The DIY That Turns Ugly Basement Support Poles Into A Trendy Accent Feature

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Having a basement in your home is a huge advantage — it provides easy access to utilities, additional storage, and often serves as a second living room. Whether your basement is fully finished or not, one thing all basement owners can agree on is that basement support poles aren't the nicest to look at. Despite their unsightly nature, these support poles are an integral, load-bearing piece of your home's foundation. That said, just because you can't remove them doesn't mean you can't cover them up. With just a few tools and a little wood, you can create a box covering for these poles that will completely transform your basement aesthetic.

This DIY project adds style to your basement support poles in just a few steps and opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to customization options. To get started, you will need four wood planks per pole, clamps, a saw, wood glue, nails, wood filler, and roughly eight small pieces of wood per pole to serve as spacers inside the box. Once you've gathered your supplies, you're one step closer to making your basement more livable.

Begin by measuring the height of your support poles, then cut the wood planks to size. It's possible that your poles measure at different sizes, so keep that in mind while you measure. Next, use a combination of wood glue and nails to attach three of your planks together in a box shape. Then, take your smaller wood pieces (just a few inches in size) and attach them to the inner top and bottom of your wooden box to help prevent the box from shifting too much when it's around the pole. Now it's time to place your wooden structure around your first pole. Once it's in position, you can use Gorilla Ultimate Waterproof Wood Glue and nails to attach the front piece of the box. At this point, it's a good idea to secure the structure with clamps to hold it in place while the wood glue dries. Finally, apply wood filler to close gaps and sand any rough edges with sanding paper.

If you like the raw wood look, you can stop here. However, these boxes look wonderful when painted or stained to match the current aesthetic of your basement. To customize further, you can attach trim to the top and bottom of the box or add additional wood pieces to the outer sides to create a board and batten look. Cat owners might also consider wrapping the beam in rope or this YEXEXINM Cat Scratching Post Carpet to make a giant scratching post for your furry friends — essentially creating a pet space that the whole family will love. Other options include installing tiny floating shelves on the beam or hanging personal photos from it.