Hey friends, I hope you have great plans for the summer! I love being outside in nature as much as I can when the weather turns nice. And for that reason a lot of my projects and decorating ideas start to be things for the outdoors. Previously I refinished some vintage gnome statues. This time I’m creating extra storage using Dollar Store supplies. A DIY outdoor side table that is! This is for the Less Is More series that I participate in monthly to bring you some budget-friendly diy project ideas along with a few other amazing home bloggers. Make sure to check out their projects at the end of mine.
There always seems to be a need for a light side table outside. An easy place to set a cup or a book. Perhaps with some storage for bubble wands or baseballs. I set out on a mission to do just that. Although it happened by chance while I was working on a different project.
This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for more details.
The Inspiration Behind the Pizza Pan Side Table
In the middle of making the DIY Racing Car sign from a pizza pan, I found myself digging through my supply drawer for my jute rope. On the top of all my supplies was a second pizza pan. I took it out and set it nearby to continue my search. Later on during the diy, I looked over and saw the pan sitting on the garbage can. The light bulb went off in my head.
Supplies For DIY Outdoor Side Table
I got these supplies from the Dollar Store unless it was something I already had such as hot glue. The hardest part was finding a garbage can or pail that was tall enough to work as a side table and had a wide enough brim for the pizza pan to rest on properly. I was determined to keep my supplies all from the dollar stores around me, but if I had branched out to Home Goods or Wal-Mart then I’m sure my search would have been easier.
Dollar Tree Pizza Pan
Dollar Tree Placemat
Dollarama Tin Bucket
Hot Glue Gun & Glue
Scissors
Marker
Step 1: Add Placemat
The placemat I picked up was larger than the inner section of the pizza pan. So it needs to be cut down to size. Flip your pizza pan over and place your mat on the back of the pizza pan. Make sure the mat is centered on the pizza pan. If you have a design on your mat then it’s even more important that it’s centered so your pattern or design isn’t crooked in the end. You can use a marker to trace the outline of the pizza pan onto the mat and then cut it down to size.
Before glueing the mat onto the pizza pan, do a dry fit to make sure it fits how you want it to first. If you need to trim it down more, do so. Once you are happy with the size of your placemat, then you can glue it onto your pizza pan. Add a dollop of hot glue to the center and spiral outwards to get a good layer of hot glue all over.
Step 2: Adjust Tin Pail
The sides of the pizza pan fit great as a lip on the pail, but the tabs for the pail handles get in the way. I gently bent the tabs downwards so that the pizza pan could lay flat on the pail ledge instead. If you have a pail or garbage can without handles then you will likely not need to make any adjustments.
If you glue your pizza pan to the pail then you won’t be able to use it for storage. But if you are able to get the pan to be stable on the pail without securing it, then you can use it as both a side table and for storage!
Step 3: Add Decorations
You can stop at the previous step or go on to add more personalization to the pail. You could spray paint it, add outdoor vinyl decals, perhaps some fabric or a monogram to it. The choice is yours to play around with! For now I decided to leave it as the aluminum pail. If it was a garbage can, like I had originally planned I would have painted it.
Here is the final result:
I am happy with it! It works great for an easy to move side table. I can take it down on the lawn with me and set it beside my folding chair while watching the kids in the backyard. I keep bubble wands stored inside so I don’t have to worry about bubble soap leaking all over the place anymore.
What do you think of this quick and simple Dollar Store decor project?
Please leave a comment, then check out the other diy projects below!
Leave a Reply