Here’s a simple tutorial from Robyn of The Little Woman Pretends which shows you how to create vintage style bookends using cheap MDF off cuts
This tutorial also has some handy tips on distressing furniture without using sandpaper. Read on to find out more…
The idea is to make some old wooden bookends using MDF off cuts. The initials can be purchased directly at any online craft store, but you can also create your own letters if you have the tools.
Materials needed to make the vintage books subject
- MDF wood boards 20cm long.
- MDF craft letters
- Extra strong glue.
- Pintyplus Evolution Gold Spray Paint
- Pintyplus chalk paint spray Black Plum
- Cotton swabs or sponge
Pintyplus - Chalk Spray Paint - 400ml
CHALK PAINT in an aerosol. Gives an ultra matt finish in a choice of superb colours. Perfect on any surface!
£10.99
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Pintyplus - Evolution - Gloss - 400ml
Extra-quick drying RAL Gloss acrylic spray paint. Suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.
£9.99
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Build the bookends
The first thing is to measure the tablets and cut them to the letter size. For these initials both the height and the base were cut to 20cm long by 6 wide. As indicated in the images, we stick the two slats at the ends forming an L. Once dry, we go with the letter that we will stick to the base.
Painting and aging the subject DM books with chalk paint Pintyplus
For the aged effect we have used the combination of the black chalk paint with the gold as a base so that when the bookends are distressed the gold shows through. This is going to create an effect Paint with Pintyplus Evolution gold spray to thin layers covering the entire surface. We wait for minutes to dry completely.
Next we added a layer of black plum Pintyplus spray chalk paint. Only one layer of paint was necessary as this gave us total coverage but will make it easy to remove sections when we are distressing. Then after waiting 20 minutes for it to dry, we use a cotton swab dipped in water, to distress the black layer.
Note: this distressing technique can be used with any paint, but by using spray paint it saves you from having to wait for it to dry and also allows you to do it just with a cloth or cotton bud.
Advantage of distressing with a damp cotton or sponge
When you distress with sandpaper you can easily take the layer below if you do not go very carefully. With the swab dipped in water, you control the layer you take much better. Furthermore, in this case we have the advantage of having used a solvent-based golden paint (not water based) against the Pintyplus chalk, which is water based. The cotton or sponge moistened with water will wear the surface layer of chalk paint but leave the the lower layer intact.
Final step to finish the DIY bookends
We distress greater force the edges and the tips of the letters, and the base. We can use the cotton swabs or the tip of a sponge moistened in water. We wait for the books to dry completely and ready.
Tutorial courtesy of The Little Woman Pretends
Pintyplus - Chalk Spray Paint - 400ml
CHALK PAINT in an aerosol. Gives an ultra matt finish in a choice of superb colours. Perfect on any surface!
£10.99
View product
Pintyplus - Evolution - Gloss - 400ml
Extra-quick drying RAL Gloss acrylic spray paint. Suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.
£9.99
View product