How To DIY Farmhouse Corbels

These corbels add the perfect detail to our Faux Wood Beam Mantel.  We love the way these came out!

DIY Farmhouse Corbels

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Today I'm going to show you....

How To DIY Farmhouse Corbels

How To DIY Farmhouse Corbels

A couple of months ago when we built our mantel and I wanted to add corbels underneath.

Hubby and I looked on Pinterest for inspiration.  Once we figured out what we liked and didn't like, Hubby went to work drawing out a pattern.  Our corbels measure 7 inches x 11 inches.

Drawing corbel pattern

Then I traced that pattern 4 times onto a 1x8 board and 2 times on a 2x10 board.  There are 3 parts to each of our corbels.  The two outer pieces (1x8) and the larger inner piece (2x10).

Labeling corbel pieces

I used a bandsaw to cut out the corbels.  You really need some sort of small saw like that in order to get all the curves.

To help getting in and around the curves, I drilled holes at certain points along the design. That made it much easier for the blade to turn.

Drill holes for cutting corbels

Cutting the 1x8 board was a thousand times easier than cutting the 2x10 board.  The thickness of the board was a challenge...

Cutting Corbel

They didn't come very smooth, but that's alright, I wasn't looking for perfection. 👍  I slathered on some wood filler, waited for it to dry, then sanded it down.

2x10 board corbel cut outs

Here below, I'm marking the center piece with a carpenter square tool.

There is another important thing to consider... I chose to offset the center piece, so that it gave the corbel dimension.  You'll need to decide whether you want them all even in front or to offset them, like I did, before you cut your center piece.

I purposely allowed at least an inch in my width and about ½ inch in length to be able to cut the center piece down to fit.  That allowed room to make sure the corbels could be cut to square.  When I attach them to the wall, I want them to be snug without any gaps.

Checking for squareness

Once the corbels were square, it was time to move on to staining.  I wanted them to look rough and old.  Most of this wood was scrap that had been banged up a bit, which worked out perfect.

I chose Minwax Provincial to stain them.  I didn't bother with Pre-Stain, since I was going to paint over the stain.
Staining corbels

All stained and ready for paint!

Stained Corbel pieces

Whoops!  I did't show the painting process... It really isn't that big of a deal.  I used some DIY Chalkpaint that I had on hand.  This chalk paint recipe is super easy to make!

After the paint dried, I took some sandpaper and sanded down the edges and roughed them up a bit.

Antiquing Wax on corbel pieces

Now, let's talk about this Valspar Antiquing Wax.

Antiquing Wax for corbels

I had never used this antique waxing product before, and its quite versatile.  In the photo above, the one on right has the wax just brushed on.  For the one on the left, I brushed some on and then wiped it off.  You can get different looks depending on how heavily you apply the wax.

For this project, we chose to go a bit lighter.  I brushed a bit on then wiped it off.

wiping off antiquing wax on corbels

Next, it was time to put these corbels together.... Glue, clamp, and nail.
Glue, clamp, nail corbels together
You might have seen the little pieces that I custom cut in the 'staining photo'.  This is where they got attached.

Custom cut piece for corbel

These corbels add so much character to the mantel and fireplace.❤️

Mantel with corbels


Corbel front view


Mantel with corbels full view

Here's one to pin for later!

How To DIY Farmhouse Corbels

Blessings!

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