Repurposing Vintage Milk Can to a Side Table
13 Materials
4 Days
Medium
Taking a vintage milk can off the farm and giving it a new purpose as a side table to use in your living room, bedroom, guest room, entryway or on your porch.
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Step 1: Prep your milk can for paint. Spray the milk can with a vinegar/water 50/50 mix solution and wipe away any loose rust, dirt, and grime. Let dry.
Step 2: Choose your paint color of choice and add to the bottle of a spray gun. We find using a spray gun gives you even coverage. For this example we are using our Case IH red paint.
Step 3: With a stencil trace an 18" round circle on your slab of wood. Cut your table top out with a jig saw. To round your edges use your router. We use our palm sander to smooth out the edges.
Step 4: Select your stain color of choice to stain the wood top. For this example we use an espresso stain.
Step 5: Seal your wood top with a polyurethane to protect it from any scratches, dings, dents, and spills. On the side that will be your top add a second coat of polyurethane.
Step 6: Center your table top on your milk can and secure with 3 braces - evenly space them apart.
You're finished! The paint tends to bring out the lettering in the can that sometimes can be hard to read with the rust and dirt- -This is one of my favorite things to see with a finished can. Now your table is ready for any room in your home or on your front porch.
Here is how our top turned out.
The overall project takes around 3-4 days to complete. Having to give layers of paint, stain, and polyurethane coats time to dry - as directed on the cans.
Comments
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2 of 144 comments
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Absolutely going to do this I have the items!
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I painted mine and added a transfer, in this it's a tall flower stand. Now I'm using a wood round from Home Depot. It's used like a table but for decor in my kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How would you recommend to remove several layers of paint on an old can? I've tried paint remover, scraping and even sanding. Its still a mess. I'd love to do this table, but stuck with the paint removal from the past! Thanks
I have milk can and I like the aged and rusted look. Can I just clean with a brush and put a sealer on it ? Looking for old round tray that I can add a ring to rest on top of milk can lid. Hate to drill holes in lid.
Could you explain more about the attaching of the wood top?