Bucket stool made of wood and concrete

The $5 bucket stool is a project created by Ben Uyeda, the designer behind the very inspiring blog Homemade Modern. The stool is durable, simple to make and aesthetically pleasing. What’s great about this project is that there is very little waste. The bucket serves a vessel for mixing the concrete and as the form for the stool. When the stool has cured it can be removed without damaging the bucket. A 48" dowel cut into three 16-inch pieces provides legs without waste.

Difficulté

Very easy Très facile

Durée

1 hour(s) heure(s)

Catégories

Décoration, Mobilier

Coût

5 USD ($)

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Matériaux

• Concrete Mix
• 1 ¼" Diameter Wooden Dowel 48" long
• Clean Tap Water
• Copper Pipe Caps and Washers

Outils

• 5 Gallon Bucket
• Wood saw

Étape 1 - Put 3 inches of concrete mix in the bucket

Make sure the bucket is clean and dry before opening up the concrete and scooping 3 inches of concrete mix into the bucket. Add some water and start mixing. Be careful not to over water the concrete or it will be weak and crumble. Thoroughly mix the concrete so that every grain of the mix is wet. The mix should be the consistency of cookie dough.

Shake out the bubbles: Mixed concrete has air bubbles trapped inside. Shake and tap the bucket to bring the bubbles to the surface.

Étape 2 - Place the legs

Cut the 48” dowel into three pieces 16” long each.

Once the concrete has settled, place the legs in the bucket. Stick the legs about 1 ½” past the surface of the concrete and let them rest against the sides of the bucket.

Étape 3 - Wait 20 hours then remove

Bend the sides of the bucket outwards a few times in each direction to loosen the concrete; then pull the stool out by the legs.

Étape 4 - Sand the edges

The concrete has not yet fully hardened and is pretty easy to work with. 120 grit sand paper can be used to smooth the edges.

Étape 5 - Paint the legs in your favorite color

Pain the legs. Use a masking tape to make a clean separation between the rough and painted wood.

Before painting, clean the surface to which you'll paint.

Wait for the surface to dry completely before removing the tape.

Étape 6 - Ta da!

It looks like something that could retail for $50 but you can make it for $5.

Notes et références

• This project was created by Ben Uyeda, the designer behind the blog Homemade Modern
• Check the original project on Homemade Modern
• For more detailed instructions, dimensioned drawings and different variations of the project, check out the Homemade Modern book.

Published