Lantern Lamp Post with a message for visitors

This IKEA hack came about when I was trying to stop our friends at Amazon from ringing the doorbell during the busy holiday season (we have a 10-month-old and a jumpy labrador).

Then I remembered that I had this old $10 BORRBY lantern sitting in my basement. A lantern lamp post idea was born.

This hack is a great way to spruce up your front porch and use up scrap wood lying around in the garage!

I added a chalkboard sign that reads, “Dear Santa’s Elves, Please do not knock or ring doorbell. Love, The Devines.”

It worked well — so well, in fact, that I refused to take it down now that the holiday season is over.

IKEA items used:

BORRBY Lantern, $9.99.

Materials:

3/4″ plywood cut to approximately 16 x 16″
Bead board cut to 13 x 13″ (feel free to use more 3/4″ plywood instead)
3/8″ ogee trim (used between base levels)
Chair rail trim (used around the perimeter right below the lantern)
Glass bead molding (used between the base and the 4×4 post)
Untreated 4×4 fence post cut to 50″
(4) 3″ wood screws
(4) 1″ screws· (4) 1×8 boards
(8) lattice strips (OR 1/4″ plywood ripped to 1.5″)
Caulk
1 1/4″ brad nails
Wood glue
Wood filler
Exterior latex paint (I used a charcoal color in a matte finish)
Paint brush
(1) battery powered tapered candle
(1) dowel rod (1″)
(2) headless interior dowel screws
(2) wood finials
Chalkboard sign
Chalkboard decor: chalk marker, tracing paper, graphite tracing paper
Optional lamp post decor: garland, cardinal, string lights, etc.

Here’s how to make your very own porch lantern lamp post

Start by cutting the base of your post.

Using a table saw, cut your 3/4″ plywood to 16 x16″. Then cut your beadboard or second layer of plywood to 13 x 13″. Glue together with wood glue and secure with nails. Then I added some leftover ogee between the two layers.

Turn your base over and mark the centermost point. Then, pre-drill four holes up through the base.

Using a miter saw, I cut my 4×4 fence post to 50″. Then I screwed it into the base with 3″ screws using my pre-drilled holes as a guide. Make sure your post is level before you start adding trim! Sadly, I did make this mistake, but was able to add a shim underneath the base to even things up.

Adding trim

Now for my favorite part: adding trim!

This is when things start to get fancy. I took four 1×8 boards and ripped two of them to 5″ and two of them to 3.5″. Cut them to the height of your post with your miter saw. Wrap these around your 4×4 post and secure with wood glue + brad nails.

I took lattice strips and attached them to my post in a grid formation. Once the lattice was in place, I added inside corner molding where the post meets the base. Then I added a small perimeter of chair rail trim along the top.

Cut a small square of scrap wood to cover the top of your post. Use a 1″ forstner bit to drill a hole on either side of your post. Drill to a depth of about 1.5″. Then, cut two dowel rods to 4″. Add finials to the ends of your dowel rods using headless interior dowel screws. Insert dowels into your drilled holes after coating the tips with wood glue.

Fill and caulk

Fill in allll your nail holes with wood filler. Caulk seams between your trim. Sand everything very well for a smooth finish. Give the post 2 solid coats of paint.

Once your paint has dried on your lamp post, pre-drill four holes in the base of your IKEA lantern (one at each corner). Secure to the base of your post with four metal screws about 1″ in length. I also drilled a small hole on the top of the lantern and inserted an old hardware knob.