Farmhouse Box
I love farmhouse boxes and they are great to use as a centerpiece or a place corral salt, pepper and napkins. Here is a tutorial on how I make a farmhouse Box and then different ways to customize them. I think this would make an awesome gift. You could even put house numbers on it, as a front step or porch accessory. Really, there are so many different ways to use and customize this simple box, I've only scratched the surface here.
I used a miter box to make my cuts. The four sides are 1 by 4’s and the bottom is a 1 by 6. My two ends were 5 1/2 inches and the two sides were 17 1/2 inches. The bottom was 15 1/2 inches. This makes a long box. Another good size has sides that are 14 inches and the bottom is 12 inches, the ends stay at 5 1/2. My customized farmhouse boxes were this size. You can play around with different dimensions. The ends are always the width of the bottom piece and the bottom piece is 2 inches smaller than the sides.
I used my mouse sander to knock off the edges.
Before you nail and glue, dry fit everything to make sure there aren’t any adjustments that need to be made.
I love to use the baby wipe technique on wood. It just takes baby wipes and I prefer acrylic paint and rubber gloves.
It is almost like staining your wood with paint.
I try not to stain/paint the edges that will be glued.
I like to hammer the ends on first. Now that the ends are in, it is time for the sides.
It’s really a fun simple project to make.
I like to use nails with heads. It helps hold the wood securely while the wood glue dries and I think it adds to the rustic charm.
Sometimes, I like to add burlap to the ends. To get a straight line when cutting your burlap, pull out a strand and use the empty row as a cutting guide.
On one, I painted farmhouse on one side and made this patch.for the other side.
On another, I used garland from the Target Dollar Spot to make a wreath.
Here is stenciled burlap on some buffalo check fabric.
Even plain is super cute!
The best thing about the baby wipe technique is no brushes to clean! Just throw away the used wipes and you are done.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I’m not sure I understand the baby wipe technique—are you just wiping the wood with baby wipes before you paint the pieces with acrylic paint while wearing gloves?