This project is sponsored by Crates & Pallet and contains affiliate links. All ideas and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the companies who help support Canary Street Crafts!
Do you remember sometime last year when I told you I was working on Max’s bedroom? I painted this dresser and this dresser, then basically abandoned the project. (My New Year’s resolution should probably have been to stop procrastinating so much). His new bedroom will eventually be in the current spare bedroom, so it was easy to shut the door and forget about it. BUT I’m finally ready to finish it up and will be sharing it soon.
In the meantime, I decided to make this little storage ottoman for his future bedroom. Because his new room has a nautical theme, I thought it would be cool to make a little shipping crate using a large wood crate. Until the end of January, the large crates are on sale at Home Depot stores nationwide for their Winter Storage Event.
DIY Wood Crate Storage Ottoman Instructions
To start, I cut two pieces of wood the same size as the wood slats in the crate. I wanted to make the base thicker so the casters had something a little more substantial to attach to. I found the wood in the trim and molding aisle at Home Depot, and since it was priced by the foot, I had the store cut the exact size I needed. Wood glue was used to attach the slats to the inside of the crate. I just put a few heavy paint cans on top to hold it in place while it dried.
Next, I painted the crate, inside and out. I used Annie Sloan’s French Linen chalk paint, and I watered it down so it was more of a wash and not a full coat of paint for more of a weathered look. The casters went on next, and you can see the extra slat of wood inside the crate (under the caster) in the next picture. 5/8″ wood screws were used to attach the casters.
I added rope handles to the sides of the crate by drilling holes and just tying a knot in the rope on the inside of the crate. You can buy jute rope by the yard at Joann’s, and I used exactly 1 yard for this project.
My sidekick Max is never far when I’m working on projects. I just noticed his dinosaur’s butt made it into the photo below as he was playing off to the side. 🙂
I created the shipping graphic for the side of the crate in Microsoft Word and used an overhead projector to paint it onto the slats. (To read my step by step instructions for painting graphics on furniture with an overhead projector click here). When it was dry I distressed the letters with my favorite sander.
My late grandfather’s initials are JLV and I sneak it into projects all the time.
For the padded seat, I cut a piece of plywood slightly larger than the top of the crate. I actually got lucky and when I asked for help cutting a piece of wood to size at Home Depot, they happened to have a scrap piece laying around that they gave me for free.
I used an electric staple gun to attach the fabric to the lid. To keep the lid in place while on top of the crate, I attached small pieces of wood trim to the underside of the lid. I made a pencil mark just inside of the top opening of the crate, then glued the trim in place. This will keep the lid from sliding off the top of the crate.
I will mention that if I were to make this project again I wouldn’t pull the batting all the way around to the underside of the lid. Between the fabric and the batting it was a little too fluffy to sit perfectly snug on top of the crate.
Curious to see what else you can do with a large crate? A few of my blogging friends also came up with their own unique projects and I’m blown away by their creativity! You can check them out by clicking on the photos below.
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