The Best Wood Craft Ideas
Wood craft ideas can be intimidating to look at. After all, most of them are created and photographed by professional crafters who have years of experience and expertise that allow them to make truly stunning workpieces. This being said, it’s best to go into a new wood crafting project with no expectations and simply allow yourself to do the best you possibly can at your skill and comfort level.
Easy Wood Crafts
If you don’t have the time (or the inclination) for intricate wood craft ideas, why not try a few quick and easy crafting ideas that you can do in an afternoon or over the course of your weekend? Below are a few easy wood crafts you can try out in your spare time that require little to no time to do.
A Coffee/Tea Sign
As far as wood craft ideas go, a simple (yet elegant) tea and/or coffee sign is one of the easiest and most effective means to liven up a living space. All that you need is a wood board of your choice, some paint, a stencil, and some basic painting supplies.
If you’d like to make your sign look a bit more rustic, you can add some patina or use some reclaimed wood board to create a farm-style aesthetic. This style can make a space feel more homely, and the best part is that you don’t even have to have anything else that matches the look because it simultaneously blends while drawing just enough attention to itself to stand out!
A Flower Market Basket
Flowers have a way of making virtually any space they’re found in seem a little bit brighter, and while a plain old flower vase might do the trick for some, a well-made flower basket can add a little bit of flare to your flower display.
Not only are these easy to make, but they provide loads of visual and special impact with little to no paint or accessories (apart from the flowers, of course!).
You don’t even have to start from scratch when making these, you could use an old magazine rack or toiletries holder if you have one laying around. You can paint these, make them look distressed, or simply stain them to get your desired look.
If you’re wondering how to display your flowers you can wrap them in crinkle paper, burlap, and even wrapping paper if you want to draw attention to your flowers.
A Towel Rack/Blanket Organizer
If you’re looking to make simple and useful crafts with wood, making a towel rack and/or blanket organizer might be right up your alley. You can either make them from scratch or repurpose an old wooden ladder to make one. One of the best types of wooden ladders to make into one of these are the kinds used on kids’ bunk beds.
If you’re making one from scratch all you need is two decently sized wooden boards, a saw, some sandpaper, some glue, and some wood stain/ wood paint. If you’re going to be using it as a towel rack, we recommend using water/mold-resistant paint to prevent rot over time, or you could seal it to ensure that the paint doesn’t get damaged.
A Candle Holder
If this is your first attempt at wood crafting, then you might want to try something a bit less complicated. If this is the case, then we recommend trying out a candle holder. Not only are these easy to make, but you can customize the shape, size, and height of these with little to no effort.
All that you need to get started is a block of wood!
Drill holes in the wood according to the size of candle you intend to use or drill different holes for various types of candles (teacup candles and long candles are the easiest. You can then paint, stain, or use stickers to decorate your candle holder, or if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can add metal accents to it too.
A Wooden Drawer Centerpiece
If you’re looking for easy DIY wood crafts look no further than this one. If you’re in the process of getting rid of an old bedside table or chest of drawers, you might want to consider saving one or two of the drawers to pull this one off.
They’re simple wood craft ideas that don’t require any drilling, cutting, or complicated wood glues.
All that you need to do is get your hands on some paint and sandpaper and you’re ready to get started. These are amazing centerpieces that frame things like family photos, mason jars, and books, and can be used as a storage space too!
A Wooden Image Transfer Piece
A printed image or photo transfer can be done with any wooden workpiece. If you don’t know what photo transfer is, it’s essentially the practice of taking a printed image, laying it on a flat wooden surface, and then rubbing it with acetone until the image transfers onto the wooden surface.
If it sounds intimidating, we assure you it isn’t, just ensure that your workspace is well-ventilated as acetone displaces oxygen in high concentrations.
A Front-Door Messaging Table
Generally, this isn’t really an option if you live in an apartment building, but it can be used in your entryway too! These are a great way to make anyone entering your home feel welcome, and let them know a little bit about your abode. They can be made from scratch, or you can repurpose an existing table by painting, staining, and/or shortening it.
Recycle Old Cutting Boards
Just because things get old doesn’t mean that you need to throw them away. Old wooden cutting boards can be restored and repurposed if you’ve gotten a new one. If you’d like to restore your old cutting board, a good option is to clean, sand, and coat it with some colorful epoxy resin.
Epoxy resin is completely food safe once cured, you’ll and it will ensure that your cutting board lasts for years to come!
Cutting Board Wood Craft
If you already have a new cutting board, you can simply use your cutting board to create a cool message board or welcome sign. All that you need to do is clean your cutting board and use some paint and a stencil to apply your unique design.
If your board is going to be placed outdoors, we recommend using a sealer to ensure that the wood does not swell and/or split.
A Wooden Plant Stand
A wooden plant stand might seem like a silly idea, but there are loads of advantages to it. If you have beautiful wooden or stone floors that you don’t want to get damaged by a heavy pot plant, this is a great way to display your plant without risking potential damage to your flooring.
They’re pretty easy to make too, and in some instances, you might not even need to make them at all.
We don’t know if these can be considered wood craft ideas as they’re more of a means of repurposing existing furniture. They can be made by removing the top of old bedside/coffee tables that have a cross-section between the legs. Simply remove the top of the table and place your pot plant on the cross-section, securing it safely off the floor.
It’s entirely up to you whether you’d like to redecorate the frame or not.
A Wooden Serving Tray
Whether you’ve been browsing Pinterest or you’ve stayed at a few rustic B&Bs in your lifetime, the chances are that you’ve seen one of these before. Wooden serving trays don’t seem to ever go out of fashion, and they add a homely feel to any meal they’re served with. Plus, that adds an air of romance to those occasions when you’d like to serve your partner some breakfast in bed.
These are super easy to make, and you can add your own flair to them with little to no effort too. Most people simply sand and seal a thick wooden board, but if you’d like to make actually serving with them a bit easier, you can add some looped handles which allow you to pick it up and rest them without disturbing your load.
A Shelf or Coat Rack
These days space tends to come at a premium, so hanging and storing things on a shelf has become one of the most cost-effective ways to ensure that you’re able to utilize a space effectively. This being said, creating a shelf and rack combination isn’t only easy, but it can be done with little to no money if you know how to go about it.
If you’re interested in learning about crafts for wood, this is one project that will become indispensable throughout your life. Shelving can be made with virtually any wood species, and if you don’t want to get some from the store you can repurpose some wood laying around your home.
All that’s left after that is to get some hooks, screws, and/or nails from your local hardware store to secure it, and some paint to decorate it!
A Minimalist Side Table
Tables aren’t usually what most would call simple wood craft ideas, but there are a few out there that can be done with minimal effort and skill. Some of the easiest are ones that are made of wood burl, even though a good-looking piece of burl can cost a nice chunk of change.
All that you need to make one of these is a decently sized slice of wood burl, some screws, and table legs.
We recommend staining or varnishing your burl after sanding to protect your table. You could use a nice coat of paint, but that could obscure that unique pattern you coughed up all that cash for. Once you’re done treating it, line up your table legs, mark them with a pencil, and then secure them with your wood screws.
These make for great conversation pieces!