...diy orchard ladder

...hello sweetums!

do you ever find yourself desiring a prop?

but it's not a prop

that is as simple

as a visit to your local orchard??

(hint, hint)

 you seek high and low

and

STILL

it eludes you

which makes you think of it even more

lol!!

WELL!!

if YOU have been seeking an orchard ladder, my dears

SEEK.

NO.

MORE!

some of you know by now,

that i am a diy kinda girl

so today,

i am going to show you how i made my very own orchard ladder!

here is your 

* materials list *

2 ~ 8 feet sections of 1 x 4 treated lumber

12 feet of 1 1/4" round dowel rod

1 1/4" drill bit and a drill

outdoor wood glue

belt sander/sand paper

1 small can of wood stain in a charcoal gray color

white wash paint

a small box of baking soda 

4 cups of vinegar ~

 to which you have added TWO pieces of steel wool to and have let sit overnight

a pair of rubber gloves

let's begin

first,

clamp your 2

8 foot sections of treated 1" x 4"'s together

and set on a ladder to make your hole drilling easier.

start at the end that will be the bottom of your ladder

take a pencil and write "bottom" on each of your pieces

(this will come in handy later)

then mark your wood

at intervals of 10"

drill 1 1/4" holes at each 10" mark

starting from the bottom,

as i have done here

do this all the way up your ladder

next,

* cutting the rungs *

i gave my ladder a total of 9 rungs

if you want a shorter ladder

simply adjust:)

my longest rung measures 18" long

then 17", 16", etc.

 my 9th and smallest rung being 10"

keeping in mind that 2" will "disappear" into each 1"x 4"  ladder side,

(1" on each side)

now simply start at the bottom

of one of the 1" x 4" 8 foot sections you have drilled

 and put a drizzle of your wood glue in the first hole

 push your largest rung through

until it is flush to the outside edge of your ladder

but not protruding out

repeat this for all the rungs

working your way up

glue drizzle, then the rung

tip:

if you find that some of your rungs are not fitting,

have a piece of sand paper handy

 to take the ends down a little until they do

now move to your other 1" x 4" 8 foot piece that you have drilled

and repeat this process

because your rungs get smaller,

your ladder will just naturally pull in

getting narrower as you go

see,

now that wasn't so bad

was it??

 

i wanted my ladder edges to be softened

as in, no sharp edges

so as hubby o'mine demonstrates here ~

simply take down your edges to your liking,

 with a belt sander...

now,

you may choose to skip this step entirely

UNLESS

 you want your ladder to be weathered looking like i did

if so,

then we are going to faux weather it!

and YES!

it DOES make a difference

put a pair of rubber gloves on

and take 1 of your vinegar/soaking steel wool pieces

and rub your entire ladder with it,

rungs and all

let your ladder sit in the sun for a day to dry

don't throw out your steel wool vinegar yet!

the next day

steel wool it again

but as you go

sprinkle the baking soda as you rub it in

yes,

it will fizz

and smell like rotten eggs

and you may feel as if this a science project gone bad

but just

DO IT!!

let your ladder sit in the sun to dry again.

your ladder should look evenly weathered

and it's color will kinda look like a redwood

now, for the charcoal wood stain

i used a water based stain

and poured some into a disposable bowl

let's say about a cup

i just eyeballed it!

then add warm water to thin the density of the color a bit

about another cup

i wanted a really light gray color ~

like my ladder had been sitting in the orchard for years!

you can always make it darker if it is too light for you

but keep in mind, when you paint this on it looks dark until it dries

you can use a sponge brush or a rag

i started with a sponge brush

but switched over to the rag

it was easier to use

make sure you have your rubber gloves on,

gray fingers are NOT attractive!!)

lol!! 

i liked my first wash of the gray color

so i then gave it a white wash

like i showed you on my french market basket

basically

you will use an white outdoor craft paint

and water it down 2 parts water

then paint it on your ladder

let dry

and ta da!!

you have a lovely orchard ladder of your very own!

ready for your whimsy:)

i hope you enjoy this diy

and let me know if you make one:)

sharing this with:

brambleberry cottage's: time travel thursday

common ground's: vintage inspiration

french country cottage's: feathered nest friday

romantic home's: show and tell friday

the charm of home's: home sweet home

rooted in thyme's: simple sweet fridays

here's to doing it yourself!!