From Trash to Treasure: Block Houses Made From Wood Scraps

by Gabi Ralea

I’ve had one of those “Ahhh… how did I miss it?” moments when I realized the potential of this project.

I grabbed two wood pieces, and dug into the pile for another two. They were around 10-in high, like half-cube cut on diagonal, with sharp edges. They were perfect for DIY block houses.

from trash to treasure block houses made from wood scraps

Once with a coat of vernis and dried, your block houses are ready to be displayed and admired.

Sand the wood pieces in order to make the surfaces and the edges smoother, but also to prepare them for painting. Clean them with the cloth dumped into rubbing alcohol, to get rid of the dust and dirt left after sanding.

There are two ways to color them: you can paint in one light color as a base or primer first (use chalk paint at this stage), then use your final color, or you just can skip this step and go further with the desired colors (acrylic or chalk). I tried both ways, and there aren’t big differences in the results, but only in the length of the process.

Either way, choose your colors for roofing, walls, windows and doors, then start covering the wood scraps with colors.

When the paint dries out, draw small windows and doors, using orange, yellow or gold acrylic paint, or any other color at your choice. You can even draw the windows and the doors using only ink pens, for a lighter design of your block houses.

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5 of 9 comments

Allison Newby on Jan 08, 2018

Here's the picture I promised! Lol. I used some joint compound I had on hand to make the mountain one. I'm experimenting with it. It's smelly but interesting to work with.

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- Caroline Gayler on Jan 14, 2018
  Couldn’t see your trees sadly.
  
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- Allison Newby on Jan 15, 2018
  It's actually posted up there in the replies. But here ya go. These aren't the best but they were fun to make. I used joint compound in the mountain one to make it snowy and to give it texture. I didn't use it on this tree, but in the others I made I mixed the joint compound with green acrylic paint and was able to create a very flowy look of the trees limbs . Anyway, there ya go!
  
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- Gabi Ralea on Jan 15, 2018
  Such a beautiful color! :)
  
  2
Thea on Mar 29, 2020

Very sweet!

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