How to Make An Easy Outdoor Side Table

This is the time of year when we may yearn for new outdoor furniture, a dream that is too often out of reach for the budget-impaired. Still, never say die! I’ve “designed” an outdoor side table that’s super easy to put together using only three main items from the dollar store.

Regular readers Dollar Store Style may have seen this earlier, slightly smaller version of the idea on the Dollar Store Style website. After being out in the weather all summer, a couple of issues popped up, which I’ll talk about as we go on.

How To Make an Easy Outdoor Side Table

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Supplies Used and Recommendations:

Gather Supplies for Side Table

After I took this picture, I discovered that I’m no great shakes at using the Black and Decker, so I defaulted to using a simpler method to make holes that’s just as effective. (I’ll explain about the holes later.)

Apply Glue to Bottom of Pot

Turn one of the planters upside down and apply Gorilla Glue to the bottom.

Join Two Planter Pots

Line the base of the top planter up with the base of the bottom planter and press down. Let the Gorilla Glue dry for at least 24 hours. (I discovered, with last year’s table, that using hot glue isn’t a good idea; it melts in the heat. Oops!)

Use a Tray as a Table Top

In the earlier incarnation of this side table, I used a patterned tray but, over the course of the summer, the colours faded, so I recommend using a white tray like this one. Push it down into the top of the planter until it feels stable. This tray fits very nicely just below the edge of the planter. You don’t need to use glue here.

Please note that, because of the tray’s handles, the planter will fill up with water when it rains, if it isn’t under shelter. Otherwise, you could use the space underneath to store small outdoor items.

Poke Holes for Lawn Staples

Because plastic pots are so lightweight and because, I will be using my new side table on the lawn mostly, I put four holes around the bottom rim on each of the four “sides” using a small pointy screwdriver and a hammer. If you have an awl, that’s even better. A couple of good whacks for each hole did the trick.

These four holes will allow you to anchor your new side table to the ground using the lawn staples. Barring gale-force winds, the lawn staples should keep the table from toppling in the summer breezes.

Enjoy Your New Outdoor Side Table

Bonus Tip

If you’d rather use your new side table on a deck or patio, prevent it from tipping in the wind by placing something heavy on it, like this homemade garden light. Use a small glass bowl, clear glass stones and the top off of a small floral garden stake burrowed into the stones. All of these materials were found at Dollar Tree.

This light looks even better at night after it’s been filled up with rain!

See how I used this same idea to make tall planters for my front porch.

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