diy vintage soda pop crate

DIY vintage soda crate

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I love the old school soda crates, you know, the wooden ones with the retro logos?
But holy torpedoes batman, they can be hard to find and when you do find them, ouch; they’re usually pretty pricey. The hubby and I decided to try and make our own and spend  $0. Overall, we’re pretty pleased with how it turned out, but when we make our next ones (oh yes, there will be more!), we have some thoughts on improvements. Take a look!
 
 
For this project we used  pallet wood we already had (you know, left over from a wall and some bookshelves), essentially the size of the wood is the equivalent of a 1 x 4″. The sides and the bottoms are 17 inches, and the shorter sides are 11 inches. This size fit 24 bottles pretty well.
 
 
Once I sanded (with 60 grit sandpaper) and cleaned everything really well, Mike got to work putting it together for me. Construction of the crate frame is pretty straight forward, and you don’t need any fancy tools. Mike used a table saw to make the cuts, but you could easily cut the boards by hand. The shorter sides are inset into the longer sides and nailed into place with two nails. Screws probably would have been sturdier, but I wanted a more vintage look. Then the bottom boards get nailed on and that’s it! 
 
 
Now you’re ready for the paint or stain. For some ideas, just Google “vintage soda crates”, “wood soda crates”, “vintage coca cola crates”… you get the idea. ðŸ™‚ I painted a coat of red, then went over it with watered down black paint and a dry brush effect to help it look vintage. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect, there were a few spots that I missed but it just added to the aged look. 

 

 
Once my paint was dry, it was time to turn to Cami for assistance. I downloaded a free font called “Coca-Cola“. Do not be fooled by imitations, such as “Loki Cola’ or “Coca Cola ii”! I almost was, but then I realized that the first “C” didn’t swoop under like it does in the real logo. The font I downloaded doesn’t have each letter of the alphabet, instead it just has different Coca Cola logos when you type a letter. So, for example,  you type in the letter “C” and the whole Coca-Cola logo pops up. Type in the “w” and that’s the wavy line in the logo. The “Enjoy” and “Trademark” are a font called Euphemia.
 
Once I had it painted with some white craft paint and it had sufficient time to dry, I distressed it with sandpaper, making sure to rough some areas up more than others. I think the logo turned out awesome! what do you think?
 
I applied some matte acrylic sealer, and after drying overnight it was all done! Ready to serve up 24 bottles of soda for a thirsty crowd.
 
Or just one thirsty birthday boy friend of Mike’s who loves Coke Zero and is always willing to share. 🙂 We replaced two of the bottles with vintage style Coke glasses and filled them with red straws and Reese’s (which said birthday-boy’s wife informed me he liked) to complete the gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We LOVE the way this vintage soda pop crate turned out and I’m already trying to decide what other soda brands I want to make next!

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17 Responses to diy vintage soda pop crate

  1. Daneece July 7, 2014 at 7:59 pm #

    What a great idea! Looks so vintage.

  2. J Young July 7, 2014 at 10:24 pm #

    Aww, thanks Daneece!

  3. Mila Myk July 8, 2014 at 9:27 am #

    What a great idea! Love everything wooden and vintage 🙂

    xx
    Mila
    milawayable@gmail.com

  4. Stacy Harper July 8, 2014 at 10:03 am #

    Very cool… I have a vintage Pepsi one found at my husband's family farm but I am a Coke girl. Thanks for the font tips!

    Stacy
    http://www.anygirlcandoit.com

  5. Amanda Corbet July 8, 2014 at 11:26 pm #

    Oh my gosh this is amazing! Thank you so much for this fabulous tutorial! You did such a great job! We would love it if you would join us at our link party! http://www.kraftingkreations.com/2014/07/awesome-things-tuesday-link-party_8.html

  6. Kelly Rowe July 9, 2014 at 3:06 pm #

    LOVE THIS!! Shared on twitter 🙂

  7. J Young July 9, 2014 at 5:46 pm #

    You just FOUND one?! Lucky! It cracks me up how much these things cost!

  8. J Young July 9, 2014 at 5:47 pm #

    Thanks for sharing Kelly!

  9. Kimberly Lewis July 14, 2014 at 4:03 pm #

    You did an amazing job! Love it! Thanks again for being a part of our party. I hope you make it a habit. See you tonight. Lou Lou Girls

  10. J Young July 16, 2014 at 5:02 pm #

    Thanks so much! Love the party!

  11. Candace Celmer September 23, 2014 at 6:38 pm #

    yes. yes. yes! I love this!

  12. Ashley @ Hello nature September 23, 2014 at 7:04 pm #

    How cool! Pinned this so I can make it later 🙂

  13. Chloe Logan September 23, 2014 at 8:22 pm #

    That is so cute and fun! Perfect for bringing beers to a party, too!

    Chloe | Wanderlust in the Midwest

  14. theaccidentalmama.com September 24, 2014 at 2:36 pm #

    This is such a cool idea! Especially for a themed party or backyard decor!
    xoxo
    The Accidental Mama
    http://theaccidentalmama.com

  15. Jennifer Corter September 24, 2014 at 8:16 pm #

    I love, love, love this! How creative! I really want to do this now! It looks like a lot of fun to make, too!

  16. Holly Housewife July 11, 2015 at 10:09 pm #

    AMAZING!
    So adorable!
    I want a coca cola crate!

  17. Justine Y @ Little Dove Creations July 14, 2015 at 8:36 pm #

    I know, I keep thinking I need to make one for myself! 🙂

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