As an outdoor gathering essential, drink coolers are a need; nevertheless, they may appear worn, unclean, or dated. Fortunately, you can transform your plain old hard-sided cooler into a stylish patio accessory by making a chest for it. You can turn it into a cart by adding wheels if you choose; then you can take the cooler with you wherever you go. For this project, you’ll need fence planks and wood boards, such 2 by 4s, to build your outdoor furniture. In addition, you should have a drill, a saw, screws, two hinges, and wood glue that is waterproof on hand. You may make your cart more practical by adding bar accessories like bottle openers, handles, or both.
A bottom shelf or an open cabinet that is twice the length of the chest can be added to a cooler stand for people who would want it to have more storage capacity. Although this do-it-yourself project isn’t particularly complicated, it will be easier and cheaper if you have some woodworking experience. Protect your beverages from the scorching summer sun and spruce up your patio with this ingenious do-it-yourself project.
Cut a few planks of wood to fit the measurements of your cooler (both the base and the lid). Take the lid off your cooler first. Make sure the base of the cooler is twice as big if you’re adding a storage cabinet. Attach the two halves of the frame together using wood glue and screws. Secure the cover to the frame using the screws provided, and then set it aside. The next step is to construct the stand’s legs. To make four legs, cut eight planks to the height you like. Fasten each leg by screwing two parts that are perpendicular to one other. Align these legs with the corners of the rectangular base frame of your cooler and secure them with screws.
Use two or three more planks screwed across the center to support the base structure. Place your cooler into the upside-down chest of the stand with the legs facing up. Secure the bottom of the cooler with the support before screwing it into the legs. If you’re building a larger chest with a cabinet, you can make the foundation of your cabinet by gluing and screwing fence boards over the open side of the base. To add a shelf under the cart, cut down another rectangular base, lay fence slats across it, and attach it to the stand’s legs under your cooler.
The last touches on your stunning cooler stand
Turn everything upside down, measure the length of the open sides of the cooler, then secure fence planks around your stand to hide it. If you have a cabinet, you can insert a thin plank inside to divide the cooler from the storage space; however, you should keep the front of the cabinet part exposed. Applying trim made of narrow fence slats to the top and bottom of your DIY wood project will give it a more polished aspect and hide any signs of substandard craftsmanship.To complete your patio accessory, take away the lid from the cooler you placed aside and screw fence slats into the wooden frame. Put the cover on top of the cooler and fasten the wooden top to the cart using the hinges.
Locate the same area on your chest and mark it by sticking a pen through the opening of the cooler’s drain. Get a spigot (around $10 at Home Depot) and drill a hole that’s the same width as your drain. Attach it to the cooler. You won’t even need to take the cooler out of its case to drain the melting ice. After assembly, finish by sanding and applying paint or stain.At last, you’re free to personalize it with whatever you like. Some examples of possible additions are caster wheels ($8 a piece at Home Depot) or a handle. Hobby Lobby has a bottle opener for $3.
| Home | Click Here |
| Category | Click Here |