Distressed Bedside Tables

A couple days before you want to start your project, put two steel wool scrubbies (I picked up a pack at The Dollar Tree) into a quart size mason jar and fill with apple cider vinegar. Put the lid on and let it sit. As time goes on, the steel wool will break down and make the vinegar darker. When all of the steel wool is kind of disintegrated at the bottom of the jar, that’s when it’s ready!
Try to pick a nice day to do this, because you’ll definitely want to be outside. The vinegar isn’t toxic or anything, but it’s pretty smelly. Humidity and heat won’t affect the drying time too much (like they would with regular stain or paint), but for general comfort you may want to choose a nice day. It was over 90 when I did mine last weekend, and I was pretty sweaty.
Peel off all labels and stickers from the crates and sand down any areas that are really splintery. Don’t worry if there are some weird areas on your crates, it all adds to the rustic, aged look we’re going for!
Begin painting your crates using the steel wool and vinegar mixture. As you paint, you’ll be able to see the wood start to change colors. Beware of drips as they can stain the wood a little weird.
Don’t worry if you have a little bit of weird, streaky things happening. You’ll end up doing two coats and can always switch to a smaller brush to spot-paint areas that are looking especially rough.
After you’re satisfied with the distressed level of your crates, stack them up on top of each other. You may have to mix and match and rotate based on any mistakes, areas of weird staining, or oddities in the crate construction.
Cut four long pieces of twine, each about 6 feet in length.
Now it’s time to start connecting your crates! Align the crates completely, and begin to wrap the twine around the corner of first rung, being sure to include both crates. I started wrapping at the center of my twine piece and wrapped from both sides. Be sure each wrap is tight.
When you’re down to just a few inches of twine on each side, tie a double knot in the center, on the bottom. Trim the ends and push under the wrapped area to hide them. Wrap the other side of this bedside table, then repeat on the second bedside table.
Then you’re done!