This post is sponsored by Plaid Crafts, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Since moving into our new house a year ago, I’ve been having such a great time decorating and making this place our own! Some of that has been finding new ways to store things too – and of course cute storage is always a must!
One of the projects I’ve been wanting to do for ages is converting a vintage ladder into shelving! There are so many cute versions of those out there, but I really wanted to make it my own. So I had to add a little floral vintage style! I made this Vintage Floral Mod Podged Ladder Shelving and I’m so happy with how it turned out!
My sis had this fabulous little green ladder she wasn’t using that she found at an antique fair. I think the color looks so great with my floral shelves don’t you?
I used paper napkins and Mod Podge to cover the shelves and they were so easy to do!
It will be so easy to recreate this – it could be done with any ladder! Here’s the simple tutorial”
You’ll need:
- Vintage ladder
- Wood shelving – choose wood that is a little narrower than your step width, and each shelf should be longer than the one above it.
- Floral Napkins – one style for each shelf
- Satin Mod Podge
- Mod Podge Furniture Brush
- Chalk Paint – I used Ceramcoat Chalk
- Sandpaper
This is an easy tutorial you can create with any ladder and all you have to do is choose the size you’d like for each shelf and pick the napkins you like! If you need some ideas for you ladder for inspiration, check out this Pinterest link – there are so many great ideas!
You can do a couple different things with the base coat of your wood. If you want it to have a really rustic look, you can use barnwood or stain the wood ahead of time. I wanted mine to be really light, so I painted all the shelves with a coat of Ceramcoat Chalk paint in White Lace.
For the napkins, I wanted a different print for every shelf. Amazon was a great source for these – they had lots of pretty choices! I even found Liberty print napkins – I was so excited!
The napkins are made up of a printed layer and then one or two plain white layers. Separate out the printed layer from the others.
To apply the napkins I used Satin Mod Podge. You can use any formula, but I wanted my shelves to have a very slight sheen to them to match the paint on the ladder. If you aren’t sure which formula to use for your project, you can check out this handy dandy graphic and PDF! I’ll confess – I didn’t know there were so many different formulas!
There are some great new Mod Podge brushes too – this one is perfect for furniture and made covering these shelves so much faster. The great thing about this is that you can use it to glue down the napkin, seal, and it has a pretty satin finish!
Put down a medium coat of the Mod Podge on the shelf, then lay the napkin carefully over it. Try not to have any wrinkles, but with the thin tissue of the napkin it’s really hard to avoid. That’s ok, they won’t be noticeable once you’re finished.
Place the napkins right next to each other. I don’t recommend you overlapping them like I did – it makes it harder to see the florals.
Cover the entire shelf and the sides. Press out the wrinkles and air bubbles as much as you can.
Once all your shelves are covered, let the Mod Podge dry completely.
Once your shelves are dry, sand them a bit for a more rustic look. Run your sandpaper along the bottom edges of the sides, this will remove any excess napkin. Then sand the top of the shelving lightly.
I found that moving the sandpaper in circular motions faded the napkins but didn’t remove a lot of the paper. It’s ok if some of the napkins come off, that just adds to the charm!
Repeat for all your shelves. Wipe off all the dust, then cover the top and sides with a light coat of the Satin Mod Podge. That will seal everything up and make the shelves more durable.
Once you’re all finished, place the shelves across the steps and rungs of the ladder. If your steps aren’t even on both sides, you can add little wooden pieces to raise one side. Just paint them to match the shelves and you won’t even notice them!
Now you can decorate them up with cute decor, books, or baskets for extra storage! I think this ladder will eventually be in our guest bathroom – I thought it would be so cute for holding extra towels, soaps and other supplies.
The Plaid Creators are all sharing Mod Podge posts this month – make sure you check them all out. They are amazing!!
DIY Serving Tray Set – The Pretty Life Girls
Upcycled Window Makeover – The Cards We Drew
Decoupage Planter – Petticoat Junktion
Thrift Store Tray Makeover – Erin Spain
Princess Dress Nightstand Redo – Made to be a Momma
Babanees Inspired Stool – One Artsy Mama
Vintage Floral Ladder Shelves – Flamingo Toes
Positively Splendid – Mod Podge Chargers
Restoration Hardware Book Set – Cherished Bliss
I’d love to know what you think! Have you ever converted a ladder to shelving?
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Hi Bev,
That is beyond adorable!! Oh and I love your books. We like the same ones :)
I have an old ladder that I display quilts on. I also have one a lot like this and
you just gave me a great idea.
Thanks!
This is really cute! I thought you used fabric at first for the shelves, but the napkins are a great idea! Probably much cheaper and easier to mod podge onto the wood. I’ll have to remember that when I want a vintage look on something! :)
So sweet. Love the paper colors and the whole idea!
Okay this is so cute! How fun that you used napkins!
This is an adorable idea! Such cuteness!
This is so bright and cheery – I love it!! Would love it if you shared on the Pleasures of the NWs DIY linky! http://www.pleasuresofthenw.com/do-it-yourself-linky-party-17/
Hi Bev! This is sooo adorable!! I love the modpodge shelves using napkins!! Would you consider sharing this at our Dishing It & Digging It Link Party? It’s live every Sunday @4pm! We’d love to have some of your creative projects! :)
http://www.thestonybrookhouse.com/2016/08/dishing-it-digging-it-link-party-108.html
This looks great and love how you balance out the shelves. Lovely
Adorable! I love the napkins, they look like vintage sheets! I had a ladder set up as shelves in my first space at the antique mall where I sell and got lots of compliments on it!
Tania
I just love how this project turned out. And using napkins is so brilliant! Thank you for sharing at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party. Have a great week!
What an adorable ladder! Love all the pretty floral napkins.
Thanks for sharing at Happiness Is Homemade,
Bev
Love it. Clever and super cute! Perfect home brightener.
This is really cute and a great idea. I love the soothing colors you’ve chosen. I used Mod-Podge in a project for my garden shed and I think it was easy to work with.
What an adorable idea! I would have never thought to use a ladder for shelving and it turned out beautifully. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
Everything from color to the items you set around on it…perfect!
That is just adorable! I love it.
Book shelves don’t have to look ugly. This ladder shelf is really pretty and simple. It will be great to organize kids’ literature for school assignment resources or novels in our living room. Thank you for sharing at Family Fun Friday!
Darling! And to think we chopped up and burned an old ladder in our fire pit – it just wasn’t safe. Now I wish I hadn’t!!
Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
Oh how pretty! You did a fabulous job on the floral ladder with shelving! I love the color and the floral patterns go perfectly with the ladder color. Just the right pops of color. I wouldn’t of guessed that they were napkins, when I first saw the picture I thought that it was scrapbook paper. I bought some napkins to try on a basket, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I need to get with it after seeing what you’ve done. Thanks for sharing!
This is so super adorable! I immediately thought of an old wood ladder I hate using as a ladder that would be absolutely perfect for this project!
It is charming. I like the bright green with the delicate florals. Very pretty.
I just LOVE this! Would also LOVE if you’d share at Reader Tip Tuesday: http://www.jodiefitz.com/2017/08/15/reader-tip-tuesday-craft-recipe-party/
So hope to see you there xo
Oh that looks so pretty! Thanks for sharing with us at #overthemoon and have a lovely day.
Your shelves turned out perfect, arent napkins perfect!!
Thank you for sharing on Oh My Heartsie Girls WW this week!
Come see us again soon!
This turned out so cute. My daughter recently moved into an apartment. She has decorated it with lots of color and pattern and I think this would be a fun and inexpensive storage piece for her as she could paint and decoupage it to coordinate with her with the rest of her colorful decor. Thanks for the idea.
This is so cute! I love the shade of green for the ladder and the feminine, floral prints of the napkins. It makes such pretty storage — useful and also attractive.
Carol (“Mimi”) from Home with Mimi