Make an Outdoor Drink Pedestal Table Your Guests Will Love

by Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

9 Materials

$40

2 Days

Medium

As I've mentioned so many times in previous posts, I love to entertain. My husband and I love to have a reason to hang out with our friends, whether it's a few couples or a party of 50+ people, we try to find reasons to have people over throughout the year. This project is perfect for a casual backyard gathering and it's great because it's so versatile for our needs--keeping drinks cool and providing shade during the day, or dressing it up with fabric and candles and using to hold hor d'oeuvres--the sky is the limit with this cute pedestal table!

make an outdoor drink pedestal table your guests will love

Part of what I love about this table is that it's cute with or without an umbrella!

My original vision for this pedestal table was a funky, colorful table top and a hammered black stand, however, as I progressed through the steps I quickly found that I wanted something simple and classy.

SUPPLIES:

-50 lb. bag of Fast-setting concrete mix

-15" planter

-2" PVC pipe

-pipe cement

-1/31"-23 3/4" pine round

-drill/screws

-fine grit sandpaper

-primer spray paint (pictured later)

-Behr exterior paint acrylic paint (not pictured)

-2" PVC shower drain (pictured later)

-Danish oil (pictured later)

-forsnter bit (pictured later)

-level (pictured later)

STEP 1: Cut Pipe

For my first step, I cut my PVC pipe to the height that I wanted my table to be. I held tight to the pipe and moved the saw very slowly so as to get a nice, clean cut.

STEP 2: Mix Cement

Next, I mixed my cement in a wheelbarrow. Only add a little water at a time; you don't want your cement soupy.

STEP 3: Set Cement (you may want a friend to help with this step)

Once I mixed my cement, I had my husband hold the PVC pipe in the center of my 15" planter so that I could shovel in the cement. Once I filled my planter, I used a block of wood to pat the cement down flat. Then, I took a level and ensured that the PVC pipe was straight a level (level the sides and the top). Let your planter with PVC pipe set overnight.

STEP 4: Paint Pipe

The next day I painted my PVC pipe. You could do this step before you do the previous steps but I wanted to be able to paint in one shot instead of one side at a time. I sprayed the PVC pipe with a primer (I used what I had in my garage which was automobile primer...it was more or less an experiment using this type of primer but it did the job so no complaints here!). Once the primer dried, I brushed on Behr Exterior Cozy Cottage (it's like a vintage white) paint.

STEP 5: Attach Table

In my original supplies photo, I had a PVC cap but my husband gave me a different idea which turned out to be better than the cap. I picked up this 2" PVC shower drain and attached it to the bottom of my prepped table top (I ended up not using this exact table top...see next step). I found the center of my table top, marked the hole with a pencil, pre-drilled the marks halfway, then placed the shower drain base on the marks and screwed it secure. Next, apply a little PVC cement to the inside of the base. Slide the table top onto the PVC pipe (the one that's set in the planter).

TABLE TOP DO OVER!!:

I was not loving my original table top so I scrapped the first one and decided to start over.

For my new table top, I simply applied Danish Oil with a rag for a simple, classy walnut wood grain.

STEP 6: Drill a Hole for an Umbrella (optional)

If you want to add an umbrella to your pedestal table, figure the middle of your table again and drill a hole using a forsnter bit.

Don't you love it?! I'm so excited about using this pedestal table for my backyard this summer since we only have one tree back there for shade. These tables are fairly easy to make so if you're having a backyard wedding, these could also be covered with fabric and tied around the middle for an elegant standing table for guests.

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

50 lb. bag Fast-setting concrete mix (Home Depot)
2" PVC pipe (Home Depot)
2" PVC shower drain (Home Depot)
1/31"-23 3/4" pine round (Home Depot)
Primer spray (Home Depot)
Exterior acrylic paint (Home Depot)
15" planter (Family Dollar)
Danish oil (Home Depot)
PVC cement (Home Depot)

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 4 questions

Dougal on Jul 04, 2016
I love this ! one question, did you think about using 2 pvc pipes where one would go into the other so you could detach the table top i.e. 2" into the base with a1.5" on the table top. I'm thinking you could then use the base as a stand alone umbrella stand. Regardless I'm doing this this weekend

1
Michelle J Hall Johnson on Jul 05, 2016
I see you used the base as a cooler for beverages, did you think to put in a drain for when the ice melts? A small hole even with the top of the cement and a rubber stopper from the hardware store.

1
JoLeen Bolton on Jul 05, 2016
Does this stay upright if there's a breeze? I know, there's cement I the base, but I wondered if you had a way to anchor it just in case?

3