Making Your Own Knobs: Knobs from Marbles or Stones - Versatile, Funand Easy

Making Marble Knobs

An easy and fun way to make your own knobs is by merely finding a marble that fits your project and gluing it to a round base with epoxy glue.

The great thing about using marbles is that there are a wide variety of different colors, sizes and pictures.  Marble knobs can be fun options for children's rooms, these Donald Duck marbles would be a great decorative addition.

Are you a Beatles fan? These could add a unique touch to your desk, kitchen or any variety of furniture. There are thousands of ways to give your house a unique touch demonstrating your preferences, and this is definitely fun and easy.

Note: Remember that any marble with words or an image should be aligned carefully in order to display designs and words in the direction you want. The knobs in the pictures above would actually look upside down to someone using them after they were mounted.

Making Stone Knobs

Making knobs out of different stones can also be an easy and fun way to put your own touch on various facets of home decor.  If you have rounded, lighter stones you can use the same method as with marbles and simply use epoxy glue and adhere the stone to a round base.  If the stone is not rounded you might be able to use a flat base.

[caption id="attachment_173" align="alignright" width="130"] Drilled river stone and a threaded insert.[/caption]

Another option for heavier stones would be to drill a hole. With objects that are not perfectly symmetrical the hole does not have to be perfectly centered and you may want to keep in mind the object's center of gravity.

When you choose to drill a hole, you also have to consider the strength of the drill and the material.  For example, the stones pictured here are too hard to drill holes in with a regular drill bit; in fact for these you would need to use a diamond-tipped drill.  This makes the project much more costly and brings budget into consideration. Other types of stones may be softer and may not require such a heavy duty drill bit.

[caption id="attachment_174" align="alignleft" width="232"] The insert fits right in.[/caption]

If you have decided that you do not want to use a base, then you need to purchase threaded inserts (pictured above and to the left.)  Once you have your inserts, all you need to do is apply epoxy glue inside the hole and insert the threaded insert.  This option means that your stone will be right up against whatever material your mounting it on, and will look very different than if you use a base.

[caption id="attachment_175" align="alignleft" width="333"] The bases come in 5 different finishes and can be purchased at D. Lawless Hardware.[/caption]

There are various finishes and bases you can choose from, and they each will give the finished product a different feel.  If you decide to use a base you will need to purchase a stemmed base and use epoxy glue to adhere the stone to the base.  These can look very professional and appear elegant and rustic simultaneously.