Search

A Crafty Mix

Menu

 

Recycling a Cast Iron Stove into a Side Table

Recycling a Cast Iron Stove into a Side Table

I’ve never understood how someone can just throw away a piece of history, like this cast iron pot belly stove that we found when we were on holiday recently. There were bits missing and it had been painted a vibrant green. I don’t know, maybe the color wasn’t right or someone was just didn’t know how special these old cast iron stoves are. Maybe the previous owners threw the old wood stove out when they upgraded to gas? Either way, I fell in love with the color, the rust and those cute little legs and round belly, so she came home with us. Unfortunately we stay in a thatch roof house so restoring her to her former wood burning glory wasn’t really an option, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t use her for something else.

Recycle a cast iron stove to make a OOAK side table that will leave a lasting impression on your guests

Our little rescued pot bellied stove

Isn’t she just too cute? The cooking area on top was missing and the hinged door had been welded closed, but the little vent in front still worked.

Recycle a cast iron stove to make a OOAK side table that will leave a lasting impression on your guests

So dashing

Our first thoughts were, let’s just put her on display so everyone can admire her while talking about the good old days. Then we had a light bulb moment, well actually we had a few beers and then the light bulb moment. She would make an awesome side table for our boho-gypsy lounge. We just had to figure out what to use for the table top. A few more beers later and……………………….. Bingo!!! An old roasting pan, some Dragon’s Belly Unicorn SPiT and sandpaper 😎

A roasting pan, Unicorn SPiT and sandpaper are transformed into a side tab;e

A roasting pan, Unicorn SPiT and sandpaper

We started off by applying the Unicorn SPiT directly onto the roasting pan and sanded the edges using 100 grit sand paper.

Sand and paint the roasting pan to match the paint of the cast iron stove

Sand and paint the roasting pan

It was a good start but I really wanted to try get that pitted rusty effect. So out came the spices. We added a coat of Mod Podge then we just sprinkled different spices randomly on the still wet Mod Podge.

Every spice in the cupboard to experiment

Every spice in the cupboard

Once it had dried we brushed off any lose bits and added another layer of SPiT.

A herb encrusted roasting pan makes the perfect side table

A herb encrusted roasting pan

To attach the table top we simply drilled a hole through the one side of the roasting pan and into the stove pipe and screwed them together.

Drill a hole and attach the roasting pan to the bot belly cast iron stove

Drill a hole and attach the roasting pan

Time for a little happy dance around our new herb encrusted, pot bellied, cast iron side table 😉

A cast iron stove and an old roasting pan make an interesting OOAK side table. Come see how we did it on the blog

A cast iron stove and an old roasting pan

And there’s enough space to hold all kinds of little side table things.

The perfect resting place. A cast iron stove and a roasting pan combine to form a OOAK side table

The perfect resting place

I’d love to know what you think? Was she worth saving? Would you have done something different with the cast iron pot bellied stove?

Made with love by a Crafty Mix

 

 

Categories:   Craft Tutorials, DIY Tutorials, Home Decor Crafts, Our Round House, Trash to Treasure

Tags:  , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

  • Posted: April 26, 2019 15:00

    Liz

    Great idea. I was thinking of selling our very vintage potbelly stove, but no more. Imma gonna do this too. THANK YOU.
    Reply

    • Posted: April 27, 2019 04:51

      acraftymix

      😃 So happy you like it Liz, thank you
      Reply

  • Posted: June 14, 2017 01:00

    FLORENCE @ VintageSouthernPicks

    I would have snapped that up in a heartbeat if I was ever lucky enough to find one! Love what you did to it! Clever use as a side table!
    Reply

    • Posted: June 14, 2017 05:38

      acraftymix

      She's a beauty Florence and it was a super lucky find. I'm really glad we could re-purpose her into something useful without damaging her core structure
      Reply

  • Posted: January 31, 2017 05:17

    Michelle

    Ooooh -- I love that! There was a little kerosene stove/heater thing at an estate sale a few weeks back for dirt cheap but I couldn't figure out what to do with it that wouldn't give us all monoxide poisoning. Now I'll be keeping my eyes out for something else like it!
    Reply

    • Posted: January 31, 2017 07:27

      acraftymix

      I hear you Michelle. They're all so beautiful and really cheap. I'm glad you like the side table. Hope you find something else soon ;-)
      Reply

  • Posted: January 25, 2017 21:41

    Pili

    I really like how things can be upcycled into something else thinking outside the box. That now side table is amazing, and I love you used spices to get the rusty look, how creative!!
    Reply

    • Posted: January 26, 2017 06:26

      acraftymix

      Thank you Pili, the spice trick worked out really nicely
      Reply

  • Posted: January 25, 2017 20:18

    Cathy

    Very cute and I doubt it would ever get knocked over...LOL by kid or dog.. Great idea
    Reply

    • Posted: January 26, 2017 06:27

      acraftymix

      Your right about that Cathy, this side table isn't going anywhere ;-)
      Reply

  • Posted: September 26, 2016 14:24

    Laura Munoz

    I LOVE this. If you ever get tired of it, let me know, and I'll come pick it up. Awesome idea.
    Reply

    • Posted: September 26, 2016 14:38

      acraftymix

      Lol, thanks Laura. I'll let you know :D
      Reply

  • Posted: September 25, 2016 02:55

    Betsey A Freyberger

    Now I know what to do with my pot belly stove!!!
    Reply

    • Posted: September 25, 2016 04:44

      acraftymix

      Oh that's great Betsey, let me know how it works out and send some pics, I'd love to see.
      Reply

  • Posted: September 20, 2016 15:38

    Diana Deiley

    Great save. I too appreciate 'old' things with history and a story. Thanks for sharing.
    Reply

    • Posted: September 21, 2016 10:59

      acraftymix

      Thank you so much Diana. I love old things, it makes my heart so sore when people just chuck something away.
      Reply

  • Posted: September 16, 2016 17:02

    Linda at Mixed Kreations

    Great save, she was worth it. I think your pot belly side table turned out adorable, and I love the color as well. The old roasting pan makes a perfect top for the table. I have never heard of unicorn SPIT I will have to look that up.
    Reply

    • Posted: September 17, 2016 07:51

      acraftymix

      Thank you Linda and you've got to try some SPiT. I love the stuff, I've never seen such vibrant colors before and the Jasmine smell is just sooooo divine.
      Reply

  • Posted: September 15, 2016 16:05

    Mary-the boondocks blog

    Ha, what a cool idea Michelle. To actually put a tray on top is very clever. I would have been boring and put a piece of wood or glass. I like your idea much better.
    Reply

    • Posted: September 15, 2016 17:46

      acraftymix

      If we'd taken all our power tools down on holiday with us I'd probably have done the same, lol. Our holiday home is in a really small town and finding the right piece of wood or glass would have been almost impossible. I'm really glad that we had to try make a plan with what we had.
      Reply

  • Posted: September 15, 2016 14:53

    Anonymous

    She will look stunning on my new stoep too.
    Reply

    • Posted: September 15, 2016 17:55

      acraftymix

      Yay!! That's the best place for a koolstoofie.
      Reply

  • Posted: September 15, 2016 13:54

    Keri

    Michelle, Yes she was definitely worth saving!! You guys did such an awesome job on making her beautiful again and what a fantastic idea to make her into a table. The spices to create a rusty effect was genius!! I love it!!
    Reply

    • Posted: September 15, 2016 17:56

      acraftymix

      Thank you Keri <3 I wish you could have seen hubby's face when I hauled out his favorite spices :D
      Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

shares