Read the sequence from the top before cutting, painting, or moving pieces.
Today is the day… the last day of Turning Tables Handmade! *sad face* We hope you have enjoyed all the memorable projects and options this week as much as we have — and be sure to look at the link party for even MORE memorable Handmade tables! Our final guest: Vanessa, made a brilliantly straightforward Handmade fold-down bar table on her back patio, with straightforward access to her kitchen through that window for straightforward food and drink serving! It’s similar to this drop-down buffet table, but even easier to make PLUS when it’s folded down, it doubles as decor for the patio. See, brilliant! Get all the details from Vanessa below (and look at all of the #TurningTablesDIY posts here — be sure to subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook so you won’t miss a thing in the future!)
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How to Build an straightforward Fold-Down Bar Table
by Vanessa from Tried & True
Hi, lovely Bekob readers, my name is Vanessa Brady and I blog over at Tried & True. Usually, I’m up to my elbows in craft glue and scrapbook paper but every so often, I try my hand at fun and straightforward Handmade projects for my home and garden. Here are some of my latest Handmade projects:
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Mother of Invention
As the famous saying goes, necessity was definitely the mother of invention when it came to making this Fold Down Bar Table. We love throwing backyard get-together’s but with so many little kids running around, we never felt comfortable with having a full bar available for our guests. We needed a way to keep the alcohol high enough that the kids couldn’t reach but still accessible for the average sized adult. That’s when I thought, “Why not attach a bar-height table to our house that could be folded away when not in use?!”
The Process
Making this Fold Down Bar Table is really straightforward as long as you have the right supplies! I looked at every local home store and, unfortunately, couldn’t find any folding shelf brackets. Luckily, Amazon had these great S Parker 16″ Folding Shelf Brackets available (on Prime to boot!) which fit our 16″ by 5′ board perfectly.
Hidden In Plain Sight
Not only was I looking forward to having a bar table to entertain with but also loved that it would help camouflage some of the ugly pipes on the outside of our house. Unfortunately, because of these pipes, we had to add wood planks to extend the flat surface flush with the pipes. Just a few extra steps, not a big deal! Another plus to having a Fold Down Bar Table in this location is that I can easily take food and drinks from the kitchen to the outdoors by simply opening up the window above the shelf. Talk about fast food!
The Good Life
After the board was attached to the brackets, I cut the words, “The Good Life,” from vinyl and stuck in place on the plank. I then rolled over the entire piece with a RECLAIM painting kit in Pewter and allowed to dry completely before removing the vinyl stickers. Since the table will be folded flat the majority of the time, this is a great “blank canvas” that you can do anything with. Whether you paint an inspirational saying or go with attractive geometric shapes, you can really make this Fold Down Bar Table a striking conversation piece for your backyard!
We’ve been using our Fold Down Bar Table for over a year and still love the look and convenience of it. Thank you so much for letting me join in on the table fun over here on Bekob!
