I don’t have a whole lot of counter space in my kitchen, and what I do have (a big peninsula) always seems to be covered with whatever project I’m working on. I’m trying really hard to keep my house free of my crafting tirades – I really am. I recently posted a blog about how to organize a workspace and I need to reread it. Confession is good for the soul they say. Anyway, this dilemma led me to the idea that I needed to make a stove cover right away. My husband thanks me every day when he has a nice uncluttered space to make his lunch for work.
Finding Your Materials
I’m all about crafting on a budget and buying the wood I needed to make my board (right away!!) wasn’t in my budget. So, as I often do, I searched through my crafting stash. I came up with this ugly frame sort of thing. It is super heavy – not really sure what I was thinking when I bought it. It was originally from Hobby Lobby and I got it for $1, so it was cheap, therefore it was my style.
If you don’t have something like this on hand just head to your local home improvement store – they’ll have everything you need for this project. You’ll also need handles for your noodle board aka stove cover. I used gate handles because I wanted a more rustic look. I’m sure you’ll find something you like at your local hardware store or your favorite craft store.
Measure your stove from front to back and side to side including the trim. Buy enough wood to cover the area. One by six-inch boards is a good size to go with for this project because they aren’t terribly thick. You’ll also need a 1”x4” board for the straps on either side where your handles will be attached. If you know the measurements when you purchase your wood, having it cut at the store may be an option for you. If you have the equipment to cut it at home be sure to wear your safety gear. I used wood glue and a brad nailer to assemble this project.
Below is a video of one of my favorite YouTubers making this very thing. I watch Sammie pretty often and we must be in sync because we were, unbeknownst to each other, working on our stove covers at the same time. You’ll see that they are very similar.
How I Put Mine Together
This idea had been percolating in my head for a while. I love the farmhouse style and my home reflects that, but we’re not farmers. I’ve resisted the usage of most things that contain the word “farmhouse” because it just seems so unfair to my farming friends. They have real farmhouses and they work hard! I saw this saying on Pinterest and I thought it applied perfectly.
I had those three pesky frame cutouts to deal with on my pre-made stove cover. I removed the glass and pried them off with a putty knife. I needed something to cover them with, so I searched through my stash and came up with these small wood squares from The Dollar Tree. I liked the idea of adding pictures to my dictionary-ish sign because pictures often accompany words in a dictionary. Pretty clever, I thought. I found these images in a google search and they were perfect when I cropped them to fit in these squares. I made a stencil for these in the Cricut program. I love that you can see exactly what your finished product will look like when you customize your measurements.
I attached the wood squares over the holes with wood glue and let them dry. I wanted to frame my cover to make it more finished and to give it something to attach handles to. I took measurements and cut down a 1”x2” board to frame my piece then I stained the pieces with a walnut gel stain.
I just cut them straight and butted them together to assemble my frame. I usually like to miter my corners, but again I wanted a more rustic theme. After my stain had dried, I gave my boards a coat of gray Barnwood wax. This gives the wood a great aged look and it’s a good finishing product. I also wanted to cover the front of my stove, so I used a 1”x3” board and cut it to fit across the board like an apron. I gave it the same paint treatment as my frame.
Now I’m ready to paint the board itself and I use Waverly chalk paint in Ivory. Chalk paint dries pretty fast and while it dried, I worked on my stencil for the words I wanted on my sign. I chose a couple of fonts I thought went well together. Choosing fonts that coordinate can be tricky, so here’s an article that might help. I used Oracle stencil vinyl and I had to make two stencils to cover the area. When I had my stencils all weeded and ready to transfer, I measured my area and applied them using transfer tape. I use clear contact paper from The Dollar Tree and it works just fine. When I’m stenciling fine letters like this I use a paint pen because it’s less messy than paint and it saves me a little time. After my paint was dried I peeled up the stencil vinyl and since I like the rustic look I took my sanding sponge and distressed the whole sign face. It didn’t bother me that I was distressing the letters too. I stenciled the animal silhouettes on my little boards the same way and distressed them too.
The next step was to add the gate handles. I drilled small pilot holes before I screwed them into my wood. You’ll always want to include this step if you’re screwing into wood, so it doesn’t split. After my project was all put together, I applied several coats of polyacrylic letting it dry for an hour between coats.
My stove cover was completed for under $12 with the gate handles being the most expensive part of my project.
If you’re like me and you need to create more counter space in your kitchen, make a stove cover. Until next time – happy crafting!
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