You can easily turn a potting bench into a DIY outdoor bar cart! Here’s how…
Have you ever heard of…I think the gardener-types call it, a “potting bench?” You have?! Well, I hadn’t. But then again, while I am AMAZINGLY good at many things (or at least maybe one or two smallish, rather insignificant things), gardening is my kryptonite.
I was out in our yard the other day musing. Sometimes I muse. Around this time of year, our yard becomes over-run with caterpillars. When I was a kid, I loved caterpillars. I’d gather them, name them, pick the most choice of leaves for them to nibble on.
One named “Mary” actually got to come inside at night to sleep in my dollhouse bed. I don’t know if Mary was the world’s luckiest caterpillar or still in therapy to this very day. Anyhow, you get the point.
Nowadays, I see caterpillars and I think “pest”. Kind of a sad metamorphosis, really. But I’m still in awe of that whole caterpillar into a butterfly phenomenon. It just shows that sometimes, true change is possible.
Take this project, for example. We got a beautiful potting table…
The problem? Well, there really isn’t one unless you happen to have black thumbs. I’m talking thumbs so black that when you enter your local garden supply store the sales reps turn and stare your direction with a look of horror and utter disapproval.
Think middle school…[shudder]. So why is a gal like me writing about a gardening table?
Because…THIS is no garden variety potting table anymore. This black-thumbed gal has raised the bar. You may know the kind of bar of which I speak.
The kind with drinks. Adult drinks. Sometimes frozen ones, if you’re lucky. Maybe some fun little paper umbrellas, and happy hour specials…
That’s right. Our potting table has undergone a bit of a metamorphosis. I give you, our outdoor bar cart!!!
Perfect Potting Bench Options
Here are some awesome options for your own outdoor furniture metamorphasis…
The exact model we used for this project is no longer available. But here are some awesome alternatives that are VERY similar:
- 39″ Garden Potting Bench Table with Hidden Storage (super budget-friendly option)
- Cypress Outdoor Garden Cart (this actually looks like the exact one we have)
- Mobile Garden Potting Bench with sliding worktop
I’d been looking for a bar cart to put in this spot on our deck for the past year. I scoured craigslist, eBay, my local yard sale sites for months trying to find a vintage cart that would fit. Problem was that most bar carts are fairly shrimpy. And if we wanted a bar, we were going to have a BAR!
There’s no halfway here. Heck, we had 8′ worth of space, so a 36″ cart would have been completely underwhelming. So I needed to find an alternative.
And that’s when I stumbled into this bar….cart.
There are a couple of places online that I consider my “go-to” spots if I’m looking for something. Within a minute or two, this baby popped onto the screen. This “potting table” sure looked like it would make a fantastic outdoor bar cart to me!
It has a large heavy-duty plastic tub that slides in and out of the frame. PERFECT for a drink cooler! The image above is only showing 1/2 of the tub being used.
Two pieces of wood on the tabletop surface are removable so that you can use none of the tub, or the entire thing easily. It’s awesome.
Assembly was really easy, but as we put it together, we did a few little DIY tweaks to our bar cart.
In the assembly instructions, typically that top shelf is flipped the other way, but we thought it would make a better shelf for glasses, bottles, etc installed in this direction.
I bought a wall-mounted bottle opener and mounted it to the side of our DIY outdoor bar cart so we can easily situate a trash can to catch the bottle caps right below.
We also mounted the bottom shelf upside-down, again to make it a better spot to hold bottles and such. Works great.
The final alteration we did to our kinda-sorta-not-really DIY bar cart was the paint. The wood on this piece comes unfinished, so to protect it from the weather, we wanted to finish the wood somehow.
Our deck is full of color, so we thought the outdoor bar would be one more opportunity to add some personality. We used the same exterior paint on our bar cart as we did on our outdoor painted rug. The color is “Heirloom China” by Clark + Kensington.
This is what I’d call a fantastic metamorphosis. A little bit of paint, a little bit of DIY, and voila, we’ve got ourselves a cart of gold. Goldshlager, that is. Now, if only I could find out how to morph myself into a gardener…wouldn’t that be a trick?!
You know what though, we can’t be perfect at everything, right? And heck, I guess if I’m being honest with myself, I’m ok with being better at pouring a glass of vino than potting a plant.
So if you’re in the market for an outdoor DIY bar, you may want to give this potting table a whirl. It’s sturdy, solid, substantial, and you can use it to pour a stiff martini…shaken or stirred.
This is one change that I can embrace, wholeheartedly. Cheers!
On the hunt for more simple home improvement ideas, and DIY home decorating inspiration? Be sure to check out these articles, too!
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- Painted DIY Outdoor Rug Tutorial
- Outdoor Lighting DIY Update
- Tin Can DIY Outdoor Lighting Tutorial. You CAN Do This!
- 12 Awesome Outdoor DIY Projects To Try This Summer
- 6 Easy DIY Mosquito Trap Ideas (That Actually Work)
Pin this outdoor bar cart idea for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!
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Jeanne says
Genius. All of it. Especially hanging the 2 shelves upside down.
Julie says
Heather, I love your resourcefulness! I’m a master gardener and admittedly don’t drink…though had a strawberry dacquiri eons ago for my birthday (try this if you haven’t as it’s delish!) ……and love what you have done and the color painted! One other thing to mention, hanging of the flag ………when displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window, the American flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street. Now with that tweak and your new bar, if we lived closer, I would bring you that potted plant! lol Since we don’t, let’s hope the kids get this for you for Mother’s Day! =)
Heather says
Yes, I learned that rule after taking these pictures, unfortunately. I need to eventually re-take them to be sure it’s hung in the proper orientation. And I would love if we lived closer and you could teach me all your gardening Jedi skills! I have a jasmine vine coming in a few days…I may email you about it. Hopefully, I didn’t make a mistake with my vine-of-choice for the pergola!! Thanks Julie!!
LAW says
Came across this post recently when I was looking for an outdoor bar cart. Loved it and bought the potting table! I’m getting ready to paint and put it together. Did you do anything to weather proof it other than the paint? Thanks!
Heather says
Oh good!! Hope you love it! We used outdoor porch/patio paint on it, and we have an old outdoor furniture cover that we put over it when not in use. Good luck with your project!