Upcycled Shutter, Bar Cart / Serving Cart

ScavengerChic
by ScavengerChic
4 Materials
Several months ago, a friend of mine alerted me about a salvage yard giving away a bunch of their old shutters.

There were a bunch of odd sizes that wouldn't necessarily be good for restoring a house but they were awesome for diy projects.
From that pile, this is my latest creation...a bar cart/serving cart/utility cart...whatever you want to call it, using just one shutter and galvanized steel bins from the thrift store.
This is a pile of most of my supplies…a vintage shutter, steel bins from the thrift store, a 1×2 and lots of pallet wood.


I did use a few more items like scrap wood and casters but this will get you started.
Before cutting my shutter in half I had to first see if the two bins would fit on just half a shutter. They did.
A lot of times you can’t just cut a shutter in half and have equal sides.  The shutter half on the right has a few more slats and a larger bottom edge.


By removing a couple of the slats on the top part of the right shutter, I now have an equal number of slats.  I then filled in that space with a portion of the shutter that I had cut off the bottom edge.    The picture shows the cut off shutter piece in place…it just needs to be trimmed, nailed and glued into place.
I still had to make sure that my containers still fit and figure out where to place my shelves.


Cut 4, 1×2’s just a little bit shorter than the width of the shutters.


Nail and glue  1×2’s onto the edge part of the shutters.  By placing the shutters side by side, I know I’ll have two sides that match.
Cut 4 cross supports 15″ each. Three are cut from a 2×2 deck spindle for the front and bottom back and 1 more was cut from a 2×4 (pallet wood side piece)  for the top back.


My bins measured 12″ across at their widest, so the cross supports  were 15″ to give room for trim and a little extra wiggle room for the bin.


Use a Kreg jig to secure the cross supports to the shutter sides. If you do not have a Kreg jig, I would suggest using long screws from the outside of the shutter and then patching the holes.
If you have any, use scrap wood to  trim out the front of your cart.
I used black chalk paint  for the trim but left the shutter alone.
Cut pallet boards to fit onto the shelf supports and for the top. Sand well and nail into place.


I used old wainscoting to cover the back but you could leave it open or use additional pallet wood or plywood.
For lots more pictures and finishing techniques make sure you visit me at the link below.


I have one more bar cart made from scrap wood and a flea market find if you like to have options. You can find that one here. 
ScavengerChic
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Linda Abate Linda Abate on Jan 17, 2018

    A great way to get some extra storage. I can see this inside a panty for storing onions/potatoes or snacks. Love it.

  • Tracie Bates Tracie Bates on Jan 17, 2018

    That's clever! Need to something like this to fit between my washer and dryer. Thanks for the idea!

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