Butcher Block Wash Tub Table

by ScavengerChic

Recently I had the pleasure of exploring an abandoned Italian restaurant. Plaster was falling off the walls and the ceiling, there was a dead rat in the stairwell. It was super creepy exploring with only flashlights and an occasional window...but it was awesome.

butcher block wash tub table, outdoor furniture, repurposing upcycling, woodworking projects

In the restaurant I fell in love with this old wash tub. It's perfect for parties, a bag of ice, add your sodas and beer, and it's the perfect cooler.

Or, how about a small table? Put a piece of glass on top and it's a coffee table for a sun room or porch.

Or if you don't have a piece of glass, how about a pallet wood top?

This project makes use of all those side pieces of the pallets that are usually discarded...the pieces with all the nails.

Of course you'll have to do something with those pesky nails. You do have a choice though, you can hammer them the rest of the way in, cut them off, or pull them out...or a combination of all three.

While you're tackling your nails, you can also start to lay out your wood to see how much you'll need. Each piece should be about 2 inches wider than your tub.

Mark the center of your tabletop and mark an equal distance on all sides with chalk to create a circle.

Because the wood is so thick, I cut the pieces individually with a chop saw.

Make sure the top is level, then piece by piece attach with common nails or long deck screws.

Start at the middle and build out, using more nails for the longer center boards until your circle is complete.

I still had a couple of these wood rounds I had previously used for an orb chandelier and the edging on my clock table. This one I used here was so misshaped it wasn't good for anything else but it would be the perfect edging for my table if I could get it on without cracking.

Little by little I nailed it on with a nail gun and finishing nails.

Since my circle wasn't exactly perfect, I used paintable/stainable caulk to fill in the gaps between the wooden hoop and the pallet wood. Before finishing, the caulk got a bit of dark walnut stain.

The entire top was painted with a coat of light walnut varathane. That's the finish with the stain and polyurethane in one step. While the light walnut was still wet, I added a coat of the dark walnut varathane to the edge areas, blending it in with the center.

If you are going to use the table outside make sure your varnish is rated for outdoor use.

As always, if you would like to see even more step by step pictures make sure you click on the link below.

And if you would like to see more pictures of my scavenging adventures in the abandoned restaurant you can find them here.

http://scavengerchic.com/2016/05/23/abandoned-restaurant-and-a-pendant-light/

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2 of 11 comments

Michelle Dever on Oct 09, 2016
Gorgeous... I'd add a handle and use the bucket as an ice bucket for drinks...

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Barbara White Nicholas on May 24, 2017

very cool.

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