How to Make a Farmhouse Tiered Stand Out of Junk

If you’ve been coveting one of those fancy tiered stands that you see in all the magazines and in stores like HomeGoods, then you’ll enjoy today’s post. I’ll be taking you step-by-step through the process of making your own farmhouse tiered stand.

The key to making them is a special double-ended screw that costs less than 40¢ and can be found at any hardware store. Once you have this piece, making a tiered stand becomes a fairly simple project, made with simple tools and simple parts. 

BTW, if you’re visiting from DIY Idea Center, welcome!! I’m so glad you dropped by. If you’re looking for similar projects, check out this pedestal stand DIY or this one here.

I’m pleased to introduce my country/farmhouse tiered stand, great for decorating or using in your kitchen or craft room for storage. The beauty of this project, for me, is using junky materials that I already had on hand. I’ve made three stands so far and they are very popular in my antique booth.

That said, if you don’t happen to have the perfect pieces of junk on hand, then I’ve found some supplies on Amazon that can serve as good substitutes (see below).

Materials for Creating a Tiered Stand

* This post contains affiliate links for products necessary to complete this project. This is both for your convenience as well as to support this blog, as I receive a small compensation whenever you click on such a link and make any sort of purchase, for which I thank you.

Materials:

• (2) Metal cake pans in graduated sizes
• Stair baluster
• Wooden handle or finial
• (1) 1 1/2″ x 5/32″ Dowel screws (double-headed)
• Pliers
• (4) 1″ wooden doll heads (flat on one side)
• Stain finishing cloth (I haven’t used these cloths yet but they seem simpler than buying a whole can of stain.)
• Weldbond glue
• (1) 1″ screw and washer
• Hammer and nail
• Electric drill

For me, this project all started with these three baking pans that I picked up at a garage sale–three for $1. Their worn gray surface made them great candidates for a farmhouse-style tiered stand. (I only used two for today’s project.)

I recommend scouring garage sales and thrift stores for your own set as the aged appearance is hard to replicate. However, if you do end up buying some new aluminum pans to make your stand, you can try “aging” them by applying toilet cleaner with a paper towel and letting them sit overnight. Rinse thoroughly the next day.

Alternatively, you can buy aging formulas at craft stores, or use black and rust-colored spray paint like I did for this lantern project.

Shortly after I found the vintage cake pans, I picked up this long baluster at the Habitat ReStore for $3.50, thinking it was the perfect size to use between the cake tins.

If you end up buying new, unfinished balusters, you can apply stain to darken their appearance if you choose.

On the left you see the [double-headed] dowel screws you’ll need for this project. You’ll also need a regular screw and washer, along with four round, wooden pulls (or doll heads) that are flat on one side. 

How to Choose the “Right” Handle

I searched through my stash of wooden handles and finials and came up with these two as possibilities.

I rejected this red wooden one as being too small (and ultimately rejected the plain wooden one as too long).

In order to ensure your stand is “balanced,” you have to mix and match until you find the sizes you need. It’s kind of an aha moment when you see that all your pieces work together harmoniously.

I settled on the finial because of its lovely urn shape and because it matched the color of my baluster.

[Note: I cut off the short dowel end of the finial with my miter saw to create a nice, flat surface.]

Step 1: Pierce Holes in the Pans 

Pierce the center of your cake tins with a nail, making sure both your screws will fit through the hole. In photo #3, you see the jaggedy backside of the hole. I flattened it in photo #4 with a few taps of my hammer.

Step 2: Cut the Baluster for Your Tiered Stand

Cut your baluster to the appropriate size for fitting between the two pans. Use a bench grip and hand saw, a manual miter saw, or an electric miter saw (my choice). The correct length for my tiered stand was 4.5″. 

Step 3: Insert the Dowel Screw

Drill a pilot hole into (1) both ends of the baluster and (2) on the bottom of the handle/finial. Insert the dowel screw into one end of the baluster, using pliers if it gets difficult to make the turns.

Step 4: Assemble the Tiered Stand

Insert the other end of the dowel screw into the hole you made in the center of your small cake tin.

Insert the handle/finial onto the screw and turn tightly until the pan is held tightly between the handle and the baluster. Use the screw and washer to attach the larger cake tin to the bottom of the baluster.

I know it can be confusing to imagine how it all fits together, so here’s a diagram, just in case 🙂

Step 5: Attach the Feet to Your Tiered Stand

Stain your round “feet” to match your baluster and finial. After the stain dries, sand the flat sides of the feet and the spot on the bottom of the tin where you plan to glue them.

Use some quality glue meant for wood and metal to attach the feet, following the directions on the package. [I used Weldbond, my favorite.]

The Finished Tiered Stand

And your project is complete!

I noticed two other stands this week, one at  Clockwork Interiors and the other at Knick of Time.  I guess it’s the season for tiered stands.

I enjoyed filling mine with greens and lemons.

I brought it up to my antique booth at the Gristmill Antique Center, priced at $28.00 and it sold very quickly!

Check my Farmhouse Round-up for more great projects!

Thanks for stopping by–
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe today
and get a FREE copy of my eBook:

Bye for now,

I’d love it if you’d pin for later–

Save Save Save Save Save