This little project has been in the making for some time now. I picked up the milk can on the local buy/sell page. At $50 it was pretty pricey but they are hard to come by and this was the real deal, solid metal in good condition. I needed something sturdy that would stand up to the elements on the front porch.

I wasn’t loving the original red color so I dug through our paint cabinet and found two grey spray paints I could use. The first was a dull grey primer and the other a brilliant metallic finish. I randomly layered them so they would mix well and play off each other. Here was the end result.

I hunted high and low for an unfinished wood table top to complete this project to no avail. I even looked when I was down south on our trip. Amazingly, I finally found one at Lowes for about $13.I found a can of stain in the paint cabinet and gave each side a coat. Then the hubs and I took turns applying coats of poly – also from our paint cabinet – to both sides until we were happy with the color and finish.

I planned to screw the top on through the lid of the milk can, but the hubs suggested liquid nails which we had on hand. A couple dollups and a good hard press and it was done.

It looks just how I envisioned it would, the perfect unique and rustic side table for less than $65. Just wait till you see what it will accompany on my porch!

Shared at Knick of Time’s Vintage Inspiration Party #203!