DIY Candle Holders Using Upcycled Bedposts

I am thrilled with my latest DIY project! Back in June, I spotted a few bedposts in a trash pile that were quite pretty.  I used those upcycled bedposts to create candlesticks holders for our lake house fireplace.

Today is our monthly Power Tool Challenge, so be sure to check out the projects that my friends completed at the end of this post.  This month’s theme is “Wildcard” and I can’t wait to see what my friends made.

DIY Candle Holders Using Upcyled Bedposts

Shopping a Trash Pile

Before I show you more of what I created, let me share the “before” picture of these bedposts with you. 

I spotted these bedposts on a walk with our dog and then high-tailed it home to get the truck to claim these bedposts as my own.

I got there just before the trash truck arrived, saving them from the dump.

Bedposts in a Trash Pile - See how to Upcycle these into DIY Candlestick Holders.

Candlesticks made from Upcycled Bedposts

I made these candlestick holders at home and then took them to our lake house because I thought that they would look great on the mantel with our rock fireplace.  I love how they look there!

These four were the first that I tried there.

Fall Mantel with Candlestick Holders Made from Bedposts - virginiasweetpea.com

I love the thick and chunky look of these candlestick holders.

DIY Candlesticks Made from Upcycled Bedposts - Make easy candlestick holders from bedposts. Get the step-by-step tutorial to learn how to make your own. virginiasweetpea.com

My mom made the burlap wreath and I added the small gourds to it.  I really like how it looks hanging on our  fireplace. 

The mantel was made from a carriage house beam from the farm where my grandfather was raised.

DIY Candlesticks Made from Upcycled Bedposts - Make easy candlestick holders from bedposts. Get the step-by-step tutorial to learn how to make your own. virginiasweetpea.com

I was able to create different styles of candlestick holders using different parts of the bedposts.  Here you can see two more styles.

DIY Candlesticks Made from Upcycled Bedposts - Make easy candlestick holders from bedposts. Get the step-by-step tutorial to learn how to make your own. virginiasweetpea.com

The farmhouse tray on the cedar chest and the ammunition crate side table are both previous Power Tool Challenge projects. 

The lamp made from a thermos is DIY project as is the Primrose lamp on the ammunition table.

Fall Mantel with Candlestick Holders Made from Bedposts - virginiasweetpea.com

After I tested out the second set of candlestick holders on the mantel, I put the first set back into place and then grouped the remaining candlestick holders in front of the fireplace. 

I like the look of an abundance of candles for fall and winter.

Fall Mantel with Candlestick Holders Made from Bedposts - virginiasweetpea.com

Wouldn’t it be cozy to have all of these candles lit on a cool fall night?  I can dream about that, but I don’t think that my husband (aka Mr. Fire Safety) will go for it.

DIY Candlesticks Made from Upcycled Bedposts - Make easy candlestick holders from bedposts. Get the step-by-step tutorial to learn how to make your own. virginiasweetpea.com

Let’s see how easy it is to make a set of candlestick holders from bedposts for your home.

How to Make Candlestick Holders from Bedposts

Supplies

Bedposts

Miter Saw or Chop Saw

Lumber for Candlestick Bases – (I used a 10” board that we had on hand.)

Carpenter’s Square and Pencil

Router with Ogee Bit

Orbit Sander

4” Circle Plaques – (I purchased these rather than make my own.)

Stain and Polyurethane

Wood Glue

Procedure

Cut the Bedposts

I used a sliding compound miter saw to cut the bedposts into pieces that I thought would look good as candlestick holders.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com
How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Make the Bases

We had this board in our stash of wood and I used it to make the candlestick holder bases.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

I wanted the finished size of each candlestick holder base to be a 4” square, so I set up a jig to let me easily cut 4” pieces from the board.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Here you can better see that the board is set to cut each piece at 4”.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com
How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Here are the 4” width pieces cut.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

After I cut the 4” widths, I cut them again to make 4” squares.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

I wanted the squares to have some detail, so I used an Ogee Bit to route the edges.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com
How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

After routing the edges, each square was sanded smooth.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Apply Stain and Polyurethane

I stained the square bases with Rustoleum Wood Stain in Dark Walnut that was leftover from another project.

I wasn’t sure if it would be successful, but after staining the bases, I rubbed a light coat of stain on each bedpost to see if it would even our the wood stain already there and sure enough it worked like a charm.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Rather than cut out circles and route the edges, I saved myself time by buying 4” wood circles that cost just $1 each from AC Moore.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

After they were stained, I gave the squares and circles a coat of Minwax Polycrylic.

Can you see the uneven stain on the backs of the circles?  The labels were incredibly hard to remove and even after I sanded and sanded, some residue was left.  I knew that the candles would hide the uneven stain, so I didn’t worry about it.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Glue

After everything was stained and polyed, it was time to glue the candlestick holders together. 

I glued each candlestick to its base and after the glue set, glued the circle to the top of each candlestick. 

I had to reglue a few after they dried because since the wood wasn’t clamped down, the wood slid. 

This was an easy fix.  I used a hammer to pop off the crooked piece and then reglued it into a better position, this time holding each piece in place until the glue set just a bit.

How to Make Candlesticks from Bedposts - A step-by-step tutorial - virginiasweetpea.com

Enjoy

I really do love how these look on our fireplace at the lake.

Fall Mantel with Candlestick Holders Made from Bedposts - virginiasweetpea.com

Other DIY Bedpost Candlestick Projects

I certainly wasn’t the first to come up with this idea.  Be sure to check out Gail from My Repurposed Life’s How to Make Candlesticks from Repurposed Bedposts and also Wendi from H2O Bungalow’s Bed Spindle Candle Holders.

This Month’s “Wildcard” Projects

Now it’s time to enjoy the “Wildcard” projects that my friends made for this month’s Power Tool Challenge.

Easy Home Decor Power Tool Projects

The Kim Six Fix Vintage Surveyors Tripod Lamp

Virginia Sweet Pea DIY Candlesticks Using Upcycled Bedposts

H2OBungalow Upcycled Metal and Wood Table

Create and Babble Little Round Stool

My Love 2 Create Small Decorative Caddy

My Repurposed Life Easy One Pallet Project

Designed Decor Build Your Own Tufted Bench

Favorite Projects

If you liked this post, check out more popular projects.

59 Comments

  1. Oh my gosh Paula! These chunky candlesticks are just perfect on your stone fireplace. And I love how you beefed them up with the additional routed bases. Pinning!

    1. Thank you, Jeanie! Those bedposts were too good for the trash. I’m so glad that Sherman walked that way that particular morning so that I could discover them.

    1. I really did use nearly every bit of the legs for these. The headboard part wasn’t in the trash pile and I wonder if someone else nabbed it. 🙂

      Paula

    1. Thank you, Vanessa! I’m glad to finally have some decor on this fireplace. It’s been pretty much undecorated since we built the house. Those candlesticks are perfect for decor and I love that they were nearly free to make.

  2. Paula,

    Oh how I love making projects with bits and pieces! Because I always have random bed parts I have made these many times using different methods and colors. They are so much fun to make and YOUR diy candlesticks turned out beautiful! What a great score to find on the side of the road.
    While cleaning the garage recently, found tons of spindles just waiting for a new purpose. Maybe it’s time for me to make more of these. 😉

    pinned!

    gail

    1. Your projects are always an inspiration to me, Gail. I didn’t comment on your garage clean-out post, but I did enjoy getting a peep into your work space. I look forward to seeing a spindle project on your blog perhaps soon.

      Paula

    1. I’m going to eventually switch the candles out to battery operated ones. When it finally gets cold here, sitting in front of a fire with the candles lit is going to be heavenly!

  3. Oh my!!!!! Thank you for sharing these candle holders out of bed posts Just beautifully displayed and done Thank you and God bless

    1. Thank you so much, Laura. This fireplace is nearly two years old and I was stumped on how to decorate it. Now that I have my candlesticks, decor will be much easier. I appreciate your visit and comment!

    1. Those bedposts were a great find! They were on the end of a dead end street without a lot of foot traffic. I see beds in trash piles frequently in my town, so keep your eye open!

    1. Thank you, Cynthia! I was glad to find a use for those bedposts and I kept them out of the landfill which was a bonus.

    1. Thank you, Caroline! I have been wanting some decor for this fireplace and those bedposts provided it for very little money, just the kind of project that I like.

  4. I love how those candlesticks turned out. They are beautiful. I knew as soon as I saw the stone that you had them styled at the lake house. I’m with you. I bet they would look great with the candles all lit. (Funny about Mr. Fire Safety. hehehe)

  5. The idea to re-purpose an old bed posts is so incredible. The candle stick stands are vintage like and it is so pleasing in the eyes. Perfect for the fire place.

  6. I shake my head that someone would toss these away, what a wonderful find, good for you. All of these beautiful matching candle sticks make such a beautiful statement on your fireplace.

  7. Pingback: Totally Terrific Tuesday #151 | Savvy Apron
  8. This may just be my most favorite of all your upcycles! Now I will be actively searching for old bed posts! Thanks for the inspiration.

    1. Thank you, Lynn! They’ve stayed on our lake house mantel since I made them. Yesterday I bought orange candles for them at Hobby Lobby to change their look for fall.

      Paula

  9. I have some legs I bought for a project and they didn’t work so they are in my “one of these days pile”. Maybe I’ll dig them out.

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