Thursday, June 16, 2011

Bottle It: DIY Diffuser Station

You can turn an ordinary block of wood and recycled lotion bottles into an amazing reed diffuser station!

Materials Needed
Pencil
Level
Ruler
Wood Finish (stainer)
Paint Brush
Old Bottles
3x3x36 Poplar Square (wood block)
Drill
Large Drill Bit
Saw
Diffuser Oil
Reeds
Twine
Sander or sand paper
Safety goggles/glasses


Steps
[1]
Gather your old lotion bottles and remove all the labeling from them. You may need to use an adhesive removal solution to aid with this. Wash the containers thoroughly and set them aside to dry for later.

[2]
Go to your local hardware or home improvement store and purchase block of wood (I used a 3x3x36 Popular Square block). You'll cut it to size later, depending on the number of bottles you have. Keep in mind that you can make your station as long or as short as you wish.

[3]
Use your ruler to measure out the length you wish your station to be and mark the cut line on your block. Since I used only 3 bottles, my station is 10" long. Once the cut line is marked, use one of the bottles to trace its circumference on the block. Be sure when tracing that you space them equally. In my case, I made 3 circular tracings on the block. This will be where you drill your slots for the bottles.

[4]
Use a drill with the appropriately-sized drill bit to drill your slots, each 1/2" deep into the block. In my case, I used a 2-1/8" drill bit (see photos).

[5]
Once you've drilled out your slots, use your bottles to test the levelness of the slot depth, positioning the level over the bottles. Drill to level the slots, as necessary.

[6]
Use your saw to cut off the excess block from your station, making your cut at the line you'd previously drawn. Then smooth any ragged or rough surfaces of your block with your sander or sand paper.

[7]
Apply your first coat of stain (I used MinWax Golden Oak 210B) to your block and allow to dry thoroughly (It's good practice to apply at least 3 coats). While your block is drying, you can proceed to Step 8 to begin sprucing up your bottles.

[8]
Wrap several rows of the twine around the neck of each bottle, making it as decorative as you wish. Then fill each bottle with the diffuser oil and place a set of reeds in each.

[9]
Apply the remaining coats of stain to the wood block. Once dry, set your diffuser bottles into the wood block slots and place anywhere in your home. The fragrance will be pure delight!


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