House – Page 9 – Gray House Studio

DIY Headboard For Under $50

We built a DIY headboard inspired by the Alexa bed from West Elm for under $50 for our guest bedroom makeover.

We are excited to share one of our latest DIY projects, the DIY headboard for under $50 we made for our guest room bed.

Courtney really liked the Alexa bed from West Elm but that bed was way over our budget for the entire room let alone just the bed. So in an effort to get the look we wanted without the price tag, we built our own version of the headboard on the Alexa bed for only $50.

Our comforter covers the bed frame so we didn’t find it necessary to build a new matching bed frame right away but the way we attached our new headboard to our existing frame leaves us open to building a new matching bed frame in the future.

Keep scrolling down to see the steps as well as the materials and tools necessary to make a DIY version of the headboard on the Alexa bed from West Elm for only $50.

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How To Build A DIY Headboard

SUPPLIES

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TUTORIAL VIDEO

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STEPS

1. To save money we glued two 2x4s together for the legs and top board of the frame instead of buying 4x4s.

Once the wood glue dried we cut the boards down to length with the miter saw. Then cut them to three inches square with the table saw.

2. With all the boards cut to the correct size, we set the table saw up to cut at a 22.5 degree angle which was the angle used to cut the angle on the face of the frame.

Our blade was not long enough to cut all the way though the board so we turned the board over to finish the other side of the cut.

3. The top of each leg and both sides of the top board were cut at a 45 degree angle to form a miter joint.

4. Next, we cut the supports and bottom leg pieces to allow the frame to attach to the bed.

The bottom leg pieces are cut from the excess board from the 22 1/2 degree cut.

This will offset the angle previously cut on the bottom of the legs so they are square with the bed frame when attaching.

5. Before cutting the braces we measured the inside of the top of the frame so we would know how long to make the braces.

6. For the center brace and six small braces we used a 1×4 inch pine furring strip and for the bottom brace we used a 2×4.

7. To attach all the boards together we used a drill and pocket hole screws and drilled pilot holes using a Kreg jig.

8. To start assembling the frame we secured the top corners of the frame with one pocket hole screw in the inside of each corner. Then added the bottom brace making sure all the pocket holes were on the back.

9. With the bottom brace attached, we stood the frame up and drilled pilot holes in the top of the headboard. Because the wood in the corner of each miter joint is thin, we couldn’t use pocket screws but since this headboard will be five and a half feet tall, these screws won’t be noticeable.

10. The 1×4 braces will be covered up so we were fine securing them to the frame with the pocket holes facing up. With the frame assembled we were ready to add the backing board to support the slats.

11. We chose to use pegboard as the backing board because it is cheap, durable and already has holes drilled in it.

We put wood glue on all the braces to attach the pegboard.

We used paint cans and various other heavy objects laying around the garage to hold the pegboard in place while the glue dried.

12. After the glue was dry we started laying out the 1×3 inch slats.

I worked on each quadrant separately and started by cutting the boards so they were slightly longer than needed and sat flush against the frame.

Then we used a measuring tape to mark the center of the headboard. We used a straight edge to draw a line where all the boards needed to be cut.

13. Then we did the same thing for the bottom of the boards. This made it very easy to make sure that all the boards were aligned perfect after being cut at a 45 degree angle on both sides.

14. While I worked on cutting all the boards Courtney was hard at work staining all the boards with our favorite stain and there were a ton of boards.

She has a great eye for varying the darkness of the stain so it looks balanced yet random.

15. After the stain dried we set the slats back on the pegboard and propped the headboard up on a chair to secure them through the back with 1/2 inch panhead screws.

This is where the pegboard came in handy because I could see the edge of each slat and make sure I put all the screws in the right place and didn’t miss a slat.

16 Finally, with everything attached, we carried the headboard into the guest room and attached it to the bed frame with two inch screws and large one inch washers.

We are really happy with how this project turned out. Our DIY headboard knockoff looks very similar to its much more expensive counterpart but it didn’t blow the budget and we were able to customize it and use our favorite color stain so it matches the other projects in the room and house. Plus, it really upgrades our existing bed and was fun piece of furniture to build.

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DIY Wooden Wall Sconce

House, Lighting Courtney & Brent

If you are interested in making your own DIY wooden wall sconce like the one below, we would love for you to enroll in our Bob Vila Academy course.We appreciate your support!

We have a cat. A cat that likes to knock over every last thing on my nightstand to try and wake me up when he is hungry at 5:00 in the morning. He knows no boundaries. Recently, he knocked my lamp off and then proceeded to fall off the nightstand with the lamp and land in the lamp shade. This resulted in a Jake’s paw sized hole in my lamp shade. He has no grace or balance either. I proceeded to scold him in my half asleep state, “This is why we can’t have nice things!” He meowed and walked away. He apologizes to no one.

The lamp and lamp shade were from my college days and while I hate to see anything get ruined, they were old and it was at least an excuse to finally begin a lighting project we have been wanting to work on in our master bedroom for awhile now, a DIY wooden wall sconce for each side of the bed.

I was really excited about this project, one because the DIY wooden wall sconce we were going to build for each side would look much nicer than the mismatched lamps and lamp shades we currently had and unless Jake possesses some cat hulk strength I don’t know about and could rip them from the wall, they were safe from being knocked over.

Building our DIY Wooden Wall Sconce

We made the modern accordion DIY wooden wall sconce base for each side of the bed out of oak. We were not sure what we were going to do for the lamp shade but then while browsing around IKEA for a cloth light cord set we stumbled upon these ceramic white plant pots and it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head (I am not sure if I intended that to be a pun or not) and it turned out to be the perfect choice. I love repurposing items for other uses. It is a fun challenge that Brent and I like to tackle together.

Brent worked really hard planning and drawing out the wood wall sconce base so that we knew the exact measurements we needed to cut so it would come together perfectly. He rocked it, I am so impressed. I love the added touch of painting the head of the carriage bolts white to match the lamp shade.

Having a DIY wooden wall sconce on each side of our bed makes our bedroom already feel more grown-up and less college mismatch. We are one step closer to our overall design goal for our master bedroom. I am also happy to say they are completely hungry cat resistant.

Project Featured in Bob Villa Academy

Brent and I are 90’s kids. And what was one of the staple family television shows for 90’s kids? Home Improvement. Brent aspired to be the host of his own tool show like Tim “The Toolman” Taylor and I, well, I dreamed of dating Randy Taylor (Jonathan Taylor Thomas). And didn’t we all wish we could just walk into our backyard and our neighbor would peek over and give us all the answers to life? That was the dream.

One of our favorite reoccurring story lines was Tim’s rivalry with Bob Vila. That hot rod race between the two is a classic. We are feeling all nostalgic just thinking about it.

Growing up Bob Vila was the real life go to guy for us when it came to home improvement. I think DIY home renovation was Brent and I’s destiny because we both grew up watching Bob Vila and helping our dads with home improvement projects, you know, typical kid stuff. So you can imagine our excitement when we got an email asking if we would be interested in being professors in the Bob Vila Academy. It is cool to see that the Bob Vila brand continues to grow and morph with the ways we approach DIY projects these days offering in-depth video e-courses to get hands-on experience.

Which brings us back to our DIY wooden wall sconce. The e-course we are teaching in the Bob Vila Academy is how to make a modern wooden wall sconce, just like ours. We will show you what tools and materials you need as well as break down all the steps and demonstrate how to make this affordable lighting solution.

The benefit of this e-course is instead of just one video, we break up the project into a series of videos so we can cover each and every step in great detail allowing you to follow along and build your very own wall sconce with us as we make it.

If you are interested in making your own DIY wooden wall sconce, we would love for you to enroll in our Bob Vila Academy course. As always, we appreciate your support!

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Guest Room Makeover

House, Room Design Courtney & Brent

I am so excited to share what Brent and I have been up to that past two weeks, a guest room makeover! First, because this is the first room we have completely finished in our house. Secondly, because we have been trying to keep it a secret so we could surprise our first guests who would be staying in the new room (Brent’s parents) when they came to Houston last week. Finally, because that means we get to share our first room tour!

The timing for this room makeover came about because this room was quickly starting to look like a storage unit that might be auctioned off on Storage Wars. All the random stuff we moved out of the room next door to work on our home gym was scattered all over the room and if there was ever an object that didn’t have a place in the house, it most likely wound up on the floor of the “guest room”.

Above is a photo of what the room looked like before we moved in, really plain, outdated light fixture, old beige paint on the wall, etc. I just realized I never actually took of a photo of what the room looked like once we moved in but it wasn’t much to look at.

The guest room already had a mismatch of furniture from my apartment before we got married that didn’t have a place anywhere else in our home which didn’t make the space feel put together at all but slowly over time it got a bit out of control with what we were storing in there. We were really taking a risk that a guest wouldn’t just pop in at the last minute needing a place to stay because otherwise they might have been out of luck.

Time and time again I have learned in our home that if a space or room doesn’t have a purpose than it will create it’s own by holding a bunch of junk. And even though the guest room was supposed to have a purpose, the lack of organization in that room made it difficult to comprehend that purpose and thus, keep it neat and tidy.

Brent’s parents will be visiting us more often these next few months, so I got it in my head that I didn’t just want to clean the space up but I wanted to really take the time to transform it into a guest room that was charming, cohesive, cozy, and comfortable for our guests. So Brent and I got to work.

Tour Our Guest Room Makeover

In this video we will take you on a tour of our newly made over guest bedroom! For our guest room makeover we were going for a subtle tropical theme. We used neutral colors on the walls and for the furniture and brought in bright pops of green in the accent pieces and decor.

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Our 5 Ways to Create a Comfortable Guest Room

1. Welcome Box/Basket for Guests

When guests first walk into the room we want them to feel welcomed! Brent created a custom welcome sign for us to hang above our crate display that turned our great. If these crates look familiar that is because they are the same ones I used for our fall crate display. They matched perfectly with the room and we didn’t have to spend money on a storage piece or shelving for this corner.

Because I wanted to have the guest room and guest bathroom flow together with the same style, I was super pumped when I was able to find a larger version of the same wood vase at Target that I already had in the guest bathroom. I also used the same faux plants so it would tie in together nicely.

I found this vintage style suitcase at HomeGoods and immediately bought it before I knew what I was going to do with it because you know, I am obsessed with vintage suitcases. That is a rare occurrence for me because I usually never buy anything on a whim but as it turned out it works perfectly as a unique box to fill welcome items for our guests.

In the box we store water bottles, snacks, chocolates, a guest book, the remote for the TV so it is easy to find and the WI-FI password. I made the little WI-FI sign and then displayed it on the metal photo holder that we got at Magnolia Market a few weeks back.

I also found this basket at HomeGoods and thought it made a great basket to store magazine and books for guests to read. I made and attached the little tag to the basket to draw guests attention to where they can find reading material.

2. Extra Seating

We didn’t really have any seating in the guest room before so I wanted to created a seating area where guests could sit down to put on their shoes or relax and read a magazine. So we created this cute little corner. We kept our yarn and branch hanging in this room, just moved it over to this corner. It works perfectly because the branch brings in the natural element and the colors pop against the neutral chair.

I also bought this really soft blanket (my weakness) at Target. I love the color and by draping it over the chair, it is easily accessible for guests to grab and cozy up in case they get cold.

3. Open Shelving Nightstands

We really like the idea of showing guests everything they have available to them out in the open when it comes to our guest room and bathroom. That is why we chose to go with open shelving for the nightstands. Plus, they allow us to display more items. We got these stands second hand from my mom (thanks mom!) but they originally came from Kohls. I like them because guests don’t have to feel awkward about opening any drawers.

On one side we have tissues and these old library books my grandmother gave my mom and then my mom gave me that were overdue in 1978 (but in the perfect color palette I might add) that are now decor pieces and on the other side we have a USB port for guests to plug in all their electronic devices in one central spot so they don’t have to hunt and fight over plugs. We also have our DIY tiered stand for guests to store jewelry or smaller items so they won’t forget them when they leave.

We really splurged in this room. We got two matching lamps! Ha. We have never had matching lamps in a room before so this really felt like this room was legit. I love these white and wood lamps I got from Target. Target is really stepping up their lamp game.

4. A Cozy Bed

My inspiration for this guest room makeover was this duvet cover I purchased from West Elm two years ago before we even moved into this house. I love the green-blue colors since the majority of our house is neutral and I like that it has a subtle tropical vibe. You see, Brent is not big on themed rooms but I, I grew up in a jungle room. We are talking oversized stuffed animal tigers, leopard print comforter and fake vines and twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling. I was all about the themed room growing up.

Obviously, we had to give and take a little and I think this room turned out to be a good compromise of a tasteful room with tropical elements (see what I did there Brent, I didn’t say it had a theme).

I really wanted a headboard in this room. A cozy bed just doesn’t feel complete without a nice looking headboard and Brent knocked it out of the park with this one he built based on one we liked from West Elm for a fraction of the cost. I would like to add I did contribute by staining the entire thing, which was a job for sure but this one was all Brent’s brilliant mind making it come together. Check out our full tutorial on how we built this headboard.

While out shopping I stumbled upon this fun furry pillow that was a great addition to the bed because the texture added a nice contrast against the headboard. It was the right color and I was so excited to show Brent but all he could say was it looked like it was made from the fur of Sully from Monster Inc. Oh… Brent. At least he didn’t say he hated it. So I am counting that as a win.

5. Mirrors

One thing I found I appreciated about other guest rooms I have stayed in is when there is a mirror in the room. That way if another guest is in the bathroom, you can still brush your hair, put on your make-up, etc.

A last minute addition to the room were these geometric mirrors that Brent custom made. They are like a two for one because the room now has a mirror, well many mirrors, but with the shape and pattern they also act as wall art for what was an empty wall.

We also painted the walls, put a bench at the foot of the bed, hung new drapes, added a new TV on a wall mount we built, and replaced the old light fixture with a new ceiling fan.

Walls: Utterly Beige from Sherwin Williams
Headboard: DIY Project
Duvet Cover: West Elm
Chair: Target
Outside Curtains: Target
Inner Curtains: Target (old)
TV Wall Mount: DIY Project
Bench: Target
Nightstands: Donated by my mom
Table Lamps: Target
Blanket on Chair: Target
Suitcase: HomeGoods
Wooden Crates: DIY Project
Fuzzy Pillow: Target
Magazine Basket: HomeGoods
Wood Vase: Target
Welcome Sign: custom made by Brent
Geometric Mirrors: custom made by Brent
Plant in Concrete Planter HomeGoods
Branch & Yarn Hanging: DIY Project

We love how this room turned out and hope our guests find their stay here comfortable and cozy. My anxiety about this room being a disaster is gone and now I really wish this was my room. The guest room makeover was a really fun project to work on with Brent and forced us to fill up a car of unwanted stuff to take to donate because there is no where else we have left to move the junk to.

Brent’s parents arrived late Tuesday night last week and we just about missed their reaction to the surprise because we were in our bedroom when they arrived. I knew I should have had a large picture of what the room looked like before printed on canvas so I could hang it in front of the door to do a Fixer Upper style reveal. Dang. But they loved it and we are so glad we took the time to focus on this project and make it a nice space for our guests to enjoy.

How To Build A TV Wall Mount

House, Tips + Tricks Courtney & Brent

Check out how to build a tv wall mount out of wood.

It seems as though every year TVs are getting lighter and less expensive so when we were working on our guest bedroom makeover we decided to say goodbye to my 10 year old monster of a 32″ silver TV from college that was sitting in that room and replace it with a new lighter model.

We didn’t have enough space for a TV console in the bedroom so we knew we were going to have to mount the TV on the wall and now that TVs are thinner and lighter, it actually makes it easier and less stressful to get them up on the wall.

We thought it would be fun to try our hand at building our own tv wall mount of wood. After thinking about it, what goes into a TV mount isn’t that complicated, so we decided to make our own out of wood for way cheaper and are sharing how to build a TV wall mount.

In this tutorial Brent shows how to make one for a 32″ TV since that is the size of the TV we were mounting. If you decide to build you own, you might have to adjust the sizes of the pieces you cut, accordingly.

How to Build a TV Wall Mount

SUPPLIES

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FYI: This post contains affiliate links to products we used and liked for our wood tv wall mount. As an Amazon Associate Gray House Studio earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting this site. Read our privacy and disclosure policy.

TUTORIAL VIDEO

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STEPS

1. Our TV came with screws in the mounting holes so the first thing we did was to remove the screws with a screwdriver.

2. We used a piece of paper and pen to poke holes in the paper to make a template for transferring the mounting holes to a block of wood.

3. Once the holes were poked in the paper for each mounting hole, we marked the hole positions on a piece of plywood. We used a piece of 3/4 inch plywood.

4. The mounting bracket has two hinges comprised of four identical semicircular pieces with a hole in the center.

We made this template and then traced these pieces on another piece of plywood like the one we used in the previous step.

Our hinge template is available to download here.

5. Next, using a 1/8 inch drill bit on a drill press, we drilled four holes in the board that mounts to the TV.

This is the board we marked on in the third step.

6. Using a 1/4 inch drill bit we drilled holes in the center of the hinge mounting brackets. These are the pieces we traced in the fourth step.

7. To cut the four hinge pieces out we used a jigsaw with a scroll cut blade.

8. We used a 2 inch long carriage bolt to hold each of the two hinges together.

But as you can see in the second picture, the square neck prevents the head of the bolt from sitting flush with the surface of the hinge.

9. To fix that issue, we used a 1/4 inch chisel to square off each hole on the side of the hinge with the head of the bolt.

10. Next, we mounted the two hinge pieces located on the head side of the bolt to the mounting plate with the four holes in it. We added wood glue and clamps to hold both pieces centered between the holes.

11. First, we use our drill pilot holes for each screw.

12. Then we secured the hinge pieces with the screws.

13. To help align the other side of the hinges, we slid the other pieces over the carriage bolts and tightened them with wing nuts.

14. Then we marked the center point of each side of the hinges on the wide mounting board that we were going to screw into the wall.

15. We used those marks to drill pilot holes for the mounting screws.

16. We added wood glue to the hinges and clamped them to the large board.

17. Then we secured it with 1 1/2 inch screws.

18. We removed the two carriage bolts and separated the two sides of the mount.

We then attached the mount to the TV using 1 1/2 inch screws. Our TV uses M8 screws.

19. Before mounting the TV, we located the studs with a stud finder.

20. Then we anchored the mount to at least two studs with 2 1/2 inch screws.

We used a level to make sure our mount was straight.

21. Finally, we mounted the TV by lining up the holes in the hinge and securing them with the carriage bolts and wing nuts.

We are really happy with how our mount turned out and how it securely holds the TV to the wall. Plus, you can hardly tell the mount is even there. I love how little this project cost us so I could use the money on more important things for our guest bedroom makeover, like lamps and a new chair.

If you have any questions on how to build a TV wall mount, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

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DIY Industrial Table Lamp

House, Lighting, Uncategorized Courtney & Brent

We have another super easy IKEA hack for you today. In this post we will show you how to take a SINNERLIG pot and a cord set from IKEA and turn it into a DIY industrial table lamp.

When Courtney and I brainstorm projects we usually underestimate how long a project is going to take. No matter how simple we think a project is, when we are making something for the first time we almost always run into some sort of problem we have to solve. This is especially the case when we have a short amount of time to work on it.

We wanted to make a DIY industrial table lamp based on a lamp we saw at Urban Outfitters for our library and figured what better time to experiment on making something for the first time than the night before you have to present it on live TV.

On the plus side, we worked out all the kinks and can now share with you the best way to approach this project.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

In the video below we will walk you through how to make an industrial table lamp using an IKEA pot plant and a light cord set.

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SUPPLIES

MATERIALS

(1) SINNERLIG Pot of from IKEA
(1) Cord set
(2) Wire nuts
(1) Light bulb (Edison)

TOOLS

Drill
1-5/8″ Diamond coated hole saw
1-3/4″ Wood hole saw
5/8″ Glass and tile ceramic drill bit
Sander and 220 grit sand paper
Matte spray paint
Scrap wood
Wood clamps

*This post contains an affiliate link. You can read our disclosure policy here.

Here is an outline of our crazy day

— 10:00 AM —

Feeling optimistic, Courtney emailed me a detailed shopping list complete with pictures of the lamp she wanted to recreate and all the supplies need.

— 04:00 PM —

Off work and headed to Ikea before traffic gets bad.

— 04:05 PM —

Made it to Ikea and should be in and out super fast because I know all the secret passageways. Proud of myself for not even stopping for a cinnamon roll on the way in.

— 04:08 PM —

Oh no! They don’t have the cloth cord set we are looking for. Guess, I will try and find and employee in case I am missing them.

— 04:20 PM —

Slight setback, they are out of cloth cord sets but after talking to employee, they helped me find an alternative one that will work.

— 04:25 PM —

Okay, made it to the pots and plants section. I should be out of here in no time.

— 04:35 PM —

Oh no, took two laps around the pot and plants section but can’t find the pot on my list.

— 04:45 PM —

Spent five minutes trying to pronounce the name of the pot I am looking for to another employee because apparently, black pot isn’t descriptive enough. He asks me to type it into his computer to find the name.

— 04:55 PM —

The employee informs me that they don’t carry that pot. Panic is now officially setting in since our entire project is based around this particular pot. Contemplate getting a $1 hot dog to cheer me up but instead head back to the pots section to do one final walkthrough.

— 05:00 PM —

I can’t believe my eyes. Suddenly it as if a ray of light strikes those beautiful pots. I found the hidden stash behind the palm trees. Grateful that I don’t have to tell Courtney I couldn’t find them.

— 05:05 PM —

Well, that was another IKEA trip that took too long. Oh, hello Houston evening traffic.

— 07:00 PM —

Finally made it home after fighting rush hour traffic. On a positive note Courtney has dinner ready. On a negative note “It’s raining Ben” (The Bachelor) on TV starts tonight but we can’t watch because we need to knock this project out. I reassure Courtney we will be done in time for the “final rose”.

How We MADE a DIY Industrial Table Lamp

1. First we flipped over the pot and carefully removed the stickers and felt feet.

The fun thing about this project is we are using the SINNERLIG pot for the base which comes in a variety of shapes, giving us options when it came to the style of the light fixture. We purchased a few to test and chose the shape above for an industrial look.

2. To turn this pot into a lamp, we needed to drill a hole in the bottom of the pot with a 1-5/8″ diamond coated hole saw. To keep the hole saw centered as we drilled, we found it helpful to use a jig to hold the hole saw in place.

To make a jig, we drilled a hole with the 1-3/4″ hole saw in a board larger than the base of the pot. Then used clamps to hold pieces of scrap wood around the base of the pot to hold the top board with the hole in it center on the pot.

3. The diamond coated hole saw leaves a smooth finish but exposes the clay center which is why we needed to paint it. When we pulled off the sticker and felt feet from the bottom, it left three squares of exposed clay.

4. Through a frustrating and unsuccessful trial run, we found that the red clay absorbs the spray paint more leaving those areas a different color.

To make sure the entire bottom of the pot is a consistent texture, we found it necessary to sand the entire bottom of the pot before spray painting it. For this step we used a sander and 220 grit sand paper.

5. Before painting, we drilled a hole with a 5/8″ glass and tile drill bit in the side of the pot towards the bottom for the cord to go through. This step will also expose some of the red clay but it will also be covered up by the spray paint.

6. We wanted to give our industrial table lamp a matte finish so we spray painted the entire pot with black matte spray paint.

7. In order to thread the wire through the pot, we cut the cord six inches from the light fixture. Then we stripped the wires exposing half an inch of copper on both the white wires and both the black wires.

8. Then we threaded the stripped ends of the long side of the cord through the small hole in the pot.

9. We pushed the fixture through the large hole and screwed the threaded flange tight.

10. Finally, we twisted the copper parts of the black and white wires together and then screwed the wire nuts on each wire to hold them together. Our DIY industrial table lamp is finished!

— 10:30 PM —

Now for the moment of truth, we plugged the light in, flipped the switch and we have light! It was the wonderful sign that our DIY industrial table lamp is complete and it’s bedtime! Oh wait, we still have to make our DIY tiered stand.

— 01:30 AM —

After prepping that project, it is finally time for bed.

— 05:30 AM —

Rise and Shine Courtney! Its time to get ready for Great Day Houston.

— 07:30 AM —

As we are on our way to the studio we ponder why we procrastinate on these projects. Is it all really worth it? Sometimes they are so much work and stress.

— 10:00 AM —

The show went great. At brunch Courtney and I discuss how much fun that was and how much we love how the projects turned out and look in the room. We agree we should do it again and start brainstorming our next project. Omelets really do wonders for morale.

Don’t let our crazy day deter you from making this DIY industrial table lamp. It is a great weekend project that turns out awesome. We are growing quite fond of these quick and easy (now that we have the process figured out) IKEA hacks.

PROJECT FEATURED ON GREAT DAY HOUSTON

Out DIY industrial table lamp was one of the repurposing ceramic projects we shared on the local live morning show, Great Day Houston. In case you missed it (or don’t live in Houston) you can watch our DIY segment here.

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DIY Tiered Stand

House, Organization Courtney & Brent

Make a DIY tiered stand from from two IKEA plates and a dowel rod to store jewelry or cupcakes.

I am excited to share our latest DIY storage project, a DIY tiered stand. One of my favorite things to do is online window shop, find things I like and then Brent and I will come up with a way to make our own version (usually for quite a bit cheaper). Sure, we could just buy it. But where is the fun in that? We have had a lot of fun recently using a glass and tile drill bit and have been looking for ways to repurpose ceramic pieces just so we can put it to good use. Lately, it seems as though tools have been inspiring our projects.

One late night online shopping trip last week, I spotted a tiered stand that I really liked from Urban Outfitters. I knew instantly that it looked like the perfect project to use our glass and tile drill bit and drill through some plates! We are calling this an IKEA hack because we transformed two VÄRDERA plates into a tiered stand.

This DIY project turned out amazing, was so easy to make and required very few supplies. That’s the dream, right? So today we are going to show you how to make this DIY tiered stand to store jewelry, cupcakes, makeup or whatever you fancy.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

In this video below we will walk you through how to make and assemble a tiered stand from two ceramic plates and a dowel rod to store jewelry or cupcakes.

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SUPPLIES

MATERIALS

(2) Ceramic Plates (a small and large size)
(1) 1-1/4″ x 36″ Round Oak Dowel
(1) 1/4″ x 2-1/2″ Hanger Bolt
(2) 1/4″ X 20 mm Insert Nuts
(1) 1/4″ x 3/4″ Crown Bolt

TOOLS

Drill and/or Drill Press
Ruler & Pencil
Cup of Water
#6 Hex Bit
Miter Saw
1/4″ Glass and Tile Drill Bit
3/8″ Drill Bit
Centering Punch & Hammer

How to Make a DIY Tiered Stand

1. We recommend putting a few pieces of scrap wood under the small plate before you begin to avoid drilling into the work surface once the bit goes through the plate. Then, using a ruler, measure and mark the center of the plate.

2. Next, take a cup of water and pour a generous amount onto the surface of the plate. The water will help cool the drill bit.

3. Now, using a 1/4″ glass and tile drill bit and a drill, line up the drill bit with the mark you made in step 1 and drill a hole through the plate.

Once you have a hole in the small plate, wipe off the excess water and dirt and then repeat steps 1-3 for the larger plate.

4. Using a miter saw, cut the dowel rod into two pieces. The small top piece will be 2 1/2 inches and the larger middle piece will be 6 inches.

5. To hold the dowel rod vertical and make it easier to drill into it, clamp it between two scrap boards. We used 2x2s.

6. Using a ruler, mark the center of the end of the dowel rod. Do this step for both sides of the longer dowel rod and one side of the short dowel rod.

7. Now with a centering punch and a hammer, create a divot in the end of the dowel rod for the drill bit. You will need to do this step for both sides of the longer piece and one side of the short piece as well.

8. Using a 3/8″ drill bit, drill a hole 1″ deep in both sides of the longer dowel rod and one side of the short dowel rod.

9. Take a #6 hex bit and screw the insert nuts into both sides of the long dowel rod.

10. To assemble the DIY tiered stand, take the crown bolt and feed it through the hole in the large plate.

11. Now thread the crown bolt into the large dowel rod until it is nice and tight.

12. Now screw the hanger bolt into the insert nut that is in the top of the large dowel rod.

13. Run the hanger bolt through the hole in the small plate letting it sit on the large dowel rod.

14. Finally thread the shorter dowel rod into the hanger bolt until it is flush with the plate.

Your completed tiered stand should look like this once it is assembled.

If you use a plate that doesn’t quite sit flat, you can add little wooden feet to the bottom like we did to make it balanced.

I think Brent is pretty much a genius for figuring our how to make it screw together in two pieces with small holes in the plates. I pitched this idea to him and picked out the plates from IKEA and he worked up the game plan for making it happen. My mind was blown with his awesome solution.

I love, love how this repurposing ceramic dishes project / IKEA hack turned out. It looks exactly like the tiered stand I had my eye on at the store. The great thing about this DIY tiered stand is it is a very versatile storage piece. You can store jewelry in the bedroom or cupcakes in the kitchen or make two, one for each room!

We made ours modern and neutral to match the one I saw in the store because it fits with the style of our home but depending on the plates you choose and the color you paint/stain the dowel rods you make it look however you like.

PROJECT FEATURED ON GREAT DAY HOUSTON

Our DIY tiered stand was one of the repurposing ceramic projects we shared on the local live morning show, Great Day Houston. In case you missed it (or don’t live in Houston) you can watch our DIY segment here.