I had this awkward small corner to fill in my new bedroom, and some of you suggested a decorative column. I loved the idea, and jokingly suggested to John we get one of these from Restoration Hardware: It was a joke, of course, because those columns cost between $500 and $600 each. YeeeeahNO. John took a good long look at that photo, though, and said, "I could make one of those for $50." My response? "YOU'RE ON." John's initial design involved routing a lot of tiny wooden trim pieces, but then I had a brainstorm - and convinced him to try using pool noodles. You heard me, pool noodles. I won't keep you in suspense; here's our finished column: Can you spot the pool noodles? I bet you caaa-aan! ;) Obviously we weren't trying to match the RH columns exactly; I decided to go for more of a clean-cut stone or plaster look instead of distressed wood. Stone is much easier to fake than wood, and besides, you see more stone columns anyway. Other than a little scrap wood for the base & cap, this is all you need to make your own pool noodle column: That's an 8-inch concrete form tube from the hardware store, which costs about $8. The noodles were 70 cents each (on clearance at a dollar store), and we ended up using six of them. Add in a quart of contact cement, some scrap wood, and paint that we already had, and our column ended up costing us more like $20 instead of $50. (Cha-CHING!) Even if you had to buy the wood and other supplies, though, you'd still be well under $50. So let's get to it! Start by cutting all of your noodles in half with a long utility blade: Don't worry if it's not exact; just do the best you can. Lay out one of your cut noodles on the tube, arranging it into a spiral curve. When you're happy with how it looks, have a helper draw a line beside it with a Sharpie. (This will be your guide line when it comes time to glue down the noodles.) You could also lay the noodles out straight, though, if you don't like the spiral look. Next, paint the cut edges of your noodles and the surface of your concrete tube with 2 coats of contact cement, allowing them to dry for each coat. (You should find contact cement at any hardware store for less than $10 a quart.) This was my first time working with contact cement, and it. is. awesome. Once it dries it only sticks to itself, so you don't have to worry about snagging anything you don't want to - but once it sticks, it forms a permanent, ultra-strong bond. Now the fun part: sticking your pool noodles onto your tube. Line up your first one to match your guideline, and press down firmly: You'll note that we started about five inches down from the top of the tube: this gives you room to add a column cap later. (Plus the noodles aren't long enough to cover the whole tube if you curve them.) Now just keep adding on noodles: Your last noodle may be a bit of a squeeze, but jam it into place as best you can: The pink noodle was the last one we placed. As you can see, it's a bit smaller from being squished into place, but not terribly noticeable. Next you'll want to trim the edges of all your noodles. Here's the easiest method we found to mark a straight line all the way 'round: I rotated the column while John held the Sharpie, supported by a shoebox. Trim off the edges with a utility blade, and you'll have a nice noodle lip like this: From here you have a couple of options for finishing off the ends of your column. John cut wooden rings to slide over each end like a cap: Then he wrapped each ring with another pool noodle half, to give it a rounded edge: We decided John's first cap was a little too short for our space, so he re-made it extra tall, like so: He wrapped the sides in a thin aluminum, since that's what he had on hand, but you could also use wood veneer, flexible plastic sheeting, or even a heavy poster board to do the same thing: Fitting the new cap: See how much taller the new cap makes the column? Oh, and we've already sprayed on our first coat of primer here, too. Use a plastic spray-primer, or a good quality one like XIM. Then all that was left was adding a round topper: You could also make it square; I just liked it better round on top. To finish off your column, caulk in all the lines... And follow up with a good coating of spray texture - the same stuff you fix wall patches with. (The pool noodles actually have a great stone texture already, so no need to spray those unless you're trying to match the texture to your caps, like we were.) And finally, paint! I brushed on a cream colored wall paint (left), and once that dried I brushed on thinned down brown craft paint, which I immediately wiped off again with a wet paper towel. That added just the right amount of aging to the texture, and really helps sell the stone/plaster look: The end result is incredibly sturdy, and with the wood base & cap weighs a good 15 pounds, so don't worry about it tipping over too easily. Funnily enough the hardest part of this entire project was finding something to put ON the column. After weeks of searching, though, we finally settled on this urn from the garden section of Old Time Pottery: I purposely made the column more of a cream color to contrast with our gray walls. A close-up, to show off all the textures a bit better: Hope you guys liked our latest project, and that some of you will give it a try! As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments. Now that the holidays are over I have lots of fun household crafts to dive into and share, so stay tuned for more soon! For my fellow Pinners. ***** Come see ALL of my craft projects on one page, right here!

I needed something quick and very cheap..the boxes are free...(I send a lot, so I order a lot) I had a styrofoam cooler that I cut up...lots of gorill

Here is a unique idea to make a decorative DIY faux stone column using inexpensive pool noodles.

I know I am kinda all over the place on my Halloween projects...work a little here a little there...its only way I can do it with as busy as...

Learn the basics of lally columns, often called adjustable steel columns or jack posts, to determine how to install them and whether or not you can install them permanently.

Steve Spangler shows you how to create a nine-layer density column with seven objects suspended in it.

Plaster fluted walls and wall panels have become a popular trend lately, and for good reason! Let's take a closer look at fluted walls and how you can get the look in your home.

A quick tutorial showing how to hide and unhide columns in excel spreadsheets. Get a spreadsheet with hidden columns? Here's how to unhide columns in excel.

I had this awkward small corner to fill in my new bedroom, and some of you suggested a decorative column. I loved the idea, and jokingly suggested to John we get one of these from Restoration Hardware: It was a joke, of course, because those columns cost between $500 and $600 each. YeeeeahNO. John took a good long look at that photo, though, and said, "I could make one of those for $50." My response? "YOU'RE ON." John's initial design involved routing a lot of tiny wooden trim pieces, but then I had a brainstorm - and convinced him to try using pool noodles. You heard me, pool noodles. I won't keep you in suspense; here's our finished column: Can you spot the pool noodles? I bet you caaa-aan! ;) Obviously we weren't trying to match the RH columns exactly; I decided to go for more of a clean-cut stone or plaster look instead of distressed wood. Stone is much easier to fake than wood, and besides, you see more stone columns anyway. Other than a little scrap wood for the base & cap, this is all you need to make your own pool noodle column: That's an 8-inch concrete form tube from the hardware store, which costs about $8. The noodles were 70 cents each (on clearance at a dollar store), and we ended up using six of them. Add in a quart of contact cement, some scrap wood, and paint that we already had, and our column ended up costing us more like $20 instead of $50. (Cha-CHING!) Even if you had to buy the wood and other supplies, though, you'd still be well under $50. So let's get to it! Start by cutting all of your noodles in half with a long utility blade: Don't worry if it's not exact; just do the best you can. Lay out one of your cut noodles on the tube, arranging it into a spiral curve. When you're happy with how it looks, have a helper draw a line beside it with a Sharpie. (This will be your guide line when it comes time to glue down the noodles.) You could also lay the noodles out straight, though, if you don't like the spiral look. Next, paint the cut edges of your noodles and the surface of your concrete tube with 2 coats of contact cement, allowing them to dry for each coat. (You should find contact cement at any hardware store for less than $10 a quart.) This was my first time working with contact cement, and it. is. awesome. Once it dries it only sticks to itself, so you don't have to worry about snagging anything you don't want to - but once it sticks, it forms a permanent, ultra-strong bond. Now the fun part: sticking your pool noodles onto your tube. Line up your first one to match your guideline, and press down firmly: You'll note that we started about five inches down from the top of the tube: this gives you room to add a column cap later. (Plus the noodles aren't long enough to cover the whole tube if you curve them.) Now just keep adding on noodles: Your last noodle may be a bit of a squeeze, but jam it into place as best you can: The pink noodle was the last one we placed. As you can see, it's a bit smaller from being squished into place, but not terribly noticeable. Next you'll want to trim the edges of all your noodles. Here's the easiest method we found to mark a straight line all the way 'round: I rotated the column while John held the Sharpie, supported by a shoebox. Trim off the edges with a utility blade, and you'll have a nice noodle lip like this: From here you have a couple of options for finishing off the ends of your column. John cut wooden rings to slide over each end like a cap: Then he wrapped each ring with another pool noodle half, to give it a rounded edge: We decided John's first cap was a little too short for our space, so he re-made it extra tall, like so: He wrapped the sides in a thin aluminum, since that's what he had on hand, but you could also use wood veneer, flexible plastic sheeting, or even a heavy poster board to do the same thing: Fitting the new cap: See how much taller the new cap makes the column? Oh, and we've already sprayed on our first coat of primer here, too. Use a plastic spray-primer, or a good quality one like XIM. Then all that was left was adding a round topper: You could also make it square; I just liked it better round on top. To finish off your column, caulk in all the lines... And follow up with a good coating of spray texture - the same stuff you fix wall patches with. (The pool noodles actually have a great stone texture already, so no need to spray those unless you're trying to match the texture to your caps, like we were.) And finally, paint! I brushed on a cream colored wall paint (left), and once that dried I brushed on thinned down brown craft paint, which I immediately wiped off again with a wet paper towel. That added just the right amount of aging to the texture, and really helps sell the stone/plaster look: The end result is incredibly sturdy, and with the wood base & cap weighs a good 15 pounds, so don't worry about it tipping over too easily. Funnily enough the hardest part of this entire project was finding something to put ON the column. After weeks of searching, though, we finally settled on this urn from the garden section of Old Time Pottery: I purposely made the column more of a cream color to contrast with our gray walls. A close-up, to show off all the textures a bit better: Hope you guys liked our latest project, and that some of you will give it a try! As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments. Now that the holidays are over I have lots of fun household crafts to dive into and share, so stay tuned for more soon! For my fellow Pinners. ***** Come see ALL of my craft projects on one page, right here!

The Earth House Estate is located in Dietikon, in Switzerland and it's a dream-like setting like no other. It was designed by Vetsch Architektur and it

If you ask someone about their passions, most people might say they’re into something like photography or traveling. But woodworking? That’s a unique skill you might not normally expect. It’s a craft that demands a lot of time, dedication, and precision. And those who are involved are truly devoted to it.

Next time you’re at the Dollar Store grab some pool noodles and make these awesome ideas for your home! diy | pool noodles | home hacks | diy life hacks | diy home hacks | pool noodle hacks

Description Decorate and emphasize areas of a grand ceiling above the dining room, living room, or entry way with our Arabesque Border Stencils . Stencil Pattern Size: 20"w x 7.5"h Stencil Sheet Size: 22"w x 9.5"h Single Layer Design SKU#: 2021 Full tutorial here: How to Paint Stair Riser Designs

These custom doors for Ikea kitchen cabinets are simple yet striking. They fit standard IKEA kitchen cabinets and will transform your kitchen

Now that the holidays are over we decided to get moving on a few winter projects since its too cold to be outside, the first is adding a tray ceiling to our dining room. This is a $1000 add-on with RH which believe it or not, we're completing for about $75--that is not a typo. Of course you do need to already have a few things to keep the cost low: Drill Drywall Screws Air Brad Nailer speeds the job up immensly Drywall Compound Paint Stud Finder Miter Saw/Box After much debating we decided to go with a 6"h x 15" deep tray in the dining room. The casing on the DR entryways left us with 1' above the door, so we stopped the tray halfway, leaving room for the 3" crown that will be added later. For the framing, we went with 2x2s instead of 2x4s as well as 3/8" sheetrock to keep the weight down and this also directly lowered the cost. Our DR is about 12x14 so this meant a length of (2) 2x2x8 for each course of framing. In total we used (24) 2x2s with a total cost of $40. Once you determine how tall you want your tray, run a first course around the perimeter of the room at that height. It is the single piece of wood on the wall shown in the picture below. Some people use chalk lines around the room but we just marked the height every few feet. There is no need to miter since all joints will be hidden by drywall. Always screw into studs and joists when creating any structural additions! We accept no liability as to the validity or completeness of these instructions! Next you will need to build some mini-ladder-ish structures to hold what will be the wall of your tray. Make sure you have determined where your ceiling joists are, as this also affects how deep your tray is to become. If you are missing joists at prime locations, one option is to cut a hole in the ceiling (the part that will be hidden by the tray) and nail in your own cross members. Another option is to buy toggle bolts which have small arms that grab onto the top-side of the drywall to hang things. These sections are small and will weigh about 10-15lbs each with the sheetrock attached and can easily be supported by either method Since we decided on 6" height, each long 2x2 is 1.5" high, so 1.5 + 1.5 = 3 and in order to reach 6" we created 3" mini studs to end up with 6". Brad nail them together and also use wood glue or liquid nails. We went with a 15" deep tray as we think much deeper than that makes the room feel smaller. Mark or chalk that width on your ceiling and attach the mini-ladders at those marks. Continue adding the "ladders" around the room. We did the shorter walls first so that would cut down on the amount of wood needed for the long walls since they will be butting up against each other. The last step is to add some 45deg mitered angle pieces to create the octagonal effect, these can be sized to taste but aesthetically the same length as the depth of the tray seemed to work best for us. Updated 1/1 Happy New Year!! The drywall went up and dried yesterday and since we typically stay home on 12/31, we brought in the new year doing our favorite things...drinking and painting (not a recommended blend but it was so much fun!) It turned out great and we LOVE our new tray ceiling, which again ran us exactly $76.24, talk about a score! Adding the crown will really make it pop. We also ran some electrical in the tray just in case we decide on some small recessed at a later date. Next up: Crown Molding, Custom Built-in Shelving and some basement re-vamping with a wet bar & media room, and more...stay tuned :) -- Ericka even though the right side looks skewed in the photo, it is perfectly straight! just a weird perspective

A wash will add color without sacrificing the visual interest of the wood's texture; all you need to do is dilute paint with water. Start by adding one part water to two parts paint, and test the wash on a wooden swatch before working directly on your surface. If you want to see more wood grain, continue to add water. You'll notice that as the wash gets lighter, the tone of the wood's original color comes through. We took Martha Stewart Vintage Décor paints through three dilution stages to illustrate the differences.