Rustic Wood Centerpiece-Monthly Home Depot Gift Challenge

by Shannon Churchill

Every month, a dozen or so super-talented bloggers and myself team up to make a DIY creation using one item from Home Depot and then give it away as a gift. This month’s item: a 2×4 piece of wood and the recipient: a new home owner. Oh, the possibilities…
*Home Depot in no way sponsors this post, but we spend a lot of time (and money) there, so we thought we’d blog about it.:)**

rustic wood centerpiece monthly home depot gift challenge, home decor, how to, woodworking projects

What you'll need:

-1 piece of 2×4 wood

-tape measure

-saw (or table saw)

-3 small jars (1 3/4 inches in diameter at the top or whatever your hole saw dimensions are. Mine are from Michaels)

-hole saw (1 3/4 inches-should correspond to your jars) with drill

-hammer and nails (or a pneumatic nail gun)

-paint brush

-speed square (optional-used for accurate cuts)

Here’s how to make the centerpiece:

1. Cut your 2×4 into 4 pieces (2 pieces should measure 24 inches and 2 should measure 7 inches or whatever you desire). Use the speed square for accuracy.

2. Using a tape measure, determine where you want your jars on the top piece of the wood (ours are 7 inches apart). Make sure they are even and centered.

3. Using your hole saw (1 3/4 inch), drill three holes into the top piece of wood.

4. Nail the four pieces of wood together in the shape of a rectangle (top and bottom are 24 inches and the sides are 7 inches).

5. The jars should fit snugly in the holes, but wait until you’ve stained the piece before securing them in.

Now, onto the stain...

For the weathered look (ingredients):

-1 small package of 0000 (fine) Steel wool

-1 cup of vinegar

-1 black tea bag

Instructions:

1. Tear the steel wool pad into small pieces and place in a jar.

2. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar in the jar and seal it. Shake it well and let it sit for 24 hours.

3. When the above mixture is ready, boil 1 cup of water and pour it into a cup with the black tea bag.

4. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes.

5. In a separate large bowl, pour the vinegar mixture (should be slightly gray as pictured below) in followed by the tea. Stir the two together well.

6. Using your paint brush, apply a generous coat of the stain to the wood. For a darker gray, stain the wood multiple times. The stain will appear brown at first on the wood, but as it dries it will turn grayish.

**I gotta say, I was pretty skeptical about this concoction, but to my total surprise, it worked beautifully! And keep in mind, the color of the wood looks a little different in each setting. I also did a little editing to mix it up a bit. **

Here's the final product:

So, what do you think? Kind of makes me what to run around in a giant wheat field, sun shining, arms open wide.

Want some more inspiring 2x4 ideas? Head over to churchilldiymill.com and check out this link to see what my friends did:

All this creativity is so contagious.:)

Happy wood working my friends!

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2 of 7 comments

Shannon Churchill on Jun 21, 2015
We were going to place hot glue around the rim, but it ended up fitting pretty snugly in the holes, so we left it as is. They seem to hold up well with water and flowers in them (as long as you don't put something really heavy in them). Thanks for looking!!

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Charlie Malone on Jun 22, 2015
I love this. <3

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