The steps below follow the order of the work for this crafts project.
Hello Bekob readers! Colleen here, DIYer behind Lemon Thistle. Today I’m bringing you 3 direct projects for you to tackle this weekend using cabinet hardware. Each one takes only one piece of wood and about half an hour (plus dry time if you clear coat). Because as striking as hardware is- you can only use so much of it on your cabinets and dressers. So why not use it in other creative ways? The three projects I’m sharing today are a jewelry holder, coffee tray, and pliers storage (would work for most hand tools).
I picked all black hardware because I love the look against unstained wood- a little bit scandi and modern. Both of the decorative projects I used a matte finish black metal hardware but for the pliers storage since it will be in a work area- I used the more affordable plastic pulls. All of the hardware was found at my local Home Depot. Ready for the clearly direct How-Tos?
JEWELRY HOLDER
For this project, I used a piece of sanded plywood. I love the light colour and look of plywood for projects (like, I use it a LOT). I cut it to the size I wanted and lightly sanded the edges. Then, I used my go-to clear coat, Varathane Satin Crystal Clear and gave it one quick coat. When that was dry, we measured out even spacing for 5 hooks, staggered. We drilled the holes and threaded the knobs in. The only thing we ran into on this one is that the plywood was too thin for the hardware to fit snugly without modification. We used bolt cutters but a method saw would have been easier to cut the hardware screws down to the right length.
And… well, THAT’S IT! I love how it works with our bedroom decor. If you wanted to hang it instead of lean it- my usual pick is a sawtooth hanger.
COFFEE TRAY
I’m sure you’ve spotted these trays out there- they are SO straightforward to make. For this one, I used a piece of rough cut cedar salvaged from some live edge I’d used to make my desk. I love the cut marks and character in this piece so only gave it a light sanding to clean it up, being careful not to sand all that character away. I used a 120 grit for this. Then, you guessed it, I gave it a clear coat. Two coats at least for a tray that will get heavy use would be best. When it’s dry, measure your hardware to be centred width wise and drill your holes before screwing the hardware in!
THAT’S IT! Get the option… they’re all pretty much adding hardware to wood My son has actually claimed this tray as his, he lines up his tractors on it every. single. day. since I’ve made it. But it totally works for coffee too… promise.
PLIERS HOLDER
This one is just as direct as the other two, although I added some lettering to dress up the storage a bit. I used a piece of 1×6 wood and sanded it smooth. Then I lettered the word ‘pliers’ using my go-to paint markers- the Montana Markers in black. If you’d like to try lettering on wood using paint markers, I have a whole post about it right here. After that was dry, I gave it a clear coat and let it dry. Last but not least… drill some holes and screw on your hardware!
straightforward peasy- the best kinds of projects.
Following are some of our go-to, affordable pieces of hardware that you can use for any of these projects! Some are really basic, and some are a bit fancier and more customized for a unique look. Simply click any of the images below (or double-tap on mobile) to learn more about each item!
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What other projects have you tried using basic hardware? I’d love to see! I have some striking gold geometric knobs from Anthro I’ve been dying to use but haven’t dreamed up the well fitted thing for them yet.
More fun projects using hardware in non-traditional ways:
straightforward Handmade breakfast trays w/free agate pattern printable
