Home Decor and DIY: Antique Milk Can Side Table

Antique Milk Can Side Table

Just 14 more days left in our school year and I am getting things ready for summer vacation! This nifty side table came together just in time to hold a nice little iced tea out on the deck. Why is my focus on the deck you ask? Well…

An outdoor side table made from an antique milk can!

I walked out to the garden a couple weeks ago and was completely overwhelmed by the amount of weeding that was needed before I could even begin planting my summer vegetables. I just didn’t have it in me this year. I’ve decided to see how a deck garden might fair. Last week, I focused on turning our small deck space into a friendlier place for the family to spend time. We don’t have much by way of furniture on the deck and we’re sorely lacking in the shade department. After planting up some pots (more on that later this week), and moving a garden bench onto the deck, I built a handy little side table using an antique milk can and a wooden round from Home Depot.

This project was fast and makes the perfect table alongside the bench. Even better, I drilled a hole in the center so that a patio umbrella can be rigged up for extra shade.

Construction is simple: Use a hole saw drill bit the size of your umbrella pole to drill a hole in the center of the table top.

Drill a hole in the center of the round to hold an umbrella!

Stain the wood – I used Minwax Red Mohogany stain (would have used Wood Conditioner, too, but I ran out and was too impatient to go get some). Seal the wood with a polyurethane (I used a gloss spray for quick results; I’m planning to put a coat of regular paint-on polyurethane when I have time – it will give a smoother, more weather-resistant finish).

Remove the lid from the antique milk can. Don’t have a milk can? Check your local antique shops. I have a few I’ve picked up for around $15. Love them! Insert the umbrella into the hole in the tabletop and down into the milk can. Fill with sand or rocks. Put a bead of liquid nails around the perimeter of the lid and press the tabletop down to adhere it in place. That’s it! New side table at your service!