What This Woman Made With A Boring Wooden Crate Will Blow You Away

When mom and crafter Tara of Tara Michelle Interiors was in the market for a new bookshelf, she opted to go the DIY route.

Not only was she working with a smaller space, she also didn’t want to spend a ton, and was after something more unique than boring, big-box options.

What she did next with a bunch of cheap wooden crates might inspire you to follow in her crafty footsteps. The beautiful results of just a few hours of work look positively professional!

First, you’ll need some crates. If you’re lucky, you can find these outside of grocery stores, in junkyards, or if you’re not into hunting, at your local hardware store or Home Depot.

Flickr / Valerie Everett

Tara recommends these additional tools and materials…

Tara Michelle Interiors

• 8 unfinished wood crates
• a sander or just a few grades of sandpaper
• 6-8 sponge brushes (she found they broke after one or two crates)
• rags
• a plastic tablecloth
• Minwax stain — 946ml can (choose whichever color you’d like)
• Minwax paste (optional)
• drill or screwdriver
• 1″ screws
• l-bracket to connect the case to the wall

The crafter recommends testing out a few layout variations. The fit wasn’t right here, so she adjusted accordingly.

Tara Michelle Interiors

Then, using a sander or sandpaper, smooth all the surfaces of the crates. Dust everything off and then stain the crates. You should wipe them down shortly after.

After she allowed everything to dry for at least eight hours, she covered the crates with wax and wiped it off after ten minutes. While Tara says this isn’t necessary, it does help protect the wood from wear.

Tara Michelle Interiors

Here’s the rustic result she achieved.