DIY Rustic Pallet Mail Holder or Spice Rack

My pallet obsession continues with this cute, DIY pallet mail holder. I love the old, vintage, rustic look. I swear I shouldn't be living in Southern California but somewhere surrounded by trees and fresh air. Ahhh my dream. Anyways, this holder can be used for other things, not just mail. I'll include a photo of a spice rack I made very similar to this mail holder. I'm going to hang this by my pallet table I made by my front door. Not only can I just throw my mail in this but hang my keys because I added hooks to it. Here I'll show you, step by step, how I made this. Enjoy!

 

This is the pallet I chose to make my mail holder. I like the nails that were showing because I thought it would add to the rustic look that I love. We cut the pallet into the shape and size I wanted using a jigsaw.  Daniel did this part of course because I would probably saw my arm off if I tried to do it myself. 

 Daniel measured and cut the other parts of the pallet that we weren't using to make the bottom, a shelve and added one more plank to the back so it didn't look so bare. Thanks babe! I seriously couldn't make any of this without you. <3 p="">

After it was constructed I sanded everything down with 80 grit sandpaper. I just sand everything enough to make it smooth so I don't get any splinters. I loveeee my electric sander! Makes everything so much easier. One of my favorite gifts from my man :)

I chose to paint it two colors, just to make it more fun. I use a cheap bristled painting brush to paint on the color. I do it very lightly and sloppy. I like when some of the wood shows through because it makes it look more rustic once you add the stain to it. After the paint has dried (10-20 minutes) I use the sander again to sand over the paint. I do this to make more of the wood shows through for that old, worn out look. If you're not going for the rustic look you can always just paint this any color you like.

I then put the stain over everything using a rag. I find that a rag or sock works a lot better than using a paintbrush. The stain penetrates into the wood a lot better. As you can see the spots we didnt paint and that we sanded look so cool once the stain is on. I love the turquoise and green together. 

I added some hooks and now it's time to add the lettering. I use dafont.com to get free fonts. I then printed out the word "mail" on regular printer paper. I use black carbon transfer paper to transfer my lettering onto the wood. Just trace the letters using a pen with the carbon side of the paper facing down onto your wood. The carbon paper works amazing! Now just paint in your letters and outline the letters so they pop out more. Once that is dry put another layer of the stain over the letters so they look more worn out. Let dry and put polyurethane all over your holder.

 

My baby, Budi, always helping his Mom out. Isn't he so cute sitting on his chair? This is the stain and polyurethane I used.You have to use both oil based stain and polyurethane. Unless you have water based stain you then have to use a water based polyurethane. Once everything is dry you are done!

I love the way this came out! This is the spice rack I also made. Just cut the pallet longer than the mail holder. All the paint and staining is done the same exact way! Thanks for stopping by! XoXo