Homemade Cedar Chest

Items Needed

• A few items needed to build a wooden cedar chest include cedar decking or pre-cut cedar boards, wood glue, hinges, a drill, screws, hammer, hardwood plugs and nails. The amount of supplies depends on the size of the chest. Wood chest plans are available at many home improvement stores and online. Aside from these items, gather a few craft supplies, such as paint, stain and stencils, to personalize your cedar chest.

Stain

• For a classic natural look, stain the homemade cedar chest with a light or dark stain to fit your preference. If the wood is untreated, follow the directions on the can of stain and start. If the wood has a previous finish on it, you must use a furniture stripping product to remove the finish before applying a coat of stain. Add a coat of polyurethane to seal the stain on the chest. Polyurethane and stain are available at most home improvement and hardware stores. Paint a small amount of the stain on the inside of the chest to test the color of stain before beginning if preferred.

Paint

• Paint is another easy option for a cedar chest. You can paint the chest in colors to match your room decorations or in your favorite colors. For example, paint the chest black and white if the room decorations consist of black and white or pink for a girl’s princess-themed bedroom. To create an antique look, use crackle paint. Use a dark base coat with a light top coat or vice versa. Only the top coat should be crackle paint. Crackle paint is available at home improvement stores. Follow the directions on the crackle paint can to achieve best results.

Decoupage

• Decoupage the chest using scrapbook paper or photos. Place one sheet of scrapbook paper on the chest and paint a thin layer of decoupage glue over the paper. Tear the paper into small strips or designs if preferred. Make an animal print cedar chest by using leopard or zebra print scrapbook paper. Another idea is to decoupage photos onto the chest. Cover the top of the chest in photos and paint a layer of decoupage glue on the pictures. Apply two or three layers of glue to make sure the pictures seal on the chest.

Stencils

• Stencils are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and designs at most craft stores. Use letter stencils to write words, such as “Love, Hope and Faith,” on the chest. For a boy or girl’s toy chest, stencil their name on the top of the chest in the room colors. If you have artistic abilities, you can also freehand draw or write on the chest using paint and glitter pens.