Easy upcycled potting bench

Rose Hughes transforms an old barbeque into a useful piece of garden gear.

You will need: Old barbecue – you can find these at your local recycling centre or during inorganic collection , screwdrivers/pliers/spanners, sandpaper, wood glue, 40mm x 10mm dressed pine, 50mm x 25mm dressed pine, 8g x 40mm screws, hand saw/drop saw/jig saw, Resene GP Metal Primer, Resene Semi-Gloss Water Based Enamel, paintbrushes/ turps and a test pot roller kit.

These are instructions for this particular barbecue model; adapt as required.

Cost: $50 (excluding paint).

Step one
Strip down the barbecue as much as possible, keeping the relevant screws and bolts. Remove the wheels. Wash all the parts well with hot soapy water to remove dirt and grease.

Step two
The frame and side panels on my barbecue had some surface rust so after sanding well to remove any loose surface material, I used Resene GP Metal Primer. Paint all the metal surfaces and allow to dry.

Step three
Using the roller kit to get a good surface, top coat all the metal parts with two coats of Resene Water Based Semi-Gloss Enamel – I used Permanent Green.

Step four
Reassemble the barbecue. Measure the space for the base struts for the top tray and cut from the 50mm x 25mm pine. Measure and cut the top slats from the 40mm x 10mm pine. I needed to round the corners with a jig saw so these fitted well.

Step five
Apply a spot of glue to each of the joins and weigh down, and allow to dry. Once dry, remove, and drill and screw each of the joins from the underside.

Step six
Repeat this method for the bottom tray. You can varnish the timber if desired.

Before

After

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