From Entertainment to Booze Containment

A phrase that Scott hears all the time around this house.

"I found this on the side of the road".

Sometimes it's little things and sometimes it doesn't work out. This was not one of those times.

This time turned into one of our coolest furniture pieces ever, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

About a month ago, Beth and I were driving back from one of our many shopping adventures when we saw an old TV carcass on the side of the road. We both saw it and while the words, "Did you see that?" left her mouth, I was already pulling a U-turn. Five minutes later, it was loaded into the car.

"Scott is going to kill me".

When we first picked it up, I didn't really have an immediate use for it. I thought it might be a pretty cool microwave stand with storage in the interior portion, but we wouldn't know until we got it home and took a good look at it. Once we had it out of the car, I began to doubt my original intention.

I decided that the only way to know would be to try it out. I gave it a "dry run". Anything would work better than the collapsible plastic table we've been using since we moved in two years ago.

Blingy.

I gave it a try.

Not quite. It wasn't wide enough for the wall and it seemed like it was awkwardly floating in the space.

This also happened to be the weekend that my parents came into town with the mantel, so we thought it over and decided that it would be much cooler as a retro TV bar instead. We would switch it out with the old bourbon bar and put the old one into the kitchen to hold the microwave and toaster oven. The end result for the TV would hopefully look something like this inspiration picture from a Redo, Recycle, Renew article online.

Honestly, Dad had half this project done before Mom and I even got home from picking a few things up from the store. The hardest/most expensive part of the project would be finding an old TV without the television actually mounted inside, and since I had found that for free, we were only a few steps from a cool mid century bar display.

We started by removing the backing and cleaning up the inside a little.

The speakers possibly still work, so we didn't cut the wires. Scott thinks he might want to try hooking them up to our old record player someday, so we just tucked the wires away where they wouldn't get damaged.

Dad measured the inside and used pine boards to make shelves. The two support slats in the back weren't removable, so he figured out a way to screw everything together once all the pieces were inside the TV itself. He refers to this as his "IKEA method" because all of the holes were pre-drilled and just needed to be attached.

Once everything was fitted, I took the shelves out again and stained them with a honey-colored gold stain. We thought that it would go with the honey color of the bourbon and the exterior colors of the original television shell. Once they were dry, they were brought back inside and reassembled back inside the TV again.

In the above picture, Dad is trying to make sure that the shelf height is correct before the shelves are stained. This is when Mom and I started working on the rear curtain. As a stand in, Dad used an old towel, but we thought that we could do a little better.

We used a tension rod and some upholstery fabric (seamed, with a curtain pocket on one end) to hang behind the shelves. We really liked the fabric in the inspiration photo, but we didn't expect to find the exact same fabric. I think it fits perfectly with the retro feel of the TV and gives a nod to the television test pattern.

When it was finished, we moved it into place. A little rearranging turned this:

Into this:

Since we were working on the mantel at the same time, you may recall the story in a previous post about the positional switch-a-roo that occurred between this guy and the fire place.

One more thing had to happen before I called this project completed. I found some lights around the house that had a dimmer and installed two of them into the "ceiling" of the interior of the bar. Now it has three light levels to choose from to really give it a fun, "working TV" glow.

Yes, I know some bottles are backwards and sideways. We aren't getting paid ad monies, ya know.

Overall, I'd say this is one of the coolest, most unique things we have in our house. It's a fun throwback to the times of I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. A reminder of how far media has come in the last 60 years.

Most of all, it was yet another fun reason for me to tell Scott,

"I found this on the side of the road".

Let me know if you have any awesome furniture make overs and I might feature it on the blog!

A table a day...

It would seem that many of my projects involve 10% perspiration, 90% Pinspiration. These two little tables are no exception.

I was browsing my favorite image based bookmarking site when I came across this eye catching and simple solution to a DIY side table.

Originally put on Pinterest by Home Depot, this table was exactly the kind of quirky piece of furniture I was looking for to go between my chairs in what has recently been dubbed The Salon. (That is, the area that was the original dining room in the house, but is now just an awkward spot off of the kitchen.)

I checked out the DIY instructions for the table here, then looked online to see how much this baby would cost. Due to the fact that it was 30 ft of copper pipe, it would cost the same to buy something pre-made as it would to build it.

I showed Casey the pin and she came up with the simplest answer: PVC. Use PVC to make it, then just spray it copper for the look!

DUH! Of course!!!

PVC was a mere $2.21 per 10 ft vs $11 per 10 ft of copper pipe of the same width. I purchased 3 PVC pipes and brought them home.

I used some painters tape to tape all three together, making sure they are all lined up with each other. I then marked 12 in. and cut them with a jigsaw. I continued this until I had the 30 pcs it asked for.

There might be some rough edges on your pipes. These can be cleaned up with an X-acto knife.

I then brought all the pieces inside and began putting them together. I ended up using the image more then the instructions, but either way, it's not too difficult. I also used heavy gauge wire rather than twine, I felt that it would make the table more stable.

When it was completed, it looked pretty good. This is the hardest part of the project and it doesn't really take that long to do.

To make sure that it would at least be sort of level and wouldn't fall over as soon as it had a table top, I used an old shelf from my office and a lamp to see how sturdy it was. It was actually surprisingly solid, so I was able to move on with the finishing steps.

I knew that I wanted to paint my PVC, so I decided to prime over all of the areas that had red writing. To make it easier on myself, I hung the entire base from the garage ceiling and used my spray primer from there.

Notice outside: "Weather"

While it was drying, I was able to run to the Depot and grab a table top. They had them premade out of pine in the lumber area. The smaller size was about $5.88 while the larger size was $6.88. I had waiting until the base was made to get the right size, so I knew that the larger of the two options was right for me. Keep in mind, I also cut my struts to a foot in length instead of the ten inches that the instructions originally called for, so if you are making the other size, you might get away with the smaller table top.)

I stained it and sealed it using stain that I already had on hand.

I checked on my primed PVC and the red lettering was fighting my primer, but I figured it would probably be rough enough to take the copper paint. I ended up at Hobby Lobby because apparently copper paint isn't as common as silver or gold. My issue was that I wanted bright copper, not rusted, aged, or hammered copper.

I gave the entire base a good coat.

Once everything was dry, I attached the bottom to the top with copper brackets that I had purchased for my 3/4 in pipe. I only had to use three. I also used screws instead of the nails that came with the brackets.

When I was finished, I was pretty pleased. It looked a lot like the picture.

And the copper paint really helped pull it together, especially with the rug that I purchased to replace our old one.

The Salon was looking pretty good.

And today I decided to make a simple table top for an empty planter in the backyard. It's now a spiffy place to put a drink or popcorn while sitting next to the fire.

The cost was $0 because I just used a couple of pieces of scrap wood.

What do you think? Would you venture to try making either one of these? There are so many possibilities with the basic elements of them that no two tables need look alike!

Theater Seating

We have always had an issue with seating in our living room. Even with two full sized couches and two chairs, we always still end up with people sitting on the floor. As comfortable as the floor is, I have always had it in my mind that a sofa table with some bar stools would solve this issue swimmingly. I had been looking around online when I found this inspiration picture on Pinterest.

I liked how it had an interesting yet clean bar top and fit at least two people. I looked around and most of the tables were the wrong size for our space or they were really expensive. Most of the time, they were both. I decided to take it on as a project and just build one myself. How hard could it be?

I kept looking around Pinterest till I found this post by (a fellow) Caitlin over at Desert Domicile. She had built a console table for $18 and I liked the look as well as the cost.

 I used this as a rough guide, then drew out my plans.

I just used a tape measure and stood behind the couch and...measured. I figured that I didn't want it to go all the way to the ends of the couch because people walk around the corners a lot and that would make for smacked elbows. I also measured that a width of around 14 inches would be wide enough for people to lean on and place their beverage or food, but not stick out into the room too much. I used the same height as my kitchen counters for my vertical measure.

Next, I ran to the Depot and grabbed 8 of the $1.95 2x2x6s. I ended up going through all of them to get the straightest ones possible, but I only used 6 for this project, so I returned the other two and got my $4 back.

I started my cuts by cutting my four 3ft pieces.  I stood up my two saw horses and set up a makeshift work table. I then measured and marked my cut. I attached The wood I was cutting to the table with a clamp to keep it still. It makes a huge difference.

After I cut all four 3 ft pieces (which would be the legs), I then proceeded to cut the 5 ft pieces (the long cross supports).

When I had by four 3ft and four 5ft cuts made, I was then able to begin assembly. I used my same clamp system to pre-drill my holes. I absolutely recommend pre drilling, especially using the 2x2 pieces. This will help prevent splitting and splintering. It takes a little longer, but honestly, it makes the whole table go together like it was from Ikea if you do it right.

I lined up my first attachment point as the top of one of the 3ft pieces. They were going to be the legs, and screwing it to a 5ft piece at the very end would help create the base for the table top.

See the pencil lines? That's how I marked the area I had available to attach to. I just took a scrap piece, lined it up, and marked it. the image above shows how I used my cutting rig to hold the wood still to predrill holes.

For the bottom of the legs, I wanted to allow for some feet. I measured two inches from the bottom of the 3ft piece and predrilled my holes. Once everything was attached, I had half of my table base finished.

Before I built the other side (which is built exactly the same way), I wanted to make sure to catch any measurement mistakes. I took my half-a-table-base and brought it into the living room to see how it fit against the couch.

Since we seemed to have a winner, I returned it to the garage and assembled the other side.

Once you get to this point, you can make it as wide or skinny as you would like. Keep in mind that this is pine, though, and it doesn't weigh much. This base can easily fall over if you make the table too thin. I ended up using 11in. horizontal supports to finish my base. This seems like a good go-to size for our living room, so you may have to change that number if you build this yourself.

It fit really well, so I was pretty pleased with it so far. The optimum table top size was going to be 64"x15", so I wasn't able to grab a single board from the Depot for my top. Fortunately, they had two pieces of pine that were 6ftx7in that worked well when placed on the top together.

Here the boards are just placed on top of the base. I kept them separate so that it would be easier to finish them and so that it would be easier to replace later. Dad and I might have some ideas for a table top that will really pop and make for a more interesting piece of furniture, but that's not going to happen till later (maybe when there isn't 4 inches of snow on the ground).

For finishing, I pulled everything back out to the garage and took them apart again. I screwed a couple of shallow scrap piece of wood in to hold the table top boards together and flipped it over.

The base is meant to look slightly metallic, so it has three coats of the Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze. I thought that it would be better than black because the added metallic adds a little depth to the paint. For the top, I used one of my favorite go-to stains because it both

1. Makes cheap wood look much nicer and
2. Was already in my house so I didn't need to buy it

These are factors that I like to live my life by.

The trick to the 'burled and intense woodgrain' look with pine is to paint the stain on, then immediately wipe it off. This keeps the lighter areas light while highlighting the woodgrain. Some people will add stain and then just leave the entirety of the stain on the wood. This works okay, but it will take forever to dry and won't show as much dimension on the boards. I personally like the swipe and wipe look.

It really gives it that pub feel that I was looking for in my temporary top. When the new top is built, I'll probably turn this guy into a couple of end tables.

For wear and tear, I added two coats of Poly to the whole thing. The top could probably stand to have another coat, but with temps dropping outside, I'm putting that off for a sunnier day. I also ended up using a high gloss because it will more than likely see its share of spills. Hopefully this will make it easier to just wipe off and not worry about.

Once everything was dry, it was time to bring it inside. It looks really good in place, now it just needs its own stools.

I love the way the wood contrasts with the base.

But I especially love the view. I can see playing video games up there while drinking something from the bar. Or playing some of our party games like You Don't Know Jack with teams Couch1, CouchA, Chairs, and Sofa Table.

Most of all, I am glad to have it in place before the Superbowl next weekend. Having space for people to sit and eat comfortably has always been on of my greatest goals with this living room.

I can see someone using this basic table design in an entry or even as a bar in of itself. It's simple to build, inexpensive (ours cost around $30), and is an awesome beginner build for anyone wanting to give furniture a try. This is the first thing I've built on my own and I am pretty pleased.

We know that we need to buy barstools next, but those aren't as cheap. I am thinking that since this is going to be an area that people will be seated in long term (a couple of hours at a time, to watch movies or TV), they should be upholstered chairs, like these. I'm not in love with anything yet, but I am liking the grey already.

Let me know in the comments if you're considering this project and I'll try to answer any questions I can!

A Picnic For Two

Or a table made for four. Or six. Any of these numbers would be an upgrade from what we were using as an outdoor dining set before.

The picture might be pretty, but our eating and sitting space wasn't. We have been looking into outdoor seating for a little while now, trying to find something that matches our style and budget. A recent purchase really put this to the top of the list.

 Scott has a new baby, a Texas-style smoker set up that he is hoping to get a lot of use out of, so the need for an eating area right outside was becoming much more imperative. Our little yellow table and camp chairs weren't wearing well in the wind and rain, so we started the online search. A lot of outdoor dining sets seem large, expensive, and a little less casual than we would like. The only thing we found that caught our eye was this set from Ikea.

This didn't seem like a 'this summer' purchase to use, though, even at that price. After debating some other possibilities, such as building a table (for which we would have to buy/build chairs, making it not as cost efficient as we would have liked), we set our sites on what seems like an obvious solution, an $88 picnic table from Lowes.

As soon as we had decided that the picnic table was our path to outdoor deliciousness, I had a mental image of how I wanted to go about making it a fun place to eat. Manufacturers recommend painting and/or sealing a picnic table before allowing it to sit in the elements, so we knew that some treatment would be necessary. I just wanted to make it a little more interesting.

I envisioned using blue stain and a little stenciling to create a fun, colorful space for us to stuff our faces with ribs and corn.

I explained my idea to Beth, who was immediately on board with helping me bring this into fruition. We took her truck over to Lowes, picked up our $88, unfinished dining set and headed home.

We set up inside because it was a gray day, but if the weather hadn't been so wishy-washy, we could have done this outside with better drying conditions. We were able to keep the garage door open, though, so we weren't inhaling many fumes.

I started by giving all of the places that people might touch a good once over with the sander. I'm glad I did because it was pretty rough pine that could have caused many a fragmented fiber in many a bum.

Once it was free of splinters and really rough patches (it's almost impossible to get it completely smooth), Beth took a towel and removed as much sawdust as she could. Then we began covering the top of the table with material to stencil our letters. We ended up using shelf liner (white) down the center because it's self-adhesive and meant we didn't have to use as much painters tape.

When we were ready to start sketching, the table looked like this.

Beth measured and separated the tabletop into three spaced areas so we knew how much room each letter should take up. Using string and this method, we made circles that would be the basis for our letters.

(Notice that the circle for the "a" is slightly lower, smaller, and to the left hand side).

After we found the circles we had drawn to be agreeable, we went back in and free-handed the rest of the letter parts. Thankfully we both had the same blocky font in mind, so when we were done, we had a nice, uniform font to start cutting out.

Because the letters are so big, it didn't take very long to cut them out. I used an X-acto knife and Beth ended up with my pocket knife. Honestly, I think she just liked using my pocket knife.

When we had carefully peeled away the excess, we were looking pretty good. We ran our fingers over the edges just to make sure it was stuck to the wood really well before continuing on to the staining step.

We used foam brushes to apply the colored stain. I purchased Minwax Water Based Stain and had it tinted "Island Water" by the guys at Home Depot. Tinted stain can be a little less watery than regular "off the shelf" stain colors that you might purchase, so I wouldn't do too many coats. It tends to layer more like paint than stain. We did a single coat over the entire top because we liked the wood grain showing through.

We tried our best to squish some of the stain into the grooves between boards, but it didn't really bother us if it didn't make it. The nice thing about this project is that it doesn't have to look perfect. It's a picnic table, not a formal dining room set!

We pulled the letter stencils and were so happy with the result!

I then followed up by painting the rest of the table the same blue and coating the top and seats with 2-3 coats of outdoor-safe poly.

Scott and David showed up juuuuust in time to take it around to the back porch for us. It was immediately hailed as an instant improvement!

Unfortunately, it was a little too cold last night to actually eat at it (stupid Kentucky weather), but it was nice to at least see it in place on the porch. We turned it so that when you walk out the door, the first thing you see is "EAT" when you walk outside. It's just a really fun welcomer to our little campsite themed backyard.

And I can see us drinking many a beer and eating lots of ribs and pork butt here, too.

Seats one to possibly 8, only $88, and super fun, this has to be one of my favorite projects so far this Spring!