Ever bring home something you know your spouse is going to hate (just because they can’t see your vision)?   I do it all the time.  Drives my darling hubby crazy.  But in this case, I really needed his help.  There was no way I could have moved this by myself.  And it was FREE!!!

Freebie!

It came with 4 bar stools too!

We’ve used it as a “dining table” but I had a couple issues with it.  Foremost being…UGLY and second…when sitting at the back side of it your knees are mashed against the frame as you lean towards it (no overhang).  Time to fix that!

First off …paint.  Rather than go buy new paint I used what I had on hand, a full gallon of flat white ceiling paint and an almost full gallon of  black semi-gloss. I just mixed half a gallon of white with a quarter gallon of black in an empty paint can to make a dark grey.  {Note: I did prime the back side of the frame, the 2 shelves and the plain end where it was originally against a wall before it got the final coat}  Cost of paint and primer…$0 (on hand).

Next to fix the top.  I wanted something that would allow overhang on all sides.  I considered a sheet of plywood or mdf.  But since I don’t have any power tools yet, I figured using an old door would do the trick.  A trip to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore provided exactly what I needed.  I found a 30″ sliding closet door in a honey oak color for $20.  SA-WEET!

Yeah, I forgot to take a before pic of the door.

To mount it to the bar base, we used 1/2″ L brackets.

A 4-pack from Lowes was $1.77.  We screwed 2 on each long side to keep the top from coming off.  Worked like a charm!  A few coats of the black semi-gloss on the top and….VOILA!

“New” Bar total cost…$21.77 (plus tax)

Now I just need to do something about those ugly barstools…

Please take a minute to scroll down and leave a comment.  I would love to know what you think.  Did this inspire you?  Will you use this as a jumping off point for your own project? Or just to say Hi I was here.  Comments are the only way to let me know what you are thinking.  If you enjoyed, please share with your friends or followers.  Thanks =)