As we prep for our first festival, we have been pulling out bins, stands, tables and anything else we can find that might be used as a display piece. I built a stack of Farmhouse picture frames and found that I didn’t have anywhere to house them. I knew I couldn’t justify another trip to Lowe’s or Walmart, then it hit me – I can just build one!
I always have random scraps from other projects laying around so I started digging for what I could use. The first thing I grabbed was a pile of thin strips leftover from ripping the rounded edges off of the 2×4’s I used for my potting table. These will serve as the slotted sides of the crate. I cut 12 pieces to 16″ long.
As the body, I used a piece of 1×12 cut into three pieces. I cut the bottom 16″ long and each side 10″ high.
I lightly sanded the edges where I cut the 1×12, but since this will just serve as a storage bin, I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. I didn’t sand the slats at all since I wanted them to look more rough and rugged.
To assemble, I stood the two 10″ pieces of 1×12 on their end and supported them with some scrap 2×4’s. I put wood glue on the top edge and laid the 16″ piece on top. After the wood glue was dry, I pre-drilled three holes along the base to screw the bottom to the sides for added support.
After those three pieces were securely screwed together using 1 1/2″ wood screws, I set the frame on it’s side and used 5/8″ brad nails to nail the slats in place. I did the same on the other side, and VOILA! An easy, free, DIY crate!
To finish the rustic look I was going for, I added a cast iron handle to each side and painted on a coat of Old Barn Stain & Finish in Weathered (my favorite!)
What do you guys think? I love how it turned out.
Happy building!
xx Rebecca
Thanks for reading and following along and make sure to tag me on Facebook @southernpinedesignco or Instagram @southernpinedesignco if you build one of these for yourself!