Outdoor drink station ~ repurposed aquarium stand

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” We’ve all heard this saying. This happens a lot between me and Scott. He is more of a guy that likes new things. Things that don’t need fixed and are ready for the purpose in which they were purchased. I’m a bit of salvage gal. I see potential in the dinge, and want to transform them. Some things are easy to see. Some are a little harder. I think this old aquarium stand falls into the harder category. Scott wanted to throw it out. We had it outside and used it as a sideboard of sorts where we had a board on the top and bottom for serving. It was in the PA elements for quite a few years and it showed.

My thought was that if I could find a plastic planter box that would fit in the top opening, it would be a great drink station in the summer. Just add ice and drinks and we would be set for any occasion!

The first thing this stand needed was some TLC. I sanded with a wire brush attachment on my cordless drill and a wire hand brush. It took a little elbow grease, but it looked much better after being sanded. Then I used a combination of a few things to guard the metal from continuing to rust after being painted. Loctite Extend Rust Neutralizer will help prevent any current rust from continuing to corrode the metal. Then I used a Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer spray primer that will act as a shield between the elements and the metal.

I can’t tell you how much better it looked with just the primer on it! To finish it off, I chose a Rust-Oleum paint in black with a hammered look finish. I figured using the hammered finish would camouflage any imperfections from the metal being rusted. A wooden board shelf was added on the bottom to house any cups, mixers, ice bucket, etc. The wood is a nice contrast to the black metal. I think eventually I’d like to either cover the board with a piece of sheet metal or replace it with something more weather resistant. The planter was put into place on top and loaded up with ice and our favorite drinks.

We broke it in with a celebration of Erica’s Physical Therapy School white coat ceremony. It certainly made life simple because we didn’t have to run inside every time we needed a drink.

So before you throw out that rusted piece, take a good look at it and see if it can be repurposed. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how versatile it can be! ~Cheers!~