DIY Modern Wood Napkin Rings

Whip up these simple DIY napkin rings out of wood to finish off your table decor for Thanksgiving or Christmas! So easy to make and cheap!

Ok I went back and forth…mid-century or modern? I feel like these two terms get intermixed too often lately even though they aren’t the same at all.

Whatever the case…these DIY modern wood napkin rings are too cute and SO SIMPLE to make!

We typically host Thanksgiving at our house each year, however, this year we are headed out of town so I don’t get to put together a pretty tablescape. Maybe for Christmas…

Ever since I got my hands on some of the new Hearth and Hand pieces from the Magnolia + Target collab though I knew I wanted to throw together a little tablescape for you and what better addition to the new table decor than a simple DIY napkin ring?

*This post contains a few affiliate links for your convenience. I never recommend anything without loving it 100%. For more info, see my disclosure here. 

What you need to make wood napkin rings:

• 1×1 square trim
• Saw to cut wood
• Wood glue
• Clamp
• Sandpaper or some sort of sanding tool (I used our small belt sander)
• Stain

Please excuse the terrible phone pictures. It was late when I was making this and was clearly not thinking straight enough to grab my camera. Sorry! :)

1 | Cut

Start by cutting your wood trim to size. I cut them about 1.5 inches long with the bandsaw.

2 | Sand

If the edges are a little rough, sand them smooth before gluing.

3 | Glue

Now, add some wood glue to one end of each piece of wood. This wood glue is the best that I’ve ever found.

4 | Clamp

Push all the edges together to create your square as shown. If you have a micro-pinner I might just add a pin in the end of each piece to make it more secure while the glue dries.

Grab your clamps and clamp it down while the glue dries overnight.

5 | Sand

Once it’s dry, sand all the edges again to make it smooth and all sides even.

If you have any large gaps you might want to add some wood filler. Once you stain though, they should be too noticeable so it’s up to you.

6 | Stain

Now it’s time to stain. Be sure your ring is clean and has no dust particles left on it before staining. Give it a quick coat of stain, wipe off the excess, and let it dry. I used this Minwax English Chestnut stain.

And that’s it! I love how simple these are, yet look so good!

If you make these, shoot me a picture or tag me on social media. I’d love to see them!!

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Love this post? Check out more Christmas ideas and crafts here…

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