Upcycling a Vase & Chips and Salsa Tray into a Porch Side Table

Happy Wednesday! I am so excited to be hosting a Thrift Games for you today – me and some of my blogger friends went thrifting with a $15 budget and found something cool to up cycle!

I really wanted a side table to go on our screened in porch in between two of our free bamboo chairs.

I was pretty open in what I was looking for but knew that I needed a base and a table top.

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I had to be a little creative when I walked through Goodwill, but I was really inspired by this glass vase for $8.99. It was the perfect height for a side table! I wasn’t feeling the hot pink (shocking for me!) but I liked the general shape and feel.

For a top, I was really hoping for a wooden tray or platter. There were no plain trays the right size, but there was this wooden chips and salsa plate for $4.99.

When I turned it upside down, it fit perfectly on the vase base! We were in business, and under our $15 budget.

I wanted to give the glass base a sea glass look so I picked up a can of Krylon sea glass spray paint in aqua.

I wanted the glass to have a transparent sea glass look, so I actually used a straight edge razor blade to scrape all of the pink paint off the outside of the glass.

However, since I could not get it 100% off, it showed through the transparent spray paint. Whomp whomp. I ended up having to spray the whole thing with white primer to cover the pink paint, so the scraping was just an extra unneeded step.

Hazard of DIY projects!

I gave the whole thing 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of sea glass spray. I topped it off with 2 coats of a clear matte sealant.

Here are my favorite spray painting tips! I love the final frosted look!

The tabletop had a brand name burned into it. I used our electric sander to sand the wood down and remove the brand name.

I then gave it a coat of Restore a Finish and one coat of poly to seal it.

I attached the top to the base using gorilla glue. After 2 hours of dry time, it  was ready to go!

I love how it turned out and love how it fits our space. Pretty perfect for under $15!

Check out all of my ideas for how to get free furniture!

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Morgan

Hello, I’m Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I’ve transformed three homes and now I’m dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let’s turn your house into a home together!