Wood Burning Cork Trivets - Great Gift Idea!!!

DIY Wood Burning Trivets and CoastersDIY Wood Burning Trivets and Coasters

Hi there, Pretty Handy Girl readers! I’m Vineta from The Handyman’s Daughter, back with another tutorial for you! Every time we host Thanksgiving dinner, we seem to run out of trivets and coasters before the turkey hits the table. This year, I’m solving that problem by making a set of trivets especifically for Thanksgiving!

By using a wood burning tool, instead of paint, the design won’t be transferred to the bottom of a hot plate or glass. These trivets would make a great hostess gift if you’re not hosting the feast this year!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Guess what! This was my first time wood burning, yet it was really easy to learn. If you can color inside lines, you can do this!

Brush off any loose cork from the surface of your coaster or trivet. Center your stencil on top, then trace around the outside edge with a pencil.

Trace around the edge of the stencil onto your cork trivets or coasters.

Remove the stencil and touch up any spots that are hard to see.

Remove the stencil to reveal your stenciled design on the cork trivets.

Open a nearby window before you start. Wood burning cork can create some smoke, and you don’t to set off the fire alarm when you have a hot tool in your hand!

Set your wood burning tool to medium heat. (The guide I used recommended a medium-high heat for burning cork.) Personally, I’d suggest staying on the lower heat end for more control over the color.

Use the tip of the wood burning tool to fill in the small penciled areas.

Use the tip of the wood burning tool to fill in small areas on your cork trivet design.

Use the tip to outline larger areas. Once the outside edge is done, fill in the centers. Slowly drag the flat edge across the surface to burn it to your desired color. The cork will flake off if you burn it to a crisp, revealing a new layer underneath. Just repeat the process with a little less heat.

Outline the edge of larger areas with the tip of the woodburning tool.

Combine multiple stencils to create new designs!

Combine multiple stencils together to create new designs on your cork trivets.

Use the flat edge of the wood burning tip to create crisp, straight lines. Drag the wood burning tool from the edge to fill in the rest.

Use the flat edge of the wood burning tip to create crisp, straight lines.

Keep the wood burning tool as vertical as possible. If the side gets too close to the cork, it will start to burn and ruin the design. Luckily, I bought some extra trivets.

Keep the tip of the wood burning tool upright, so it doesn't burn the wrong place.

For the larger cork trivets, I cut out a few stencils with my Silhouette machine. You could easily print a design on paper and cut it out too!

Create stencils with a cutting machine or make your own out of paper.

The designs really stand out on the larger cork trivets! I love how this pumpkin turned out.

This pumpkin cork trivet is perfect for both Halloween and Thanksgiving themes!

I’m especially pleased with this Thankful design. I could use it year round.

Make Thanksgiving themed cork trivets for your next family get together!

No more water rings on your coffee table this Thanksgiving. . .

These Thanksgiving coasters will keep your coffee table free of water rings!

. . . or burn marks on your dining room table!

Protect your dining table with these Thanskgiving cork trivets!

Wrap up a set to give as a hostess gift, or keep them with your Thanksgiving decor for next year!

Wrap up your Thanksgiving themed trivets and coasters as a hostess gift!

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~ view more of Vineta’s projects ~

Is Your House Making You Sick? Top Tips to Improve Air Quality

Is Your House Making You Sick? Top Tips to Improve Air Quality

Top Tips for Improving Your Indoor Air Quality

Have you ever asked yourself if those persistent cold and allergy symptoms could be caused by your house? Sick houses and the horror stories of chronic health symptoms are all over the news. If you’ve ever wondered if your house is making you sick, today I’ll be addressing some of the top reasons a house may be unhealthy. Plus, I’ll share some simple ways to improve your indoor air quality to help keep you and your family healthy. As someone who has lived through a mold infestation, and suffers from allergy symptoms, I can attest that having clean indoor air is important to maintaining good health.

Don’t let this topic stress you out, I have 19 Tips for Improving Your Indoor Air Quality. And because Broan believes as strongly as I do about helping you have a healthy home, they have sponsored this article.

1. Control Dust: Dust and vacuum regularly. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to prevent dirt from blowing back into the air. Vacuuming regularly is the key to controlling allergy and asthma triggers (especially dust mites and pet dander.)

10 Places You Probably Forgot to Dust | Pretty Handy Girl

Use damp rags or microfiber cloths to trap dust. Feather dusters will just move particles around. You might be surprised by the 10 places you probably forget to dust!

10 Places You Probably Forget to Dust
2. Mop It Up. Have you ever mopped your kitchen or bathroom right after vacuuming? If you have, you can attest to the amount of dirt left behind that the vacuum didn’t get. It’s best to mop your hard surface floors after vacuuming to get any remaining dirt.

3. Stop Dirt in their Tracks. Speaking of dirt, if you put floor mats by each exterior door, you should be able to cut down on excess dirt and mud in your home. If you detest the utilitarian rubber mats, you can stencil a plain inexpensive mat using this tutorial. To save time on floor cleaning, encourage your family members to go shoeless in the house. You may even be surprised if your guests automatically remove their shoes when they see your’s lined up by the door.

4. Change your Filters. When was the last time you changed your air filter? An air filter is important for trapping dust, germs and allergens. But, it also keeps your furnace and A/C running efficiently. House heating and cooling filters should be changed at least every three months. If you have allergy sufferers in your house, try changing them more frequently. As a busy mom, I know it’s hard to remember to change your air filters, here are some tips for remembering to changer filters.

5. Green Clean. I’ve convinced you to up your cleaning game, but before you start spraying that store bought cleanser or spray, check the label! Do you recognize the ingredients? Is one of them “fragrance”? Most fragrances added to cleaners are made from chemicals that don’t have to be divulged because they are “trade secrets.” You have a right to know what you are spraying in your house, so boycott store bought cleaners and make your own cleaners.

10 DIY Frugal Cleaners | Pretty Handy Girl

6. Go Odor Free. Similar to cleansers with chemicals, Store bought fragrances, air fresheners and perfumes can contribute to chemical pollution in your home. Although they are pretty, petroleum based wax candles can also contribute to unhealthy air. Instead opt for chemical-free room fresheners. Boil water with natural ingredients like lemon, orange, cinnamon, vanilla, etc. Make your own DIY Room Spray with natural ingredients. If you like a scented room, use essential oils in a diffuser or rub a drop on a light bulb.

DIY Scented Room Spray | Pretty Handy Girl

7. Look for Low-VOC products.

Speaking of chemicals, I know you’ve heard of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) but do you know where they lurk? VOC’s are found in many household products:

  • paints, stains and varnishes
  • solvents
  • cleaning and disinfecting products
  • room sprays and other manufactured air fresheners
  • personal care products and cosmetics
  • pesticides
  • permanent markers
  • glues and adhesives
  • building materials and furnishings (composite wood products that use glues)
  • textiles
  • carpets
  • vinyl
  • sealing caulks
  • dry-cleaned clothing
  • and more

Consider using Low or Zero-VOC paints.  Ask about chemical treatments (like fire retardants, stain guards, or mold inhibitors) on household purchases like bedding, carpets, building materials, etc. Research and educate yourself about where VOC’s are found and look for alternatives.

8. Aerosol. Although ozone depleting aerosols have been eliminated since the 70’s, today’s aerosols contain VOCs and other harmful chemicals like hydrocarbons and compressed gasses. In fact, aerosol sprays can contain VOCs that contribute to  ground level ozone pollution that has a direct correlation to increased asthma cases. Choose non-aerosol products or use aerosols sparingly. If you need to spray an aerosol can, open windows or use aerosols in a ventilated space.

9. Fresh Air. Energy efficient homes are built air tight, which can translate to great energy savings, but sometimes it means your home doesn’t get enough fresh air. On a nice day, open the windows. Let that stale air out.

If you are still struggling to achieve healthy indoor air, you might want to consider a whole house fresh air system from Broan.

10. Exhaust Humidity. Always run the bathroom exhaust fan during and after a shower. An exhaust fan is instrumental in deterring mold from growing in your bathroom or on your towels. If your exhaust fan is old, noisy, or leaves windows and mirror fogged, you are due for a new one. Today’s exhaust fans from Broan will surprise you with their quiet fans; humidity and moisture sensors; ability play music via an internal bluetooth speaker and a variety of styles including decorative dual purpose exhaust fan and light fixtures. Regardless of how new your bath ventilation fan is, remember to clean the cover regularly.

11. Remove Cooking Vapors. Did you know that you should turn on your kitchen range hood a few minutes before you start cooking and leave it on fifteen minutes after you finish? A range hood will reduce cooking odors and remove excess heat and humidity from your home. Make sure you know how to properly clean and maintain your range hood.

12. Dryer Vents. Check that your dryer duct is clear and that it vents properly outside the house. You’ll want to know how to clean your dryer duct to prevent fires and reduce humidity in your house. When cleaning the vent, investigate how long the vent is and where it exhausts. Dryer vents that exhaust into (and across) an unconditioned space can fill with moisture. As enough condensation builds up, it can prevent proper exhaust or worse case cause a leak. The maximum allowable length of a dryer exhaust is 25′ for an electric dryer, but frankly I’d aim for much less to improve your dryer’s efficiency and allow for easier cleaning of your dryer duct. A handyman or general contractor should be able to offer solutions for shortening your dryer exhaust vent if it is too long.

13. Humidity Levels. Keep a gauge of the humidity level in your home. A digital thermometer with humidity gauge (affiliate link) can be purchased for under $10 from Amazon. The optimal healthy range of humidity should be between 30% – 50%. Any level above 50% can contribute to a growing mold and/or dust mite population. Running an air conditioner in the summer will help control humidity. Be forewarned, if you use a window unit, empty the drip pans regularly. If you have a whole house air conditioner, check that the drip line on the unit is clear (dripping water coming out of the tube or hose is a good sign.) As tempting as it is to save energy by not running the heat or air conditioner, forced air units are helpful for filtering the air in your home.

14. Musty Odors. Don’t ignore musty odors or what you might consider a minor leak. Always investigate the source. Slow or small leaks that happen over time can cause major damage in your walls and attic. Black mold and toxic mold could be growing without your knowledge. If you do discover evidence of a leak, call in a contractor to make repairs or a professional to remediate the mold. The best source for a reputable mold remediation company could be as close as a call to your insurance agent or in your Better Business Bureau reviews. If you do hire a specialist to remove mold, get at least three quotes from different companies.  Ask each bidding company about the procedures they use to protect spores from spreading in your home. You may find this additional information on water leaks, mold, and mildew helpful.

15. Test Your Home. ALWAYS have your house tested for asbestos and lead paint, especially before undertaking any renovations. Hiring a contractor to renovate? Demand that they test for asbestos or lead. You can test for lead with these lead paint test swabs (affiliate link). It is unlawful for a seller to sell a house without disclosing the presence of lead or asbestos materials in the home. However, some sellers may not know if the harmful materials are present, or will choose not to disclose the information.

Lead check picket fence paint

16. Test for Radon. When purchasing a house, insist on a radon test. Radon is an odorless gas emitted from natural rock like uranium and granite. Radon exposure can lead to lung cancer.

17. Carbon Monoxide. Install Carbon Monoxide detectors in your home. Install them on each level of your home at or below 5 feet from the ground. CO detectors should be installed close to sleeping areas so an alarm will wake your family. And always install a Carbon Monoxide near the attached garage door. Always test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors at least twice a year and change the batteries every six months. Learn more about carbon monoxide and how you can protect your family in this article.

18. Houseplants. Buy a green plant to help filter your air. Houseplants act as natural air filters (in addition to looking pretty). Do not overwater your plant or you could inadvertently grow mold. If you have pets or children, talk to a local nursery to find plants that aren’t toxic.

DIY-Rolling-Plant-Caddy-by-Brittany-Goldwyn-8

19. Smoking. It goes without saying that smoking indoors is extremely harmful to your indoor air quality. Second hand smoke in the home can be damaging to everyone’s health, not just the smoker. It’s important to note that children are especially vulnerable because of their smaller lung capacity.

I hope these Tips for Improving Your Indoor Air Quality help you breathe easier. For more detailed information, the EPA has a list of Frequently Asked Questions about  Indoor Air Quality.

Pin this image to share with a friend:

Is Your House Making You Sick? Top Tips to Improve Air Quality

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Broan. I was not told what to write. All opinions are my own. I was compensated for my time and efforts to create this tutorial. As always, I am very particular about the brands I represent and you will always be notified when you are reading a sponsored post on PrettyHandyGirl.com.

The Real Truth about using Pallet Wood

The Real Truth about using Pallet Wood

The Real Facts about Using Pallet Wood

Pallet wood is EVERYWHERE! It’s hard to browse Pinterest without stumbling on a pallet wood project. Everyone and their cousin’s best friend have experimented with and built amazing things using pallet wood. Admit it, you’ve seen those beautiful projects and began driving behind your local shopping centers looking for those wooden freebies. Sadly, most pallet project creators won’t tell you the Real Facts about Using Pallet Wood. Put your mind at ease knowing that I’ll tell you the bare wood truths about using pallet wood. Then the next time you find yourself in a back alley attempting to haul that pallet into your trunk, you can weigh the facts.

How to Make an Air Conditioner Screen from Pallets

A few weeks ago I slaved for over an hour trying to get those free pallets to relinquish their prized slats. As I bent over one pallet, sweating and swearing, I asked myself, “Wouldn’t it have been easier to spend $2-3 per board at Lowe’s?”

As I was building this porch swing with pallet wood, I began to create a list of the pros and cons of using pallet wood. By the time the paint had dried on the swing, I knew I had to be honest and share with you these facts so you could determine if using pallet wood is worth the effort and risks.

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

Benefits of Using Pallet Wood:

1. First and foremost, pallet wood is usually FREE!

2. Environmentally speaking, you are keeping pallets out of the landfill. Yay for being eco-friendly.

3. Pallet boards often have a beautiful rustic patina (pallet board on the left, new pine board on the right.)

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

4. The wood is usually strong.

5. It’s stylish and popular because the rustic industrial look is in style right now.

6. Everyone’s doing it—wait a minute! Just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean you should jump on the bandwagon!

Why You Might NOT want to use Pallet Wood:

1. Actually removing pallet wood planks is difficult. Pallet wood is held on with spiral nails that are hard to remove without breaking or damaging the pallet wood. (Not to mention breaking your spirit!) Using a hammer and/or a regular pry bar is tedious and not super effective. You would be better off using a deck wrecking tool like this one. (affiliate link) 

Facts About Using Pallet Wood
2. Harvesting pallet wood often damages the planks or causes them to split. You can salvage pallet wood using a circular saw and this technique, but your boards will end up being shorter.

3. Yes, you can use a reciprocating saw and/or multi-tool with a metal cutting blade, but getting a clean cut is difficult (usually you cut into some of the wood). And you are left with cut off nails that need to be removed, filed down, or avoided.

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

4. Pallet wood may be treated with chemicals to prevent deterioration. If you can find markings on the pallet, you might identify if the pallet was treated by looking for these codes.

5. You can never truly be sure what has spilled on the pallet and has absorbed into the wood. I’ll let your imagination wander. You should consider how you’d feel if you found out the pallet had a chemical spilled on it, animal urine, feces, or raw food. (For this reason, it’s a good idea to seal the wood with a polyurethane or polycrylic if you decide to use pallet wood.)

6. Pallet wood is not perfect. It usually is low grade wood and has dings, cracks, splits, or large splinters.

7. Pallet wood may have staples and tacks that will need removal.

8. Pallet wood isn’t normally smooth and may need extra sanding to get a usable plank.

9. Pallet wood is rarely straight.

10. The planks aren’t usually a uniform thickness. To achieve uniform thickness, they’ll need to be planed. But, make sure you have removed all nails and staples or you risk damaging your planer blades.

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

11. When you’re done harvesting pallet wood you’ll need to find somewhere to dispose of the pieces you don’t use. Most waste companies won’t take pallets because they label them as construction waste.

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

Now that you know the pros and cons of pallet wood, you can weigh them and decide if you want to use that free pallet wood or buy new boards from your local home improvement store.

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

After all, pine framing lumber is cheap! And luckily, you can fake the age of new wood using this tutorial:

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

Lest you think I’m scaring you away from using pallet wood, here are a few cool projects you can make with it.

Clad walls with pallet wood to create a beautiful feature wall:

DIY Twinkling Pendant Light | Pretty Handy Girl

Use pallet wood to create a bread crate display shelf:

12 Inexpensive Ways to Decorate a Bathroom | Pretty Handy Girl

Or make a serving tray out of pallet wood (be sure that your pallet wood is clean, chemical free and always use a plate under the food.)

Rustic Pallet Serving Tray | Pretty Handy Girl

What are your thoughts and experiences with using pallet wood? Have you made anything using pallet wood? Would you do it again? Let’s open up the conversation in the comments below!

Facts About Using Pallet Wood

 

How to Make a Super Simple Bar Stool

How to Make a Super Simple Bar StoolHow to Make a Super Simple Bar Stool

Have you ever wanted a bar stool that is a specific height or stain color? I bet you thought you’d have to search all over town for just the right bar stool, right? Well today, I’m back again from Woodshop Diaries and I am excited to show you how to build this super simple DIY bar stool! Yes, you can do this. . . I’ll show you how!

I built this stool to go with my large craft desk when I remodeled my home office space and I’ve had lots of questions on how I made it.  Unfortunately, at the time, I didn’t take any photos for a tutorial.  But after so many questions, I decided to make another one just so I could show you how to make your own!

Ready to get started?

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Cut List:

  • (4) 1 ½” x 1 ½” x 24″ with 7 degree mitered ends parallel
  • (2) 1 ½” x 1 ½” x 7″ with 7 degree mitered ends NOT parallel
  • (2) 1 ½” x 1 ½” x 12 ¼” with 7 degree mitered ends NOT parallel
  • (1) 11″ diameter round seat

Step 1:  Cut Pieces

Start out by cutting all your stool pieces using the cut list above.  Miter all the 24″ legs at 7 degrees (parallel to each other.)

Then you will miter cut the 7″ and the 12 ¼” pieces NOT parallel to each other.  (One edge of these pieces will be shorter than the other side as shown in the picture above.)

Step 2:  Mark and Trim Notches

Grab the shorter pieces (they will become your braces.)  Lay them out as shown below and use a speed square to measure and mark a center line and ¾” to each side of the center line.  Next, mark ¾” down from the top and bottom edge to find the horizontal center as well.  Make an X mark on the part you will be removing.  You need to remove one “chunk” from the top on one piece and one “chunk” from the bottom on the other piece so they will fit together.  Do this for both the short and the long brace pieces.

Using a jig saw, make several cuts both along the outside lines and between them.  Make sure to only cut on the side where you marked your Xs, not all the way through the board.

Ignore the extra lines in the photo above.  I accidentally marked 3/8″ on each side of the center instead of the ¾” I was supposed to.  Whoops!

Use your hammer and chisel to knock out the “chunk” pieces.  Do this for all four of 2×2 braces.

Make sure the braces fit together nicely.  Chisel out anything that keeps them from fitting together.  Once you get them to fit, put a little glue in the notches; fit the brace together; and add a 1 ¼” screw. Repeat for the second brace.

Step 3:  Attach Legs To Center “X” Braces

Place your small “X” brace upside down (longest side up) on your work surface.  Add glue to all the ends and place a leg on each one.  Attach the legs with a 2 ½” wood screw.

Once all four legs are screwed into the small “X”, place the big “X” between the legs toward the bottom of the legs. Make sure the longest side of the “X” faces the bottom of the legs.  Position the “X” so that it is about 1 ¾” from the bottom (or top since it is upside down) of each leg.  Glue and screw in place just like with the small “X”.

Step 4:  Add the Seat

Take a piece of scrap ¾” plywood or 1×12 (anything that is at least 11″ square or larger.)  Cut out a circle about 11″ in diameter.  You can find a large round object to trace the shape if you wish.  Use a jig saw to cut out the circle.  Place it upside down on your work surface and center your stool legs and brace on top.  Use 2″ wood screws to attach through the small “X” as shown below.

Step 5: Finish the Stool

Putty the screw holes and sand.  Paint or stain your stool as desired.  I left my new stool natural but I stained the top of my office stool using Minwax Puritan Pine, and painted the bottom Sherwin Williams Naval.  Then, I used some masking tape, and taped off my legs to spray with gold spray paint for a gold dipped look.  Be careful if you try this that you have the top of your legs covered completely so you don’t overspray onto them!

And that’s it! You now have your own super simple customized bar stool!

What color would you make your bar stool?

Shara's Signature

~Read more of Shara’s Tutorials~

 

If you liked this tutorial, I know you’ll love:

Cute DIY Animal Toddler Stools | Pretty Handy Girl

Building a Striped Porch Swing using Pallet Wood & Krazy Glue

When I first laid eyes on the backyard of my investment house, I pictured a porch swing hanging from the giant tree in the back yard. That image never left my mind, and I knew I’d have to build a porch swing soon so I could enjoy sitting on the swing in between copious amounts of demolition labor. Being on a tight budget, I didn’t want to buy a new swing. I challenged myself to use as much free wood as I could get my hands on.  Then Krazy Glue, who is sponsoring this post, threw on an additional challenge. They dared me to give up my conventional nail fasteners and use Krazy Glue to secure all the slats to the swing frame. Apparently Krazy Glue is one fast-drying glue that creates an instant bond when applied and can hold up to 2,000 pounds. Big claims meant I was anxious to put Krazy Glue to the test!

To start, I harvested the slats off of three pallets. (There are several ways to harvest pallet wood, a few of which I explain in this post.)

When all was said and done I had enough pallet wood to create all the slats on the swing. (And luckily I had a few scrap 2 x 4’s to build the swing frame, so my lumber costs were minimal.) I developed a plan to utilize and feature the varying widths of pallet wood, but used Ana White’s basic porch swing plan for inspiration and overall dimensions.

Ready to learn how to Build your own Striped Porch Swing using Pallet Wood? Let’s do this before the weather gets too cold to enjoy it.

Lumber:

  • 5 – 2″ x 4″ x 8′
  • 3 – 1″ x 4″ x 8′ (or use salvaged pallet wood)
  • 1 – 2″ x 2″ x 4′

Cut List:

  • 3 – 2″ x 4″ x 4′
  • 4 – 2″ x 4″ x 18″
  • 1 – 2″ x 2″ x 45
  • 4 – 2″ x 4″ x 19 ¾”
  • 2 – 2″ x 4″ x 11 ¼”
  • 2 – 2″ x 4″ x 22 ½”
  • 2 – 1″ x 4″ x 21″ (if using pallet slats, use the widths you have, but cut to 21″ long)
  • 10 – 1″ x 4″ x 22″ (if using pallet slats, use the widths you have, but cut to 22″ long)
  • 4 – 1″ x 4″ x 48″ (if using pallet slats, use the widths you have, but cut to 48″ long)

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

After you have harvested your pallet wood and removed any nails. Cut your lumber to size using the cut list above.

Assemble the Seat Frame:

To assemble the seat frame, layout the 2×4’s as shown below. Turn the two middle boards on their sides.

Assemble the seat as shown.

Secure the seat frame by gluing each end of the 18″ boards with Krazy Glue. Then pre-drill and drive 3″ wood screws through the front and back 48″ boards into the 18″ sides and support boards. Use the carpenter’s square to keep your corners square.

You may find it easier to clamp the frame together while drilling and driving screws.

Center your 2″ x 2″ x 45″ board on top of the center supports in the seat frame.

Apply Krazy Glue to each end. Then pre-drill and secure the center support with one 2 ½” wood screw on each end.

Assemble the Back Support:

Layout the seat back assembly as shown below. Line up the 19 3/4″ boards with the two center supports on the seat frame assembly.

Drill two pocket holes into one end of each 2″ x 4″ x 19 ¾” board. Add Krazy Glue to the ends of the 19 ¾” boards. Drive 2 ½” pocket screws into the pocket holes to attach the upright supports to the 48″ board.

Lift the back assembly and clamp to the seat frame. Check that the back assembly lines up with each side of the seat. Then remove the clamp.

Squeeze Krazy Glue onto the inside edge of the upright supports. Clamp in place and pre-drill holes through the uprights into the seat frame. Then secure with 2 ½” wood screws.

Assembling the Porch Swing Arms:

Drill pocket holes into one end of each 2″ x 4″ x 22 ½” and the 2″ x 4″ x 11 ¼” boards. Apply Krazy Glue into the elbow joint where the arm pieces overlap each other.

To attach the arm rests, start by making sure the porch swing seat is level. Set the arm in place and level the arm rest. Clamp the arm rest to the frame and secure the arm rest to the back assembly using 2 ½” pocket screws.

Then pre-drill and secure the front of the arm rest to the seat frame with 2 ½” wood screws (taking care to avoid the screws holding the seat frame together.)

Now is the perfect time to fill all the holes with wood putty.

Allow the putty to dry and sand smooth.

Wipe off the porch swing with a damp rag to remove any sawdust.

You may choose to prime and paint your swing before adding the slats. If you are using Krazy Glue to adhere the slats, do not prime or paint the back of the slats or the frame pieces that will be glued. The Krazy Glue must bond with raw wood.

Adding Seat and Back Slats:

Cut your slats (or pallet wood) to the lengths in the cut list. Arrange the slats on the seat and back of your swing.

For ease of installation, I created a spacer with two shims. You’ll need to play with your slats to make sure they are evenly spaced. Ideally you’ll want about 1/2″ between slats.

Krazy Glue the Porch Swing Slats:

Time to put the Krazy Glue to the test! I made a quick video to show you how I used the Krazy Glue to adhere the slats and to test the strength of the bond:

Add a small bead of Krazy Glue to the seat frame assembly underneath each slat (or to the underside of the slats.)

Press the slat in place and hold for about 30 seconds. If the slat does not sit flat (if it rocks slightly) you may use a small nail to secure the slat.

Repeat with the remaining slats, being sure to space them evenly. Allow at least 10 minutes for the Krazy Glue to set before moving your swing.

To attach the hanging hardware, drill a 3/8″ hole through the outer upright supports of the back. Insert the 6″ screw eye through the hole, thread a washer and nut onto the end.

Repeat the process, drilling into the front edge of the side supports. You can see the location of the hanging hardware below:

Finish priming your porch swing.

Paint your porch swing any color you like. (The paint I used is Magnolia Home Interior Paint by Kilz: Shiplap, Texas Summer, Amber, Water Garden, and Magnolia Green.) It helps to cover the slats on either side of the one you are painting with painter’s tape (if you are using multiple colors).

Seal your porch swing with a varnish for added weather protection.

Hang your porch swing from a ceiling joist, large tree, or pergola.

Enjoy a beautiful new spot to sit and swing in your yard!

Notes: The Krazy Glue bond was super strong when the slat was flat against the frame. However, there were two slats that had some twist to them, so the bond could not form properly. Those two slats did receive nails for additional hold. My swing is exposed to the elements, but for best results hang your swing under protective cover. If the wood rots around the glued joints, there is the potential for the parts to separate.

Please pin this image to share it with the world, because everyone deserves a beautiful spot to sit!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Krazy Glue. I was not told what to write. All opinions are my own. I was compensated for my time and efforts to create this tutorial. I am very particular about the brands I represent. Because I value your trust, you will always be notified when you are reading a sponsored post on PrettyHandyGirl.com.

If you liked this tutorial, you may also like:

DIY Indoor/Outdoor Bench for $25

Building a dining bench with 2x4s and wood glue

Make This Bench from a Bed Frame