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Are you tired of throwing away endless end tables for your outdoor space? Or are you just tired of seeing the same old plastic end tables or the cheap metal ones that eventually rust out? What if I told you I had a better way! What if I told you, you wouldn’t need any more of those unworthy outdoor tables? What if I told you, it’s easier than you think? I have a solution and I’m going to share it with you now!
We have a firepit on our patio, complete with the Adirondack chairs. I was tired of buying those cheap little tables that (1) didn’t look good and (2) rusted out eventually. It’s like I kept throwing money away every 6 months.
I wanted something that was going to last forever, maintenance free and sturdy enough to hold drinks, outdoor candles, décor, etc.
Folks, I introduce you to the world of cinder blocks! Yes, cinder blocks! The ugly, gray and heavy cement blocks! Bare with me for a few….
I’ve seen people make outdoor benches, chairs, and couches with cinder blocks. You wouldn’t think of this as being pretty, much less useful. But let me tell you, I’ve seen some amazing things come from a few cinder blocks. For example, here is an outdoor couch I found from Pinterest:
Simple, yet functional and doesn’t break the bank.
When I was looking for a solution for my tables, I thought to myself, why can’t I make some end tables from cinder blocks? So with a little bit of thought, I headed over to our Lowe’s and pulled the materials and assembled them right there in the garden center what I imagined it looking like.
To my surprise, it worked and looked pretty good too!
So, here are the materials you will need to make your own cinder block end tables:
- 4 cinder blocks (for each table you plan on making)
- 1 18×18 paver stone (for each table you plan on making)
- Kilz Exterior Primer in White
- Any brand or paint in your color of choice
- Brown Kraft Paper
- Paintbrush
- Paint Roller Kit
First off, you need to spray off your cinder blocks with water to make sure you get them as clean as possible. When you buy them new, they are pretty dusty and gritty so make sure you get as much of that off as possible. I had the hubs pressure wash them on a light setting.
Second, let your cinder blocks dry off in the sun until they are completely dry. You don’t want to paint over them while they are still wet. We are not trying to seal in any moisture here. I turned mine every so often to make sure they were drying on all sides.
Lay out your brown paper to protect your painting surface.
Next, take your Kilz and go to town on covering all 4 sides of the cinder blocks. The cinder blocks are very porous and we used nearly a whole gallon for 8 cinder blocks. You want to make sure you Kilz them so it seals the concrete and they will be ready for paint. Basically, you are priming the concrete for your paint.
Then, take your paint color and make sure to paint 2 coats on each cinder block. Let dry according to your manufacturer’s recommendations between coats.
We did not paint our paver stone as it was a grey tone and I didn’t want it to take away from our painted cinder blocks, so we just left it natural.
Next, it is time to assemble your tables! Yay! The fun part!
Take the 4 painted cinder blocks and stand them up on their ends as shown here:
I like to leave the holes pointed to the outside because once all 4 come together you have little cubby holes for storage. Take all 4 cinder blocks and put them in a square as shown here:
Next, all you have to do is put your paver stone on the top. Since all the pieces are relatively heavy, there is no need to cement together.
That’s it ya’ll! It is so simple and makes such a statement, not to mention very functional and sturdy! The best part is, we have had these for at least 3 years now and they look just as good as the day we made them!
Love and Hugs,
Melanie
