How I Turned a Salvaged Piece of Wood Into a Shelf
by
Shoppe No. 5
3 Materials
$12
1 Week
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While out thrift store shopping I found a lovely salvaged piece. I bought it with no idea what to do with it. It sat in the garage for a long time and then I decided I had to make it into a shelf.
The salvaged piece became the part of the shelf that is decorative so I had to build the actual shelf. I found 2 boards that were the same thickness and glued them together. To hide the seam I used an iron on veneer and a piece of lauan. I didn’t want the shelf to be rustic.
The salvaged piece already had holes in the back so all I had to do is drill pilot holes in the shelf I built and screw it together. To hang it I put in keyhole hangers. It makes it more stable when hung.
Now the shelf was a mix of finishes so it had to be painted. I used 3 different colors of Old Fashioned Milk Paint and layered the colors starting with the darkest color as the first coat. To prevent the first coat of paint from chipping I added Extra Bond. I didn’t for the next 2 coats of paint because I wanted the shelf to look old and chippy.
Once the paint dried, I lightly sanded the shelf so the colors came through. Then the shelf was waxed with a clear wax and a final layer of dark. The picture shows how I hung it on the fence but I finally found a spot to hang it in the house and I couldn’t be happier with my salvaged piece shelf.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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YOU ARE AMAZING!
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Thank you
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Where'd the veneer go?
Wow, I appreciate how you are not afraid to just dive in and do something. I have a tendency to get stuck. I have tons of ideas, a few really-need-to-do-asap's, and a bunch of random and various sized wood scraps, 2x4's, and pallets. But I can't seem to figure out HOW to actually create my needs or wants out of them! Do you have any tips on how you 'just do it?' Do you by chance know of any websites or apps or anything; where you can maybe input what you need, ie a corner desk or a guinea pig cage, the space you're working with, and then also the materials you have to use? I ask because you seem confident in what you're doing and I'm guessing you had to start somewhere, too...
Thank you very much for ANY feedback when you have a moment!
=)