miter saw. These will end up being the “sun beam” parts of my LED wall light. This was a great opportunity to get my 10 year old to put down the electronics and pick up a tool!

The hardest part of this project was cutting the curved semi-circle portion of my sun. I grabbed some scrap plywood, traced a bucket, and cut it out with my jigsaw.

mother and daughter using miter saw together

Then I assembled the sun using my brad nailer and wood glue, filled my nail holes and seams, and then had my daughter give it a coat of white spray paint.

Adding the LED Lights:

Finally, I nailed the finished wooden sun to the wall and began attaching the LED strip lights. They have sticky tape on the back so this was easy. I just made sure to go all the way around the inside and outside of the sun and return to the same place I started.

There were some lights than ran down the wall to the outlet and I really wanted this to look like a stand-alone fixture. Therefore I covered it with black electrical tape and then painted it the same color as the wall. Its like it was never even there!

woman stands on bed and puts led lights on sign shaped like a sun

black electrical tape covering led lights and paint brush getting ready to paint it

This Pottery Barn Dupe turned out SO CUTE and my daughter loves the color changing LED lights. In addition, the LED strip lights come with both a remote and phone app so she can customize the colors and light patterns.

Let me know what you think!