Recycle a Pallet Block and Make a Shabby Chic Lantern
$5
1.5 Hours
Easy
Pallets come in all shapes and sizes and can be used for so many different things. We were given some block pallets by a friend of ours and the blocks (those square pieces of wood that separate the top and bottom boards) make the perfect base for a shabby-chic lantern. .
All you need is an old oil lantern burner, some pallet blocks, sandpaper and wood sealer
Our blocks are made from chip board so we had to sand them down quite a bit to get a smooth finish. We started with 60 grit and finished off with 120 grit sandpaper. The blocks came out beautifully smooth.
The hubby measured the diameter of the base of the oil burner and used a hole saw to drill a hole in the block so that the burner would fit nicely. To get a shabby-chic look we used GripSeal wood stain. I love using this product, there are so many beautiful colors to choose from and it stains and seals at the same time. It also dries really, really fast, which is a bargain if you're impatient like me. We applied two coats of Protea Brown and then two coats of Antique White. Once the last coat is dry to the touch we used 100 grit sandpaper to distress the block. Sand lightly in some areas and apply some elbow grease in others to get a naturally worn look. When you're happy with the look, glue the oil burner in the hole at the top.
Add a candle, a handle and the chimney and you're done. For something a little more classy you can rubber stamp a antique label on the front of the block.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 4 comments
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@Hannah V and @Miriam I thank you so much for your comments :-)
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So pretty! I've never seen a block pallet before!
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