Crate Tutorial: Rustic & Herringbone

Here's the mini-tutorials of what I did to make my other two crates.

Here's the original post with details of how and where I'm using these in my home.

RUSTIC

First off, the reclaimed wood.

My neighbor replaced their fence and let me grab a wheelbarrow of the better pieces.

Our water is so high in minerals, many have white deposits from the sprinklers that almost make them look white washed.  Pretty cool on wood, not so tasty in our glass.

To build the crate using these wood scraps, I first connected between the two end planks cut 1x2 firring strips.  I screwed them to the end planks using a kreg jig to make pocket holes which are on the bottom of the crate.  You could also screw/ nail through the outside of the planks.  There is 1/4" space between my bottom strips, the width of a carpenter's pencil.

Next I glued and screwed the 2x2 hunks on top of the bottom.  This is what supports the planks on all sides.  I just used a brad nail gun to secure all the planks around the crate with 1/4" between them.

I also added a divider in the center out of a pine scrap.  This connected to the bottom with kreg pocket holes and the sides I just used the nail gun again from the outside.

For the finish and hardware...

I sanded the planks lightly, as they'd developed the weathered fur from the elements.  They were already whitened by the minerals and all looked gray and dingy.  So I decided I'd use a little Minwax mahogany wood stain to warm them up a bit.  You don't want much stain at all.  In a rag I barely had any stain and just dry rubbed it over the wood, to just lightly darken the raised grain.  You basically want to apply the stain dry so you have zero run or liquid seeping into the cracks, just a titch to warm the highest level.  You can obviously rub more or less to get the effect you want.

After removing any excess stain and letting it dry, I used 2 coats polyurathane to seal the wood on the outside.  I left all the wood on the interior raw and natural out of laziness.

For the hardware, these 4 casters were black rubber wheels that rotate, and screw on.

So to get rid of the modern silver hardware, I used masking tape around the rubber wheel (just in case the paint might rub off on my floors later) and used spray paint primer, then Oil Rubbed Bronze to paint the hardware of the wheels.

I also used the same for the "corner braces" which were actually just cheap shelf "L" supports I spray painted.

 Next, the modern HERRINGBONE.

This was probably my favorite. 

I built this box from MDF.  It's a pressed board that is perfectly smooth and doesn't have knots or warp like pine or something.  

So I painted the inside and outside the lighter blue which was leftover from my kitchen, Glidden Gentle Tide.

To make the herringbone pattern, I was a genius!

Rather than drawing it all out with pencil that needs to be erased or trying to get it precise with tape,  I just scored into the base coat of paint with an open paperclip.  This made an easy to follow score line, that was subtle and actually helped the paint stay in the lines as it created a trough.

I used a paper clip and my quilting ruler to score the herringbone.

1.  Divide the wider side of crate into 5 equal sections and score the vertical lines first.

2. Between the vertical lines, I started at the bottom and scored 60 degree angles across the bottom of the crate.  I just worked my way up spacing the rows 1" apart.

Luckily for me, the pattern worked out perfectly wrapping all around the crate without breaking the altering colors in the zig zag.  I started at one corner and worked my way all around the crate, just using a small brush and painting in all the darker trapezoids by hand.

To finish I applied 2 coats of polyurethane and attached the bar handles.

I thought the herringbone was such a cool pattern and was easy to apply.