DIY Weathered Picket Fence

I love weathered-looking fences. To me, weathered wood exudes that comforting "cottage meets rustic" vibe I can't seem to stop obsessing over. This being the theme of my living room,  I designed and created this piece specifically to be the focal point on my new mantel I just built (Mantel Tutorial Link Here). I absolutely love how it turned out! It is so gratifying to create something & have your vision breathe life into your home. I hope this inspires you to do the same :)

You will need the following materials:

Five - 5/8 in. x 3-1/2 in. x 6 ft Cedar Dog Ear Fence Picket (Link Here)

One - 5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 6 ft Cedar Dog Ear Fence Picket (Link Here)
One - 2"x3"x96" Whitewood Board (Link Here)

Hand or Power Saw
Eyewear Protection
Gloves

Hammer

Wood Stain

Cheese Cloth

White Acrylic Paint

Paint Brush

Sand Paper
Wood Glue

1 1/2 inch Finishing Nails

 I want to mention that this project cost me zero dollars - I used scrap-wood/leftover materials I had accumulated from various DIY projects :) I provided the links below so that you could see specifically what I used.

What you want to do first is cut the tops of your fence pickets to various lengths. These desired-lengths will vary from person to person depending on where you are placing it. I had these 4 leftover fence pieces from the flower box I made at the beginning of Spring (Tutorial Link Here). Since the space between my ceiling and mantel isn't very tall, these were the perfect height.

I wanted to make it wider so I added 3 more sections. I added one - 5/8 in. x 3-1/2 in. x 6 ft piece. 

Then, I took my 5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 6 ft plank and cut it in half.

**Helpful hint: determine the height for your tallest piece and from there, stagger the heights for the remaining pieces.

I loved how the half-pieces just tied the whole look together. It made it look "less neat" and more rustic.

 
 From here, stain with a wood stain of your choice. I used Miniwax Wood Finish Oil-Based Interior Stain in 'Jacobean' (Link Here). Since cedar wood is porous, I used a light hand when staining each piece to avoid over-saturation. Sanding each piece beforehand will also help to avoid this. The wood pieces below the fence pickets will act as the cross bars (top) and the stand (bottom).

 When that has dried, lightly paint these pieces with white paint. I did this by lightly tapping my paint brush into the paint. You don't want to cover up the stain you just applied - you want to compliment it and have the stain peak through in a subtle way that's pleasing to the eye.

You could leave it like this, but to me it was missing dimension, character, and the authentic-nature of a real fence. So I decided to add 2 cross bars.  I placed them at angles to exude more of that "old & weathered" look.

Place the glue as shown, then secure with your finishing nails.

Place atop your mantel and you are done!!