Hello friends! I thought I would share today how I made these adorable wooden wall pockets for a small office space we have in the corner of our piano room. I had something similar already from Michael's, but really wanted a wooden version of it to go against my olive stem wallpaper. So off I went into my garage and sort of came up with this with this wooden version, using some simple tools and basic skills. Now remember guys I'm not the builder in the family, that's usually Curtis' gig, but every now and then I like to play around in the garage with some tools. This is a very easy project and I just do things the way that work best for me. So let's go ahead and get started.
What you will need:
Jig saw
Basic hand saw
Hammer
1 " Finishing nails
4mm presanded plywood, measure how much you need depending on how big you want your pockets, this is used for the back of the pocket, the front and bottom.
About 2-3 feet of a 1" pine board
Pencil
Tape Measure
Wood stain, I like to use Minwax
Picture hanging rings and screws for back
*You can also watch my Instagram video tutorial video here on how I made these.
Step 1:
First thing I did was trace the upper curve of my Michael's basket onto a piece of shiplap. If you don't have one of these baskets you could simply draw a curve shape of your own. I just used the one I had because I liked the size of it.
Step 2:
I then cut my upper curve out of the shiplap using my jig saw.
Step 3:
Next thing I did was make the back part of the pocket. I measured the width of my basket and then cut the shiplap with my hand saw. *I did this part in two pieces because I was using leftover shiplap boards that I had on hand that were only 6" wide. You could do this all in one step, having your upper curve attached to this bottom piece.
Step 4:
Now I had to make little side walls for the bottom portion of the pockets. I decided I wanted my pockets to be 3" deep just like my basket, so I cut a piece of 1" thick pine board into 3" wide x 5" high.
Step 5:
I made a simple face plate out of more leftover 4mm presanded plywood (shiplap) to go on top of my side walls. 5" h x 11 1/2" w.
Step 6:
Now you will need to make the floor of your wall pocket. Measure the bottom height and width of your pieces assembled thus far, and cut a piece of shiplap to fit underneath. Mine was 3 1/4' h x 11 1/2" wide.
Step 7:
I used 1" finishing nails to attach all the pieces together. I went through the front, back and underside into the 1" pine board with my hammer. You could maybe even use wood glue to hold this together, but I knew I would be putting heavier books in mine so I really wanted this to be secure.
Step 8:
Now you are going to attach your box to your upper curve if you've done this part in two steps like I did (if you made your back part in one piece than you would skip this step because you are already done building yours) So to attach the two sections I just used leftover shiplap strips and wood glue to bring the pieces together.
I added some weighted objects to hold down my box onto the glued strips and let that dry for a few hours.
Step 9:
Now you will stain! I used a combo of 1/2 Minwax Jacobean and 1/2 Minwax Special Walnut and only one coat. I did not seal mine with anything, but you could always add a coat of Minwax Polycrylic for extra protection.
Step 10:
I don't have a picture of this, but you can see in my Instagram (which I linked above) how I screwed into the back of the pockets some picture hanging rings I found at a hardware store.
*Step 11 Optional:
I dressed up the front of my pockets using some simple wooden labels I already had on hand. I think I got mine a few years ago from the Target dollar spot, but you can get similar ones at Dollarama or Michael's.
And here are my finished wooden wall pockets guys!! Cute hey!? I decided to leave the silver nail heads exposed, but you could always paint yours out if that bothers you. I kinda like the extra detail it adds against the wood grain.
Not hard stuff guys! If I can build it then you can too, trust me! There may be better ways to make something like this, but I like to do things in the most basic way so that you guys feel like this might be something you could make as well, if you are anything like me, the lazier and easier the better, haha!!
Tell me what you think of these little pockets! I love having them displayed against my Magnolia wallpaper in this little office corner. It adds a touch of warmth and a unique storage piece to any home office, kitchen or even a bathroom.
Thanks for stopping by!
Love,
Dale xo