Well, not surprisingly, six candle holders are a bit much for one piece of furniture. The obvious solution is to build a new piece of furniture, right? So I decided to build this potting bench. Of course, the bench in the plans was too big, so I had to shrink it down. Yup, I had to do math. The project went a lot more smoothly than the bench I built but one shelf was not quite square which caused the legs to be uneven. Rather than stick a piece of paper under the leg, which is my usual solution, I had to replace one leg. It doesn't tip anymore but the shelves are far from level. Nonetheless, I think it looks just fine. I spent most of today finishing it. I tried to weather the wood using a vinegar steel wool solution but that just stained it red. So I scrubbed it with steel wool soaked in vinegar and it looked better. I tried a gray stain but that just made it look dull and painted. So I painted it with green tea. The tea and rusty vinegar are supposed to somehow make gray. The tea and brush turned black but not so much the wood. It definitely looks better and it definitely looks weathered, so I'm pretty happy with it. And I'm hoping I can finally declare the mudroom done. I actually ordered some tile for the kitchen floor to force myself to stop making furniture for the mudroom.
Btw, the bench cost $26 to make. That is why I have started making furniture. I'd rather have a so-so potting bench that I made myself and fits perfectly in the space than a crappy $50 potting bench from Ikea made without any actual wood and barely fits in the space.
