How to DIY a Wooden Riser Display

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Looking for a way to display your decor pieces with more height — or a useful charcuterie board? In this post, I’ll show you how to make these simple wooden risers.

Wooden risers are useful, versatile decor pieces. They come in all shapes and sizes — it’s up to your imagination.

Supplies and tools

A saw (I used a miter saw)
Lumber (I used scrap framing lumber)
Pocket hole jig (I use a Kreg Jig 520PRO)
Drill
Pocket hole screws
Clamp
Wood glue (I used Liquid Nails)
Wood filler (optional — I used DAP Plastic Wood)
Sandpaper, assorted grits (a sander is optional — I used the Ryobi One+ 18V Brushless Multi-Tool)
Measuring tape
Pencil
Eye protection
Latex or nitrile gloves
Cloth or lint-free rags
Synthetic bristle brush
Wood stain (I used Flagstone and Kona by Varathane)
Sealant (I used a clear satin polyurethane by Varathane)

The wood

These are scraps of wood I had lying around from our chicken coop project a few years ago.

I made two wooden risers, and I’m sharing both sets of measurements:

The larger wooden riser: two 2×6 boards cut down to 12″.
The smaller wooden riser: one 2×4 and one 2×6, cut down to 8″.
For the feet, I split a piece of 2×4 in half lengthwise. That gave me two sets of feet at different heights: one set of 2×2 squares and one set of 2×3 pieces. I used the shorter feet on the large riser and the taller feet on the smaller one. If you prefer fancier-looking legs, you can buy legs or pegs instead.
The sandpaper grits I used were 80, 150, and 220. Choose your grit based on the condition of your wood.
Sanding can be done after you attach the pieces, if you prefer.
Next, the pocket holes. I used a Kreg Jig to drill them, along with Kreg pocket hole screws (size 2-1/2″ / 64 mm) — follow the pocket hole screw chart for your wood thickness.
Drill two pocket holes in one of the 12″ 2×6 boards to attach it to the second 12″ 2×6.
For the smaller riser, drill two pocket holes in the 8″ 2×6 to attach it to the 8″ 2×4.
Now drill the boards together.
Attach the feet with Liquid Nails.

I used wood filler to seal the gap between the boards on the smaller riser. This step is completely optional — I didn’t fill the gap on the larger riser, and I like the look of both.

Staining and sealing

This is where I got a little creative.

Using the Varathane stains in Flagstone and Kona, I stained both risers. To keep the knots and edges of the lumber darker, I applied Kona where I saw fit. Once the Kona dried, I went over the entire piece with Flagstone. (Follow the instructions on the can.)

I applied the stain with a lint-free cloth — an old t-shirt works — and wiped off the excess with a second cloth. For a deeper shade, apply a second coat, or as many as your project needs.

The next day, I sealed both risers with clear satin Varathane polyurethane. And that’s it.