These things are all the rage on Pinterest these days. Different variations, but they are EVERYWHERE! I thought they were pretty cool, and I happened to have some 3/4" common board lying around (go figure! I never use that stuff!!). So, I cut the board into 3" wide strips, and cut them to length, with (2) 9" boards running perpendicular to the length to hold everything in place.
Here comes the fun part!
I really wanted to go for that rustic, antique look. The best way to get this look is to gather a bunch of hard tools of varying shapes and sizes and BEAT UP THAT WOOD!!! Man, this was so therapeutic; I fully recommend defacing some wood if you're feeling stressed. Before assembly, I used a hammer, nails, screws, screwdrivers, staples and drill bits to really lay into that wood. The more damage, the more rustic looking it became. It was hard to deface a previously flawless piece of wood, but I kept that end product in mind!
Moving on, I put the board together using long wood screws on the backside (so they're not visible). I stained the entire board with a generous layer of Minwax dark walnut stain. As I added stain, the holes and "nicks" appeared darker and more deliberate, which is exactly what I was going for!
RECOMMENDATION: the natural wood will not show the imperfections initially, unless you really BEAT IT! The more/harder the beating, the more depth and "rustic-ness."
Now comes the regrettable part. I had an idea in mind for the handles I wanted to use, and I definitely wanted to go with the farmhouse look and use an industrial-type drawer pull. I fell in love with one specific design, and I didn't allow myself to be swayed for another. So, when I found them at Hobby Lobby, I didn't care what the price was! But, $10.99 per handle is pretty steep! I had a 40% off coupon for one, but $16.50 for handles is a bit much. But, I "needed" them so much, that I couldn't say no! But hey, at least they look nice!
A final coat of poly, and this bad boy was all done! I couldn't figure out what to do with it, so it sat in my back bedroom for a while. We brought it over to my Mother-in-Law's for Thanksgiving to serve some food, and she fell in love with it. She dropped hints about wanting it for the whole month of December. So, guess who got it for Christmas!
Things I would change: obviously, the handle situation. I realized after buying the handles that they can EASILY be made with supplies from the Home Depot. I went and bought (4) metal elbows (approx $2 each), and a dowel rod. I will be making the next set of handles myself, thank you very much!
-Kevin
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