At Your Service
DIY Beverage Cart
With fall approaching, most of us love to try to soak in as much of the nice weather left before the snow starts to fly. Sitting outside one night, I thought it would be nice to have a beverage cart to keep stocked when our family wants to hang out on the back deck.
As I was perusing Craigslist, I caught sight of a metal table base and decided this could be just the thing I need to fashion into a beverage cart. Since this project is above my skill level, I had to call in my handy husband for some reinforcement.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Metal base or stand
Plywood
Saw
Paint
Nails
Sandpaper
Wood glue
Drawer pull handles (optional)
To start, I started at our scrap wood pile and pulled out a few pieces that would be perfect for the top of the cart. I wanted the piece big and sturdy enough to be able to hold several things. I also wanted the top to serve as a removable tray. Having the top come off makes it easy to load up in the house and bring out a bunch of goodies in one trip.
We used plywood for this project. It’s sturdy and flat, and super easy to work with. We cut the front and back pieces of the tray 3 inches wide by 30 inches long. The sides measured 4 inches wide by 20 inches long. We cut the sides wider so that we could later add handles. We also formed the handles by measuring the placement, drawing it on our board and using a jigsaw to cut out the center of our handle. JUST A TIP: we started the cut by drilling a 1-inch hole on both ends and then repeated this trick on the other side. Our handle measured 5 inches long so a person’s hand could easily slide in and grab the tray.
Next, we glued and nailed all the pieces together making a large rectangle. Lay the rectangle over another piece of plywood, trace the shape with a pencil and cut the board along that traced edge. From there, glue and nail to create the bottom of the tray. Now it’s time to sand away all the rough edges and apply paint.
This project was a little higher on the skill level but well worth it. Don’t be intimidated! You can always modify it to fit your skill level. If you don’t have a saw, most hardware stores don’t mind cutting the boards to length for you.
With my beverage cart complete, I know this is going to be a fun little addition to our outdoor area. I think my first use for this will be a s’more bar with a cozy fire on chilly nights, cuddling up with my grandsons and enjoying time and some sweets.
