My dismal front porch was just crying out for SOMETHING! In my mind I kept picturing lights... signs... wreaths... hmmm. A quick visit to Pinterest gave me some ideas.
And this cute one
But they were both EXTREMELY SHORT: only about 2 feet (24 inches) tall. My porch needed something substantial! I ended up wandering around HomeDepot like one of those crazy people who have a project to do but NO IDEA how to do it. Yeah, that was me.
What I Bought
(1) 8-ft 4x4 beam (they cut it in half for me for FREE so I ended up with (2) 4-ft lengths)
(1) 5-ft 12x1 board
(1) 5-ft 8x1 board
(1) 5-ft 6x1 board
(1) Small Tube of Liquid Nails Glue
(1) Can of Black Spray Paint
(1) Can of Clear Spray Paint
(1) Package of Sandpaper- various grits
(2) 6-inch long screws
(1) Metal hook
(1) Solar-powered lighted fence post cap (AWESOME!!!)
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| 4x4 Post. (The basketball is used to show scale.) |
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| Three different width boards. 12x1, 8x1, and 6x1. (Again, the basketball is used to show scale.) |
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| Close up of the footer when all assembled and painted and screwed together. |
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| Close up of hook. I'm sure you can find prettier ones, but who's going to be looking at the hook? |
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| Close up of lighted post cap. |
Step-By-Step
- Measure and saw off a square section from each of the boards.
- Sand all the wood pieces.
- Paint. I wanted instant gratification so I chose spray paint.
- Let dry about an hour.
- Sand again and put on another coat of paint.
- Let dry about an hour.
- Seal all the wood pieces with the clear coat.
- Let dry overnight or so it's not tacky to the touch.
- Assemble footer. This means you just stack the 3 pieces on top of each other. To make it easier to keep perfectly centered, I traced around each piece with a pencil exactly where it was placed on the one below it.
- Glue footer pieces together. Here is where the Liquid Nails came into play.
- Let dry about two hours. I used a vice grip to keep the wood pieces together tightly until they dried.
- Screw footer to post. I had my hubby drill holes in the bottom to make life so much easier.
- Attach the hook.
- Top off with light.
- Hang your sign/wreath/whatever.
- Admire your work!
And here's my COOL, CREATIVE, and CRAFTY version. And it is 4 feet (48 inches) tall. You can see it from the driveway! I love the way it looks right now. I can't wait to redress it for each season with something new. At night, it casts just a tiny glow... the same amount as those lawn lights... just enough to be charming.
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| Finished project! (The sign was just something I already had from another project. :) |
Total Cost
For this lamp post sign hanger project including tax: $38.24.
The best part is that I have enough materials left over to make a second one!! I just have to get another lighted post cap ($4.99) and hook ($2.48).
