Wine Crate Shelves

A few posts ago I wrote asking for help on recycled wine crate ideas.  I FINALLY thought of something!

But first, as a recap, I’ve had these wine crates from a Wine Tasting Bridal Shower that I did.  You can get wine crates from any specialty wine store.  Oftentimes they are free or some stores sell them for about five dollars apiece.

Materials:

• 3 Wine Crates
• Stain (optional)
• Polyurethane (Optional)
• Paint Brush (Optional)
• Rag (Optional)
• Four ¼” 20X36” Threaded Rods
• Eight ¼” Cap Nuts
• 24 ¼” Flat Washers
• Knob

Here are the wine crates before.

As you can see here, there were white sticker labels on some of them.

To remove stickers from unfinished wood, apply heat directly with a hairdryer, peel, and voila! No sticker!

As most wine crates are made out of unfinished wood, I wanted to darken them a little with stain to give them a weathered look.  I purchased a sample from a hardware store for less than three dollars.  To do this, I first sanded and rough spots with 150-grit sand paper.

Next, I applied the stain with a paint brush. Each stroke should be in the direction of the wood grain.

Wipe the stain off with a cloth or old rag in the direction of the wood grain. I did this to the top, bottom, sides, and inside for all three crates.

Once the stain is completely dry (check the drying time on the stain you choose), apply a coat of polyurethane to each crate.

When the polyurethane is dry (approximately two hours), align the bottom and middle crate with the bottom crate upside down (as shown below).  This will make it easiest to drill and align the holes.

Using a ¼” drill bit, drill a hole in each corner, drilling through both crates.

Next, align the middle and top crates, turning the top crate upside down (as shown).  Using the holes in the middle crate as guides, drill the four holes in the top crate.

Insert each threaded rod one by one and sucure each one with a nut and bolt on both sides. Use cap nuts for the bottom and top.

I think 24 inch threaded rods may work better (sturdier). I may perhaps add metal brackets for more support too because of the height.

I added a decorative knob to the top crate with a lid.  I used a pre-existing hole.

Here are some after photos.

I think this would be perfect in a kitchen or bathroom for extra storage, or for plants!