Sunday, July 10, 2011

Outside Mantel: Who Would've Thought?

Our deck continues to get spruced up and it is beginning to feel more like a living space.  I've been doing some work on it, which you can read about here and here.  Once the lanterns were hung I knew I would have to add something to the wall behind it, but I wasn't sure what to use.  I initially had pictured some old rustic wood frames or a few canvas prints, but then I got the idea of a mantel.  To fit in with the lanterns, I didn't want anything polished looking, but rather rustic.

 This is where I started, with some metal shelf brackets and a
1 x 6 piece of wood.  I ended up spray painting the brackets black.
 I didn't want the wood to look perfect so I took a hammer
to it and beat it up.  What a workout in a hot garage!

I used Dark Walnut stain that we already had.  I also brushed on 
a satin clear coat to protect it from wear and tear.

Here is the shelf without any decor.  


 I haven't bought anything in particular for the shelf so I had
to shop around the house to find some goodies to put on it.

The finished product.  I can't wait to sit outside tonight and
enjoy a glass of wine by the candlelight.

Cost Breakdown
1 x 6 piece of wood = $5.95
3 shelf brackets = $2.91
stain = free (already had)
decor = free (found around the house)
TOTAL COST = just about $9.00


2 comments:

  1. What a cute area... Make sure you come visit and share it at the linky party on Wednesday.

    Have an EXTRAORDINARY week. ;)

    I am following you now I can't wait to see what you come up wit next.

    ReplyDelete