Vintage DIY Wooden Beer Caddy Plans

This Vintage DIY Beer Caddy makes a great gift for your favorite beer lover or a great addition to your home brewery.

If you’re looking for DIY Beer Caddy Plans, I’ve got a great one for you. And the vintage paint job gives it a unique look your friends will be asking about. There are quite a few wooden beer caddy plans out there. To give mine a unique look, it was all about the paint job. The two-tone base and distressing give this wooden beer caddy a real vintage look. And it was so easy to do. Check out the video to see for yourself.

So, my husband asked me to make a beer caddy for him a few months ago. But with a long to-do list of projects around here, it was put on the back burner. His birthday was the motivation I needed to get that beer caddy done. And I’m so glad I could do it. He doesn’t ask for much and you know how hard it is to find presents for a man. Especially, a man that doesn’t play golf. 😉

But he does enjoy making his own home brew from time to time. And he’s English, so beer is practically a cultural symbol. When he does a home brew he always takes some samples to his friends to try. Usually he has to use a container from a store-bought 6-pack to carry his bottles around. This DIY Beer Caddy gives him a custom carrier to go with his custom brew.

You could customize yours a million ways. If you do, I’d love to see it. Tag me on Facebook or Instagram to show off your awesome caddy!

Some links on this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. 

My husband loves his birthday gift.

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Cost to Make the Vintage DIY Beer Caddy

With less than $10 in wood, you can make your own. If you’d like to give these as gifts, you can easily make 3 of these for just $16 from 1 – 8′ length of whiteboard (or similar) in 1″x6″ & 1″x4″ sizes. And a 4′ long 3/4 dowel from your local big box store.

Pieces cut and sanded. Ready for assembly.

Materials for the Vintage DIY Beer Caddy

• 1 – 7 1/2″ long 1″ x 6″ board (bottom)
• 2 – 9″ long 1″ x 6″ boards (high sides with handle)
• 2 – 9 1/2″ long 1″ x 4″ boards (sides)
• 1 – 10″ long 3/4″ Wood Dowel (handle)
• Apple Barrel Cobalt Hue Acrylic
• A cream latex paint (I used Behr’s Arid Landscape) mixed into a chalk paint (see my easy chalk paint recipe here)
• Minwax’s Special Walnut Stain
• A Matte Polyurethane, like my favorite polyurethane
• Vaseline Jelly

Grab that brad nailer and wood glue to assemble.

Tools to Make the Vintage DIY Beer Caddy

• 3/4″ Spade Drill Bit & Drill
• Miter Saw OR whichever saw you have
• Wood Glue
• 1 1/4″ Brad Nails and Brad Nailer OR #6 1 1/4″ screws can be used (be sure to pre-drill the holes to prevent wood splitting)

Stain dry, ready to apply the Cobalt Hue acrylic.

Directions to Make the Vintage DIY Beer Caddy

1. Make your cuts using the measurements above.
2. Drill a hole with the 3/4″ bit for the handle in each high side. Center the hole 1″ down from the top of the wood.
3. Make angle cuts on the high sides with a Miter Saw.
   1. Mark 2 inches in from each edge at the top of the board.
   2. Set your Miter Saw to 22.5 degrees.
   3. Cut the high sides using the marks as your guide.
4. If you didn’t have a Miter Saw for step 2, then follow these steps.
   1. Mark 2 inches in from each edge at the top of the board.
   2. Mark down 5 inches from that same top corner.
   3. Draw a line between the 2 points to get your cut angle.
   4. Cut the high sides using that mark as your guide.
5. Sand the pieces with a fine grit, like 120. This’ll prepare the wood for stain, remove oils and dirt, and smooth out any rough spots.
6. See assembly video below for a quick look at how I did it.
7. Note: If you use screws instead of brad nails. Pre-drill your holes before assembly.
8. Insert the handle into both side pieces. Make sure they are 7 1/2″ apart and an even amount of the handle is sticking out on either side. Glue the handle in place by pushing the side pieces aside a bit. Check your spacing again. I had one hole a little looser (sanded it a bit too much) than the other so the side kept slipping out of place. I had to grab that ruler a few times before I had everything nailed in place. Oops, but worked out perfectly once the other pieces were nailed.
9. Use the 7 1/2″ long 1″ x 6″ piece as a base. Apply glue to the short sides of the base, then place the high sides with the handles in place.
10. Make sure everything is perfectly lined up. Then use your brad nailer OR screws in 3 places along each side.
11. Double-check that handle alignment again, before attaching the longer side pieces.
12. Make sure the sides are lined up and square with the bottom of your angle cut. Now you can attach the final side pieces using the same glue and nail method you used for the side. I would use 2 nails (or screws) on each end, near the corners.
13. Wipe away any excess glue with a slightly damp cloth. Glue left on wood will change the stain at those spots. Not pretty.
14. Let the glue dry per instructions on the products.
15. Sand any glue off and wipe off dust again before applying your stain or paint.

Close up of the paint detail. The caddy is on my DIY Backyard Bench.

Decorate the Vintage DIY Beer Caddy

1. Watch the paint finish video to get a better idea of how I did it.
2. Apply 1 coat of the Special Walnut Stain. If you only want to stain your wood, then start with a wood conditioner to get the best stain result. Follow the directions on your products.
3. After that dries, apply the Cobalt Hue to the long sides and handle.
4. After that dries, apply Vaseline to all edges, corners, and any spots you want to show distressing.
5. Apply your chalk paint over the whole Beer Caddy. Let dry, then apply a second coat, if needed.
6. Once that dries, grab a 220 grit sanding block or sandpaper. Sand down all edges and spots to get the look you like.
7. Finish by removing dust with a slightly damp cloth, then apply 2 coats of polyurethane. Follow the directions on your Poly. This piece is part of my Secret Weapon to Perfect Distressing Tutorial too!

Don’t forget to Pin Me.

Bonus: I have 6 Free Printable Beer Label designs available too. Yea! Just download, print, cut and stick.

How about another easy DIY that makes great gifts? Try this 5 Mason Jar Planter Box. It uses those fabulous LED mini lights to give the planter some extra charm. It looks beautiful on our dining room table, but would make fantastic wedding centerpieces. And the DIY box with jars and lights is still less than $15. Yea!

The mini lights are such a pretty touch.

Feeling inspired? Now that you’ve got these wooden beer caddy plans, get out there and build your own. Follow the links above to get the things you’ll need. Have fun and let me know if you have questions. Or post pictures of your work and tag Abbotts At Home on FB, I’d love to see it!