DIY Leather Cabinet Pull

Once I’d made the wardrobe in youngest RFWs bedroom I quickly realised that. A. I am so happy with my work. OK, it’s not perfect but come on, it only cost me around £90 to make. Can you imagine the extra noughts that a professional would add to that?? And. B. It looked a little bland from the outside, so much so that youngest RFW asked if we could remove the door again. And that’s the thing about an initial design you have to be flexible in your approach. What works on paper doesn’t always work in practise. Originally we were going to have an open deisgn but youngest RFW didn’t want everything on show and this evolved into a wardrobe. It was a good choice too as it was cheaper to make without the extra scaffolding. Anyhoo, to continue the rooms theme I came up with this DIY leather cabinet pull.

I did look on line for one but mine needed to be quite large to balance the scale of the wardrobe. And once I’d had a good look at what is available on line it quickly became apparent that actually the are very easy to make yourself. Not only that but they’re super quick to make too. Literally so easy that if Buster (our elderly slightly senile Rottweiller) had opposable thumbs I reckon he could make one. Get on with it Rach, I hear you cry. Yes, I know I’m heading off on a tangent so I’ll shut up and get on with it for you.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR YOUR DIY LEATHER CABINET PULL

Leather Belt

Stanley Knife

Cutting Mat

Pen

Metal Ruler

Stanley Knife

Bolt and Nut

Drill with Bit Piece

SIMPLE STEPS TO FOLLOW

First things first cut the buckle off the belt (Mine was from Matalan) using the metal ruler to guide your Stanley knife. And then fold the belt as above to decide on the size that works for you. As I was saying earlier, mine needs to be quite large to balance up with the size of the wardrobe door.

Once you’ve decided on the size of your handle make a mark on what will become the back of the handle about 3 centimetres from the top. And then using your ruler and Stanley knife cut along where you have marker. The next thing to do is measure in 1cm from the end and place a mark centrally on the leather. And then repeat this from at the other end.

Using your Leather Punch on it’s largest setting carefully place it over the mark you just made. And then close the pliers to cut out a hole. Whilst the pliers are closed it helps to give the leather a little wiggle from side to side to ensure the punch goes all the way through. Again, repeat this process with the opposite end. And now fold the handle back back to into it’s finished shape again to work out roughly where your third hole should go. This will vary from handle to handle based on how thick your leather is. Mine is quite chunky so I worked out I needed around a 4cm gap to allow the leather to fold over. So I placed a mark 4cm away from one of the holes I had already made. And then used the leather punch to make another one.

Next, pass your bolt through the holes and it’s all ready to fasten onto your door or cabinet. Finally, decide whereabouts you’d like to place the handle on your door and using a drill bit the correct size for the bolt drill straight through. Pop the bolt through the hole and tighten the bolt onto the thread. And there you have it. A stunning handle for the cost of an old belt that you no longer use. What do you think? Fancy a go yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please do leave me a comment. I so love receiving them. Oh and if you liked this ‘How To’ you might also like my DIY round mirror with leather strap and hanging peg post too.