How to Turn Fence Posts into Rustic Candlesticks

Hey guys! Fall projects continue today. I love to upcycle stuff to give it a last attempt at usefulness. I decided to Turn Fence Posts into Coastal Candlesticks. These are great for fall and can then be adapted for other seasons as well.

Here are the supplies I used:

Fence Posts
Circular Saw – We have this one
Drill with a large bit
Oxygen Bleach (if your fence posts were outdoors)
Chalk Paint
No-Flame Tea Lights
Balsa Wood
Dark Wood Glaze

Here’s what I started with. A bunch of fence post wood that was sitting out in our garden.

Using my circular saw, I cut them down to size. I cut them all to varying heights and basically just eyeballed it. Then, I took a rag with soapy water and some oxygen bleach to my fence posts to get rid of all the yucky outdoor grime and build up on them.

After letting them dry for a couple of hours, I simply raided my paint stash. (My favourite afternoon pastime by far!)

I settled on four colours in the same family – all slightly different. Each post got one solid coat of colour.

Now, I had to turn them into candle holders! I bought these cute little faux flame tea lights, so I used those to size my drill bit. Once the paint on the posts was dry, I just used my drill to create a hole large enough to hold one of the candles.

I tested them out to make sure everything fit snugly. (From left to right: Paris Grey by Annie Sloan, Lunch at Tiffany’s by PARA Paints, Bella Blue by FAT Paint Co., High Tea by PARA Paints)

I glazed them with some diluted stain and then gave them a good sanding to distress them a bit. Can you tell that lately I’m obsessed with the ‘chippy’ look? I am. It’s a thing. For a finishing ‘fall’ touch, I wrapped each post in jute and then added a little typography banner made from craft wood! (I had some left over from when I made my craft wood photo mats recently).

And that is how you Turn Fence Posts into Coastal Candlesticks! Can you tell I had SO MUCH FUN staging these! 🙂

I should actually explain that this post contains a couple of sneak peeks to stuff that I’ll be showing off more so in my next Furniture REFRESH submission. (Remember October’s Harvest-Themed Table Makeover?) November’s project is almost finished and the little table I’ve used here is part of that larger project.

Also – the balsa wood FALL letters are actually made with this awesome new furniture and cabinet glaze I got from Modern Masters. I won’t say much more other than I really like it and I’m quickly learning how versatile glazes can be!As for the candles – I definitely wouldn’t use an open flame on these (because wood, balsa, twine = flammable), but I’m pretty happy with the ambience from these fakers 🙂