How to Make a Simple DIY Vase Using Wooden Rings

By
Lauren Phillips
Lauren Phillips, Editor at The Spruce
Lauren Phillips

Lauren Phillips is a former editor for The Spruce and has been writing and editing lifestyle and home content for more than five years. She oversaw home improvement, cleaning, and organizing content for The Spruce.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 07/21/22
Project Overview
  • Working Time: 20 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 - 2 hrs
  • Yield: 1 stacking ring wooden vase
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $20 to $30

While there’s plenty to be said for picking up a great vase at the store, sometimes that just-right vase you’ve been searching for just can’t be found. Enter a DIY vase: With a little effort, you can create the decorative detail you’ve been searching for to complete your bookshelf or side table styling.

Wooden rings forming DIY vases folding dry flowers on thin stems

The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

In our One Thing at Home video series, the senior social media editor at The Spruce, Emma Glubiak, shows us how to use simple wooden rings—like you can find at any craft store—to create on-trend geometric vases. By stacking rings of various sizes, you can create casual mod vases that are bursting with personality and potential.

The key to success in this project is to find the right wooden rings. You can paint your rings if you have a colorful vision for your DIY vases, or you can carefully select wooden rings of various hues and stains for an all-natural look. If you do paint your rings, go with playful colors: The stacked shape of these DIY wooden vases is fun and light-hearted, so you’ll want to pick a shade that furthers that feeling.

Make sure your rings aren’t too small so you have some flexibility in what you can arrange inside your vase. The wider the rings, the more options you have, though you could always make both large and small vases for a more dynamic final arrangement.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • Heat-proof gloves
  • Paint brush (optional)

Materials

  • Leather, cardstock, or faux leather sheet
  • Wooden rings of various sizes
  • Paint (optional)

Instructions

Materials and tools to make DIY wooden ring vases

The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

  1. Paint Rings (Optional)

    If you’d like your vase(s) to be colorful, paint the rings before you begin building each vase. While you can paint them after the vases are built, painting the rings before they’re attached to each other allows you to get more coverage for a more uniform look.

    Leave the rings as-is for a minimalist, natural look, paint each ring the same color for a bold pop of color, or paint the rings different colors and mix and match them for rainbow vases for a more boho-style look.

    Allow the paint to dry completely before continuing.

    Wooden rings covered with white paint over wooden surface

    The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

  2. Cut Sheet to Size

    Place your first wooden ring on a sheet of leather, cardstock, or faux leather. This will be the base of your vase.

    Cut around the ring so the leather is the same size as the ring. Err on the side of the leather being slightly smaller than the exterior of the ring: As long as the leather covers the entire center opening of the ring, it will work.

    White cardstock cut around painted wooden ring with scissors

    The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

  3. Glue Cut-out to Ring

    Use the glue gun to attach the cut-out circle to the bottom of the ring. Allow the glue to dry completely before continuing.

    Warning

    Take care while handling the hot glue gun: Avoid touching the hot glue, and never leave a plugged-in glue gun unattended.

    Cut cardstock glued on top of wooden ring with glue gun to the side

    The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

  4. Stack Rings

    Stack the rings, gluing between each layer to attach the rings to those above and below them, until your vase reaches your desired height. Take care to line up the open centers in the middle of each ring to ensure your vase has a neat body and a straight exterior.

    Be careful handling the already-glued rings as you stack more on top. If the rings are moving a lot before the glue is dry, you may want to take the time to allow the glue to dry between each layer before adding a new ring. The glue will also be hot: Wear heat-proof gloves while handling the vase while the glue is drying, or allow the glue to dry between each ring.

    Depending on your desired look and the sizes of your wooden rings, you can create pyramid-shaped vases, tall cylindrical ones, or vases with curved shapes

    Wooden rings stacked and sealed together with hot glue gun

    The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

  5. Add Last Ring

    Take a small final ring and glue it at the top of the vase to give it a slightly tapered look. Make sure your small ring is still larger than the vase’s opening, so it doesn’t fall through the larger rings.

    Small wooden ring next to stacked vase to be added with glue gun

    The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

Once the glue has dried, you’re free to use and style your DIY wooden vases however you like. Fill them with waterless floral arrangements or dried florals (or anything else you like) and arrange them somewhere you can show off your handiwork.

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