DIY Distressed Wooden Wagon Wheel

Home & Garden Blog

So, you found a wooden wagon wheel at an antique store, and now you're wondering what to do with it. The possibilities are endless! In this tutorial, you'll learn how to distress wooden wagon wheels, and get some tips for where to place them.

Distressing A Wooden Wagon Wheel 101

Distressing your wooden wagon wheel starts with buying the right paint. Chalk paint is a favorite of many DIY crafters because it doesn't require primer to stick to wooden surfaces. When you distress your wooden wagon wheel, you can either paint the wheel in two colors (one under color and one topcoat), or you can paint the wheel in one color only. Use a natural bristle brush to apply the paint to the wheel.

Once the paint has dried, use a medium-grit sandpaper to sand away the paint on some of the wheel. If you painted the wheel in a topcoat and under layer, then sanding the topcoat will simply reveal a second paint color underneath. If you painted the wheel in one color only, then sanding away the top coat of paint will reveal bare wood underneath.

Once you've sanded away parts of the wheel and you're satisfied with the distressed appearance, use a clean natural bristle brush to apply a coat of furniture wax on top of the paint to seal the wheel and protect it from moisture.

Picking the Right Spot

Now that you've got a fully distressed, beautiful wooden wagon wheel, it's time to pick the right spot for your wagon wheel to be placed on your property. Here are a few suggestions:

• Garden. The outdoors is a natural location for a wooden wagon wheel to be placed. Lean your wooden wagon wheel against a garden bench or against the side of your house. If possible, weave a few flowers through the spokes of the wheel to fully integrate it into the natural backdrop.
• Front door. Wooden wagon wheels make excellent wreaths, if you have one that's small enough to fit on your front door. Use a wreath hanger to suspend your wagon wheel from the door. If desired, tie some silk or dried flowers and autumn-colored ribbon to the front of the wreath. Do this before you hang the wheel.
• Walls. Much in the same way that your wooden wagon wheel would look good on the front door of your home, it will also look good hanging from a wall of your house. Hanging a wagon wheel from the wall of your house can be trickier than hanging it from your front door, because you won't be able to use a wreath hanger. If the wagon wheel is very heavy, use a stud finder to locate a stud in your wall, then hammer a thick nail into the wall at that location. If the wheel sticks out too far from the wall to be hung from a nail, hammer a smaller nail into the wall and loop a wire around the nail, then attach the wire to the wagon wheel.

Good luck with your project! When you're finished, you should have a beautiful distressed wooden wagon wheel to hang inside or outside your house.

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20 September 2015