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    Home » DIY » outdoor living » salvaged wood outdoor bar | kitchen island

    salvaged wood outdoor bar | kitchen island

    Published by Gail | Published November 22, 2016 | Updated January 23, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    A salvaged wood project made with weathered fence. Can also be made out of pallet wood. Great for outdoor gathering. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #upcycled #reclaimed #outdoor #bar via @repurposedlife

    I'm so excited to show you this outdoor bar I made from reclaimed wood. It would also make a great kitchen island or maybe even a potting bench.

    How to make an easy outdoor bar

    free-weathered-fencingI still have a lot of this salvaged wood stored in a woodshed. (this picture is of the wood when I picked it up) I have it separated by fence boards, 2x4’s, 4x4’s etc.

    Make matching leg sections

    outdoor bar frameThis is how it began. I pulled out some 2x4’s and decided how tall and deep I wanted my outdoor bar to be. The height was  based off my kitchen island . I wanted it to be a comfortable “standing” height at about 40-42”.

    2016-10-01 16.12.33I was in such a hurry the day I built this, that I forgot to take enough “in progress” shots. Basically after I did the side portions, of long 2x4’s and the top and bottom shorter braces, it was time to connect the two ends together with the front and back wider fence boards.

    After those were in place, I wedged the two 2x4’s in the back while laying the lower shelf boards in place. With all of those board just in a dry fit, I continued with adding the fence boards for the top.

    Attaching the lower shelf boards, and then securing the two 2x4’s in the back. The lower 2x4 in the back rests slightly on the cross brace that holds the lower shelf. It’s purpose is to keep items from falling off the shelf.

    Use exterior wood screws

    outdoor bar baseEverything is secured with exterior wood screws. I used 1 ⅝” whenever I was attaching a thinner fence board and the longer 2 ½” screws when I was attaching 2x4’s to each other.

    lower portion outdoor barThis is another angle so you can see how everything came together.

    upper portion outdoor barSee that cracked fence board in the front? I used my airstrike nail gun to pop a couple of brad nails in there to keep it safe.

    Add a brace for lower shelf

    underneath side reclaimed wood outdoor barThe most difficult part about this project was getting it squared due to using the salvaged wood. Rarely are these boards straight.

    salvaged wood outdoor bar kitchen islandAt this point, I thought I was mostly finished, but at the last minute I decided to put a fence board across the front (bottom) to cover up the ends of the visible ends of the 2x4’s.

    outdoor bar kitchen island reclaimed salvaged woodOf course I forgot to take a picture after adding the board. After I got it all put together, it got a quick bath to clean off any mud and debris.

    From start to finish, this project took about 2 hours. I only know that because I started at about 2:30, and knew I had to knock off around 4:30 so I could make my play date with friends. Winking smile  Checking the timestamp on the photos. The first one was at 2:20, and the “mostly finished” photo was taken at 4:12.

    Add a whitewash to finish off outdoor bar

    How to make a whitewashed salvaged wood (fence boards) outdoor bar, beverage station or kitchen island. MyRepurposedLife.comThe next day, I gave it a light whitewash similar to my outdoor potting bench. I know it’s primitive, but honestly, that is exactly the look I was going for. This is the “host” side, with the other side facing the “guests”.

    Please PIN IT?

    d lawless hardware bottle openerThe nice guys at D. Lawless Hardware sent me these two really cool bottle openers to use.

    antique bronze bottle openerI put the antique bronze bottle opener on the “guest” side of the outdoor bar.

    outdoor bar craft showI attached the antique pewter bottle opener to the “host” side of the outdoor bar. You can see it here on display at Glendale 2016.

    It sold early along with the outdoor coffee table/bench.

    Hey! Did you notice that I didn’t use my kreg jig at all for this project? I think that is a first! What would you use this piece for? In the house as a kitchen island, or outside as a bar? Maybe a potting bench? So many possibilities!

    gail

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    1. Patti

      March 07, 2018 at 11:49 am

      What price did you put on the table

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        March 07, 2018 at 9:08 pm

        I sold the table for $25 Patti.

        gail

    2. Rachelmary

      November 23, 2016 at 4:40 pm

      I so enjoy Gail's posts, blog anything of hers in print. Look forward to her.

      Reply
    3. chris aka monkey

      November 23, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      love this gail and I would definetly use it as a kitchen island by adding casters, happy national eat your self silly day xx

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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