Are tin cans piling up at home? Don’t throw them out! Rather recycle them by creating a handy cutlery holder for a simple DIY project that is fun and offers a great way to recycle and declutter.
What you need
• One 19cm x 18cm piece of wood (for the base of the cutlery holder)
• One 8cm x 4 cm piece of wood (for the handle)
• Four tin cans
• Hall’s WG1 (Wood glue)/ hot glue gun and sticks
• Oil based paint (colour of choice)
• Ball of string
• Sandpaper or Sanding machine
• Hall’s Wood stain (colour of choice)
• Polyurethane or wood varnish does Hall’s not sell this too?
• Hole Saw machine
Steps:
Day 1: Woodwork – Preparing the base and handle
1. Sand the surface of both pieces of wood until smooth.
2. Use Hole Saw machine to drill hole approximately 5cm in diameter, roughly 2cm from the top of the 8×4 piece of wood. The hole creates a convenient way to carry the cutlery holder.
3. Sand the corners of the hole to remove sharp edges and create a rounded edge; remember to sand the inside of the hole too.
4. Wipe wood pieces to remove excess wood dust.
5. Glue the handle (8×4 piece of wood), standing length ways, to the middle of the base (19×18 piece of wood) with wood glue or a hot glue gun. Hold down until firm and then leave to dry for 1 – 2 hours.
6. Once fully dried, apply wood stain colour with an old rag or cloth, going with the grain of the wood, until you are satisfied with the colour. Leave to dry for 1 hour or until dry.
7. Apply the polyurethane or varnish and leave to dry overnight.
Day 2: Painting and assembly
1. Remove the paper wrapping off tin cans and wash and dry thoroughly.
2. Paint tins in the colour of choice – you might have to apply multiple coats to cover completely.
3. Apply polyurethane or varnish over the tins to seal the paint.
4. Once dry, use wood glue or a hot glue gun to stick your string in a decorative fashion on your tins.
TIP: If your string isn’t a dark enough colour, you can naturally dye it in boiling water and coffee!
5. Once you have completed decorating the tins, apply a generous amount of wood glue to the underside of the tins and stick them to the wooden base around the handle, leaving a 1.5cm gap between the centre handle and the tins to allow space for serviettes. Apply pressure to tops of tins until the glue is firm. Allow to dry in place for 1 – 2 hours.
6. Fill with cutlery, serviettes and enjoy!
Looking for more DIY projects? Check out our Hall’s DIY articles here.
Hall’s Retail is your one-stop DIY store for home, vehicle and industrial cleaning products and is the leading supplier for lighting and décor items, adhesives, paints and painting supplies and other soft constructions materials.
