How To Make a DIY Wood Decorative Riser for Displays
September 03, 2025
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Easy DIY decorative wood riser for countertop or display.
I've seen some really cute decorative wood risers in stores and online over the past year or so. I don't NEED one, but I've always thought they would be a nice little addition around our home.
Problem is, I had particular spot in mind, and could never find one in the size I wanted. I thought it would be cute to prop up our pretty glass containers in the basement bar on a riser:
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The other problem was, I knew I could make my own for so much less (especially for the size I wanted)! This one is 16 inches long, but deeper than I'd need.
I thought I had everything I needed for this project in my DIY stash, but I didn't have scrap wood in the size I needed. That's the only part I had to spend money on!
I picked up a four foot pine board for $10 and then beat it up a bit. :) I didn't get a picture, but you can take out your frustrations on the wood -- I used a hammer and a couple pry bars (in two sizes) to give the clean wood some "character."
I wanted the riser to fit flat against the backsplash, so I didn't add trim all the way around. I used wood glue along the back of the trim to attach it to the pine board.
The decorative trim isn't necessary, but keep in mind the two cut ends of the pine board will be rough. You can also use iron on edge banding to give the edges a clean finish.
If you're making a riser for an island or coffee table, make sure to cover all side of your wood panel similarly.
Once that glue was dry (about an hour or so), I grabbed these wood "feet" I have in my craft stash:
Since they have holes, I used screws to attach them, but you could also use wood glue.
Those are actually 1 1/2 inch toy wheels. :) I also used them underneath our cute DIY pet food tray:
You could also cut small square pieces of wood (or one long scrap along each end of the stand) instead of these feet. Kind of like this decorative riser.
Usually I'd use a pre-conditioner before staining this bare wood, but I knew I'd be doing a paint/stain combo so most imperfections wouldn't be noticeable.
I gave the DIY riser a quick coat of dark walnut stain:
And then let that dry overnight.
The next morning I mixed some black paint (I used regular latex paint in the color Tricorn Black) and mixed it with a bit of water to create a "wash":
I let it sit for a minute or so and then wiped up the excess paint with a damp paper towel. This lets the stain show through a bit.
We have butcher block counters in our basement bar and a honed black tile backsplash, so I wanted to combine both of those finishes on this decorative stand.
For the smoothest finish, it's best to give the wood a very light sanding between each one of these steps. (Before staining, after staining, in between washes of paint.)
It took a couple coats of this watered down paint to get into all of the grooves on the detailed trim.
After letting everything dry thoroughly, I gave the riser a couple light coats of wipe on polyurethane:
And that was it! I let everything dry for an hour or two before handling.
Here's a full list of the supplies I used for this exact project:
- pine wood board measuring 1x6x48 inches
- decorative trim (one eight foot length will be more than enough)
- round wood feet
- wood glue
- dark walnut stain
- polyurethane protective coat
I created exactly what we needed for our space! It took me a couple hours over a day or so to finish up this easy project, and I only spent $10:
This project is so easy to customize to your needs and style! Use more elaborate feet or trim for a farmhouse look, or paint it all glossy black or white for a sleeker version.
We have two sets of these pretty glass containers and they fit perfectly on my DIY stand:
We use these for candy and snacks, but they would be lovely with baking necessities like sugar and flour as well.
I may move the feet out to the corner a bit more, since you don't really see them much:
But overall I LOVE how it turned out! Not bad for $10 and a couple hours of my time. 😊
This is a great beginner project if you leave off the mitered trim on the edges of the wood board. You can have the wood cut the length you need at most hardware stores.
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