Mark's DIY Wooden Tealight Holder

• 2x4, 4x4, or 3x3 piece of wood
• Tealights (votives)
• Pencil
• Sanding sponge
• Safety goggles
• Blue painter's tape
• Polyurethane for coating
• Drill with 1½ paddle bit or drill press with 1½ paddle bit

Steps:

1. Purchase a 2x2, 2x4, or 3x3 piece of wood at the hardware store or lumber yard. You can also use scrap wood or reclaimed wood if you'd like to go with a more rustic look. Make sure the wood is at least double the thickness of your tealight votive. (Votives are usually ½ inch tall and 1.5 inches in diameter.) NOTE: I recommend the votives that come in the little tin holder or the heat-resistant plastic holder. That way, you don't have to scrape melted candle wax out of the wood when it comes time to replace the tealight.
2. Trim your piece of wood to desired length.
3. Sand your wood so it's smooth and sleek (modern look).
4. Mark where you will place your votives on the wood and measure the distance between each votive so they are evenly distributed (modern look).
5. In pencil, outline the votive circle onto the wood where you created your center mark for the votives.
6. Use a drill press with a 1½ inch paddle bit to create the hole for the tealight. You can also use a hand drill with a 1½ inch paddle bit. So all holes are the same depth, wrap a piece of painter's tape around the paddle bit so you know when to stop drilling. (The tape should cover the surface area from the top of the paddle to the edge that meets the indentation for the pointy part of the bit.)
7. Drill out the holes.
8. For a modern look, simply add a polyurethane coating or paint and finish your wood piece to any desired look. Let dry.
9. Insert votives!

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