Hey there! I have been trying to come up with a cool accent piece to go in the corner of the walkway between my living room and kitchen and I came up with this easy and FREE Rustic Corbel!

DIY-Rustic-CorbelWhitney and I were driving through Dallas, looking at old homes that had been restored. I kept noticing these pretty wooden corbels on the front of the homes, right under the roof.  I’ve seen them salvaged and resold at flea markets for a pretty penny but of course, my mind goes directly to my scrap pile in my shop!

I went home and built my own with scraps – for FREE!  Here’s how!

miter-4x4I decided to make mine with 4×4’s because my space was so big.  If you have a smaller space or you don’t have any 4×4 scraps, you could make this with 2×4’s!  I cut one 4×4 @ 24″ and one at 20.5″.  Then I used my saw to cut a 45 degree angle on one half of the end of each 4×4.  So, you will start the mitered cut at 1.75″.

kreg-hdI used my Kreg HD to drill 2 pocket holes in the flat end of the 20.5″ piece.

attach-with-pocket-screwsThen, I attached the two pieces using HD pocket hole screws.  If you don’t have a Kreg HD or a Kreg Jig, you could just make this with 2×4’s and attach with wood screws.

wood-corbelHere she is so far!  Easy 🙂

miter-2x4

wood-corbel-assembledNext, I measured from the inside of one 4×4 to the other (making a diagonal) and cut a 2×4 to fit.  My measurement was 20″ long point to long point and both ends are cut at 45 degrees not parallel.

attach-2x4I attached the 2×4 with wood glue and my Ryobi Airstrike 16 gauge nailer and 2 1/2″ nails.  If you don’t have a nailer, you can use wood screws or finishing nails.

corbel-stainedTo finish it, I wanted to go with a distressed, chippy paint finish to resemble a salvaged corbel.  So, I applied one coat of Varathane Early American stain.  Let it sit for 5 minutes and then wiped it with a clean cloth.

apply-vaselineAfter it dried, I applied a thin coat of Vaseline over the spots that I wanted the stain to show through the paint. I pretty much went over all of the edges.

paint-corbelThen, I painted it with 2 coats of latex paint.  This is my trim paint (Ivory Lace by Valspar) but you can use whatever paint you like.

distress-corbelOnce the paint was dry, I used my Ryobi Corner Cat sander and an 80-grit sanding pad to distress the entire corbel.  You’ll see the paint flake off where the vaseline was applied. That will give you the chippy look!

Rustic-Wood-Corbel-DIYTo hang it, I used 3 1/2″ spax screws and drilled them into both mitered ends, at a diagonal, into the studs behind the wall.  I used two screws on each end.  Then, cover the screw holes with wood putty and paint.

That was it!

Rustic-Corbel-DIY

DIY-Rustic-Corbel

DIY-Wood-Corbel

DIY-Rustic-Wood-CorbelI love the character that the corbel adds to this spot!  I may add a few more around the house and change them up a bit 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Ashley

Questions about the other things you see in these rooms?  Check them out!

Console Table

Coffee Table

Plate Rack

DIY Mirror

Floors

Fan

 

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12 Comments

  1. Wow, Ashley, this DIY Rustic Corbel is absolutely stunning! I love how you’ve taken inspiration from old homes and turned it into a DIY project that anyone can tackle. Your step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the final result is just beautiful. I’m particularly impressed with your technique for achieving a distressed, chippy paint finish – it really adds to the rustic charm of the piece. Thanks for sharing this project, I can’t wait to try it out in my own home!

  2. I also promised to share modifications to make this bed a King size! It’s a simple adjustment to modify this to any mattress size 🙂 Make sure to measure and cut as you go for the trim.

  3. Are you sure you didn’t use 2×2’s?! How did you get a 3 1/2 in screw to go through & hold a 4×4?!

  4. I used these for a shelf bracket on one of my projects, would it be okay if I link to this post?

  5. Love the grey console piece. Any chance you constructed it and have some trade secrets to share??? 🙂

  6. Love reading your post. I want to try some of these when I can ever get my craft room together. I need to learn how to use a mitre saw and a kreg jig and I will be unstoppable!!! I love how you did this all rustic looking. Adds charm to the place.