My thriftiness and desire to DIY my own projects sometimes leads to me hoarding items until I can figure out what to do with them. I have a huge stash of craft items and thrift store finds just waiting for inspiration to strike. Sometimes it can be a good thing – like this project for instance! A few years ago I found this wine crate at my local thrift store for a few dollars and knew that I could use it for an organization project. It now serves as a functional part of our home and helps with our pantry organization!
I don’t know about you, but my pantry is pretty far from perfect. Organization is not one of my gifts and I rarely enjoy the process .. but I do enjoy the end result! The wine crate that I had stashed away was the perfect size to make a rolling storage crate for my pantry, and keep some of our items organized. Adding the wheels makes it so easy to roll it out of the pantry and have quick access to the contents. I used some DIY natural “stain” to give it a darker aged color and now my pantry looks pretty stylish!
Here is a before shot of the wine crate and the caster wheels that I used:
The only materials that I needed to buy for this project were some wheels for the bottom. I already had everything on hand to make this DIY natural “stain” that I found at Blesser House, so this project only cost me around $10! Not too shabby!
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Materials needed:
• Wood Crate
• Wheels Set
• Screwdriver
Materials for DIY stain:
• Apple cider vinegar 16 oz
• Steel Wool
• Water
• Tea Bags
• Paintbrush or foam brush
This DIY natural “stain” uses the method of wood oxidation. I love that it uses natural ingredients that don’t have any harmful chemicals! First you will place 4 tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water. I used black tea like these ones here
You will then place 1 piece of steel wool in a jar with your apple cider vinegar, letting it soak for at least 24 hours. This will make the vinegar change to a grey color.
Next you will brush on a coat of tea to your crate, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. You can let this dry for at least an hour before moving on to the next step.
Now you will brush on a coat of the vinegar, and see the instant change! This is only after waiting a couple minutes and you can immediately see the color change. Beautiful! It looks antique and aged already.
I let this dry in our garage for a couple days before completing the last step. The vinegar fumes can still be a little strong after you brush it on. After letting it dry for just a couple hours you will be able to see the deep dark color of your wood!
The final step is to attach your wheels to the bottom using a screwdriver or drill. Now you are ready to roll! (See what I did there? Can you tell I’m a sucker for puns?)
I love how easy and simple it was to create this DIY rolling storage crate! If you need me I’ll be scouring the thrift stores looking for more wine crates to hoard.
