Wood Working

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Build a Learning Tower

Learning towers are a fantastic way to have your kids help and provide a stable platform that can be adjusted to their height. It’s a pretty fantastic thing when you’re getting ready to do something in the kitchen and here comes your toddler pushing their learning tower. I highly recommend the felt pads and depending on where you store it, some side pads won’t hurt – it tends to get bounced off walls a wee bit. We built a learning...

How to DIY Wood Wrapped Canvas Art for under $100

Landscape canvas large form prints have a huge impact in any room. Many designers are using these as focal pieces in dining and living rooms, and I’ve seen some gorgeous wood floating framed canvas prints that I would love to have for my home. McGee and Co. has some beauties, including this landscape piece in a floating frame for about $1,478 for a 72×48 inch print: And for around $600 and at a size of 26×37, this piece is another...

How to Avoid Common Wood Project Finishing Errors

There are a number of wood preparation and finishing errors on the project below. At some point, I’ve made them all and learned my lessons the hard way. I can tell you that prior to staining, boards always felt smooth and looked ready to turn a beautiful shade of whatever stain I was going to apply. Problem #01: Improper edge treatment and not enough glue. For your glue project, having straight and crisp edges will make your joins look flawless....

Office desk with real wood top

IKEA Hemnes Desk Hack – How To Build a new Desk

We needed some extra office space and I’m always up for another project. We decided to convert our guest room into some much needed office space. We found some inspiration from the ether for building a desk that used IKEA Hemnes dressers. Maybe it was all the previous oil staining projects, but when Nichole asked if I could make a custom wood desk top, I said sure. Turns out an 11-foot wooden desk top and carefully attaching it is a...

Picture of our updated livinging room

How to Build a Mid-Century Modern Fireplace Mantel

We wanted a simple, elegant, mid-century-esk fireplace mantel. A fireplace mantel is an easy project to undertake and it will drastically change the character of your room! Our challenge is that we needed a mantel larger than the common 60- and 72-inch kits. And I love an excuse to get my saws out. Here’s a before and after and some tips for the design and build adventure. To brighten our living room, we removed a massive bookcase and shelving unit,...

Make a Contemporary Parsons Kid Desk with this DIY Desk Hack

Recently we’ve converted two full size tables into desks for the kids (the littles). It’s a brilliant way to make a fantastic solid wood desk for much less than buying new or buying wood and a leg-kit. With a few carefully measured cuts and some wood refinishing you can achieve fantastic results. Student Desk from a Large Console Table Nichole found a plain amber stained table on Facebook marketplace that was listed for $20 – likely from IKEA at one...

IKEA Kallax Bookcase Hack – How To Wrap Your Bookcase

For our children’s playroom, we were looking for a practical and stylish way of storing toys and devices. This simple DIY hack turns a simple white IKEA bookcase / shelf unit into a stylish piece of furniture. It elevated the design and style of a traditional bookcase while adding some warmth and character. We had two IKEA Kallax shelf units – smaller one at 30 3/8 x 30 3/8 and a larger unit at 30 3/8 x 57 7/8 –...

wood glue bench configuration with clamps and braces

How to Glue Your Wood Together – Setting up your Glue Station

Your equipment doesn’t need to be fancy to work! Gluing wood together can be fun and makes an incredibly strong join. Here are some of the tools and tips I’ve picked-up along the way to make your glue project go smooth. The following example photos here are from a recent glue-up for a nearly 10-foot long desk as we were needing more work space in our office. Tools I Use: Gorilla or Titebond wood glues work! Clamps I use (Irwin...