Sometimes a large DIY project just isn’t what the day requires. Should you want a quick DIY fix, look no further than an affordable wine cage. Imagine what you can do using a neat little box that may have traveled from abroad and smells of walnut. Here are the steps that led me.
The trepidation. I have been kicking around ideas of what to do with wine crates for a while now, but honestly, they simply look good by themselves. Knotty pine, smooth finish, appealing wood-burned manufacturer, the idea that they contained wine crafted by a European winery older compared to the United States … how can it get any better than that?
The inspiration. The last call to action came when I found a front-yard lending library a few blocks from my home. The concept: Take a book and make a publication of your own. Just perusing the titles makes our evening walk that much more enjoyable. The fact that this honor-system library is housed in a very small wine crate at a neighbor’s front yard makes me smile. I drove to my local wine shop wondering when they had crates and what I could make together.
More about the Small Free Library motion
The locate. Barely did I step from the door once I saw fantastic crates of various shapes and sizes … and a single box had dovetail joinery. I was smitten. Why I go there before?
Was that cost right? I can not even purchase a latte for $2.50. I might have to build my next home with them, but would they have enough?
I guess that the answer is yes. Mike Janeway, a wine buyer at Beltramo’s Wines and Spirits, directed me to the screen and said there were many more drains in the back — how many did I want? I didn’t even understand what I was going to make however, but it might be big. I purchased two for a fiver, just so that I could play with a few ideas.
JW Construction
The chances. I started my search for the ideal job by browsing through . Listed below are the top eight ideas that I found:
1. Wall covering. Covering an entire wall would be clever, and this was beautiful, but the three-dimensional facet of the box really appealed to me personally. I kept searching.
Erika Bierman Photography
2. Bookcase. Making a bookcase would be fantastic. Contemporary splashes of colour are fun, and the nice thing about this bookcase is that when decorate, I could only paint them another colour. I really do look to change colors very often.
3. Diorama. Or I could try out a contemporary, minimalist approach. In cases like this, if the cage was likely to match my walls, I likely had enough paint.
Monica Ewing
4. Display case. If only painting was not enough of a challenge, then maybe adding somewhat diverse background or fabric would stretch out the pleasure.
Crisp Architects
5. Wine storage. At this stage I wondered why folks with wine cellars shop bottles in these boxes — it looks like such a waste of a great crate!
Siemasko + Verbridge
6. Rustic seating. I could at least use my crates as a makeshift chair — they’re powerful enough. All I’d have do to is reverse them and stack. Voilà, as the French say while carrying a glass of wine.
Sarah Greenman
7. Planter box. That is a brilliant use of these crates. I could add a few casters and move them around to keep them at sunlight. I really could turn one over and create a bench-seat planter. The pine has no unpleasant chemical treatment, which is important if growing edible plants. I am sure there is a liner required.
Van Wicklen Layout
8. Herb garden. I really liked how this looked. But honestly, I am a dreadful gardener. Even an indoor herb garden would push the limitations of my ailing green thumb.
I place the crates from the sunroom to consider them for a little while, simply setting them next to my bike …
Crate Scott, I have it! For one of my crates, at least. Two drilled holes, stainless steel bolts, nuts and washers, and a couple coats of varnish. I have a bike box which can hold my laptop and groceries, maybe even a little dog.
To attach a crate into a bike, you’ll want:
Measuring tapePencilDrill with drill bitStainless steel nuts, bolts and washers (rustproof)Polyurethane timber finishStandard bike rackHere is how: Coat the box with two or three layers of polyurethane. Put it on the bike rack and examine the position, making sure your backside won’t bump against the crate as you ride. When you’ve the positioning right, indicate two drilling holes on the base of the crate from the underside of the bike rack. Set the washers inside the crate and then drop through. Fasten the nuts. Voilà.
Now tell me What should I make with another crate?
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