A few weeks ago I shared this picture on my social media, asking what did anyone think these items would become. Who knew it would be a repurposed snack & beverage stand? woot!
Some had said a light fixture, others a planter or some sort of laundry basket. I guess no one was as crazy as me to think that I could turn all of that into a cooler/ice bucket/snack stand. tsk. A repurposed snack & beverage stand, of course!
You can make one too with a galvanized something (tub, bucket, etc) and a table, a stump, or whatever you want to attach your tub to – be creative!
Materials breakdown:
- galvanized tub or bucket
- any slat wood – pallets, fencing, etc.
- stand, table, stump
- Zep toilet bowl cleaner or any industrial strength stuff (Home Depot)>
- rubber gloves
- screw
- rubber washers the size of bolt shaft
- bolts & nuts
- drill & bits
- optional items: small piece of wood for sign, hooks, crib parts, paint, brass tee valve, plumber’s putty
For my repurposed snack & beverage stand, I found my galvanized tub at a garage sale, new-in-box, for $5 – score! Because it was new I decided to make it look old.
Stone Gable has a tutorial already written about how to do the aging process, so head there for all the details.
It’s a very simple process and I achieved the aged look in no time at all.
note: Because beverages were going to be placed on the interior, I only aged the exterior.
Next, my hubby and I built a platform of pallet wood by using four slat pieces held together by two shorter pieces cut to the width of the four combined. You would need to use however many pieces to fit the base of the tub or bucket. It’s similar to the same process I use in making my
barn wood shutters.
Since we were using the plant stand, we made sure our four slat pieces were long enough to hold the base of the tub, while the smaller slats fit inside the square top of the stand. Just adjust your arrangement accordingly.
Now to attach the slat top to the repurposed snack & beverage stand…simple enough. Just grab your drill and pre-drill four holes and then attach the top to the stand with four screws long enough to grab the wood, but do not go through.
In order to attached the tub to the stand and remain leak-proof, we pre-drilled two holes in the bottom.
Then, using thin bolts long enough to reach through the tub and wood, we added rubber washers on the inside against the head of the bolt.
Because the tub is going to be either filled with ice or water (for an apple dunking fest), I wanted to add a drain to make clean up all the easier – I’m all about that.
There’s a handy gadget at your hardware store called a tee valve. It’s made of brass and is threads into whatever you’re adding it to, while reverse threaded to allow water to be let out.
I just drilled a hole the same diameter as the large end of the tee and then added a rubber washer before threading on the nut to hold it in place on the inside. (the tee sizes vary, mine was 1/4″ diameter). A little plumber’s putty helped since my tub has a curved surface.
At this point, the beverage stand looked kind of naked and since I have a funky stash of hardware from past projects and junk runs, I dug through my goods and found these pieces off of a baby crib. You know, the parts that hold the crib rails in an adjustable position….look familiar?
Perfect as a snack holder.
Again, grab that drill and mount the brackets to the base for stability and to the tub so they have something to hold to.
We had to cut off the end of the bolts with hack saw to shorten them up a bit and used a round file to make it safe for hands to reach in.
Here is my repurposed snack & beverage stand all finished with a small artistic addition.
A couple of rusty upholstery springs, and eye hooks added to a piece of plywood painted in chalkboard paint, make a fun display, don’t you think?
Now for some goodies to really dress it up for a party!
You should have seen my kids eye-balling that stash of goods because this type of “food” is rarely, if ever, seen in my house. When I asked them what I should use to take a photo, I suggested popcorn and apple cider. They obviously won out and sugar it is.
I sent my husband to the store to get some root beer in glass bottles to create an old fashioned feel …he comes home with these….plastic. yick. He said there weren’t any. Hmpf. Next time in the store with my gang, what do we see? Two whole sections dedicated to GLASS root beer and birch beer. Problem was that it was completely in a different section of the store. grrr…
As the saying goes, “If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself”. Ah well.
In the end I did let my kids have a bit, rationing so as to not create the biggest sugar high this side of the planet. They love it when I create. Me too.
Now go on and give it a try, get funky with it, and send me your project when you’re done!
Pin and share my repurposed snack & beverage stand to get others creating with their junk too.
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