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DIY: A Leather-Detailed Wooden Doorstop

DIY doorstop: a wood door wedge with leather loop, a project by Annabode for Homemade by Carmona

There’s no need to get fancy when it comes to propping open a door, but a wedge of wood is so much nicer than a mood-killing piece of plastic or rubber. Years ago, my mother returned from a trip to London with a traditional English turned oak doorstop made by David Linley, aka “the royal carpenter.” We have used his handiwork daily ever since, so I was delighted to come across its raffish American-made counterpart: a DIY door wedge created by Anna of Annabode & Co. for Home Made by Carmona. May it open doors for you.

Project and photography courtesy of Home Made by Carmona.

DIY doorstop: a wood door wedge with leather loop, a project by Annabode for Home Made by Carmona
Above: The finished doorstop has a painted tip and an easy-to-grab leather tail.

Materials

Materials for DIY doorstop: a wood door wedge with leather loop, a project by Annabode for Home Made by Carmona
Above: Chances are good you already have what you need to make the door wedge.
  • Piece of wood approximately 1.5 inches wide and 6.5 inches long. Use scrap wood or buy a length of wood, such as Home Depot’s Poplar Hobby Board; $5.34 for three feet (enough to make several doorstops).
  • Length of leather, 0.5 inches wide and 5 inches long. Consider cutting up an old belt.
  • Saw. “Use whatever kind of saw you have on hand,” says Anna.
  • Sandpaper
  • Drill
  • Pencil and ruler
  • High-gloss white paint
  • Minwax Polycrylic, a protective finish.
  • Paintbrushes
  • One #6 brass washer. Home Depot sells five-packs of Brass Finishing Washers for $1.18.
  • One #6 brass flathead screw. Home Depot sells four-packs of 6 3/4 inch Phillips Flat-Head Wood Screws for $1.18.

Instructions

Step 1: How to make a DIY wood door wedge
Step 1: Mark a diagonal line across the length of your wood, and saw in half. “If you start with a longer piece of wood, it’s easier to mark the 6.5-inch length and saw the diagonal line,” advises Anna. [aside_posts ids=”601508,757664″]More like this[/aside_posts]
Step 2: How to make a DIY wood door wedge
Step 2: Sand the wood, then mark (and tape off, if you like) the front section and paint white. Treat the rest of the wood with polycrylic , but not the white tip (because the finish will yellow it).
Step 3: How to make a DIY wood door wedge
Step 3: Drill a small hole through the center of the back end—Anna suggests using the other half of the scrap wood as a base. Use the drill to attach a loop of leather secured with the washer and screw.

The Finished Look

DIY doorstop: a wood door wedge with leather loop, a project by Annabode for Home Made by Carmona
Above: Useful, unobtrusive, and nice-looking. For more details, go to Home Made by Carmona.

Keep creating. Here are three more DIY projects perfect for tackling in a weekend:

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