Easy DIY Numbered Crates

It has been a whirlwind of a week.  It had come down to the wire, and last last Thursday we still didn’t know if we were going to be able to move in to Old Salt Farm that weekend. The house was finished, but there had been a huge delay getting water to the property, and day after day we would anxiously call to see if that day would be it.  Finally, Thursday afternoon we had both water and a Certificate of Occupancy, and we started moving in on Friday.  Yes, it was crazy, but with lots of help and kindness from friends we made it…and just in the nick of time for school to start on Tuesday.

Before we moved in, I had a huge project list. I wanted to get as many things done ahead of time as possible, and one of the items on my list was numbered crates for the lockers in the mudroom.  (I think the locker area is one of my most favorite places in the house, and we designed and built it to meet our needs.) I decided on using crates because they’re durable, adorable, and inexpensive!

Aren’t they perfect?   Buying baskets can really add up, plus because the room is white, I wanted to add some wood for contrast.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out, and they are SO SO simple to make!  It’s an easy afternoon project, with no special tools required.

Here’s how I made them:

SUPPLIES: (affiliate links included below for your convenience)

-wooden crates

-stain (I used Minwax Provincial)

-lint free cloth

–optional:  paint sprayer

-numbers (info below on where I got mine)

-hammer

-small 3/4 inch nails

DIRECTIONS:

*Stain your crates! I used Provincial by Minwax, which is my favorite. It’s a medium brown color with no red, which is what I did throughout my home.  If you are doing them by hand, I suggest using a lint free cloth.  I actually used a paint sprayer, which is kind of my best friend.  I stained 15 crates in less than 30 minutes!  It’s the best money I’ve ever spent–it has saved me hours and hours of time!

*Once your crates are totally dry, you’re ready to add your numbers.  I had thought about painting on the numbers, which I love too, but I wanted something different–something that would stand out against the stained crate.  I found the CUTEST numbers at Home Depot where they have all the house numbers, and I knew they would be perfect!

My kids each have their own number, which is attached to just about everything–their shoe basket, towel hook, kitchen stool, etc.  It’s just so much easier for them and for me, so we all know where everything goes.  They are numbers 1-6, and then I decided to add a 0 in front of each number to mix it up a bit.  LOVE!

I used 3/4 inch nails to attach the numbers.  They’re just a little too long for the crate, so don’t hammer them all the way through, or they’ll poke out the back.  We couldn’t find any nails that were shorter, but had a big enough head for the holes, so this was the best answer.

And that’s it! Seriously easy and adorable.  And the total cost?  $10 per crate!  I bought the crates at Michael’s with a coupon, and the numbers were $1 each (total of $2 per crate).

They are absolutely perfect for the space, and are just what I was looking for!