Make your own Chess Board

I decided to get my husband a Chess board for Christmas. However, everything online was boring and it was difficult to tell which items were of good quality, as I wanted a board we could leave out for decoration. I found some great stuff on Etsy, but a $75 board was not in my budget. I briefly thought about making one but realized I was probably crazy, until I got some outside motivation from a co-worker. So I went to Lowe's and gave it a shot, and guess what it was fun and not super difficult; plus I got to use power tools! : )

Tools I needed:

One board (pick one at least as wide as you want your board) I used a 16 x 36 whiteboard

Saw (if your board isn't the exact size)

Sander

Hammer (for a weathered look)

Wood burning tool

Two colors of stain (a dark one and a lighter one)

Ruler

Pencil

Medium Stain Sponge

Small stain sponge or brush

I also used a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper

This is what I started with



Using the Jigsaw



I measured my piece of wood to be 16 x 16 as I decided this would be a good chess board size and I could do a 12 x 12 playing space. I used the jigsaw to attempt to cut a straight line. I'm not too experienced with the saw and it wasn't too straight of a line but I figured this was perfect because I was intending on creating a weathered/beat up look anyway. I then sanded down any of the edges that were too rough.

Then I beat up the piece of wood. Fun stuff!  I took a hammer and hit it randomly all over even on the edges. I used both sides of the hammer so I had different looks. I also made sure to put deep scratches in the wood and hit down some of the corners.

Next, it was time to create the playing space. A chess board has 64 squares. I decided to make my space 12 x 12 which would have roughly 1.5 inch squares. (This is a little smaller than a tournament board). I measured 1 inch from each side of the board and marked with a pencil. I then used the piece of scrapbook paper and traced around it to make sure I had an exact square. Make sure to double check your measurements. Once you have your square, measure out the 1.5 inch squares and draw them on lightly.

I put more weathering in the wood by putting some burn marks with the wood burning tool.

I then traced the pencil markings with the wood burning tool. All around the board the squares.

Here I had left some of the square undone, make sure to do all of it as it will help with staining and

give a clearer look.

Next I stained the dark squares. Be careful as it may bleed a little into the other squares. The wood burning should help a little to stop the spread. I used a small sponge painting tool and didn't go right up against the square edge. Any bleeding I had seemed to disappear with the top stain.

 

You don't have to wait long for the stain to dry before you do your lighter top stain. Just make sure you do the darker stain on the bottom and the light stain last. I took the lighter stain and applied it over the entire board with a stain sponge. I wiped it off with a cloth right after I applied it to give it a more weathered look. Let the top dry for a bit and then remember to do the back and sides.

After the stain sits for awhile it may soak into the wood more making the color lighter. Keep that in mind if you want dark rich squares as you may need to do a second coat before you do the top stain.

I was able to give my husband a unique, one of a kind Christmas present and find another new hobby. There are so many options in creating a game board like this. I can envision using scrapbook paper and mod podge or making team colored boards. Now I just need to find the unique antiqued chess pieces I want to replace the plastic ones I bought cheap just so we can play.