DIY Rustic Patio Table Drink Holder

Summer is the best season to enjoy the outdoors. We love to spend our evenings out on the back deck, eating, drinking and having a great time with friends and family. This Rustic Patio Table Drink Holder is the perfect addition to our table and I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you!

Can you believe I made the entire thing with just scrap wood? I made this project in collaboration with 17 other bloggers for the #scrapwoodchallenge! Be sure to check out all the links to their projects at the end of the post!

This project was made using free paint products from Plaid. All opinions and reviews are my own as I strive to be completely honest in my product reviews. There are also affiliate links in this post (highlighted in yellow), which means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information see my Disclosures page.

MATERIALS:

• Scrap Wood pieces
• Rectangular Plastic Bin
• FolkArt ® Home Decor ® Texture Chalk™ – Very Vanilla, Paradise, Dovetail
• Foam Brushes
• Orbital Sander
• Wood Glue
• Wood Stain – Jacobean
• Disposable Vinyl gloves
• Rags for staining
• Clamps
• Nail Gun
• Two Drawer Pulls, screws, screwdriver
• Drill and drill bit to size of drawer pull screws

Instructions:

Scrapping:

The first step in this process is to measure the plastic bin that will be holding the ice and drinks. Determine how tall you want your box to be, how wide, and how long. Check your scrap wood stash to find pieces that will be long enough.

Cutting:

I cut all the pieces on the sides and end for mine to 7″ long. The number you need to cut will be determined by how long and wide your box needs to be. For the bottom of the box I just cut four pieces at 8″ long, so they’ll fit right inside the bottom of the box.

Put enough of the scrap pieces side by side until you have the sides long enough. Mark them lightly so you know what colors you want to paint which board. Unless you’re going to keep it simple and do them all the same color, which is another awesome option.

Painting:

Paint each of your pieces accordingly. I used these FolkArt Home Decor Texture Chalk paints and was very impressed with the coverage. It was easy to paint and just like the label says the paint has a slight texture and completely matte finish. Just what I was looking for! I used the colors Very Vanilla, Dovetail, and Paradise.

The texture chalk paint is a bit thicker than most paints but mixes easily.

And this paint goes on really great! The coverage is perfect with just one coat. Note: I did NOT paint the sides where I’d be gluing.

Gluing:

Alright, once you have all your pieces painted, let them dry, then we’ll move onto gluing! Glue the pieces together to make one large glued up board for each side. When gluing, I always use the speedy method of running a line of glue down each piece, spreading it a little with my finger, then pushing the pieces together. Once I have all of them like this, I will clamp the entire piece making sure they line up perfectly. Wipe off any excess glue with a wet rag. Do this for both of the long sides and the short ends.

Let the glue dry for about an hour.

Distressing:

Next, distress your glued-edge boards with your orbital sander (or sandpaper if you don’t have a sander.)  There’s not perfect way to do this, just sand off as much as you want. You can see the difference here:

Drilling:

The next step is to mark and drill holes for your handles. I always find the center of my board, then determine where to place the handle and mark there. These handles have the common 3″ width between holes.

Once the holes are marked, drill through them.

Staining:

Wipe off any sawdust and get ready to stain. For staining, put on your gloves, then use one rag to apply the stain and another to wipe the excess off.

Here’s a photo to show the difference the stain makes, as you can see it really ages the piece:

Don’t forget to stain the bottom supports too.

Once all your pieces are stained, time to assemble!

Assembly:

Dry fit the pieces to be sure it will all work as planned. Glue all the sections together and clamp them tight.

Shoot some 2″ finish nails into the corners and bottom supports from the sides to help the glue in holding the entire thing together.

Now add your handles!

Place your plastic bin inside and get ready for some cold drinks at your next gathering.

Now your box is completely assembled!

Enjoy!

Check out these other awesome Scrap Wood projects:

• The House of Wood – DIY Bunk Buddy
• 3×3 Custom – Scrap Wood Trivets
• Ugly Duckling House – Mini Garden Deck
• The Created Home – Animal Coin Banks
• Her Toolbelt – 3D Pixel Art
• The Kim Six Fix – Outdoor Drink Stakes
• DIY Huntress – Scrap Wood Coasters
• Mr. Build It & Mrs. Style It – Bent Plywood Headphone Stand
• At Charlotte’s House – Buffalo Check Tray
• Sawdust 2 Stitches – Scrap Wood Wall Decor
• Bower Power – Pallet Baseball Hat Rack
• Pneumatic Addict – Table with Epoxy Resin
• Anika’s DIY Life – DIY Spice Rack
• 100 Things 2 Do – DIY Can Crusher
• Hazel + Gold Designs – Patio Table Drink Holder
• Reality Daydream – Scrap Wood Shoe Cabinet
• House Becoming Home – Modern DIY Clock
• Chatfield Court – Wooden Garden Obelisk

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