How to Make a Potting Table

Several months ago, I walked in to my local Goodwill and spotted an old sewing table.  It was missing some wood in the front, the sewing machine that used to reside inside was long gone and a few pieces of wood were nowhere to be found.  No matter.  At $12 it hit me as the perfect candidate for my next project.

When I unloaded it from my car, I think Mr. Longhorn thought I was a little nuts.  He didn’t say anything but I could tell he wasn’t sold on my idea. However, he has learned not to say too much when I bring home beat up old furniture.

The thrift store table sat in the garage for months getting in our way whenever we opened the car door.  When we cleaned the garage earlier this year, Mr. L asked if I wanted to donate it to Goodwill.

“What?!”  I exclaimed.  “Why would I do that?  I bought it from there!”

I promptly moved my find to the back porch for safety where it sat until this week when I felt a little fire light under my rear end.  Some blogging friends reminded me of their monthly furniture up-cycle project series where this month’s theme is “flowers.  Did I have a project I might want to add to the mix?

Why, yes! Yes, it just so happens that I do!  

Out came the paint, the jig saw and the remnant of drop cloth fabric I saved just for the occasion.

I couldn’t wait to get started.

It was the flip-top that sold me and got my wheels turning when I first spotted it at Goodwill all those months ago.

It occurred to me that if I could just find a bucket or a tray of some kind, it could easily be turned in to a useful table…a potting table

Tutorial:

Materials:

• galvanized bucket
• jig saw
• paint
• staple gun
• drop cloth fabric
• hooks

Directions:

1.  Place tub/bucket upside down on the table where you’ll be making the cut and trace around the edge. 

2.  Using a jig saw cut about 1/4 inch inside the line you just traced.

(Because of the existing hole, my new whole was not a perfect circle.  I had to carefully place my tub so that the extra open space would not affect the tub’s ability to stay in place when inserted in to the new, larger opening.)

3.  Paint the table.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Chateau Grey and gave it two coats of a matte finish varnish.

4.  Make a skirt for the table — the skirt will enable you to hide your potting essentials like soil, pots, etc.

My skirt is no-sew.  I measured the length of the fabric I would need and simple cut a hardware store drop cloth to the appropriate length, leaving 3 hemmed edges in tact, therefore, eliminating the need for any sewing.

(Tip: Using a quilting grid is fantastic for helping to cut straight lines while measuring.)

5.  Affix skirt to table using a staple gun.

The big opening came in handy for attaching the skirt.  I opened up the top and was able to work through the opening.  

After the skirt was attached, I inserted the galvanized tub and I was done!

Because of the round tub and the old rectangular opening for the sewing machine, there are some open gaps, but the galvanized tub fits snugly and securely in to place.

It’s ready to catch dirt and debris when potting flowers.

I love it, and it is exactly how I had envisioned it.  It’s so fun when that happens!

Oh…and I almost forgot to show you…I added some cute little dragonfly hooks on the side for tools or anything else that needs to be hung up.

Aren’t they cute?  I found them at Hobby Lobby.

So, does my furniture transformation qualify for the flower furniture tour?  I hope so!  No flower stencils here, no floral fabric, just an old table turned functional for potting my favorite flowers.   And, when it’s not in work mode, it can be styled with my favorite flower pots.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and, please, visit my very talented and creative friends to see how they made over their furniture finds using the theme, “flowers.”

 

 

 

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