kelsey.mackall, Author at A Dabbled Dwelling

Add a Super Easy Slat Wall

December 31, 2023 by kelsey.mackall

It was time to make over my oldest daughter’s bedroom and I was so happy that she wanted to be a part of the process. She wanted a natural feel with her decor so we decided to put up a slat wall in one corner. We found a super easy slat wall design to base it off of and it went together very quickly.

The Process

Creating a slat wall is a super easy DIY project. After we painted the room white I started with 25 pine 1x2s and cut them to various lengths with my miter saw. Once they were cut I sanded each and every one. After sanding my daughter helped me to stain the boards. We took the sanded and stained boards into her room and began to put them up. I used my nail gun to attach them to the wall and I used a scrap piece of a 1×2 as a spacer. The spacer allowed me to make sure the slats were evenly spaced and level from top to bottom. My daughter even got in on the action and helped me use the nail gun to attach the slats to the wall. Eventually we plan to replace the floors in the bedrooms so I didn’t want to take the slats to the baseboards in the event we decide to replace the baseboards. Instead, I staggered different length slats to create a fun interesting pattern at the bottom.

Slat Wall Finished

What a fun super easy project. This easy slat wall went together so nicely. We finished it and it looks even better than I could have imagined. I love the cozy natural vibe that it brings to her room. This was an easy slat wall to DIY and I love all of the possibilities! Click here to see the process on video.

I Wanted to DIY a Potting Bench

December 29, 2023 by kelsey.mackall

My front porch needed some love, and a potting bench was the perfect solution. I knew I could build one and give it an extra special touch. Some wood and a mosaic tile top came together nicely to create a beautiful addition to my porch.

How to Build a DIY Potting Bench

This project is a very good one to start with. It’s a simple build with just 2x4s, a plywood top, and 1x4s for trim. I started by building the table legs with 2x4s. To attach them I used my Kreg Jig to drill holes for pocket screws but that is not necessary for this build. I used additional 2x4s for the sides and to give additional structure and support to the potting bench. I added 1x4s around the table top and along the top of the bench to give it a more finished look. When I attached the trim with my nail gun I left a little space on the table top to slide in the plywood top and get it ready for paint.

I painted it a beautiful dark green and then added a tile mosaic to it with construction adhesive. After I attached the tile I used a dark grout with a tile float to grout the spaces in the mosaic. When adding grout it’s important to add enough to fill in all of the spaces. After that use a damp sponge to clean the excess grout off of the tile.

Finished!

Now that the potting bench is finished it is an amazing a beautiful addition to my porch. As an added bonus it holds my plants and provides a space for me to care for them. Click here to see the video of this build.

How to Make a DIY Fluted Coffee Table

December 29, 2023 by kelsey.mackall

I have a habit of liking and wanting things that are not super budget friendly. When there is something I want that is cost prohibitive I try to find a way to make it instead. This happened recently, I found a fluted coffee table and couldn’t stomach the cost, so I found a way to build one.

How to DIY a Fluted Coffee Table

I built myself a fluted coffee table with scrap wood and PVC pipe. It really was so easy. Once I gathered my PVC pipe I glued it together in a circle using construction adhesive. Then I laid out my scrap wood and made a circle jig using a board nailed to the center of the wood with my router attached to the other end. Using the circle jig, I hopped around in a circle all day lowering the router with each pass until I had cut two circles out of the scrap wood. I used construction adhesive to glue the two circles together and added screws for extra hold. Then I used Bondo to give the edge of the table a finished look. The Bondo is fiberglass so it is much stronger and more durable than regular wood filler. It is able to be sanded and painted just like wood filler. Once the Bondo was applied I sanded the edges and primed the PVC for paint. I attached the PVC to the table top by using the construction adhesive again. Then I painted the whole thing a nice neutral color to be a beautiful addition to our game room.

Woman holds PVC pipe to create fluted table base

Bondo is being added to edges of table top.

The DIY Fluted Coffee Table Finished

I love the way that the coffee table looks. It makes me so happy to create something that I wanted and learn new things in the process. I had so much fun creating a circle jig and trying out the Bondo. The table fits the space so well and is exactly what I was wanting. Click here to watch my video of the step by step making of this coffee table.