DIY Geometric Wooden Candle Holder

Today is an exciting day! I am excited to be joining 12 amazing DIY bloggers for a Home Depot Gift Challenge! I was so thrilled when Emily asked if I would like to participate- I’m always up for a good challenge. The challenge is this. You are given one month to create a gift for a designated person (this month it was a new home owner) using a specific material found at The Home Depot and we reveal them all on the same day. In the past, there has been challenges with copper pipe, peg board, and dowelling. This month’s surprise item was chosen by Amy from Home Remedies and is a 2×4 piece of lumber. Out of it, I created this geometric taper candle holder! I’m crazy impressed with what the other girls pulled off!

**This challenge is not sponsored in any way by Home Depot, we just love them and pretty much live there so we’d thought this would be fun…**

So in a moment of honesty. I WAS really excited when they asked me to participate. And then they announced the material for the month… a 2×4. We just finished framing out our half of the basement and I had just finished sanding my Giant Jenga (made out of 2x4s) and the last thing on earth I wanted to work with was a 2×4. I complained to my sister-in-law, I complained to my husband. But then I was browsing Pinterest and saw these babies and light bulbs went off. 2x4s all of a sudden didn’t sound so bad! Now that it’s done, I’m really happy with it- and my hubby loves it more than I do, so that’s always a win.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Geometric Candle Holder out of a 2×4:

• 2×4 (or scrap of- I used less than 2 feet)
• Saw to cut wood to length (we used a miter saw)
• Belt Sander with 80 Grit Sandpaper (safety goggles!)
• Wood Clamps (I only needed 1)
• Sanding block with 100 grit sandpaper
• Drill with 3/4″ bit
• Minwax Finishing Paste, Rag to apply, and gloves
• Finishing nails, hammer, and pliers with wire cutter
• Taper candles

Start by cutting your 2×4 to the length you would like your candle holder to be. Mine was just under two feet. Then, clamp your 2×4 piece to a work surface, any side facing up. Use your belt sander to start removing wood from the block in random areas to create a geometric shape. You will need to use the edge of your belt sander to get straighter lines. This will take you a while, but it’s so rewarding to watch an ugly 2×4 turn into a moulded piece of goodness! Turn your piece of wood as often as you need, making sure to sand pieces out of all four sides. Take care to leave a flat surface for the bottom though.

When you’re happy with how moulded/geometric your candleholder looks, it’s time to make the holes for the candles! Take your drill with a 3/4″ bit and drill evenly spaced holes for your taper candles. I would leave it clamped down for this. The narrow 2×4 (once sanded down) splits easily so drill straight, then reverse to remove the bit. When you have all your holes, take your sanding block and 100 grit sandpaper to sand down the block’s fine details. I smoothed some things out and added a couple more facets before I called it done. When you’re done all your sanding, take a damp rag and wipe it clean of all sawdust.

Now you’re ready to finish it! I chose to leave my wood a natural colour, instead finishing it with Minwax Finishing Wax Paste- but you could choose to apply a stain at this point. Minwax Finishing Wax Paste is awesome, it’s also what we used for the Jenga and leaves a natural looking finish instead of a shine as you would get with most clear coats. I left it outside overnight to let the fumes dissipate before use.

Once your wood is all finished, it’s time to add the stabilizers for the candles. If you drilled your holes deep enough (or depending how slender your tapers are) you might not need this. Use the wire cutters to snip the heads of the finishing nails off and use pliers to hold your nail in place (point up) and hammer into place. Most drill bits will leave a point in the centre of the hole, so you have a starting point. Stick your candles on and you’re ready to use!

During this process, my hubby got kind of attached to the candleholder, so we’re keeping it for ourselves (rule breaking?) But really, we’ve been in this house for just a year so we’re still new home owners ;) This candle holder is currently on our island but I took photos of it on the kitchen table to avoid cleaning my whole kitchen… that’s acceptable, right? #reallife

There are some awesome projects that bloggers have created for this month’s challenge… hop over and check some out! And, as always let me know what you think in the comments!