A few weeks ago, I broke my ankle. I wish I could say it was during a fabulous adventure like zip lining in Costa Rico or hiking the Appalachian Trail. But reality is that I missed the bottom step on our deck steps…in the dark…while barefooted. So my mobility has been limited which has resulted in a temporary stay of all deck and garden projects. I’m in a walking boot so maneuvering uneven grass and garden soil is simply not an option.

As a mom and entrepreneur, I am nothing if not versatile. So, I am focusing on projects that I can do in a more stationary manner. Now that I only have a few days left in this walking boot, my mobility is better so I’m venturing outside for this project but staying on level ground!

Guess what day it is??! It’s Thrift Store Decor Team Wednesday! You know what that means!!! At the end of this post are links to the team’s fabulous thrifty makeovers for this month! Remember to click through to see the wonderful projects! Now, let’s get to making those galvanized metal tub shelves for the garden!

Supplies

Here are the supplies you will need for this project.

• Galvanized tub
• Scrap wood for shelving
• Drill bits, screws, and cordless drill
• Measuring tape and sharpie
• Rubber mallet or hammer
• jigsaw
• cardboard
• sandpaper or electric sander
• poster board or cardboard in estimated length and depth of shelves
• paint and sealer
• paint brush
• MinWax Special Walnut stain

My Tub

This tub is quite rusty! We used it to burn some wood a while back and the galvanized surface was compromised. It’s still a great tub. She just needs a good bath to get rid of the rust! As with most things, a little paint will make a big difference.

Step One: Clean Up the Galvanized Garden Tub

Then I rinsed her with the hose and allowed her to completely dry in the August Alabama sun. With the surface rust removed, she is ready for paint.

Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint

Last week I attended the Haven Conference, an annual DIY and blogging conference in its 11th year usually held in Atlanta. This year, we were lucky to learn about Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint. I was able to bring home a lovely brush and a half pint sample of their paint in “Galvanized”. How perfect is that for this project??? Here is my affiliate link for the Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint. You will love the colors! Check out their website using the link above and see the recipes for lovely colors. Use this code SHOPATBLU20 for 20% off!

I used the Black Dog Salvage Paint liberally to cover most of the rusted areas on the galvanized garden tub. The coverage of this paint is excellent and the application is very smooth. But, you know me! I simply had to leave some of this beautiful patina exposed. The tub, like all things in my home, has a history. Leaving some of that patina exposed brings beauty and unique character to the tub. And y’all know…I certainly am unique!

Black Dog Salvage paint carries a unique sealer designed specifically for outdoor furniture. It’s called Crab Coat and is designed to protect your furniture from the harsh elements. At the time of writing this post, my Crab Coat had not yet arrived. So I will update this post with that process once I have it in my creative little hands. You can also use a good outdoor sealer with UV protection such as MinWax or Varathane.

Designing Shelves for a Galvanized Garden Tub

The first step is to measure your tub’s height and width. My tub is 24 inches wide and 10 inches deep. While I would prefer to use an oblong tub, the one that I have is over 42 inches long so it is way too big.

Find a piece of scrap wood to attach vertically to the center of the back of your tub to provide support and stabilize your tub. This will make installation on a wall easier since the tub will be reinforced.

Your reinforcement wood should fit comfortably on the back of your tub. Center it vertically. Leave about 3-4 inches from both the top and bottom edge of the tub. Use lath screws to attach the wood to the tub from the inside. Lath screws are screws with a washer attached. These keep the metal tub secured in place and also prevents the screw from falling through the hole. I did not have any lath screws. So I simply used a screw and a washer. This provides a more secure attachment of the wood to the metal.

I tried to attach the wood on the back of the tub in spots where the shelves, once installed, will cover the metal screws. This way there will not be a crazy number of screws visible on the inside wall of the shelf unit. I mean, it is just a garden shelf but hey…this girl has some standards.

Designing Your Shelves

Find scrap wood to fashion shelves for inside of the tub. Determine the desired height of each shelf. Decide how many shelves you want to add horizontally inside of your tub.

I am spacing the shelves so that I can set small plants on them and other taller objects. I would also like to be able to set a small basket (for project supplies) on one of the shelves.

This part can get a little complicated due to the slope of the sides of the tub. Some tubs are angled quite dramatically and some have less of a slope. My tub is a vintage tub so it has more of a slope. Today’s tubs are made more cheaply so they tend to be straighter. If possible, use a tub with less of a slope. Your shelves will fit more snuggly.

I took several measurements in order to cut the shelves to fit the tub. I measured the width inside of the bottom of the tub and the width at the top rim of the tub.

My wood needs to angle out from the shorter measurement to the longer measurement. So, essentially, my shelves will be shaped like a trapezoid.

Another way to design your shelves is to make a template for your shelves. You can use a piece of cardboard. Cut it to match the width and depth of the tub. Then force it inside of the tub into the position where you wanted to secure it. Fold the cardboard to mirror the shape of the spot where it will be secured. Use this very scientific method to make a template for each shelf.

You could also use this template tool. It is commonly used to copy cuts for molding, etc. But is perfect for the rounded sides of this tub. It copies weird edges so that you can easily trace them onto wood or other surfaces for a custom fit.

Trace the pattern from the template onto the scrap wood. Cut with a jigsaw. Always use your PPE (personal protective equipment aka Mask, gloves, and safety glasses). I cut out notches for the bumpy rings (for lack of a technical term) around the tub so that the shelves will fit flush inside of the curved tub.

Sand the edges of your shelves.

Repeat steps above for additional shelves.

You know that I am a firm believer in using what you have on hand. So I used scrap wood that was only 5 inches deep since I didn’t have any pressure treated wood that was wider. Consequently, I used 2 pieces for each shelf. Which meant a little more work in that I had to join the two pieces to make one shelf. Fortunately, I have a Kreg Jig, also compliments of the Haven Conference.

I haven’t used my Kreg Jig in a while so my pocket holes aren’t the prettiest. But they are functional. As with any skill, the more you use it, the better you get.

Finish Your Shelves

You can leave your shelves natural or stain them. Since my shelves are made of scrap wood, I decided to stain them to refresh the wood. I used MinWax in Special Walnut. Apply the stain with a brush or a rag. I always use a rag to apply the stain, let it sit a minute and wipe off the excess. You can reapply the stain until you have the desired depth of color. Allow the stain to dry and your wooden shelves are ready to install into your galvanized tub.

Secure Shelves into the Galvanized Tub

Once my shelves were ready, I set them inside of the tub where they needed to be secured.

I drilled a pilot hole through the outside of the tub into each side of the shelf and inserted a screw to secure each shelf in two places.

Hang your shelves

Select a spot to hang your shelves. If your shelves will be used to house heavy objects, you will want to use lag bolts (if mounted on a fence) or wall anchors (for a wall). Just follow the recommended manufacturer’s suggest for weight.

My shelves will not hold any heavy object so I simply drilled a pilot hole through the inside back of the tub directly into the fence post. I secured the shelf with long screws. And she is finished!

I had fun filling the shelves. Every time I thought I was finished I found more to put on the shelves.

I almost forgot the hose!

I’m a little disappointed that my Mexican Petunias haven’t bloomed yet. I guess that just means I will have to post again when that happens.

And how about the glorious Alabama sky?

You know I can’t add a feature to my garden without adding some vintage loveliness. Apparently, I have a collection of vintage lawn sprinklers. They are irresistible.

If you love vintage things in your garden like I do, click the photo below for more vintage garden love.

Here are a few more photos of the patina along with the Black Dog Salvage Galvanized Furniture Paint.

As promised, below are the other projects for this month’s Thrift Store Decor Team Wednesday! There are some fun and inspirational projects for you to browse. Visit each of my friends, drop a comment, and tell them I sent you!

Shop At Blu Galvanized Tub Shelves

Reinvented Delaware 16 Creative Thrift Store Makeover Ideas

Organized Clutter Goodwill Wooden Wagon Makeover

House Of Hawthornes DIY Tiered Tray From Dinner Plates

Sadie Seasongoods Plant Cloche from a Geometric Pendant Light

Our Southern Home Medallion Wall Art Makeover

Petticoat Junktion Quilt and Pom Pom Fringe DIY Pumpkin

My Repurposed Life Navy Blue Bar Stools with Rub-on Transfer

The post DIY Galvanized Metal Tub Shelves for the Garden appeared first on Shop at Blu.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any building.   I have seen so many vintage mail cabinets and cubbies lately that I was dying to have one.  I have the perfect spot in my kitchen.  My Dad, aka Pop, refinished a beautiful dresser for me 16  years ago when we moved to Alabama.  We use it in our kitchen for extras…like dishtowels, barbecue tools, extra plates and platters, etc.  I thought a cubby wall unit over this piece would be gorgeous so off we go!  Let’s build a wall unit!

I selected a full sheet of PureBond 3/4″ birch plywood for my project.  And fortunately, it fit in my van!  Check out PureBond’s website HERE for project ideas and furniture built by some of my blogger friends using PureBond.  There are so many ideas!

The Design

Since I wanted to possibly mount this on the wall above the dresser/sideboard/buffet, I decided to limit the size to around 26″ tall by 48″ wide by 9″ deep.  I wanted a unit that was big enough to make a statement but small enough to mount on the wall.  So I decided on three rows of 5 horizontal cubbies.  

I measured and measured and measured again.  Then I used my table saw to make the cuts.  I grabbed my Kreg pocket hole jig to build the frame.  I measured the inside width and cut two pieces of PureBond to make my shelves.

I grabbed my Ryobi Airstrike stapler to secure the horizontal shelves.  Next I measured the height for each individual cubby and cut some more PureBond to build vertical partitions. 

Before I stapled the partitions in place, I stained the entire frame and partitions.  It is so much easier to stain the parts before they are assembled.  I glued each partition into place and secured them with the stapler.

I used two metal brackets as braces, attached them to the wall, and simply set the unit on top.  I wanted to make sure the unit looked ok on the wall.  Last step was to cut and stain another piece of wood to use for a back on the unit.

The Reveal

And here she is:

I must admit that I was quite intimidated at the thought of building this wall unit.  It was easier that I had expected.  I am anxious to tackle a few new projects now!

The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest

This project was completed as part of the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest.  Each month a group of bloggers are challenged to complete a DIY project using products provided by a sponsor.  There is a different sponsor each month. This month’s contest theme is One Panel Challenge.  PureBond  sponsoring this month’s Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest.  Our challenge was to build a piece of furniture using just one piece of PureBond plywood.  Home Depot was kind enough to provide $50 gift card with which we could purchase the PureBond plywood at our local Home Depot store.  These are two wonderful sponsors!  Each blogger received free product in exchange for writing a post about their build.  PureBond will provide a prize package to the blogger with the winning project!

Here is a link to PureBond’s website.  They have a wonderful selection of  panels in varying thicknesses.  Some of their products available at Home Depot are:

• Alder
• Aromatic Cedar
• Cherry
• Hickory
• Mahogany
• Maple (Unfinished and Finished Options)
• Poplar (Unfinished and Finished Options)
• Red Oak
• Walnut
• White Oak

You can also find PureBond products through the PureBond Fabricator Network, 

The post Custom built wall unit: A One Panel Challenge appeared first on Shop at Blu.

This post is for my friends who are still afraid of power tools, and for my friends who want to do a super quick project.  Let’s make a DIY picture frame WITHOUT power tools!

Projects are even better when you already have the supplies laying around your house or garage or workshop.  

Here are the supplies:

• several pieces of scrap wood
• Gorilla Glue Contact Adhesive Clear Grip and DAP Rapidfuse All Purpose Adhesive
• clothes pins
• photos
• paperclips
• pliers
• Ryobi cordless glue gun or staple gun (optional)
• small clamps or something to weigh down your frame while the glue dries

STEP ONE :  Design your DIY picture frame

Find two pieces of wood that compliment each other and made a nice match.  My wood pieces are actually pieces of antique doors.  In November, I participated in Vintage Market Days of Birmingham.  The sweet show coordinators, LaDon and Hannah asked me to bring some of our antique and vintage doors for decorating the venue.  The doors are old and some are very heavy and a few were damaged in transport.  If you’ve been in my store, The Blue Building, then you know that I don’t throw anything away that can be recycled or reused.  So I dismantled the doors and saved the wood.  Much of it is for sale at The Blue Building.  The rest is awaiting use in some phenomenal project…like this DIY photo frame without power tools!  Here is a post that tells you how I got this chippy goodness on these doors!  And be sure to look for the pink door from which these panels originated.

And how about these chippy beauties?  One side was pink and one white.  I selected white for this project so that the frame would be more versatile.

So select the size of wood that you need.  I used two rectangular pieces.  You can use square or any shape at all.  My plan was to display more than one photo so I chose this size and shape.  Lay out the wood, hold a few photos up to ensure the size is correct.  Here is what I ended up using:

STEP TWO: Assemble your DIY picture frame

I glued the two pieces of wood with some gorilla glue.  I tried this new product, Gorilla Glue Contact Adhesive Clear Grip.

It is a contact cement.  I remember my mom using something similar to repair broken figurines, candy dishes, and Christmas decor when I was little.  The smell brought back memories!  Do you remember the contact cement that came in a yellow and green metal tube??  I was anxious to try this product so I squeezed it liberally onto the wood and conjoined the two pieces of wood.  The package says it bonds in just seconds but this did not.  I am assuming it was because of the size of the piece.  Perhaps a tea cup handle would bond instantly.  I went to move the wood and it wiggled and moved.  I couldn’t remember where my clamps were, so I placed heavy items on them to hold them firmly as the glue dried.  Are you like me?  Using whatever is nearby to get the job done?

Haha.  I started with the library stool but it wasn’t heavy enough so I grabbed this super heavy palm tree candelabra.  Go ahead and laugh, but that candle stick is weighty!  Still needed more weight so I admitted defeat and grabbed something with real weight. 

Everyone just happens to have a galvanized bucket full of wrought iron fleur de lis finials nearby, right?  I thought so!

STEP THREE:  Attach photo clips

I love the wood look and ease of clothes pins as clips to hold the actual photos.  It would be so easy to switch out pictures.  I was trying to decide whether to paint or stain the clothes pins.  I decided that I liked the natural wood so I left them as it.  But wouldn’t they be cute painted bright aqua or red?

Next, I place the clothes pins in different positions and actually clipped them onto photos and placed them randomly on the boards.  I was using standard sized photos.  So once I decided where I wanted the clothes pins, I was ready to secure them.  I wanted the clothes pins to dry quickly to avoid the possibility of them moving or being knocked out of position.  So I decided to us a different glue product.

I grabbed some DAP Rapidfuse All Purpose Adhesive and applied a thin stripe to the back of the clothes pin and pressed it onto the wood.  I held it there for about a minute and then gently released the pressure.  It seemed good so I repeated the process with another clothes pin.  I allowed an hour for complete drying.

The frame is ready to prop onto mantle or bookshelf as is.  

STEP FOUR:  Attach hardware to hang 

This last step is optional should you want to hang your frame on the wall.  You have several options.  I frequently make my own hooks to hang signs, etc. onto the wall.  All you need are a few paper clips or Christmas tree hooks.  Twist them like shown in the following video. 

Once shaped, you can simple hot glue them into place on the back of your item.  This technique is great for lightweight items.  I would not use these on items heavier than one pound.

 

For heavier items, you can attach the hooks with a staple gun.  The staples keep the hooks more permanently affixed, where as the glue can easily be removed or pulled off.  And a third option is to buy saw tooth hangers or picture hanging hooks.  These are available at Walmart or any hardware store.  

I think I will make some of these in different sizes to take to Vintage Market Days of Mobile next month!  They were super easy and, if I do say so myself, super cute!

The post DIY Picture Frame with NO Power Tools appeared first on Shop at Blu.

So many possibilities…big, small…where to start! Gina had saved me about 20 pieces of the metal.  Most of the panels were about 8 feet long by 2 feet wide.  But there were several smaller pieces that were easy to handle so I immediately put them to use as a small backdrop for photos!

With Gina’s upcycle challenge approaching, I had several ideas running through my mind. Usually I choose a smaller project that is simple in construction and won’t require a ton of time.  Because I run a retail store, I simply never know when my time will be completely consumed on any given day by the demands of the retail business.  So, what better upcycle project that one that is simple and completed within 30 minutesl?!!

One piece of metal just caught my eye.  It is a strange size but manageable.  Small enough to handle but large enough to make a statement.  In my business, I am constantly struggling to stay organized and on task.  So, I decided to make a huge message board to help me!  Surely, I can’t misplace this list of things to do, right???

I measured the metal.  It was 82 inches by 14 inches.  I loved the rough edges of the metal and considered leaving them exposed.   I could grind the edges to make the edges smooth and safe.  I was a little concerned that it would hard to hang because of the size so I decided I would use some salvaged wood to create a frame that could be used to lean against a wall.  As luck would have it there was an old door frame in my salvaged wood pile.  It even had grooved edges and I hoped to be able to slide the metal right into the grooves.

Yes, perfect fit.  I measured the width of the partially constructed frame and cut 4 pieces of wood to use for the horizontal top and bottom pieces of the frame.

I grabbed my handy dandy Ryobi  Airstrike cordless stapler and stapled these pieces into place.

I cut a piece of backer board to fit the back of the frame.  This helps to stabilize the unit so that the frame will lay flat against t a wall if hung.  It will also lean nicely against the wall should I choose not to hang it.  I used my Ryobi Airstrike stapler to secure the backerboard. I considered painting the frame but decided that for now, I loved the combination of the raw weathered wood and the patina of the salvaged metal. What do you think?

I think this board would be great horizontally as well…mounted above a massive desk!

I have really enjoyed participating in these monthly challenges.  Here are my last two projects using 2x4s and pallet wood.

Hop on over to  Gina’s blog to see her awesome project for the May Upcycle Challenge. Then be sure to visit each of the bloggers who have linked up at the bottom of Gina’s post to experience the unbelieveable creativity in this group!

The post May Upcycle Challenge with The Shabby Creek Cottage appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I had a customer looking for a long skinny box to use on her mantle to hold old soda bottles.  The box needed to be very narrow because her mantle is not very deep.  After looking for several days with no luck, I decided to make one!

I had one pallet sitting outside of the store.  It had weathered nicely so I decided to use it as my wood source.

The slats on the pallet were only 3 inches wide.  This would be the perfect depth for a skinny mantle box.  The long length of the pallet was 40 inches…perfect for a longer box.

CAUTION:  When working with any type of pallets PLEASE be aware of all of the sharp and rusty nails that you may come in contact with.  WEAR GLOVES to protect your skin and safety glasses to protect your precious eyes from splintered wood and rusty nails.  Y’all these tiny little preventive measures  are worth it!

I removed all of the nails with a claw hammer for safety reasons and grabbed my Ryobi cordless air nailer.  I selected the best looking boards for the sides of the box and decided to use the ugliest (in this case it had some paint on it) for the bottom of the box as it would not be visible.  You can cut the boards to any length desired.  For this project, 40 inches was perfect.

I lined up the boards and nailed them together.  I used 3 nails at each end and scattered another 5-6 along the length.  They seemed to be sturdily attached so I did the same on the other side.

I measured the space at each end of my soon to be box and took another slat and cut it down to fit.  I nailed those in place.  And voila!  C’est Finis!

I didn’t really have specific design measurements in mind.  The width and length of the wood slats seemed workable so I just went with it as is.  A shorter box could easily be created by cutting these slats to whatever length you desire.

It’s nice and skinny so it will fit on a skinny mantle or maybe even on a window sill!

I will be making more of these skinny boxes.  What a quick and simple project!

If you enjoyed this quick project, check out some others I have recently completed using 2x4s:  Serving tray and wooden ladder. 

This post is part of round up of pallet wood projects inspired by my sweet friend.Gina Luker of The Shabby Creek Cottage.  If you aren’t familiar with Gina and her blog, get over there now!  You are welcome in advance!  And check out the other pallet wood projects assembled just for this round up!  They  are linked below.  I know you will be amazed by the talent in this group.  I’d love to see your projects made of pallet wood!

The post Easy Pallet Wood Projects appeared first on Shop at Blu.

My dad did all of our plumbing repairs growing up so I was familiar with many of the supplies I would need for this project.  However, I needed to decide on size!

I started at Home Depot and found the three main parts that I would need to make my

industrial style handle -2 to be exact:

• 4 floor flanges, black metal
• 4 elbows, black metal
• 2 1/2″ black nipples 6″ length (this is the small section of black pipe threaded on both ends and yes, I am having a hard time throwing this term around)

The supplies come in 2 finishes, galvanized and black metal.  I wanted black metal           because I didn’t want to have to paint the galvanized to make it darker.  As luck would have it, there were not enough supplies at Home Depot to make a black metal assembly so I chose galvanized.  Nor did Home Depot have the 1/2 nipple in 6″ inches.  I settled and bought the 8″ nipples and and not my preferred length of 6″  Here is the galvanized set that I bought:

I thought maybe this larger set would work since the tray is super heavy but the proportions were just wrong and it just looked oversized and clunky.  So off to Lowe’s I went.  Eureka!  They had all of the parts in black metal.

Assembly is self explanatory and here are the final handles!

So glad I went with the black metal!  Love this finished piece!  Send me a picture of yours!

The post How to make an industrial style handle! appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Gina Luker from Shabby Creek Cottage challenged a group of us to design a project to build with 2x4s!  I thought why not??!!!!!!!  I can use a saw, drill, kreg jig, etc.  My biggest concern was finding time to complete the project because of the time constraints of my store The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment.  So I decided to build small!

I thought about easy projects that anyone could build!  And I came up with a serving tray!  With a super simple design, I figured it is virtually a project that anyone can do!  And in my life, simpler is better!  Plus, aren’t alot of folks AFRAID to try things like this?  What better way than to start with something simple!

So my intricate, complicated design is…a serving tray!

Supplies:

• 3- 2x4s ($2.69 each)
• 16- wood screws 2 1/2 inches
• Kreg jig
• 20- Kreg jig screws 2 1/2 inches
• jig/saber saw or a miter/chop saw
• drill
• clamp
• wood glue
• 2- handles
• paint or stain of your choice

Planning:

My first step was to decide how big to make the tray.  We have a huge ottoman at home! The top is fabric and it would be nice to have a solid surface on top of it on which to place a glass or other items.  Due to the width and weight of the 2×4’s I felt a larger tray would be more desirable so I decide on 28″ x 17.5″.

Cutting the wood:

I cut five 28″ sections and two 17.5″ sections from the 2x4s(the width of the five 28″ sections laid side by side).  I used my chop saw, also called a miter saw.  But you could use a saber saw, also called a jig saw.

Assembly:

The next step was to assemble the bottom of the tray.  I used my Kreg Pocket Hole Jig for this.  Bless the day I saw the first post about The Haven Conference (an annual DIY Bloggers conference held in Atlanta, GA)  which led to me buying a ticket which resulted in attending 3 Haven Conferences (soon to be 4) which resulted in my discovery of the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig!  If you even remotely want to consider building signs or honestly any project of any size out of wood, INVEST IN THIS TOOL!

I drilled 2 pocket holes about 6 inches in from the  left side, and 2 pocket holes about 6 inches in from the right side of each 28″ section.  Then I attached each 28″ section with the Kreg pocket hole screws.

The next step was to attach the end braces upon which the handles would be attached. Since I wanted a cleaner look for this tray, I decided to screw the wood together from the bottom of the tray so the screws would not be visible from the top view.  I drilled pilot holes to make this easier.

My Dad always uses wood glue when building things from wood.  It provides extra stability should your screws or staples loosen or fail.  I thought this project definitely needed wood glue because of the weight of the 2x4s.

I added wood glue to the end braces and clamped them into place.  I flipped the tray over and inserted the screws through the pilot holes to attached the end braces.

At this point, I had one of two choices.  Leave the tray as it or rip a 2×4 in half and insert edges between the two side braces..  Functionally, a tray should have sides to contain items and prevent them from sliding off of the tray.  Decoratively, these sides are not necessary.  And, honestly, for a beginner it is mentally a rather scary task to have to operate a table saw (in reality it is easy peasy).  So I finished the tray without the side braces to show that it looks super that way!

At the end of the project,  I added the side braces to show the other option (see picture at end of post).  Just a personal preference…the finished product looks great either way!

Finishing the tray:

I wanted a beachy weathered look for this tray so I pulled out the General Finishes grey gel stain that was left over from a previous project.  Read about that project HERE, and see how to create this finish yourself!

I painted the tray and added some industrial looking handles that I assembled out of plumbing supplies.

And the finished project:

Ok, so once I got the tray completed, I started thinking about some of the other bloggers who would be building.  Gina had built an entire porch full of outdoor furniture!  Suddenly I thought…um…tray…lame!  Time to step up the game!  I had 3 more 2x4s so I decided to keep building.  Again, I was concerned with time constraints of a retail store so simple was again the goal!  We are getting ready to spruce up the outside walkway of The Blue Building so I thought i would make a leaning wall ladder for plants or decor.  The design should be simple and it’s another project that folks with little experience could tackle confidently!

Supplies:

• three 2x4s ($2.64 each)
• jig/saber or miter saw
• drill
• level
• 20 screws 2 1/2 inch
• paint or stain of your choice

Planning:

First step was again to determine the dimensions of the ladder.  I wanted a taaaaallllll ladder.  They make more of a statement and would display more decor items!  So I decided to use the entire length of the 96″ 2x4s.  I decided a good width was 16 inches.  Which would make each rung/shelf 13 inches wide.  I figured the general shape between rungs is pretty much a square so I divided 96 by 16 and came up with 6.  So for six 16 x 16 boxes I needed 5 rungs/shelves.  So I cut five 13″ sections.

Assembly:

Since the 2x4s were rather thick, I opted to use screws instead of a nailer/stapler to attach the rungs.  I marked 16″ increments along each outer rail, drilled pilot holes for the rungs, and started the screws into the holes.

I started on one side and attached each rung with one screw.  Then I lined up the first rung with the other outer rail.  I tilted the rung and used the level to ensure the rung was level.

Then I attached one screw to the second side rail.  I inserted the remaining screws, one into each side rail while adjusting the rung to ensure level installation.

This was the most difficult part of the build.  I did have to drill another set of pilot holes for 2 rungs because I inserted the screws crookedly and then that rung was not level.  However, it still went relatively smoothly for my first ladder build!

Optional:  before I started the project, I made a slight angled cut to the bottom of each side rail so that the ladder would sit flat on the ground.  I also use my mitre saw to cut an angled section off of the back of the top of each side rail to allow it to sit more flushly against the wall.  The top was an awkward cut and I am sure there is a more effective way to measure but I am a rookie so I used the eyeball method and you can see from the pics that this was not exact!

Final Finish:

Finally, I stained the ladder with MinWax Jacobean stain for a dark rich brown.

While still wet, I  dry brushed some white latex paint and then blended with more Jacobean.  This gave me a wonderfully weathered finish.

Thanks to Gina Luker for pushing me to build!  This is something I never seem to be able to make time for!

Feel free to follow these links if you want to buy any of the tools I used in this project!  I will make a small profit should you make a purchase!  Thanks for sharing the love!

I am so happy to be sharing these projects in Gina Luker’s 2×4 round up!  Check out all of the exciting projects below!

The post Simple projects to build with 2x4s appeared first on Shop at Blu.