Repurposed Puzzle Stool

Wondering what a puzzle stool is??  Puzzle stools are made with a solid piece of pine with carved out letters and blocks. They are made for children.

I just couldn't part with my daughters.  When she grew out of hers I kept it in my workroom.  After several years of being indecisive {Should I donate it or repurpose it?},  I decided to keep it and repurpose it into a chunky wood board for display.  

Here is the BEFORE  (minus the letters)
As you can see this was well used & has worn over the years.  I took the letters out and use them around the house for decorating bookshelves and tablescapes. 

I removed everything including the metal plates that hold the legs.

The legs are stored in a plastic bag... just in case, I want to turn it back into a stool.

After everything was removed I sanded the whole piece.
Then I used a weathered gray stain and craft paint to give it character.

I also stained the drawer pulls that were on our entertainment center.

I placed the board on chrome drawer pulls to lift it off the table during the staining process.   I was thinking of adding them to the bottom but they were too small.

I used hot glue to adhere the wooden drawer pulls to the bottom of the stool.  I like the rustic charm they add to the chunky board.

The last three letters of my daughter's name spell SEA.  Perfect for summer decorating.
 I love the primary colors of the letters.  It is fun to incorporate them into my decor.

I added a driftwood sailboat that I made using leftover fabric from the dining chair redo.

Chunky Reclaimed wood is all the rage these days.  
Here are two more ideas on how to get the look using a puzzle stool:

I love the look of reclaimed wood used for shelving in a kitchen.
 {Not that this is reclaimed wood}
 I would call it sentimental wood. 
 I think a few of these placed on brackets in a kitchen would look great! 
 {Skip adding the feet to the bottom of course.}

This would also make a really nice cutting board...just skip the staining process
instead, use several layers of mineral oil.


Can you tell this was a puzzle stool in its former life??

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