A bookshelf from a wooden fruit crate? Why not? Creating furniture from semi-finished products or discarded wooden packaging is a recent trend in interior decoration. It is definitely a trend about creating furniture ourselves. These DIY projects are simple and not time-consuming; above all, they can be fun for the whole family or a group of friends. There are beautiful examples of garden furniture made of wooden pallets. This time our proposal is a little different; bookshelves made from wooden fruit crates, which will brighten up your living room, study or kids’ room. What do you need to build a bookshelf? All you need are some wooden crates and sandpaper. On your next trip to a food market or farm, ask for the produce to be packed in a crate instead of a bag. If you reveal your plan to make furniture from the crates, no doubt you will be given a few extra pieces! At home, dry the crates (if damp or wet) and sand them well with sandpaper. You can also modify their shape, for example by sawing off a part of the crate, or sticking two crates together using staples or adhesive. There are lots of possibilities but it depends on what you want to create! Once you’ve prepared the crates, next comes the fun and creative part! Protecting the shelves with wood coatings. How to properly protect your new shelves? To protect the crates, use the water-based woodstain Belinka Interier, which is specially designed for coating wooden surfaces indoors. Interier does not have an unpleasant odour; it protects the wood and emphasizes its structure. Mix the woodstain well before use. Apply in two coats using a brush (we recommend using quality brushes for water coatings). For the first layer, thin Interier with water (up to 10%), as this will facilitate its application. The surface will look better if it is lightly sanded and dusted after applying the first coat of the woodstain. Only apply the next layer once the first is dry. Coat the wood along the wood grain. While working and drying, the temperature of the surface, paint and environment should be above 10 °C. The relative humidity in the air must be below 80%. Avoid coating in strong sunlight. The coating dries quickly, especially at high temperatures and low air humidity. To achieve a fuller appearance, you can apply a third coat in the same shade or a colourless one (Interier 61 – naturally translucent). If you want the surface to be glossy, use Belinka Interier varnish for the final coat. Belinka Interier is available in 11 basic colour shades and naturally translucent (colourless). Some sales outlets offer the possibility to prepare an additional 76 colour shades based on the Belinka mix colour chart. Individual colour shades can be mixed together, creating even more options. Beautiful pastel shades in particular are created by combining basic shades with Interier 73 – creamy white. Spice up your furniture collection by reusing wood There are numerous options for wooden fruit crates besides creating bookshelves. They can also be used to make cute bedside tables, shoe racks in the hallway, or bathroom shelves. Whatever piece of furniture you decide on, two things are guaranteed – lots of fun and a very special feeling after creating your own piece of furniture for your home by reusing reclaimed wood.
