Farmhouse Book Stack DIY



Since the Spring I’ve been seeing farmhouse style book stacks all over Instagram. I think they’re so cute and they would be the perfect addition to our tv console in our living room. I couldn’t find any under $20 for a set of 3, and most were $25+ dollars, plus shipping, but that didn't matter because I thought 'Oh I can DIY that!'.  Spoiler alert- I never did. 

Back in June Amber at Wife on a Dime posted a brief Farmhouse Book Stack DIY.  Her post confirmed my 'I can DIY that!' thought I had in the Spring and also gave some helpful tips.  The day after seeing Amber's post I started the project.  Of course, no projects are ever as easy to actually do as they are in your head and I learned a couple things while completing this project that I want to share with you!

1. Buy paperback books from the Dollar Tree!  Each of the books you see pictured cost $1, making the total cost for the books $3.  The first time I attempted this project I bought three hard cover books from Goodwill.  It cost me $4, but the cost wasn't the issue, white washing the books was.  {I'll talk more about white washing in a second.}  I started out using hardback books because I like the way they look, or so I thought.  When I white washed my books I realized my paint wasn't going to cover where the title and the author's last name was 'carved' into the spine.  No matter how many coats of white wash I did you could still see the title of the books and the last names of the authors.  It looked awful.  That's when I decided to use paperback books and they worked like a charm!  
2. White wash your books using the following steps: 
1. Use a foam brush to paint two to three coats of white paint on the spine and front cover of your books.  This is called white washing.  
2. Using a paint color of your choice {I chose heather gray.} and a regular paint brush, paint two coats of paint on the spine and front cover of your books.  
3. Using your foam brush, paint one coat of white paint on the spine and front cover of your books.  
3. Stamping for me was a learning process too and thankfully I was smart enough to practice on the hardback books I bought.  I used a set of stamps I got on clearance at Michaels and black ink.  I stamped each stamp on the ink pad, used a baby wipe and paper towel to clean off the excess ink, and then stamped the stamp on the spine of the books. 

Easy peasy!  At least the second time around! ;)

I allowed the stamps to dry overnight and then set the ink with Modge Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer {I like the matte finish better than the glossy finish.}, stacked them, and tied twine around them.     

I hope you found these tips helpful.  If you create your own farmhouse book stack send me a picture!  I'd love to see your work!  If you're not feeling up to a DIY project, but still want a set of farmhouse books message me!  I'd love to create a set for you!

***Please note that none of the links in this blog post are affiliate links.  When I'm working on projects I find it helpful to see the exact products that were used.  The links provided in this blog post are just for that purpose.