DIY Outdoor Buffet

This post is sponsored by Furniture Medic a division of Service Master, which also includes Terminex, Merry Maids, and American Home Shield.

When Furniture Medic asked me to participate in designing and building an outdoor furniture project, I first thought I would make a porch swing.  Then I was a happy recipient of all of these free fence boards, and my plans changed.

I decided to make another potting table or outdoor entertaining station.  But now that I’ve completed my diy outdoor furniture project, I like to call it a DIY outdoor buffet!

Before we get started with the tutorial, I know you’re curious about what Furniture Medic is.  I know I was!

From their site:

Furniture Medic, one of the world’s largest wood and furniture repair and restoration companies, has an established reputation for excellence unmatched in the industry. Our success is firmly rooted in our dedication to providing our customers with unparalleled craftsmanship and quality service in wood restoration and upholstery repair. In both residential and commercial settings, we provide an affordable alternative to replacement of furnishings and fixtures. We specialize in wood and furniture repair for antiques, millwork, paneling, banisters, cabinetry, mantels, hardwood floors and some upholstery. Other services include cabinet refacing, furniture structural repair and stabilization, precision repair of wood surfaces, color blending and image enhancement, as well as furniture refinishing and polishing.

Whether you need enhancement, refinishing or restoration, Furniture Medic offers dramatic results with many furniture or upholstery repairs done on site in your home or business. Utilizing proven technology, products and processes, our skilled technicians can restore and enhance your wood’s natural beauty and strength while virtually erasing scuffs, gouges, water rings and dents. Even broken, water-damaged and fire-damaged furniture pieces can often be restored to a like-new or pre-loss condition.

Trust Furniture Medic to care for your family’s furnishings, or your office furnishings, hardwood floors, molding and millwork.

Our expertise is unsurpassed and workmanship is unmatched.

Have you ever needed an expert for something you couldn’t do?  I did!  Years ago we got a great deal on a grandfather clock that the previous owner’s dog had chewed on.  We found someone to fix it, through a friend of a friend.  Well, I was amazed at the end result using wood putty and more.  So, if you ever have something like that where you just don’t know how to deal with it, now you know who to call!  I honestly didn’t expect that I would have anyone listed in Louisville, but we do. You can see if you have someone in your area here.

Now, let’s see how all of these bits and pieces came together to make this DIY outdoor buffet.

I sort of knew what I wanted in my head.  I grabbed a couple of windows and 4×4’s from my stash and started measuring.

I used some of these 2×4’s and 4×4’s to build the base of the outdoor buffet.

This picture makes me giggle.  It’s one of those aha moments!  I made the front section and the rear section, then stood them up and instantly realized that I did NOT need those tall 4×4 supports in the front.  I guess those of you who sketch out your projects would figure it out before it gets to this stage. 

Nothing that my Ryobi reciprocating saw can’t handle.

There we go!  much better!

I used 4×4’s for the legs, and 2×4’s for the horizontal braces.  For a temporary hold, I have a fence board screwed from front to back to keep everything held up.  I started the build on this porch to make sure that everything was level and squared.

I tried to use original ends toward the front instead of fresh cut ends.

This is the bare bones of the base of my furniture project. The stained boards I showed you at the beginning of this post were only 36” long, so I had to get creative on adding them.

I’ve cut the boards for the upper back, and the table top.  But I wanted to get everything cut before I started attaching anything.

While I was cutting more stained boards, it started pouring rain.  I had to quickly gather all the boards, put the large saw away in the garage, and drag this monster to the carport. It rained a lot for a long time.  But, the weather wasn’t hot, so I kept working.

After getting most of the boards cut, I started attaching the boards along the side of the outdoor buffet.

Working through the rain I got all the boards attached.  I used some new screws, but many of the screws I used were removed from the stained boards. I used my jigsaw to notch the bottom boards in the back, and the lower shelf (near the front).

This was the end of day 1

The carport is very uneven. I had to use some boards to try to level it out while attaching the windows—that’s why there are boards scattered everywhere.   I used sewing cabinet hinges for the windows/doors.  For the inside shelves I used some reclaimed wood fencing that simply rests on the side braces.

Now this is where it got ugly.  I painted the windows to give them a fresh look.  Someone had “sprayed” the panes before I got them.  Scraping “my” paint of was very easy.  However, scraping the sprayed paint took forever!

I finally ended up laying the buffet on it’s back and spread some soapy water on the paint and let it soak before scraping it over and over again.  It seriously took me hours to get all of that paint off of the glass.

I used a hook and eye closure on the windows, and a rusty rake for hanging utensils.

Here is the outdoor buffet grilling station in use.  My friend Leann said it’s so handy because she usually has food balanced on a step, the deck railing, and the small side table on the grill.

Of course, if you’re an avid gardener I’m sure you’ve realized how handy this would be as a potting table!

How would you use this great DIY outdoor piece?

Thanks to Furniture Medic for sponsoring this post.  You can find out more about them on their Facebook page, Twitter, and Pinterest.

gail

disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Furniture Medic, all thoughts opinions and projects are my own.