DIY Weathered Wood Box

Today’s project is a special deal: two tutorial for the price of one {the price is, of course, free… but who’s counting 😉 }.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

I wanted something that would fit our long, narrow dining table. I love our dining room furniture (though, naturally, I’m dying to paint it… just give me 6 or 7 hours of free time!) – it’s curvy French legs, it’s gorgeous patterned wood top, the fact that it belonged to my great grandmother… all pros. But I find that most things I try to put in the center either look too wide (taking up eating space for those seated on the side) or too small. A long, narrow box is just what this designer ordered.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

In retrospect, I probably should have either ripped the tongue and groove off the plank I used or dug through our scrap pile longer, but this was a quick, impulsive project. And I’ve had so much luck with our cedar planking from our whitewashed attic (just check out this gorgeous flag I made with the leftovers!) that I couldn’t resist grabbing another piece from behind the shed. And though imperfect, I rather like the result.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

And yes, you’ve probably noticed that most of these pictures are not in my dining room… The dining room is devoid of natural light and full of children 99% of the time, so I decided to give you all the benefit of photo-bomber free photos. 😉  I do it all for you!

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

So what about those two tutorials I promised you?

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

Tutorial #1: A long, narrow, rustic box.

  1. Determine the length of your box (the width will be the width of your board) and cut 3 long pieces. My long pieces were 27″ (I just measured on my dining room table how long I wanted the box to be). 
  2. Set the boards up in a U shape and [pre-drill then] hammer the side pieces into the base piece. You can also screw them in, certainly, but I preferred the look of smooth nail heads to screw tops. Even though I used nails, I actually pre-drilled the holes to make sure I wouldn’t split the wood.
  3. Set your remaining original board on the edge of the box to determine the height of your two end pieces and cut them.
  4. Nail in your end pieces.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

Tutorial #2: Creating a “weathered” look.

  1. Mix 2 parts gray stain with 1 part brown stain. I used Rustoleum’s Sunbleached and Minwax’s Dark Walnut – both of which I had on hand.
  2. Brush on your stain mixture; let sit for 2-3 minutes; wipe off.
  3. Dip your brush in just the brown stain and brush lightly and haphazardly then wipe off immediately. This give greater variation to the color; in image below, background board is finished and middle board is letting the brown/gray mixture soak in.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

It’s so easy, and I love the result. As you can see, I’ve already used it for bottles with dried lavender and jars with fresh hydrangeas… I can imagine it with pumpkins in the fall, pinecones at Christmas, candles anytime – the list just goes on.

rustic box close flowers

I think the gray/brown stain brings out the wood grain beautifully.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

And the nail heads add a certain, special touch.

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

With its versatility and simplicity (not to mention how easy it was!), this might be my new favorite… Anybody interested in my cranking out a few more? I could use the creative therapy. 🙂

Simple tutorial for creating a weathered, rustic wooden box at maisondepax.com. Great for centerpiece, flowers, vases, jars, etc.

What would you put in the box?

MORE PROJECT TUTORIALS:

Find out how to create a chipped, aged look on metal using chalk paint at maisondepax.com

Chippy Metal Chalk Paint Finish

metal vintage patina sign

How to Give Metal a Rich, Vintage Patina

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DIY Whitewashed Wood Planks

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10 Comments

  1. Pingback: 23 easy DIY projects
  2. Love it! Love both of your selections within the box – each give it a totally different look. With the voluptuous hydrangeas one gets a more lush feel and quite feminine. The bottles with the lavender sprigs are bit more rustic and casual. Both are lovely and have their place. The weathered finish is perfect!

  3. What a cute box – you have inspired me to make one. I have been planing to make a box with some dumpter
    dived boards for a few months.

  4. So pretty Rachel – I Love it! Thanks for sharing it at Work it Wednesday this week!!

  5. Pingback: Work it Wednesday No. 57
  6. Pingback: WORK IT WEDNESDAY -

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