Scavenger Chic

Upcycled Farmhouse Vents Side Tables

• By Joan
• November 28, 2018
• 5 Comments

DIY Side Tables

I got this pair of metal vents from an old farmhouse back in 2017.  Most of the other treasures have long ago been transformed but these vents have been staring at me for almost 2 years.

I always envisioned a pair of side tables  for the vents,  but a vent doesn’t make a particularly great table top…I needed glass.

Finally, on one of my trips to the salvage yard I was able to find two pieces of table top glass.  They were heavy, thick, chip-free, and best of all $2 each.

Along with the vents and glass, in order to make my side tables, I also needed a couple of 2×4’s, 6, 2×2’s, pallet wood and a few more pieces of scrap wood.

The glass sits directly on the vent and just happens to be elevated the exact width of the 2×2.

Miter the ends of the 2×2 to fit around the glass like a picture frame.

Cut off any excess from the vent to match the edges of the 2×2 frame.

I painted the frame with light gray paint , white highlights  and vintage wax to somewhat match the finish of the vents.

Attach  the frame with with finish nails to the vents.

For the legs, cut 4 2×4’s,  28″ in length.  If you’re making 2 tables, cut 8.

After each cut, and for all the cuts yet to come, sand all the edges well before attaching.

Draw a straight line across all legs, about 8 inches from the end.

With a drill bit, the width of the head of your screws, drill 2 holes in each leg along the marked line, about 1/4″ deep.  These holes will allow you to countersink the screws.

Cut 4 more 2×4’s just long enough to allow the legs to sit inside the  vent top.  Those weird colored 2×4’s are pieces of pallet wood.  Use free whenever you can!

Mine are 19″.  Use wood glue and screws thru the predrilled holes to attach.

I’m using 2×3 scrap wood for the upper part of the legs.  They are the same length as the bottom 2×4’s.  Attach with more screws.

If you have vents, turn them over and see exactly how your legs will fit around them.  This will determine how long your cuts will be.

Cut 8 more 2×2’s, 11″.  These pieces will make it look like the 2×4’s and 2×3’s go all the way around the table.

Use kreg jig screws and glue to attach.

With another 2×2, lay a cross brace across the legs and mark where your cuts should go.

Attach with glue and finish nails.  If you have a nail gun, it’s a perfect time to use it.

Attach the legs to the top with screws.

Cut more cross pieces like you did above and glue and nail into place.

At this point I decided that the tables were tall enough to support another shelf so I added another piece of scrap wood, a 1×2, to the center of the X.

Fill in any screw holes and finish nail holes with wood putty.  Let dry, then sand.

Fill in any large gaps with paintable caulk.

I’m painting the bottom with dark gray chalk paint.  Distress the edges with a little sanding and  follow up with a  coat of vintage wax.

Cut pallet wood to fit for the two shelves.  Sand well.

I’m once again using my nail gun to attach the pallet wood shelves.  Couldn’t quite fit the nail gun into the top shelf space, so those pallet pieces were glued in place with builders adhesive.

You could easily make these tables without the house vents, because really, who has a pair of vents sitting around?…just add more pallet wood to the top.

When I finished these pieces, I also thought how easily they could be converted to bar carts.  Add castors, maybe a wine rack or wine glass holders, a couple handles and voila.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  Stay inspired.

Update

Bar Cart

I did end up turning these into bar carts just by adding castors and a handle.

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