Make Modern Wood Holiday Houses From Scraps
Turn scrap wood into a Scandinavian-inspired Christmas village.
Cassidy Garcia
Got scrap wood from past projects piling up? Host Jason Pickens has an amazing upcycled solution. With just a couple pieces of scrap wood and paint, you can create rustic, Scandinavian-inspired wooden houses perfect for your holiday mantel or Christmas tablescape. Read on for the oh-so-easy how-to.
Materials Needed
- scrap wood
- circular saw
- pull saw
- safety glasses
- ear protection
- 220-grit sanding paper
- 150-grit sanding paper
- chalk paint (white, black and red)
- paint brushes
- wood glue
Gather your scrap wood. Small blocks from old, oak beams have a great weathered texture. And don’t overlook the tiny stuff. Small angle cut-offs make great roof pieces. Play around with pieces and assemble a cluster of houses in various heights.
Using a saw, cut the top of a block of wood at a 45-degree angle to mimic a roof shape. This cut doesn’t have to be exact. In fact, it looks more rustic and bespoke if it’s not. For other roof designs, use a pull saw to cut small roof pieces. Use other scrap wood as a base when using the pull saw so that you don’t cut your table or work surface. Find tiny pieces of wood or cut small rectangles and squares to use as doors and windows. Once you have all of your pieces cut, sand each piece to smooth and remove splinters. Use 150-grit sanding paper. Repeat sanding process with 220-grit paper to prep surfaces for painting.
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
For a modern-Scandinavian aesthetic, paint the houses with a white, black and red color scheme. Use chalk paint for a more rustic, weathered look. Let dry. Once the wood pieces have dried, sand again with 220-grit paper or 150-grit paper to take the edges off and expose some of the wood. Hit the high spots such as edges and corners for a more rustic look. Paint small pieces of wood black or red for the house window and door pieces. Let dry.
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Using wood glue, glue the roof pieces to the wood house pieces. Next, glue the door and window pieces to the front of the wood houses. Let dry.
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
Cassidy Garcia
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