Hello, My Loves! Today I am finally sharing the how-to on making your own corbels. I searched high and low for corbels that I could afford and when I couldn’t find them I decided it was time to DIY! So, without further ado, lets get to it!
Materials:
– 1x12x8 (makes 2 corbels)
– Jigsaw or Scroll Saw
– Brad Nailer
– Orbital Sander
– 1.5″ finishing nails
– Putty Knife
– Wood Glue
– Corbel Stencil (I just searched on Pinterest – there are ton of options!)
– Stain (Dark Walnut is pictured)
– Paint (Milk Paint in Farmhouse White is pictured)
– Salt Wash (Optional)
– Poly
Step One:
Print out the stencil, cut, and tape together to form the corbel pieces. Trace with a pencil/pen. I did 3 of the middle pieces and 2 of the outside pieces per corbel! You can change the thickness of it by doing 1 or 2 of the middle pieces instead of 3. But, I wanted them to fit really well in the archway.
Step Two:
Using your jigsaw or scroll saw cut each piece of corbel. If you have a scroll saw this will be MUCH easier, but a jigsaw works just fine. Go slow with it and take your time!
Step Three:
After you have all your pieces cut. I used wood glue to connect the 3 middle pieces together and secure with 4-5 nails with the brad nailer. I allowed them to dry completely and connected the two outside pieces the same way.
Step Four:
Sand, sand, and sand some more. I started with 60 grit sandpaper and worked my way up to 120 with the orbital sander. I wanted it to look like one piece instead of 5 separate pieces. So, just when you think you’ve sanded enough sand a little more.
Step Five:
Now its time for the fun part! Start by staining the corbels – I used Dark Walnut.
Step Six:
I used a finishing wax all over the corbel you could use any type of finishing wax or I have heard Vaseline works really well too. This helps making the chippiness a lot easier.
Step Seven:
I mixed 1 parts salt wash, 3 part milk paint in farmhouse white, and 2 parts water. Paint on two layers of the paint mixture and in-between each coat use a hair dryer to help the paint dry faster. The heat will allow the paint to start to crack – THIS IS GOOD!
Step Eight:
After your second coat of paint is dry, use a putty knife to scrap off paint. Now, I got carried away with this step because I wanted mine to be very chippy. But, you don’t have to make it as chippy as mine.
Step Nine:
Seal with Poly – water based. I used a matte finish!
I am LOVING how these turned out! Best part, so far I have spent $0 on this project. I used all material on hand. As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out!
xo,
krystal